Context: Recently, Ministry of External Affairs welcomed the first group of 11 members of the Sikh and Hindu minority community of Afghanistan, including a community leader who was recently released from captivity.
Issue

• Since a terror attack by an IS gunman killed 25 Sikhs at Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul in March, the small Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan have made multiple appeals to the Indian government for immediate evacuation.

When did Hinduism reach Afghanistan?

• Hindu rulers once reigned over Eastern Afghanistan, including Kabul.
• The Zunbil dynasty is believed to be the earliest Hindus who ruled over Kandahar to Ghazni regions of Afghanistan, from 600 to 780 AD. Also, Islam entered Afghanistan in the 7th century.
• Later the Hindu Shahi dynasty ruled. They were replaced only by the end of the 10th century by Ghaznavids, who maintained Hindu forces.
• It was only in 1504 that Mughal Emperor Babur captured Kabul. Babur used to refer to Kabul as ‘Hindustan’s own market’ and the province of Kabul remained with Hindustan until 1738.

When did Sikhism reach Afghanistan?

• Sikhism founder Guru Nanak visited Afghanistan in the early 16th century and laid the foundation of Sikhism there.
• As per the history of his travels recorded in the earliest janamsakhis, it was during his fourth udaasi (travels) during 1519-21, with his companion Bhai Mardana, that Guru Nanak reached Afghanistan and visited Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Sultanpur.  Kabul was then under Babur’s rule.
• The seventh Sikh Guru, Har Rai, too played a pivotal role in sending Sikh missionaries to Kabul and a dharamsaal (earlier name for gurdwara) was established there.

When did their exodus from the country start?

• There were at least 2 lakh Sikhs and Hindus (in a 60:40 ratio) in Afghanistan until the 1970s.
• The exodus started in 1992 when the Mujahideen (Arabic term for one engaged in jihad) took over. “The Soviet intervention, which started in 1979, lasted for a decade and Afghanistan became a battleground for the Cold War.
• The US and its allies started providing weapons to Mujahideen to fight a proxy war against the Soviet occupation. The Soviets withdrew in 1989.
• The Mujahideen captured Kabul in 1992. Sikhs and Hindus started the exodus and left the country. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, those who remained continued to face persecution.
• Today, 99 % of Hindus and Sikhs in Afghan society have left the country. Afghanistan now refuses to acknowledge them as their natives. There are around 650 Sikhs (90-100 families) and nearly 50 Hindus left in Afghanistan.

Where did those who moved out settle?

• Afghan government issued speedy passports under a scheme called Aab Gang pilgrimage passport (Aab meaning water, Gang meaning river Ganga). 50,000 people left Afghanistan under this scheme and came to India.
• After arriving in India, many Sikhs and Hindus moved to other countries and are currently spread across the UK, Europe, US etc. The majority of Afghan Hindus are now settled in Germany and Sikhs in the UK.

Currently, how many Afghan Sikhs are settled in India?

• Approximately, there are 18,000 Afghan Sikhs living in India, of whom 50-60% have citizenship and the rest are living as refugees or on long-term visas. Most are living in Delhi followed by Punjab and Haryana.

Will the CAA help them?

• The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) is a bill introduced by the Central Government in the Parliament of India in 2019 to primarily amend the Citizenship Act of 1955.
• The main purpose of the bill is to make certain religious communities of illegal migrants or refugees eligible for Indian citizenship – in a fast-track manner.
• The Bill, among other things, seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians who migrated to India till the end of 2014 from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, due to reasons like persecutions.
• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, in effect, seeks to give Indian nationality only to the non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
• The countries from which minorities are allowed include Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but not Myanmar or Sri Lanka.
• Citizenship is granted by relaxing the requirement of residence in India for citizenship by naturalisation from 11 years to 5 years for these migrants.

Context: Recently, the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said it will function as an “apolitical” institution and will continue to support projects in India, which has received the most funding of any country from the bank.
India and AIIB

• India was among the AIIB’s 57 founding members in 2016.
• It is also its second-largest shareholder (with 7.62% voting shares) after China (26.06%).
• It has received USD 4.35 billion from the Bank.
• This is the highest of any country, with the bank so far approving loans of USD 19.6 billion to support 87 projects in 24 countries.
• Turkey is second with USD 1.95 billion.
• AIIB has approved financing projects in India in a host of sectors like energy, transport and water including the Bangalore metro rail project (USD 335 million), Gujarat rural roads project (USD 329 million) and Phase 3 of the Mumbai urban transport project (USD 500 million).
• In a recent virtual meeting, India said that it expects AIIB to introduce new financing instruments, provide financing for social infrastructure and to integrate development of climate resilient and sustainable energy access infrastructure into AIIB’s recovery response to the Covid-19 crisis.
• This implies that India is unlikely to alter its engagement with the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), despite a host of offensive measures announced recently to reduce its trade and investment links with China.

Chinese Angle

• In June 2020, AIIB approved USD 500 million for Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund and Health Systems Preparedness Project and another USD 750 million for Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support, in a co-financing arrangement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• USD 750 million loan was approved two days after the clash in Galwan Valley in Ladakh along the India-China border.
• It has supported several projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework, but is not formally linked to the plan.
• India has concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor - a part of the BRI.

About the AIIB

• The AIIB is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.
• It is headquartered in Beijing and started operations in 2016.
• The bank invests in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors in Asia.
• India is a member of the bank and has the second-largest shareholding and voting rights after China.

AIIB Goals

• To promote sustainable economic development, create wealth and enhance infrastructure connectivity in Asia.
• To augment regional cooperation and partnership.
• To boost investment in the public and private capital for development purposes.
• To promote private investment in projects, activities and businesses contributing to economic development in the region.
• Membership to the bank is open to all members of the Asian Development Bank or the World Bank.
• The bank also allows non-sovereign entities to apply for membership provided their home countries are members.

Context: The government is soon going to come out with a notification on 74% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence.
Background
In May 2020, as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic stimulus package, the government announced a series of measures to promote domestic defence manufacturing. These include:

• A negative import list
• Separate budgetary allocation for domestic procurements
• Indigenisation of spares and components
• Raising the FDI cap through automatic route from 49% to 74%
• Also, the second draft of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020, now renamed as the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has been put out in the public domain for comments.

State of Imports and Exports in the Defence sector

• According to a report released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for the period between 2009-13 and 2014-18, Indian defence imports fell even as exports increased. This is good for a nation that has had the record of being one of the biggest importers of Defence equipment.

Factors responsible for this shift

• ‘Make in India’ initiative, as part of which a number of components from Indian private and public sector enterprises have been prioritised by the government.
• Extraneous factors in the form of delays in supplying equipment by vendors and the outright cancellation of contracts by the Indian government or at least a diminution of existing contracts.

Explaining falling imports

• Growing indigenization is not the sole reason for falling imports. It is also because of the cancellation of some big-ticket items
• India cancelled the India-Russia joint venture for the development of the advanced Su-57 stealth Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) in 2018 due to delays and not having the actual “5th gen” capabilities
• In 2015, we also reduced the size of the original acquisition of 126 Rafale Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) from Dassault to 36 aircraft
• Delays in the supplies of T-90 battle tanks, and Su-30 combat aircraft from Russia and submarines from France, in 2009-13 and 2014-18, also depressed imports.

Export trends

• The trends look positive on the export front. Between 2012 and 2019, Indian defence exports, both Public and private, have seen a surge
• The sharp rise in defence export products can be attributed to the measures introduced by Government
• In 2014, the government delisted or removed several products that were restricted from exports.
• It dispensed with the erstwhile No Objection Certificate (NOC) under the DPP restricting exports of aerospace products, several dual-use items and did away with two-thirds of all products under these heads.
• Small naval crafts account for the bulk of India’s major defence exports. However, export of ammunition and arms remain low.

Context: Recently, the Reserve Bank released its semi annual Financial Stability Report (FSR), which reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability, and the resilience of the financial system in the context of contemporaneous issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector.
Key Points

• The COVID-19 pandemic hit India in a period of growth moderation. The ensuing disruptions in demand conditions and supply chains have been aggravated by global spillovers. 
• Recently the signs of a gradual recovery from the nationwide lockdown are becoming visible in the economy. 
• The financial sector stability is a prerequisite for giving confidence to businesses, investors and consumers and we need to remain extremely watchful and focused.

Key highlights of the report

• The global growth outlook for 2018 and 2019 remains steady although the underlying downside risks have risen.
• The spill-over risk to emerging economies engendered by tightening of financial conditions in Advanced Economies, protectionist trade policies and global geopolitical tension has significantly increased.
• The gradual monetary policy normalisation in advanced economies (AEs) as also the uncertainty in global trade regime may adversely affect capital flows to emerging markets (EMs) and exert upward pressure on EM interest rates and corporate spreads.
• In domestic financial markets, structural shifts in credit intermediation and the evolving interconnectivity between banks and the non-banks call for greater vigilance.

Financial Institutions: Performance and risks

• Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) has improved between March 2018 and September 2018, driven largely by private sector banks (PSBs).
• The asset quality of banks showed an improvement with the gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of SCBs declining from 11.5% in March 2018 to 10.8% in September 2018.
• Under the baseline scenario, the GNPA ratio may decline from 10.8% in September 2018 to 10.3% in March 2019.
• Analysis of the financial network structure for the period September 2017 – September 2018 reveals a shrinking inter-bank market and increasing bank linkages with asset management companies-mutual funds (AMC-MFs) for raising funds and with NBFCs/Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) for lending.

Suggestions 

• All the financial intermediaries need to assess the impact of Covid-19 on their balance sheet, asset quality, liquidity, profitability and capital adequacy for the FY 2020-21 and to work out possible mitigating measures.
• The idea is to ensure continued credit supply to different sectors of the economy and maintain financial stability.
• Financial intermediaries should make risk management in tune with the emerging contingencies.
• The risk management includes, building buffers and raising capital, which will strengthen the internal defences of banks against the risks posed by Covid-19 and also ensure credit flow.
• Recapitalisation plan for Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and private banks since the minimum capital requirements of banks may no longer be sufficient enough to absorb the losses.
• The minimum capital requirements of banks are calibrated based on historical loss events.

About Non-Performing Asset (NPA)

• As per the RBI, an asset becomes non-performing when it stops to generate income for the bank.
• In layman terms, it is a loan for which the principal or interest payment is overdue for a period of 90 days or more.
• In the case of AgricultureLoans, the NPA varies for short duration crops I .e.interest not paid for 2 crop seasons and long duration crops I .e.interest not paid for 1 Crop season. 

It is further classified as- 

• Substandard Assets: These are the assets which have remained NPA for a period of less than or equal to 12 months. 
• Doubtful Assets: If the asset is in the substandard category for a period of 12 months. 
• Loss Assets: These assets are of little value, it can no longer continue as a bankable asset, there could be some recovery value. 

About Financial Stability Report(FSR)

• It is a bi-annual report published by the Reserve Bank of India(RBI).
• Aim: To review the nature, magnitude and implications of risks that may have a bearing on the macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.
• The report is also the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council(FSDC) on risks to financial stability.

Additional Facts

• Financial Stability and Development Council(FSDC): It is an apex level body setup in 2010 on the recommendations of Raghuram Rajan committee(2008).
• Objectives: To strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development.
• Composition: The Chairman of the Council is the Finance Minister and its members include heads of Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA & IRDA), Secretaries of various Departments, Chief Economic Adviser among others.
• FSDC Sub-committee: It has been set up under the chairmanship of Governor, RBI.It meets more often than the full Council.

Context: Recently, the Union Finance Minister has approved 81 projects under the Special Window for Affordable and Mid Income Housing(SWAMIH) fund.
About SWAMIH

• In November 2019, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to set it up.
• SWAMIH Investment Fund has been formed to complete construction of stalled, RERA-registered affordable and mid-income category housing projects which are stuck due to paucity of funds.
• The fund was set up as a Category-II AIF (Alternate Investment Fund) debt fund registered with SEBI.
• The Investment Manager of the Fundis SBICAP Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the State Bank of India.
• The Sponsor of the Fundis the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India on behalf of the Government of India.

Who will be the investors of the fund?

• AIFs created/funded under the Special Window would solicit investment into the fund from the Government and other private investors including cash-rich financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, public and private banks, domestic pension and provident funds, global pension funds and other institutional investors.

Context: Global electronics companies like Samsung, Pegatron, Flex, and Foxconn are in final stages of negotiations to benefit from the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for making mobile phones and certain other specified electronic components in India.
About PLI Scheme

• It proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronics value chain including electronic components and semiconductor packaging.
• It will get an incentive of 4 to 6% to electronic manufacturing companies on incremental sales (over a base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies over a period of next 5 years.
• It shall only be applicable for target segments namely mobile phones and specified electronic components.
• According to the scheme, companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
• In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years.
• The Scheme will be implemented through a Nodal Agency which shall act as a  Project Management Agency (PMA) and be responsible for providing secretarial, managerial and implementation support and carrying out other responsibilities as assigned by MeitY from time to time.

Companies and investments to be considered for incentives 

• Companies: All electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme. 
• These companies can either create a new unit or seek incentives for their existing units from one or more locations in India.
• Investments: Any additional expenditure incurred by companies on the plant, machinery, equipment, research and development and transfer of technology for the manufacture of mobile phones and related electronic items will be eligible for the incentive scheme.
• However, all investment done by companies on land and buildings for the project will not be considered for any incentives or determine the eligibility of the scheme.

Significance

• The scheme will on one hand attract big foreign investment in the sector, while on other encourage domestic mobile phone makers to expand their units and presence in India.
• The scheme will help in building a robust manufacturing ecosystem that will help offset the disability for domestic electronics manufacturing by providing state-of-the-art infrastructure.
• The scheme will contribute significantly to achieving a USD 1 Trillion digital economy and a USD 5 Trillion GDP by 2025.
• Employment generation: The government aims to manufacture electronics worth Rs. 8 lakh crore, while generating employment for about 10 lakh people in the next five years.
• The launch of the PLI scheme along with other electronics incentive schemes, is an effort to promote the central government’s clarion call for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat - a self-reliant India - to enhance its capacity and develop an ecosystem as an asset to the global economy.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has set up a committee to look into the possibility of including what are called "pre-packs" under the current insolvency regime to offer faster insolvency resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
About Pre-Pack

• It is a pre-planned process in which a financially distressed company and its creditors reach an agreement with a buyer for its sale prior to initiating insolvency proceedings.
• The sale then takes place on the date of initiation of insolvency proceedings or after the appointment of insolvency administrator.
• In India’s case, such a system would likely require the approval of the resolution plan from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• The pre-pack would act as an important alternative resolution mechanism to the CIRP and would help lower the burden on the NCLTs.
• The process needs to be completed within 90 days so that all stakeholders retain faith in the system.
• Global Scenario: The pre pack system of insolvency proceedings has become increasingly popular in the UK and Europe over the past decade.

Key benefits of a Pre-Pack

• Pre-packs avoid lengthy negotiations with creditors after the commencement of insolvency proceedings enabling expeditious insolvency resolution with minimal involvement of courts and tribunals.
• In the case of pre-packs, the incumbent management retains control of the company until a final agreement is reached.This is necessary because Transfer of control from the incumbent management to an insolvency professional as is the case in the CIRP leads to disruptions in the business and loss of some high-quality human resources and asset value.
• The pre-packs would mostly be used for businesses that are running, the investors would likely need to maintain good relations with operational creditors.
• Confidentiality: The element of confidentiality prevents destruction of value that takes place on the proclamation of insolvency.
• Sanction of appropriate authority under the statue: The other forms of restructuring do not possess sanctions from appropriate authority but pre-packs work within the fold of statutory schemes, which makes the outcome binding on all the stakeholders.
• Reduction of cost & time in litigation: The pre-pack process has recognition across the globe and the need for a pre-pack process in India is necessary to revive the debt ridden corporates.

Need of Pre-packs in India

• The IBC has a positive impact on the promoters of the corporate debtors in terms of repayment, liquidation is a grave threat to Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP).
• If the CIRP fails that would lead to liquidation which is not good for our economy’s health it might be seen as the best option in the short-run but will have a deep devastating effect for the corporates in the long-run.
• The necessity of the pre-pack is that, there is a possibility that before the pre-pack stage the corporate debtor may enter into management buyout for the transferring of the assets to another entity.
• The risk of the aforementioned situation would not arise if the pre-pack is approved by the Adjudicating Authority.

Key drawbacks of Pre-Pack

• Lack of Transparency: The key drawback of a pre-packaged insolvency resolution is the reduced transparency compared to the CIRP as financial creditors would reach an agreement with a potential investor privately and not through an open bidding process.
• Issue of fair treatment: The system of pre-packs could lead to stakeholders such as operational creditors raising issues of fair treatment when financial creditors reach agreements to reduce the liabilities of the distressed company.
• Legitimacy of Surety: There may be questions of whether secured lenders have been fair to other creditors.
• Hesitation from the Banking Sector: The bankers themselves may hesitate to restructure liabilities outside of an open bidding process for fear of their decisions leading to investigations by agencies.
• Unlike in the case of a full-fledged CIRP which allows for price discovery, in the case of a pre-pack the NCLT would only be able to evaluate a resolution plan based on submissions by the creditors and the investor.

About Corporate insolvency resolution Process (CIRP)

• It requires that the creditors of the distressed company allow for an open auction for qualified investors to bid for the distressed company which is time consuming.
• Even under the CIRP financial creditors make up the committee of creditors which votes to decide the distribution of the proceeds of any resolution plan.
• Cases that take more than 90 days  time should be taken through the normal CIRP.
• Operational creditors tend to get worse recoveries in cases where the company is no longer operational.
• Transfer of control from the incumbent management to an insolvency professional as is the case in the CIRP leads to disruptions in the business and loss of some high-quality human resources and asset value.

