Context: Recently, there has been a controversy in Assam regarding Chaolung Sukapha who founded the Ahom kingdom and the Assam CM ordered the arrest of a political commentator who had described Chaolung Sukapha as a “Chinese invader”.
About Chaolung Sukapha

• Sukapha was a 13th-century ruler who founded the Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam for six centuries.
• He reached Brahmaputra valley in Assam from upper Burma in the 13th century.
• It was in Charaideo Sukapha established his first small principality, sowing the seeds of further expansion of the Ahom kingdom.
• Where the Ahoms ruled the land till the province was annexed to British India in 1826 with the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo.

Ahoms:

• The founders of the Ahom kingdom had their own language and followed their own religion.
• Over the centuries, the Ahoms accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.
• They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords).
• The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks.
• Ahom society was divided into clans or khels. A khel often controlled several villages.
• Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods but instead of imposing their own language, religion and rituals on communities living in Assam, they accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.
• However, the Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.
• Ahom society was very sophisticated. Poets and scholars were given land grants and theatre was encouraged. Important works of Sanskrit were translated into the local language.
• Historical works, known as buranjis, were also written, first in the Ahom language and then in Assamese.
• Most of the Sukapha’s people were men who later married women from communities living in Assam. Intermarriage also increased assimilation processes.

Why is Sukapha important?

• Sukapha developed very amiable relationships with the tribal communities living there especially the Sutias, the Morans and the Kacharis. 
• Sukapha’s significance especially in today’s Assam — lies in his successful efforts towards assimilation of different communities and tribes.
• He is widely referred to as the architect of “Bor Asom” or “greater Assam”.

Context: Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed 80 electric potter wheels to 80 potter families in Pokhran which has a rich heritage in terracotta products.
Key Points

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed 80 electric potter wheels to 80 potter families in Pokhran which has a rich heritage in terracotta products.
• Pokhran, in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, has over 300 potters’ families that have been engaged with pottery for several decades, but potters had started looking for other avenues due to heavy drudgery in the work and no market support.
• Apart from the electric wheels, the KVIC also distributed 8 blunger machines, used for mixing the clay which can produce 800 kg clay in just 8 hours. Manually it takes 5 days to prepare 800 kg mud for pottery making.
• The 80 potters were also given 15-days’ training to help them come up with exquisite pottery.

About Rajasthan potteries

• Rajasthan is famous for terracotta items. Diverse forms of pottery are made in different regions of Rajasthan.
• Alwar is known for producing paper-thin Kagazi pottery, while Pokhran is renowned for white and red clay articles with geometric designs. Bikaner is home to painted pottery, tinted with lac colours. Jaisalmer is famous for stoneware pottery.
• Rajasthan is also known for its Blue Pottery.
• Turko-Persian in origin, the art of blue pottery is said to have flourished in Jaipur under the 19th century ruler Maharaja Ram Singh II.
• The special feature of blue pottery is that, unlike others, it is made of ground quartz stone and clay is not used at all. The traditionally used colours are blue (extracted from oxide of cobalt), green (from the oxides of copper) and white.
• Some pottery is semi translucent and in addition to the traditional colours, other combinations have now been evolved, such as canary yellow, dark blue and brown.
• The conventional designs are floral or arabesque patterns, sometimes with figures of animals.

About Kumbhar Sashaktikaran Program

• Kumbhar Sashaktikaran Program is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) for empowerment of potters community in the remotest of locations in the country.

Target beneficiaries

• The program reaches out to the potters in : U.P., M.P., Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Bihar.

Benefits provided

• Training for advanced pottery products
• Latest, new technology pottery equipments like the electric Chaak
• Market linkages and visibility through KVIC exhibitions

Outcomes

Due to the supply of electric chaaks, the potters have reaped the following benefits.

• More production with less hours of work.
• Less noise and better health benefits
• Less power consumption with smooth transition to higher speeds

Context: Recently, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has made it mandatory for all sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to list the Country of Origin while registering new products.
Key Provision

• It is now mandatory for sellers to enter the Country of Origin while registering all new products on GeM.
• Sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, have to regularly update the Country of Origin.
• There shall be a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products.
• ‘Make in India’ filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria.
• In case of bids, buyers can now reserve any bid for Class I Local suppliers (Local Content > 50%). For those bids below INR 200 crore, only Class I and Class II Local Suppliers (Local content > 50% and > 20% respectively) are eligible to bid, with Class I suppliers getting purchase preference.

About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

• It is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of Goods & Services required by various Central and State Government Departments / Organizations /Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
• It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
• GeM provides tools for Direct Purchase, bidding and reverse auction for efficient procurement.
• It operates under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The purchases through GeM by government users have been authorized and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance by adding a new Rule No. 149 in the General Financial Rules, 2017.

Benefits of GeM to the Government, Sellers and the Indian industry and economy

• Transparency: GeM eliminates human interface in vendor registration, order placement and payment processing, to a great extent. Being an open platform, GeM offers no entry barriers to bonafide suppliers who wish to do business with the Government. At every step, SMS and e-Mail notifications are sent to both buyer, his/her head of organisation, paying authorities as well as sellers.
• Efficiency: Direct purchase on GeM can be done in a matter of minutes and the entire process in online, end to end integrated and with online tools for assessing price reasonability. For procurements of higher value, the bidding facility on GeM is among the most transparent and efficient, in comparison to e-procurement systems in vogue within the Government sector. For creating a bid, the buyer does not need to create his/her own technical specifications as they have been standardised on GeM. 
• Secure and safe: GeM is a completely secure platform and all the documents on GeM are e-Signed at various stages by the buyers and sellers. The antecedents of the suppliers are verified online and automatically through MCA21, Aadhar and PAN databases. In addition, SEBI empaneled credit rating agencies are also being used for conducting third-party assessment of suppliers, an e-Bank Guarantee is also being introduced.
• Savings to the Government: The transparency, efficiency and ease of use of the GeM portal has resulted in a substantial reduction in prices on GeM, in comparison to the tender, Rate Contract and direct purchase rates.

Context: Amid Covid-19, Jharkhand government is set to launch a 100-day employment scheme for urban unskilled workers similar to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) amid the coronavirus pandemic and increasing unemployment.

• Recently the Government of India has launched a rural public works scheme ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers and rural citizens.
• Even Jharkhand launched three employment schemes earlier to create wage employment for workers in rural areas namely  Birsa Harit Gram Yojana (BHGY), Neelambar Pitambar JAL Sammridhi Yojana (NPJSY) and Veer Sahid Poto Ho Khel Vikas Scheme (VSPHKVS) — to create wage employment for workers in rural areas. In this context, an employment guarantee scheme for urban poor is unique and timely intervention.

Key Points

• The scheme will be known as Mukhyamantri SHRAMIK (Shahri Rozgar Manjuri For Kamgar) Yojana.
• Objective: Enhancing livelihood security for urban poor. They will be given priority in the existing schemes. If they could not be accommodated in existing schemes, exclusive schemes for the purpose will be created and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) would be given separate funds for this.

Basic Provisions:

• The workers will be able demand work either in writing or orally for a minimum of seven days and a maximum of 100 days.
• If a worker has a child of five years or less, then a female worker will need to be employed—to take care of the child—and paid the minimum wage. All basic amenities, medical facilities, registration as well as a social security will be provided.
• Demand based Work: The work will be demand based and divided into various categories like cleanliness, water harvesting, tree plantation, public works construction or repair and managing shelter homes, among others.
• Minimum Wage: Workers will be paid the minimum wage as notified by the state government.
• Decent Wage: The wages under the proposed Yojana are likely to be at least 40% higher than that provided under the MGNREGA programme in the state.
• Swift Transfer of Wages: The amount will be credited to the bank account of workers, either after work or within seven days of the completion of work. In any situation, the payment has to be made within 15 days of the completion of work.
• Unemployment Allowance: Like MGNREGA, the scheme will also have a provision for unemployment allowance where a person who has asked for work does not get it within 15 days will be liable to be paid one-fourth of the minimum wage as allowance for the first month, half the wage in the second month, and the full minimum wage amount in the third month of no work.
• Job Cards & Dedicated Website: Urban workers will also be registered and they would be provided job cards. A special website is also being designed, similar to the website functions in MGNREGS.
• Implementation: The scheme will be implemented by the urban development and housing department through the state urban livelihood mission. Municipal commissioners, executive offices or special officers of municipal bodies will be the nodal officer of the scheme.

Background

• Large Number of Casual Labours: There are about 13-14 lakh households in urban areas of Jharkhand, of which around 15% are employed as casual labourers. An estimated 25% households in urban areas have been adversely affected by the extended lockdown.
• Influx of Migrants: There was a need for a scheme like this because of the huge influx of migrant workers to the state. This will help the migrant workers who returned to urban Jharkhand after the coronavirus outbreak.
• Skill Mapping of Migrants: Skill mapping of 2.5 lakh workers has revealed that 30% of workers who returned from different states are unskilled labourers.
• Addressing Urban Poor: Till now there was a notion that poor means rural people. So, a lot of poor alleviation schemes were launched for rural areas. However, there is also a chunk of urban poor and they also need job guarantee like in rural areas.

Other State's initiative

• Recently, the Odisha government announced a Rs 100-crore Urban Wage Employment Initiative.
• Kerala also runs Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS) which aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in urban areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to an urban household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• "Yuva Swabhiman Yojana” of Madhya Pradesh provides employment for both skilled and unskilled workers among urban youth.

Road Ahead

• These types of interventions by the States are a welcome step which give urban residents the right to work and thereby ensure the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Programmes like the Smart Cities Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have disproportionately focussed on development of bigger towns and cities. Hence, it is important to re-focus our attention to improving the livelihoods and ecology of urban areas beyond India’s major cities.
• An urban employment guarantee programme not only improves incomes of workers but also has multiplier effects on the economy. It will boost local demand in small towns, improve public infrastructure and services, spur entrepreneurship, build skills of workers and create a shared sense of public goods. Hence, the time is ripe for an employment guarantee programme in urban India.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has stated that the financing for Compressed Bio-Gas plants to be brought under Priority Sector Lending.
Key Points

• The Government is in the process of including Compressed Bio-Gas under Priority Sector Lending.
• Initiative will help in providing environment friendly gaseous fuel from natural sources and provide ease in the financing of CBG Plants.
• The Central Financial Assistance or Subsidy for setting up CBG plants has been extended to 2020-21 to promote new projects.
• Bio-manure, an important by-product of CBG Plants, is also in the process of being included in Fertilizer Control Order 1985.
• This will make it easier to market and provide an opportunity for organic farming across the country as the 5000 CBG Plants are expected to produce 50 MMT Bio-manure.

SATAT scheme

• The ‘SATAT’ (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme on CBG was launched in October 2018.
• It is aimed at promoting Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) as an alternative, green transport fuel for efficient management of biomass and organic waste.
• The CBG produced under SATAT can be sold to automobiles as clean fuel, and to domestic, industrial and commercial consumers which are using LPG and other fuels.
• It envisages targeting production of 15 MMT of CBG from 5000 plants by 2023.
• Oil Marketing Companies have been offered long term pricing on CBG to make projects bankable and have agreed to execute long term agreements on CBG.

Significance

• Harnessing biofuels to generate alternative energy, including Compressed Biogas or CBG, ethanol, 2G ethanol, and biodiesel will help achieve our PM Modi’s vision of reducing import dependence of oil and ensuring sustainable energy future in the country.
• The Government of India has been promoting Biofuels including CBG to increase the green-energy mix, reduce import dependence, create employment especially in semi-urban & rural areas and reduce pollution.
• Usage of CBG shall assist in achieving climate change goals of India as per the Paris Agreement 2015.
• This shall also be in line with schemes of Government of India like Swachh Bharat, Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India.

About Biogas 

• It is a renewable, as well as a clean, source of energy.
• The gas generated through bio-digestion is non-polluting and it reduces greenhouse emissions.
• After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
• Compressed Bio-Gas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.
• With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, Compressed Bio-Gas can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel.

About Priority Sector Lending (PSL)

• Priority Sector Lending is an important role given by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to the Commercial Banks for providing a specified portion of the bank lending to few specific sectors.

Priority Sector includes the following categories: Agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME), Export Credit, Education, Housing, Social Infrastructure and Renewable Energy
Others

• This is essentially meant for an all-round development of the economy as opposed to focusing only on the financial sector.

Targets and Sub-targets for banks under Priority Sector Lending (PSL)

• Domestic scheduled commercial banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks and Small Finance Banks) and foreign banks with 20 branches and above are included for PSL.
• 40% of the total net bank credit should go to priority sector advances.
• 10% of the priority sector advances or 10% of the total net bank credit, whichever is higher should go to weaker section.
• 18% of the total net bank credit should go to agricultural advances.
• Within the 18 target for agriculture, a target of 8 per cent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher is prescribed for Small and Marginal Farmers.
• 7.5 of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher should go to Micro enterprises.

Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs)

• Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs) are a mechanism to enable banks to achieve the priority sector lending target and sub-targets by purchase of these instruments in the event of shortfall.
• This also incentivizes surplus banks as it allows them to sell their excess achievement over targets thereby enhancing lending to the categories under priority sector.

Context: Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) is signed between the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs(MoHUA) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to engage SIDBI as the Implementation Agency for PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).
Key Points

• SIDBI will manage the credit guarantee to the lending institutions through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).
• It will develop and maintain a customized and integrated IT Platform providing end-to-end solutions, including documentation of all the processes.
• It will ensure engagement and information flow between Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Lending Institutions, Digital Payment Aggregators and other stakeholders through a Portal and a Mobile App.
• It will also provide a Project Management Unit (PMU), comprising domain experts in training/ capacity building, project and platform management, Information Education and Communication (IEC), banking, NBFC and MFI sectors etc.

About the PM SVANidhi

• PM SVANidhi was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods which have been severely affected due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.
• This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors and they can avail loan up to Rs. 10,000 which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. 
• On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through DBT. 
• In order to ensure fast implementation of the scheme with transparency, a digital platform with a web portal and mobile app is being developed to administer the scheme.
• The scheme incentivises digital transactions by the street vendors through monthly cashback.

About SIDBI

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) set up on 2nd April 1990 under an Act of Indian Parliament.
• It acts as the principal financial institution for Promotion, Financing and Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector as well as coordinator for institutions which are engaged in similar activities.
• It aims to facilitate and strengthen credit flow to MSMEs and address both financial and developmental gaps in the MSME ecosystem.

Context: Amid Covid-19 the Public Distribution System has played an important role in providing relief to people in the aftermath of the national lockdown.
Role of PDS during lockdown

• Despite gaps, PDS is one of the most effective instruments to reach people in the current situation.
• The COVID-19 survey conducted by the Azim Premji University found that during the lockdown, 89 per cent of rural and 69 per cent of urban respondents reported that they were able to get foodgrains from a government ration shop.
• While only 30 per cent of households said that they received the Jan Dhan transfer.

Population coverage

• Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), about 60 per cent of the current population has priority ration cards.
• Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have additional coverage which they support through their own budgets.
• Providing an additional 5 kg of foodgrains and 1 kg of pulses for free under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) was only for the 81 crore individuals currently covered by the NFSA.
• Later as part of the Atmanirbhar package, another 8 crore migrants have been included.

Many left out of the coverage

• There are still many who are left out of the food security net.
• Just to fulfil the NFSA requirement of 67 per cent, the updated population estimates of 2020 must be used in place of the current 2011 numbers.
• Moreover, in the present crisis where many have lost their livelihoods, the requirement would be much more.
• The government has not made the PDS universal.
• There is no announcement of extending the relief measures from July onwards.

So, how much is the expenditure on food subsidy

• Economic Survey 2019-20 has called for reducing the fiscal burden posed by the food subsidy.
• The FCI finances are indeed in a mess with an outstanding loan of over Rs 2.5 lakh crore from the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF).
• But this is a result of mismanagement and off-budget accounting by the government to show a lower fiscal deficit.
• This comes at the cost of the sustainability of the FCI, which has already paid for the grain it has procured.
• Excluding the off-budget borrowings, the food subsidy in the last three years is between 0.53 and 0.59 per cent of GDP.
• Which is much less than what it was in the years preceding NFSA when it was between 0.8-0.85 per cent. Therefore, it is not entirely true that the food subsidy is increasing at an exponential pace.

Issues with replacing PDS with cash transfer

• Cash transfers cannot be a substitute for the provision of subsidised foodgrains.
• There are a higher number of fair price shops than bank branches.
• Although most people now have a bank account, many of these accounts are dormant.
• The transaction costs of withdrawing the cash are high.
• Withdrawing the PDS is also not favoured by state governments.

Road Ahead
With all its faults, PDS is still the backbone of our food security framework. There is scope for improvement, no doubt, but to replace it with cash transfer would be a premature move

Context: Recently, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has unveiled a Secure QR coded Shipping Bill that would be electronically sent to exporters after the Customs allows export.
Key Points

• The Secure QR coded Shipping Bill eliminates the requirement of the exporters having to approach the Customs officers for proof of export.
• It makes the end to end Customs export process fully electronic, from the filing of the Shipping Bill to the final order to allow export.
• The electronic transmission of the Shipping Bill would do away with the present requirement to take paper printout of these documents thereby promoting Green Customs.

Significance

• It is a step for fulfilling commitment to a Faceless, Paperless, and Contactless Customs under the umbrella of its Turant Customs programme.
• These reforms are based on enhanced use of digital technology to reduce the time and costs for the importers, exporters and other stakeholders.
• They are expected to improve India’s ranking in the World Bank’s Trading Across Borders parameter of its Doing Business Report.

