Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-07-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-07-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Polity and Constitution - Facebook, Twitter, Google may quit Hong Kong - Giant social media firms from the US viz., Facebook, Twitter and Google have privately warned Hong Kong that they could stop offering their services if authorities proceed with planned changes to data protection laws. The laws could make the companies liable for malicious sharing of individuals' information online. The companies said their staff could be put at risk of criminal investigations over posts by users. The warning came in a letter sent by the Asia Internet Coalition, of which all three companies, in addition to Apple Inc, LinkedIn and others, are members. Proposed amendments to privacy laws in Hong Kong could see individuals hit with “severe sanctions”, said the 25 June letter to the territory’s privacy commissioner for personal data, Ada Chung Lai-ling, without specifying what the sanctions would be. Hong Kong saw an unprecedented wave of "doxing" – or publicly releasing private or identifying information about an individual or organisation – during the mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019. Personal details were released by parties on both sides, with police, politicians, journalists and activists targeted, as well as their families.
2. Indian Economy - Inclusion of retail and wholesale trades under MSME - The government has included retail and wholesale traders under the MSME (Micro, small and medium Enterprises) classification. MSME sector includes Industrial sector and Services sector but excludes the Agriculture sector. Though all the retail and wholesale trade is part of Services sector, they were not considered as MSMEs. Since MSMEs are part of the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Guidelines, now retail and wholesale trade too will be able to avail loan under PSL, which is an important role given by the RBI to the banks for providing a specified portion of the bank lending to few specific sectors. These sectors have high social return and are needed for inclusive development, and may not get timely and adequate credit in the absence of this special dispensation. Banks today lend nearly 40% of their adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) to the priority sector.
3. Polity and Constitution - Stan Swamy's death and Section 43D(5) of UAPA - Just two days before his death, 84 years old arrested activist (and suspected terrorist) Father Stan Swamy had moved the Bombay High Court challenging Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Atrocities Prevention Act (UAPA), a provision Swamy termed “illusory”. The provision makes grant of bail virtually impossible under UAPA since it leaves little room of judicial reasoning. The UAPA, enacted in 1967, was strengthened by the Congress-led UPA government in 2008 and 2012. The test for denying bail under the UAPA is that the court must be satisfied that a “prima facie” case exists against the accused. In 2019, the SC defined prima facie narrowly to mean that the courts must not analyse evidence or circumstances but look at the “totality of the case” presented by the state. Section 43D(5) reads: “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code, no person accused of an offence punishable under Chapters IV and VI of this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity of being heard on the application for such release.
4. Social Issues - Forest Rights Act (FRA) - Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Environment have jointly decided to give more powers to the tribal communities in managing the forest resources. A “Joint Communication” to this effect has been signed, pertaining to effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly known as Forest Rights Act (FRA). The Act recognizes and vests the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling scheduled tribes (FDSTs) and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFDs) who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. It provides a framework for recording the forest rights so vested and the nature of evidence required for such recognition and vesting in respect of forest land.
5. Indian Economy - Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) - The Centre has pushed the idea of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), by forming an advisory council comprising nine members including National Health Authority CEO RS Sharma and Infosys boss Nandan Nilekani. Through the ONDC, the government wants to standardise protocols for onboarding stakeholders such as sellers on e-marketplaces. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said that the ONDC “aims at promoting open networks developed on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols, independent on any specific platform. ONDC is expected to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiency in logistics and enhance value for consumers”. ONDC may evolve on the lines of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and bring various operational aspects put in place by e-commerce platforms on to the same level. These will include processes like vendor onboarding, vendor discovery, price discovery and product cataloguing. If these become legally mandated, it can hit larger e-commerce companies hard, as they have proprietary processes in these aspects.
6. Foreign Affairs - Global Peace Index 2021 - The 15th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. The ranks are released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The GPI covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains -  the level of Societal Safety and Security, the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and the degree of Militarisation. India ranked 135/163 with an improvement of 2 ranks. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq. India with a score of 2.553 has been ranked 135 out of 163 countries, which specifies 'Low State of Peace'.
7. Indian Economy - Freight smart cities - The commerce ministry said it unveiled plans for freight smart cities to improve urban freight efficiency, and create an opportunity for reduction in the logistics costs. Under the freight smart cities initiative, city-level logistics committees would be formed and they will have related government departments and agencies at the local and state levels. These would also include the private sector from the logistics services and also users of logistics services. On the freight smart city initiatives, the logistics division is working closely with GIZ (Germany) under Indo-German Development Cooperation, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India. From the 10 cities to be identified on immediate basis, it is planned to expand the list to 75 cities in the next phase before scaling up throughout the country, including all state capitals and cities that have more than one million population.  However, the list of cities to be taken up would be finalised in consultation with the state governments.
8. Foreign Affairs - INSTC connects Europe with India for first time - The western wing of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which offers a shorter multimodal transportation route between Europe and India compared with the Suez Canal way, became operational in July 2021 with a Finnish logistics company despatching a consignment from Finland to India. The INSTC is a 7,200 km-long multimodal transportation network encompassing sea, road, and rail routes to offer the shortest route of connectivity. It links the Indian Ocean to the Caspian Sea via the Persian Gulf onwards into Russia and Northern Europe. It is aimed at reducing the carriage cost between India and Russia by about 30 percent and bringing down the transit time by more than half. It was launched in 2000 with India, Russia, and Iran as its founding members and work on actualizing the corridor began in 2002. Since then, INSTC membership has expanded to include 10 more countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Belarus, and Oman. Bulgaria has been included as an observer state.  The Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia have also expressed willingness to join the INSTC.
9. Science and Technology - Atmanirbhar Krishi app - The App was launched by the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India. It was created to equip farmers with actionable agricultural insights and early weather alerts and is available in 12 languages. It is envisioned in 5 stages: Data aggregation related to soil type, soil health, moisture, weather, and water table.  Building centralized insights related to crop selection, fertilizers requirements, and water needs for each farmer at the farm-holding level. The goal is to enable local expertise supported interactions and insights, etc.
10. Healthcare and Medicine - Third COVID-19 wave may hit India in Aug, peak in Sept - India may witness COVID-19's third wave from August and it would reach its peak in September, according to a report by SBI Research. "Going by the current data, India can experience daily COVID-19 cases around 10,000 somewhere around the second week of July," the report said. "However, the cases can start rising by the second fortnight of August". The pandemic in 1918-20 had a total of four waves, the fourth being the last to hit.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

