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

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

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. People and Personalities - Veteran actor Dilip Kumar passes away aged 98 - The Bollywood star with a versatile personality - Dilip Kumar - passed away at the age of 98 at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital. Dilip Kumar made his first appearance as an actor in the film 'Jwar Bhata' in 1944. In a career spanning over five decades, he worked in more than 65 films. He was known for versatile roles in films such as the romantic 'Andaz' (1949), the glamorous 'Aan' (1952), the social drama 'Daag' (1952), the dramatic 'Devdas' (1955), the comical 'Azaad' (1955), the epic historical 'Mughal-e-Azam' (1960), the social dacoit crime drama 'Ganga Jamuna' (1961), and the comedy 'Ram Aur Shyam' (1967). Dilip Kumar married actress Saira Bano in 1966, and resided with his wife in Bandra, Mumbai. He was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (8 times) and also the renowned Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1994).
2. Governance and Institutions - CoWIN Platform - The Indian PM addressed the CoWin Global Conclave where he offered the CoWIN platform as a digital public good to the world to combat COVID19. The CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work) is the Indian government’s web portal to register for COVID-19 vaccination. It displays slots of COVID-19 vaccine available in the nearby areas and can be booked on the website. It is a secure and trustworthy proof helped people establish when, where and by whom they had been vaccinated. In totality, CoWIN is a cloud-based IT solution for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Covid-19 vaccination in India.  This allows the system to monitor the utilisation, wastage, coverage of Covid-19 vaccination at national, state, district and sub-district level. CoWIN system tracks on a real time basis the vaccination drive in India. The portal provides vaccination certificates in digital format CoWIN is essentially an extension of eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network).
3. Health and Medicine - AYUSH sector - The Minister of AYUSH launched some portals - (i) E-Medha (electronic Medical Heritage Accession) Portal Online public access catalog for more than 12000 Indian medical heritage books through NIC’s e-granthalaya platform, (ii) AMAR (Ayush Manuscripts Advanced Repository) Portal which has digitized information on rare and hard to find Manuscripts and catalogues of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa in libraries or in individual collections across India or in other parts of the world, (iii) SHAI (Showcase of Ayurveda Historical Imprints) Portals, that showcases inscriptions, Archeo-botanical Information, Sculptures, Philological sources and advanced Archeo Genetic studies, (iv) CCRAS-Research Management Information System (RMIS) which is a collaborative effort of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), and will be a one stop solution for Research and Development in Ayurveda based studies.
4. Indian Economy - Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) - Survey-based June PMI for services sector showed the second successive contraction at 41.2. It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception about key business variables as compared with the previous month. It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed. The PMI is a number from 0 to 100 and a value above 50 represents an expansion when compared to the previous month; PMI under 50 represents a contraction, and a reading at 50 indicates no change. The PMI is usually released at the start of every month, and is a good leading indicator of economic activity. Since the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth come much later, PMI helps to make informed decisions at an earlier stage. PMI provides information about current and future business conditions to company decision-makers, analysts, and investors.
5. Governance and Institutions - NIPUN Bharat Programme  - National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Programme is undertaken by Department of School Education and Literacy. It will ensure that every child in India necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27. It aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9.  This National Mission, which has been launched under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha, will focus on, Providing access and retaining children in foundational years of schooling; Tracking the progress of each child in achieving learning outcomes; Teacher capacity building; and Development of high quality and diversified Student and Teacher Resources/Learning Materials. The goals of the Mission are set in the form of Lakshya Soochi or Targets for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. In order to generate greater awareness among the parents, community, etc. the Lakshyashas been developed from Balvatika to Grade 3. [Balvatika is the preparatory class that a child will take prior to age 5.]. The Laskhyas are based on the learning outcomes developed by the NCERT and international research and ORF studies. A special package for foundational literacy and Numeracy under NISHTHA is being developed by NCERT. Around 25 lakh teachers at pre-primary to primary grade will be trained this year on FLN. Implementing agency - NIPUN Bharat initiative will be implemented by school education department of Union government. A 5-tier implementation mechanism will be set up at national, state, district, block, and school levels across all states and Union territories.
6. Healthcare and Medicine - Lambda variant of Covid virus arrives - Even as the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to drive the rise in infections around the world, another variant, Lambda, is now being seen by scientists and health experts as a new emerging threat. On June 14, the World Health Organization designated the Lambda variant, previously known by its formal scientific name C.37, as the seventh and newest “variant of interest”, meaning it was something to watch out for. Like the Delta variant, this new one has now been detected in more than 25 countries, and is feared to be more transmissible than the original virus. It has been the dominant variant in Peru and other countries of South America.
7. World Politics - White Flag movement - In Malaysia, some residents of low-income families have started waving white flags as part of the so-called “White Flag Campaign”, or the #benderaputi (white flag) movement. They are doing this to convey distress about the financial crunch they have had to deal with amid the lockdowns due to Covid-19. Malaysia enforced another lockdown on June 1 in order to control another surge of Covid infections. As part of the movement that was initiated last week, families that are facing hunger or need any other kind of assistance are encouraged to wave a white flag or put a piece of white cloth outside their homes to signal that they need help. The idea is that by spotting the white flag, neighbours and good samaritans can reach them. Alongside the white flag movement, there is the black flag movement as well, in order to express dissatisfaction with the Malaysian government. Specifically, this movement is demanding that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resign.
8. Indian Economy - Maitree power project - The Maitree super thermal power project is a 1,320 MW coal-fired power station under construction in Rampal, Bangladesh. It is located at Moithara, Rampal, in the Bagerhat district, approximately 23km south-east of the Khulna city, Bangladesh. The coal-fired facility is being developed on a 1,834acre-site on the bank of Passur River in south-west Bangladesh. The power plant is being developed by Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL), a 50:50 joint venture between India’s state-run National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). Construction on the Rampal power plant was started in 2017. The first unit of this project would be commissioned in December’ 2021 i.e. coinciding with Golden Jubilee celebration ofVictory Day of Bangladesh. The project is an environmentally friendly supercritical technology based thermal power plant.
9. Science and Technology - Discrete auroras - The UAE’s Hope spacecraft, which is orbiting Mars since February 2021, has captured images of glowing atmospheric lights in the Red Planet’s night sky, known as discrete auroras. The data gathered by the oribter “include far and extreme ultraviolet auroral emissions which have never been imaged before at Mars.” Unlike auroras on Earth, which are seen only near the north and south poles, discrete auroras on Mars are seen all around the planet at night time. What is the Hope orbiter studying? The Hope Probe, the Arab world’s first mission to Mars, took off from Earth in July last year, and has been orbiting the Red Planet since February. The primary objective of the mission is to study Martian weather dynamics.
10. People and Personalities - Wish to be immortal - Belgium's 11-year-old Laurent Simons has become the world's second-youngest graduate after completing his bachelor's in Physics from the University of Antwerp in one year. "It's the first puzzle piece in my goal of replacing body parts with mechanical parts," said Simons, who aims for "immortality". US' Michael Kearney, who graduated aged 10, holds the record for the world's youngest graduate.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

