Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 22-06-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 22-06-2021

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Social Issues - White foods consumption increases manifold - Bakery and condiment industries, which use refined wheat flour and white sugar as main ingredients, have grown exponentially. White foods are the processed and refined foods, like refined wheat flour, white rice, white bread, white pasta, and simple sugars like white refined sugar, honey, and high fructose corn syrup. Harmful impacts of white foods consumption are many, and it was inversely associated with poor glycaemic control. Evidence has linked large consumption of refined sugar, particularly in the form of sugary drinks, with obesity and abdominal fat accumulation that leads to diabetes and heart diseases. Sugars were directly associated with greater risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, small intestine cancer and pleural cancer.  Along with pink, blue, and black salts, white table salt is essential to health. But it produces negative health outcomes such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and osteoporosis when consumed in excess.
2. Environment and Ecology - Sea levels around Lakshadweep to rise - A study projected that sea levels will rise around Lakshadweep Islands due to the impact of global warming. This for the first climate model projection used to assess the potential areas of inundation over the archipelago of Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. It will affect airport and residential areas close to the present coastline. The study estimated that smaller islands Chetlat and Amini are expected to have major land-loss. The larger islands Minicoy and the capital Kavaratti are also vulnerable to sea-level rise, and expected to experience land-loss along 60% of the existing shoreline. Sea-level rise effects are seen to have the least impact on Androth Island under all emission scenarios. It could have wide socio-economic impact. Projected inundation due to sea-level rise can impact the islanders as residential areas are quite close to the present coastline. Also, the only airport in the archipelago is located at the southern tip of Agatti Island, and has a high likelihood of damage due to inundation from sea-level rise.
3. Agriculture - Sale of illegal HTBt cotton seeds doubles - The illegal cultivation of herbicide tolerant (HT) Bt cotton saw a huge jump this year,  Sale of illegal seed packets more than doubled from 30 lakh last year to 75 lakh. BT Cotton is a genetically modified crops that produces an insecticide to combat the Cotton bollworm, a common pest. The GM crop has a gene artificially inserted from another species to provide some desired properties like pest resistance herbicide tolerance drought resistance. However, concerns are raised over its negative impact on Environment human health and crop diversity. Currently BT Cotton is the only GM crop allowed for commercial cultivation in India but herbicide tolerant BT Cotton has not been approved by regulators. They are available in the black market along with BT brinjal and HT Soya seeds. HTbt Cotton variant makes the plant resistant to the the herbicide 'glyphosate'. But that has a carcinogenic effect and can result in spread of herbicide resistance to near by plants through pollination.
4. World Economy - World Investment Report 2021 - The World Investment Report 2021 was released by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It says that India was the fifth largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world, and FDI increased 27% to USD 64 billion (2020) from USD 51 billion (2019), due to the acquisitions in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. The second wave of the COVID-19 in India weighs heavily on the country's overall economic activities but its strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term. The investments from India may stabilise in 2021, supported by resumption of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the European Union (EU) and its strong investment in Africa. The global FDI flows have been severely hit by the pandemic and they plunged by 35% in 2020 to USD 1 trillion. COVID-19 led lockdowns around the world slowed down existing investment projects and prospects of a recession led multinational enterprises (MNEs) to reassess new projects. The pandemic boosted demand for digital infrastructure and services globally, which led to higher values of greenfield FDI project announcements targeting the ICT industry, rising by more than 22%. While some large economies in developing Asia like China and India recorded FDI growth in 2020, the rest recorded a contraction.
5. Healthcare and Medicine - Monoclonal Antibodies - A study showed that the experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail, REGEN-COV2, was found to be a life-saving treatment for some of the most severely affected Covid-19 patients. To fight a viral infection, human bodies create proteins called antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are artificial antibodies that mimic the activity of our immune systems. They are produced through a process that involves extracting specific antibodies from human blood and then cloning them. These monoclonal antibodies are designed to target a virus or its specific part. E.g., REGEN-COV2 is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies developed to target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The monoclonal antibodies bind to specific parts of the spike protein, blocking its ability to infect healthy cells. Besides Covid-19, monoclonal antibodies have been used in the treatment of cancers as well as Ebola and HIV. Some monoclonal antibodies have shown the ability to retain activity against multiple variants of the virus. But Monoclonal antibodies are not approved for use in those hospitalised with severe Covid-19 and those requiring oxygen. Some emerging variants like the Delta Plus “variant of interest” have also displayed the ability to nullify the use of monoclonal antibodies.
6. Indian Economy -  Farmers' protests - According to the 'State of Environment in Figures 2021' report released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), there was a fivefold increase in major farmers’ protests since 2017. In 2017, there were 34 major protests across 15 States. The number has now shot up to 165 protests across 22 States and Union Territories. This was due to the three contentious Central farm laws, apart from procurement and agricultural market price-related failures. 12 of these are pan-India protests, including 11 agitations against the three farm reform laws introduced in 2020. Battles against acquisition of farm land for development projects, including highway and airport construction, are the prime cause of 17 agitations. At least seven agitations have been to demand loan waivers or to protest poor insurance coverage and delayed compensation. Although Punjab and Haryana farmers have caught the limelight for the recent protests outside Delhi, data shows that the largest number of recent protests have taken place in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
7. Social Issues - Illegal adoption - The Supreme Court agreed to intervene after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) sounded the alarm on a spate of complaints about illegal adoption of COVID orphans through private individuals and organisations. Social media posts are circulating that children are up for adoption, a plainly illegal act violative of the Juvenile Justice Act. The adoption of orphaned/abandoned/ surrendered children is lawful only after the adoption procedure as given under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 is followed and the final adoption order is passed by the prescribed authority. Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act prohibits the disclosure of identity of children with regard to the name, school, age, address or any information which would reveal the essential details of the child. Placing any confidential information about children in the public domain which would make them susceptible to trafficking, NCPCR statistics shows that 3,621 children were orphaned, 26,176 children lost either parent and 274 children were abandoned between April 1, 2021 to June 5, 2021.
8. Social Issues - National Population Register (NPR) - Migrants belonging to six non-Muslim minority communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, while applying for long-term visas (LTVs), can also produce National Population Register (NPR) enrolment slips as proof of the duration of their stay in India, according to a Union Home Ministry manual. The NPR number is part of an illustrative list of more than 10 documents that could be provided to apply for an LTV, which is a precursor to acquiring Indian citizenship either by naturalisation or registration under Section 5 and 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, for the six communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists — from the three countries. The special provision of LTVs for Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan was first made in 2011. Ministry officials assert that the awareness drive is not related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which is intended to benefit undocumented migrants from the six groups who entered India before the 2014 cut-off date. The CAA is yet to implemented.  
9. Science and Technology - First chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) Therapy - The first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) in India was done at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay with support from DBT/BIRAC, through National Biopharma Mission. The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology. Technical: Chimeric antigen receptor T cells are T cells that have been genetically engineered to produce an artificial T-cell receptor for use in immunotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptors are receptor proteins that have been engineered to give T cells the new ability to target a specific protein. The CAR T-cell therapy is used to treat certain blood cancers, and it is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.
10. Health and Medicine - India on 21st June administered more than 80 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses, the highest single-day number of jabs in the world. Thus India has vaccinated roughly the population of Israel or twice the population of New Zealand in a single day. The centralised free vaccination policy began on 21st June, under which the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian citizens above 18 years of age. Under the drive, the Centre would procure 75 per cent of vaccines and give them to states for free distribution to all citizens above the age of 18. It will also handle the 25 per cent vaccination that was with states till now under the liberalised plan announced earlier. China has made its own claims about the highest no. of jabs on a single day.