About Turant Customs programme

• Turant Customs, launched by CBIC, is a mega reform for the ease of doing business.
• The programme has been launched at Bengaluru and Chennai to take a leap forward to take advantage of the technology for faster customs clearance of imported goods.
• With the initiation of the programme at Bengaluru and Chennai, it marks the first phase of the All India roll out which would get completed by 31st December 2020.
• Under the programme, importers will avail benefits with the elimination of routine interface with the customs officers, which will provide uniformity in assessment across the country.
• The customs officers located outside the port of import will clear the goods from customs after doing faceless assessment remotely.
• Under this programme, the goods imported at Chennai may be assessed by the customs officers located at Bengaluru and vice versa, as assigned by the customs’ automated system.

Road Ahead

• A better rank in ease of doing business and greater awareness about opportunities in Indian business sector would attract foreign investors to invest in India and will also bring advanced technologies to the country.
• However, it would be unwise to judge the state of the business activity by observing movements in the ease of doing business index as it is just the reflection of regulatory measures taken in two big cities of Delhi and Mumbai and that too on limited parameters.
• Therefore, more comprehensive measures must be taken, which would not only improve ease of doing business ranking, but also lead to a better business environment and greater prosperity for all.

About the Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC)

• The CBIC was formerly known as the Central Board of Excise & Customs. The name was changed in 2018 after the introduction of the GST (which subsumed indirect taxes).
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• The CBIC is the apex body for administering the levy and collection of indirect taxes of the Union of India.
• It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs, Central Excise duties, Central Goods & Services Tax and IGST, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Central Goods & Services Tax, IGST and Narcotics to the extent under CBIC’s purview.
• It is the administrative authority for its subordinate organizations, including Custom Houses, Central Excise and Central GST Commissionerates and the Central Revenues Control Laboratory.

Context: Recently, the World Bank has released new Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) for reference year 2017, under International Comparison Program (ICP) that adjusts for differences in the cost of living across economies of the world.
Key outcomes of the Result

• The PPP of Indian Rupee per US$ at GDP level is now 20.65 in 2017 from 15.55 in 2011.
• The Exchange Rate of US Dollar to Indian Rupee is now 65.12 from 46.67 during the same period.
• The Price Level Index (PLI), used to compare the price levels of economies, of India is 47.55 in 2017 from 42.99 in 2011.
• PLI is the ratio of a PPP to its corresponding market exchange rate.
• In 2017, India retained and consolidated its global position, as the third largest economy, accounting for 6.7 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in terms of PPPs as against China (16.4%) and United States (16.3%), respectively.
• India is also third largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in global Actual Individual Consumption and Global Gross Capital Formation.
• In the Asia-Pacific region, India in 2017 retained its regional position as the second largest economy accounting for 20.83% of regional GDP in terms of PPPs where China was first and Indonesia was in third position.
• India is also second largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in regional Actual Individual Consumption and regional Gross Capital Formation – in the Asia-Pacific region.

Regional Status (Asia-Pacific)

• Regionally, 22 economies participated from the Asia-Pacific.
• In 2017, India retained its regional position as the second largest economy and accounted for 20.83% of Regional GDP in terms of PPPs.
• China stands first with 50.76% and Indonesia is at third position with 7.49%.
• India is also the second largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in Regional AIC and Regional GFCF.

About International Comparison Program(ICP)

• The ICP is the largest worldwide data-collection initiative, under the guidance of UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), with the goal of producing Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) which are vital for converting measures of economic activities to be comparable across economies.
• Along with the PPPs, the ICP also produces Price Level Indices (PLI) and other regionally comparable aggregates of GDP expenditure.
• India has participated in almost all ICP rounds since its inception in 1970.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is the National Implementing Agency (NIA) for India, which has the responsibility of planning, coordinating and implementing national ICP activities.
• India was also a co-chair of the ICP Governing Board along with Statistics Austria for the ICP 2017 cycle.

About Purchasing Power Parity

• Purchasing power parity is a popular metric used by macroeconomic analysts that compares different countries’ currencies through a basket of goods approach.
• PPP allows for economists to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries.
• PPP thus makes it easy to understand and interpret the data of each country.

Context: Recently, the Central government has started the process to launch the Initial Public Offer (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
About LIC

• LIC is an state-owned insurance group and investment corporation owned by the Government of India.
• It was founded in 1956 when the Parliament of India passed the Life Insurance of India Act that nationalized the insurance industry in India.
• Over 245 insurance companies and provident societies were merged to create the state-owned LIC.

Why LIC IPO?

• LIC is the largest investor in government securities and stock markets every year.
• On an average, LIC invests Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 65,000 crore in stock markets every year and emerges as the largest investor in Indian stocks.
• LIC also has huge investments in debentures and bonds besides providing funding for many infrastructure projects according to its Annual Report for 2017-18.

Biggest IPO in Indian markets

• The finance ministry has invited bids from transaction advisors, including consulting firms, investment bankers, and financial institutions, for assisting the government in the preparatory processes leading to the IPO.
• The IPO is expected to be the biggest in the Indian capital markets given the size and scale of LIC, the country’s oldest and largest life insurer.

What is the size and position of LIC in the insurance market?

• Even if the government decides to sell 5-10 per cent of its equity in LIC through an IPO, the share sale of LIC, which was set up in 1956, is expected to be the largest.
• The insurer’s total assets had touched an all-time high of Rs 31.11 lakh crore in 2018-19, an increase of 9.4 per cent.
• The Corporation realized a profit of Rs 23,621 crore from its equity investment during 2018-19, down 7.89 per cent from Rs 25,646 crore in the previous year.
• LIC would have at least one transaction of IPO of a size of at least Rs 5,000 crore, or a capital market transaction of at least Rs 15,000 crore.

How does LIC fit into the overall disinvestment roadmap?

• In the Budget 2020-21, the finance ministry had announced plans for IPO of LIC and a proposal to sell the government’s equity in the stressed IDBI Bank.
• The government expects to raise Rs 90,000 crore through stake sale in LIC and IDBI Bank, and another Rs 1.2 lakh crore through other disinvestments.
• LIC is also a majority shareholder in IDBI Bank.
• The government had earlier listed the shares of General Insurance Corporation and New India Assurance through IPOs three years ago.

What benefits can be expected through the IPO?

• An IPO will certainly bring in transparency into affairs of LIC since it will be required to inform financial numbers and other market-related developments on time to the stock exchanges.
• Investors can benefit from picking up equity in the insurer, which has been making underwriting profit as well as profits on its investments.
• LIC’s investment in various equity and bond instruments will come under greater scrutiny after its lists on the exchanges.

About Initial Public Offer(IPO)

• It is the selling of securities to the public in the primary market (a type of capital market).
• Primary market deals with new securities being issued for the first time. It is also known as the new issues market.
• It is different from the secondary market where existing securities are bought and sold. It is also known as the stock market or stock exchange.
• Under IPO, an unlisted company makes either a fresh issue of securities or an offer for sale of its existing securities or both for the first time to the public.
• Through an IPO, an unlisted company can get listed on the stock exchange.
• It is generally used by new and medium-sized firms that are looking for funds to grow and expand their business.

Context: Recently, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region has reviewed the status and healthcare facility in ‘Aspirational’ districts with special focus on North East. 
About ‘Aspirational District Programme’

• Aspirational Districts are those districts in India, that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators. These are aspirational in the context, that improvement in these districts can lead to the overall improvement in human development in India. The 115 districts were identified from 28 states, at least one from each state. 
• Objective – Achieve balanced development in India by uplifting 115 districts. 
• Under phase-1 of ADP, 115 districts were identified based on the level of human development, physical infrastructure, threat of left wing extremism (LWE) and the views of the state governments. 
• Over 15 percent of India’s population lives in these districts. A list of 49 target indicators has been developed by NITI Aayog. Relatively poorer endowment of physical resources, lack of infrastructure, poor social capital, low standards of health, nutrition, education and skill, poor governance and above all, inhabitants demotivated due to years of poverty and deprivation can be cited as major contributory factors. 

Constraints  

• Governance challenges – Governance inadequacy; Multiplicity of implementing agencies and schemes. 
• No accountability on the part of either the government or district administrations. 
• Non availability of periodical data. 
• Lack of social awareness and community participation. 
• Lack of competitiveness among districts to improve developmental performance. 

Suggestions

• Lifting levels of aspirations through a vision and district plan, adequate institutional arrangements, convergence in all stakeholders’ efforts and above all, ranking-based public competition among the districts. 
• Create a positive narrative of development by making development a mass movement – Referring to these districts as ‘aspirational’ rather than ‘backward’ highlights the programme’s recognition that people are the most valuable resource to improve a district’s performance. 
• Use data to inform decision-making and spur competition among districts – Composite index and Data – NITI Aayog has identified 49 key performance indicators (KPIs) with 81 data points. The ADP assigns different weights to the indicators, informed by a policy focus on social sectors. Health and nutrition, and education have been given the highest weightage and cumulatively, they account for 21 of the 49 indicators. 
• Converge initiatives across all levels of government – The ADP aims to ensure convergence between different government schemes. To achieve this, the action plan prepared by the district collectors of aspirational districts will identify the thrust activity, map existing schemes and their respective implementation agencies and set targets for rapid improvement. 
• Promote federalism and put in place institutional mechanisms to ensure teamwork between the central, state and districts administration – Harnessing and creating synergies among the different stakeholders is the backbone of the ADP.
• While states are the main drivers and district magistrates/collectors are the fulcrum of the programme, a major innovation here is the emphasis on team foundation. Set up Empowered Committees of Secretaries of Government of India to supervise and troubleshoot. 
• Partner with expert organisations with demonstrated technical competence – While data-based objective ranking and competition among districts are major elements of the ADP’s strategy, another core component is bringing in technical expertise through public private partnerships. 

Context: Recently, Urjit Patel has been appointed chairman of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). He will succeed Vijay Laxman Kelkar.

• Urjit Patel is a former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor.
• NIPFP is India’s premier economic think tank - a centre for research in public economics and policies.

Key Points

• Formation: NIPFP is an autonomous body set up jointly by the Ministry of Finance, the erstwhile Planning Commission, and several state governments. It was founded in 1976. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• Functions: It undertakes research, policy advocacy and capacity building in areas related to public economics. One of the major mandates of the institute is to assist the Central, State and Local governments in formulating and reforming public policies by providing an analytical base.
• Funding: It receives an annual grant from the Ministry of Finance and various State governments. However, it maintains an independent non-government character.

Governing Body:

• It includes the Revenue Secretary, Economic Affairs Secretary and the Chief Economic Advisor from the Union Finance Ministry and representatives from NITI Aayog, RBI and three state governments.
• It also includes three distinguished economists, members of sponsoring agencies and other invitees.
• It is involved in appointing the Chairman and the Director.
• The usual tenure of a chairman is four years, which can be extended.

Context: Recently, a study by the Ministry of Rural Development has observed that the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) has not been able to achieve the desired objectives and failed to make a significant impact.
Key Points

• The study was conducted as part of the Fifth Common Review Mission (CRM) for “independent assessment” of the progress of various programmes and schemes of the Rural Development Ministry.
• A team comprising retired bureaucrats, academics and research organisations etc. The team visited around 120 villages, in 21 districts across eights states

Major Findings

• Low selection of Panchayats: Since the launch of the scheme only 1,855 gram panchayats have been selected across five phases, with only seven in Phase 5.

Lack of Interest and Funds: Model villages under the scheme are hit by lack of interest and funds. In many of SAGY villages, the MPs did not give any significant fund from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). Example:

• In Arood village of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, out of 118 activities planned in 2014, only about 60 %have been achieved and the rest are pending for lack of funds.
• Lack of Political Will: The concept of SAGY has not percolated down to field officials due to lack of accountability and political will.
• Issues with Declaration: Even villages declared as Adarsh Grams in some districts were found yet to be declared Open Defecation Free.
• Limited Impact: In some cases, where MPs have been proactive, some infrastructure development has taken place, but the scheme has not made any perceptible impact.
• Low Convergence of MGNREGA with MPLAD: Lesser convergence of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with MPLAD was observed in few villages.
• Rural Roads: The study expressed concern over the quality of roads constructed under schemes of state governments and maintenance of rural roads under central Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
• Positive Impact: Progress of work was better in the Gram Panchayats where the MP has taken keen interest and allocated substantial amounts from MPLAD. Example:
• A village in Bhilwara Rajasthan was found to be very urbanised due the various development schemes taken up at the initiative of the Ex-MP.

Reccomendations

• The report recommended that the Ministry of Rural Development may review the scheme for enhancing its impact.
• It has urged the Centre to frame a “National Rural Road Policy” to ensure uniform norms of construction and maintenance, irrespective of whether the road belongs to a state scheme or PMGSY.
• The Centre should examine if the Finance Commission can provide funds for maintenance of rural roads, as many states have requested that the Centre should share the cost of maintenance.

About Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

• It is a project launched in 2014 for rural development under which each parliamentarian has to adopt villages.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development
• Aim: all-round development of specific villages.

Objectives

• Holistic development of model villages, called Adarsh Grams
• Substantially improve the standard of living and quality of people in the village
• Generate models of local level development which can be replicated in other villages

Key Features

• MPs has to select gram panchayat (other than their own village or that of their spouse) to be developed as an Adarsh Gram.
• Lok Sabha MP has to choose from within his/her constituency
• Rajya Sabha MP has to choose from the rural area of a district of his/her choice in the State from which he/she is elected
• 8 Adarsh grams are to be developed by each MP by 2024.
• No new funds are allocated for the scheme. Resources may be raised through existing schemes, MPLADS, CSR funds, gram panchayat’s own revenue.

Context: Recently, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) has launched Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinated Debt(CGSSD) which is also called “Distressed Assets Fund–Sub-ordinate Debt for MSMEs”.
Key Points

• It is a scheme for the distressed MSME sector.
• The scheme seeks to extend support to the promoter(s) of the operational MSMEs which are stressed and have become NPAs as on 30th April, 2020.
• As per the Scheme, guarantee cover worth Rs. 20,000 crores will be provided to the promoters who can take debt from the banks to further invest in their stressed MSMEs as equity.
• The scheme will be operationalised through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for MSEs (CGTMSE).
• Guarantee: It provides a guarantee cover worth Rs. 20,000 crores to the promoters who can take debt from the banks to further invest in their stressed MSMEs as equity.

Features of the Scheme

• Promoter(s) of the MSMEs will be given credit equal to 15% of their stake (equity plus debt) or Rs. 75 lakh whichever is lower.
• Promoter(s) in turn will infuse this amount in the MSME unit as equity and thereby enhance the liquidity and maintain debt-equity ratio.
• 90% guarantee coverage for this sub-debt will be given under the Scheme and 10% would come from the concerned promoters.
• Duration: There will be a moratorium of 7 years on payment of principal whereas maximum tenure for repayment will be 10 years.

Context: Recently, the Cabinet has approved 2% Interest Subvention approved on prompt repayment of Shishu Loans under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana for a period of 12 months.
Key Points

• This development is as per the announcement made under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.
• It will be implemented by the SIDBI.
• The Scheme has been formulated as a specific response to an unprecedented situation and aims to alleviate financial stress for borrowers at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ by reducing their cost of credit.
• The Scheme is expected to provide much needed relief to the sector, thereby enabling small businesses to continue functioning without laying off employees due to lack of funds.

Eligibility

• The scheme will be extended to loans which meet the following criteria – outstanding as on 31stMarch, 2020; and not in Non-Performing Asset (NPA) category, as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, on 31st March 2020 and during the period of operation of the Scheme.
• The interest subvention would be payable for the months in which the accounts are not in NPA category including for the months that the account becomes a performing asset again, after turning NPA.

Implementation strategy

• The Scheme will be implemented through the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and will be in operation for 12 months.

Significance

• The Scheme has been formulated as a specific response to an unprecedented situation and aims to alleviate financial stress for borrowers at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ by reducing their cost of credit.
• It will incentivize people who will make regular repayments of loans.

About the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) scheme

• Launched in April, 2015. The scheme’s objective is to refinance collateral-free loans given by the lenders to small borrowers.
• Banks and MFIs can draw refinance under the MUDRA Scheme after becoming member-lending institutions of MUDRA.
• Mudra Loans are available for non-agricultural activities upto Rs. 10 lakh and activities allied to agriculture such as Dairy, Poultry, Bee Keeping etc, are also covered.
• Mudra’s unique features include a Mudra Card which permits access to Working Capital through ATMs and Card Machines.

Under the aegis of PMMY, MUDRA has created three products i.e. 'Shishu', 'Kishore' and ‘Tarun’ as per the stage of growth and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit.

• Shishu: Covering loans up to Rs. 50,000.
• Kishore: Covering loans above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 5 lakh
• Tarun: Covering loans above Rs. 5 lakh and up to Rs. 10 lakh

Context: Recently, an ordinance approved by the Union Cabinet to bringing all urban and multi-State cooperative banks under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Key Points

• In a landmark decision, the urban cooperatives and multi-State cooperative banks have been brought under RBI supervision process, which is applicable to scheduled banks.
• Currently, these banks come under dual regulation of the RBI and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.
• The move to bring these urban and multi-State coop banks under the supervision of the RBI comes after several instances of fraud and serious financial irregularities.

Rationale behind the move
To ensure that depositors are protected: 

• Currently, the urban cooperatives and multi-State cooperative banks, which are 1,540 in number and have a depositor base of 8.6 crore, who have saved nearly Rs 4.84 lakh crore.
• As these banks have been brought under RBI supervision process, the depositors would get more security.

Dual regulation and several instances of fraud:

• Currently, these banks come under dual regulation of the RBI and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.
• There have been several instances of fraud and serious financial irregularities including the major scam at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank last year.
• Ultimately the RBI was forced to supersede the PMC Bank’s board and impose strict restrictions.