Services sector shrinks - PMI at 41.2, fastest drop in 11 months

• The story: India’s services sector activities contracted in June '21 as the intensification of the Covid crisis and reintroduction of containment measures restricted demand. In parallel, the factory output data saw a sharp decline too. This was revealed in the seasonally adjusted "India Services Business Activity Index" — compiled by IHS Markit.
• Details: The index fell from 46.4 in May to 41.2 in June, as new work intake and output contracted at the fastest rate since July 2020, which prompted companies to reduce employment again. In the vocabulary of Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), the 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction. (less than 50 is contraction)
• First and second wave comparison: It was expected that due to the Covid situation in India, the services sector would take a hit. The PMI data for June '21 showed that the quicker declines in new business, output, and employment were sharp, but not as bad as in the first lockdown. Uncertainty about the future path of the pandemic restricted business confidence among services firms, and sentiment slipped to a 10-month low.

1. With India expanding its vaccine options and the government announcing ambitious plans to immunise the entire adult population by the end of the year, a sustainable economic recovery can begin.
2. Services have the maximum share in India’s gross domestic product (GDP), with over 57 per cent contribution.
3. Even the global demand for Indian services deteriorated in June, with new export orders falling for the 16th consecutive month. Meanwhile, the overall level of business sentiment was down for the third month in a row in June, reaching its lowest mark since last August '20.

• Overall business scenario: Private sector companies in India noted a second successive monthly decline in business activity during June, as market conditions remained challenging due to the escalation of the pandemic. The "Composite PMI Output Index", which measures the combined services and manufacturing output, fell from 48.1 in May to 43.1 in June, signalling the sharpest rate of reduction since July 2020.
• Prices: Rising prices of edible oils and protein-rich items pushed retail inflation to a six-month high of 6.3 per cent in May '21, breaching the comfort level of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). However, the RBI has maintained an accommodative stance and is not likely to raise policy interest rates. But reduction in rates is also not possible in near term (due to rising inflation).
• On manufactuing: The agency had also said the second wave of pandemic, coupled with local lockdowns, pushed manufacturing activities in reverse gear as PMI for June '21 dipped to 48.1. Manufacturing has a share of 17 per cent share in India's GDP. The numbers of these two sectors are expected to affect GDP growth rate during the April-June quarter.

No plan to impose anti-dumping duty on some Chinese & other imports

• The story: The government decided not to impose anti-dumping on imports of certain copper products, used in the electrical industry, from China, Thailand, Korea and three other countries. In April '21, the commerce ministry's arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) had recommended imposing the duty on "copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products" from China, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• Final decision: In such matters, it is the finance ministry which takes the final call to impose these duties. The latest order says: "The central government has decided not to impose anti-dumping duty on imports of copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products originating in or exported from China, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, proposed in the said final findings (of DGTR)."

1. The duty proposed by the DGTR was in the range of $42 per tonne to $1,077 per tonne.
2. Copper flat-rolled products are used in power distribution, electrical and electronic switchgear, automotive electronics, and radiators.
3. The directorate is the investigative arm of the commerce ministry, which probes dumping of goods, a significant increase in imports and subsidised imports from India's trade partners.

• Anti-dumping: Countries carry out anti-dumping probes to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports. As a countermeasure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of the WTO (World Trade Organisation). The duty is to ensure fair trade practices and create a level playing field for domestic producers concerning foreign producers and exporters.
• Knowledge centre:

1. Dumping of goods - "Dumping" happens when foreign firms dump products at artificially low prices in the Indian market. This could be because countries unfairly subsidise products or companies have overproduced and are now selling the products at reduced prices in other markets. According to global trade norms (WTO), a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers. The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, such as DGTR, in India.
2. Anti-dumping duty - An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value. While the intention of anti-dumping duties is to save domestic jobs, these tariffs can also lead to higher prices for domestic consumers.
3. DGTR - The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (earlier known as Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties) was named in May 2018 as an integrated single window agency for providing comprehensive and swift trade defence mechanism in India. DGTR functions as an attached office of Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is a professionally integrated organisation with multi-spectrum skill sets emanating from officers drawn from different services and specialisations. The DGTR brings DGAD, DGS and Safeguards (QR) functions of DGFT into its fold by merging them into one single national entity. DGTR now deals with Anti-dumping, CVD and Safeguard measures. It also provides trade defence support to our domestic industry and exporters in dealing with increasing instances of trade remedy investigations instituted against them by other countries.