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

India's swadeshi 5G : By Bharti Airtel and Tata Group

• The story: India's mega telecom firm Bharti Airtel will create and deploy a locally-made 5G network solution, developed by the Tata Group, as part of its fifth-generation mobile service rollout plan.
• Open RAN (radio access network): Traditional branded 5G telecom gear comes as a full package. But the "Open RAN" as a concept enables hardware and software to be disaggregated, unlike conventional radio gears, allowing technology products from different suppliers to coexist with various software providers. This will allow Airtel to reduce the cost of 5G deployment as the Tata solution is based on Open RAN.
• Airtel's perspective: The firm said the partnership will provide a big boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination. With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India will be well-positioned to build cutting-edge solutions and applications for the world. The 5G solutions, once commercially proven in Airtel’s brownfield network, will open export opportunities for India, which is now the second largest telecom market in the world.
• The business angle: Airtel’s strategic partnership with Tata could allow it to reduce its cost of 5G deployment and thus help support the business case for 5G rollout, which has been challenging for operators globally. With an Open RAN architecture, companies can get hardware such as radio made from contract manufacturers. Bharti Enterprises, parent of Airtel, has a pact to form a joint venture with Dixon to manufacture telecom and networking products.
• 5. Summary: Airtel’s arch-rival Reliance Jio is pursuing its own in-house 5G solutions through a mix of organic and inorganic approaches, and is currently piloting in Mumbai and intends to commercially deploy once 5G spectrum is available commercially.