Concerns with Atmanirbhar Bharat

• The story: In July, the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has released a report titled ‘Road to a UK-India Free Trade Agreement: Enhancing the Partnership and Achieving Self-reliance’. According to the UKIBC annual Survey on Doing Business in India, 77% of UK companies believe that the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign is an “opportunity” rather than a challenge. But some reforms can have negative consequences for the UK and all multinational companies.
• Points to note: The programme should be viewed as an extension of the “Make in India” campaign, launched in 2014, as they share the aim of securing manufacturing investments from domestic and international business. The package offered a range of financial support measures for the weaker sections of India’s society, for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), and for the agriculture sector, creating fair market platforms, easing rules for businesses and a range of other solutions to support the economy. It has opened up several sectors for foreign investors, including defence, atomic energy, agriculture, insurance, healthcare and civil aviation.
• Concerns: There are some serious concerns, like -

1. May curtail international trade and investment - Certain aspects of the programme have the potential to curtail international trade and investment, such as increased tariffs, non-tariff restrictions on imports, and import substitution. Non-tariff Barrier (NTB) is a trade restriction, such as a quota, embargo or sanction, that countries use to further their political and economic goals. Countries can use non tariff barriers in place of, or in conjunction with, standard tariff barriers (like Custom Duty).
2. Ad-hoc policy change by DISCOMS - The power distribution companies (Discoms) adopt ad-hoc changes to renegotiate power purchase agreements in case of renewable energy sector.
3. Policy issues - Difficulties in India’s Intellectual Property (IPR) enforcement regime, gaps in pharma sector regulations, drug price controls, and norms related to data localisation and governance.
4. Data localisation (i.e. storing data within the boundaries of the country) may restrict the ability of local companies to compete in the global marketplace by limiting access to the global supply chain. This isolation may result in reduced investment and access to capital and customers.
5. Space sector - To open the Space sector to private investors was a significant step but there was a ‘lack of clarity’ about several aspects related to the procedures. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) provides a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.
6. Defence sector - The import embargo on the 101 items of defence equipment is planned to be implemented over a period of four years until 2024. Changes in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 are expected to ensure that no item in this list is imported beyond the cut-off date.

• Suggestions: A long term approach that considers regional supply chains and location decision-making is needed to succeed. India should attract investors due to its strengths rather than by using tariffs as a tool to push international businesses to invest and make in India. Focus on STEM, digital, creative and critical thinking skills that will build leaders and workers who can innovate and solve problems. With digital and data services increasingly important in global trade, there is an opportunity for India to fully integrate with other major democratic markets. India should continue to harness and actively invest in the opportunities that Artificial Intelligence, digital technology and data present to achieve its growth potential. Put Sustainability at the Center of India’s Trade and Investment Strategy: If shaped properly, trading arrangements can help support the poor and protect the environment. Countries and trade blocs are cognisant of this fact and are increasingly integrating sustainability and human rights into their trade agreements and strategies.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Programme: It was launched by the PM in May 2020 with an economic stimulus package - worth Rs 20 lakh crores - aimed towards achieving self-reliance. The announced economic package was 10% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019-20, and included packages already announced at the beginning of the lockdown incorporating measures from the RBI and the payouts under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. The package focused on land, labour, liquidity and laws.
• Goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat: It aimed at cutting down import dependence by focussing on substitution while improving safety compliance and quality goods to gain global market share. The govt. claims that "Self-Reliance" neither signifies any exclusionary or isolationist strategies but involves creation of a helping hand to the whole world. It focuses on the importance of promoting “local” products.

