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IAS EXPRESS Feel the Pulse of UPSC May - 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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IAS EXPRESS

CONTENTS

Cover Story - BUREAUCRACY: Glimse of Committed and Neutrality

1. ECONOMY

1.1 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) 1.2 Authority for Advance Rulings 1.3 Centre likely to extend deadline for submission of INC-22 forms by firms 1.4 Composition Scheme 1.5 Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 1.6 Currency chest 1.7 E-Way Bill System 1.8 Govt reaches out to industry for delisting controlled substances on trade portals 1.9 Investments through P-notes 1.10 Non-disclosure of Information by RBI 1.11 Panel to Review Microinsurance Framework 1.12 RBI allows Foreign Investors to invest in Municipal Bonds 1.13 RBI Extends Ombudsman Scheme to Non-Deposit Taking NBFCs 1.14 Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Investment Advisers

1.15 Small Finance Banks 1.16 Ways and Means Advances (WMA)

2. INDIA AND WORLD 2.1 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Congress 2019 held in New Delhi 2.2 Asian Development Outlook 2019 2.3 Bold Kurukshetra 2019 2.4 China drops BCIM from BRI projects' list 2.5 Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) 2.6 Conflict Diamonds 2.7 Exercise Varuna 2.8 Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) 2.9 H-1B Visa 2.10 India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) 2.11 International Solar Alliance (ISA) 2.12 Iran Oil Imports: With US Ending All Waivers, India Will Have to Brace for Headwinds 2.13 Navy to take Part in Fleet Review in China 2.14 NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 2.15 Special 301 Report 2.16 Top UK fellowship for Yusuf Hamied, other Indian scientists 2.17 World Bank report on remittances




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3. INTERNATIONAL 3.1 Agent Orange 3.2 Alexander Statue in Athens 3.3 Appointment of World Bank President 3.4 Battle of Kangla Tongbi 3.5 Bloomberg Misery Index 3.6 Country-by-Country Reports Agreement 3.7 Cyclone Kenneth 3.8 FAL convention of IMO 3.9 Global Cooling Coalition 3.10 Global Food Policy Report 3.11 Global Report on Food Crisis 2019 3.12 Kafala System 3.13 Libyan Civil War

3.14 Loya Jirga - An Afghan Tradition 3.15 Nepal Launches its First Satellite 3.16 Press Freedom Index 3.17 Simulated Martian Base 3.18 Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide 3.19 US to designate Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group 3.20 White paper on ‘online harms’ 3.21 World Book and Copyright Day 3.22 World Heritage Day

4. NATIONAL

4.1 Bodhisattva figure unearthed from Phanigiri 4.2 Café Scientifique 4.3 Competition Commission of India (CCI) 4.4 Crop insurance scheme 4.5 Dastangoi

4.6 Domkhar Rock Art Sanctuary 4.7 Enemy properties 4.8 Garia Puja Festival 4.9 India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness 4.10 India still not power-surplus nation 4.11 International Convention on World Homeopathy Day 4.12 Kandhamal Haldi 4.13 Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards 4.14 Mahavir Jayanti 4.15 Mission DELHI 4.16 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) 4.17 NIRF 2019 rankings 4.18 Service Voter 4.19 Tiwa Tribes 4.20 Vasanthotsavam 4.21 Veer Parivar App




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4.22 Yakshagana 5. POLITICAL ISSUES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GOVERNANCE

5.1 Alexandrine Parakeet 5.2 Article 370 5.3 Electoral bond scheme 5.4 FAME 2 scheme 5.5 Right to travel abroad is an important basic human right, SC 5.6 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)

6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6.1 Ahimsa mutton 6.2 'Antimicrobial resistance a threat to everyone' 6.3 Chain melted state 6.4 Climate-Resistant Chickpea Varieties 6.5 CRISPR Technology