About Co-operative Banks

• Cooperative Banks continue to be important and the ideal organisations even in the changing economic environment, as participation and inclusion are central to poverty reduction.
• Cooperative organisations in many countries have exhibited greater resilience during global crises, underscoring their importance in macroeconomic and financial stability.
• Co-operative banks in India are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act. The Co-operative banks are also regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.
• In most countries, they are supervised and controlled by banking authorities and have to respect prudential banking regulations, which put them at a level playing field with stockholder’s banks.

Features of Co-operative Banks

• Customer Owned Entities: Co-operative bank members are both customer and owner of the bank.
• Democratic Member Control: These banks are owned and controlled by the members, who democratically elect a board of directors. Members usually have equal voting rights, according to the cooperative principle of “one person, one vote”.
• Profit Allocation: A significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is usually allocated to constitute reserves and a part of this profit can also be distributed to the co-operative members, with legal and statutory limitations.
• Financial Inclusion: They have played a significant role in the financial inclusion of unbanked rural masses. They provide cheap credit to masses in rural areas.

Context: Recently, NITI Aayog in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF) will launch the “Decarbonising Transport in India” project, with the intention to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system for India.
About the project

• The project intended to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system for India.
• The project is in collaboration with the International Transport Forum (ITF).
• The project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India.
• It will provide the government with a detailed understanding of current and future transport activity and the related CO2 emissions as a basis for their decision-making.

Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies (DTEE)

• It supports transport decarbonisation across different world regions.
• India, Argentina, Azerbaijan, and Morocco are current participants.
• The DTEE is collaboration between the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

The Decarbonising Transport initiative is organised in five work streams:

• Tracking progress: The initiative evaluates how current mitigation measures contribute to reaching objectives for reducing transport CO2.
• In-depth sectoral studies: The initiative identifies effective policies for decarbonising urban passenger transport, road freight transport, maritime transport, aviation and inter-urban transport.
• Focus studies: The initiative analyses specific decarbonisation issues and feeds the results into other work streams.
• National pathways: The initiative assesses available policy levers for decarbonising transport from a country perspective. Projects may also examine regional or sub-national levels.
• Policy Dialogue: The initiative organises global dialogue on transport and climate change through high-level roundtables, policy briefings and technical workshops. It acts as a conduit for transport sector input to climate change negotiations.

About International Transport Forum (ITF)

• It was created in 2006 by ministers from 43 countries.
• It is an intergovernmental organisation within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with 60 member countries.
• It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers.
• ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes.
• The ITF is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politically autonomous.
• It is headquartered in Paris, France.

About OCED

• The OECD is an international, intergovernmental economic organization of 36 countries.
• OECD was founded in the year 1961 to stimulate world trade and economic progress.
• OECD originated in 1948, as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC).
• The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) was founded to govern the predominantly US-funded Marshall Plan for post-war reconstruction on the continent.
• The OEEC was instrumental in helping the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC has evolved into the European Union (EU) to establish a European Free Trade Area.
• India is not a member of OECD.

Context:  Recently, a team of conservationists in Northern Italy has begun the process of laying vast tarpaulin sheets to cover over 100,000 sq metres of the Presena glacier to prevent it from melting due to global warming.
Issue

• Due to global warming, the permanent ice sheets of earth i.e. glaciers are facing the danger of melting.
• According to experts, this melting of glaciers may lead to extreme flooding, rise in sea level, recontamination of the environment, an upsetting of ecological balance etc which will prove detrimental to the environment in the long run. 

About the conservation

• The conservation project was first undertaken by Italian firm Carosello-Tonale in 2008 at which time only 30,000 sq. metres of the glacier was covered.
• Tarpaulin sheets are being used to cover over 100,000 sq. metres of the Presena glacier.
• Once they stretched over the snow, Bags of sand are used to weigh them down.

About Tarpaulin Sheets

• Tarpaulin is a large sheet of strong, flexible and water-resistant material, often coated and made of plastics such as polyethylene.
• Geotextile tarpaulins reflect sunlight, maintain a temperature lower than the external one, and thus preserve as much snow as possible.
• There are similar glacier cover systems on a few Austrian glaciers, but the surface covered by the tarpaulins is much smaller.

About the project:

• This is a  six-week process and it is repeated every year after the ski season is over and summer onsets. 
• It is a part of the conservation project by Italian firm Carosello-Tonale launched in 2008. In the beginning, only 30,000 sq metres of the glacier was covered and the area has increased manifold since then.
• About Glacier: A glacier is a big body of ice that is created from falling and accumulated snow over a period of time. They get created in areas where the temperatures are exceedingly low; these include areas that are at sea level and mostly in high altitude areas like the mountain tops. 
• About Presena Glacier: It is situated between the regions of Trentino and Lombardy in Northern Italy and is part of the Presanella mountain (Alps) group. It has a high altitude natural environment.

Context: Recently, a study by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bengaluru, has highlighted the dangers of increased landslides, if the current development trend is allowed to continue.
Key Points

• Native vegetation cover including forest, scrub jungles, sacred groves have declined from45.44% of the land area to 44.46%
• Interior forest cover of the district had declined from 24% to 22.23%
• Rapid urbanisation has led to chaotic growth in the region and called for determining the rate and trend of land use conversion for devising a rational land use policy.

Recent amendments to land use policy in Karnataka

• The series of amendments to dilute the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, which enables direct purchase of agricultural land from farmers for industries, and the purchase of agricultural land by non­ agriculturists, is worrying locals
• Floods impact the poorest strata of society the most, causing a loss of lives, livelihood options, and assets. There is a need for assessment of floods from a ‘sustainable development’ perspective.

Environmental damage is intensifying natural disasters
Causes of floods

• The root cause of such floods is the high precipitation levels and encroachment of water flowing areas.
• Anthropogenic factors like unscientific development and over-exploitation of nature aggravate the damages.
• The global climate has been changing in an unpredictable manner. 2019 July recorded 1.2 degree temperature rise from pre industrial levels.
• In the adjoining parts of Western Ghats structural transformation and changing patterns of land use are affecting its environment.
• loss in a wetland area will naturally impact the ability to handle floods

Impact of floods

• The changing precipitation alters the hydrological systems, resulting in floods and droughts in different regions.
•  concentrated rainfall affects crops and this leads to food shortage and rural distress
•  Floods wash away topsoil and substantial biodiversity of the area, resulting in a reduced river-water flow,
• This leads to death of earthworms and spread of viral and bacterial diseases.

Suggestions

• Adequate precautions through dam management and timely public alerts.
• 92% of dams are on intestate borders
• In construction, it is important to take appropriate decisions on the type and size of the structure, location, materials, and permissible damage it will cause to nature.
• We need to account for the damage done to natural ecosystems while estimating losses suffered due to natural disasters.

Context: Recently, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released the first ever global report on the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) namely, “Money Laundering and the Illegal Wildlife Trade”.

• This report comes amid increasing international concern that the crime could lead to more zoonotic diseases in the future.

Key highlights of the report

• It has described IWT  as a “global threat”, which also has links with other organised crimes and generates revenues of up to $23 billion(billion) a year.
• The IWT is a major transnational organised crime that fuels corruption, threats biodiversity, and can have significant public health impacts. 
• The countries that are rich in biodiversity and/or where there may be weaker law enforcement oversight and criminal justice are treated as source countries for IWT. 
• Transit countries typically include trade and transport hubs or countries with higher levels of corruption. The laundering of the proceeds occurs across source, transit and destination countries.
• Criminals frequently use the legitimate wildlife trade, as well as other import-export type businesses, as a front to move and hide illegal proceeds from wildlife crimes.
• The growing role of online marketplaces and mobile and social media-based payments to facilitate the movement of illegal proceeds.
• The funds are laundered through cash deposits, under the guise of loans or payments, e-banking platforms, licensed money value transfer systems, and third-party wire transfers via banks. 
• It mentions that jurisdictions often did not have the required knowledge, legislative basis and resources to assess and combat the threat posed by the funds generated through the illegal trade.

Challenges

• Jurisdictions often do not have the required knowledge, legislative basis and resources to assess and combat the threat posed by the funds generated through the illegal trade.
• Criminal syndicates are misusing formal financial sector to launder the proceeds.
• Funds are laundered through cash deposits, under the guise of loans or payments, e-banking platforms, licensed money value transfer systems, and third-party wire transfers via banks.
• Accounts of innocent victims are also used and high-value payments avoided to evade detection.
• Front companies, often linked to import-export industries, and shell firms are used for the movement of goods and trans-border money transfers.

What needs to be done?

• The report says financial probe is key to dismantling the syndicates involved, which can in turn significantly impact the associated criminal activities.
• Jurisdictions should consider implementing the good practices. They include providing all relevant agencies with the necessary mandate and tools; and cooperating with other jurisdictions, international bodies and the private sector.
• Legislative changes are necessary to increase the applicability of anti-money laundering laws to the illegal wildlife trade-linked offences.

Additional Facts

• FATF: It is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris.
• Secretariat: It is located at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
• Objectives: To set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering and terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
• Members: It comprises 37 member jurisdictions and 2 regional organisations representing most major financial centres in all parts of the globe.
• Note: India became Observer at FATF in the year 2006. FATF Plenary adopted the Mutual Evaluation Report on India on 24th June 2010 and on 25th June 2010 admitted India as 34th Country Member of FATF. FATF membership is very important for India in its quest to become a major player in the International finance.

Context: Recently, the Odisha forest department has started a two-year conservation project for fishing cats in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district.
Key Points

• A new management plan to conserve fishing cats at the national park, including mapping and survey of the cat population was devised.
• A census to find out the exact numbers of the fishing cat — a nocturnal species that is not easy to trace — will be conducted during night-time.
• No exact ecological data on the population of the fishing cat in the park is available as of now.

About Fishing Cat

• The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia.
• It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• It is included on CITES Appendix II, and protected by national legislation over most of its range.
• Comes under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declined severely over the last decade, as it lives foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps, and mangroves.
• The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.
• The conversion of mangrove forests to commercial aquaculture ponds is a major threat in Andhra Pradesh, where the targeted killing of fishing cats is also prevalent where there is human/animal conflict.

In India, its presence has been documented in:

• Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, in Dudhwa and Valmiki Tiger Reserves, in Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary,
• outside protected areas in West Bengal, in Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sundarbans,
• in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and coastal districts outside protected areas,
• in Andhra Pradesh’s Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining reserve forests.

Conservation Efforts

• The Fishing Cat Project, launched in 2010 started raising awareness about the Cat in West Bengal.
• In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal and the Calcutta Zoo has two big enclosures dedicated to them.
• In Odisha, many NGOs and wildlife conservation Societies are involved in Fishing Cat research and conservation work.

About Bhitarkanika National Park

• It  is a national park in northeast Kendrapara district in Odisha in eastern India, and it obtained the status of a Ramsar site in 2002.
• It is surrounded by Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary are to the east, separating swamp region and mangroves from the Bay of Bengal.
• The national park and wildlife sanctuary is inundated by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala.
• It hosts many mangrove species, and is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India.
• The national park is home to Saltwater crocodile, Indian python, king cobra, black ibis, darters and many other species of flora and fauna.

Context: Recently, the thick forests of Tillari in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, home to tigers, leopards, elephants and many other animals, is now accorded the status of a ‘conservation reserve’.
Key Points

• Tillari will be the seventh corridor in the state to be declared as a conservation reserve. Other are Anjneri, Bhorkada, Kolamarka, Mamdapur, Muktai Bhavani and Toranmal Conservation reserve.
• The area covering nine villages in the forest range is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• Located in the Dogamark tehsil of Sindhudurg district, Tillari connects the Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolhapur with Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belgaum, Karnataka.
• Tillari has a breeding population of tigers and is a crucial corridor for the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Radhanagari, besides elephants which move here from Kanataka’s Anshi National Park, known as the Kali Tiger Reserve,
• In addition to elephants and the big cats, Tillari also houses a wide variety of deers, antelopes, bison, monkeys, wild boars, rich flora with several species of reptiles, birds and insects, many endemic to this region.

About Conservation Reserves & Community Reserves

• Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
• Such areas are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities and community areas if parts of the lands are privately owned.
• These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.

Context: Recently, the Finance Ministry has given approval to a proposal to allow individuals and institutions to contribute directly to the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
About the plea in Supreme Court

• In the light of concerns about donations sent to the PM CARES Fund or the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), as both claim they are not public authorities subject to questions under the Right to Information Act a plea was made in the SC asking it to order the transfer of contributions made to the PM CARES Fund to the NDRF.
• The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre to the plea.

Key Points

• Finance Ministry says receipts in the form of grants/donations made by any person for the purpose of disaster management may be taken as receipts of GoI under a new minor head.
• This is a significant development at a time when many have expressed concerns about donations sent to the PM CARES Fund or the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, as both claim they are not public authorities subject to questions under the Right to Information Act.
• Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre to a plea that contributions made to the PM CARES Fund to fight coronavirus (COVID-19) should be transferred entirely to the NDRF.

About NDRF

• Two national calamities in quick succession in the form of Orissa Super Cyclone (1999) and Gujarat Earthquake (2001) brought about the realization of the need of having a specialist response mechanism at National Level to effectively respond to disasters. This realization led to the enactment of the DM Act on 26 Dec 2005.
• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialised force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• The “Apex Body for Disaster Management” in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and NDRF is under NDMA.
• The heads of NDRF – The NDRF Director Generals – are IPS officers on deputation from Indian police organisations.
• When ‘calamities of severe nature’ occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, including deploying, at the State’s request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed.
• NDRF has proved its efficacy with its commendable performance during various disasters including the drowning cases, building collapses, landslides, devastating floods and Cyclones.

Role and Mandate of NDRF

• Specialized response during disasters.
• Proactive deployment during impending disaster situations.
• Acquire and continually upgrade its own training and skills.
• Liaison, Reconnaissance, Rehearsals and Mock Drills.
• Impart basic and operational level training to State Response Forces (Police, Civil Defence and Home Guards).
• Community Capacity Building Programme.
• Organize Public Awareness Campaigns.

Context: Recently, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) has observed that the recent series of tremors in the National Capital Region-Delhi (Delhi-NCR) are not unusual and are indicative of strain energy build up in the region.
Key Points

• They have said that since the seismic network is quite good, present micro to minor earthquakes in and around Delhi-NCR could be recorded.
• Though our understanding, in terms of when, where and with how much energy (or magnitude) an earthquake can occur, is not clear, but the vulnerability of a region can be understood from the past seismicity, calculation of strain budget, mapping of active faults etc.
• The Delhi-NCR has been identified as the second highest seismic hazard zone (Zone IV).
• Sometimes, a vulnerable zone remains quiet, experiences small magnitude earthquakes that do not indicate any bigger earthquake, or receives a sudden jolt by a big earthquake without any call.
• Out of 14 small magnitude earthquakes in the Delhi-NCR, the 29th May Rohtak earthquake had the magnitude of 4.6.

Why earthquakes happen in Delhi-NCR?

• All the earthquakes in Delhi-NCR are due to the release of strain energy, which have been accumulated as a result of northward movement of Indian plate and its collision with the Eurasian plate, through the fault or weak zones.
• There are so many weak zones and faults in the Delhi-NCR: Delhi-Haridwar ridge, Mahendragarh-Dehradun subsurface fault, Moradabad fault, Sohna fault, Great boundary fault, Delhi-Sargodha ridge, Yamuna river lineament, Ganga river lineament etc.
• We must understand that the Himalayan seismic belt, where the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate and underthrusted beneath the Himalayan wedge, accumulates strain energy at the plate boundary due to relative movement of plates against each other causing crustal shortening and deformation of rocks.
• These energy can be released through the weak zones and faults in the form of earthquakes ranging from micro (<3.0), minor (3.0-3.9), light (4.0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), major (7.0-7.9) or great (>8.0) earthquake, defined as per the amount of energy released.

Seismic Zones in India

• There are four seismic zones (II, III, IV, and V) in India based on scientific inputs relating to seismicity, earthquakes occurred in the past and tectonic setup of the region.
• Previously, earthquake zones were divided into five zones with respect to the severity of the earthquakes but the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) grouped the country into four seismic zones by unifying the first two zones.
• BIS is the official agency for publishing the seismic hazard maps and codes.
• Seismic Zone II: Area with minor damage earthquakes corresponding to intensities V to VI of MM scale (MM-Modified Mercalli Intensity scale).
• Seismic Zone III: Moderate damage corresponding to intensity VII of MM scale.
• Seismic Zone IV: Major damage corresponding to intensity VII and higher of MM scale.
• Seismic Zone V: Area determined by pro seismically of certain major fault systems and is seismically the most active region.
• Earthquake zone V is the most vulnerable to earthquakes, where historically some of the country’s most powerful shocks have occurred.
• Earthquakes with magnitudes in excess of 7.0 have occured in these areas, and have had intensities higher than IX.

Measurement Devices 

• Seismic waves are the vibrations from earthquakes that travel through the Earth and are recorded on instruments called seismographs.
• Seismographs record a zigzag trace that shows the varying amplitude of ground oscillations beneath the instrument.
• The earthquake events are scaled either according to the magnitude or intensity of the shock.
• The magnitude scale is known as the Richter scale. The magnitude relates to the energy released during the earthquake which is expressed in absolute numbers, 0-10.
• The intensity scale or Mercalli scale takes into account the visible damage caused by the event. The range of intensity scale is from 1-12.