About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code(IBC)

• It was implemented through an act of Parliament in 2016.
• It provides for a time-bound process to resolve insolvency and the code applies to companies, partnerships and individuals.

Context: Recently, Ministry of Railways  said that the Indian Railways is on a mission to RFID Tag all wagons by December 2022. It has been fitting radio-frequency identification tags (RFID) in its wagons to track them.
Key Points

• The Railways will complete this process of fitting radio-frequency identification tags (RFID) in all the wagons by December 2022.
• These tags will be used for tracking all wagons. Using RFID devices will be easier for the railways to know the exact position of all the wagons, locomotives and coaches.
• With the introduction of RFID, the issue of shortage of wagons, locomotives and coaches is expected to be addressed more transparently and expeditiously.

Mechanism

• The RFID tag will be fitted in the rolling stock, and trackside readers will be installed at stations.
• Key points will be installed along the tracks to read the tag from a distance of about two meters and transmit the wagon identity over a network to a central computer.
• In this way, each moving wagon can be identified and its movement tracked.

About Radio-frequency identification

• It is a form of wireless communication that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal or person.
• Simply, it is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object.
• A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.

Context: The Rural development ministry will soon rank states on efficient management of financial resources allocated for implementing half a dozen rural development schemes.
Key Points

• During the event of “Strengthening of the Risk-Based Internal Audit of Rural Development Programmes" Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare said that the Financial Management Index for Rural Development Programmes was needed and also launched soon.
• It seeks to rank states on efficient management of financial resources allocated for implementing half a dozen rural development schemes.
• The department has developed a financial management index that will map the performance of states and rank them on the basis of five parameters. 

These include

• preparation of annual plan; 
• expeditious release of due state share;
• timely utilization of the funds and submission of the utilization certificates; 
• optimum implementation of public financial management system (PFMS); 
• optimum implementation of DBT module for the rural employment guarantee scheme, internal audit and the social audit.

Significance

• It is imperative to lay down minimum essential norms of financial management and accountability for ensuring optimal utilization of funds by the state implementing agencies in the wake of ever increasing time bound targets and consequential higher allocation of funds under rural development (RD) programmes, to help them achieve the desired objectives.
• “The Financial Management Index – Rural Development has been designed to capture the performance of the states on the four important pillars of financial management.

Context: Recently, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has launched an incubator capabilities enhancement program ‘AIM-iCREST’.
About AIM-iCREST

• It is an incubator capabilities enhancement programme for a robust ecosystem for creating high-performance start-ups.
• AIM has launched the programme in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wadhwani Foundation.
• It has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and established incubators across the country.
• Under the initiative, AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy, which will help them to significantly enhance their performance.
• It will also provide training to entrepreneurs through technology-driven platforms and processes.

About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

• It is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
• It has been established to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in a holistic manner through various initiatives at school, university and industry levels

The Atal Innovation Mission has thus two core functions:

• Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
• Entrepreneurship promotion: Wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs at Incubation Centres.

It has the following sub-components:

• Atal Tinkering Labs: Creating problem solving mindset across schools in India.
• Atal Incubation Centers: Fostering world class startups and adding a new dimension to the incubator model.
• Atal New India Challenges: Fostering product innovations and aligning them to the needs of various sectors/ministries.
• Mentor India Campaign: A national mentor network in collaboration with the public sector, corporates and institutions, to support all the initiatives of the mission.
• Atal Community Innovation Center: To stimulate community centric innovation and ideas in the unserved /underserved regions of the country including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• Atal Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE): To stimulate innovation and research in the MSME industry.

Context: Recently, the Union Home minister distributed 100 electric potter wheels among as many trained artisans in Gujarat under the ‘Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana.
Kumbhar Sashaktikaran Yojana

• It is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for empowerment of potters’ community in the remotest of locations in the country.
• The main objective of the programme is to bring back the potters’ community to the mainstream.
• Under this programme KVIC identify the areas where clusters of traditional pottery workers are available and provide them training and electric pottery wheels and other tools like blunger, Pug Mill, etc.

Benefits provided under the scheme

The program provides the following support to potters:

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

About KVIC

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission is a statutory body formed by the Government of India, under the ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’.
• It comes under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• KVIC deals with the issues on raw material procurement, wage levels of rural artisans, technological and design interventions and make it a sustainable and export worthy segment.

Context: Recently, the Department of Posts has now extended all small savings schemes upto the Branch Post Office level.
Key Points

• The decision aims to empower rural India by bringing all Post Office Savings schemes to the doorstep of the people living in rural areas. 
• The Extension was done in order to strengthen its network and postal operations in rural areas and provide facility of small savings scheme to the vast majority in villages.

Benefits

• The new order has allowed Branch Post Offices to offer facilities of Public Provident Fund, Monthly Income Scheme, National Savings Certificate, Kisan Vikas Patra and Senior Citizen Savings Schemes also.
• People living in villages will now be able to get the same Post Office Savings Bank facilities which people in urban areas have been availing.
• They will be able to deposit their savings into these popular schemes through the post office in their village itself.

About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is a financial service provider that will operate under the country’s postal department.
• The government-owned payments bank will be able to accept deposits of up to Rs. 1 lakh from customers.
• But they do not have the rights to use these funds to advance risky loans at higher interest rates.
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) offers three types of savings accounts—regular, digital and basic.
• The primary rationale is to help in the goal of achieving financial inclusion.
• India’s age-old postal department has a wide network of branches across India, IPPB can thus offer savings, remittance, and payments services to the rural and unorganised sectors.
• IPPB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deparment of Post, with 100 percent Government of India equity.
• It will be governed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Context: Recently, Turkmenistan has been granted Observer status by the World Trade Organization (WTO ) General Council and has become the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with the trade body.

Key Points

• With this, Turkmenistan has become the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with WTO. 
• The Central Asian country filed a request for Observer status in May and expressed willingness to trigger the talks on accession to the WTO within five years.
• Neighbouring Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan -- have acceded to the WTO, while Uzbekistan has been in on-and-off negotiations on WTO accession since 1994.

World Trade Organization

• It is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations.
• The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.
• WTO is the largest international economic organization in the world.
• The foundation and importance of WTO lies in the  agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments
• It has 164 members and over 20 observer governments. 
• Its goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business in a harmonious, transparent and accountable manner. 

Context: According to an assessment by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, pollution levels in India could reduce 5.2 years from the life expectancy of the average Indian and it most acutely hits people living in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Key Points

• Since 1998, average annual particulate pollution increased by 42 per cent in India.
• All of India’s 1.4 billion population lives in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeded the WHO guideline, and 84 per cent live in regions where it exceeded India’s air quality standard.

Most Affected Regions in India

• Uttar Pradesh is the most polluted state; residents here stand to lose 8.6 years due to Air Pollution.
• Residents of Delhi stand to lose 9.4 years. But the highest is in Lucknow where residents risk losing 10.3 years of life expectancy.

Comparison with other Countries

• India is the second most-polluted country globally after Bangladesh, while Nepal, Singapore and Pakistan are the other top countries.
• Singapore, China and India were the three most polluted countries in 1998 with the Chinese losing 3.6 years of life to pollution but by 2018, China was the seventh most polluted and had improved its life expectancy by 1.3 years. Singapore has also improved.
• China declared war against pollution in 2013 with some aggressive reforms. Since then, three-quarters of the world’s reductions in pollution have come from China and it has reduced PM 2.5 pollution by nearly 40% during the period according to the analysis.

Causes

• Industrialization, economic development and population growth.
• Increased energy demand.
• Increased number of stationary and mobile sources of air pollution.

About Air Quality Life Index

• It converts air pollution concentrations into their impact on life expectancy. 
• It helps determine the benefits of air pollution policies in perhaps the most important measure that exists: longer lives.
• It is produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), based on frontier research by EPIC’s director Michael Greenstone that quantified the causal relationship between human exposure to air pollution and reduced life expectancy.
• It makes evident that policies that reduce fossil fuel use can allow people to live longer and healthier lives today, as well as reduce the risks of disruptive climate change.

Objectives of National Clean Air Program

• To augment and evolve effective and proficient ambient air quality monitoring networks across the country for ensuring a comprehensive and reliable database.
• To have efficient data dissemination and public outreach mechanism for timely measures for prevention and mitigation of air pollution
• To ensure inclusive public participation in both planning and implementation of the programmes and policies of government on air pollution
• To have a feasible management plan for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

Context: A group of residents and environmentalists recently sent an online petition to the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) seeking to reconsider the terms of reference (TOR) clearance for the PHESP in the Nilgiris. 
About Sillahalla pumped hydro-electric storage project (PHESP) 

• It is located in the Nilgiris District of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 
• The upper reservoir is planned in Udhagamandalam & Kundah taluk and lower reservoir is planned in Kundah taluk of the Nilgiris district. 
• The Upper dam is located on Sillahalla stream which is a tributary of Kundah River. 
• The Sillahalla River joins Kundah River about 1.4 km upstream of Kundah Palam dam of existing Kundah Power House – I project. 
• The installed capacity of existing Kundah Power House – I is 60MW and the inflows of Sillahalla, Kanarhalla and other small tributaries are stored in Kundah Palam dam. 
• The water stored in Kundah Palam dam is discharged to Kundah Power house-II (5*35MW) through tunnel and 5 nos. penstocks and let into Pegumbahallah dam across Kundah river.The Kundah River ultimately joins Bhavani River near Pillur in Coimbatore.

Ongoing concern

• In the appeal made to the Expert Appraisal Committee for River Valley Projects, the signatories pointed out that “The Kundah watershed region in the Nilgiris supports important last remaining vestiges of the Shola-grassland mosaic vegetation, which is one of the most endangered vegetation types in India. 
• This region has crucial amounts of green cover in terms of forested tracts (plantations) which have been naturalised and serve as important habitat and corridors for endangered populations of wildlife.” 
• The proposed Sillahalla project, once implemented, will result in the construction of an upper and a lower reservoir along the Sillahalla stream and also past the existing Kundah Palam dam, and could lead to the direct submergence of 170 hectares of land. 

About Toda Tribe  

• Toda Tribe is a pastoral tribe of the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. 
• The Toda language is Dravidian but is the most unusual and different among the languages belonging to the Dravidian family. 
• They live in settlements of from three to seven small thatched houses. 
• They traditionally trade dairy products, as well as cane and bamboo articles, with the other Nilgiri peoples. 
• The traditional Toda dress is a distinctive shawl which is called putukuli. In the Toda language it is called pohor. It enjoys a ‘Geographical Indication Tag’. 
• The embroidery is done by Toda women and has distinctive red and black (and occasionally blue) thread work in geometric designs on unbleached white cotton fabric.

Context: For the second time in one week, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had to reduce water production capacity by 25 percent after high levels of ammonia were detected in the Yamuna river.
What is ammonia and what are its effects? 

• Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products. 
• Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage. 
• If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes. In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs. 

Source of ammonia in Yamuna  

• The most likely source is believed to be effluents from dye units, distilleries and other factories in Panipat and Sonepat districts in Haryana, and also sewage from some unsewered colonies in this stretch of the river. 

How is it treated? 

• The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) at present does not have any specific technology to treat ammonia. The only solution it adapts is to reduce production at three water treatment plants — Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla — which are largely affected by the pollutant. 
• In addition to this, the board mixes raw water that carries high concentration of ammonia with fresh supply from Munak canal, which brings Yamuna water from Munak area in Haryana to Delhi. The amount of chlorine added to disinfect raw water is also increased when high levels of ammonia are detected. 
• With the completion of a new unit of the Chandrawal water treatment plant by 2022, fitted with advanced technologies and filters, the DJB expects it can treat ammonia levels up to 4 ppm. 

What is the long-term solution to the problem? 

• Stringent implementation of guidelines against dumping harmful waste into the river, and making sure untreated sewage does not enter the water are two things pollution control bodies are expected to do. However, neither Haryana nor Delhi have been able to ensure the same. 
• But, a more organic method agreed upon by environmentalists and experts is to maintain a sustainable minimum flow, called the ecological flow. This is the minimum amount of water that should flow throughout the river at all times to sustain underwater and estuarine ecosystems and human livelihoods, and for self regulation. 
• The lack of a minimum ecological flow also means accumulation of other pollutants. After water is extracted from the river for treatment in North East Delhi, what flows is mostly untreated sewage and refuse from homes, run off from storm water drains and effluents from unregulated industry. 

About Yamuna River

• The river Yamuna is a major tributary of river Ganges.
• Originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandarpoonch peaks in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
• It meets the Ganges at the Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh after flowing through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.
• Tributaries: Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken.

Context: Recently, a new study says that as Arctic ice keeps melting, polar bears will be driven to starvation and reproductive failure within the next sixty years.
Key Findings

• Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 26,000 polar bears left, spread out across 19 different subpopulations that range from the icescapes of Svalbard, Norway, to Hudson Bay in Canada to the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Siberia.
• Rising global temperatures, due to carbon emissions, have caused large amounts of Arctic sea ice to melt, leaving polar bears with smaller habitats to sustain themselves on.
• The study is the first to predict when and where Arctic warming will threaten the bears' survival.
• Polar bears, who rely on Arctic sea ice to hunt for seals, have long been a symbol of the impacts of the climate crisis. As the ice melts, they lose the ability to sustain themselves.

About Polar bears

• Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean.
• Its Native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses.
• They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellant coat that insulates them from the cold air and water.
• Considered talented swimmers, they can sustain a pace of six miles per hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat like a rudder.
• Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food.
• Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive.
• IUCN status– vulnerable species

Threats

• Sea ice loss from climate change is cited as the single biggest threat to their survival.
• Other threats to the bears include increased commercial activities, pollution, disease, inadequate habitat protection (of denning and seasonal resting areas), and the potential for over-harvest in smaller or declining polar bear populations.

Context: Recently, the Haryana Forest Department has started aerial seeding on a pilot basis throughout the state. The drive will touch the Aravalli region of Faridabad district as well. 
About Aerial seeding 

• It is a technique of plantation wherein seed balls, seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char and other components are sprayed on the ground using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters or drones.
• Mechanism Involved- Firstly the seeds balls or seed pellets are dispersed in a targeted area by the low-flying drones, falling to the ground. 
• The coating of clay, compost, char and other material provides the required weight for seeds to drop on a predetermined location rather than disperse in the wind.
• These pellets will then sprout when there is enough rain, with the nutrients present within them helping in the initial growth.
• The species selected have to be native to the area and hardy, with seeds that are of an appropriate size for preparing seed balls and have to have a higher survival percentage. 
• It is also important that the timing of the seeding be correct in order for the plantation to be successful.

Benefits of this method

• It can be useful in areas that are inaccessible, have steep slopes, is fragmented or disconnected with no forest routes and conventional plantation is difficult in such locations. 
• It is known as the “fire and forget” way of plantation because the process of the seed’s germination and growth requires no attention after it is dispersed. 
• It eliminates the need for ploughing and digging holes in the soil and the seeds do not need to be planted, since they are already surrounded by soil, nutrients, and microorganisms.
• The clay shell of these pellets along with the other items in the mixture also protects them from birds, ants, rats and other rodents. 
• It will provide work opportunities to the local community, especially women, who can prepare the seed balls.
• We can use cloud seeding to reduce the impact of droughts.

Implementation

• The method is being implemented on 100 acres of land to test efficacy of the seed dispersal mechanism and review the success rate.
• The species that will be planted through aerial seeding include Acacia senegal (Khairi), Ziziphus mauritiana (Beri), and Holarrhena spp (Inderjo), all of which have a higher chance of survival in these areas.
• Also, site specific grass seeds will also be added to the mix as they serve as good soil binders.

Significance

• It will provide work opportunities to the local community, especially women, who can prepare the seed balls.
• The method will be useful since there are many areas that are either difficult to reach or inaccessible altogether, making traditional methods of plantation difficult.

Challenges

• Specific atmospheric conditions must exist for cloud seeding to work.
• The effectiveness of cloud seeding is still under review as the Cloud seeding is not a 100% guarantee.
• Cloud seeding is an expensive venture.
• Cloud seeding could produce different forms of weather-related damage.

Road Ahead

• This pilot project is being carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology and the dispersal mechanism. 
• It is not meant to replace the conventional methods rather it is to supplement them. 

Context: Recently, the Union government has launched the Green-Ag Project in Mizoram, to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.
About Green-Ag Project

• The Green-Ag project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land-use systems.
• It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.
• The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

Implementing agencies

• The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) is the national executing agency.
• Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environment Ministry (MoEF&CC).

Regions of implementation
The project has been launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely

• Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
• Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
• Odisha: Similipal Landscape
• Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape
• Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape

Expected Outcomes

• Ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.
• Help local people take advantage of the rich agro-biodiversity.
• Promotion of secondary agriculture
• Establishment of green value chains

Context: Recently,  Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, the low-lying floodplains of Goa host an estuarine agricultural system called Khazan farming.
About Khazan Farming

• A Khazan is a marvel of tribal engineering. It probably originated among the prehistoric Gauda Tribes of Goa.
• They had a fantastic working knowledge of the rhythm of the monsoons and the flow of water during the tides.
• They also knew how to build bunds, dikes, canals, and sluice gates to control the flow of this water. As a result of this primitive but highly effective technology, they were able to reclaim vast tracts of mangrove forests, and other coastal lands and put that land to other uses. Growing paddy, cultivating prawns, and panning salt, were the three main uses for the Khazan lands.
• Their knowledge of the flow of water and their ability to control that flow was truly impressive. Especially when you keep in mind that they created such systems almost 3500 years ago. With simple primitive technology.
• They usually picked an agriculture field near the waterfront, along with an inner small embankment. To this area, they built protective dikes ( the inner dikes are called mero, the thick outer dikes are called bunds) and sluice gates, which were opened and closed at specific times to control the flow of water
• There is also a shallow pit called a ‘poiem’ and a water channel to circulate water into the fields. Most of these were made by hand with rudimentary materials such as mud, clay, and straw.