International role of Euro

• From the stary: The European Union (EU) launched the euro almost 20 years ago, and many hoped it would do what none other could, in the post-war period: challenge the mighty American dollar. However, most of the world's reserve managers did not stop trusting the US dollar. Europe is again pushing its euro now.
• Latest step: On June 15th, $20bn worth of bonds was issued as part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) scheme to boost European economies. Those bonds could be seen by investors as a safe asset of choice, perhaps equal to the American Treasury bonds.
• On currencies: Currencies exist to facilitate the transactions of people and businesses within the borders of their nations. Having an international presence helps in many ways. For companies, doing imports and exports denominated in their local currency (and not the dollar) means less disruption when exchange rates move up and down. So, issuing a currency that foreigners want to hold makes it easier for governments to raise money from them at cheap rates. So the cost of borrowing for firms and banks goes down.
• Euro's present status: The euro is easily available outside the 19 countries that formally use it. About two dozen countries link their own currencies to it, mainly former European colonies and neighbours. Between a third and half of all euro banknotes by value are held outside the euro area, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). Around a fifth of all foreign-exchange reserves accumulated by central banks, and a similar percentage of cross-border loans and bonds, are denominated in euros. With a 60% share, the US dollar is way ahead. The euro’s share of payments for transactions is much closer to that of the dollar because the EU is the world’s biggest importer and exporter of goods and services. But commodities like oil remain mostly priced in dollars.
• History: By 2007 the euro became the most popular currency in which to issue foreign-currency-denominated debt (by multinationals). Then came the financial crisis of 2007! Everyone fell back on the dollar as the currency of choice. And then came the European sovereign debt crisis, convincing investors that they were right not to trust the euro over the dollar.
• Two things changing:

1. FIRST: In 2021, America’s changing attitude to international economic policymaking (jingoist protectionism) was not compatible with the obligations on the issuer of the world’s reserve currency. Even under the Biden regime, Europe now is concerned its interests may not align with America’s. Euro-zone leaders now say boosting the currency’s international use would help them achieve “strategic autonomy”. America has used the need of big banks to have access to dollars to police their behaviour far beyond its shores (e.g. in getting sanctions imposed on Iran). Firms that refuse are fined heavily by America (even European ones). This is the weaponisation of the dollar.
2. SECOND: Whereas the last global recession brought the euro to the precipice, today the swift actions of the ECB and national governments to support their economies were well received. It boosted the credibility of the euro in a crisis—a key attribute of a global currency. A big step was the creation of the NGEU scheme and the subsequent bond issuance. The bonds are effectively backed by the balance-sheet of all EU member states, thus making them roughly akin to America’s Treasury bonds. This is new for Europe, where borrowing has been done by national governments, whose creditworthiness varies. The new pan-EU bond creates a way for investors to save in euros without taking credit risk.

• Summary: The rise of digital currencies issued by central banks, which the ECB is planning, may result in a new equilibrium where many currencies share global reserve-currency status. That could include China’s yuan also, presently not convertible. The world will be where it was before the second world war where multiple currencies — the dollar, sterling and the French franc among them — held joint dominance.

• [message]
• 2. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

India’s coal power sector and water norms

 

 