Fitch cuts India growth forecast to 10%

• The story: Fitch Ratings on 7th July cut India's growth forecast to 10 per cent for the current fiscal, from 12.8 per cent estimated earlier, due to slowing recovery post second wave of COVID-19. It said rapid vaccination could support a sustainable revival in business and consumer confidence, and the challenges for banking sector posed by the coronavirus pandemic have increased due to a virulent second wave in the first quarter of the financial year ending March 2022 (FY22).
• Vaccines the key: Fitch believes that rapid vaccination could support a sustainable revival in business and consumer confidence; without it, economic recovery would remain vulnerable to further waves and lockdowns. It said localised lockdowns during the second wave kept economic activity from stalling to levels similar to those during 2020, but disruption in several key business centres has slowed the recovery and dented Fitch's expectations of a rebound to pre-pandemic levels by FY22. India's economy contracted 24.4 per cent in June quarter of 2020.
• BBB - : Fitch views India's rebound potential to be better than most comparable 'BBB-' peers because it does not expect a structurally weaker real GDP growth outlook. But there is a risk that India's medium-term growth could suffer if the business and consumer activity were to experience scarring from the COVID-19 pandemic. It estimates India's medium term growth potential at about 6.5 per cent. Fitch said the low vaccination rate makes India vulnerable to further waves of the pandemic.
• Ramping up crucial: It said that only 4.7 per cent of the 1.37 billion population was fully vaccinated as of July 5, 2021, posing risks to the prospects of a meaningful and sustainable economic recovery. Indian economy contracted by 7.3 per cent in fiscal 2020-21 as the country battled the first wave of COVID, as against a 4 per cent growth in 2019-20. GDP growth in current fiscal was estimated to be in double digits initially, but a severe second wave of pandemic has led to various agencies cut growth projections. RBI too earlier this month cut India's growth forecast to 9.5 per cent for this fiscal, from 10.5 per cent.
• Others: While S&P Global Ratings lowered its growth estimate to 9.5 per cent, another US-based rating agency Moody's has projected a 9.3 per cent growth in the current fiscal ending March 2022. For 2021 calendar year, Moody's has cut growth estimate sharply to 9.6 per cent. In June, the World Bank slashed its GDP growth forecast for current fiscal ending March 2022 to 8.3 per cent, from 10.1 per cent estimated in April, saying economic recovery is being hampered by the devastating second wave of coronavirus infections. Domestic rating agency ICRA NSE 3.35 % too had projected economic growth at 8.5 per cent for this financial year, while British brokerage firm Barclays had last month cut India's growth forecast to 9.2 per cent.
• Summary: Fitch said on Indian banks that regulatory relief measures have postponed underlying asset-quality issues for now, but banks' medium-term performance will be dented without a meaningful economic recovery. It expects banks' exposure to stressed MSME and retail borrowers to rise further with the increasing relief outlay, and is likely to compel banks - especially state-owned ones - to slow regular lending in the absence of adequate core capital cushions and weak contingency buffers.

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

Climate crisis intensifies: Coastal areas most threatened

• The story: Scientists say under RCP 8.5 scenario, a temperature increase of about 4.3 degrees Celsius by 2100 relative to pre-industrial temperature may happen. That would mean people living in and near the coastal areas in India may be compelled to stay indoors during working hours far more. Severe heat conditions would drive people to do so.
• Present and future: The report, published in journal Weather and Climate Extremes, said most parts of India experience 12-66 days of potentially deadly heat and humidity combinations in a year — expressed by ‘wet bulb temperature’. It is an index that measures the impact of heat and humidity on the human body.

1. A temperature increase of 4.3 degrees Celsius by 2100 relative to pre-industrial temperatures may happen under RCP (representative concentration pathway) 8.5 scenario, the report pointed out. The wet bulb temperature will cross the deadly threshold for six months or more by another nine decades, it said.
2. Even fit and acclimatised people can’t work at a wet bulb temperature of 32°C; at 35°C, even fit and acclimatised people sitting in the shade die within six hours. Climate change is making these wet bulb temperatures more likely.
3. People living in and near the coastal areas in India may be compelled to stay indoors during working hours for more than half of 2100. Heat and humid hotspots will suffer the most.

• Heat plus humidity: Most of India experiences 12-66 days of a combination of potentially deadly heat and humidity with hotspots along the east coast. The report predicted that under RCP 8.5 scenario such days may increase to:

    221 from 124 in Kolkata
    253 from 171 in Sundarbans
    282 from 178 in Cuttack
    285 from 173 in Brahmapur
    365 from 113 in Thiruvananthapuram
    309 from 140 in Chennai
    261 from 47 in Mumbai
    131 from 63 in New Delhi

• The west coast will be increasingly affected with around 269 days of wet bulb temperature days in Goa (up from 35 currently); 362 days in Kochi (up from 98); and around 349 days in Mangalore (up from 72 currently). The report warned of a substantial worsening of situation even by 2050. Kolkata may experience 176 deadly heat-humid days; the Sundarbans 215; Cuttack 226; Brahmapur 233; Thiruvananthapuram 314; Chennai 229; Mumbai 171; and New Delhi 99.
• RCP 2.6: Under RCP 2.6 — a very stringent pathway that requires carbon dioxide emissions to start declining by 2020 and go to zero by 2100 — the number of critical heat-humid days will be 157 in Kolkata; 193 in the Sundarbans; 216 in Cuttack; 218 in Brahmapur; 240 in Thiruvananthapuram; 179 in Chennai; 112 in Mumbai; 81 in New Delhi; 94 in Goa; 163 in Mangalore; and 206 in Kochi by 2100. Air can hold more moisture with more heat, and the combined impact of heat and humidity becomes critical. With more warming under climate change impact, the combined impact of heat and humidity is set to rise.
• How body responds: There are five physiological mechanisms triggered by heat exposure: Ischemia (reduced and restricted blood flow), heat cytotoxicity (cell death), inflammatory response (swelling), disseminated intravascular coagulation (abnormal blood clotting), and rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle fibres). These mechanisms affect seven vital organs: Brain, heart, intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs and pancreas. “There are 27 lethal combinations of these mechanisms and organs that have been shown to be caused by heat,” the report said.
• Summary: A recent paper claimed that heat waves caused 17,362 deaths during the last five decades. These accounted for 12 per cent of total deaths due to extreme weather events. According to the study, India experienced 73 heat wave spells in 2019 against an average of 17 as measured during 1986-2016. It also warned that most of India is presently facing a ‘high’ risk to workability during the hottest months with wet bulb temperature ranging from 30-33°C. It estimated that India currently loses an estimated 21 per cent of effective outdoor working hours due to extreme heat and humidity.

 Marine plastic menace - how to tackle

• The story: The extensive use of plastic in India has reached a critical point, which should concern everyone. The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Annual Report on Implementing the Plastic Garbage Rules, 2016, is the only regular estimate of the quantum of plastic waste generated in India. According to it, the waste generated in 2018-19 was 3,360,043 tonnes per year (roughly 9,200 tonnes per day).
• Given that total municipal solid waste generation is between 55 and 65 million tonnes per day, plastic waste contributes about 5-6 per cent of total solid waste generated in India. The problem of marine plastic pollution can be tackled from various perspectives.