How does it work?

• Centuries ago, people in this region reclaimed low-lying brackish coastal floodplains and mangrove forests.
• They constructed bunds using locally available material to prevent the ingress of saltwater, which killed the halophilic mangroves.
• To control the flow of tidal waters, they built openings in bunds fitted with one-way gates.
• These channels would fill in with the oncoming tide and bring with them fish, crab and shrimp, and the gates would automatically shut when the water level was equal on both sides.
• This prevented the water from overflowing into the fields used to grow paddy and which has a low tolerance to salt.
• When the tide receded, these gates would open outwards automatically, allowing the water to drain out.
• During this time, a bag net was set at the gate to catch fish that had entered in earlier.

Benefits of Khazan

• Every bit of space was precious and used efficiently — the bunds were used to grow a variety of vegetables.
• The Khazan system allowed for the farmer and the fisher to harmoniously coexist and was the key to sustaining what is considered Goa’s staple — fish, curry and rice.

Context: Recently, PM of India appealed to the farmers in North-East States to take up oil palm cultivation with an aim to make India self-sufficient in edible oils.
Issue

• India is heavily dependent on imported edible oils. With nearly 15 million tonnes (or nearly 68 per cent) of edible oils gets imported to meet the country’s annual requirements of about 22 million tonnes. 
• Of the total 15 million tonnes of imports, nearly 60 per cent or about 9 million tonnes is palm oils.
• Imports will continue to rise, going by the current Indian crop scenario.
• Palm oil imports constitute nearly 75 per cent of the total edible oil imports

Palm oil in India’s northeast

• India is pushing for palm cultivation in the north-eastern states of Assam, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh to increase production of oil, a commodity that costs the country millions in imports annually.
• While expanding oil palm in India’s northeast will serve the larger purpose of oil security, experts fear that organised plantations may harm biodiversity in the region.
• To reduce its import bill on edible oils, government of India is building capacity for local production.

About Palm Oil

• Palm Oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees, having the scientific name  Elaeis guineensis. 
• Palm oil is an incredibly efficient crop, producing more oil per land area than any other equivalent vegetable oil crop fulfilling 35% of the world’s vegetable oil demand on just 10% of the land.
• Two types of oil can be produced, crude palm oil comes and palm kernel oil, of which crude has more demand.
• Palm oil is an extremely versatile oil that has many different properties and is present in nearly 50 per cent packaged.
• Currently, Indonesia and Malaysia make up over 85% of global supply but there are 42 other countries that also produce palm oil.

Advantages of Oil Palm Cultivation

• Oil palm yields highest edible oil among the other oil crops.
• Farmers can get extra income by intercropping in pre-bearing period of oil palms.
• There is no risk of theft and provides local employment.
• This crop assures monthly income and good market price throughout the year.
• Farmers can expect high returns which results in uplift of economic status.
• Palm oil substitutes import of edible oil by saving valuable foreign exchange.
• Palm is generally the cheapest commodity vegetable oil and also the cheapest oil to produce and refine globally.
• Pal oil is among the most productive and profitable of tropical crops for bio fuel production.

Ecology at stake

• Palm oil is a long-term monoculture crop, replacing shifting cultivation landscapes with oil palm will definitely be detrimental to biodiversity.
• Palm oil requires major chemical inputs, that will increase pollution, especially water pollution.
• Palm oil will destroy forests, and is likely to alter social structure and dynamics on tribal communities, enhancing socio-economic inequalities.

Social Impact

• Conflict can occur between communities and companies over rights to land.
• Displacement of rural farmers can lead them to move on to new areas of untouched forest to clear land for farming.
• Culturally important sites can often be lost due to the development of plantations.

Road Ahead

• Mapping and monitoring, supported by an appropriate regulatory framework are necessary to achieve sustainable management of oil palm production.
• Analysis of spatial data, including from remote sensing, is a key tool to improve monitoring of legal and sustainable plantations.
• Protect the tropical forests by designing new strategies that connect forest carbon and bio fuel markets in order to reduce GHG emissions, conserve biodiversity and promote economic growth.

Context: Recently, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) held an online meeting on antibiotic use in the dairy sector and also published a survey report on it.
Key Points

• In a survey report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the issue of extensive misuse of antibiotics in the dairy sector has surfaced.
• The meeting highlighted that the milk sold directly to consumers and the processed milk sold in packets are not tested and stay largely unchecked for antibiotic residues.

Concerns

• Inadequate Focus on Testing: There is an inadequate focus on testing for antibiotic residues in the milk collected by State federations, which process it and sell it as packaged milk.
• Extensive Misuse: Antibiotics are extensively misused in the dairy sector. Such chemical-intensive food leads to antibiotic resistance.
• No Professional Help: Farmers often inject animals on their own judgment of signs and symptoms of a disease without any veterinary supervision.
• Indiscriminate Usage: Dairy farmers indiscriminately use antibiotics for diseases such as mastitis (infection/inflammation of the udder) which is a common ailment in dairy animals.
• The antibodies used by them often include Critically Important Antibiotics (CIAs) for humans.
• The WHO has warned that the CIAs should be preserved in view of the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance.
• Farmers often sell milk while the animal is under treatment, which increases the chances of antibiotic residues.
• Easy Availability: The antibiotics are easily available without the prescription of a registered veterinarian and stocked at farms.

Suggestion

• The wise use of antibiotics is not a substitute for, but a complement to, good sanitation and husbandry practices.
• Extensive use of low-level antibiotics in feeds has brought about concern for potential harmful effects due to the development of resistant strains of organisms in host animals that might compromise animal as well as human health.
• Veterinary supervision is essential in treating dairy animals. It must be ensured that antibiotics are not available without a prescription.
• Focus must be laid on routine surveillance and testing for antibiotic residues in the milk collected before being processed and sold.
• The abused antibiotics, despite a law against it, are easily available without the prescription of a registered veterinarian and stocked at farms. Effective implementation of the laws is the key.
• It is important to completely stop the use of critically important antibiotics and penalise their use.
• Stakeholders must work with farmers and the agriculture-dairy sectors to innovate on solutions.

About Antimicrobial resistance

• It is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.
• Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines.
• Bacteria, not humans or animals, become antibiotic-resistant. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.
• Antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality.
• Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today.

Context: Recently, Hurricane Hanna has made landfall (the point at which a hurricane reaches land) in Texas with life-threatening storm surge and strong winds.
Issue

• Officials have also warned about a life-threatening storm surge and strong winds which will result in severe flash flooding and isolated minor to moderate river flooding.
• Hurricane Hanna will produce heavy rains across portions of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Probable Cause

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had announced that this year, an “above-normal” hurricane season is expected in the US.  
• One of the reasons behind this is the warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, along with weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon.

About Huriccane Hanna

• It has reached wind speeds of up to 90 mph and is expected to produce heavy rains across portions of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, which will result in flash flooding and isolated minor to moderate river flooding.
• It has been categorised as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS).
• This year, an “above-normal” hurricane season is expected in the USA.
• One reason for this is the warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, along with weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon.

Additional Facts

• Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
• These are formed over the warm ocean waters near the equator.
• Hurricanes typically form between 5 to 15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator.
• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: It is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage.

Context: Recently, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified draft notification seeking comments and suggestions from the public for amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1979 for inclusion of Hydrogen enriched-CNG (HCNG) as an automotive fuel.
About Hydrogen-CNG

• HCNG is a vehicle fuel which is a blend of compressed natural gas and hydrogen, typically 8-50% hydrogen by volume.
• Existing natural gas engines can be used with HCNG, although higher hydrogen blends require re-tuning of the engines for optimal performance. Studies indicate that HCNG mixtures with 20- 30% hydrogen by volume are optimal for vehicle performance and emissions reduction.
• Delhi has become India’s first city to launch hydrogen-enriched CNG (HCNG) buses in 2019. 

Advantages 

• No retrofitting required: It does not need any modification of the engine or retrofitting. Only some calibration is required thus allowing governments and agencies to promote the use of hydrogen to a greater number of people at less cost. It is usable with the existing CNG infrastructure. It requires only small hydrogen storage and a column for the mixing of hydrogen with natural gas. Safety properties are similar to CNG.
• Lower pollutant emissions: Global HCNG testing to date has demonstrated the fuel’s potential to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (approximately 70%), and hydrocarbon emissions (approximately 15%) vehicle emissions compared to traditional CNG. Hydrogen addition to natural gas can decrease the engine’s unburned hydrocarbons and speed up the combustion process.
• Improves fuel economy: It improves the engine efficiency, lowers fuel consumption by up to 5 percent as compared to a CNG bus.
• The thermal efficiency of both Natural gas and HCNG increases with an increase in load which makes it an ideal fuel for high load applications and heavy-duty vehicles. 

Issues involved 

• Determining the most optimized hydrogen/compressed natural gas ratio: If the hydrogen faction increases above a certain limit, it will result in abnormal combustion such as pre-ignition, knock and backfire occur.
• Ensure safe infrastructure: Probably the most evident challenge for wide-spread use of the new fuel is the current lack of infrastructure. Similar to other gaseous fuels, natural gas and hydrogen are both lighter than air, therefore if there is a leak it will quickly disperse into the air with adequate ventilation.
• Cost and continuous availability: The cost of Hydrogen is higher than cost of Natural gas resulting in HCNG being costlier than CNG. Further, the continuous availability of HCNG needs to be assured before embarking on its major use in IC engines.
• Continued engine performance, emissions, and durability testing in a variety of engine types and sizes need to be developed to increase consumer and manufacturer confidence.

About Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

• CNG is a fossil fuel substitute for other auto fuels such as petrol, diesel, Auto LPG etc.
• It is made by compressing natural gas, (which is mainly composed of methane, CH4).
• CNG is quite economical and eco-friendly than the conventional liquid auto fuels.
• When CNG reaches the combustion chamber, it mixes with air, is ignited by a spark and the energy from the explosion moves the vehicle.
• CNG delivers high performance at low cost, as it gives your vehicle a better mileage.
• CNG does not contaminate or dilute crankcase oil, giving the engine an extended life.

Context: Recently, a study by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), pertaining to the exploration of the elastic properties of rocks and seismicity in Arunachal Himalaya, has revealed that the area is generating moderate earthquakes at two different crustal depths.

• WIHG is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India.
• The region has been placed into Seismic Zone V, thus most vulnerable to earthquakes.

Key findings of the Study

• WIHG has installed 11 broadband seismic stations (connected through the Global Positioning System) along the Lohit River Valley of Arunachal Himalaya to understand the elastic properties of rocks and seismicity in the easternmost part of India.
• It used both teleseismic (earthquakes that occur more than 1000 km from the measurement site) and local earthquake data with the help of seismometers.
• A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground motions, such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions.

Latest Findings

• Two Different Crustal Depths: Low magnitude earthquakes are concentrated at 1-15 km depth, whereas slightly higher than 4.0 magnitude earthquakes are mostly generated from 25-35 km depth.
• The intermediate-depth is devoid of seismicity and coincides with the zone of fluid/partial melts.
• High Poisson’s Ratio: Extremely high Poisson’s ratio was also obtained in the higher parts of the Lohit Valley, indicating the presence of fluid or partial melt at crustal depths.
• Poisson's ratio is a measure of the Poisson effect that describes the expansion or contraction of a material in directions perpendicular to the direction of loading.
• A high Poisson’s ratio denotes that the material exhibits large elastic deformation, even when exposed to small amounts of strain.

Significnace
Underthrusting of the Indian Plate

• Himalaya is a result of collision between the Indian and the Eurasian plates about 50-60 million years ago. Due to continuous underthrusting of Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate, stresses are increasing and accumulating progressively in the Himalayas.
• The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate which includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Chersky Range in East Siberia.
• This process keeps modifying the drainage patterns and landforms and is the pivotal reason for causing an immense seismic hazard in the Himalayan mountain belt and adjoining regions, necessitating assessment and characterization of earthquakes in terms of cause, depth and intensity.
• The Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone: TTSZ is a major part of the Eastern Himalaya, where the Himalaya takes a sharp southward bend and connects with the Indo-Burma Range.
• This part has gained importance in recent times due to the growing need of constructing roads and hydropower projects, therefore emphasising the need for understanding the pattern of seismicity in this region.
• Crustal Thickness: The crustal thickness in this area varies from 46.7 km beneath the Brahmaputra Valley to about 55 km in the higher elevations of Arunachal, with a marginal uplift of the contact.
• This marginal uplift defines the boundary between crust and the mantle, technically called the Moho discontinuity.
• The Moho discontinuity has been defined by the distinct change in velocity of seismological waves as they pass through changing densities of rock.

About Arunachal Himalayas

• The Himalayan range enters Arunachal Pradesh from Bhutan at the West Kameng district. The region is a series of high ridges and low valleys and the altitude in the region varies from 800 m to7,000 m above sea level.
• Dafla Hills, Miri Hills, Abhor Hills, Mishmi Hills and among others are found in the Arunachal Himalayas region.
• These mountains are dissected by numerous rivers like the Kameng, Subhanshri, Dihang, Lohit etc.
• Himalayan ranges take sharp southward bends known as Syntaxial bend at two locations namely, the Western Syntaxial bend and Eastern Syntaxial bend.  The Western Syntaxial bend is located near the Nanga Parbat in the vicinity of the Indus River. While the Eastern Syntaxial bend is located near Namcha Barwa in the Arunachal Himalayas in the vicinity of Dihang River.

Context: Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare held a meeting with World Bank representatives to bring large Ravines of Gwalior–Chambal region under agriculture.
About Ravines

• Badland topography is a major feature of the Chambal valley is characterized by an undulating floodplain, gullies and ravines.
• Ravines are a type of fluvial erosional feature and are formed as a result of constant vertical erosion by streams and rivers flowing over semi-arid and arid regions.

Its formation

• Researchers consider the regional climate as a major factor in the formation of ravines.
• Climate indeed plays a huge role by supplying the water in the form of rain or snow as well as providing the tempserature variations.
• However, the ravines of Chambal are a bit difficult to be explained solely on climatic terms.
• The region through which the Chambal River flows does not receive enough rainfall to create ravines that are 60–80 m deep.
• Researchers have attributed neotectonic activities to the Chambal ravines genesis

Other factors

• It is well known that rivers are full of energy and actively erode in their initial phases and progressively become passive as they attain their base levels.
• But sometimes, due to tectonic movements, the base level may be lowered further thus energizing the river and reactivating the erosion. This is known as River Rejuvenation.
• Moreover, wind erosion has also contributed to the formation of Chambal ravines.

About Badlands 

• They are erosional landforms of highly dissected morphology that are created on soft bedrock in a variety of climate conditions.
• They develop in arid to semiarid areas where the bedrock is poorly cemented and rainfall is generally heavy and intermittent.
• The dry, granular surface material and light vegetation are swept from the slopes during showers, leaving the gullies bare.

The Distribution of Badlands in India

• According to one estimate, most of the badlands in India, which are presently sculptured by rills, gullies and ravines, were once covered by thick deciduous forest. 
• The factors and processes of deforestation throughout the country were industrialisation, railway building, extension of settlement and agricultural activities.
• In Uttar Pradesh, the problem of ravine erosion and formation of badlands has been noticed along the Yamuna. Chambal, Gomati and their tributaries flowing through the districts of Etawah. Mathura, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Agra and Mirzapur. 
• In Madhya Pradesh, badlands are seen along Chambal, Sindh and their tributaries critically affecting districts like Shivpur. Morena. Bhind, Gwalior, Ujjain and Mandsor. 
• In Rajasthan, the problem of gully erosion is most acute along the Chambal  and its tributaries like Banas, Kalisindh, Parbati, Mej and Morel. Districts like Kota, Bundi, Sawai. Madhopur, Tonk, Jhaleswar. Jaipur and Bharatpur districts are most affected. 
• Bihar also has significant areas under ravenous lands in Hazaribagh, Ranchi. Singhbhum district of Chotanagpur plateau. 
• In West Bengal, gully eroded and shallow ravinous badlands occur in the fringe areas of Chotanagpur plateau and adjoining Rarh upland. The Chotanagpur plateau consist four erosion surfaces and interconnecting scarps that have been marked by three intermittent uplifts from early Tertiary to Pleistocene.

Badland Topography

• In arid regions occasional rainstorms produce numerous rills and channels which extensively erode weak sedimentary formations.
• Ravines and gullies are developed by linear fluvial erosion leading to the formation of badland topography. Example: Chambal Ravines.

Context: Recently, a report named Sustainable Ocean Economy for 2050: Approximating Its Benefits and Costs released by the World Resources Institute.

• According to the report, Offshore wind energy generation can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as increase return on the investment made to scale up these technologies.

About Ocean Economy

• The ocean and its resources provide key ecosystem services and benefits (including food, energy, recreational/ cultural services and trading/transport routes) that are crucial for human wellbeing and the prosperity of the global economy.
• However, climate change, overfishing, pollution and a loss of biodiversity and coastal ecosystems are eroding the ability of the ocean to sustain livelihoods and prosperity.

Key Points
Focusing on four ocean-based policy interventions:

• Conserving and restoring mangrove habitats
• Scaling up offshore wind production.
• Decarbonizing the international shipping sector
• Increasing the production of sustainably sourced ocean-based proteins.
• Sustainable ocean-based investments yield benefits at least five times greater than the costs.
• Investing $2.0–$3.7 trillion globally across the four areas from 2020 to 2050 would generate $8.2–$22.8 trillion in net benefits (average $15.5 trillion), implying a Rate of Return on Investment of 400–615 per cent.