Precautions

• The subsurface structures, geometry, and disposition of faults and ridges are to be investigated thoroughly using Geo-scientific studies in and around Delhi and NCR.
• Since the soft soils do not support the structures’ foundations, structures anchored to bedrock or stiff soils in earthquake-prone areas suffer less damage.
• Thus, soil liquefaction studies are to be carried out to know the thickness of soft soils. Active faults are to be delineated, and lifeline structures or other infrastructures are to be avoided from nearby active faults, and to be constructed as per the guiding principles of the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS).
• The outcome of recent micro zonation studies for Delhi-NCR by IMD should be considered for important construction.

Road Ahead

• Earthquakes are not predictable but there lies a probability of a large to great earthquake with magnitude 6 and more in the highest seismic potential zone V and IV, which fall in the entire Himalaya and Delhi-NCR.
• The only solution to minimise the loss of lives and properties is the effective preparedness against the earthquake. Countries like Japan have proved this, where earthquakes are a common phenomenon yet the losses are negligible.
• Therefore People’s participation, cooperation and awareness are the key to success.

Context: Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister approved an additional investment of US$ 121.27 million by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL).

• The investment will be helpful in the development of blocks A-1 and A-3 Blocks of Shwe oil & gas project in Myanmar.

About the Project

• ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) has been associated with exploration and development of the Shwe project in Myanmar since 2002, as part of a consortium of companies from South Korea, India and Myanmar.
• OVL has invested US$ 722 million till 31st March 2019 in this project and the Indian PSU GAIL  is also an investor in this project. 
• The first gas from the Shwe Project was received in July 2013 and plateau production was reached in December 2014. 
• It has been generating positive cash flows since FY 2014-15.
• The participation of Indian PSUs in oil & gas exploration and development projects in neighbouring countries is aligned with India’s Act East Policy and also part of India’s efforts to develop Energy Bridges with its immediate neighbours.

Significance of the project

• It reduces the energy deficit of the country.
• It would also enable much-needed development in India’s North-east region.
• Additional investment in the project will help the block to ramp up production and generate more opportunities for the investors.

Impacts

• The Shwe project has had serious and direct human rights and environmental impacts, including forced relocation, forced labour, and other abuses committed by Myanmar Army battalions providing “security” for the project.

What is Act East policy?

• It began as ‘Look East’ in 1992 transformed into ‘Act East’ in 2014.
• The policy which was originally envisaged as an economic initiative has now gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation thereby clearly highlighting the new approach of India. 
• The policy focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region and India has upgraded its relations to a strategic partnership with Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, Singapore.
• The policy has also placed an emphasis on India-ASEAN cooperation in India’s domestic agenda on infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, skills, urban renewal, smart cities, Make in India etc.
• India is actively engaged in regional initiatives such as Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Asia Cooperation Dialogue, Mekong Ganga cooperation.
• Objectives- It is aimed at ensuring the overall development of northeastern states in terms of people to people contact, border trade through border haats, cultural ties, infrastructure projects, for example, Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport project, India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway project, Rhi-Tiddim road project etc.

Context: Recently, India has decided to send a contingent of 75 personnel from its three armed forces to participate in Russia's 75th World War II Victory Day Parade on 24 June, 2020.
Key Points

• A Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces comprising 75 all ranks, led by a colonel rank officer will participate in the Victory of the Soviet People in the great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
• The Russian parade is held every year on Victory Day (May 9), which marks the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945.
• This year it was delayed because of the Covid-19.
• The victory day parade honours the heroism and sacrifices made by the Russian and other friendly people.
• India’s participation in the parade will be a mark of tribute and solidarity with the people of Russia.
• Earlier in January 2020, Russia had invited India to take part in the victory day parade. 

India-Russia Defence Cooperation
Historical Background

• In early 1966, India’s Atomic Energy Establishment started a feasibility programme on naval nuclear propulsion. Homi Bhabha initiated the programme.
• This was primarily on the expectation that the US Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) would assist in India’s quest to develop marine propulsion.
• [Marine propulsion would demonstrate India’s impressive capabilities in the field of nuclear energy.]
• However, the U.S. was wary of sharing its naval reactor technology with other states. Thereupon, the programme languished for almost 15 years.
• India’s nuclear scientists and the Indian Naval engineers struggled to design and develop a viable reactor system for naval propulsion.
• In addition, the sanctions regime imposed after the 1974 Peaceful Nuclear Explosion in India made the task more difficult.
• Having technological challenges with the indigenous efforts, Indian government turned to Russia for assistance.
• In the early 1980s, Russia agreed to help India’s indigenous nuclear submarine programme.
• It also agreed to leasing India its first nuclear submarine.
• This led to the beginning of Indo-Russian cooperation in naval nuclear submarines.
• So clearly, the idea and inspiration for naval nuclear propulsion for the Indian Navy came from the technological progress made by the US.
• However, its implementation was done with the help of Russia.

What are the recent developments?

• In March 2019, India signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Russia.
• It was agreed to lease another of its Akula-Class attack nuclear submarines (SSN).
• The nuclear submarine will join the Indian Navy in 2025.
• India had earlier leased an Akula-class SSBN from Moscow in 2012.
• Rechristened as Chakra in the Indian fleet, it will continue to serve the Indian Navy until the commissioning of the new Akula submarine (2025 likely).
• During the 5th India Russia military industry conference held during the Defexpo 2020 in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), companies from both the countries signed various Memorandum of Understanding( MoUs) to develop a range of defence equipment.
• In 2019, despite the threat of U.S. sanctions, India went ahead with the decision to purchase the S-400 missile defence system, worth over $5 billion.
• Both the countries continue to encourage military to military cooperation through military political dialogue and joint military exercises.
• In 2019, India and Russia carried out a second joint tri-service exercise INDRA.
• In 2019, India also took part in Exercise TSENTR 2019 of the Russian Armed Force.
• Gaganyaan Project: Russia would help train the Indian astronauts for the manned space mission. Both the countries, during this visit, had expressed their concern over the possibility of the arms race in the outer space.

Importance of India for Russia 

• A market for its goods to bypass Western sanctions imposed after its power push in Ukraine.
• India is a natural partner for Russia & have been tried & tested in tough situation like Ukraine Crisis
• India still remains the biggest importer of defence equipment from Russia
• India is still a vast market for Russian energy resources & hydrocarbons
• Despite its renewed friendship with China, Russia will soon find itself in competition with it as Beijing regards itself as the new G2 along with the US. India can help provide the multi-polarity that Russia fiercely seeks.

Importance of Russia for India

• It can meet its abundant energy requirements at a cost-effective price
• India still needs to collaborate with Russia to master future technology in defence & space
• India needs support of Russia to pursue nanotechnology on grand scale; an expertise of Russia worldwide
• It improves India’s bargaining power when it negotiates arms sales with the West
• Geopolitically,
• Joint projects on exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Arctic shelf of Russia
• Support for India’s bid for permanent membership in UNSCl and NSG

Road Ahead

• Relationship with Russia has always been the foundation for India’s foreign policy and it will continue to be so despite the occasional differences in interests. 
• It is evident that India’s recent tilt towards the West is for taking up Pakistan’s position as a US’ strategic partner in the South Asian region. And Russia, for its part, is countering the US’ position in Afghanistan and Central Asia. 
• Regardless of all the obvious differences, both India and Russia are balancing their national interests while maintaining and strengthening of bilateral ties. If this continues, India-Russia relations.

Context: Recently, India and the US are working on a limited trade deal that may restore the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) benefits but will exclude Washington’s move to probe India’s Google tax.
Key Points

• US is in the process of restoring the benefits of low or zero duty to certain Indian exports under GSP if U.S. can get an adequate counterbalancing proposal from India.
• U.S. and India indicated earlier in 2020 that an initial deal could include GSP restoration and market access for each other’s agricultural products with a long-term view of a broader trade agreement or a free trade agreement (FTA).
• The US terminated India’s designation as a beneficiary developing country eligible for GSP privileges in 2019.
• The GSP Privileges for India were removed after U.S. decided that India had not assured “equitable and reasonable access to its markets.”

Google tax

• U.S. probing India’s equalisation levy or the so-called Google tax on companies such as Google, Facebook and Netflix.
• U.S. said it will probe the Digital Services Taxes (DST) imposed by 10 countries including India under Section 301 of its 1974 Trade Act, which could lead to punitive action.

About Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) by U.S.

• The Generalized System of Preferences, or GSP, is a preferential tariff system which provides tariff reduction on various products, to designated beneficiary countries.
• GSP was instituted by the UNCTAD in 1971, to benefit emerging and developing countries.
• In the GSP arrangement, certain imports from beneficiary countries are allowed concessions such as zero tariffs.
• The motive behind granting GSPs is to help developing countries and particularly least developed countries (LDCs) to promote productive capacity development and to encourage trade and investment.
• India and Brazil were the prime beneficiaries of the USA’s GSP regime.
• Most of the products covered under the GSP are agricultural products including fisheries, meat, animal husbandry and handicrafts. Generally, these are also the speciality products of the developing countries.

GSP vs MFN

• Under the Normal Trade Arrangement (under WTO), countries must give equal preferences to trade partners, called the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause.
• As per the MFN, no country should be favoured or discriminated against in trade.
• At the same time, the WTO allows an exemption for the MFN, like the GSP awarded for developing and least developed countries.

Why in News

Recently, China has announced tariff exemption for 97% of exports from Bangladesh.

Key Points

• Background: Bangladesh had written to China to exempt its export items from tariffs in the background of the economic hardship triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The Latest Move: 
  • China considered Bangladesh's request and has granted the tariff exemption to Bangladesh on account of its Least Developed Countries (LDCs) status.
  • The Chinese move has been described as a major success in the China-Bangladesh relationship.
• Benefits to Bangladesh: 
  • The move will help Bangladesh to remove the economic impact of the pandemic and also emerge as a possible beneficiary alongside Vietnam and Chile of the U.S.-China trade war.
    • The supply chain disruption caused by the U.S.-China trade war is likely to be filled by a boost in export of tariff-exempted goods from Bangladesh.
  • It will also help Bangladesh to reduce its trade deficit with China.
  • As a result of the latest announcement, a total of 8256 goods from Bangladesh will be exempted of Chinese tariffs.
    • Earlier, Bangladesh used to receive tariff-exemption for 3095 items under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA).
• Concerns for India:
  • China’s heavy investment in India’s neighbourhood has increased its dominance in the Indian Ocean.
  • Despite having cultural and historical relations with India, its neighbours are siding with China on diplomatic issues.
  • Nepal is redrawing its map to include some Indian territories, presumably under a nudge from China.
  • Earlier, Maldives and Sri Lanka have also expressed anti-India sentiment under the influence of China.

India-China Rivalry and Bangladesh

• Bangladesh has benefitted from the India-China rivalry. It has used the rivalry to increase its investment and strengthen its security.
• Trade:
  • In 2015, China became Bangladesh’s top trading partner, knocking India out of the position it had held for 40 years.
  • As a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Bangladesh has seen an influx of Chinese investment in recent times.
  • To counter Chinese dominance in Bangladesh, India announced $5 billion in loans for Bangladesh in 2017, which is the largest amount ever invested by India in Bangladesh.
• Security:
  • China has become Bangladesh’s top source for arms imports; and Bangladesh likewise is China’s second-largest arms export destination in the world, behind Pakistan.
  • Most recently, in 2017 the Bangladesh Navy took delivery of two Chinese submarines at a minimum price.
  • To counter this, India has expressed its interest in offering submarine training for the Bangladesh Navy.

Issues in India-Bangladesh Relation

• India’s hegemonic posture and coercive tactics has created deep resentment among ordinary Bangladeshis, especially when contrasted with China’s model of noninterference in domestic affairs along with lavish spending.
• India’s domestic policy on the National Register Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), both of which directly impact Bangladesh, has generated some unpleasantness in the relationship.

Way Forward

• India must keep up the partnership with Bangladesh that allows for economic growth and improved developmental parameters for both countries.
• India and Bangladesh share a great relationship, areas of concern remain, which need to be looked into holistically and resolved as soon as possible so that “best of the best” of ties between the two neighbours can be sustained forever.
• India’s neighborhood first policy can help in competing with China for influence in the neighbourhood.

Context: Recently, India’s External Affairs Minister will take part in the Russia-India-China trilateral on 23 June, in indicator that India is prepared to press on with diplomatic moves with China clashes at the Line of Actual Control.
Key Points

• The meeting will be held via video conference and will be hosted by Russian Foreign Minister.
• No bilateral issues would be discussed during the video conference.
• The three ministers are expected to discuss the current situation of the global pandemic and the challenges of global security, financial stability and RIC cooperation in that context.
• It is being seen as an indicator that the government is willing to put aside the bilateral issues with China for the moment.

Russia: A mediator for both

• While India and China have been talking at each other — and not to each other — the outreach to Moscow is noteworthy.
• It is widely known that Russia and China have grown their relationship in the past few years.
• The Moscow-Beijing axis is crucial, especially since Washington has been at loggerheads with China in recent months and Russia much more calibrated, even in its response on the Covid-19 outbreak.

Sino-Russian ties: A response to US

• Russia and China have had a rocky start to their relationship after Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China.
• When Mao made his first visit to Moscow after winning control of China, in 1949, he was made to wait for weeks for a meeting with the Soviet leader.
• During the Cold War, China and the USSR were rivals after the Sino-Soviet split in 1961, competing for control of the worldwide Communist movement.
• There was a serious possibility of a major war in the early 1960s and a brief border war took place in 1969.
• This enmity began to reduce following Mao’s death in 1976, but relations were not very good until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

India and Russia Relation

• India has a historical relationship with Russia, spanning over seven decades.
• While the relationship has grown in some areas and atrophied in some others, the strongest pillar of the strategic partnership is of the defence basket.
• Although New Delhi has consciously diversified its new purchases from other countries, the bulk of its defence equipment is from Russia.
• Estimates say 60 to 70 per cent of India’s supplies are from Russia, and New Delhi needs a regular and reliable supply of spare parts from the Russian defence industry.
• In fact, Prime Minister Modi has held informal summits with only two leaders — Xi and Putin.

Russia position: then & now

• During the Doklam crisis in 2017, Russian diplomats in Beijing were among the few briefed by the Chinese government.
• While Russia’s position during the 1962 war was not particularly supportive of India, New Delhi takes comfort in Moscow’s support during the 1971 war.
• On the events in Galwan, Moscow responded in a much-calibrated manner.
• Kremlin has expressed its concerns over a clash between the military on the border between China and India but believes that the two countries could resolve this conflict themselves.

Context: Recently, China has announced tariff exemption for 97% of exports from Bangladesh which showed their Economic diplomacy in the South Asian region.
Background

• Bangladesh imports around $ 15 billion worth Chinese goods but its exports to China have been very low in comparison.
• The leaders of the two countries had discussed enhancing bilateral relation in the background of the economic hardship triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benefits to Bangladesh

• The move will help Bangladesh to remove the economic impact of the pandemic and also emerge as a possible beneficiary alongside Vietnam and Chile of the U.S.-China trade war.
• The supply chain disruption caused by the U.S.-China trade war is likely to be filled by a boost in export of tariff-exempted goods from Bangladesh.
• It will also help Bangladesh to reduce its trade deficit with China.
• As a result of the latest announcement, a total of 8256 goods from Bangladesh will be exempted of Chinese tariffs.
• Earlier, Bangladesh used to receive tariff-exemption for 3095 items under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA).

Concerns for India

• China’s heavy investment in India’s neighbourhood has increased its dominance in the Indian Ocean.
• Despite having cultural and historical relations with India, its neighbours are siding with China on diplomatic issues.
• Nepal is redrawing its map to include some Indian territories, presumably under a nudge from China.
• Earlier, Maldives and Sri Lanka have also expressed anti-India sentiment under the influence of China.

Earlier incidence of India-China Rivalry and Bangladesh

• Bangladesh has benefitted from the India-China rivalry. It has used the rivalry to increase its investment and strengthen its security.

Trade:

• In 2015, China became Bangladesh’s top trading partner, knocking India out of the position it had held for 40 years.
• As a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Bangladesh has seen an influx of Chinese investment in recent times.
• To counter Chinese dominance in Bangladesh, India announced $5 billion in loans for Bangladesh in 2017, which is the largest amount ever invested by India in Bangladesh.

Security

• China has become Bangladesh’s top source for arms imports; and Bangladesh likewise is China’s second-largest arms export destination in the world, behind Pakistan.
• Most recently, in 2017 the Bangladesh Navy took delivery of two Chinese submarines at a minimum price.
• To counter this, India has expressed its interest in offering submarine training for the Bangladesh Navy.

Major Areas of bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh
International organisations

• Focusing on the growth and needs of Bangladesh has been an important component of India’s ‘Neighbourhood Policy’.
• India and Bangladesh are the members of sub-regional groupings like BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) Initiative and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
• The two nations are also part of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) working together in managing the crucial maritime region, and ensuring its stability which is also reflected in the Indian government’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) programme, which further aims to turn the region more inclusive.

Border Management

• India shares the longest international land boundary with Bangladesh which is more than 4000 kms long.
• The historic India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) came into force following the exchange of instruments of ratification in June 2015 under Modi and Hasina government, providing for exchange of enclaves between the two countries.
• This was a perfect example of amicable resolution of long standing boundary disputes between nations.

Economic Co-operation

• Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia.
• India’s exports to Bangladesh for financial year 2018-19 (April-March) stood at US $ 9.21 BN and imports from Bangladesh for the same period stood at US $ 1.22 BN.
• To gap the trade imbalance India has done various investments in Bangladesh and has given several Lines of credit for its infrastructural development.
• India is the source of maximum FDI investment in Bangladesh which stands more than $ 300 MN as of now.
• India has signed over 24 Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with Bangladesh on almost every important sector of bilateral cooperation including security, trade, connectivity, energy, civil nuclear agreement, defence and transportation.