1. Human relationship with plastic is short-term focused. It us used once before being discarded and some of it gets recycled. But only nine per cent of all plastic waste has ever been recycled!
2. Approximately 12 per cent has been burnt, while the remaining 79 per cent has accumulated in landfills. Plastic waste is blocking the sewers, threatening marine life and generating health risks for residents in landfills or the natural environment.
3. The financial costs of marine plastic pollution are significant as well. According to conservative forecasts made in March 2020, the direct harm to the blue economy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be $2.1 billion per year.
4. Notably, only the direct expenses of three industries are covered: Shipping, fisheries and aquaculture and maritime tourism. Boats may become entangled in abandoned or discarded fishing nets or their engines may become blocked with plastic debris.

• Social costs: Enormous social costs accompany these economic costs. Residents of coastal regions suffer from the harmful health impacts of plastic pollution and waste brought in by the tides and are inextricably linked to the fishing and tourism industry for their livelihoods. Therefore, we must begin finding solutions to prevent plastics and other waste from polluting our oceans and clean them up.
• Solution: There can be many -

1. Designing a product = Identifying plastic items that can be replaced with non-plastic, recyclable, or biodegradable materials is the first step. Find alternatives to single-use plastics and reusable design goods by working with product designers. Countries must embrace circular and sustainable economic practices throughout the plastics value chain to accomplish this.
2. Pricing - Plastics are inexpensive because they are made with substantially subsidised oil and may be produced at a lower cost, with fewer economic incentives to employ recycled plastics. Price structures that reflect the adverse impacts of plastic consumption and promote alternative materials or reused and recycled plastics are necessary.
3. Technologies and innovation - Developing tools and technology to assist governments and organisations in measuring and monitoring plastic garbage in cities. ‘Closing the loop’ project of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific assists cities in developing more inventive policy solutions to tackle the problem. A similar approach can be adopted in India.
4. Promoting a plastic-free workplace - All catering operations should be prohibited from using single-use plastics. To encourage workers and clients to improve their habits, all single-use goods can be replaced with reusable items or more sustainable single-use alternatives. By reconsidering how we operate, this initiative can save tonnes of plastic waste each year.
5. Producer responsibility - Extended responsibility can be applied in the retail (packaging) sector, where producers are responsible for collecting and recycling products that they launch into the market.

• Summary: Solving the problem of marine plastic involves a change in production and consumption habits, which would help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The central UN SDGs that deal with marine plastics are SDG 12 and SDG 14.

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

Foreign affairs updates

• Pfizer vs. Delta: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine showed reduced performance against the delta variant of the coronavirus compared to other strains, a new Israeli study has found. The vaccine was found to be 64 percent effective against infection, a drop from the 94 percent efficacy against previous variants. The study suggested a stronger protection—93 percent efficacy—against serious illness and hospitalization. Both Pfizer and Israeli health authorities have cautioned that the findings were based on preliminary data.
• The new Big Five: The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday canceled a cloud-computing contract with Microsoft which would have eventually been worth $10 billion. The move puts an end to a legal challenge brought by Amazon, which contended that the company was not considered fairly in the bidding process in part because of then-President Donald Trump’s animosity toward Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Pentagon will instead separate the cloud program previously known as Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) into smaller parts in a renamed Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability. The move now means that Silicon Valley’s five cloud computing giants—Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle—could all potentially win contracts with the program.
• Iran nuclear worries: Iran began the process of making enriched uranium metal, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on 6th July, a move which the United States called “an unfortunate step backwards” while France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said the process fulfilled “no credible civilian need.” Development of uranium metal was banned under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal due to its use in the core of a nuclear weapon. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative at indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations in Vienna noted Iran’s breach of the deal on Twitter while offering a reminder that Biden’s failure to lift Trump-era sanctions on Iran also constitutes a breach. Ulyanov said another round of Vienna talks and a full restoration of the deal was the “only way out of this vicious circle.”
• Four days work week: A large-scale trial of a four-day workweek in Iceland proved an “overwhelming success” according to the authors of a new report which analyzed worker productivity and wellbeing over a 2017-2019 trial period. The study, which involved the participation of 2,500 people—or 1 percent of Iceland’s working population—found that productivity largely remained the same or improved across participating industries while workers were able to exercise more, reduce stress, take care of errands, and spend more time with their families. Some workplaces even found an increase in applicants when a four-day workweek was mentioned in job advertisements.
• KBS in Washington: Prince Khalid bin Salman—Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, son of King Salman, and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—visited Washington. Prince Khalid, a former ambassador to Washington, is the highest profile member of the Saudi royal family to visit since President Biden took office in January '21. A declassified U.S. intelligence report released in February found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered Khashoggi’s killing, however Biden avoided placing direct sanctions on the de facto Saudi leader.

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir controversy

• The story: In July, Ethiopia re-started the second phase of filling a Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir on the upper Blue Nile, which raised tensions from Sudan and Egypt ahead of an upcoming UN Security Council meeting on the issue. Ethiopia previously announced it would proceed to the second stage of filling in July, with or without a deal.
• Points to note: The Nile, Africa’s longest river, has been at the center of a decade-long complex dispute involving several countries that are dependent on the river’s waters. Ethiopia began the construction of the GERD in 2011 on the Blue Nile, a 145-meter-tall hydropower project that will be Africa’s biggest dam project with lasting impacts on its river Nile.

1. The Blue Nile is a tributary of the Nile river and it carries about two-thirds of the river's water volume and most of the silt. Egypt, which lies downstream, has objected to the construction of the dam and proposed a longer timeline for the project. It does not want the water level of the Nile to dramatically drop as the reservoir fills with water in the initial stages.
2. Sudan has also been involved due to its location. The Nile is an important water source in the region so there are concerns that this dispute may evolve into a full-fledged conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia. The USA has stepped in to mediate.