• The story: The CSE surveyed 154 GW coal power capacity and found about half of freshwater-based power plants were non-complying with 2015 water norms; most of them belonged to state-owned companies. [CSE - Centre for Science and Environment]
• The report: The survey results came in a report titled "Water Inefficient Power" and flag the severe non-compliance by coal power plants to these legally binding units of water consumption. Six years after the water consumption norms came in, there is high non-compliance observed in the sector, which continues to withdraw enormous amounts of water.
• Water norms: According to the 2015 norms (revised 2018), plants installed before January 1, 2017 were to meet a specific water consumption limit of 3.5 cubic metres / MWh of water; plants installed after January 1, 2017 had to meet the norms of 3 cubic metres of water per MWh of water along-with adopting zero liquid discharge. All freshwater-based plants were to install cooling towers and achieve the norm of 3.5 cubic metres of water per MWh. All sea water-based plants were exempted from meeting the norms.
• Deadline ignored: The water consumption norms for coal power plants were introduced in 2015 alongwith emission norms. The coal power plants were supposed to meet the water norms by December 2017. Though timelines for emission norms for the sector were revised twice by the ministry — once in 2017 and more recently in 2021 — water norms implementation and compliance was completely overlooked. This is when several power producing regions of the country have been facing acute water shortages and water pollution because of power plants’ effluent discharge.
• High non-compliance: The CSE study surveyed over 154 GW coal power capacity comprising 132 coal power plants. This is about 75 per cent of total installed coal power capacity in India. Private plants did fairly well in terms of compliance; several state-owned plants were found to flout water consumption norms more. Of the 59 GW of non-complying capacity, a major percentage (about 65 per cent) comprised state-owned plants. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra possessed maximum non-complying plants. The non-compliance in UP can be attributed to the age of plants and inefficient practices; also many older plants — including Obra, Parichha, Anpara, Rihand and Singrauli — are freshwater-based once-through plants.
• Solution: The has CSE recommended measures to expedite compliance with the 2015 norms, along with better and accurate accounting of reported water consumption data.

1. Review implementation of water consumption norms and issue clear deadlines to non-complying plants; ensure zero-discharge implementation as per norms
2. Prioritise implementation of norms in water-scarce regions
3. Prioritise decommissioning of old and inefficient freshwater-based once-through cooling plants
4. Cross-verification and monitoring of self-reported water consumption data by third party agency through annual water audits
5. Adoption of uniform format by all plants to report water consumption and compliance data in environment statements
6. Periodic calibration of raw water meter and submission of calibration report to regulatory agency
7. Evolve systems of effective deterrence to ensure compliance with water standards

• Summary: Coal power plants are responsible for about 70 per cent of the total freshwater withdrawal by all industries in India. Indian power plants with cooling tower consume twice as much water as their global counterparts. This massive water footprint must be regulated to mitigate its impact.

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

America warns China on virus origin probe

• The story: The Covid-19 pandemic commenced January 2020, and ever since, experts have tried conclusively finding the origin of the virus. But due to the resistance from China, there is no definite answer available.
• Latest warning: In June, US warned that China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a “real” investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus. This warning came from U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

1. In June 2021, a call by the Group of Seven leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden for another probe into how the virus originated was given.
2. Biden has in May ordered the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its efforts to determine where the coronavirus came from and to report back in 90 days.
3. The goal is to present China with a stark choice: Either they will allow, in a responsible way, investigators in to do the real work of figuring out where this came from, or they will face isolation in the international community. (this is the most direct warning till date)

• An upset China: It has rejected the theory that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first cases were reported. Chinese foreign ministry labelled Sullivan’s comments as “sheer blackmail and threat.” It said that accusing China of saying no to the investigation is totally groundless, and it is even more alarmist to say that China is facing international isolation.
• Summary: The World Health Organization, which previously sent a mission to China to report on the virus origins, is expected to lead a second probe separately from the U.S. intelligence effort. Clearly, the heat is on.

NATO and China as a security risk

• The story: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in June 2021, for the first time, explicitly described China as a security risk. The other two threats identified by the NATO 'declaration' are Russia and terrorism.
• Points to note: The NATO was established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of 4th April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. It is headquartered at Brussels, Belgium. Its primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of a democratic peace in the North Atlantic area. The collective defence principle enshrined in NATO’s Article V states that “an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies”.
• NATO forces: NATO has a military and civilian headquarters and an integrated military command structure but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own. Most forces remain under full national command and control until member countries agree to undertake NATO-related tasks. A “NATO decision” is the expression of the collective will of all 30 member countries since all decisions are taken by consensus.
• Performance: In the Cold War era, NATO was successful in its mission of protecting the “Euro-Atlantic area” from Soviet expansion and preventing war between the two superpowers. The formation of NATO, and its Soviet counterpart, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955, inaugurated the Cold War era (approximately 1945 until 1991). In the post-Cold War era, when Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, NATO witnessed a paradigm shift from collective defence, which implied a known adversary, to collective security, which is open-ended, and might require action against any number of threats, including unknown ones and non-state actors. When the Balkans conflict broke out in 1999, NATO got the chance to prove its utility in a post-Cold War Europe.
• A good deal: For Europe, it was an attractive bargain where, in exchange for a marginal loss in autonomy, it enjoyed absolute security at a cheap price. Not having to spend massively on defence allowed Europe to focus on building powerful economies and invest its surplus in a strong welfare state. NATO also offered the added bonus of keeping Germany down, historically a major factor for peace and stability in the region. A collective military force organised and managed by the Europeans themselves may offer a way out of American oversight and occasional bullying. But it carried the danger of one or two of the stronger and wealthier states, such as Germany or France, dictating terms to the smaller ones, a danger attractively absent in the NATO arrangement.
• NATO and China: NATO leaders declared China a constant security challenge and said the Chinese are working to undermine global order. The imprint of American President Biden was visible in this move, who wants them to speak against China’s trade, military and human rights practices. But both France and Germany sought to put some distance between NATO’s official position and their own perception of China.
• Summary: NATO’s European member states may view China as an economic rival and adversary, but they are unconvinced by the American line that it is an outright security threat. An upset China urged NATO to “view China’s development rationally, stop exaggerating various forms of ‘China threat theory’ and not to use China’s legitimate interests and legal rights as excuses for manipulating group politics artificially creating confrontations”.