ROI on Scaling up Offshore Wind Energy

• An increase in offshore wind energy generation between 650 and 3,500 terawatt-hours (TWh) every year by 2050 was also estimated to take place.
• Most offshore installations are currently in Europe, but a significant increase was expected in Asia, especially in China.
• Reduction of 0.3-1.61 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year by 2050.
• The total discounted health benefits by transitioning to offshore renewable energy were pegged between $0.15 trillion and $4.4 trillion by 2020–50.
• The benefits of water savings can be between $1.3 billion and $1.4 trillion over 2020-50.

Context: Recently, the Union Minister of Environment has launched piloting of the National Transit Pass System.
Key Points

• The National Pass System enhances seamless movement of forest produce.
• It is an initiative under Digital India Movement.
• The pilot project will be functional in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
• It will make the process of getting permits faster and without physically going to get the pass.
• It will bring ease of business and expedite issuance of transit permits for timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce without physically going to forest offices.
• It will replace manual paper-based transit system by online transit system.
• It will bring in one permit for whole India for transit of timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce for ease of doing business.
• A species exempted in one state, may not be exempted in other states and transit of such species in another state requires transit pass.
• It is a role-based and work-flow based application available on computers and mobile devices.

Context: Recently, the Bombay High Court said that the Nag river has become extremely polluted due to industrialisation and urbanisation.
Key Points

• The Bench said unless a comprehensive plan dealing with all aspects of the clean-up, beautification and maintenance of the river is drawn up, “no major success in restoring the river to its original state is going to be achieved”. 
• The river serves as drainage for Nagpur and as a result its ecosystem is heavily polluted by urban waste from the city.  

About Nag River

• The Nagpur city derives its name from the Nag river which passes through the city.
• The Nag river originates from the Ambazari Lake in west Nagpur.
• Major Tributaries - Pili river.
• End point - confluence with Kanhan River.

Current ongoing project

• Nag River Rejuvenation was cleared by National River Conservation Directorate in November 2019. 
• Share of Centre in the project is 60%, 25% of state and remaining 15% of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). 
• Japan International Cooperation Agency is expected to approve long term loan for shares of Centre and State. 
• France-based AFD (French Development Agency) is preparing the Detailed Project Report and likely to approve long term loan for the project. 
• Expected cost for Rejuvenation and Beautification is approx. 1600 crores. 

Context: Recently, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has launched the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) Mobile App ‘BIS-Care’ and three portals namely the Standardization, Conformity Assessment and Training Portals of e-BIS for consumers.

• BIS is the National Standard Body of India for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods.

About BIS-Care App

• The app can be operated on any Android phone and is operational in Hindi and English language.
• Consumers can check the authenticity of the ISI-marked and hallmarked products and lodge complaints using this app.
• It is important to ensure that consumers are aware of the standards and quality products and help in eliminating the supply of sub-standard products.
• e-BIS:
• e-BIS is an integrated portal covering all functions of BIS, enlisting the services of outside agencies for factory and market surveillance and development of mobile app-based and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled surveillance methods.
• Certification and surveillance to enforce the implementation of standards is an important aspect of BIS functioning which is also strengthening its capacity of enforcement by the implementation of e-BIS.

Other Steps Taken

• BIS has been playing an important role in the formulation of Quality Control Orders (QCO) to make the standards mandatory.
• It has actively collaborated with various Ministries and Departments to help them issue QCOs for various products.
• After standards become mandatory, manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, have to comply with them.
• BIS is developing a portal on Consumer Engagement, which will facilitate the online registration of Consumer Groups, submission of proposals and approval thereof and complaint management.
• BIS plans to implement One Nation, One Standard which is under examination and will be launched soon.
• For that purpose, it has formulated a scheme for the recognition of other Standard Development Organizations in the country with the objective of harmonization of the standard formulation.
• The Standard National Action Plan has been approved and important sectors of the economy for the development of standards have been identified.
• BIS developed Covid-19 standards for Cover-all and Ventilators and issued norms for grant of licence for N95 Masks, surgical masks and eye protectors which has resulted in an increased production of ISI-marked Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) items.
• BIS has expanded and modernised its labs and has been creating testing facilities for drinking water and assaying of gold jewellery.
• It has formulated a comprehensive Training Policy and has been imparting training to various stakeholders through its National Institute of Standardization at Noida.
• There have been efforts to integrate the standards into the curriculum of professional education in the country and for that, an Approach Paper has been developed and shared with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and other stakeholders.

Road Ahead

• To achieve the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and protect the interests of consumers, BIS had to further strengthen its efforts to formulate standards in the areas important for boosting India’s exports and regulating the import of cheap and sub-standard products.

Context: Recently, the Union Ministery for Chemicals and Fertilizers launched four schemes of Department of Pharmaceuticals for promotion of domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and medical devices parks in the country.
Background

• The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third-largest in the world in terms of volume and the 14th largest in terms of value.
• India contributes 3.5% of the total medicines and drugs exported globally.
• However, India is still dependent on imports for bulk drugs.
• Bulk drugs are critical basic raw materials that are used to produce the finished dosage formulations.
• The growth of the pharmaceutical sector is contingent upon the ability to ensure the uninterrupted supply of quality bulk drugs and the capacity to upscale their manufacturing during emergency situations.
• It is therefore highly desirable to achieve self-reliance in bulk drug manufacturing.
• This scheme is promoted with a view to bring down the manufacturing cost of bulk drugs and increase competitiveness in the industry.
• Bulk drugs are also called Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).
• China’s Hubei province is considered the hub of the API industry.
• Around 70% of the Indian API imports come from China.

Objectives of the scheme

• The chief objective of the scheme is to reduce the cost of bulk drug manufacturing in the country and reduce dependence on imports for the same.
• To promote setting up of bulk drug parks in the country for providing easy access to world-class Common Infrastructure Facilities (CIF) to bulk drug units located in the park.
• To help industry meet the standards of the environment at a reduced cost through innovative methods of common waste management system.
• To exploit the benefits arising due to the optimization of resources and economies of scale.

About the scheme

• The scheme envisages the creation of 3 bulk drug parks in the country.
• It is a central sector scheme with a total financial outlay of Rs.3000 Crore.
• The grant-in-aid will be 90% of the project cost in the case of North-East and hilly States and 70% in the case of other States. Maximum grant-in-aid for one bulk drug park is limited to Rs.1000 crore.
• The duration of the scheme is from 2020 to 2025.
• The parks will have common facilities such as solvent recovery plant, distillation plant, power & steam units, common effluent treatment plant, etc.
• For implementing the scheme, the respective state government will set up a State Implementing Agency (SIA).
• The SIA will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Bulk Drug Park.

Context: Recently, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into force in 2020, and as provided in the act – the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has been established.
About Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

• It is being constituted under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 replacing the 1986 act seeking to widen its scope in addressing consumer concerns, hence CCPA is a Statutory Body.
• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 recognises offences such as providing false information regarding the quality or quantity of a good or service, and misleading advertisement.
• It also specifies action to be taken if goods and services are found “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe”.
• It aims to protect the rights of the consumer by cracking down on unfair trade practices, and false and misleading advertisements that are detrimental to the interests of the public and consumers.
• It will have the powers to inquire or investigate into matters relating to violations of consumer rights or unfair trade practices suo motu, or on a complaint received, or on a direction from the central government.
• The objective of the CCPA is to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.

It will be empowered to:

• Conduct investigations into violation of consumer rights
• Institute complaints/prosecution
• It can file complaints of violation of consumer rights or unfair trade practices before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
• Order recall of unsafe goods and services
• Order discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements
• Impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements
• What will the CCPA do if any goods or services are found not meeting the standards?
• Under the act, CCPA will have powers to recall goods or withdrawal of services that are “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe; pass an order for refund the prices of goods or services so recalled to purchasers of such goods or services; and discontinuation of practices which are unfair and prejudicial to consumer’s interest”.

Context: Recently, India and Indonesia agreed to expand strategic cooperation in a range of areas including ,  industries and technology sharing, as the two maritime neighbours looked at injecting a new momentum to their security partnership.
Key Points

• The long history of mutually beneficial interactions between India and Indonesia countries with a tradition of close political dialogue, economic and trade linkages as well as cultural and people to people interactions was highlighted.
• The defence cooperation between India and Indonesia has witnessed an upswing in the recent years, which is in consonance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two sides.
• Both sides agreed to further enhance the bilateral defence cooperation in mutually agreed areas.
• Potential areas of cooperation in the field of defence industries and defence technology were also identified by the two countries.
• The issue of possible export of BrahMos cruise missile to Indonesia by India and ways to further deepen maritime security cooperation figured prominently in the talks.
• Even though both countries acknowledge China's aggressive posturing in eastern Ladakh and the South China Sea, there was no official statement on it.

Trade and Commerce

• Bilateral trade has increased from USD 4.3 billion in 2005-06 to USD 21 billion in 2018-19.
• Indonesia has emerged as the second largest trading partner of India in the ASEAN region.
• India is the second largest buyer of coal and crude palm oil from Indonesia and imports minerals, rubber, pulp and paper and hydrocarbons reserves.
• However, there is a need for greater market access for Indian commodities in Indonesia including, pharmaceutical, automotive and agricultural products.

Bilateral Exercises

• Exercise Samudra Shakti the bilateral maritime exercise.
• Garuda Shakti is the joint military exercise between India and Indonesia.

About India–Indonesia relations

• Indian-Indonesian relations stretch back for almost two millennia – stemming from the fact that India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Indonesia along the Andaman Sea – making India and Indonesia neighbours.
• The two countries have significant bilateral trade.
• India regards Indonesia as a key member of ASEAN, and both are member states of the G-20, the E7 (countries), the Non-aligned Movement, and the United Nations.
• The name Indonesia derives from the Latin Indus, meaning “India”, and the Greek nesos, meaning “island” and the name predates the formation of independent Indonesia.
• The Indian Epics — the Ramayana and the Mahabharata — play an important role in Indonesian culture and history.
• Indians also relate closely to Indonesian culture, especially Hindu Balinese culture.
• India and Indonesia officially opened the diplomatic relations in 1950s.

Road Ahead

• India has always acknowledged the long history of mutually beneficial interactions between the two countries with a tradition of close political dialogue, economic and trade linkages as well as cultural and people to people interactions.
• However, to overcome the national and regional challenges, there is a need for a commitment to further strengthen and widen the scope of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Context: Recently, the Cabinet gave its approval to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and Zimbabwe in the field of traditional systems of medicine and Homeopathy.
Key Points

• The MoU, signed in 2018, will provide a framework for cooperation between the two countries for the promotion of traditional systems of medicine and homoeopathy.
• The main objective of the MoU is to strengthen, promote and develop co-operation in the field of traditional systems of medicine between the two countries based on equality and mutual benefit.

Areas of cooperation include

• Promotion in the regulation of teaching, practice, drugs, and drugless therapies.
• Supply of all medicine materials and documents necessary for demonstration and reference.
• Exchange of experts for the training of practitioners, paramedics, scientists, teaching professionals and students.
• Mutual recognition of pharmacopoeias and formularies.
• Mutual recognition of educational qualifications, of traditional preparations, permission to practice, etc.

India and Zimbabwe Relations

• During the era of the Munhumutapa Kingdom, Indian merchants established strong links with Zimbabwe, trading in textiles, minerals and metals. Sons of the royal house of Munhumutapa journeyed to India to broaden their education. In the 17th century, a great son of Zimbabwe, Dom Miguel – Prince, Priest and Professor, and heir to the imperial throne of the Mutapas – studied in Goa.
• India supported Zimbabwe’s freedom struggle. Former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi attended Zimbabwean independence celebrations in Harare in 1980.
• Recently, during the visit by the Hon’ble Vice President of India, 5 MoUs in the fields of  (i) Arts, Culture & Heritage, (ii) Geology, Mining and Mineral Resources, (iii) Traditional Medicines and Homeopathy; (iv)Broadcasting collaboration between Prasar Bharati and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and (v) Reciprocal Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports and an Action Plan on ICT were signed.
• India is involved in capacity building programs through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) and Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) for the students of Zimbabwe.
• India has extended assistance/ aid like exporting rice, construction of thermal power plants, water pumping stations, granting medicines and among others.
• Numerous Indian businesses have set up plants in the field of food processing, pharmaceuticals and agro-processing.

Location of Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa.
• Bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique.
• Located between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers.
• Harare is the capital and largest city while Bulawayo is the second-largest city.
• Natural resources found here include coal, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, lithium, platinum group metals etc.

Context: Recently, India & the European Union agreed to renew the Agreement on Scientific cooperation for the next five years, 2020-2025, at the 15th India-EU Summit, a virtual one which was led by  Prime Minister from India’s side.
Background

• This has been done by exchange of Note Verbale between two sides. The Agreement was initially signed in on 23 November 2001 and renewed two times in past in 2007 and 2015.

Key Points

• This will expand the cooperation in scientific and technological research strengthen the conduct of cooperative activities in areas of common interest and application of the results of such cooperation to their economic and social benefit.  
• Cooperative activities may take the forms of reciprocal participation of Indian research and European research entities in research, technological development, and demonstration projects under each other programme.
• India and European Union have strong research and innovation cooperation under the framework of said “Agreement,” and it has grown steadily over the years. 

Significance

• It is expected to enhance research and innovation cooperation in different fields like Water, Energy, Healthcare, Agritech & Bioeconomy, Integrated Cyber-Physical Systems, Information and Communication Technologies, Nanotechnology, and clean technologies, etc.
• It will also strengthen the institutional linkages in research, exchange of researchers, students, startups and attract co-investment of resources for co-generation of knowledge.
• Additional areas, such as climate change, sustainable urban development, manufacturing, advanced materials, nanotechnologies and biotechnology, food processing, and ocean research may also be considered in future endeavours.
• The EU and India are at the forefront of human development and innovation. 
• For India, addressing the basic needs of its people, including through frugal innovation, and excelling in high-tech markets are twin objectives. 

Both areas offer mutually beneficial opportunities for EU-India cooperation like 

• Increased exchanges between students, researchers, and professionals would benefit both sides. 
• India and the EU share a mutual interest in reciprocal mobility of talent.
• The mobility of researchers and innovators would be promoted in both directions. The EU-India cooperation should also foster innovation by promoting networking between EU and Indian innovators, start-ups, incubators, and accelerators, by setting up joint platforms, both offline and virtual, and engaging in coaching, training and staff exchanges. 
• Highly qualified workers could be integrated into Indian and EU-led innovation systems industries and help maintain technology-based leadership and sharing of best practices, internationalization of SMEs, and contributing in the global value chain.

Road Ahead

• India and the EU are ideal partners to make a difference in an international environment that is increasingly shaped by strategic rivalry between the USA and China.
• They have a common interest in avoiding a bipolarised world and developing the rules-based international order.
• The effort has to be to make the India-EU partnership rise to its potential and provide a new model for international relations today.

Context: Recently, India and the United Kingdom (UK) affirmed their shared commitment towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the 14th virtual Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting.

• The issue was discussed in the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting between the two countries.
• It was co-chaired by Union Commerce and Industry Minister of India and U.K. Secretary of State for International Trade.
• It was also decided that a meeting led by two countries leaders will be held in Autumn 2020 here to carry forward the dialogue. The next meeting is scheduled to be held around September, 2020 in New Delhi.

Key Points

• Description: The meeting was held by India and UK to revive and revitalise the long standing trade and economic linkages between them.
• They agreed to an early harvest scheme or a limited trade agreement to lower tariffs on a small set of goods apart from easing rules for select services.
• They also resolved to cooperate in the health sector especially in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
• Previously, India and the UK were involved in discussing a preferential trading arrangement under the proposed India-European Union FTA.
• In FTA, two trading partners eliminate or significantly reduce import duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them.
• India-UK Trade: India has had strong historical ties with the U.K. and currently, it is one of India’s most important trading partners.
• It is a significant partner of India as an FDI investor after Mauritius and Singapore which ranked second and first respectively.
• Similarly, the U.K. is one of the largest investors in India, among the G20 countries.
• The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at 15.5 billion USD in 2019-20 as against 16.87 USD billion in 2018-19.
• India has engagement with the UK in sectors like pharma, textiles, leather, industrial machinery, furniture, and toys.
• India is also looking to the UK to support it with technology based products such as high quality cameras, medical devices, and automobiles.

Significance

• Brexit: The UK has been pushing India for a bilateral trading arrangement ever since it voted to leave the European Union (EU) in June 2016 and left finally in january 2020.
• However, India had been resisting these efforts as it decided that the Brexit process should complete first.
• India has been keen to understand how much of a "special and preferential" access the UK will get in the vast European market when it is out of the EU’s single-market dynamics.
• Hence, these talks would help in intensifying the beneficial aspect of the UK as a trading partner of India.
• Exit from RCEP: India opted out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership deal in November 2019.
• Therefore, there is renewed focus on trade deals with the US, the European Union and the UK, which are key markets for Indian exporters and are keen to diversify their sourcing.
• Strategic Partner: The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and one of the strategic partners of India.
• Strengthening bonds with the trade would seek UKs support at global issues like standoff with China in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and claim for permanent seat at UNSC.
• Review of Trades: India could seek a review of trading agreements including renegotiating tariffs on some items along with the tightening of provisions governing country-of-origin certification.