• Dam’s importance for Ethiopia: It believes the dam will generate approximately 6,000 megawatts of electricity which will support its industrial growth, and that it can also export surplus electricity to neighbouring regions to generate revenue. Neighbouring countries like Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea and South Sudan also suffer from electricity shortages and they can also benefit from the hydropower project if Ethiopia decides to sell electricity to them.
• Egypt’s concern: It lies downstream and is concerned that Ethiopia’s control over the water could result in lower water levels within its own borders. It depends on the Nile for approximately 97% of its drinking water and irrigation supplies. The dam would jeopardise food and water security and livelihoods of ordinary Egyptian citizens.
• Sudan’s stand: It too is concerned that if Ethiopia were to gain control over the river, it would affect the water levels Sudan receives. However, Sudan is likely to benefit from the power generated by the dam. The regulated flow of the river will save Sudan from serious flooding in August and September. Thus it has proposed joint management of the dam.
• Nile river: Nile originates in Burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward through northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finally draining into the Mediterranean Sea. The source of the Nile is sometimes considered to be Lake Victoria, but the lake itself has feeder rivers of considerable size like the Kagera River. Nile is formed by three principal streams: the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White Nile. Its basin is huge and includes parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo (Kinshasa), Kenya.
• Summary: To solve the conflict peacefully, mediation and facilitation by the neighbouring countries and the international bodies are necessary. A compensation method can be adopted which would need the countries to compensate each others’ losses.

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

GST collection falls below Rs. 1 trn after 8 months

• The story: June 2021 was not good for the Goods and services tax (GST), as collection fell below the Rs 1-trillion mark, the first time in nine months. It was due to the second Covid-19 wave. The collection was better than expected and would provide cushion to the government to ramp up spending.
• Details: The GST mop-up in June was Rs 92,849 crore, as against Rs.1.02 trillion in May and Rs.90,917 crore a year ago. Latest numbers pertain to transactions done in May, which saw localised lockdowns across India in a bid to contain the spread of the pandemic. In April 2021, the collection was at a record high of Rs 1.41 trillion. The June collection was on expected lines as daily e-way bill generation, which indicates supply in the economy, declined to a one-year low of average 1.2 million in May.
• E-way bills: May saw just 39.9 million e-way bills generated as compared to 58.8 million in April 2021, a drop of 30 per cent. The average generation of e-way bills has been increasing and reached the 2-million level since the week beginning June 20. So GST will increase again from July 2021 onwards. The e-way bills generated during June have recovered to 55 million on account of the reduction in caseload and the easing of lockdowns, “which indicate recovery of trade and business”.
• More details: The GST collection includes domestic transactions between June 5 and July 5 as taxpayers were provided relief in the form of waivers and reduction in interest on delayed return filing for 15 days for the return filing month June for those with turnover of up to Rs 5 crore in the wake of the second Covid wave. Key segments of GST collection yielded less in June compared to May. For instance, central GST collection stood at Rs 16,424 crore as against Rs 17,952 crore in May. State GST mop-up was Rs 20,397 crore as against Rs 22,653 crore in May. However, compensation cess was sharply lower at Rs 6,949 crore compared to Rs 9265 in May.
• Summary: The government has been managing robust GST collections due to tightened enforcement through closer monitoring against fake-billing, deep data analytics using data from multiple sources including GST, income-tax and customs IT systems and effective tax administration. Easier compliance also encouraged return filing.

Governance updates

• Stan Swamy's death: Ten Opposition party leaders have written to the President on the custodial death of Father Stan Swamy: “It is now incumbent that all those jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case and other detenus under politically motivated cases, misusing draconian laws like UAPA, Sedition etc be released forthwith.” As anguished and angry international comments poured in, the Ministry of External Affairs was forced to swear by “India’s democratic and constitutional polity, which is complemented by an independent judiciary, a range of national and state level Human Rights Commissions that monitor violations, a free media and a vibrant and vocal civil society.” In contrast to the government’s prickly and comical behaviour when farmer protests had attracted ire abroad, the Ministry said, “India remains committed to promotion and protection of human rights of all its citizens.”
• American vaccines not in India yet: The US embassy has clarified why vaccines donated by the Biden administration are not available in India yet, though they are in neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan. “In the case of India, the delay is not from the US side. India has determined that it needs further time to review legal provisions related to accepting vaccine donations,” the embassy told CNBC-TV18. “Once India works through its legal process, our donation of vaccines to India will proceed expeditiously. We refer you to the GoI for specifics on the status of its discussions with COVAX, which is helping to facilitate.”
• PDP and Delimitation Commission: Hours after the PDP declined to meet the visiting Delimitation Commission in Srinagar, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Gulshan Ara, mother of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, for questioning in a money laundering case. Ara, the wife of former Union home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has been asked to appear before the central probe agency at its office in Srinagar on July 14. Tweeting the summons, Mehbooba said, “On the day PDP chose not to meet the Delimitation Commission, ED sent a summon to my mother to appear in person for unknown charges. In its attempts to intimidate political opponents, GoI doesn’t even spare senior citizens. Agencies like NIA & ED are now its tools to settle scores.”
• South Africa's Gupta brothers: Two of the three Indian-origin Gupta brothers, who fled South Africa, are now officially wanted fugitives after Interpol issued red notices against them. A red notice is an alert to Interpol member states that an individual is a wanted fugitive, but it is not equivalent to an arrest warrant. The move would help the prosecution to bring Atul, Rajesh and their elder brother Ajay Gupta to South Africa to stand trial for fraud and laundering of 25 million rand, linked to the failed Estina Dairy Farm project in Free State province.
• Do we need super-censorship: The Standing Committee on Information and Technology headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor grilled the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the “super censorship” clause introduced in the draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The committee members, according to sources, asked the Ministry to explain the “reasons” and “motivation” for introducing the provision which allows the government to order recertification for a film cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. Ministry officials were caught in a bind and claimed that the bill has been misunderstood and that the Ministry itself will have no powers to censor any film. The bill only allows the Ministry to return the film for recertification.