Road Ahead

• India and Bangladesh must manage their geo-political realities through friendship and collaborations. They should appreciate and balance regional political realities for the interest of the people and should not trade off long-term interests for short-term gains.
• Pluralism has been the strength of the Indian subcontinent so that should be kept in mind to be able to celebrate South Asia’s diversities in religion, ethnicity and language.
• India and Bangladesh share a great relationship, areas of concern remain which need to be looked into holistically and ratified as soon as possible so that “best of the best” of ties between the two neighbours can be sustained forever.

About Asia Pacific Trade Agreement

• APTA is an initiative under United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) for trade expansion through exchange of tariff concessions among developing country members of Asia Pacific Region.
• It is preferential trade agreement (PTA), under which basket of items as well as extent of tariff concessions are enlarged during trade negotiating rounds which are launched from time to time.
• APTA was signed in 1975 and was formerly known as Bangkok agreement (renamed to present name in 2005).
• UNESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division in Bangkok, Thailand serves its secretariat.
• It is the first plurilateral and oldest preferential trade agreement among developing countries in Asia-Pacific .
• The six member countries of APTA are: Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Korea and Sri Lanka.
• APTA aims to promote economic development through adoption of mutually beneficial trade liberalization measures that will contribute to intra-regional trade expansion and provides for economic integration through coverage of merchandise goods, services, investment and trade facilitation.

Context: In a recent judgement, the Supreme Court has held that secrecy of ballot is the cornerstone of free and fair elections. The judgment came on an appeal against the Allahabad High Court decision setting aside the voting of a no-confidence motion in a zila panchayat in Uttar Pradesh in 2018.
Background

• During the voting of a no-confidence motion in the zila panchayat of the Panchayat Adhyaksha in Uttar Pradesh in 2018, it was found that some of the panchayat members had violated the rule of secrecy of ballot. The Panchayat members had either displayed the ballot papers or by their conduct revealed the manner in which they had voted.
• This was challenged in the Allahabad High Court, which had annulled the vote of no confidence. This judgment of the Allahabad High Court was challenged in the Supreme Court.

Key Points

• The Supreme Court has ordered a re-vote of the motion within the next two months to be conducted by the secret ballot system. It ordered the Allahabad District Judge or his nominee to act as the presiding officer.
• The Supreme Court referred to Section 28(8) of the Uttar Pradesh Kshettra Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Adhiniyam, 1961. This provision states that a motion of no confidence shall be put to vote in the prescribed manner by secret ballot.
• Section 94 of the Representation of the People Act also upholds the privilege of the voter to maintain confidentiality about her choice of vote.

Verdict of Supreme Court

• Secrecy of ballot is the cornerstone of free and fair elections. The choice of a voter should be free and the secret ballot system in a democracy ensures it.
• It is the policy of law to protect the right of voters to secrecy of the ballot.
• Even a remote or distinct possibility that a voter can be forced to disclose for whom she has voted would act as a positive constraint and a check on the freedom to exercise of franchise.
• The principle of secrecy of ballots is an important postulate of constitutional democracy.
• However, a voter can also voluntarily waive the privilege of non-disclosure. No one can prevent a voter from doing. Nor can a complaint be entertained from any, including the person who wants to keep the voter’s mouth sealed as to why she disclosed for whom she voted.

Representation of People’s Act
RPA, 1950: This Act makes provisions for

• Seat allocation in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies through direct elections. 
• The voters’ qualifications for the elections. 
• The delimitation of constituencies for both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The extent of the constituencies would be determined by the Delimitation Commission. 
• Preparation of the electoral roll.

RPA, 1951: All matters relating to the actual conduct of elections are governed by the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1951.

• It also talks about corruption and other illegal activities related to elections. 
• The Act makes provisions for dispute redressal in matters connected to elections. 
• It also talks about the qualification as well as grounds for the disqualification of MPs and MLAs.

Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1966 

• This Amendment abolished election tribunals. Election petitions were now transferred to High Courts.
• But disputes in connection with the presidential and vice-presidential elections are heard directly by the Supreme Court of India. 

Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1988 

• This Amendment made provisions for the adjournment or countermanding of polling because of booth capturing and electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2002 

• The 2002 amendment inserted Section 33A into the Act which provides for the right to information for people. After this, voters have the right to know the antecedents of the candidates. 
• Contesting candidates are required to furnish information about prior conviction of offences or whether they are accused of any offence while filing their nominations. 
• The amendment also included provisions for the declaration of assets and liabilities by the candidates.

Context: Recently, Rajya Sabha election for 19 seats underway across eight states. To win, a candidate needs to poll more votes than the quota for the state while Surplus votes of a winning candidate can be transferred to next preference in counting.
Key Points
There are several features that distinguish elections to the Council of States, or the Upper House of Parliament, from the general elections. 

Some of them are as follows
Elections

• The Legislative Assemblies send a batch of new members to the Upper House every two years for a six-year term.
• A third of Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (which is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution), from each State retire once in two years and polls are held to fill up the vacancies.
• In addition, vacancies that arise due to resignation, death or disqualification are filled up through bypolls after which those elected serve out the remainder of their predecessors’ term.

Election system

• Voting is by single transferable vote, as the election is held on the principle of proportional representation.
• A single transferable vote means electors can vote for any number of candidates in order of their preference.
• This method avoids the principle of majority, which would mean that only candidates put up by ruling parties in the respective States will be elected.
• A candidate requires a specified number of first preference votes to win. To qualify, a candidate needs one point more than the quotient obtained by dividing the total value of the number of seats for which elections are taking place plus one.
• For instance, if there are four seats and 180 MLAs voting, the qualifying number will be 180/5= 36 votes.
• Normally, the results are clear after one round itself. The extra candidate is eliminated for want of enough first preference votes. 
• However, counting may go to the second round, if more than one candidate fails to get the specified number. In such a situation, the second preference polled by the candidates will be transferred to them with a diminished value. 
• The total value of the votes polled by the remaining candidates both as first and subsequent preferences would be used to decide the winner.

Electorate

• Only elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies can vote in a Rajya Sabha election.
• The Delhi and Puducherry Assemblies (Union Territories with legislative assembly) elect members to the Rajya Sabha to represent the two Union Territories.

Secret ballot

• The Rajya Sabha polls have a system of open ballot, but it is a limited form of openness.
• There is no secret ballot in Rajya Sabha elections as a measure to check rampant cross-voting owing to corruption.
• In the Rajya Sabha election there is the system wherein each party MLA shows his or her marked ballots to the party’s authorised agent, before they are put into the ballot box.
• Showing a marked ballot to anyone other than one’s own party’s authorised agent will render the vote invalid. 
• Not showing the ballot to the authorised agent will also mean that the vote cannot be counted. And independent candidates are barred from showing their ballots to anyone.

Anti defection provision

• The Supreme Court has ruled that not voting for the party candidate will not attract disqualification under the anti-defection law and stated that as voters, MLAs retain their freedom to vote for a candidate of their choice.
• However, the Court has observed that since the party would know who voted against its own candidate, it is free to take disciplinary action against the legislator concerned.

 ‘None of the Above’, or NOTA

• The ‘None of the Above’, or NOTA system does not apply to the Rajya Sabha polls.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) had previously issued two circulars giving Rajya Sabha members the option to press the NOTA button in the Upper House polls.
• However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of India struck down the provision, holding that the ‘none of the above’ option is only for general elections held on the basis of universal adult suffrage, and cannot be applied to indirect elections based on proportional representation.

Other aspects

• The Supreme Court has ruled that a member can vote in a Rajya Sabha election even before taking oath as legislator. 
• It ruled that voting at the Rajya Sabha polls, being a non-legislative activity, can be performed without taking oath. 
• The court has held that a person becomes a member as soon as the list of elected members is notified by the ECI. Further, a member can also propose a candidate before taking oath.

Context: According to few reports, one of the most archaic laws that punish attempts to commit suicide Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), continues to exist in the statute book and is often misused, contrary to popular perception that it has been repealed.
Previous attempts to repeal section 309 of IPC

• In 1971, the Law Commission in its 42nd Report recommended the repeal of Section 309 IPC. 
• The IPC (Amendment) Bill, 1978, was even passed by Rajya Sabha, but before it could be passed by Lok Sabha, Parliament was dissolved, and the Bill lapsed.
•  ‘Gian Kaur vs State of Punjab’, 1996:A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 309.
• Law Commission 210th Report: It said that an attempt to suicide needed medical and psychiatric care, and not punishment.
• In March 2011, the Supreme Court too recommended to the government that it should consider the feasibility of deleting the section.
• In 2014, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, the then Minister of State had said the government had decided to drop Section 309 from the IPC after 18 states and 4 Union Territories had backed the recommendation of the Law Commission. 
• However, the matter did not reach its logical conclusion.

About Section 309 IPC

• Anyone who survives an attempted suicide can be booked under Section 309 IPC, which deals with Attempt to commit suicide.
• The law, brought in by the British in the 19th century, reflected the thinking of the time, when killing or attempting to kill oneself was considered a crime against the state, as well as against religion.

Present status of the Section 309

• Contrary to popular perception that it has been repealed, the section continues to exist in the statute book.
• The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017 has significantly reduced the scope for the use of Section 309 IPC and made the attempt to commit suicide punishable only as an exception.
• According to the act, the appropriate Government shall have a duty to provide care, treatment and rehabilitation to a person, having severe stress and who attempted to commit suicide, to reduce the risk of recurrence of attempt to commit suicide.

Mental Healthcare Act 2017

• The act defines mental illness as a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation, or memory that grossly impairs judgment or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life, mental conditions associated with the abuse of alcohol and drugs.

Features of the act

• Right to make an Advance Directive: Patient can state on how to be treated or not to be treated for the illness during a mental health situation.
• Right to appoint a Nominated Representative: A person shall have the right to appoint a nominated representative to take on his/her behalf, all health related decisions
• The act envisages the establishment of Central Mental Health Authority and State Mental Health Authority.

Context: Recently, the Panchayati Raj Ministry has pitched for a fivefold increase in Finance Commission funding for rural local bodies.

• For forming up its recommendations for the years 2020-21 to 2025-26, the Finance Commission held a meeting with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) headed by the Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare & Panchayati Raj.

Key Points

• The Panchayati Raj Ministry has pitched for a fivefold increase in Finance Commission funding for rural local bodies.
• The Ministry asked for Rs 10 lakh crore to be allocated for the 2020-21 to 2025-26 period, in comparison to the Rs 2 lakh crore allocated under the 14th Finance Commission.
• It noted that allocations had tripled between the 13th and 14th Commissions as well.
• An impact evaluation study showed a 78% utilisation rate for FC grants between 2015 and 2019.
• Road construction and maintenance, as well as drinking water supply have been the major projects carried out by panchayats using FC grants.
• The 2.63 lakh panchayats across the country have 29 functions under their ambit, according to the 11th Schedule of the Constitution.

Importance of Panchayats during the ongoing pandemic

• Panchayats have also gained importance as crucial nodal points in times of crisis.
• Going forward, the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan will depend on panchayats to generate employment for newly returned migrant workers.
• The Ministry admitted that a major challenge during the pandemic and lockdown was that most panchayats could not provide cooked food at short notice. It has proposed that community kitchens be set up in each panchayat to be operated by local self-help groups.

About Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan

• It an employment scheme that will provide employment to the migrant workers and creates infrastructure in rural areas with Rs. 50,000 crore investment.
• The Ministry of Rural Development is the nodal Ministry for this scheme and it will be implemented in close coordination with the State Governments. 
• This campaign of 125 days, which will work in mission mode, will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works
• The Abhiyaan will be a coordinated effort between 12 different Ministries/Departments, namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport & Highways, Mines, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, New & Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture.

About Finance Commission

• Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the President of India is required to constitute a Finance Commission at an interval of five years or earlier.
• It is a constitutional body, that determines the method and formula for distributing the tax proceeds between the Centre and states and among the states as per the constitutional arrangement and present requirements.
• Recently, the 15th Finance Commission (15th FC) under the chairmanship of  N.K Singh submitted its final report in 2019 for the period 2021-2026.
• The 15th FC has recommended a 1% decrease in the net proceeds of tax collected by the Centre to be shared with states. So against the 42% of tax revenue that states were given, as per the 14th Finance Commission (2015-2020), the 15th FC has now recommended that the Centre devolve 41% to states.
• The 15th FC has used the 2011 Census as against the 1971 Census.
• 11th Schedule of the Constitution- The 11th Schedule of Indian Constitution was added in 1992 by the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act. 
• It contains the provisions that specify the powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayats. It has 29 matters.

Context: Amid the on-going India-China border tension, a Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Sino-India relations post the Doklam standoff has been released. It assumes significance as it is the only detailed report on the border issue that has been made available to the public.
Report on Sino-Indian relations post Doklam

• Submitted by the Shashi Tharoor-led Standing Committee on External Affairs, the report on Sino-India relations including Doklam throws light on border situation and cooperation in international organisations,
• This Standing Committee report – a bipartisan one as the committee has members from ruling and opposition parties – is one of the very few documents available in which the defence and foreign secretaries.
• It clarified the government’s official position on India-China border issues including the reported transgressions by the Chinese in the region.
• It had cautioned the government that it needed to have “healthy scepticism” while dealing with China.
• The Committee has urged the Government not to let its vigil down in order to prevent any untoward incident in future.

What are Parliamentary Committees?

• Parliamentary committees are established to study and deal with various matters that cannot be directly handled by the legislature due to their volume and complexity.
• These committees are made up of MPs either from one or both Houses.
• Both Houses of Parliament have a similar committee structure, with a few exceptions.
• Their appointment, terms of office, functions and procedure of conducting business are also more or less similar.
• They are regulated as per rules made by the two Houses under Article 118(1) of the Constitution.
• Broadly, Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds - Standing Committees and ad hoc Committees.
• The former are elected or appointed every year or periodically and their work goes on, more or less, on a continuous basis.
• The latter are appointed on an ad hoc basis as need arises and they cease to exist as soon as they complete the task assigned to them.

How does it work?

A bill can usually be referred to a parliamentary committee in 3 ways.

• First, the minister piloting the bill can seek the permission of the House to refer the Bill to a committee.
• Second, the Chairman/Speaker has the discretion in referring the bill to a committee.
• Usually, when ministers are trying to build political consensus on a bill, they welcome its referring to a committee.
• However, when in a hurry, they impress upon the Chairman/ Speaker not to refer the bill to a committee. This is when the third mechanism comes into play.
• When a bill reaches a House where the government does not have a majority, the MPs can mobilise the numbers to move a motion to refer the bill to a committee.
• However, there is an additional dimension to the scrutiny of bills by committees.
• Whenever the government and Opposition are at extremes in terms of the provisions, the bills are generally not referred to a committee.

Context: Recently, a local council in southern Japan has approved a bill to change the name of an area containing Senkaku Islands from Tonoshiro to Tonoshiro Senkaku.
Issue

• The uninhabited islands are at the centre of a festering row between Tokyo and Beijing and the move sparked anger in both Taiwan and mainland China.
• Beijing has denounced the move as illegal and a serious provocation.
• Taiwan says the islands are part of its territory, and also protested the move.

Current Scenario

• Japan’s Ishigaki city assembly has passed a bill to rename an administrative area covering uninhabited Senkaku islands in the East China Sea.
• The move triggered a backlash from China and Taiwan, both of which also claim the uninhabited islets as their own.
• The assembly changed the name of the southern Japan area containing the Senkaku Islands from Tonoshiro to Tonoshiro Senkaku, which the two countries see as an attempt to cement Japan’s claim by inserting the Japanese name Senkaku.

About Senkaku Islands

• The Senkaku Islands are located in the East China Sea between Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
• The archipelago contains five uninhabited islands and three barren rocks, ranging in size from 800 m2 to 4.32 km2.

What are the grounds for Japan’s territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands?

• The Senkaku Islands were not included in the territory which Japan renounced under Article 2 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 that legally defined the territory of Japan after World War II.
• Under Article 3 of the treaty, the islands were placed under the administration of the United States as part of the Nansei Shoto Islands. The Senkaku Islands are included in the areas whose administrative rights were reverted to Japan in accordance with the Agreement between Japan and the United States of America Concerning the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands that entered into force in 1972.

China’s claim

• China says that the islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, serving as important fishing grounds administered by the province of Taiwan.
• Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, after the Sino-Japanese war.
• When Taiwan was returned in the Treaty of San Francisco, China says the islands should have been returned too.

What next?

• The Senkaku/Diaoyu issue highlights the more robust attitude China has been taking to its territorial claims in both the East China Sea, the South China Sea and also on the Indian side.

Other border disputes of China

• It has island and maritime border disputes with Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea and its extension.
• The disputes include islands, reefs, banks and other features in the South China Sea including Spratly Islands (with Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan), Paracel Islands (Vietnam), Scarborough Shoal (Philippines), and Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam).

Context: Recently, the USA has decided to extend the 60-day ban on immigrant and non-immigrant worker visas till the end of 2020.
Issue

• The popular work visas of US including H-1B and H-2B, and certain categories of H-4, J, and L visas shall remain suspended until December 31.
• The move is to protect domestic workers who had been impacted due to a contraction in the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key Points

• H4 visas (H-1B dependents), L visas (intra-company transfers), as well as H-2B (non-agricultural workers) and J visas will be on pause through the year-end.
• H-1B visa is required to work in a specialty occupation. Requires a higher education degree or its equivalent. Includes fashion models of distinguished merit and ability and government-to-government research and development, or co-production projects administered by the Department of Defence.
• L1 visas allow companies to transfer highly skilled workers to US for a period of up to seven years.
• H-2B visas allow food and agricultural workers to seek employment in the US.
• H-1B, H-2B, J and L visa holders, and their spouses or children already present in the US shall not be impacted by the new worker visa ban.
• The order was issued ostensibly to protect American jobs during the ongoing pandemic.
• It has been criticised by the tech industry as well as politicians on both sides of the aisle as damaging to the U.S. economy.