About Joint Economic Trade Committee

• JETCO provides a forum to United Kingdom companies to enhance their links and develop new partnerships with India business and decision-makers.
• Government to Government negotiations, which address issues of market liberalization and market access, are conducted through the JETCO process.
• The UK India Business Council plays a key role in feeding the views of the UK business community into the JETCO process with a view to achieving favorable outcomes for UK companies.
• One of the key objectives of the JETCO process is to unveil opportunities for UK’s most prominent institutional investors to invest in India.

Context: Recently, the Department of Science and Technology has launched the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Program.
About the Program

• Parties: It is launched in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) of the Russian Federation.
• Objective: It will connect Indian, and Russian Science & Technology (S&T) led SMEs and Start-ups for joint R&D to leverage joint intellectual and financial resources to develop technologies that would provide the solutions for tomorrow, addressing societal challenges, not only of two countries but globally.

Key Features of the Program

• It will run through two annual cycles with up to five projects to be funded under each cycle. 
• Projects are being sought on S&T focus areas like IT & ICT (including AI, AR, VR), Medicine & Pharmaceuticals, Renewable Energy and beyond. 
• On behalf of DST, FICCI will implement the program in India.
• The programme will provide access to partial public funding for jointly selected projects with the participation of at least one start-up/SME from India and one SME from Russia. 
• The programme is accepting applications under two broad categories, i.e. Joint Partnership Projects and Technology Transfer/Adaptation. 
• The Department of Science and Technology will fund up to INR 15 Crores to ten Indian SMEs/Start-ups and FASIE will provide similar funding to the Russian projects. 
• The launch of the India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization Programme is another step towards strengthening the Science, Technology and Innovation ties between the two countries.

Context: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has signed necessary documents for extending a USD 400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka to boost the island nation's draining foreign exchange reserves due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Key Points

• Earlier this year, during his visit to India, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister had requested a loan moratorium.
• This decision comes after a recent bilateral ‘technical discussion’ on rescheduling Colombo’s outstanding debt repayment to India 
• It was attended by the officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, representatives of the Sri Lankan government and the Export-Import (Exim) Bank.
• RBI has agreed to a USD 400 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka till November 2022 to boost the foreign reserves and ensure the financial stability of the country.
• Currency swaps are used to obtain foreign currency loans at a better interest rate than could be got by borrowing directly in a foreign market.
• In turn, Sri Lanka owes approximately $960 million to India. 
• Government and industry representatives from both countries also participated in a webinar on ‘Deepening Economic Collaboration between India and Sri Lanka’, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with other institutes.

Sri Lanka’s stand

• It highlighted that the non-tariff barrier in receiving countries creates difficulties in market access.
• It stated that neighbours could explore possible collaborations in textiles, IT and agribusiness, sectors that India was ‘strong in’.
• The Government welcomed Indian businesses in developing industrial zones, automotive components, pharma, textiles and engineering assuring that it would “facilitate, protect and promote a liberal ecosystem for Indian investors”.
• It urged FICCI to collaborate with the Sri Lankan Mission in New Delhi to help boost the export of Sri Lankan spices and concentrates to the Indian market.

About Currency Swap

• Currency swaps are used to obtain foreign currency loans at a better interest rate than could be got by borrowing directly in a foreign market. 
• It is also known as a cross-currency swap, is an off-balance sheet transaction in which two parties exchange principal and interest in different currencies.
• This facility provides the flexibility to use these reserves at any time in order to maintain an appropriate level of balance of payments or short-term liquidity.
• Some other intended objectives of this agreement include the promotion of bilateral trade, maintaining the value of foreign exchange reserves with the central bank and ensuring financial stability etc. 

How does it work?

• In a swap arrangement, RBI would provide dollars to a Lankan central bank, which, at the same time, provides the equivalent funds in its currency to the RBI, based on the market exchange rate at the time of the transaction.
• The parties agree to swap back these quantities of their two currencies at a specified date in the future, which could be the next day or even three months later, using the same exchange rate as in the first transaction.

India – Sri Lanka Relations

• In November 2019, India announced a USD 450 million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka, to help strengthen its infrastructure and economy which showed a proactive, relation-building approach.
• In 2019, Sri Lanka, India and Japan signed a tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation and agreed to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT) project at the Colombo Port. 
• Recently, India assisted Sri-Lanka in tackling Covid-19 and also helped in the ‘Suwa Seriya’ ambulance service.
• To enhance connectivity between the two nations India and Sri Lanka entered into an Open Sky Agreement enabling Sri Lankan Airline to operate an unlimited number of flights to six Indian metro airports. 
• India is Sri Lanka’s largest trade partner globally. Bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka amounted to USD $ 4.59 billion in 2019.
• Much of the impetus for the current level of our economic interaction stemmed from the signing and entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1998 and 2000 respectively.

Issues between the two nations

• Recently, Sri Lanka said that there was no final decision on the East Container Terminal (ECT) project. 
• The Tamil issue: The pending implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, an outcome of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, is a matter of contention in bilateral relations. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment on devolution of powers to fulfil the aspirations of the ethnic Tamils but Sri Lanka has not done it yet. 
• China’s increasing closeness to Sri Lanka is a matter of concern for India. It poses a threat to India’s regional security concerns.

Road Ahead

• The close but complex bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka have both history and baggage.
• India’s attitude and relationship with her immediate neighbours depend on their appreciation of India’s regional security concerns; they would serve as buffer states in the event of an extra-regional threat and not proxies of the outside powers. Sri Lanka must not forget this guidance in dealing with India.
• Examples of Singapore-Malaysia and New Zealand-Australia indicate that a smaller country’s economic success is tied to having a strong or at least stable relationship with its larger neighbour.
• The bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka will always be an important cornerstone of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.
• Both India and Sri Lanka should focus on increasing the volume and quality of people-to-people links, without assuming they will naturally result from geographical proximity.

Context: Recently, India and Mauritius jointly inaugurated the new Supreme Court Building of Mauritius under the Special Economic Package.

• The new Supreme Court Building is expected to become an important landmark in the city center symbolizing the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries.
• It is one of the five projects being implemented under the ‘Special Economic Package’ of 353 million USD extended by the Government of India to Mauritius in 2016.

India-Mauritius Relationship

• Indo-Mauritian relations refers to the historical, political, economic, military, social and cultural connections between the two countries.
• Connections between India and Mauritius date back to 1730 and diplomatic relations were established in 1948 before Mauritius became an independent state (1968).
• India has viewed Mauritius through the prism of diaspora. This was, perhaps, natural since communities of Indian origin constitute a significant majority in the island. More than 68% of the Mauritian population are of Indian origin, most commonly known as Indo-Mauritians.
• It is a significant partner of India in celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas which is a forum for issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.

About Mauritius

• It is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the south-east coast of the African continent.  Mauritius is considered to be part of the African Continent.
• The capital and largest city, Port Louis, is located on the main island of Mauritius.
• Physiographically, it is part of the Mascarene Islands.
• Mauritius is known for its varied flora and fauna, with many species endemic to the island.
• Mahatma Gandhi en route to India from South Africa made a brief stopover (October 29 to November 15, 1901), in Mauritius. As a tribute to Gandhiji and the Indian freedom struggle, the National Day of Mauritius is celebrated on March 12 (the date of launch of Dandi Salt March).

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court has cleared a major roadblock in the completion of a Trilateral Highway Connectivity project between India, Myanmar and Thailand by staying the litigation initiated by the defaulting contractor before the Manipur high court.
Background

• India had signed an agreement with Myanmar on August 29, 2016 for construction and upgrading of 69 bridges of Second World War vintage as part of the ambitious road project beginning from Manipur till Thailand. 
• But ever since the project was awarded to a joint venture of Mumbai-based Niraj Cement Structurals Limited and Manipur Tribal Development Corporation Limited in November 2017, delays lagged the project, as a result of which India acting through project consultant IRCON Infrastructure and Services Limited terminated the contract.

About India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway

• Total length:  1,360 km.
• Connects India with Thailand through Myanmar.
• Signed in 2016 and is to be completed in 2020.
• The road will connect Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar.
• The IMT trilateral highway project is largely funded by the Indian government.
• Delays affected the implementation of the project.

Expected Benefits

• The project will boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area.
• Help connect with rest of the countries in Southeast Asia like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
• Act as a counterweight to the strategic influence of China in the region.
• The project is a grant-in-aid initiative by India as part of its “Act East Policy” and will benefit Myanmar as the dilapidated bridges pose a danger to human life and property.

Context: A westward shift in India’s foreign policy appear misplaced as engagement with Russia and China does matter for various interests. 
In June, India decided to attend a virtual meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC). 

• This decision of India garnered the attention of several experts and world leaders. 
• As the tensions on the Line of Actual Control continues, the dominant calls were for a more decisive westward shift in India’s foreign policy and a  RIC meeting seemed incongruous in the present scenario.

Key highlights of the meeting

• The statements of leaders of three nations at the meeting reflected their divergent preoccupations. 
• China called for opposing bullying practices, rejecting power politics and supporting the rule of law in international relations.
• Russia criticised unilateral coercive measures to settle scores with geopolitical rivals and topple regimes. 
• India emphasised that for durable world order, major powers should respect international law and recognise the legitimate interest of partners.

Evolution of relations among India-Russia- China

• Initial Years: In the early 2000s, the three countries were positioning themselves for a transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world order.
• Anti-US versus Non-west construct: It was not an anti-U.S. construct. The RIC shared some non-West perspectives on the global order, such as an emphasis on sovereignty and territorial integrity, impatience with homilies on social policies and opposition to regime change from abroad agenda.
• Bilateral Relation: The advent of President Vladimir Putin reinforced the political, defense and energy pillars of the India-Russia strategic partnership.
• With China, the 2003 decision to bring a political approach to the boundary dispute and to develop other cooperation encouraged a multi-sectoral surge in relations.

Key irritants in India-Russia- China Relation
India –USA Relation

• India-USA: Enhanced Relation – India’s relations with the U.S. surged after 2002, and it encompasses trade and investment, a landmark civil nuclear deal and a burgeoning defense relationship.
• India-China: Deteriorated ties – With India’ closeness to USA, China went back on the 2005 agreement, launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, worked to undermine India’s influence in its neighborhood and expanded its military and economic presence in the Indian Ocean.
• India-Russia: Troubled ties– As India-U.S. collaboration widened  and U.S.-Russia relations imploded in 2014 (after the annexation/accession of Crimea), Russia’s pushback against the U.S. included cultivating the Taliban in Afghanistan and enlisting Pakistan’s support for it was not taken well by India.

Balance of Power in Indo-Pacific

• Chinese perspective: China sees our Indo-Pacific initiatives as part of a U.S.-led policy of containing China.
• Russian perspective: Russia’s sees the Indo-Pacific as an American ploy to draw India and Japan into a military alliance against China and Russia.

Importance of RIC
In the Context Of SCO-

• India is in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is driven by Russia and China and includes four Central Asian countries. 
• Pakistan’s membership of SCO and the potential admission of Iran and Afghanistan heighten the significance of the SCO for India.
• It is important for India to shape the Russia-China dynamics in this region, to the extent possible.
• The Central Asian countries have signalled they would welcome such a dilution of the Russia-China duopoly.
• The ongoing India-Iran-Russia project for a sea/road/rail link from western India through Iran to Afghanistan and Central Asia is an important initiative for achieving an effective Indian presence in Central Asia, alongside Russia and China.

In the Context of Bilateral Rations

• The bilateral arms of the India-Russia-China triangle will also remain important and the defence and energy pillars of India’s partnership with Russia remain strong.
• Access to Russia’s abundant natural resources can enhance the security of our materials — the importance of which has been highlighted by COVID-19. 
• With China, India needs to work bilaterally and multilaterally on a range of issues, even while firmly protecting our interests on the border, in technology and the economy.

In the Context of The Indo-Pacific issue

• For India, it is a geographic space of economic and security importance, in which a cooperative order should prevent the dominance of any external power.
• China sees India’s Indo-Pacific initiatives as part of a U.S.-led policy of containing China and Russia sees the Indo-Pacific as an American ploy to draw India and Japan into a military alliance against China and Russia.
• India must focus on economic links with the Russian Far East and the activation of a Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor which may help persuade Russia that its interests in the Pacific are compatible with our interest in diluting Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

In the Context of India’s Autonomy

• The current India-China stand-off has intensified calls for India to fast-track partnership with the U.S. and is an unexceptionable objective. 
• India’s quest for the autonomy of action is based on its geographical realities, historical legacies and global ambitions — not a residual Cold War mindset.
• National security cannot be fully outsourced. 

Road Ahead

• The current India-China stand-off has intensified calls for India to fast-track partnership with the U.S. This is an unexceptionable objective, but is not a silver bullet. National security cannot be fully outsourced. India’s quest for autonomy of action is based on its geographical realities, historical legacies and global ambitions — not a residual Cold War mindset.
• The RIC dynamics are sensitive to the configuration of the U.S.-Russia-China triangle. This configuration changed in 2008 due to the global economic crisis and again in 2014 due to Crimea’s accession to Russia.
• Presently, COVID-19 and China’s aggressive policies could trigger another change, which could be modulated by the outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections. The nature and impact of this change are, for now, remains unknown. 

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance and initiated the contempt of court case against public rights activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan. 
Issue

• This step was taken by the apex court against his tweet criticising the current Chief Justice of India and the role of some Chief Justices of India in the last six years.
• As per the court if there is any issue with respect to the judgment delivered or procedure followed by the judiciary, then queries must be brought before the courts rather than humiliating the judiciary on social media platforms.
• The apex court opinionated that the tweets by Mr Bhushan undermined the prestige of the CJI office and portrayed the judiciary in a bad light. 

About Contempt of court

• Contempt of court is an act of disrespect or disobedience towards a judge or court’s officers or interference with its orderly process. 

The Contempt of Courts Act of 1971 categorises contempt of courts as  

• Civil contempt: It is willful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other processes of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to the court. 
• Criminal contempt: Anything that “scandalises or tends to scandalise” the judiciary or “lowers the court’s authority” 
• Safeguards: However, innocent publication and distribution of some matter, fair and reasonable criticism of judicial acts and comment on the administrative side of the judiciary do not amount to contempt of court. 
• Punishments: The supreme court and high courts have the power to punish for contempt of court, either with simple imprisonment for a term up to six months or with fine up to 2,000 or with both. 
• Amendment in 2006: Truth and good faith were recognised as valid defences against charges of contempt of court 

Significance of Contempt Powers of Judiciary

• Safeguards the status & dignity of courts: Judicial Contempt power is needed to punish wilful disobedience to court orders as well as interference in the administration of justice and overt threats to judges.  
• Protects Judges: Contempt powers help judges to do their duties of deciding cases without fear, favour, affection or ill will 
• Ensures Public Trust: It insulates the institution from unfair attacks and prevent a sudden fall in the judiciary’s reputation in the public eye. 

Constitutional Backing related to Contempt power for Judiciary

• Article 129: Grants Supreme Court the power to punish for contempt of itself. 
• Article 142(2): Enables the Supreme Court to investigate and punish any person for its contempt. 
• Article 215: Grants every High Court the power to punish for contempt of itself. 

Criticism of the Contempt Powers of Court  

• Not aligned with spirit of Article 19(1)(a): Contempt powers of Court tries to curb people’s freedom to speak against the court’s functioning. 
• Liable to Misuse: The law is very subjective which might be used by the judiciary arbitrarily to suppress their criticism by the public. 
• Colonial Hangover: Contempt powers of judiciary started during Colonial rule has been continued in India, whereas England abolished the offence of “scandalising the court” in 2013. 
• Wrong Signal: These cases show that the country’s highest court is not tolerant of its outspoken critics and that it is highly sensitive to criticism (not the spirit of Democracy) 
• Not aligned with Sedition jurisprudence: While the courts have made some effort to narrow the remit of sedition, they have not insisted on a similarly demonstrable link with obstruction of justice of the contemptuous act or speech 
• Distorted Priorities of Apex Court: There are dozens of constitutional cases that need to be desperately addressed, such as CAA, the electoral bonds matter, or the issue of habeas corpus petitions from J&K, but SC has chosen to file case based on two tweets of a lawyer Prashant Bhushan 

Road Ahead

• Besides needing to revisit the need for a law on criminal contempt, even the test for contempt needs to be evaluated.  
• If such a test ought to exist at all, it should be whether the contemptuous remarks in question actually obstruct the Court from functioning.  
• Contempt Power should not be allowed to be used as a means to prevent any and all criticism of an institution. 
• In this backdrop, there is a need to revisit the need for a law on criminal contempt, where India can learn from Britain which abolished the offence of scandalizing the judiciary as a form of contempt of court in 2013 based on the fact that the law was vague and not compatible with freedom of speech.

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has decided to conduct an online audit of 20 per cent of the estimated 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) across the country for the current financial year.
Key Points

• The audit will be scaled up to cover all Panchayats across the country in the next financial year 2020-21.
• The exercise will be conducted through AuditOnline, an application developed by the Ministry is a bid to ensure accountability in the utilisation of funds at the ground level.
• About 50,000 panchayats can be taken up for online audit during the current year.
• Their books of accounts for 2019-20 will be audited with a focus on how they used Finance Commission (FC) grants.

Significance

• The online audit will ease access to records, can be monitored at district, state and Centre level.
• Uploading photos of work done and geo-tagging projects will also allow for physical inspection.
• Online audit, with the option of physical verification, officials said, assumes greater relevance given the pandemic and the lockdown.
• An online audit can be monitored at all level: district-state-Centre.

About Audit Online

• It is an application developed as a part of Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES) under e-panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) initiated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR).
• It facilitates the financial audit of accounts at all the three levels of Panchayats viz District, Block and Village Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Line department by Auditors.
• It not only facilitates the online and offline audit of accounts but also serves the purpose of maintaining the past audit records of the auditee with associated list of the auditors and audit team involved in the audit.
• Also the information remains available in public domain and for usage by other PES applications.