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

The Punjab Suba Movement

• The story: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) commemorated the first entry of a police force inside the Golden Temple on 4th July, 1955 during the Punjab Suba movement (Morcha).
• Points to note: The movement started in Punjab soon after Independence. Shiromani Akali Dal (Political Party) was leading the movement for a Punjabi speaking state. But there was opposition to this idea, too. Those in favour of the demand used to raise the slogan Punjabi Suba Amar Rahe and those opposing the demand were raising slogans in favour of ‘Maha-Punjab’. It was in April, 1955 that the government banned the slogans fearing law and order problems under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The demand for creation of Punjabi Suba automatically gave basis to the demand for having a separate state of Haryana.
• Demands: A Punjabi speaking state which will have Punjabi speaking areas’ population, and no attempts to increase or decrease its size artificially shall be made. The Punjabi speaking state will be under the Indian Constitution.
• Formation of Punjab: With the passage of the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966 (and in accordance with the earlier recommendations of the States Reorganization Commission), Haryana was separated from Punjab in 1966 to become the 17th state of India. The erstwhile state of East Punjab was now divided into two states that is Haryana and Punjab, and some territory was also transferred to Himachal Pradesh, then a Union territory. The city of Chandigarh became a Union territory to serve as the provisional capital of both the Punjab and Haryana.
• Constitutional provisions: The Indian constitution empowers the Union government to create new states out of existing states or two merge one state with another. This process is called reorganisation of the states. The basis of reorganisation could be linguistic, religious, ethnic or administrative. The Article 3 provides the following procedure -

1. Presidential reference is sent to the State Assembly
2. After presidential reference, a resolution is tabled and passed in the Assembly
3. The Assembly has to pass a Bill creating the new State/States
4. A separate Bill has to be ratified by Parliament

All India Judicial Service (AIJS)

• The story: The government has proposed a bill to establish an All-India Judicial Service (AIJS) to recruit officers for subordinate courts through an entrance test. The provision of an all-India judicial service (AIJS) on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service was mooted soon after independence.
• Why now: The idea of AIJS is being proposed in the backdrop of judicial reforms, especially to check persisting vacancies in judiciary and pendency of cases. The establishment of AIJS is a positive step, but faces many constitutional and legal hurdles.
• Constitutional perspective: The AIJS was first proposed by the 14th report of the Law Commission in 1958. The 42nd Constitutional amendment in 1976 amended Article 312 (1) empowering Parliament to make laws for the creation of one or more All-India Services, including an AIJS, common to the Union and the States. Under Article 312, Rajya Sabha is required to pass a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of its members present and voting. Thereafter, Parliament has to enact a law creating the AIJS. This means no constitutional amendment will be required for establishment of AIJS. The Supreme Court of India also endorsed the same in the All India Judges Association vs. Union of India’ case (1993) laying down that AIJS should be set up.
• Advantages of AIJS: A Law Commission report (1987) recommended that India should have 50 judges per million population as against 10.50 judges (then). The figure has crossed 20 judges in terms of the sanctioned strength, but it’s nothing compared to the US or the UK — 107 and 51 judges per million people, respectively. So AIJS envisages to bridge the underlying gap in judicial vaccines.

1. It will be an ideal solution for equal representation of the marginalised and deprived sections of society.
2. The government believes that if such a service comes up, it would help create a pool of talented people who could later become a part of the higher judiciary.
3. The bottoms-up approach in the recruitment would also address issues like corruption and nepotism in the lower judiciary. It will improve the quality of justice dispensation in the lower levels of society.

• Challenges: As per Article 233, recruitment to subordinate judiciary is the prerogative of the State. So, many states and high courts have opposed the idea on the ground that it would go against federalism. If the fundamental power of the States to make such rules and govern the appointment of district judges is taken away, it may be against the principle of federalism and the basic structure doctrine.

1. Article 233(1) of the Constitution lays down that “appointments of persons to be, and the posting and promotion of, district judges in any State shall be made by the Governor of the State in consultation with the High Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to such State”.
2. Since cases in lower courts are argued in local languages, there are apprehensions as to how a person from north India can hold hearings in a southern state.
3. The Clause 3 of Article 312 places a restriction that AIJS shall not include a post inferior to that of a district judge. So appointment of subordinate judiciary through AIJS, may face a constitutional barrier.
4. Creation of AIJS would lead to an erosion of control of the High Courts over the subordinate judiciary, which might affect the judiciary’s independence.

• Summary: The AIJS needs more deliberation and consensus, to ensure a positive spirit of federalism, going forward.

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

Sun and a radio blackout around the Atlantic

• The story: On July 3 around 8 pm IST, the sun emitted a large solar flare that was observed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Solar flares are magnetic storms launched from the sun, releasing energy equivalent to a few million hydrogen bombs exploding at the same time.
• What happens: During a solar flare, the highly energetic charged particles are expelled from the sun at speeds close to that of the speed of light. These rays can disturb the ionosphere region of the Earth, which plays an important role in radio communications. The US NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center tweeted that a strong radio blackout occurred in certain regions around the Atlantic Ocean on July 3.
• When they arrive: When radiation, energetic particles and solar plasma material released during a solar flare interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere, it creates strong geomagnetic storms. This induces strong currents at ground levels which can trip electric power grids in countries situated at high latitudes, impacting air traffic on polar routes,. Sensitive satellite sensors can also be damaged. The radiation ionises the Earth’s upper atmosphere, changing conditions in the ionosphere, which is very important for high-frequency radio communications used by defense agencies, airline operators, and emergency services.
• Other instances: A big impacts of solar flares in history resulted in a large portion of the North American power grid failing. On March 13, 1989, Quebec, Canada, suffered a power blackout that lasted for over 12 hours, and radio signals were jammed due to the solar flare. NASA noted that some satellites tumbled out of control and the TDRS-1 communication satellite recorded over 250 anomalies as the high energy from the flare affected its sensitive electronics.

Great Salt Lake in Utah in danger

• The story: The silvery blue waters of the Great Salt Lake sprawl across the Utah desert, covering, for much of history, an area nearly the size of Delaware state. Now, the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River has been shrinking, and a drought gripping the American West could make this year the worst yet.
• Technical details: The receding water is affecting the nesting spot of pelicans that are among the millions of birds dependent on the lake. Sailboats have been hoisted out of the water to keep them from getting stuck in the mud. More dry lakebed getting exposed could send arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions breathe.