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

Trees, forests, rainfall and climate change

• The story: A new research found that converting agricultural land to forest would boost summer rains by 7.6% on average, in Europe. The researchers found that adding trees changed rainfall patterns far downwind of the new forests. Extra rain could partially offset the rise in dry conditions expected with climate change.
• A complex situation: The findings about increasing rainfall are partly based on observations of existing patterns. But the underlying reasons are less clear - they are probably related to the way the forests interact with cloudy air. Planting trees has become a major plank of many countries' efforts to tackle climate change all over the world. UK PM Boris Johnson said his country was aiming to plant some 30 million new trees every year by 2025.
• Turn agri into forests: The new research considers the impact of converting agricultural land across Europe to sustainable forests. It used an observation-based statistical model to estimate how changes to forest cover would impact rainfall across the continent.

1. The study found that if there was a 20% increase in forest, uniformly across Europe, then this would boost local rainfall, especially in winter and with greater impacts felt in coastal regions. But as well as local rain, the planting of new forests causes impacts downwind. The scientists found that rainfall in these locations was increased particularly in the summer months.
2. Taking the two impacts together, in what the team describe as a realistic reforestation scenario, they found that precipitation overall went up by 7.6% in the summer. That's quite a significant finding, and has implications for climate change.

• Climate change's biggest threat: The most threatening climate change signal expected in relation to percipitation, is a decrease in summer precipitation that is expected in the southern parts of Europe like the Mediterranean. Forestation would lead to an increase in precipitation, and hence will be very beneficial. The increased rainfall could have potentially negative impacts by boosting rainfall patterns that have already been affected by climate change, particularly in the Atlantic region.
• Clouds and forests: The reasons behind these local and distant impacts on rainfall are uncertain - scientists point out that the cloudy air that produces rain tends to stay longer over forested areas. And the rougher nature of these forests may trigger the rain, as a forest is a much rougher surface than agricultural land. So it induces more turbulence at the land-atmosphere interface, and the forest exerts more drag on to the atmosphere than agricultural land. The new forests tend to evaporate more moisture to the atmosphere than agricultural land and this extra supply is the main reason behind increased rainfall downwind. The fact that trees planted in one country may have implications in another means that the world should really consider all the impacts of how it uses land.
• Not so direct: It also shows once again, that the idea of solving climate change with trees is not as simple as it is often portrayed. Planting trees is certainly not a quick fix for climate change. Adding new trees or restoring lost forests can never compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the burning of fossil fuels. That remains the primary issue.
• Summary: Even just cutting back on emissions won't be enough, and the world will need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere if warming is to stay below 1.5 C. Tree planting is a potential candidate for generating these negative emissions, but planting trees should never be an excuse for not acting on reducing carbon emissions by all means possible.

 British Columbia fires created their own weather

• The story: Severe wildfires that engulfed parts of western Canada in July '21 were so intense that they generated massive "fire clouds" that spawned their own lightning storms. In what some experts said was one of the most extreme events they've ever witnessed, more than 700,000 intracloud and cloud-to-ground flashes of lightning — from both fire clouds and regular thunderstorms — were recorded.
• Extreme wildfires: Wildfires so extreme they create their own weather are not common occurrences, but with climate change making fires both more frequent and more intense, scientists say the risks of such events sparking out-of-control blazes will likely increase in the future.

1. A fire cloud, known as a pyrocumulonimbus cloud or pyroCb, typically forms when a fire rages with enough intensity that it creates updrafts of smoke, water vapour and ash that rise high into the atmosphere. These columns of air then cool and condense, forming clouds that can generate thunder, lightning and tornado-force winds.
2. Pyrocumulonimbus clouds are worrisome because they can cause wildfires to behave erratically, making it difficult for firefighters to control the blazes or predict how they will evolve. Fire clouds can also help wildfires spread by kicking up burning embers that land downwind or by producing lightning strikes that ignite new areas.
3. It's not well understood why some large fires create pyrocumulonimbus clouds and others don't, and it remains an active area of research. Scientists are also hoping to better understand the effect of climate change on the emergence of fire clouds.
4. In general, though, scientists have observed an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires as a result of global warming.

• Global warming and wildfires: As the Earth continues to warm, there are more drier periods that create more favorable conditions for wildfires. The wildfires raging in British Columbia and Alberta developed on the heels of a historic heat wave that brought record-setting temperatures to the entire Pacific Northwest. It was that punishing heat that helped create ideal conditions for large fires to break out.
• What's needed for a wildfire: Wildfires, regardless of where they occur, need three basic ingredients to thrive: (i) vegetation — such as dried-out leaves, twigs, cones and dead trees — that act as fuel; (ii) conducive conditions like hot, dry and windy weather; and finally, (iii) some type of ignition such as lightning or a human-caused event.