Why did the US suspend non-immigrant worker visas?

• The H-1 visa scheme was started in 1952.
• A large number of graduates willing to work at low costs in the US, a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee.
• US President had repeatedly said that the low-cost workers were hampering the economy and by undercutting the job undercutting jobs of citizens.

Its  impact Indian IT companies

• Indian IT companies are amongst the biggest beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa regime, and have since the 1990s cornered a lion’s share of the total number of visas issued each year.
• Indian IT companies also offer subcontracts to Indian nationals already present in the US with valid H-1B visas.
• As of April 1, 2020, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received about 2.5 lakh H-1B work visa applications, according to official data.
• Indians had applied for as many as 1.84 lakh or 67 per cent of the total H-1B work visas for the current financial year ending March 2021.
• Apart from the suspension of these work visas, the executive order signed by Trump has also made sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa norms, which will no longer be decided by the currently prevalent lottery system.
• The new norms will now favour highly-skilled workers who are paid the highest wages by their respective companies.
• This could result in a significant impact on margins and worker wages of Indian IT companies which send thousands of low-cost employees to work on client sites in the US.
• However, as per research agency ICRA, the move will be mildly negative for the Indian IT services sector considering their high dependence on such visas.

Road Ahead

• Immigrants have played a crucial role in making the USA a global leader in cutting edge technology.
• Suspending the visas will only weaken the USA's economy and its health care workforce at a time when there is a need to strengthen the both.
• Politics should not trump smart policy and the ingenuity of migrant workers should be harnessed to revive an economy in dire straits.

Context: Recently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has released its annual Global Trends report before the World Refugee Day (20th June).
Key highlights of the report

• Five countries account for two-thirds of people displaced across borders: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.
• Around 80 million people were displaced at the end of 2019. Conflict, Persecution, Violence, Human rights violations were the main reasons behind the displacements.
• Forced displacement has almost doubled since 2010 (41 million then vs 79.5 million now).
• More than eight of every 10 refugees (85 per cent) are in developing countries generally a country neighbouring the one they fled.

About World Refugee Day

• It is observed on 20th June every year. The day seeks to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide.
• In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, from 2000, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day.
• The 1951 UN’s Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol sets out the rights of refugees and also highlights the obligations of refugees towards their host country. India is not a party to the Refugee Convention.
• The cornerstone of the 1951 Convention is the principle of non-refoulement. According to this principle, a refugee should not be returned to a country where he or she faces serious threats to his or her life or freedom.
• According to the Refugee Convention, A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
• Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, established in 1950 is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide

About UNHCR

• The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950.It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
• It was created during the aftermath of the Second World War to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes.
• It’s mandate is to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country.

India’s stand on Refugees

• India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 or the 1967 Protocol which protects refugee rights.
• India also does not have a national refugee protection framework. However,it continues to grant asylum to a large number of refugees from neighbouring states.
• There are some laws that govern refugees, including the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Passport Act, 1967. 

Why India has not signed the refugee convention?

• India’s borders in South Asia are extremely porous and any conflict can result in a mass movement of people. 
• This can result in a strain on local infrastructure and resources in countries that are poorly equipped to deal with sudden spikes in population.It can also upset the demographic balance.
• Further,India already does its duty as it is already home to diverse groups of refugees ranging from Buddhist Chakmas from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, to Bhutanese from Nepal, Muslim Rohinygas from Myanmar among others.
• Recently,the Parliament has also passed the Citizenship Amendment Act,2019.The Bill amends the Citizenship Act,1955 to make illegal migrants who belong to certain religious minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for citizenship.

Road Ahead

• The report underlines that forced displacement nowadays is not only vastly more widespread but is simply no longer a short-term and temporary phenomenon. People cannot be expected to live in a state of upheaval for years on end, without a chance of going home, nor a hope of building a future where they are.
• The refugees should be provided asylum, since it is a human right. Countries should not deny asylum based on race, religion, geography etc. In the aftermath of World War II, most countries agreed to protect refugees through the 1951 Refugee Convention.
• There is a need for a fundamentally new and more accepting attitude towards all who flee, coupled with a much more determined drive to end conflicts that go on for years and that are at the root of such immense suffering.

Context: Recently, China has decided to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN-ATT) to regulate its arms sales.
China’s agenda at ATT

• Beijing saying it is committed to efforts to “enhance peace and stability” in the world.
• It comes after the US announced plans last year to pull the United States out of the agreement which entered into force in 2014.
• The US Senate never ratified the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty after former president Barack Obama endorsed it, and Trump has said he would revoke his predecessor’s signature.

Why has India abstained?

• From the beginning of the ATT process, India has maintained that such a treaty should make a real impact on illicit trafficking in conventional arms and their illicit use especially by terrorists and other unauthorized and unlawful non-state actors.
• India has also stressed consistently that the ATT should ensure a balance of obligations between exporting and importing states.
• However, the ATT is weak on terrorism and non-state actors (undoubtedly Pakistan) and these concerns find no mention in the specific prohibitions of the Treaty.
• Further, India cannot accept that the Treaty is used as an instrument in the hands of exporting states to take unilateral force majeure measures against importing states parties without consequences.
• Also, one of India’s concerns is that the treaty does not include non-state actors in its purview, and therefore does not address the pressing concern of illicit trafficking and use of conventional arms by non-state actors. This is a major lacuna which may serve to make the treaty ineffective.

About UN Arms Trade Treaty

• It is a multilateral treaty aimed at regulating the global arms trade.
• It was envisioned as a tool to prevent conflict and human rights violations fuelled by poorly regulated trade in arms, which could not conceivably be controlled via national legislation alone.
• It is designed to control the flow of weapons into conflict zones.
• The treaty calls for the international sale of weapons to be linked to the human rights records of buyers.
• It requires countries to establish regulations for selling conventional weapons.
• It seeks to prevent conventional military weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists or organized criminal groups, and to stop deals that would violate UN arms embargoes.
• Conventional weapons covered by the UN Arms Trade Treaty include tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, naval warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms.
• It establishes common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in ammunition, weapons parts, and arms components.
• It does not regulate the domestic sale or use of weapons in any country.
• It recognizes the legitimacy of the arms trade to enable states to provide for their own security.

Additional Facts

• India has not signed the treaty citing that it has strong and effective national export controls on military hardware to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.
• As per latest reports of SIPRI (January 2020), China is the second largest arms producer in the world, behind the US.
• US had signed the treaty but not ratified it yet. Trump has called to exit from the same.

Road Ahead

• Civilian populations often in conditions of poverty, deprivation and extreme inequality suffer the most because they are on the receiving end of the misuse of arms by state armed and security forces, non-state armed groups and organized criminal groups.
• Inadequate controls on arms transfers lead to the widespread availability and misuse of weapons disrupting the humanitarian and development operations of the UN.
• In many areas of work, the UN faces serious setbacks that ultimately can be traced to the consequences of the poorly regulated arms trade so the adoption of the ATT is very important for the UN system as a whole.

Context: Every year, June 22 is observed as World Rainforest Day. This day has been set aside to help protect rainforests and raise awareness and encourage action among the masses to protect them.
Importance

• Rainforests play such a vital role in keeping our planet healthy.  
• They are carbon sinks that store and absorb the carbon dioxide in the air, and circulate more than 20% of the world’s oxygen.  
• Over half of all the animal and plant species are found in rainforests as well as a fifth of the world’s freshwater.  
• It is a heartbreaking fact that according to the current rate of deforestation, it has been anticipated that 28,000 species will become extinct by 2050.  
• Thus, World Rainforest Day is observed to raise awareness about its importance in our lives. 

World Rainforest Day history 

• The first-ever World Rainforest Day was observed on June 22, 2017. It was established by a collaboration of groups, called the Rainforest Partnership.  
• The international non-profit organisation is based in Austin, Texas and it is dedicated to protect and regenerate tropical rainforests through community-based projects in the Amazon. 

Significance 

• Organizers of World Rainforest Day say that 20% of the oxygen that we breathe and the freshwater that we drink is attributed to rainforests of the Amazon.  
• Rainforests absorb carbon dioxide, stabilize climate patterns, and are home to half the world’s animal species and plants.  
• The concern of this annual day's organisers is that an area as large as the size of 40 football fields is lost every minute of every day, according to them.  
• Therefore, World Rainforest Day is observed to celebrate the precious natural resource and to encourage action to preserve it. 

World Rainforest Day celebration 

• This day is celebrated in various ways which includes 
• Nurturing one's knowledge by reading more about rainforests. 
• Helping the NGO by shopping for Rainforest Alliance Certified products. 
• Using #WorldRainforestDay to raise awareness about the day by sharing why rainforests matter to you. 

Suggesstion

• Community Engagement & Empowerment: Empowering local and indigenous communities to be forest guardians through conservation education, training, and capacity building.
• Sustainable Livelihoods:  Building sustainable economies that rely on healthy forests for success.
• Conservation Science:  Producing scientific research to support the creation of protected areas and actions for endangered species.
• Biodiversity Conservation & Forest Regeneration: Restoring rainforests to preserve wildlife and mitigate climate change.
• Conservation Management & Governance: Establishing protected areas, securing community land rights, creating conservation policies, building the capacity of local decision-makers.

Road Ahead 

• World Rainforest Day is an opportunity to celebrate this precious natural resource each year and take action to preserve it. Together we can create a positive impact on rainforests for years to come.

Context: Recently, World Sickle Cell Day 2020 was observed in India to increase awareness about the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) at the national level.
Key Points

• World Sickle Cell Day — recognised by the United Nations and celebrated every year on June 19.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising sickle cell disease as a public health problem on December 22, 2008.

About Sickle Cell Disease

• Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects haemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body.
• People with this disorder have typical haemoglobin molecules called haemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent shape.
• Signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease usually begin in early childhood. Characteristic features of this disorder include a low number of red blood cells (anaemia), repeated infections, and periodic episodes of pain. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person. Some people have mild symptoms, while others are frequently hospitalised for more serious complications.

Sign and Symptoms of ‘Sickle Cell disease’

• The signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease are caused by the sickling of red blood cells. When red blood cells sickle, they break down prematurely, which can lead to anaemia.
• Anaemia can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and delayed growth and development in children.
• The rapid breakdown of red blood cells may also cause yellowing of the eyes and skin, which are signs of jaundice.
• Painful episodes can occur when sickled red blood cells, which are stiff and inflexible, get stuck in small blood vessels. These episodes deprive tissues and organs of oxygen-rich blood and can lead to organ damage, especially in the lungs, kidneys, spleen, and brain.
• A particularly serious complication of sickle cell disease is high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs (pulmonary hypertension). Pulmonary hypertension occurs in about one-third of adults with sickle cell disease and can lead to heart failure.

India's Policy for treatment of rare Disease

• In India, Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Sickle cell anaemia and Primary Immuno Deficiency in children, auto-immune diseases, Lysosomal storage disorders such as Pompe disease and Gaucher disease are in the rare diseases list. 
• According to Health Ministry, about 95 per cent rare diseases have no approved treatment. "Less than one in 10 patients receives disease-specific treatment," the policy states. 
• The Centre first prepared such a policy in 2017, but appointed a committee in 2018 to review it. 
• Presently, very few pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs to treat rare diseases and India has no domestic manufacturer:

About the National Policy

• The latest policy creates three categories of rare diseases requiring one-time curative treatment, diseases which need long-term treatment but the cost is low, and diseases that require life-long treatment and the cost is high.
• The policy states that the Centre will provide assistance of Rs I5 lakh to patients suffering from rare diseases that require one-time curative treatment under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi scheme. The treatment is limited to beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Some diseases in this category are osteopetrosis, immune deficiency disorders and Lysosomal Storage Disorders. 
• The policy has recommended that state governments support patients belonging to the second category of diseases that include Phenylketonuria and Galactosemia, among others.
• It also recommends crowdfunding as a source to fund treatment of rare diseases and advises hospitals to report such cases on digital platforms to gather funds.
• The policy also intends to kick-start a registry of rare diseases that the Indian Council of Medical Research will maintain.

Context: The year 2021 will mark the 100th year anniversary of the Malabar/Moplah uprising of 1921. The freedom fighter Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji led the Moplah uprising against the British in Kerala’s Malabar region.
Who was Kunjahammed Haji? 

• Kunjahammed Haji is an important figure in the echelons of Kerala’s colonial history as a rebel leader who took on the mighty British Raj. 
• He was born into an affluent Muslim family sometime in the 1870s, and grew up hearing stories of the torture and injustice meted out by the British to the locals and to his own family. 
• His father, Moideenkutty Haji, was deported and jailed in the Andaman Islands for his participation in a rebellion against the British. Such personal incidents, very early on in his life, played an important role in lighting the fire of vengeance inside Kunjahammed. 

Struggle against British Raj  

• An interesting facet in Haji’s early life was his fascination with traditional music-based art forms like Daffumutt and poems like ‘Malappuram Padappattu’ and ‘Badr Padappattu’ and how he used art as an instrument to rally the locals against the British. 
• By invoking such poems, that spoke of the exploitation of the peasants by feudal lords under the British and which were later banned by them, Kunjahammed Haji was simultaneously challenging the British and igniting sentiments against them among the local population. 
• These acts were a continuation of a stream of anger that had begun to strengthen against the colonialists and which is believed to have resulted in the Malabar uprising in 1921. 

About Malabar Rebellion 

• Started as resistance against the British colonial rule and the feudal system in southern Malabar but ended in communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. 
• There were a series of clashes between Mappila peasantry and their landlords, supported by the British, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. 
• The Malabar Rebellion began as a reaction against a heavy-handed crackdown on the Khilafat Movement, by the British authorities in the Eranad and Valluvanad taluks of Malabar. 
• In the initial stages, the movement had the support of Mohandas Gandhi and other Indian nationalist leaders. 
• The Mappilas attacked and took control of police stations, British government offices, courts and government treasuries.

Khilafat struggle  

• During a meeting in Manjeri, Kattilassery Muhammad Musaliyar and MP Narayana Menon, leaders of Khilafat movement and the Indian National Congress, introduced him to the Khilafat cause, “though he thought that it was a Turkish question”. However, he promised to join with them against the atrocities of the British and the landlords. 
• As the rebellion helmed by the Haji and others began to spread across the Ernad and Valluvanad taluks of erstwhile Malabar district, British officers and the local police loyal to them escaped, leaving vast tracts of territory firmly under the control of the local rebels. The territory was declared an ‘independent state’ in August 1921 with Haji its undisputed ruler. 
• For nearly six months, Haji ran a parallel Khilafat regime headquartered in Nilambur, with even its own separate passport, currency and system of taxation.
• During the time, an extensive army with the participation of Hindu men was built with the express aim of thwarting any attempt by the British to overthrow the Khilafat rule. Tenants were granted the power over the lands they cultivated along with tax incentives. 
• But the rule did not last long. In January 1922, under the guise of a treaty, the British betrayed Haji through his close friend Unyan Musaliyar, arresting him from his hideout and producing him before a British judge. He was sentenced to death along with his compatriots. 

Context: Recently, Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras are collaborating with their counterparts in Germany to develop new materials for green energy solutions.
Key Points

• The project, taken up under the Scheme for Promotion of academic and Research Collaboration or SPARC, aims at developing alternative technologies to produce green hydrogen in anticipation of transition to hydrogen-based economy. 
• SPARC is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Around Rs 66 lakh has been allocated for the project. 
• It aim to develop alternative technologies to produce green hydrogen in anticipation of the transition to a hydrogen-based economy.
• The conventional methods of generating hydrogen result in a large quantity of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that imposed serious environmental concerns.
• Whereas electrochemical splitting of water, called Water Electrolysis, is a clean, facile, and highly efficient technology for large-scale production of high-purity H2.
• The international collaboration aims to develop novel low-cost electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.
• The team is working to broaden the understanding of advanced electrocatalysts with the potential to transform lab-scale research to deployable reactors/devices.

About Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development which aims to improve the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
• Under this Scheme, 600 joint research proposals will be awarded for 2 years to facilitate strong research collaboration between Indian research groups with the best in class faculty and renowned research groups in the leading universities of the world.
• The collaboration will conduct research in areas that are at the cutting edge of science or with direct social relevance to the mankind, specifically India and will improve the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations. 
• A set of 5 Thrust Areas has been identified for collaboration under SPARC. The 5 areas are namely Fundamental Research, Emergent Areas of Impact, Convergence, Action-Oriented Research and Innovation-Driven Research. 

Expected Outcome

• Strong research collaboration between Indian Research groups with the top research group in the leading Universities of the world in the cutting edge areas of science or with direct social relevance to mankind, specifically India.
• A large number of high-quality research publications.
• Solutions to key national and international problems.
• Development of niche courses, high-quality textbooks and research monographs.
• Imbibing of best practices from top international academicians and researchers.
• Strong bilateral co-operation, and improved world reputation and ranking of Indian Institutions.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the annual Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2020.
Key highlights of the report

• TB Cases: Over 24 lakh TB patients have been notified in 2019.This amounts to a 14% increase in TB notification as compared to 2018.
• TB Deaths: The report shows 79,144 deaths due to tuberculosis were reported in 2019 which is much lower than the WHO estimate of 4.4 lakh fatalities.
• TB cases in Children’s: The proportion of children diagnosed with TB increased to 8% in 2019 compared to 6% in 2018.
• Missing cases: There has been a reduction in the number of missing cases to 2.9 lakh cases in 2019 as against more than 10 lakhs in 2017.
• HIV associated TB Deaths: India accounts for 9% of all HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) deaths in the world, the second-highest number globally.
• Treatment: Expansion of treatment services has resulted in a 12% improvement in the treatment success rate of notified patients.For 2019, it was 81% compared to 69% in 2018.
• States: Over half of the total TB cases were notified from five states — Uttar Pradesh(20%), Maharashtra(9%), Madhya Pradesh(8%) Rajasthan(7%) and Bihar(7%).
• Ranking of States: The Central TB Division(CTD) has introduced a quarterly ranking on TB elimination efforts by all the states and UTs:
• Larger states with more than 50 lakh population: Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh were awarded as best performing States.
• Smaller states with less than 50 lakh population: Tripura and Nagaland were awarded.
• Union Territories: Dadara and Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu were chosen as the best performers.