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

Public Sector Banks will get better HR policies

• The story: Indian government is now thinking of strengthening the corporate governance and human resource practices in nationalised banks. It is being proposed (i) through a diversified board structure, (ii) strengthening of board-level committees and (iii) a robust performance management system for employees.
• Details: The government had announced the merger of 10 public sector banks into four big ones in August 2019, bringing down the number of PSBs in the country to 12 from 27. The PSB merger process is now complete and revamping corporate governance and HR practices is the goal. Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India were merged into Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank was merged with Canara Bank; Allahabad Bank with Indian Bank and Union Bank of India with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank. Punjab National Bank (PNB) is the second-largest public sector bank after the merger.

1. Key proposals include longer tenure for executive directors, hiring of specialists in areas such as NPA management and fast track promotion for high performers.
2. The idea is to further professionalise the boards of PSBs and bring experts in risk management, information technology and human resource management.
3. While there is a need for specialists, top-level posts also need to have experience of core functions.

• BBB in picture: One of the key mandates of BBB is to help banks to develop a robust leadership succession plan for critical positions and advise the government on evolving suitable training and development programmes for management personnel. It will also maintain a database on performance of the officers of PSBs. This will have information regarding postings, placements, promotions and vigilance of senior officers.
• EASE 4.0: Launched in January 2018, Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (Ease) is the common reform agenda for all public sector banks aimed at institutionalising clean and smart banking. Banks through Ease 4.0 may also take up these issues at their board level.
• Summary: The government clearly wants to tighten performance norms, which is a good sign.

Unlocked India's credit growth slower than when locked

• The story: Year 2020 saw India under a complete lockdown for many months. That depressed many economic indicators, including fresh credit creation. Now, despite the low base effect of that, credit growth has been slower as on 21 May, 2021, at just 6%.
• Why so: This is being ascribed to risk aversion and regional lockdowns imposed by states to curb the spread of coronavirus amid the second wave that started in April 2021 and continued in May 2021. Bank credit growth remained at 6%, and was restricted from falling further on account of the various schemes by the government.
• Statistical details:

1. Credit growth for FY22 is likely to remain in low double digit but it will be supported by ECLGS scheme extended till September 2021 and disbursements extended till 31 December 2021.
2. In absolute terms, bank credit increased by Rs.6.1 trillion compared with fortnight ended 21 May 2020, but it declined marginally in comparison with previous fortnight. The incremental credit (April to May) growth for FY22 stood at -0.5% as compared with -1.1% in FY21 and - 0.2% in FY20, which indicates that the incremental growth has been better than last year but is yet to return to normal.
3. Negative to slower growth in large industries and services segment has restricted the overall bank credit growth.
4. The lower growth rate (y-o-y) in deposits can be partly attributed to base effect and fall in deposits rate of banks. Also, the inflows in debt mutual fund and equity mutual fund may have led to the decline in bank deposit value.

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

Jammu and Kashmir's upcoming Delimitation

• The story: Delimitation is the formal act of redrawing boundaries of an Assembly or Lok Sabha seat, to represent changes in population over time. This is done out by a Delimitation Commission, whose orders cannot be questioned before any court. The goal is to redraw boundaries (based on the data of the last Census) so that the population of all seats be the same throughout the State (as far as possible and practicable). This naturally can change the limits of a constituency, and may result in change in the number of seats in a state.
• Special state, special delimitation: Delimitation exercises in J&K have been different due to the region’s special status, something scrapped by the Modi government in August 2019. The rule before that was that delimitation of Lok Sabha seats would be as per the Constitution of India, but of the state’s Assembly seats would be as per the (i) Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and (ii) Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957.