1. The recent heat wave, which produced temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several days in parts of British Columbia, helped dry out the land and create a perfect storm of wildfire ingredients.
2. The drier it is, the easier it is for a fire to start and spread, and there is more fuel available to burn and more energy being released, so a higher-intensity fire burns.

• The nightmare at Lytton: Nowhere was that more evident than in the village of Lytton, British Columbia, which set new national temperature records three days in a row, peaking at a scorching 121 degrees and just a day later, a fast-moving wildfire tore through the area, forcing a mandatory evacuation order shortly before the entire town was consumed in flames. 

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

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium - seventh edition

• The story: In July '21, the 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was hosted by the French Navy at Réunion island. It is a biennial event which was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008.
• Points to note: The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region littoral states to increase maritime co-operation and enhance regional security. It serves to develop an effective response mechanism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) against natural disasters.

1. The chairmanship of IONS has been held by India (2008-10), UAE (2010-12), South Africa (2012-14), Australia (2014-16), Bangladesh (2016-18) and Islamic Republic of Iran (2018-21).
2. France assumed the Chairmanship in June 2021 for a two-year tenure.
3. IONS includes 24 member nations that touch or lie within the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and 8 observer nations.
4. The members have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions:

1. South Asian Littorals: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory)
2. West Asian Littorals: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
3. East African Littorals: France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
4. South East Asian and Australian Littorals: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

• Why important: The IONS fits into India’s three-fold ambitions in the region: (i) Strengthening and deepening the relations with the Indian Ocean littoral states; (ii) Establishing its leadership potential and aspirations of being a net-security provider; and (iii) Fulfilling India’s vision of a rules-based and stable maritime order in the IOR. It will help India to consolidate its sphere of influence from the Straits of Malacca to Hormuz.
• Chinese angle: The IONS can be used to counter-balance the increasing presence of China in the region. Another important group here is the "Indian Ocean Rim Association", established in 1997, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
• Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR): Launched in 2015, SAGAR is India's attempt to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities. In addition, the "Asia Africa Growth Corridor" (AAGC) emerged in the joint declaration issued by India and Japan in 2016, raised on four pillars of Development and Cooperation Projects, Quality Infrastructure and Institutional Connectivity, Enhancing Capacities and Skills and People-to-People partnership.

Iran-linked websites blocked by USA

• The story: In June, the US government blocked dozens of US website domains connected to Iran. The move is linked to what the US says are disinformation efforts. It accused the sites, including Iran’s state-owned Press TV, of spreading disinformation. In the past, the U.S. had cracked down on Chinese and Iranian media over similar allegations.
• A new President: This American move came soon after Iran elected Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric, as President. Mr. Raisi has been sanctioned by the U.S. earlier for his alleged role in the execution of political prisoners and other rights violations. His election as the President has already escalated tensions between the two countries. The U.S. wants Iran to return to the terms of the original Iran-U.S. nuclear deal, and wants to discuss Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its regional activities. Raisi, known for his hardline domestic and foreign policy views, has rejected such demands outright.
• Logic of US: Iran responded saying the U.S. was trying to “muzzle free speech”, and experts reckon the US move hardly serves its declared purpose of fighting disinformation. For example: America seized the website of the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars, in 2018, which switched to an Iranian domain and was back online. But this decision would aid the Iranian narrative that America remains hostile, and could also create hitches in the diplomatic process under way. Both countries are trying to revive the nuclear deal (JCPOA), so an unnecessary provocation has been created.
• Summary: The way to fight disinformation campaigns is to promote information and strengthen independent journalism. Raisi would take over the presidency in early August 2021 (nearly a month to go), and President Biden’s best chance to revive the nuclear deal is to do it before then. So both sides should focus on the diplomatic path.

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

UDISE+ report for 2019-20

• The UDISE+ 2019-20 Report: The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) initiated in 2012-13 integrating DISE for elementary and secondary education is one of the largest Management Information Systems on School Education covering more than 1.5 million schools, more then 9.6 million teachers and more then 264 million children.
• Latest report: In 2019-20, total students in school education from pre-primary to higher secondary have crossed 26.45 crore. This is higher by 42.3 lakh compared to 2018-19.

1. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) - The GER at all levels of school education has improved in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19 - (i) Upper Primary Level increased to 89.7% from 87.7%; (ii) Elementary Level increased to 97.8% from 96.1%; (iii) Secondary Level increased to 77.9% from 76.9%; (iv) Higher Secondary Level increased to 51.4% from 50.1%
2. GER is the number of students enrolled in a given level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the official school-age population corresponding to the same level of education.
3. Pupil Teacher ratio - In 2019-20, 96.87 lakh teachers were engaged in school education. This is higher by about 2.57 lakh compared to 2018-19. The Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has improved at all levels of school education.
4. Enrolment of divyang students - It has increased by 6.52% over 2018-19.
5. Enrolment of girls - In 2019-20, enrolment of girls from primary to higher secondary was more than 12.08 crore, an increase by 14.08 lakh compared to 2018-19.