Additional Facts

• Tuberculosis(TB): It is an infectious airborne bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most often affect the lungs.
• Transmission: TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
• Symptoms: Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
• Treatment: TB is a treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.
• Nikshay Poshan Yojana: It is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme to provide nutritional support to TB patients.
• National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB Elimination (2017-2025): It is a framework to provide guidance for the activities of various stakeholders to reduce the burden of TB mortality and morbidity.It aims to work towards the elimination of TB in India by 2025.

About the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government.
• The goal of the program is to achieve a TB-free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to tuberculosis.

About the Nikshay system

• It is an information management system that acts like a one-stop solution for managing patients’ information and monitor program activity and performance all over the country.
• It is developed and maintained by the Central TB Division (CTD), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and the World Health Organization Country office for India.
• Nikshay is used by health functionaries at various levels across the country both in the public and private sector, to register cases under their care, order various types of tests from labs across the country, record treatment details, monitor treatment adherence and to transfer cases between care providers.
• It also functions as the National TB Surveillance System and enables reporting of various surveillance data to the Government of India.

Context: Recently, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has received manufacturing and marketing approval from India’s drug regulator, making FabiFlu the first oral Favipiravir-approved medication in India for the treatment of COVID-19.
Background 

• FabiFlu will be used for treating COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms and will be made available by next week across the country. 

Key Points

• On the first day, a patient will be administered 1800 mg twice each. From the second day, the patient will be given 800 mg twice a day for upto 14 days as per the doctor’s advice. The medicine can be administered to patients between the age group of 18 and 75. 
• Since the approval is under emergency category due to the pandemic, the patient has to give an undertaking before consuming the medicine. 
• 70 to 80% of Covid-19 patients are from the mild and medium category for which the drug has been approved. A patient of this type need not be admitted to the hospital and can stay at home. 
• Once administered the drug will help in bringing down the viral load on the patient. Glenmark is the first company to come out with an oral antiviral drug for mild and moderate Covid-19 treatment. 
• Favipiravir can be used in Covid-19 patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms. 
• It offers rapid reduction in viral load within four days and provides faster symptomatic and radiological improvement. 
• Favipiravir has been used in Russia, Japan and China to treat such patients and has been proved successful. 
• At the moment the drug will be under restricted use, which means it can be consumed only under doctor’s guidance and supervision. People without prescription cannot buy it.

List of Treatments for COVID-19 used in India

Remdesivir

• Remdesivir, an antiviral drug first developed for treating Ebola in 2014, is one of the possible Covid-19 treatments being investigated in the WHO’s Solidarity Trial. It inhibits viral replication in the body.
• US National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases released preliminary trial results showing recovery time of Covid patients given remdesivir improved from 15 to 11 days.
• The Drug Controller General of India on June 1 approved a five-day regime of remdesivir.
• Doctors are currently prescribing it for moderately to severely ill patients.
• Remdesivir costs Rs 10,000-20,000 per vial.

Favipiravir

• Favipiravir is an antiviral given to inhibit viral replication, It is used as an anti-influenza drug.
• First manufactured by Japan’s Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Ltd, it is manufactured in India by Glenmark Pharmaceutical and Strides Pharma.
• It is being used for moderately symptomatic to severely ill Covid patients, but access is not easy.

Tocilizumab

• This is an immunosuppressant commonly used to treat for rheumatoid arthritis.
• This is an expensive drug, that costs Rs 40,000-60,000 per dose, it is used as a preventive against ventilator requirement, government hospitals are giving it free.
• Tocilizumab is manufactured by Roche Pharma, and marketed by Cipla.
• In India it is sold under the brand name Actemra.

Itolizumab

• This drug is commonly used for the skin disorder psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune disorders. In India, Biocon launched it in 2013.
• It is being trailled in Mumbai and Delhi on moderately to severely ill Covid patients. Initial results will come by July. “The trial will take some time. 

Hydroxychloroquine

• This antimalarial drug is a subject of debate over its efficacy against Covid.
• India is the largest producer of this drug.
• Doctors use HCQ use in Covid patients with symptoms as mild as headache, fever, body pain, and even in critically ill patients.
• ICMR guidelines recommend low doses for nine days.
• This drug is helping in faster recovery, but that is just preliminary assessment.
• Side effects of the drug includes chaotic heartbeat.

Doxycycline + ivermectin

• Doxycycline is an antibiotic used to fight infection in the urinary tract, eye, or respiratory tract.
• Ivermectin is an anti-parasite drug for treatment of scabies, head lice, and filariasis.
• The combination is used to treat Covid patients with acute symptoms.
• There is very little information about these two drugs on Covid-19 patients and It is still in experimental stage.

Ritonavir + lopinavir

• These antivirals are commonly used to treat HIV patients.
• They are being investigated in the Solidarity Trial.
• Some studies suggest they reduce mortality risk in Covid-19 patients, while others have found no major improvement.
• Over a dozen manufacturers supply ritonavir and lopinavir in India.
• Doctors sometimes use the combination for severely ill patients.

Plasma therapy

• This is meant for critical patients with low oxygen saturation levels, or those suffering a cytokine storm.
• Patients who have recovered from severe Covid-19 donate their plasma, which is then injected into other critical patients to boost their immunity.
• A protocol approved by ICMR is used to select which patient is best suited for plasma therapy.
• Preference is given to those at risk of cytokine storm, extreme breathlessness with severe pneumonia.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Mines has launched a portal "SATYABHAMA (Science and Technology Yojana for Atmanirbhar Bharat in Mining Advancement)" with an aim to promote research and development in the mining and minerals sector.

• This portal will allow online submission of project proposals along with monitoring of the same and utilisation of funds.

About the portal

• The portal has been designed, developed and implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Mines Informatics Division.
• The minister appealed to the scientists and researchers in the mining and mineral sector to undertake qualitative and innovative research and development work for ''AatmaNirbhar Bharat''. 
• The researchers can also submit progress reports and final technical reports of the projects in the electronic format in the portal.
• A user manual is also available on the portal where the stepwise procedures for submission of project proposals have been highlighted.
• The portal is integrated with NGO Darpan Portal of NITI Aayog.
• The portal will increase efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of the scheme.
• The major institutes where research projects have been funded include Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.
• Under the Science and Technology Programme Scheme, the Ministry of Mines promotes research in applied geosciences, mineral exploration, mining and allied areas, mineral processing, optimum utilization and conservation of the mineral resources of the country.
• The Ministry of Mines provides funds to Academic institutions, universities, national institutes and R&D institutions recognized with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (under the Ministry of Science & Technology) for implementing R&D projects.

Context: Recently, an international collaboration of researchers has finished mapping nearly one-fifth of the world’s ocean floor.

About Seabed 2030 Project

• The global initiative is a collaboration between Japan’s non-profit Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).
• It is the only intergovernmental organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor and traces its origins to the GEBCO chart series initiated in 1903 by Prince Albert I of Monaco.
• The project was launched at the UN Ocean Conference in 2017, and coordinates and oversees the sourcing and compilation of bathymetric data from different parts of the world’s ocean.

Importance of this project

• In the past, satellites and planes carrying altimeter instruments have been able to provide large swathes of data about the ocean floor.
• The Seabed 2030 Project, however, aims to obtain higher quality information that has a minimum resolution of 100 m at all spots.
• It is using equipment such as deepwater hull-mounted sonar systems, and more advanced options such as Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
• For this, the project aims to rope in governments, private companies, and international organisations to acquire data.

Progress of the project

• Since the launch of the project in 2017, the surveying of the ocean bed as per modern standards has gone up from around 6 per cent to 19 per cent.
• The project has added 1.45 crore square kilometres of new bathymetric data to its latest grid.

Importance of Ocean floor important

• Ocean topography: The knowledge of bathymetry — the measurement of the shape and depth of the ocean floor, is instrumental in understanding several natural phenomena, including ocean circulation, tides, and biological hotspots.
• Navigation: It also provides key inputs for navigation, forecasting tsunamis, exploration for oil and gas projects, building offshore wind turbines, fishing resources, and for laying cables and pipelines. This data becomes highly valuable during disaster situations.
• Climate Change study: Importantly, the maps would also ensure a better understanding of climate change, since floor features including canyons and underwater volcanoes influence phenomena ocean currents. These ocean currents act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water, thus influencing the weather and climate.
• Marine conservation: A map of the entire global ocean floor would also help further achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources.

About World Hydrography Day

• The International Hydrographic Organization and its international members celebrate World Hydrography Day every year on June 21.
• It is observed to increase awareness about the safe navigation and protection of the marine environment.

Context: Recently, Union Government has approved the setting up of a new body named the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre(IN-SPACE) to provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.
About IN-SPACe

• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is the new body that the government has formed which will act as a regulator and whose rulings would be bound by both the space agency as well as private firms in the country.
• IN-SPACe will hand-hold, promote and guide the private industries in space activities through encouraging policies and a friendly regulatory environment.
• It is part of reforms aimed at giving a boost to private sector participation in the entire range of space activities.

Objectives:
Boost to private industries:

• Creation of the IN-SPACe is part of reforms aimed at giving a boost to private sector participation in the entire range of space activities.
• It will also hand-hold, promote and guide the private industries in space activities through encouraging policies and a friendly regulatory environment.

Optimum utilisation of space assets:

• New Space India Limited (NSIL) would endeavour to reorient space activities from a ‘supply-driven’ model to a ‘demand-driven’ one, thereby ensuring optimum utilisation of the nation’s space assets.

ISRO to focus on core activities:

• These reforms would allow the ISRO to focus more on research and development activities(R&D), new technologies, exploration missions and human spaceflight programme.
• Some of the planetary exploration missions will also be opened up to the private sector.

Other Agencies working in Space domain:
New Space India Limited (NSIL)

• It functions under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS).
• It aims to commercially exploit the research and development work of ISRO Centres and constituent units of DOS.
• The NSIL would enable Indian Industries to scale up high-technology manufacturing and production base for meeting the growing needs of the Indian space programme.
• It would further spur the growth of Indian Industries in the space sector.

ANTRIX

• Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL), Bengaluru is a wholly-owned Government of India Company under the administrative control of the Department of Space.
• It is as a marketing arm of ISRO for promotion and commercial exploitation of space products, technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO.
• Antrix is engaged in providing Space products and services to international customers worldwide.

Context: Recently, IACS Kolkata INSPIRE faculty’s work on Black Holes and Gravitational Waves to help understanding fundamentals of our nature.
About Black Holes

• A black hole is a region of space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out.
• Most black holes are remnants of large stars that die in supernova explosions. 
• Because no light can get out of black holes, they are invisible. It requires a space telescope with special tools to find a black hole.

There are four types of black holes: Stellar, Intermediate, Supermassive, Miniature
Supernova:

• Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova.
• A supernova is an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space.

Sagittarius A

• The largest black holes are called “supermassive.” 
• The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A. 
• It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.

Additional Facts

• According to Einstein’s theory, a black hole should exhibit just three observable properties: Mass, Spin, And Electric Charge. All other characteristics would be swallowed up by the black hole itself. The black hole acts as a one-way trapdoor.
• Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can deform spacetime to form a black hole.
• The term ‘black hole’ was coined by American Physicist John Archibald Wheeler in the 1960s.
• The boundary of the region from which no escape is possible is called the event horizon.
• A black hole acts like an ideal black body, as it reflects no light.
• Black holes of stellar mass are expected to form when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. After a black hole has formed, it can continue to grow by absorbing mass from its surroundings.
• Black hole binaries emit gravitational waves during their in-spiral, merger, and ring-down phases.
• A binary black hole is a system consisting of two black holes in close orbit around each other.

About Gravitational Waves

• Gravitational waves are ‘ripples’ in the fabric of space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe.
• When an object accelerates, it creates ripples in space-time, just like a boat causes ripples in a pond.
• These space-time ripples are gravitational waves. They are extremely weak so are very difficult to detect.
• Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity. 
• Einstein’s mathematics showed that massive accelerating objects (such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt space-time in such a way that ‘waves’ of distorted space would radiate from the source (like the movement of waves away from a stone thrown into a pond). 
• Furthermore, these ripples would travel at the speed of light through the Universe, carrying with them information about their cataclysmic origins, as well as invaluable clues to the nature of gravity itself.

Context: At a time when China’s pre-meditated military moves along our northern boundary are drawing the nation’s attention, it is important that we don’t lose sight of our surrounding seas.
Background

• Laws for seas:India has legislation that requires foreign marine scientific vessels to seek licence prior to undertaking activities in Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf (CS).
• Our navy forbade Chinese maritime research and survey vessels that entered our EEZ and CS without our prior consent in 2018 and 2019.
• Claims of Chinese: They are serving the interests of global scientific research but it is well-known that China uses civilian research vessels to gather crucial oceanographic data for military purposes.
• The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (CSIS) survey shows that China deployed 25 maritime survey missions in the Indo-Pacific between April 2019 and March 2020. This is only marginally less than the 27 missions mounted by the next six countries taken cumulatively.

Global concerns about the Chinese vessels

• China has mounted at least six survey missions covering the waters between Indonesia and Sri Lanka in 2019-2020. For example- the Australians voiced concern over the activities of the Chinese vessel in international waters between the Australian mainland and Christmas Island.
• Military expansion overseas: Critics argue that China follows a “pattern of denial and obfuscation” in its military expansion overseas. For example- Beijing initially denied its intention to militarise the Spratly Islands but eventually acknowledged that they serve a military purpose.
• Intelligence gathering: It is believed that PLA Navy (PLAN) intelligence-gathering ships have sailed our coastline to gather information on naval facilities and ships.
• China may well take the position that their activities are legitimate under international law.

Laws regarding seas:

• The Law of the Sea Convention says that military vessels have “right to innocent passage” to pass through the territorial sea of a coastal state without entering internal waters till they are not against the peace, good order and security of the coastal state.

Different interpretations of laws on the question of scientific surveys in the EEZ of coastal states:

• For example- the US maintains that hydrographical surveys without prior notice or consent are lawful in line with centuries of state practice, customary and international laws.
• The collection of vital hydrographical data is critical to China’s understanding of the sub-surface environment.

China could step up their efforts to significantly improved data in the seas between the Malacca Straits and Djibouti through:

• By sending survey vessel without our permission into our EEZ: For example in May, the Chinese survey vessel accompanied by two Chinese coast guard ships and several fishing vessels entered the Malaysian EEZ in the South China Sea for over a month despite Malaysian protests.
• By deploying unmanned underwater drones in our EEZ: While the mother vessel remains just outside the EEZ. A recent Forbes report claims that Sea-Wing underwater and unmanned drones were launched in mid-December 2019.
• Sailing PLAN intelligence-gathering ships: Either along our coasts or in the waters off our island territories on grounds that this is “innocent passage” by naval vessels permissible under the laws.
• Though we have the necessary capacity to monitor and interdict survey vessels well before they enter our EEZ, we need a comprehensive strategy to tackle future challenges.

Need of Comprehensive Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) strategy

• Coordination: Between our national security agencies, the navy and the government departments responsible for the marine environment and disaster management.
• Collaboration: With like-minded countries who share our concerns. Such cooperation includes deepening of real-time information exchange, co-development and deployment of UDA monitoring devices and closer coordination in the patrolling of sea lanes to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Road Ahead

• The creation of Maritime Domain Awareness and especially Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) capabilities and technology, both domestically and with like-minded partners, should be given the highest priority in order to counter future Chinese intrusion in India’s Coastal Waters.
• The policymakers need to look at India’s position in the 21st century from a very different prism and navigate through the current realities with respect to Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA).
• India is well-poised in the Indian Ocean Region to take a leadership role because of its strategic location, but this cannot happen unless it upgrades its acoustic infrastructure.
• India’s ambitions to expand its footprint in the maritime domain both for inland waterways development as well as outward thrust with initiatives such as Sagarmala and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and the national Maritime Agenda-2020 but it is imperative to develop internal UDA capacities and capabilities

Context: Recently, Indian officials, including representatives from enforcement agencies, attended the 32nd special Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) plenary meeting, under the aegis of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

• The EAG is a regional body comprising nine countries: India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. It is an associate member of the FATF.

About the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

• It is an inter-governmental decision-making body. It was established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris to develop policies against money laundering and its Secretariat is located in Paris.
• It brings national legislative and regulatory reforms in money laundering and it also works to stop funding for weapons of mass destruction.
• The FATF reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and continuously strengthens its standards to address new risks, such as the regulation of virtual assets, which have spread as cryptocurrencies gain popularity.  
• The FATF monitors countries to ensure they implement the FATF Standards fully and effectively and holds countries to account that does not comply with the standards. 
• India became an Observer at FATF in 2006. Since then, it had been working towards full-fledged membership. On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF.