1. The lake’s levels are expected to hit a 170-year low this year. This comes as the drought has the US West bracing for a brutal wildfire season and coping with already low reservoirs.
2. For the Great Salt Lake, though, it is only the latest challenge. People for years have been diverting water from rivers that flow into the lake to water crops and supply homes. Because the lake is shallow — about 35 feet at its deepest point — less water quickly translates to receding shorelines. The water that remains stretches across a chunk of northern Utah, with highways on one end and remote land on the other.
3. Experts warns of what happened at California’s Owens Lake, which was pumped dry to feed thirsty Los Angeles and created a dust bowl that cost millions of dollars to tamp down. The Great Salt Lake is much larger and closer to a populated area.
4. Luckily, much of the bed of Utah’s giant lake has a crust that makes it tougher for dust to blow.

• Story of Utah: It is one of the driest states in the USA, with most of its water coming from snowfall. The snowpack was below normal last winter and the soil was dry, meaning much of the melted snow that flowed down the mountains soaked into the ground. Most years, the Great Salt Lake gains up to half a metre from spring runoff. In 2021, it was just 15 centimeters. More exposed lakebed also means more people have ventured onto the crust, including off-road vehicles that damage it. So the more continued the drought remains, the more of the salt crust will be weathered and more dust will become airborne because there’s less of that protective crust layer.
• Marine life: Brine shrimp support a $57 million fish food industry in Utah but in the coming years, less water could make the salinity too great for even those tiny creatures to survive. The American white pelican (one of the largest birds in North America) flock to Gunnison Island, a remote outpost in the lake where up to 20% of the bird’s population nests, with male and female birds cooperating to have one watch the eggs at all times. Now, the falling lake levels have exposed a land bridge to the island, allowing foxes and coyotes to come across and hunt for rodents and other food. The activity frightens the shy birds accustomed to a quiet place to raise their young, so they flee the nests, leaving the eggs and baby birds to be eaten by gulls.

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

Nutritional security and obesity

• The story: The burden of malnutrition in India is multi-faceted. Under-nutrition in the form of stunting and wasting along with micronutrient deficiencies persist at unacceptable levels. Over a third of India’s children under five years of age are stunted, over half the children in that age group are Vitamin A deficient, and one in two women of reproductive age are anaemic. With malnutrition on one side and increasing burden of obesity on the other, Indian food system needs to do much more to deliver proper nutrition
• Diet quality: At the heart of malnutrition is poor diet quality, which contributes to six of the top 10 burden of disease factors in India. Food systems, which shape dietary choices have not focused sufficiently on nutritious foods. Resultantly, while food availability has increased, it has not diversified much in the last 50 years. Despite the excellent progress made in agricultural productivity, the Indian food system needs to do much more to deliver nutrition along with food security.
• Other factors: There is not enough focus on increasing productivity and storage of foods rich in minerals and vitamins. To make the scenario more worrisome, too much food, especially fresh food, is lost during storage and transport,. This has greater implication in making healthy fresh foods affordable and accessible, especially for vulnerable low-income populations.

1. While India inherits incredible food diversity, there was a clear shift towards unhealthy diets. With greater urbanization, there is increased availability, marketing, and consumption of processed foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, and lower than recommended consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
2. The Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to undermining people’s nutrition, more acutely for those already vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies, such as the poor, infants, and pregnant and nursing women.

• Food systems approach for better diets: A "food systems approach" affords several opportunities to achieve impactful health, immunity and nutritional outcomes for all. A focus on food and agriculture policies on securing diet quality especially for the poor and vulnerable is a crucial first step making fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts, and seeds more available, affordable, and safer. More investments are required toprocure and store fresh foods so that they can be made available till the last mile without loss of its goodness. Provision of nutritious and fortified staples through safety net schemes holds much potential and already government schemes are servicing on these aspects.
• Cut it down: Curbing marketing of unhealthy foods, particularly targeting children is required. Concerted efforts are needed in creating consumer awareness for better dietary choices (less sugar, less salt and less trans fats) and more mineral rich fresh foods and fortified staples. Finally, better national, state and district level data are needed on food safety, food loss and waste for informed decision making.
• Poshan: The Government’s focus on nutrition through POSHAN Abhiyaan with commitment to nutritional outcomes, particularly in the aspirational districts is a targeted approach that holds much promise. Efforts to scale up fortification of staple foods led by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and supported by state governments, development sector organisations, and technical institutions in collaboration with the private and public sector to make available essential micronutrients such as vitamins A & D through fortified edible oil and milk; vitamin B-12, iron and folic acid through fortified wheat flour and rice; and iodized salt with iron, to the extent of 25-30 per cent of the required daily allowances are proven strategies for mitigation of micro-nutrient malnutrition and particularly more relevant during Covid times.
• Eat Right India: The Eat Right India initiative led by FSSAI adopts an institutional approach to promoting eating safe, eating healthy (including eating fortified staples), and eating sustainably. The production and commercialization of naturally bred mineral rich crop varieties such as wheat rich in zinc, and pearl millet rich in iron appear promising. Strengthening our food testing and regulatory mechanism is ongoing.

Child soldiers

• The story: The US added Pakistan and 14 other countries to a "Child Soldier Recruiter List" that identifies foreign governments having government-supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers.
• Child Soldier: This refers to any person below 18 years of age who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity. It includes but is not limited to children, boys and girls who are used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes (Paris Principles on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict 2007).
• Points to note: The US Child Soldiers Prevention Act 2008 (CSPA) requires the publication in the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report a list of foreign governments that have recruited or used child soldiers. Some of the countries which have been added to the list are Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Yemen etc. The United Nations (UN) verified that over 7,000 children had been recruited and used as soldiers in 2019 alone. The CSPA prohibits the US government from providing military assistance, including money, military education and training, or direct sales of military equipment, to countries that recruit and use child soldiers.
• Global conventions: The recruitment or use of children below the age of 15 as soldiers is prohibited by both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions. The CRC says childhood is separate from adulthood, and lasts until 18; it is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols form the core of international humanitarian law, which regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They protect people not taking part in hostilities and those who are no longer doing so.
• War crime: Recruiting Child Soldiers is also considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Also, the United Nations has identified the recruitment and use of child soldiers as among six “grave violations”. Other Five violations are:

Killing and maiming of children;
Sexual violence against children;
Abduction of children;
Attacks against schools or hospitals;
Denial of humanitarian access for children.