• Gender Parity Index: Between 2012-13 and 2019-20, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both Secondary and Higher Secondary levels have improved. The GPI in primary, secondary and tertiary education is the ratio of the number of female students enrolled at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education to the number of male students in each level. Improvement of GPI has been most pronounced at the higher secondary level, which has gone up to 1.04 in 2019-20 from 0.97 in 2012-13.
• Facilities at schools: Though the numbers do show improvement, but the huge number of students left out of the "online education" model since the pandemic broke, remains staggeringly high.
• Electricity - More than 80% of schools in India in 2019-20 had functional electricity. This is an improvement of more than 6% over the previous year 2018-19.
• Computers - The number of schools having functional computers increased to 5.2 lakh in 2019-20 from 4.7 lakh in 2018-19.
• Internet - The number of schools having internet facilities increased to 3.36 lakh in 2019-20 from 2.9 lakh in 2018-19.
• Hand Wash Facility - More than 90% of schools in India had hand wash facilities in 2019-20. This is a major improvement as this percentage was only 36.3% in 2012-13.
• Medical Check-Ups - More than 82% of schools conducted medical check-ups of students in 2019-20, an increase of more than 4% compared to the previous year 2018-19.

Government clear Twitter lost immunity

• The story: The social media platform from US - Twitter - did not comply with the new Information Technology (IT) Rules, and therefore lost its immunity, provided to intermediaries under Section 79(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. This is the government stand, as told to the Delhi High Court.
• Immunity from prosecution: A lawyer filed a petition against Twitter over non-compliance with the new Information Technology rules that went into effect on May 26, 2021. That lawyer claimed that when he saw some defamatory tweets and sought to register a complaint, he only found contact details of a grievance officer located in the US on Twitter's website/mobile app.

1. The "immunity" or safe harbour is the protection provided to intermediaries like Twitter, Google, Facebook, Koo, ShareChat and others, under the IT Act. It enables intermediaries to protect themselves from liability for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by them.
2. Losing safe harbour would mean platforms could become liable under law for third party and user-generated content hosted by them.
3. On May 31, the High Court issued a notice to the social media giant giving it three weeks to reply, and set the matter for further hearing on July 6.

• Twitter's stand: It informed the Delhi High Court that it was in the final stages of appointing a new resident grievance officer. The firm had been issued a notice by the high court over its alleged non-compliance with the new information technology rules.

1. Appointing a resident grievance officer is one of several norms which Twitter and other social media platforms operating in India have to follow under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The Rules were notified in February 25 and came into effect on May 26.
2. On June 27, Twitter's interim resident grievance officer Dharrmendra Chatur resigned, following which, Twitter appointed US-based Jeremy Kessel as its new resident grievance officer in India, which put it in violation of the new rules.

• Summary: Twitter and the government are embroiled in controversy since January, when Twitter restored some tweets that were asked to be taken down by the government for possibility to incite violence, as a part of the farmers' protests. Twitter says it is only working as per the constitutional guarantee for freedom of speech and expression, and nothing more.

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

Indian constitution's Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)

• The story: The original source of the concept of Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) is the Spanish Constitution from which it came in the Irish Constitution, and resides in the Article 45. Indian constitution's Part IV (Article 36–51) contains the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• Details of DPSP: The Article 37 of the Indian Constitution States about the application of the 'Directive Principles', as those aiming at ensuring socioeconomic justice to the people and establishing India as a Welfare State. The principles are classified on the basis of their ideological source and objectives, so we have - (i) Socialist Principles, (ii) Gandhian Principles, and (iii) Liberal and Intellectual Principles.
• DPSPs based on socialist principles:

1. Article 38: The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting a social order by ensuring social, economic and political justice and by minimising inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities
2. Articles 39: The State shall in particular, direct its policies towards securing - Right to an adequate means of livelihood to all the citizens, The ownership and control of material resources shall be organised in a manner to serve the common good, The State shall avoid concentration of wealth in a few hands, Equal pay for equal work for both men and women, The protection of the strength and health of the workers, Childhood and youth shall not be exploited.
3. Article 41: To secure the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disability.
4. Article 42: The State shall make provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
5. Article 43: The State shall endeavour to secure to all workers a living wage and a decent standard of life.
6. Article 43A: The State shall take steps to secure the participation of workers in the management of industries.
7. Article 47: To raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of people and to improve public health.

• DPSPs based on Gandhian principles

1. Article 40: The State shall take steps to organise village panchayats as units of Self Government
2. Article 43: The State shall endeavour to promote cottage industries on an individual or cooperative basis in rural areas.
3. Article 43B: To promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies.
4. Article 46: The State shall promote educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people particularly that of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other weaker sections.
5. Article 47: The State shall take steps to improve public health and prohibit consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs that are injurious to health.
6. Article 48: To prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves and other milch and draught cattle and to improve their breeds.

• DPSPs based on liberal-intellectual principles:

1. Article 44: The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizen a Uniform Civil Code through the territory of India.
2. Article 45: To provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years.
3. Article 48: To organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines.
4. Article 48A: To protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
5. Article 49: The State shall protect every monument or place of artistic or historic interest.
6. Article 50: The State shall take steps to separate judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State.
7. Article 51: It declares that to establish international peace and security the State shall endeavour to - Maintain just and honourable relations with the nations; Foster respect for international law and treaty obligations; and Encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.