Benefits of Online Audit

• Online audit with the option of physical verification assumes greater relevance given the pandemic and the lockdown.
• As some works (done under other schemes) are geo-tagged, auditors can do a sample check by visiting the site.
• Further, it ensures accountability in the utilisation of funds at the ground level.
• In the offline system, timely availability of records is a major issue. However, in the online system, the auditors will be able to see online all documents related to work approval and payments. They can even ask for additional documents such as photographs as a proof of work done.
• Moreover, an online audit can be monitored at all levels: district-state-centre.

Challenge

• More than 15% of Panchayats in several states have not completed their books of accounts for the year 2019-20.
• Completing and closing the accounts is a prerequisite for the online audit.
• While 100% of Panchayats in Maharashtra and Haryana have closed their 2019-20 accounts, no Panchayat has done this in Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar. States like Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are also low performers.

Context: Constitution and legal experts are divided on whether the Rajasthan Governor is bound by the state cabinet recommendation to convene a special session of the Assembly chiefly to enable Chief Minister to prove his majority.
Background

• There has been a deadlock between Rajasthan Governor and Rajasthan Chief Minister over the summoning of an Assembly session for a floor test.
• While the Chief Minister has been demanding the summoning of an Assembly session at the earliest, the Governor has not been receptive of the demand.
• The article discusses a key Supreme Court judgment which could act as a guiding light during the current deadlock.

Nabam Rebia versus Deputy Speaker, 2016

• In the Nabam Rebia versus Deputy Speaker case of 2016, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had held that a Governor is bound to convene a meeting of the Assembly for a floor test on the recommendation of the Cabinet. It held that the Governor cannot employ his/her discretion in this matter and should strictly abide by the aid and advice of the Cabinet.

Important observations made in the judgment
Constitutional provisions

• The judgment was based on the constitutional provision which states that the Governor can summon, prorogue and dissolve the House only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as the head.
• Article 163 of the Indian constitution notes that there shall be a council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions.

Limited discretionary power for the governor

• The Supreme Court has noted that despite the provision for some degree of discretion for the governor provided for under Article 163 (2) of the Indian Constitution, it does not mean a general discretionary power to act against or without the advice of his Council of Ministers.
• This judgment limits the Governor’s discretionary power to specific areas. It noted that the Governor’s discretionary powers are limited to specified areas like giving assent or withholding/referring a Bill to the President or appointment of a Chief Minister or dismissal of a government which has lost confidence but refuses to quit, etc.
• The judgment further held that even in areas where there is scope for discretion for the governor, the action should not be arbitrary or fanciful and must be dictated by reason, actuated by good faith and tempered by caution.

Responsible form of government

• India has a parliamentary democracy with a responsible form of government. In such a form of government, the Governor functions only as a Constitutional or formal head of the State and his/her powers cannot be enlarged at the cost of the Council of Ministers, who are the real executive.

Constituent assembly discussions

• The judgment noted the fact that even the Constituent Assembly was wary of extending the Governor’s discretion. Though the draft Constitution had vested the Governor with the discretion to summon and dissolve, it was later omitted by the framers of the Constitution.

Context: Recently, the US President announced a “surge of federal law enforcement” in cities run by the Democrats, including Chicago, as part of an expanded ‘Operation Legend’.
Background

• The US economy has been crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many experts have blamed the President and his policies to check the pandemic. Several polls are predicting a defeat for the President in the upcoming November elections. 
• Since his election campaign in 2016, when he claimed to save America from its descent into “chaos” and “barbarism”, Trump has often fallen back on the law and order rhetoric to tap into White racial resentment.

About Operation Legend

• It has been named after LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old Black child who was shot dead in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29 while sleeping in his apartment. 
• The operation was announced by the United States Department of Justice in early July 2020 to help the local police battle the “sudden surge of violent crime” in the city.
• Over 200 arrests were made in the city, which has reportedly seen a 40 per cent spike in murders in the last year, after over 100 federal troops were ushered in.
• The President denounced the “bloodshed” across the nation and said he might deploy agents to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore and Oakland, California, “cities controlled by liberal Democrats. All run, really, by the radical left.”

About Portland Crisis

• Since the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25, there have been anti-racism protests on the streets of the city to seek police reforms.
• In early July, federal troops were moved into the city “to protect federal property”, but have often violently clashed with protesters and detained many in unmarked vehicles.
• The president has called the unrest in Portland as  “worse than Afghanistan”. 

US law in this context

• Experts believe that the President’s decision to send federal troops into cities will not stand in court because, under the US Constitution, state governors generally have authority to maintain order within their states’ borders.
• The US Insurrection Act lets presidents deploy forces to suppress domestic insurrection, it can be invoked only when it is impracticable to otherwise enforce US laws in court, or local authorities are depriving some people of equal protection. 
• The President only has broad powers over federal spaces such as courts etc. 
• The country’s Posse Comitatus Act also limits the powers of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States. 

Context: Recently, China has announced the suspension of Hong Kong’s extradition treaties and criminal justice cooperation agreements with Australia, Britain and Canada.
Key Points

• This was in response to the UK governments action of suspending its extradition treaty arrangements with Hong Kong immediately and indefinitely.
• Australia, Britain and Canada along with New Zealand and the USA are part of the Five Eyes (FVEY), which is an intelligence-sharing alliance between these five countries.
• New Zealand has already suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and the USA is preparing to do the same.

Background

• The announcement comes as a tit-for-tat move following similar decisions by those countries as a response to the law imposed on Hong Kong which they see as an erosion of the civil liberties and human rights the city has enjoyed since its handover from Britain in 1997.

Othet nations similar Moves Against China

• London (UK) and Canberra (Australia) offered pathways to citizenship or residency to Hong Kong citizens looking to leave because of the new law, which also angered China.
• The European Union (EU) announced to restrict exports of equipment that could be used for surveillance and repression to Hong Kong.
• However, this decision of restricting exports was not unanimous owing to the volume of trade between China and member states of the EU.
• France and Germany proposed the restriction on so-called ‘dual-use’ technology.
• Dual-use goods are products and technologies normally used for civilian purposes but which may have military applications. For example, radio navigation systems and nuclear power technologies.
• The EU will also bring in measures to support Hong Kong’s population by making it easier for them to travel to Europe through the granting of visas, scholarships and academic exchanges.

China’s Stand

• China has accused these countries of interfering in its internal affairs and defended the security law as crucial to restore order in Hong Kong.
• It held that these three countries chose the wrong path of politicising judicial cooperation with Hong Kong, and it has seriously hurt the basis of judicial cooperation.
• They used the national security law as an excuse to announce the suspension of extradition treaties unilaterally.

About Five Eyes

• The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for cooperation in signals intelligence.

About Hong Kong

• It is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China.
• It is located on the eastern Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea.
• Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
• It was a former colony of the United Kingdom and was handed over to China in 1997.
• As part of the agreement, Hong Kong enjoys some freedoms not seen in the mainland.

Context: Recently, Poland is set to take steps to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women – the Istanbul Convention.
Issue

• The reason behind withdrawal is that Poland thinks the Convention is harmful because it required schools to teach children about gender. 
• Also, it says, the treaty tries to construct a “socio-cultural gender against the biological gender”. For example, some items of the convention foresee educating children and young people about forming homosexual families.

About Istanbul Convention

• It is also called as the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
• The treaty is the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and tackle violence against women.
• It is the most comprehensive legal framework that exists to tackle violence against women and girls, covering domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation (FGM), so-called honour-based violence, and forced marriage.
• The Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence against women.
• When a government ratifies the Convention, they are legally bound to follow it.
• Only European countries have signed this convention. It has been signed by 45 countries and the European Union (EU).
• The convention was adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 7 April 2011.
• In 2012, Turkey became the first country to ratify the Convention and the Convention came into force on 1st August 2014.

Context: Recently, a district court in Hiroshima recognised survivors of the post-explosion “black rain” caused due to the atomic bomb incident in 1945, who were outside a government-defined zone at the time of the event. 

• The court clears the way for them to receive medical benefits just days before the 75th-anniversary Hiroshima bombings. 

Background

• In 1976, the Japanese government used the 1945 study in Hiroshima to demarcate the area within which people could claim to have been affected by black rain and be recognised as survivors of the nuclear blast. 
• As per the then decision, people who lived in that area during the time of the black rain could avail free medical care and other benefits if they showed symptoms related to radiation exposure. 
• Many studies conducted later have shown that black rain could have come down on an area nearly four times the size of the one demarcated by the government. 
• In 2015, 84 plaintiffs went to court against the restrictions placed on being recognised as Hibakusha, the Japanese term for the survivors of the nuclear blasts. 

What is Black Rain?

• An estimated 69 per cent of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed by the atomic bomb and the debris and soot from this, mixed with the radioactive fallout from the bomb, rose high into the atmosphere in the form of a mushroom cloud.
• This material combined with the vapour in the atmosphere and came down as dark drops of liquid that have been called Black Rain.
• It has been described as consisting of large, greasy drops that are much heavier than normal raindrops by survivors. 
• Its Impact- Black rain is full of highly radioactive material, and studies have shown that exposure to it can result in serious illnesses. 
• A study of 1945 showed that black rain had come down as far as 29 km away from ground zero and contaminated everything it came in contact with, and dead fish were reported floating in water bodies. 
• It has caused acute radiation symptoms (ARS) in many who were exposed to it, with reports of people suffering from nausea and diarrhoea for weeks, fever, sore throat and loss of hair. Many exposed people developed cancer over a period of time. 

About Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

• The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and another one on Nagasaki three days later on August 9. 
• The explosions caused by the bombs and the resultant firestorms (large fires caused by the explosion) are believed to have killed around 80,000 people in Hiroshima and around 40,000 people in Nagasaki. 
• The bomb dropped on Nagasaki was more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima, but it killed fewer people and its effects were confined to a smaller area due to its geographical position between hills. 
• The after-effects of those bombings still persist in the form of cancer, deformations in newborn child etc. 

Context: Recently, Union Minister for Health and Family emphasised on how the Indian traditional system of medicine has contributed substantially in boosting the immunity of general population during COVID-19 during their virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization Health Minister’s Digital Meet.
Key Points

• The key topic of discussion was the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
• India has so far reported 1.25 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths due to COVID.
• India has one of the world’s lowest infection and death rate at 864 cases per million and less than 21 deaths per million of the population.
• The recovery rate stands at 63.45% whereas the mortality at 2.3%.
• It was pointed out that there is no institutional mechanism within SCO to discuss cooperation in Traditional Medicine.
• It has the potential to fulfil the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 and also reinforce the effective implementation of the Joint Statement on cooperation in combating epidemics signed at the Qingdao Summit in 2018.
• He proposed the setting up of a new Sub Group on Traditional Medicine under the existing institutional meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Health Ministers.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

• SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• These countries, except for Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996.
• After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation to SCO.

Members

• It has eight members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
• India had an observer status for the past 10 years in SCO.
• India was accepted along with Pakistan as full members of SCO in 2017.
• SCO has Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus as observers.
• It has established relations with the United Nations, where it is an observer in: General Assembly, European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Objectives

• Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states.
• Promoting effective cooperation in -politics, trade & economy, research & technology and culture.
• Enhancing ties in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc.
• Maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
• Establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political & economic order.

Strengths of SCO

• The SCO covers 40%of the global population, nearly 20% of the global GDP and 22% of the world’s land mass.
• The SCO has a strategically important role in Asia due to its geographical significance - this enables it to control the Central Asia and limit the American influence in region.
• SCO is seen as counterweight to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Challenges for SCO

• The SCO security challenges includes combating terrorism, extremism and separatism; drug and weapons trafficking, illegal immigration, etc.
• Despite being geographically close, the rich diversity in member’s history, backgrounds, language, national interests and form of government, wealth and culture makes the SCO decision making challenging.

Importance for India: India’s membership of SCO can help in achieving regional integration, promote connectivity and stability across borders.

Context: Recently, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has reaffirmed that protesting peacefully, online or in person, is a fundamental human right.
Background

• The committee is tasked with monitoring how countries implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which under Article 21 guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.

What’s the issue?

• Authorities worldwide are grappling with swelling demonstrations over issues like political rights and racial justice. At some places, coercive forces are being used to suppress the voices of protesters.
• Therefore, right to peaceful assembly has come into the spotlight.
• Supporters believe that protesting peacefully, online or in person, is a fundamental human right.

Important observations made by the Human Rights Committee

• Fundamental Human Right for People: To gather to celebrate or to air grievances in public and in private spaces, outdoors, indoors and online is a fundamental human right.
• Protesters: Everyone, including children, foreign nationals, women, migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees, can exercise the right of peaceful assembly.
• Protection: Protesters have the right to wear masks or hoods to cover their face and that Governments should not collect personal data to harass or intimidate participants.
• Role of Journalists and Human Rights Observers: They have the right to monitor and document any assembly, including violent and unlawful ones.

Government Obligations

• Governments could not prohibit protests by making “generalised references to public order or public safety, or an unspecified risk of potential violence”.
• Governments cannot block internet networks or close down any website because of their roles in organising or soliciting a peaceful assembly.

Significance

• The Committee’s interpretation will be important guidance for judges in national and regional courts around the world, as it now forms part of what is known as ‘soft law’.
• The interpretation is a form of legal advice (not mandatory) from the Committee that monitors the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1976.

Indian Scenario

• India is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
• The right to protest, to publicly question and force the government to answer, is a fundamental political right of the people that flows directly from a democratic reading of Article 19 of the Constitution of India.
• Article 19 (1) (a) states that all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression.
• Article 19 (1) (b) states that all citizens shall have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.
• However, the State can impose reasonable restrictions on the exercise of right of assembly on two grounds, namely, sovereignty and integrity of India and public order including the maintenance of traffic in the area concerned.
• Further, Indian courts have reiterated that the right to protest is a fundamental right (Ramlila Maidan Incident v. Home Secretary, Union Of India & Ors. case -2012).

About ICCPR

• It is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) became effective in 1976.
• Monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
• The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
• The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Context: Recently, a new study has found that an endogenous protein called LY6e prevents coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, from fusing with host cells. 

• Also, another research about PLpro protein by Goethe University and University Hospital Frankfurt was published in the journal Nature.
• Both the above researches are related to SARS-CoV-2.

Background 

• The protein is produced by the human immune system. Researchers from Germany, Switzerland have published their findings in the journal Nature Microbiology.

About LY6e Protein

• LY6e was discovered in 2017, during research, in order to identify genes that prevent coronavirus infections. 
• Since then, further investigations have shown that the protein exerted this inhibitory effect on all analyzed coronaviruses. 
• This was validated in an animal model. Mice lacking Ly6e in immune cells were found highly susceptible to a normally non-lethal mouse coronavirus and succumb to infection. 
• The experiments conducted there led to the discovery that the mouse variant of the protein called Ly6e is crucial for the protection of immune cells against infections. 
• In the absence of Ly6e, immune cells such as dendritic cells and B-cells become more susceptible to infection and their numbers decrease dramatically. 
• The researchers point out that the mouse coronavirus used in the experiment differs significantly from the pathogen causing the current Covid-19 outbreak - for example, it causes hepatitis rather than respiratory disease.

About  PLpro 

• Usually, when a virus attacks human cells, the infected body cells release messenger substances known as ‘type 1 interferons’ which attract the killer cells in human bodies. These killer cells kill the infected cells and save humans from getting sick.
• When the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) enters a human cell, it hijacks the cell mechanism and fights back by letting the human cell produce PLpro.
• PLpro is a protein which suppresses the development of type 1 interferons. Due to which, killer cells are not informed about the infection.
• Hence, PL pro plays a crucial role in the replication of the virus.

Significance of the Research

• Researchers can now monitor these processes in a cell culture (artificial environment).
• By blocking PLpro, virus production can be controlled.
• In the absence of the PLpro, type 1 interferons will be released informing the killer cells and thus, strengthening the innate immune response of the human cells.

Context: Recently, a new study carried out by an international team of researchers provides fresh insight into the origins of the Smallpox disease.

• It suggested that the smallpox was in existence as early as during the Viking age in the 8th century CE.
• The Viking Age was the period during the Middle Ages when the Norsemen (name given to the Scandinavian Vikings) undertook colonizing, conquest and trading throughout Europe, and reached North America in the 9th and 10th century.

Key Points

• Origin: The origins of smallpox have always been unclear.
• Until now, the earliest confirmed case of the disease was found in the mummified remains of a 17th century Lithuanian child, even though written records suggest that it is much older.

Major Findings

• Finding Virus Sequence: The Variola virus sequence was recovered from 13 Northern European individuals including 11 dated to 600–1050 CE, overlapping the Viking Age.
• Pan European Presence: These sequences, combined with early written records of VARV epidemics in southern and western Europe, suggest a pan-European presence of smallpox from the late 6th century.
• According to the study, the virus was circulating among people even earlier, about 1700 years back at the time when the Western Roman empire declined and people were migrating across Eurasia.
• Genetic Makeup: It also suggests that the genetic makeup of the viral strain recovered from the 11 individuals is different from the modern version which was eradicated in 1979-80. 
• The Viking variant of the virus is part of a previously unknown, and now extinct virus group, or clade.
• Both the modern smallpox and the ancient variant descended from a common ancestor but diverged 1700 years ago.
• Course of Evolution: It was suggested as a benign disease (less dangerous) considering that smallpox may have in the past been a mild.
• In the course of evolution, the active gene count of the virus is shown to have reduced due to mutation.
• Therefore, the researchers speculated that smallpox became more deadly over time.