1. Assembly seats in J&K were delimited in 1963, 1973 and 1995. The last exercise was conducted by the Justice (retired) K K Gupta Commission when the state was under President’s Rule and based on the 1981 census, which formed the basis of the state elections in 1996.
2. There was no census in the state in 1991 and no Delimitation Commission was set up by the state government after the 2001 census as the J&K Assembly passed a law putting a freeze on the fresh delimitation of seats until 2026. This freeze was upheld by the Supreme Court. The J&K Assembly, at that time, had 87 seats — 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu and 4 in Ladakh. Twenty-four more seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The freeze created inequity for Jammu (allegation).

• It's a UT now: For Assembly elections to be held in the new Union Territory, delimitation will be necessary. The Union government’s invitation to 14 key political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for a meeting with the PM at Delhi may be for the Assembly elections. On 15th August 2020, the PM had said elections would be held in J&K after the delimitation process.
• Abrogation of Art.370: Since J&K’s special status was abrogated in 2019, delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the UT has to be as per the provisions of the Indian Constitution. On March 6, 2020, the government set up the Delimitation Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, tasked with winding up delimitation in J&K in one year. As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, the number of Assembly seats in J&K would increase from 107 to 114, which is expected to benefit the Jammu region. Apart from Desai, Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and J&K State Election Commissioner K K Sharma are the ex-officio members of the delimitation panel. The panel has five associate members — National Conference MPs Farooq Abdullah, Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh, and Jugal Kishore Sharma of the BJP. The Commission was granted one year's extension on March 4, 2021 (Covid-19-induced shutdowns).
• Get me the day: In June, the Election Commission wrote to Deputy Commissioners of all 20 districts in J&K seeking fresh information on several aspects including population density and topography, to study the geographical spread of the Assembly seats, to see whether a seat is within one district or spread over several districts, etc.
• Opposition: But the Commission’s work won't be easy, as the National Conference MPs Farooq Abdullah, Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi have refused to participate, stating that the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 was “unconstitutional” and till the time the Supreme Court decides the constitutional validity of this law, no decisions on delimitation should be implemented. Today, the National Conference may be open for dialogue.

India’s Kashmir policy 2021

• The story: The Union Home Secretary extended invitation to the leadership of the J&K-based political parties to discuss on the Kashmir issue. This is quite significant, as on August 5, 2019, the State of J&K was stripped of its special constitutional status and dismembered into two Union Territories.
• What happened then: The leaders of mainstream parties, including former CMs, were jailed after 2019. The PM has now decided to meet 14 party leaders from the Union Territory, including those incarcerated for opposing the Centre's move. This will be the first political engagement since the August 5 move. Perhaps the revival of the political process in Jammu and Kashmir has commenced.
• Times change: Clearly, the political environment has changed since the 2019 move. The Joe Biden administration in US is eager to end the U.S. entanglement in Afghanistan, and is also resisting China’s attempts to dominate the world. In parallel, India is in a stand-off with China on the border. Making it more difficult, the Biden administration has publicly disapproved India’s Kashmir policy. Sensing opportunity, Pakistan is trying to reclaim its strategic advantage. New political challenges domestically due to a horrible second Covid wave has changed political dynamics. So instead of being rigid, the government is now being flexible.
• Summary: Engagement has to be in good faith and with an open mind. Efforts by govt. to tackle corruption and pilferage should not amount to furthering instability in J&K. The sense of betrayal prevails among Kashmiris needs to be ameliorated. It could then be a beginning towards a durable and democratic resolution of the Kashmir question.

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

Summer Solstice 2021: the longest Summer day

• The story: The Summer Solstice was on June 21. It is the longest day of the summer season and takes place in the northern hemisphere when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
• Details: The Summer Solstice signals the start of the summer season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. In a year, two such events take place: Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice. At this time, the Earth is at a point where its tilt is at the greatest angle to the plane of its orbit. This results in one hemisphere receiving more sunlight and a longer day than the other.