• Amendmentss:

1. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976 introduced changes in the part-IV by adding new directives like - (i) Article 39A: To provide free legal aid to the poor; (ii) Article 43A: Participation of workers in management of Industries; (iii) Article 48A: To protect and improve the environment.
2. The 44th Constitutional Amendment, 1978 inserted Section-2 to Article 38 which declares that; “The State in particular shall strive to minimise economic inequalities in income and eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities not amongst individuals but also amongst groups”. It also eliminated the Right to Property from the list of Fundamental Rights.
3. 86th Amendment Act of 2002 changed the subject-matter of Article 45 and made elementary education a fundamental right under Article 21 A.

• Fundamental Rights and DPSPs: Unlike the Fundamental Rights (FRs), the scope of DPSP is limitless and it protects the rights of a citizen and work at a macro level. Over the years, the higher judiciary has given due weight to the idea of DPSPs, and many verdicts were motivated by it. The DPSPs consist of all the ideals which the State should follow and keep in mind while formulating policies and enacting laws for the country. These Principles are affirmative directions while fundamental rights are negative or prohibitive in nature because they put limitations on the State. The DPSP is not enforceable by law; it is non-justiciable. The DPSPs are not subordinate to FRs.

1. In case of conflicts between the two, the judiciary steps in. In the 'Champakam Dorairajan v the State of Madras (1951)' case, the Supreme Court ruled that in case of any conflict between the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles, the former would prevail. It declared that the Directive Principles have to conform to and run as subsidiary to the Fundamental Rights.
2. In the 'Golaknath v the State of Punjab (1967)' case, the Supreme Court declared that Fundamental Rights could not be amended by the Parliament even for implementation of Directive Principles. It was contradictory to its own judgement in the ‘Shankari Parsad case’.
3. In the 'Kesavananda Bharati v the State of Kerala (1973)' case, the Supreme Court overruled its Golak Nath (1967) verdict and declared that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution but it cannot alter its “Basic Structure”. Thus, the Right to Property (Article 31) was eliminated from the list of Fundamental Rights.
4. In the 'Minerva Mills v the Union of India (1980)' case, the Supreme Court reiterated that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution but it cannot change the “Basic Structure” of the Constitution.

• Implementation of DPSP: Many reforms came due to the spirit enshrined in DPSPs.

1. Land reforms - States passed land reform laws to bring changes in the agrarian society and improve the conditions of the rural masses. These measures included (i) abolition of intermediaries like zamindars, jagirdars, inamdars, etc., (ii) tenancy reforms like security of tenure, fair rents, etc., (iii) imposition of ceilings on land holdings, (iv) distribution of surplus land among the landless labourers, (v) cooperative farming etc.
2. Labour reforms - These were enacted to protect the labour interests (i) The Minimum Wages Act (1948), Code on Wages, 2020, (ii) The Contract Labour Regulation and Abolition Act (1970), (iii) The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act (1986) (renamed the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986 in 2016), (iv) The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (1976), (iv) The Maternity Benefit Act (1961) and the Equal Remuneration Act (1976) have been made to protect the interests of women workers.
3. Panchayati Raj system - Through 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, government fulfilled constitutional obligation stated in Article 40. A three tier ‘Panchayati Raj System’ was introduced at the Village, Block and District level throughout Inia.
4. Education - Government implemented provisions related to free and compulsory education as provided in Article 45. Introduced by the 86th Constitutional Amendment and subsequently passed the Rights to Education Act 2009, Elementary Education has been accepted as Fundamental Right of each child between the 6 to 14 years of age.

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• 6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

China's new weather satellite will monitor sea temperature

• The story: China on 06th of July successfully launched a new meteorological satellite "Fengyun-3E (FY-3E)" with 11 remote sensing payloads, which besides enhancing the country’s weather forecasting capacity, will monitor global snow coverage and sea surface temperatures.
• Details: The satellite was launched into planned orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. The Fengyun-3E(FY-3E) will be the world’s first meteorological satellite in early morning orbit for civil service. It is designed with a lifespan of eight years and will mainly obtain the atmospheric temperature, humidity and other meteorological parameters for numerical prediction applications, improving China’s weather forecast capacity.

1. It will also monitor the global snow cover, sea surface temperature, natural disasters and ecology to better respond to climate change and prevent and mitigate meteorological disasters.
2. In addition, the satellite will monitor solar and space environments and their effects, as well as ionospheric data to meet the needs of space weather forecasts and supporting services.

• Knowledge centre:

1. Weather satellites - Weather satellites observe weather systems on a global scale, with hundreds in orbit today. Many million satellite observations happen per day. The sensors on weather satellites scan the Earth, taking measurements of reflected light and infrared temperatures. Observation is typically made via different 'channels' of the electromagnetic spectrum, in particular, the visible and infrared portions. Each meteorological satellite is designed to use one of two different classes of orbit: geostationary and polar orbiting. The geostationary weather satellites orbit the Earth above the equator at altitudes of 35,880 km and remain stationary with respect to the rotating Earth. They can record or transmit images of the entire hemisphere below continuously. The polar orbiting weather satellites circle the Earth at a typical altitude of 850 km in a north to south (or vice versa) path, passing over the poles in their continuous flight. They are in sun-synchronous orbits, and able to observe any place on Earth and will view every location twice each day with the same general lighting conditions. They get a much better resolution due to their closeness to the Earth.
2. Communication satellites - There are three types of communication services that satellites provide: telecommunications, broadcasting, and data communications. These are built to relay several signals simultaneously, using a separate transponder for each carrier; this is typical of broadcasting satellites and of satellites used for distributing television signals to terrestrial broadcasting stations. A geostationary orbit is useful for communications because ground antennas can be aimed at the satellite without their having to track the satellite's motion.