Implications of the New Research

• Information about the Viruses: The results of the study does not have any impact on the current spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it does provide important information on how a virus may become deadlier over time.
• Trace of History: Nonetheless, it is important to note that smallpox is the latest among several other diseases whose history in recent years have been rewritten by ancient DNA analysis.
• Earlier, In 2015, a study noted that the plague that killed millions in medieval Europe can be traced as far back as the Bronze age between 3000 and 1000 BCE.
• In 2018, on the other hand, Hepatitis B was seen to have origins in the Bronze age as well.
• Ways of Spread: These findings would help to understand the ways in which diseases have affected human populations in the past.
• The DNA evidence suggests that diseases such as plague and hepatitis B are associated with major prehistoric migrations — something that seems now to be true of variola too.
• It would also help to seek answers of whether migrations brought the diseases to new areas or the emergence of disease triggered people to move.

About Smallpox

• It is a contagious disease, caused by the Variola Virus (VARV).
• It transmits through the droplets released from coughing, sneezing, and face to face contact with an infected person.
• One of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, it is also the only one to have been eradicated by vaccination.
• In 1980, this was declared as completely eradicated after the global immunization campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the help of the smallpox vaccine.
• India was declared free of smallpox in the year 1977. ?
• Vaccine: The first effective vaccine was discovered by Edward Jenner in 1796.

Context: Recently, a team from S.N. Bose National Centre For Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) has developed a ‘no-touch’ and painless device for non-invasive screening of bilirubin in new-borns. 

• The SNBNCBS, located in Kolkata, is an autonomous research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

About AJO-Neo

• AJO-Neo is a No-touch & Painless device for non-invasive screening of bilirubin level in new-borns.
• The device operates on non-contact and non-invasive spectrometry-based techniques.
• It is reliable in measuring bilirubin levels in preterm, and term neonates irrespective of gestational or postnatal age, sex, risk factors, feeding behaviour or skin colour.
• The device can give the test result in about 10 seconds compared to the conventional blood test, which can take up to 4 hours for report generation.
• The detection of neonatal blood bilirubin (Hyperbilirubinemia) faster is extremely important for therapeutic management in order to avoid Kernicterus leading to neuro-psychiatry problems in neonatal subjects.

About Bilirubin 

• It is an orange-yellow pigment that occurs normally when part of the red blood cells break down.
• If the bilirubin levels are abnormally high, it is an indication that the red blood cells are breaking down at unusual rates or that the liver is not breaking down waste properly and clearing the bilirubin from the blood.
• The bilirubin test measures the amount of bilirubin in the blood. It is used to find the cause of health conditions such as jaundice, liver disease and anaemia. The test is used to diagnose and monitor liver and bile duct diseases like hepatitis, cirrhosis and gallstones.

Context: Recently, World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 with the theme ‘Hepatitis – Free Future’ by the World Health Organization(WHO) and various other organizations all over the world.
About Hepatitis

• Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, which can cause serious damage to the liver leading to its failure.
• Virus infection is the leading cause of Hepatitis.

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses

• Hepatitis A virus (HAV): It is present in the faeces of infected persons and is most often transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food. Certain sex practices can also spread HAV. 
• Hepatitis B virus (HBV): It is a viral infection that causes both acute and chronic disease. The virus is transmitted through exposure to infective blood, semen, and other body fluids. It can be transmitted from infected mothers to infants at the time of birth or from family member to infant in early childhood. 
• Hepatitis C virus (HCV): It is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. The virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis infection. Sexual transmission of the virus is possible.
• Hepatitis D virus (HDV): Infections occur only in those who are infected with HBV. Hepatitis B vaccines provide protection from HDV infection. It is passed on through contact with infected blood. 
• Hepatitis E virus (HEV): It is mostly transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus: a non-enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus.

India and Hepatitis

• Viral hepatitis is increasingly being recognized as a public health problem in India.
• HAV and HEV are important causes of acute viral hepatitis and Acute Liver Failure (ALF).

National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP)

• Launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2018 under National Health Mission.

Aim:

• Combat hepatitis and achieve country wide elimination of Hepatitis C by 2030;
• Achieve significant reduction in the infected population, morbidity and mortality associated with Hepatitis B and C viz. Cirrhosis and Hepato-cellular carcinoma (liver cancer);
• Reduce the risk, morbidity and mortality due to Hepatitis A and E.

Context: On the Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences launched the MoES-Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)
About KRCNet portal

• KRCs will be connected with each other and integrated into the KRCNet portal.
• It aims to develop a World-Class Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet).
• A pilot project has been developed at MoES headquarters which will be integrated with other MoES institutes.
• It will be a single point entry to the intellectual world of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• The resources and services of the MoES system will be accessible 24X7 through a one-point dynamic, updated and integrated on this portal.

Salient objectives

• Establish a Total Quality Management (TQM) system by securing ISO certification for documenting MoES knowledge resources, its maintenance, easy retrieval and dissemination.
• Collect, collate, analyze, index, store and disseminate the intellectual resources, products and project outputs available in MoES headquarter and its institutes.
• Develop and maintain an up-to-date meta-data of the print & digital resources available in MoES headquarter and MoES institutes, including MoES services.
• Provide 24X7 access to the subscribed knowledge contents through the KRCNet portal.
• Application of information-analytical tools & techniques like bibliometrics, scientometrics, big-data analytics, social media analytics etc., for policy formulation, report preparation and information dissemination.
• Periodically organize training workshops to popularize the usage of electronic journals, databases, digital products, data analytics etc.

Context: Recently, astrobiologists have expressed concerns about possible ‘interplanetary contamination’ on Mars as ambitious space missions are proliferating the space along with advances in commercial flight.
About Interplanetary contamination

• Interplanetary contamination refers to biological contamination of a planetary body by a space probe or spacecraft, either deliberate or unintentional.
• In other words, it is the risk that a space mission will result in the transfer of life between Earth and an extraterrestrial body.

Recent Mars Missions

• China’s Tianwen-1: Launched in July 2020. Aim: To land on the Martian surface
• UAE’s Al Amal (Hope Mission): An orbital mission (does not involve a landing) that will study the Martian atmosphere.
• Perseverance mission: InvolvesPerseverance Mars rover and the Ingenuity helicopter drone of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.

Type of Contamination: There are two types of contamination i.e. forward and backward contamination.

Forward Contamination:

• It means the transport of Earth-based microbes to other celestial bodies.
• Since, presence of liquid water was already discovered on Mars there is a chance that Mars has life and it is an ethical obligation on humanity to ensure that microbes from Earth do not disturb a possible Martian biosphere, allowing it to evolve in its own way.
• Secondly, Earth-based organisms could spoil the integrity of the Red Planet’s samples that rovers want to study – a highly disruptive concept for scientists who are looking for signs of native Martian life.
• Back Contamination: It is the transfer of extraterrestrial organisms (if they exist) into the Earth’s biosphere.
• The scientists rule out back contamination with respect to Mars sample-return mission as their biochemistry would be markedly different from that on Earth.

Planetary Protection

• United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967: It serves as a defence mechanism against the militarisation of space and also requires nations to worry about contamination risks.
• Its 110 state parties include the USA, Russia, China, and India.
• To ensure compliance with the Treaty, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) lays down a ‘planetary protection policy’ that aims to limit the number of microbes sent to other planets, as well as ensuring that alien life does not cause havoc on Earth.
• Impact of the Policy: The guidelines have had far-reaching implications on human spacecraft design, operational procedures, and overall mission structure.
• Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have also appointed Planetary Protection Officers.

Solutions

• Spacecraft Sterilisation: To prevent forward contamination, space missions take care to ensure that spacecraft are sterilised.
• Previous Mars missions, such as NASA’s Viking landers of the 1970s, were all sterilised before being launched into space.
• NASA’s Perseverance mission was also postponed for a second time to resolve a potential contamination issue.
• Containment: In the case of back contamination, sterilisation would not be an option–as this would ruin the extraterrestrial samples. Containment would be the only option to break the chain of contact between possible alien microbes and life on Earth.

Road Ahead

• In the present times nations have been fighting a race to get a strategic edge and compromising the ethical aspects of space technology. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that space may not become purely a military domain due to weaponisation of the space.
• Space must be used only for peaceful purposes and any violation of Outer Space must not be tolerated.
• The natural biosphere of earth and other planetary bodies must be ensured through international cooperation.

Context: Recently, NASA is launching a telescope and a balloon the size of a football stadium into the stratosphere so researchers can study the formation of stars.
About ASTHROS mission

• It is set to launch at the end of 2023 and will complete two or three loops around the South Pole in three or four weeks, traveling by stratospheric winds.
• Under this the telescope, named ASTHROS, measures at 8.4 feet and the balloon carrying the device is 400 feet wide. 
• ASTHROS observes far-infrared light – light with wavelengths invisible to the human eye – that is blocked by Earth’s atmosphere.
• It will float at around 130,000 feet, per a release from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is leading the project, in order to reach past the atmosphere. 
• Once it is in the stratosphere, it will monitor four key targets: two star-forming regions in the Milky Way galaxy, the galaxy Messier 83, and a young star named TW Hydrae. 

Significance

• According to NASA, ASTHROS will make 3D maps of the density, speed and motion of gas in these regions to study a phenomenon known as stellar feedback — which mean “the main regulator of star formation throughout the universe’s history.” 
• Caveat: "Balloon missions like ASTHROS are higher-risk than space missions but yield high-rewards at modest cost".

About Stratosphere

• It is a layer of Earth’s atmosphere that is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.The ozone layer which absorbs and scatters the solar ultraviolet radiation is in this layer.

Context: Global cyber-security leader Avast has warned that there was a 51 percent increase in the use of spyware and stalkerware during the lockdown period from March to June. 
What are spy and stalkerware apps?

• Spy and stalkerware apps, like viruses and other malware, infect devices that are connected to the internet.
• While viruses and malware can be detected by anti-virus software, spyware and stalkerware apps disguise themselves as useful and send out stolen data to central servers without the knowledge of the users.

About Spyaware App

• A spyware app, which can also be installed remotely, accesses the data usage pattern of the device, gains access to photos and videos as well as other personal information of the user, and then passes it off to a central server.
• For spyware apps, the easiest method to install is to disguise the spying code inside the unauthorised versions of premium apps.
• For example, someone can claim to have a cracked version of a premium app such as Spotify. Now, whoever installs such apps can be remotely tracked easily. Since the code of the application (inside which the spyware codes are hidden) do not spy on the users, such codes pass the scrutiny of anti-virus programmes.

About Stalkerware app

• A stalkerware app can be installed only when someone has physical access to the digitally connected device. Though the app works in a manner similar to spyware apps, it also gives out the location of the device to a master device which controls the stalkerware app.
• Most stalkerware apps work in stealth mode with no trace of the app having ever been installed.
• Stalkerware apps seek explicit permissions (i.e, when people installed some apps on their partners’ or their kids’ phones to check activities) at the time of their installation.
• Once installed, such apps can allow the master device to control and even change emails and text messages. Such app is hidden from the apps menu into the background, from where they continue functioning.

Reason behind this surge in usage of such apps increased during lockdown

• Increased usage of internet by everyone due to various lockdown measures in place.
• Concern over Security, health, and money which was further accentuated by cramped living spaces.

Context: Recently, the five Rafale fighter jets that landed in Ambala will resurrect the Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Key Points

• India concluded an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of €7.87 billion.
• When all the 36 Rafale jets are delivered by 2022, it will take it to 32 squadrons, still well below the 42 squadrons of the sanctioned strength.

About the Rafale fighter jet

• The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. 
• With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force

Significance of Rafale fighter jets
Combat experience or Rafale

• While China’s J20 Chengdu jets are called fifth-generation combat jets, compared to 4.5 generation Rafale, the J20 have no actual combat experience.
• Whereas the Rafale is combat proven, having been used by the French Air Force for its missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali.
• It has also been used for missions in Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20.
• Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20.

Advance weaponries

• The Rafale jets come with one of the most advanced Meteor air-to-air missiles. 
• The missile has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km, traveling at a top speed of Mach 4. 
• The F16 jets, used by Pakistan, carry the AMRAAM missile, which has a BVR of 75 km.  Therefore, Rafale can also outperform F16 in dogfights.
• The Rafale jets also come with SCALP, the air-to-ground cruise missile with a range over 300 km. It is a long-range deep strike missile.
• The MICA air-to-air missile on Rafale jet is for both, close-quarter dogfights, and for BVR. 
• India has also asked for HAMMER (Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range).
• It is an air-to-ground precision guided missile produced by French conglomerate Safran.
• It can be used against bunker-type hardened targets within the range of 70 km.
• The Rafale Aircraft will also give India a superior Nuclear Strike capability and add to the existing nuclear strike capability of Sukhoi Su-30 and Mirage-2000.

Context: Recently, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Organization is celebrating the Start of Assembly of the ITER Tokamak in France.
Key highlights

• The occasion is virtually hosted by France.
• PM called ITER to be a perfect illustration of the age-old Indian belief - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the entire world is working together for the betterment of Mankind
• India stands proud with its fair share of contributions in terms of cryogenic systems, multi megawatt power supplies and running diagnostic tests.

About ITER

• ITER is an energy project located in Cadarache, Southern France.
• It is the largest plasma-based fusion reactor ever built.
• It will be the first fusion device to maintain fusion for long periods of time.
• ITER will also be the first fusion device to test the integrated technologies, materials, and physical regimes necessary for the commercial production of fusion-based electricity.
• ITER will work on the “Tokamak” concept where the reaction of hydrogen isotopes Deuterium and Tritium produces energy by the mass-energy conversion principle, thereby proving to be a source of unlimited energy.
• The idea of the ITER was first launched in 1985.
• It is a collaborative project involving thousands of engineers and scientists from 35 countries.
• As of 2019, 66% of the project’s construction has been completed.
• ITER members: European Union, China, India, USA, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
• India formally joined the ITER Project in 2005.
• ITER Organization (IO) is the central team responsible for construction at site and operation, while the ITER partners created their own domestic agencies to deliver their commitments to ITER. ITER-India is the Indian domestic agency.
• ITER-India is a specially empowered project of the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), an aided organization under the Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India.

India is responsible for the delivery of the following ITER packages: Cryostat; In-wall Shielding; Cooling Water System; Cryogenic System; Ion-Cyclotron RF Heating System; Electron Cyclotron RF Heating System; Diagnostic Neutral Beam System; Power Supplies and Diagnostics.

About Tokamak

• First developed by Soviet research in the late 1960s. The term tokamak stands for the toroidal chamber with magnetic coils.
• A tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.
• Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.
• The heart of a tokamak is its doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber. Inside, under the influence of extreme heat and pressure, gaseous hydrogen fuel becomes a plasma.

Context: Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the the new National Education Policy with an aim to introduce several changes in the Indian education system - from the school to college level.

Key points of the new education policy 2020

• The government today approved landmark reforms to school and college education to prepare Indian students for a 21st century world where critical thinking will determine the future of nations.
• The new policy replaces 10+2 curricular structure with 5+3+3+4 system corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years, respectively.
• “NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3 pc (2018) to 50 pc by 2035 and at least 3.5 crore new seats will be added to higher education institutions

Greater Flexibility

• 5+3+3+4 school curriculum to replace 10+2 system
• Formal schooling for kids aged 3 to 6; foundational stage (3-8 year olds) to have play-based learning
• Preparatory stage (8-11 years) will see experiential learning
• Middle stage (11-14 years) to see subject-oriented learning
• Secondary stage (14-18 year olds) will have no separation of streams
• Coding and vocational courses from Class VI
• National Research Foundation on lines of US National Science Foundation
• Single regulator for higher institutions; multiple entry, exit options in degree courses
• MPhil discontinued; low-stakes board exams
• Common entrance exams for varsities, colleges
• Regional language medium of instruction up to Class V
• e-courses in 8 languages
• Public investment to be raised from 4.43 to 6 pc GDP

In Brief

At Primary and Secondary level in Schools

Early childhood care and education curriculum (ECCEC)

• The planning and implementation of early childhood care and education curriculum (ECCEC) will be carried out jointly by the Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs.

Preparatory class Balavatika for children below the age of 5

• Prior to the age of 5 every child will move to a “Preparatory Class” or “Balavatika” (that is, before Class 1), which has an ECCE-qualified teacher.

School complexes to be used for adult education courses after school hours

• Use of schools/ school complexes beyond school hours and public library spaces for adult education courses which will be ICT-equipped when possible and for other community engagement and enrichment activities

More focus on vocational studies in school- level

• Every child to learn at least one vocation and exposed to several more.
• Sampling of important vocational crafts, such as carpentry, electric work, metal work, gardening, pottery making, etc., as decided by States and local communities during Grades 6-8.
• By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education
• A 10-day bagless period sometime during Grades 6-8 to intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc.
• Similar internship opportunities to learn vocational subjects to students throughout Grades 6-12, including holiday periods.

Various new provisions for children with disabilities

• Children with disabilities will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education, with support of educators with cross disability training, resource centres, accommodations, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs. 
• Every state/district will be encouraged to establish “Bal Bhavans” as a special daytime boarding school, to participate in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities. Free school infrastructure can be used as Samajik Chetna Kendras

Three language learned by children will be the choice of state, regions and students

• The three-language learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of the students, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.

Medium of instruction will be the local/ regional language 

• Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language.

Indian Sign Language to be standardised across the country

• Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country, and National and State curriculum materials developed, for use by students with hearing impairment

No hard separation of streams for students

• Students will be given increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study, particularly in secondary school - including subjects in physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills
• There will be no hard separation among ‘curricular’, ‘extracurricular’, or ‘co-curricular’, among ‘arts’, ‘humanities’, and ‘sciences’, or between ‘vocational’ or ‘academic’ streams.