1. The Earth has seasons as a result of the tilt and Earth’s revolution on its orbit around the Sun.
2. NASA shared an image giving an insight into Earth’s position with respect to the Sun during both these events. The Earth rotates around its axis resulting in the the cycle of day and night. When the Earth is close to the Sun, the areas that are close have hot and humid days and nights.
3. At the time of Summer Solstice, Earth’s North Pole is tipped directly towards the Sun more than any other time of the year. Also the South Pole is away from the Sun. As a result of this, sunlight falls for longer periods on regions located in the northern hemisphere and for fewer hours on places south of the Equator.

Antibodies against Nipah Virus in bats

• The story: A survey found the presence of antibodies against the Nipah virus (NiV) in some bat species from a cave in Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in Maharashtra. The survey was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).
• Points to note: The NIV team looked at Rousettus leschenaultii and Pipistrellus pipistrellus bats that are common in India. The Pteropus medius bats, which are large fruit-eating bats, are the reservoir for NiV in India as both NiV RNA and antibodies were detected in the samples of these bats collected during previous NiV outbreaks. A bat’s immune system is especially adept at withstanding viral infection because of its ability to limit excessive inflammation — which uniquely allows viruses to thrive without proving deadly to the mammal.
• Nipah virus (NiV): It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans). The organism which causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA or Ribonucleic acid virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus. The Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal disease in both infected horses and humans. It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999. It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
• Transmission: The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
• Symptoms: The human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death. Currently, there are no vaccines for both humans and animals. Intensive supportive care is given to humans infected by Nipah virus.

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

Gamers beware - your data is being stolen

• The story: The South Korean game PUBG was banned in India, and its sequel "Battlegrounds Mobile India" was launched. But that may be sending data from users of Android systems in India to servers in China. This was claime by IGN, a website that tracks video and mobile game developments.
• Details: IGN said that it installed a data packet sniffer app, which tracks servers that a device communicates with, on a user’s Android phone while playing the Battlegrounds game that became available in India. It found data was being sent to servers of state-owned China Mobile Communications Corporation located in Beijing. Further, the game pings the server of Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent Holdings while booting up.
• What does the law say: Krafton—the publisher of Battlegrounds Mobile India— had claimed on June 3 that over 20 million users had pre-registered for the game within two weeks of its launch. Legal experts say that while there is no specific ban on sharing data with Chinese servers, the privacy policy under the IT Act requires companies to specify the conditions under which the data is being shared with anyone apart from the servers in India and Singapore.

1. India could be well within its rights to take action if it finds that the company (Krafton) is sharing Indian user data with China on grounds of threat to sovereignty and national security.
2. In a letter addressed to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had sought a ban on the Battlegrounds Mobile India app.
3. The Indian mobile gaming market is estimated to be worth over $2 billion by 2025, according to Global Data.

• App ban: In September 2020, PUBG Mobile, published by China’s Tencent in India, was banned along with other Chinese apps amid a prolonged border standoff between the two Asian neighbours. Following the ban, PUBG Corp, the subsidiary of Krafton, severed ties with Tencent for the Indian market and said that it would respect the measures taken by the government as the privacy and security of player data is a top priority. Later, in November 2020, PUBG Corp said it would set up an Indian subsidiary and launch a new India-specific version of the game. The company, along with parent Krafton, said it would invest $100 million (Rs 750 crore) to revive business in the country—its largest market in terms of the number of users.

Disability early intervention centres

• The story: In June 2021, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) launched 14 cross-disability early intervention centres across the country to provide support to infants and young children at risk of or with disabilities.
• Disabilities: It is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.

1. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure
2. An activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action
3. A participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations

• Indian law: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. India has ratified the Convention and has enacted 'The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016'.
• About the centres: The services provided at the centres will include screening of children and referral to appropriate rehabilitative care; speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy; parental counselling and training and peer counselling. These centers will also focus on school readiness.

1. Scenario from 2011 Census - There are more than 20 lakh children with disabilities in the age group of 0-6 years, who belong to the categories of visually impaired, hearing impaired, locomotor disability etc. So around 7% of children in this age group suffer from some form of disability.
2. Expected rise - The number of such children is expected to increase as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, increases the number of disabilities to 21 from 7.
3. 0-6 years a critical phase - Early Childhood (0-6 years) is the most critical phase of brain development. Early intervention can provide specialised support and services for infants and young children at-risk or with disability or developmental delay and their families to help their development, well-being and participation in family and community life. This can lead to lesser economic burden by creating a better future and independent/less dependent lives.