FATF on terror financing

• FATF’s role in combating terror financing became prominent after the 9/11 terror attacks in the US. In 2001 its mandate expanded to include terrorism financing. 
• Financing of terrorism involves providing money or financial support to terrorists. 
• As of 2019, FATF has blacklisted North Korea and Iran over terror financing and 12 countries are in the grey list, namely: Bahamas, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen.

About FATF ‘grey list’ and ‘blacklist’-

• Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries. Currently only has Iran and North Korea on it.
• Grey List: Countries that are considered a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.

FATF & Pakistan

• Pakistan has been on the FATF grey list since June 2018 and was asked to implement the FATF Action Plan fully by September 2019. It was in the same category from 2012 to 2015 too. 
• Pakistan’s inclusion in the grey list can be attributed to the fact that the country’s anti-terror laws are still not in line with FATF standards and also with the latest UN resolution 2462 that pitches for criminalising terrorist financing. 
• Pakistan detained both Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed for ‘apprehension’ of breach of peace in response to degradation to the grey list. The FATF seeks freezing of funds, denial of weapons access and travel ban. 
• While there were some arrests of LeT, JeM, JuD cadres, they were all apprehended under the country’s Maintenance of Public Order Act and not the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Consequences of being in the FATF grey list
Considered in the grey list may face-

• Economic sanctions from IMF, World Bank, ADB.
• The problem in getting loans from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and other countries.
• Reduction in international trade.
• International boycott.

About Eurasian Group (EAG)

• The Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and financing of terrorism is an FATF-style regional body.
• The EAG was established in 2004 and is currently an associate member of the FATF.
• It was created for the countries of the Eurasian region not included in the existing FATF-style regional groups and is intended to play an important role in reducing the threat of international terrorism and ensure the transparency,  reliability and security of the financial systems of states and their further integration into the international infrastructure for combating money laundering and terrorism financing (AML/CFT).
• The creation of the group coincided with the launch of efforts to create conditions for the formation and development of effective anti-money-laundering systems in the region.
• Today the EAG brings together nine countries in the region (Belarus, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). 
• Observer status has been granted to 15 countries and 23 international organizations.

The main tasks of the EAG

• assisting member-states in implementing the 40 FATF anti-money laundering Recommendations and the 9 Special FATF Recommendations on combating terrorist financing (FATF 40/9 Recommendations);
• developing and conducting joint activities aimed at combating money laundering and terrorist financing;
• implementing a program of mutual evaluations of member-states based on the FATF 40/9 Recommendations, including assessment of the effectiveness of legislative and other measures adopted in the sphere of AML/CFT efforts;
• coordinating international cooperation and technical assistance programs with specialized international organizations, bodies, and interested states;
• analyzing money laundering and terrorist financing trends (typologies) and exchanging best practices of combating such crimes taking into account regional specifics.

Context: Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved an extension to the commission appointed to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes. The extension is for 6 months, valid till 31st January 2021.
About the Commission

• Headed by Justice (Retd.) G Rohini, the commission was constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution with the approval of the President on 2nd October 2017.
• Article 340 deals with the appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
• It had been constituted to complete the task of sub-categorising 5000-odd castes in the central OBC list so as to ensure more equitable distribution of opportunities in central government jobs and educational institutions.
• In 2015, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended that OBCs should be categorised into extremely backward classes, more backward classes and backward classes.
• The benefits of the reservation in OBCs are being cornered mostly by the dominant OBC groups over the years so there is a need to recognise sub-quotas for the extremely backward classes within the OBCs.
• NCBC has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.

What is the Sub category for OBC?

• Other Backward Class (OBC) is a common classification of castes used by the Government of India which are socially or educationally disadvantaged. As per Mandal Commission report of 1980, OBC’s constituted 52% of the country’s population.
• As per National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 2006 report, the OBC’s comprised 41% of the population. An accurate number would be available after the 2021 census. To make sure that Government benefits reach the deserving category, there are plans on having sub categories within OBC.
• The reason is currently 97% of government reservation benefits are availed by few of them namely, Yadav, Kurmi, Jats, Saini, Thevar, Ezhava and Vokkaliga castes.

Measure taken by the President of India to Examine Issues Related to Sub Categorization of OBC:

• In 2017 President of India constituted a 5-member commission to explore the concept of sub categorization of OBC. The commission is headed by Former Chief Justice of Delhi, G. Rohini. This commission was appointed by the President by exercising the provisions given in Article 340 of the Indian Constitution.

The objective of the commission is given below.

• To understand the extent of unfair and unjust distribution of benefits of reservation among different castes and communities in the Central OBC list.
• The actual OBC reservation will continue to be 27%, but mechanisms, criteria and parameters will have to laid out for actual sub categorization of OBC
• Bring order to Central list on OBC.
• This commission has received a total of 6 extensions since its appointment, the last extension was given in 2019.

Reservation provisions in India for OBC

• The Kalelkar Commission set up in 1953, for the first time identified the backward classes other than the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at the national level.
• The Mandal Commission Report of 1980 estimated the OBC population at 52% and classified 1,257 communities as backward class .It recommended an increase in existing quotas from 22.5% to 49.5% which to include the OBCs.
• The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which was previously a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Context: Recently, the Global Education Monitoring Report, 2020 was released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that show impact of Covid-19 exacerbated inequalities in education systems across the world.

• According to a UNESCO report, about 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities.
• The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report noted that efforts to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic may have actually worsened exclusion trends.
• During the height of school closures in April 2020, more than 90% of students around the world were out of school.
• Theme: “Inclusion and education: All means all”.
• Aim: To monitor progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education as well as other education-related points in the SDG Agenda.

Key points of the Report

• About 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities.
• The report noted that efforts to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic may have actually worsened exclusion trends.
• During the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of students around the world were out of school.
• While India has also used distance learning solutions for educational continuity, the digital divide lays bare the limitations of this approach.
• School closures have also interrupted support mechanisms from which many disadvantaged learners’ benefit.
• For poor students who depend on school for free meals or even free sanitary napkins, closures have been major blows to them.
• The report highlighted that, cancellation of examinations in many countries, including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers’ judgements of students instead, which could be affected by stereotypes of certain types of students.
• Higher drop-out rates are also a concern.
• During an earlier Ebola epidemic in Africa, many older girls never returned to school once the crisis was over.

Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report

• Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the Education for All Global Monitoring Report published from 2002–2015, aimed to sustain commitment towards Education for All.
• It published 12 Reports from 2002 until 2015.
• It was then renamed, and re-launched under a new mandate as the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, UNESCO, whose principal role is to monitor progress towards the education targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
• In line with its mandate, the 2020 GEM Report assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education and its ten targets, as well as other related education targets in the SDG agenda.
• The Report also addresses inclusion in education, drawing attention to all those excluded from education, because of background or ability.
• The Report is motivated by the call to ensure an inclusive and equitable quality education in the formulation of SDG 4, the global goal for education.
• The Report also explores the challenges holding the world back from achieving this vision and demonstrates concrete policy examples from countries managing to tackle them with success.
• These include differing understandings of the word inclusion, lack of teacher support, absence of data on those excluded from education, inappropriate infrastructure, persistence of parallel systems and special schools, lack of political will and community support, untargeted finance, uncoordinated governance, multiple but inconsistent laws, and policies that are not being followed through.

Suggestion

• In order to combat the situation, 17% of low and middle-income countries are planning to recruit more teachers, 22% to increase class time and 68% to introduce remedial classes when schools reopen. However, how such classes are planned and targeted will be critical to whether disadvantaged students can catch up.
• Teachers who are intimidated by technology now have to take the bull by its horns. For many who are proficient at planning and teaching in the traditional classroom, planning for an online setting requires some re-learning.
• Online classrooms have brought up issues of classroom management and it is needed to learn methods of managing remote classes and students online. Schools also have to give serious thought to planning and conducting online assessments and evaluations.
• School readiness for online teaching is critical and schools are at varying levels in this journey. While parents are worried about having the right hardware and set-up at home, school management and teachers are sorting out more significant and vital issues.

Context: Recently, Union Minister of Human Resource Development virtually launched YUKTI 2.0 platform to help systematically assimilate technologies having commercial potential and information related to incubated startups in higher education institutions.
Need for the platform

• To support student entrepreneurs keen on pursuing their startups along with academics.
• To emerge as Market place for connecting innovators with investors, so that innovative technologies can be taken forward for commercialization.

About YUKTI 2.0

• It’s a unique portal and dashboard to monitor and record the efforts and initiatives of MHRD. 
• The portal intends to cover the different dimensions of COVID-19 challenges in a very holistic and comprehensive way.
• It will cover the various initiatives and efforts of the institutions in academics, research especially related to CoVID, social initiatives by institutions and the measures taken for the betterment of the total wellbeing of the students. 
• The portal will cover both qualitative and quantitative parameters for effective delivery of services to the academic community at large. 
• It will also provide a platform to various institutions to share their strategies for various challenges which are there because of the unprecedented situation of COVID-19 and other future initiatives. 

Its objective

• It will also provide inputs for better planning and will enable MHRD to monitor effectively its activities for the coming six months.
• The portal will also establish a two-way communication channel between the Ministry of HRD and the institutions so that the Ministry can provide the necessary support system to the institutions.
• This portal will help in critical issues related to student promotion policies, placements related challenges and physical and mental well-being of students in these challenging times. 
• The web platform Yukti will epitomise its name and prove to be a great enabler in taking the research to the ultimate stakeholders, the citizens of our country.
• In-Line with Atmanirbhar Bharat, YUKTI 2.0 will also help in fostering the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in academic institutions.

Other Initiatives to Boost Innovation

• Institutions of Eminence (IoE) Scheme is a government's scheme to provide the regulatory architecture for setting up or upgrading of 20 Institutions (10 from public sector and 10 from the private sector) as world-class teaching and research institutions.
• Various amendments have been made in the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme to boost research in the country.
• Through the Atal Innovation Mission, the government has established Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across the country. The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing.

Context: Recently,the Supreme Court has allowed a woman in her 25th week of pregnancy bearing twins to medically terminate one of the foetuses detected with substantial abnormalities.

• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 bars abortion if the foetus has crossed the 20-week mark.
• An exception to the law is made if a registered medical practitioner certifies to a court that the continued pregnancy is life-threatening for the mother.

Right to health

• The argument for decriminalization of abortion is that – The right to exercise reproductive choice is the right to choose whether to conceive and carry pregnancy to its full term or to terminate it.
• Abortion is argued as the core of one’s privacy, dignity, personal autonomy, bodily integrity, self-determination and right to health recognised by Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Recently in News: Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which has proposed new clauses to increase the upper gestation limit for termination of pregnancy.

Background on Abortion in India

• Abortion in India is legal in certain circumstances. It can be performed on various grounds until 24 weeks of pregnancy. In exceptional cases, a court may allow a termination after 24 weeks.
• When a woman gets a pregnancy terminated voluntarily from a service provider, it is called induced abortion. Spontaneous abortion is when the process of abortion starts on its own without any intervention. In common language, this is also known as miscarriage.
• Before 1971, abortion was criminalized under Section 312 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, describing it as intentionally ‘causing miscarriage’.
• It was in the 1960s, when abortion was legal in 15 countries, that deliberations on a legal framework for induced abortion in India was initiated.
• The alarmingly increased number of abortions taking place put the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on alert.
• To address this, the Government of India instated a Committee in 1964 led by Shantilal Shah to come up with suggestions to draft the abortion law for India.
• The recommendations of this Committee were accepted in 1970 and introduced in the Parliament as the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971

• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 provides the legal framework for making CAC services available in India.

Termination of pregnancy is permitted for a broad range of conditions up to 20 weeks of gestation as detailed below:

• When continuation of pregnancy is a risk to the life of a pregnant woman or could cause grave injury to her physical or mental health;
• When there is substantial risk that the child, if born, would be seriously handicapped due to physical or mental abnormalities;
• When pregnancy is caused due to rape (presumed to cause grave injury to the mental health of the woman);
• When pregnancy is caused due to failure of contraceptives used by a married woman or her husband (presumed to constitute grave injury to mental health of the woman).

The MTP Act specifies –

• who can terminate a pregnancy;
• till when a pregnancy can be terminated; and
• where can a pregnancy be terminated.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

• It is an Amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971.

Proposals of the Bill

• The requirement of the opinion of one registered medical practitioner (instead of two or more) for termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation (foetal development period from the time of conception until birth).
• Introduce the requirement of the opinion of two registered medical practitioners for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
• Increase the gestation limit for ‘special categories’ of women which includes survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women like differently-abled women and minors.
• The “name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed”, except to a person authorised in any law that is currently in force.

Context: Recently, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, in partnership with several other stakeholders has launched a behaviour change campaign called ‘Navigating the New Normal’, and its website.
Key Points

• The campaign has been launched in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF), Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC), Ashoka University and the Ministries of Health and Women and child development.
• Aim: To develop an appropriate COVID safe behavior in the country such as by making people adapt to wearing masks as a part of their daily routine.

Features: The campaign has two parts

• The first is a web portal containing resources informed by behavioural science and the use of nudge and social norms theory related to Covid-safe behavioural norms during the ongoing Unlock phase and
• The second is a media campaign focused on the wearing of masks.
• The portal focuses on easy implementation of four key behaviours in the unlock phase: mask-wearing (essential focus), social distancing, Hand hygiene, and not spitting in public.
• Citizens Role: It aims at desired social behaviour in which the enforcement burden shifts from the Government to the citizens.
• Sector Specific: The website will have sector-specific collaterals and guidelines for health, nutrition, and public transport (in metro cities).
• International Examples: Japan and South Korea have made ‘mask-wearing’ a socially accepted norm.

Recent Examples/Initiatives in India

• Recently, Meghalaya has issued a new health protocol which also lays emphasis on the Behaviour Change Model for living with Covid-19.
• The Economic Survey 2019 too lays out an ambitious agenda for behavioural change by applying the principles of behavioural economics to several issues, including gender equality, a healthy and beautiful India, savings, tax compliance and credit quality.

About Behavioural Science

• Behavioural science is a method of analysis that applies psychological insights into human behaviour to explain their decision-making
• In reality, decisions made by people often deviate from the classical principles. Drawing on the psychology of human behaviour, science provides insights to ‘nudge’ people towards desirable behaviour.

Additional Facts

• Nudge and Social Norms Theory: The theory says that people rather than being forced can be encouraged and influenced to pursue or desist from certain actions through nudges(encouragement or intervention).
• The Nudge theory got international spotlight when Richard Thaler bagged the Economics Nobel Prize in 2017 for his work on behavioural economics.

Context: The economic downturn caused by the global pandemic may drive more people to substance abuse or leave them vulnerable to involvement in drug trafficking and related crime.
Issue

• In the global recession that followed the 2008 financial crisis, drug users sought out cheaper synthetic substances and patterns of use shifted towards injecting drugs, while governments reduced budgets to deal with drug-related problems.
• All over the world, the risks and consequences of drug use are worsened by poverty, limited opportunities for education and jobs, stigma and social exclusion, which in turn helps to deepen inequalities, moving us further away from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Status of Drug Abuse at Global level

• Around 269 million people used drugs in 2018, up 30% from 2009, with adolescents and young adults accounting for the largest share of users.
• Nearly 35.6 million people suffer from drug use disorders globally however, only one out of eight people who need drug-related treatment receive it.

Status of Drug Abuse in India

• According to the NDDTC 2019 report “Magnitude of Substance Use in India”, at the national level, about 14.6% of the people the ages of 10 and 75 are current users of alcohol and there are about 8.5 lakh people who inject drugs (PWID).
• According NCRB 2019 report, drug overdose claims every one life in 12 hrs, more than 5% of which are minors.

Covid-19 Impact on Drug abuse

• Threat to the vulnerable and marginalised:The socio-economic crisis due to the pandemic might disproportionately affect the vulnerable and marginalised groups, youth, women and the poor. Socially and economically disadvantaged are more likely to develop drug use disorders but receive no treatment for the same.
• Drug Trafficking: According to UN, Covid-19 has prompted traffickers to find new routes and methods. Illicit activities via the so-called ‘darknet’ and shipments of drugs by mail, may increase.
• Alternative drugs and addiction: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to shortages of highly addictive opioid and therapeutics for pain management. This may lead people to seek out more readily available substances, including alcohol, sedatives or intravenous injections of drugs.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

• It is observed annually on 26 June.
• The theme for the 2020 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is “Better Knowledge for Better Care”.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC): It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Aim: To assist Member States in addressing the issues of drugs, crime and terrorism.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.

Steps taken by Indian Government

• Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985: It envisages stringent provisions for the control and regulation of operations relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
• National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), 2012: It seeks to combat drug abuse in a holistic manner. It was drafted by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue.
• Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse: Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to eligible Non-Governmental Organizations for running Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts.
• National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), 2018-2025: It aims to reduce the adverse consequences of drug abuse in India through a) education, b) de-addiction and c) rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families.

Suggested Reforms

• Greater investment in evidence-based prevention. This should include awareness on drug related harm, specially health and social effects
• treatment and other services for drug use disorders, HIV, hepatitis C and other infections.
• international cooperation to increase access to controlled drugs for medical purposes and preventing diversion and abuse,
• strengthen law enforcement action to curb the transnational organised crime networks.
• India can consider experiences from European and Latin American countries while formulating and implementing legislation to stop drug abuse. In Europe and Latin American countries, it was found that non-punitive measures improved health and wellbeing of drug addicts.

About Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

• The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was established by Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• In 1991, the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) expanded the mandate of the CND to enable it to function as the governing body of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs has two distinct mandate areas:

• it has treaty-based and normative functions under the international drug control conventions
• operational, policy-guidance functions as the governing body of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, which is administered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
• The Commission adopted the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on strengthening actions at the national, regional and international levels to accelerate the implementation of joint commitments made to jointly address and counter the world drug problem.