Experiential learning in all stages

• Experiential learning will include hands-on learning, arts-integrated and sports-integrated education, story-telling-based pedagogy, among others, as standard pedagogy . Classroom transactions will shift, towards competency-based learning and education

Curriculum content to be reduced

• Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials, and make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.

NIOS, open schools to offer courses for grades 3,5 and 8

• NIOS and State Open Schools will also offer A, B and C levels that are equivalent to Grades 3, 5, and 8 of the formal school system; secondary education programs that are equivalent to Grades 10 and 12; vocational education courses/programs; and adult literacy and life-enrichment programs.

Nutrition and health cards, regular health check-ups for school students

• The nutrition and health (including mental health) of children will be addressed, through healthy meals and regular health check-ups, and health cards will be issued to monitor the same.

National Mission on Foundation Literacy and Numeracy to be set up by MHRD

• A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will be set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on priority.

Tech- based option for adult learning through apps, TV channels etc

• Quality technology-based options for adult learning such as apps, online courses/modules, satellite-based TV channels, online books, and ICT-equipped libraries and Adult Education Centres, etc. will be developed.

Variable models for board exams - annual, semester, modular exams

• Boards may over time also develop further viable models of Board Exams, such as - annual/semester/modular Board Exams; offering all subjects beginning with mathematics, at two levels; two parts exams or objective type and descriptive type.

NTA to offer common entrance exam

• The National Testing Agency (NTA) will offer a high-quality common aptitude test, as well as specialized common subject exams in the sciences, humanities, languages, arts, and vocational subjects, at least twice every year for university entrance exams.
• 360 degree holistic report card for students
• Students will get 360 degree holistic report card, which will not only inform about the marks obtained by them in subjects, but also their skills and other important points.

Importance of board exam to be reduced, exam can be conducted twice a year

• In order to reduce the importance and stress of board exam, exam will be conducted in two parts: Objective and descriptive. Exam can be conducted twice a year. Board exam should promote knowledge application rather than rote learning.

Coding to be taught from class 6 onwards

• Students of class 6 and onwards will be taught coding in schools as a part of 21st century skills, school education.

National Curricular and pedagogical framework to be developed by NCERT

• A National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 will be developed by NCERT.

PARAKH: A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up as a standard-setting body.

Free boarding facilities in JNV

• Free boarding facilities will be built - matching the standard of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas particularly for students who from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds

Pre- school section in Kendriya Vidyalayas

• Pre-school sections covering at least one year of early childhood care and education will be added to Kendriya Vidyalayas and other primary schools around the nation, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

Dedicated unit for digital and online learning.

• A dedicated unit for the purpose of orchestrating the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education. 
• A comprehensive set of recommendations for promoting online education consequent to the recent rise in epidemics and pandemics in order to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of quality education whenever and wherever traditional and in-person modes of education are not possible, has been covered.

Financing Education

• The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest. 
• Education sector to get 6% of GDP, earlier it was 1.7%.

National Committee for integration of vocation Education -Lok Vidya

• Lok Vidya’, i.e., important vocational knowledge developed in India, will be made accessible to students. The education ministry, would constitute a National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE).

At Higher Education Institutes level

Vocational courses through online mode will also be made available.

• National Scholarship portal for SC, ST, OBC, SEDGs students to be expanded
• Efforts will be made to incentivize the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs. 
• The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. 
• Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger numbers of free ships and scholarships to their students.

NCC wings in secondary and higher secondary schools

• Under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, State Governments may encourage opening NCC wings in their secondary and higher secondary schools, including those located in tribal dominated areas

HECI- Common regulatory body for entire higher education

• Higher Education Commission of India(HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body the for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. 
• HECI to have four independent verticals: They are namely National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC ) for standard setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation.

E-content in regional language

• There will e- content in regional language apart from English and Hindi and these E courses to be in eight major languages not just English and Hindi.

Financial Autonomy to be given to 45K affiliated colleges

• There are over 45,000 affiliated colleges in our country. Under Graded Autonomy, Academic, Administrative & Financial Autonomy will be given to colleges, on the basis of the status of their accreditation.

Multiple entry and exit programme

• Under this, Students need not stick to the traditional three-year or four-year degree programmes 
• Under the NEP, a student can decide whether to complete the full-year programme for entry and exit.
• If one year is completed, a student can get a certificate. If the student completes two years, a diploma would be provided. 
• If the three-year or four-year programme is completed, then the degree will be awarded.
• After a four year degree programme, a student can directly do a year of Masters degree and then proceed for the Phd programmes. 
• The M.Phil programme will therefore be discontinued.
• Credits can be taken through multi-disciplinary education approach. Students can take major or minor programmes. The credit earned in a minor course can be transferred to the degree programme.

Best universities to set up campuses in other countries

• High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.

International Students Office at each institution hosting foreign students

• New Education Policy 2020 aims at promotion India as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs. An International Students Office at each institution hosting foreign students will be set up.

All higher education institute to become multidisciplinary institutions

• By 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions, each of which will aim to have 3,000 or more students

One large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district by 2030

• NEP aims at setting up at least one large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district by the year 2030.

At Teacher Academic Reform level

Minimum qualification for teaching - 4 year integrated B.Ed degree

• A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. 
• By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree .
• Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).
• Subjects such as physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills, in addition to science, humanities, and mathematics, will be incorporated throughout the school curriculum.
• Each of the four stages of school education, may consider moving towards a semester or any other system that allows the inclusion of shorter modules.

Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path

• Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based, with a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals and available progression paths to become educational administrators or teacher educators. 
• A common National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert organizations from across levels and regions.

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Context: Recently, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development has virtually launched a report on the innovative measures adopted by the states and union territories to bridge learning gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The report titled ‘India Report- Digital Education June 2020’ for ensuring accessible and inclusive education to children at home and reducing learning gaps.
• It has been prepared by the digital education division of MHRD in consultation with education departments of the states and union territories of the country.

Key points of the Report

• The report elaborates on the innovative methods adopted by Ministry of HRD.
• Education Departments of States and Union Territories for ensuring accessible and inclusive education to children at home and reducing learning gaps.
• This report brings a better understanding of the various initiatives taken to facilitate remote learning and education for all by taking schools to the students.

Initiatives by Ministry of HRD  

It has initiated many projects to assist teachers, scholars and students in their pursuit of learning like - 

• DIKSHA platform - It is a platform for school education which offers teachers, students and parents engaging learning material relevant to the prescribed school curriculum.
• Swayam Prabha TV Channel, Online MOOC courses, 
• On Air – Shiksha Vani,   DAISY by NIOS for differently-abled, e-PathShala, 
• National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) to develop e-content and energized books etc.

Initiatives by State Governments/UTs  

• Some of the major digital initiatives by State Governments are SMILE (Social Media Interface for Learning Engagement) in Rajasthan, Project Home Classes in Jammu, Padhai Tunhar duvaar (Education at your doorstep) in Chhattisgarh, Unnayan Initiatives in Bihar through portal and mobile application, Mission Buniyaad in NCT of Delhi, Kerala’s own educational TV channel (Hi-Tech school programme), E-scholar portal as well as free online courses for teachers in Meghalaya.  
• Telangana has online certificate programs for teachers on ‘Management of mental well-being during COVID’. 
• Assam has launched the Biswa Vidya Assam Mobile Application for class 6 to 10. Bihar has launched Vidyavahini App with e-books for class 1 to 12. 
• Under Unnayan Bihar Initiative, Bihar has also launched Mera Mobile Mera Vidyalaya for students, and Unnayan Bihar Teacher App.  
• Chandigarh has launched Phoenix Mobile application to assess the learning outcome for the students of class 1 to 8. 
• Maharashtra has launched the Learning Outcomes Smart Q Mobile App to facilitate learning for students in the state. 
• Punjab has launched iScuela Learn Mobile Application for class 1 to 10.  
• Sikkim Edutech App connects all the schools of Sikkim under the State Education Department, Parents also have login access along with students, teachers and administrative units.  
• Tripura has an application titled ‘EmpowerU Shiksha Darpan’ in order to facilitate student’s appraisal.  
• Uttar Pradesh launches ‘Top Parent’ app targeting children from 3-8years age. The application currently houses three high-quality EdTech apps for children – Chimple, Maths Masti and Google Bolo. 
• Odisha Shiksha Sanjog, a Whatsapp based digital learning programme has been launched in Odisha that shares e-content with class groups in a streamlined way.
• KHEL (Knowledge Hub for Electronic Learning), a Game Based Application has also been started, that covers class 1 to 3.

Future plans include

• Developing digital classrooms as an instructional modality – Integration of use of technology with the education system.
• Inclusion of virtual vocational training, virtual labs & skill development courses.
• Multi-mode access to education using web portals, mobile apps, TV channels, radio, podcasts, etc. with coherent user experience.
• Developing quality e-content in local languages.
• Developing framework for enhancing learning within and outside the classroom, and for assessments in the era of digital education.
• Framing of Online/Digital Education Guidelines addressing the digital divide.
• Efforts are also underway for developing mechanisms to provide textbooks to all children at home, upskill teachers to leverage e-learning resources, use of mobiles to increase penetration, etc.
• NCERT has also developed an alternate academic calendar.

Context: Recently, the government’s proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women illustrates a timeless principle of governance that rises above all ideologies.
Current age of Marriage

• At present, the minimum age of marriage is 21 and 18 years for men and women, respectively.
• The minimum age of marriage is distinct from the age of majority, which is gender-neutral. According to the Indian Majority Act, 1875, an individual attains the age of majority at 18.

Status of Child Marriage in India

• Though, there has been a decline in the incidence of child marriage nationally (from 54% in 1992-93 to 27% in 2016) and in nearly all states, the pace of change remains slow, especially for girls in the age group 15-18 years. Further, according to NHFS 4, 6.6% married before 15 years of age.
• Child marriage is more prevalent in rural areas (48%) than in urban areas (29%).

Impact of Child Marriage on Health

• Sexually transmitted diseases: Child marriage exposes the young girls to risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Maternal Mortality: Women attain maximum height during adolescence (10-19 years). Entering pregnancy at this stage obstructs attaining optimum height. It also prevents full growth of reproductive organs resulting in higher chances of obstructed labour and mortality.
• Child Malnutrition: Poor maternal height (<145 cms) is reported to be one of the highest risk factors associated with chronic child undernutrition. According to data, prevalence of malnutrition among children born to adolescent mothers is 11% higher than among the others.
• Mental health is also a major concern. Violence and abuse at marital home can lead to post-traumatic stress and depression.

Can raising age of marriage help address women health issues?

• Raising the age of marriage will raise the age of motherhood, and thus address the health problems of young mothers and their infants. It will also lower the fertility rate.
• However, it is important to understand that the root cause of child marriage is poverty and address the issue.  Poverty and marriage expenses such as dowry often lead a family to marry off their daughter at a young age to reduce these costs. Therefore, if poor women continue to remain poor and malnourished, raising their age of marriage by a few years would not make much difference.

Road Ahead

• Instead of tackling gender inequality, they reinforce the belief that girls are a burden relieved only by marriage. To bring genuine change, we need free education beyond schooling for girls, coupled with job guarantees, especially for those from rural areas and vulnerable social locations. 
• This would make it genuinely possible for girls to have some say as to whether, how or when they wished to marry.
• Incentives or cash transfer education schemes for girls to enable them to complete secondary education. Further, efforts should be made to provide gainful employment to women.
• Efforts need to be made to delay the age of conception. Schemes such as universal registration of marriage can help in providing newly married couples with information on family planning and family care.

Context: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 (SOFI 2020) report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with other United Nations organisations.
Methodology of the study: The study defined three types of diets.

• Basic energy sufficient diet: This takes into consideration only the basic calorie requirements of a person and the required calorie intake is met by consuming only the cheapest starchy cereal available. 2,329 Kcal for a healthy young woman of 30 years is taken as the standard reference.
• Nutrient adequate diet: This involves meeting the required calorie norms and also the stipulated requirement of 23 macro- and micro-nutrients. This diet includes the least-cost items from different food groups.
• Healthy diet: This type of diet, apart from meeting the calorie norm and the macro- and micro-nutrient norm, also allows for the consumption of a diverse diet, from several food groups.
• The Indian recommendation for a healthy diet includes consumption of items from six groups: starchy staples, protein-rich food (legumes, meat and eggs), dairy, vegetables, fruits, and fats.

Observations for South Asia

• The energy-sufficient diet is affordable to a poor person.
• A poor person is defined as having an income of $1.9 a day.
• The nutrient-adequate diet would require a person with income just above the poverty line to spend his/her entire daily expenditure on food (ignoring other essential needs such as fuel, transport, rent, medicines). Even in such a scenario he/she would not be able to afford the nutrient-adequate diet.
• The healthy diet is totally unaffordable for those with incomes at even twice the poverty line.
• The SOFI Report estimates that 18% of South Asians cannot afford the nutrient-adequate diet and 58% of South Asians cannot afford the healthy diet.

Concerns

• The analysis of the “cost and affordability of healthy diets around the world” in the SOFI 2020 report has revealed some concerns for India.
• The Indian poverty line is lower than the international poverty line used in the SOFI Report. It corresponds to roughly $1 a day at international PPP prices. This implies that the poor in India cannot even afford a nutrient-adequate diet and even those with incomes of twice the international poverty line cannot afford a healthy diet. This indicates that a large majority of Indians cannot afford a balanced diet.
• The pandemic and the consequent lockdowns would have only worsened the situation. The number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet will have risen as employment and incomes collapsed for the majority of workers in the informal sector.
• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which offers an additional 5 kg of wheat or rice and 1 kg of gram or lentils a month free of cost to all households with ration cards, though is indispensable during this crisis, is still utterly inadequate to address the challenge of malnutrition.

Road Ahead

• In the time of crisis, one nutritious meal should be provided to the people who cannot afford a balanced diet.
• The pradhan mantri garib kalyan yojna offers an additional 5 kg of wheat or rice and 1 kg of gram or lentils a month free of cost for all household with ration card till November 2020. More such schemes should be introduced.
• This new analysis proves that the problem of poor nutrition in India is mainly the unaffordability of good diets, and not the lack of information on nutrition or tastes or cultural preferences as previously believed. Hence to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity, India will have to address the problem of affordability of healthy diets.

Context: Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-profit Pure Earth released a report titled “The Toxic Truth: Children’s Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential”.

Key highlights of the report

• According to the report, a third of the world’s children (around 800 million) are affected by lead poisoning.
• Middle- and low-income countries were the most affected by the problem of lead exposure.The countries lost almost $1 trillion of economic potential.
• India accounts for 275,561,163 of these cases.
• Lead exposure can lead to lifelong cognitive, neurological and physical impairment.

Reason behind this toxicity and its impact

• Lead is a potent neurotoxin and causes irreparable harm to the brains of babies and children.
• Lead levels in the blood of Indian children showed they could lose four intelligence quotient points.
• Lead exposure during childhood is linked to an increase in crime and violence.
• Kidney damage and cardiovascular diseases were also prevalent among older children exposed to lead.

Causes

• Informal and sub-standard recycling of lead-acid batteries.
• Untreated discharge released directly into stationary and mobile water resources.
• The parents of children who work in lead-based factories also brought home contaminated dust, increasing exposure to children.
• Folk remedies and cosmetics used by households that contained lead. Sindoor (vermillion), a traditional cosmetic powder used by women in the Indian subcontinent, also has traces of lead.

Context: Recently, TRIFED has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA). To cement and formalize this partnership, a tripartite MOU was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi, and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA, a Swadeshi Science Movement).
Significance 

• Tribal entrepreneurs under TRIFED’s Van Dhan program will now be able to get access to the expertise of the entire network of 2600 + academic and research institutions under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA).

About Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

• Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship national programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Mission

• Enable higher educational institutions to work with the people of rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth.
• It also aims to create a virtuous cycle between society and an inclusive academic system by providing knowledge and practices for emerging professions and to upgrade the capabilities of both the public and the private sectors in responding to the development needs of rural India.

Goals

• To build an understanding of the development agenda within institutes of Higher Education and institutional capacity and training relevant to national needs, especially those of rural India.
• To re-emphasize the need for fieldwork, stake-holder interactions and design for societal objectives as the basis of higher education.
• To stress on rigorous reporting and useful outputs as central to developing new professions.
• To provide rural India and regional agencies with access to the professional resources of the institutes of higher education, especially those that have acquired academic excellence in the field of science, engineering and technology, and management.
• To improve development outcomes as a consequence of this research. To develop new professions and new processes to sustain and absorb the outcomes of the research.
• To foster a new dialogue within the larger community on science, society and the environment and to develop a sense of dignity and collective destiny.

About Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)

• It was established in 1987 and became operational from April 1988.
• The basic objective of the TRIFED is to provide a good price of the ‘Minor Forest Produce (MFP) collected by the tribes of the country.
• TRIFED is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

About Pradhan Mantri Van Dhana Yojana 

• It is a retail marketing-led value addition plan for Minor Forest Produce (MFP), meant for forest-based tribes to optimize the tribal income, locally.
• Under the program, MFP-based tribal groups/enterprises of around 300 members are formed for collection, value addition, packaging & marketing of Minor Forest Produces (MFPs).
• These tribal enterprises will be in the form of Van Dhan SHGs which will be a group of 15-20 members and such 15 SHG groups will further be federated into a larger group of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKS) of around 300 members.
• TRIFED will support the VDVKs through providing them with model business plans, processing plans & a tentative list of equipment for carrying out the value-added work of MFPs.
• The scheme is implemented through the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level.TRIFED acts as the Nodal Agency at the National Level.