• Other initiatives:

1. Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 - Besides increasing the number of disabilities, it increases the quantum of reservation for people suffering from disabilities from 3% to 4% in government jobs and from 3% to 5% in higher education institutes.
2. Accessible India Campaign - Creation of Accessible Environment for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
3. Unique Disability Identification (UDID) Portal - The project is being implemented with a view of creating a National Database for PwDs, and to issue a Unique Disability Identity Card to each PwD.

• Summary: Research shows that the first 1000 days of a child's life are crucial to ensure healthy development. Identification of at-risk cases, especially in rural areas, is important. It is important to provide necessary assistance and counselling to their parents in time.

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

Proposed Amendments to Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020

• The story: India plans to tighten rules for e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart and has proposed several amendments to Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020.
• Reasons and background: There were many complaints from associations of small businesses in India. So this decision was taken. They have accused e-commerce marketplaces of misusing market dominance and offering deep discounts.
• CCI probe: The amendments have been proposed at a time when large e-commerce marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon India are being investigated by Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged abuse of market dominance. The CCI probe also focuses on deep-discounting practices that e-commerce marketplaces often come up with.
• Proposed rules: Amended rules propose to limit ‘flash sales’ of goods and services by e-commerce companies. They do not ban conventional e-commerce flash sales. Some specific flash sales or back-to-back sales that limit customers choice, increase prices & prevents a level playing field will not be allowed. E-commerce firms will have to establish adequate redressal mechanisms and appoint a chief compliance officer. Companies are also required to name a resident grievance officer who has to be a company employee and a citizen of India. He will serve as nodal point of contact for law enforcement agencies.

Yellow Gold 48: Yellow Watermelon introduced

• The story: The "Yellow watermelon" has been developed from superior germplasm under Bayer’s global research and development efforts. This variety has been commercially introduced in India after two years of local trials. It has enhanced yield potential, better disease & pest tolerance and higher returns which can benefit watermelon growers.
• Timing: The Yellow Gold 48 variety is best suited for cultivation during October to February. Harvest can be done from April onwards after which it will be available in market until mid-July.
• Significance: The Yellow Gold 48 has high yield and income potential which will empower watermelon growers to diversify into new categories. It will also help in growing demand for exotic fruits. It is the first of its kind yellow flesh watermelon which have moderate to good plant type. It has dark green rind with slight stripes and orange yellow flesh colour. Average weight of the fruit is 2.5 -3 kg.

Israel tests airborne high-power Laser

• The story: The Israeli military has successfully tested an airborne high-power laser which have the capability to shoot down drones.
• Points to note: Israel already has a large and sophisticated air defense system. This system had 90 per cent interception rate against thousands of rockets which were fired from Gaza during 11-day war of May 2021.
• Israel’s Laser defence system: "Laser" is a prototype developed with Elbit Systems. It was mounted on a civilian plane and successfully shot down drones in recent test conducted over Mediterranean Sea.
• Laser weapons: A "Laser weapon" is a directed-energy weapon which are based on lasers. As of January 2020, directed-energy weapons including lasers are currently at experimental stage despite several R&D. It is yet to be seen if or when laser weapons will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons. Laser generates a beam of light which needs clear air or a vacuum to work[5] without thermal blooming. The atmospheric thermal blooming is a major problem with such weapons, and this problem can worsen if fog, smoke, rain, dust, snow, smog, foam like obscurant chemicals are present.

UN: Great Barrier Reef should be listed as ‘in danger’

• The story: A UN committee has recommended to add the Great Barrier Reef to the list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites. However, this was opposed by Australia which is blaming political interference.
• Points to note: The recommendation was made by a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) committee. This committee sits under UNESCO. According to the committee, world’s biggest coral reef system should be added to ‘in danger’ list because of impact of climate change.
• Why resist: Australia has struggled to keep Great Barrier Reef off the 'in danger' list for four years. UNESCO noted in 2015 that, outlook for this reef was poor. However, it kept the site’s status unchanged. Since 2015, Great Barrier Reef has experienced three major coral bleaching events because of severe marine heatwaves.
• Great Barrier Reef: It is world’s largest coral reef system that comprises about 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,300 kilometres over an area of 3,44,400 square kilometres. It is located in Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The reef can be seen from outer space, and is world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. Structure of the reef is composed of and built by tiny organisms called coral polyps. It was selected as World Heritage Site in 1981.

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!

• [message]
• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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

---