• Indian scenario: Though not common in India, child soldiers are seen among non-state forces such as insurgent organizations in the NorthEast region (mainly in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland) and militant factions in the Kashmir region. They are hired in Maoist affected areas of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra. Some global human rights organisations allege Indian security forces of using children as spies and messengers, although the Indian government denies this allegation. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) which is run by the Ministry of Defence, aims to motivate youth from age 13 to take up a career in the armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) and Territorial Army, and they can not be equated with the child soldiers. The Indian Penal Code criminalises the recruitment or use in hostilities of persons under-18 years by state armed forces or non-state armed groups. Only adults of age over 18 years are recruited in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
• Summary: International treaties and instruments, such as the CRC and its Optional Protocol are valuable and necessary tools to ensure betterment of children but these must be implemented by all parties in its true spirit. In 2014, UNICEF launched the campaign “Children, Not Soldiers” to bring about a global consensus that child soldiers should not be used in conflict.

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

Delhi govt’s Policy for street children

• The story: Delhi government has formulated a policy for welfare of street children in light of covid-19 pandemic situation.
• Key points: The policy underlines the role of various stakeholders in promoting Covid- appropriate behaviour and generating awareness about the infection. It was prepared by Women and Child Development Department (WCD) of Delhi Government.
• Provisions: It encourages direct participation of civil society organisations. It also highlights their role in identifying hotspot areas and distributing masks among those children. As per policy, district administration could consider training children rescued from streets as Civil Defense Volunteer, after they attain age of 18 years. It will provide them respectable employment. Trained children can also assist many other children who coming from a similar background. It proposes the composition of District Child Protection Convergence Committee (DCPCC) above the District Task Force to rescue children. District magistrate will act as chairperson of DCPCC along with other members like two members from NGOs & Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights representatives. NGOs will be tasked to bring all cases of children identified by them to their respective Child Welfare Committee. NGOs will work with concerned departments for rehabilitation of identified children.
• District Task Force: The Women and Child Development Department of Delhi Government had constituted a ‘District Task Force’ to assist COVID-19 positive children who are in Child Care Institutes or who lost their parents due covid-19 virus. Department had set up two quarantine centres for children in order to take admissions sent through child welfare committee separately.

Tele-Law programme - 9 lakh beneficiaries

• The story: The Department of Justice commemorated the milestone of crossing nine lakh beneficiaries under its Tele-Law programme. It connects the disadvantaged and needy who are seeking legal advice from Panel Lawyers with the help of an e-interface platform available in Common Service Centres.
• Details: This is currently operational in 633 districts, and includes 115 Aspirational Districts in 34 States and Union Territories by a network of 50 thousand Common Service Centres. Tele-Law has witnessed a growth of 369 per cent in number of beneficiaries seeking legal advice in last one year. This has the potential to foster inclusive character of justice delivery and strengthening rule of law.
• Tele-Law programme: It was launched by Ministry of Law and Justice in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in 2017, to tackle cases at pre–litigation stage. It connects Lawyers to Litigants through video conferencing facilities and telephone service to provide legal advice. It was launched with the aim of reaching out to needy especially the marginalized and disadvantaged. Under the programme, smart facilities like video conferencing, telephone or instant calling facilities are available through Common Service Centres at Panchayat level. These technologies are used to connect indigent, downtrodden, vulnerable, unreached groups with the Panel Lawyers for timely and valuable legal advice.
• Helpful: It enables people to get legal advice without wasting time and money. This service is free for those who are eligible for free legal Aid in accordance with Section 12 of Legal Services Authority Act, 1987.

West Bengal resolution to create a Legislative Council

• The story: The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government passed a resolution in state assembly on July 6, 2021 for creation of a legislative council in state under Article 169 of Constitution. The resolution passed with 196 votes in favour and 69 against it. The Legislative Assembly in Bengal has a strength of 294 members. However, only 265 were present during the voting.
• Poll promise: The creation of a legislative council was a key poll promise of Mamata Banerjee. In run-up to assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee had said, TMC leaders who did not get tickets would be sent to legislative council.
• Legal provision: According to law, West Bengal can have a maximum of 94 members in legislative council, accounting for one-third of total assembly seats, after this resolution gets support of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• States and legislative councils: Presently six states - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka - have a Legislative Council. West Bengal too had Legislative Council earlier, and it was the first state to have upper house in 1937. But in 1969, legislative council was abolished because the then government considered it a “symbol of elitism”.

Minister launches “Matsya Setu” app for Fishermen

• The story: Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Giriraj Singh launched Online Course Mobile App “Matsya Setu” for fishermen.
• Details: The app was developed by ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar. Funding support was provided by National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. This app comprises of species-wise or subject-wise self-learning online course modules. Renowned aquaculture experts will explain basic concepts and practical demonstrations regarding breeding, seed production and grow-out culture of commercially important fishes such as carp, murrel, catfish, scampi, ornamental fish and pearl farming.
• Why: It was launched with the aim of disseminating latest freshwater aquaculture technologies for aqua farmers across India. India is the second major producer of fish through aquaculture across the world. it is also the 4th largest exporter of fish worldwide because it contributes 7.7% in global fish production. Fish exports accounts for 10% of total exports from India and about 20% of agriculture exports, as of 2017-18. Fisheries and aquaculture production contribute about 1% to India’s GDP and 5% to agricultural GDP. This sector provided employment to 28 million people in India.
• Challenges: According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 90% of global marine fish stocks have been fully exploited or overfished or depleted up to an extent that recovery would not be possible biologically Discharge of harmful substances such as plastics and other waste into water bodies also causes devastation to aquatic life. Changing climate is another challenging factor.

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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