Fossilised poop of dinosaur ancestor shows new bettle species

• The story: Researchers discovered a 230-million-year-old beetle species by scanning a specimen of fossilised feces, or coprolites in Poland. Researchers claimed the fossils were the first ones described from a coprolite. Coprolites were largely omitted until now and just trashed.
• Details: Named Triamyxa coprolithica, the beetle was found in the poop of Silesaurus opolensis, a relatively small dinosaur ancestor that lived in Poland approximately 230 million years ago. It was over two meters long including a long tail and neck, weighed perhaps between 15 and 20 kilos, and was a slender agile animal. Although it ingested numerous individuals of Triamyxa, the beetle was likely too small to have been the only targeted prey. Instead, the beetle likely lived in the environment where Silesaurus was foraging and got ingested along with bigger insects and other food items.
• Scanning: The coprolite was scanned using a special technique called synchrotron microtomography that works on the same principle as the CT machines in hospitals. It scans the density of the material the X-rays go through, and if it finds a good contrast between the density of the object inside of the coprolite (a beetle in our case) and of the coprolite ‘surrounding material’, it can digitally remove the coprolite around the beetle and get the 3D model of the beetle.
• Knowledge centre:

1. Dinosaurs - These were a diverse group of reptiles and the dominant terrestrial life form on Earth during the Mesozoic Era, about 245 million years ago. Dinosaurs went into decline near the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 66 million years ago. They roamed the Earth worldwide for nearly 180 million years, before dying out. One of their lineage evolved into birds about 155 million years ago. The decline of dinosaurs was most likely caused by many different factors, most likely an asteroid crash into the Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago, causing enough terrestrial and asteroid material to be ejected into the atmosphere that sunlight was possibly blocked for several years. This would have severely impacted plant life and subsequently brought about the end of most dinosaurs.  [dinosaur - Greek words deinos (“terrible” or “fearfully great”) and sauros (“reptile” or “lizard”)]
2. Fossils - A fossil is physical evidence of a prehistoric plant or animal. This may be their preserved remains or other traces, such as marks they made in the ground while they were alive. Fossilised remains - including fossil bones and teeth - are known as body fossils. Fossilised shells are also body fossils. Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the past. Fossils are important evidence for evolution because they show that life on earth was once different from life found on earth today. Fossils are rare because most remains are consumed or destroyed soon after death. Even if bones are buried, they then must remain buried and be replaced with minerals. If an animal is frozen like the baby mammoth mentioned above, again the animal must remain undisturbed for many years before found.

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

Draft Anti-Trafficking Bill by Ministry of WCD

• The story: The Ministry of Women and Child Development released the Draft anti-trafficking Bill, the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021. Once finalised, it will need the Cabinet approval and assent from both the houses of Parliament to become a Law. (a previous 2018 draft could not be introduced in Rajya Sabha amid stiff opposition)
• Why the old bill didn't make it: According to the United Nations’ human rights experts, it was not in accordance with the international human rights laws, as it combined sex work and migration with trafficking. The Bill was criticised for addressing trafficking through a criminal law perspective instead of complementing it with a human-rights based and victim-centred approach. It was also criticised for promoting “rescue raids” by the police as well as institutionalisation of victims in the name of rehabilitation. It was pointed out that certain vague provisions would lead to blanket criminalisation of activities that do not necessarily relate to trafficking.
• The new bill: It extends to all citizens inside as well as outside India, and persons on any ship or aircraft registered in India wherever it may be or carrying Indian citizens wherever they may be, and a foreign national or a stateless person who has his or her residence in India at the time of commission of offence under this Act, and will apply to every offence of trafficking in persons with cross-border implications.

1. Victims covered - It extends beyond the protection of women and children as victims to now include transgenders as well as any person who may be a victim of trafficking. It does away with the provision that a victim necessarily needs to be transported from one place to another to be defined as a victim.
2. Defines ‘exploitation’ - The exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation including pornography, any act of physical exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or forced removal of organs, illegal clinical drug trials or illegal bio-medical research.
3. Government officers as offenders - "Offenders" will also include defence personnel and government servants, doctors and paramedical staff or anyone in a position of authority.

• Penalty: A minimum of seven years which can go up to an imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh in most cases of child trafficking. In case of the trafficking of more than one child, the penalty is now life imprisonment. Any property bought via such income as well as used for trafficking can now be forfeited with provisions set in place, similar to that of the money laundering Act.
• Investigation Agency: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) shall act as the national investigating and coordinating agency responsible for prevention and combating of trafficking in persons.
• National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee: Once the law is enacted, the Centre will notify and establish a National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee, for ensuring overall effective implementation of the provisions of this law. This will have representation from various ministries with the home secretary as the chairperson and secretary of the women and child development ministry as co-chair. State and district level anti-human trafficking committees will also be constituted.
• Importance: The transgender community, and any other person, has been included which will automatically bring under its scope activity such as organ harvesting. Cases such as forced labour, in which people lured with jobs end up in other countries where their passports and documentation is taken away and they are made to work, will also be covered by this new law.
• Legislations that prohibits trafficking: There are many, including - (i) Article 23 (1) in the constitution of India prohibits trafficking in human beings and forced labour, (ii) The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) penalizes trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, (iii) the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act 1986, and Juvenile Justice Act, (iv) Sections 366(A) and 372 of the Indian Penal Code, prohibits kidnapping and selling minors into prostitution respectively.
• International Conventions, Protocols and Campaigns:

1. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children in 2000 as a part of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is responsible for implementing the protocol.
2. The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, which entered into force on 28th January 2004, supplements the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime. The Protocol is aimed at the protection of rights of migrants and the reduction of the power and influence of organized criminal groups that abuse migrants.
3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is a non-binding declaration that establishes the right of every human to live with dignity and prohibits slavery.
4. The Blue Heart Campaign is an international anti-trafficking program started by the UNODC.
5. In the Sustainable Development Goals, the Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), Goal 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all) and Goal 16 (Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels) work towards it.

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

TNAU identifies grasses & trees to improve Elephant Habitats

• The story: Experts from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and Forest College and Research Institute (FC&RI) has undertaken a project to identify native grasses & trees in order to improve elephant habitats and standardise mass multiplication techniques.
• Points to note: The Forest Department has set up eight-member group after they realised that areas occupied by native grasses and fodder trees in wild have been degraded. The Team submitted an interim report identifying 29 native grass species and 14 fodder tree species that are palatable for elephants and other herbivores. The Team also started a nursery for growing these species in FC&RI campus. Leaves and plant parts of 29 native fodder grass species and 14 fodder tree species have been shade dried. They have also been powdered for characterising nutritional and anti-nutritional values.
• Goals: Scientists have undertaken the project with the objective of improving quality of elephant habitats by restoring them with native grasses and fodder trees.

A.I. and shape of Universe

• The story: Japanese astronomers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technique to help in removing noise in astronomical data because of random variations in galaxy shapes.
• Points to note: It was developed after extensive training and testing on large mock data that was created by supercomputer simulations. Scientists then applied this new technique to actual data from Japan’s Subaru Telescope. They found that mass distribution derived from this method is in consistent with currently accepted models of Universe. The technique is a powerful way to analyse big data from current and planned astronomy surveys.
• Studying universe at large-scale: Large-scale structure of Universe can be studied using a wide area survey data by measuring gravitational lensing patterns. In gravitational lensing, gravity of foreground object such as cluster of galaxies can distort image of background object like distant galaxy. Large-scale structure, comprising mostly of mysterious “dark” matter, can distort shapes of distant galaxies.
• Problems: This technique runs into a problem because it is difficult to distinguish between galaxy image distorted by gravitational lensing and actual distorted galaxy. This is referred as shape noise, and is one of the limiting factors while studying large-scale structure of Universe. To compensate for shape noise, Japanese astronomers used ATERUI II, the most powerful supercomputer dedicated to astronomy. It was used to generate 25,000 mock galaxy catalogs on the basis of real data from Subaru Telescope.

DPIIT starts project on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

• The story: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched a project on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• Goals: The project was launched with the aim of promoting open networks developed on open-sourced methodology. Open network will be developed using open specifications & open network protocols independent of any specific platform. The ONDC will help in digitizing entire value chain, promoting inclusion of suppliers, standardizing operations, deriving efficiencies in logistics and enhancing value for consumers.
• Developers: The task of developing this project has been assigned to Quality Council of India. A powerful advisory council has been constituted to advise Government regarding the measures required to design and accelerate adoption of ONDC.
• Members: The members, among others, are - RS Sharma, CEO of National Health Authority; Nandan Nilekani, non-executive Chairman of Infosys and Arvind Gupta, Co-founder & Head of Digital India Foundation.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT): It is a central government department working under Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Department is responsible to formulate and implement promotional & developmental measures for growth of industrial sector based on national priorities and socio-economic objectives. It is responsible for overall industrial policy. It was set up on January 27, 2019, by renaming the erstwhile Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP).

New source of gravitational waves

• The story: Scientists have detected gravitational waves produced by collision of neutron star and black hole for the first time.
• What are these waves: Gravitational waves are produced when celestial objects collide. After collision, ensuing energy creates ripples in fabric of space-time which carry to detectors on Earth.
• New finding: This shows that there are "neutron star-black hole" systems. It will help in answering several questions regarding cosmos ranging from star formation to expansion rate of universe. Waves from two celestial objects were picked up with the help of global network of gravitational wave detectors called LIGO. Advanced LIGO detector in US and Advanced Virgo detector in Italy picked up final throes of death spiral between a neutron star and a black hole on January 5, 2021 when they circled closer and merged together. Following it, the second signal was picked up on these detectors from final orbits and smashing together of another neutron star and black hole pair.
• Importance: The detection of gravitational waves confirm that there are populations of binary systems comprising a neutron star and a black hole. Such astrophysical systems will help in answering many big questions regarding universe. One can reveal facts regarding star formation and stellar evolution and expansion fate of Universe. Observations will also help scientists to find more facts about what neutron stars are made of. The first ever direct gravitational waves were detected in 2015. Since then, astronomers have predicted the system of black hole & neutron star merger could exist.

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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

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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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