6.6 First direct image of black hole 6.7 Fungal infection Candida auris 6.8 Gene therapy’s fight against ‘bubble boy’ disease may have yielded a safe cure 6.9 Genome sequencing to map population diversity 6.10 Grafting Technology 6.11 Hayabusa-2 6.12 Malware Kronos 6.13 Measles cases up 300% worldwide in 2019, says WHO 6.14 Nasa's InSight lander 'detects first Marsquake' 6.15 Novel fire extinguisher can be used in space 6.16 PSLV-C45 EMISAT Mission 6.17 Scientists Restore Brain Cell Activity 6.18 Scissors Enzyme 6.19 Signs we're experiencing a 6th mass extinction 6.20 Stephen Hawking's theory of dark matter debunked 6.21'This unique species can help fight antimicrobial resistance' 6.22 Titan 6.23 Universe's First Molecule 6.24 World Haemophilia Day 6.25 World's first malaria vaccine to go to 360,000 African children 6.26 Xenon Decay Observed

7. SOCIAL ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT

7.1 Community Radio Stations (CRS) 7.2 For First Time, Army Calls Women Applicants For Military Police

7.3 PepsiCo Sues Potato Farmers 7.4 Vayoshreshtha Samman

8. ENVIRONMENT 8.1 Antarctica: Thousands of emperor penguin chicks wiped out 8.2 Bharat Stage (BS) norms 8.3 Committee on National Clean Air Programme 8.4 Earth Day




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8.5 Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) 8.6 Eurasian Lynx 8.7 Forest fires threatening flora and fauna of Odisha 8.8 Global Forest Watch 8.9 Goldman Environmental Prize 8.10 Green Urban Areas 8.11 Illegal Bt brinjal farming in Haryana, allege activists 8.12 In a first, east Asian birds make Andaman stopover 8.13 India to access lithium reserves in Bolivia 8.14 Kakapo Parrot (Strigops habroptila) 8.15 Kumbh brought Allahabad to verge of an epidemic, says NGT 8.16 Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary 8.17'Near Normal' Monsoon in 2019: IMD 8.18 Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus)

8.19 Olive Ridley Turtles 8.20 Poachers threaten precious Madagascar forest and lemurs 8.21 Scientists use EU satellite to spot Aegean sea litter 8.22 Simbakubwa Kutokaafrika 8.23 Southern River Terrapin 8.24 State of Global Air-2019 Report



IAS EXPRESS Feel the Pulse of UPSC Cover Story

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BUREAUCRACY: Glimse of Committed and Neutrality

Recently, there has been a debate whether bureaucracy is being neutral or not. Involvement of bureaucracy in politics has become a very controversial issue.

When caught between various political ideologies and in conflicts of opinion, officials are supposed to maintain their neutrality. But there is an opposite view—that the top civil servants are not neutral at all, on the contrary, they are very “hungry for power” and to satisfy their hunger they participate in politics.

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy refers to a specialized system and processes designed to maintain uniformity and controls within an organization. Bureaucratic processes are most common in large organizations or governments. For example, an oil company may establish a bureaucracy to compel its employees to complete safety checks when operating on a rig.

“Bureaucracy means the civil servants, the administrative functionaries who are professionally trained for the public service and who enjoy permanency of tenure, promotion within service-partly by seniority and partly by merit.” - Robert Garner

Bureaucracy - Role

Implementation of Governmental Policies and Laws: It is the responsibility of the bureaucracy to carry out and implement the policies of the government. Good policies and laws can really serve their objectives only when these are efficiently implemented by the civil servants.

Role in Policy-Formulation: Policy-making is the function of the political executive. However, the bureaucracy plays an active role in this exercise. Civil Servants supply the data needed by the political executive for formulating the policies. In fact, Civil servants formulate several alternative policies and describe the merits and demerits of each. The Political Executive then selects and adopts one such policy alternative as the governmental policy.

Running of Administration: To run the day to day administration in accordance with the policies, laws, rules, regulations, and decisions of the government is also the key responsibility of the bureaucracy. The political executive simply exercises guiding, controlling and supervising functions.

Advisory Function: One of the important functions of the bureaucracy is to advise the political executive. The ministers receive all the information and advice regarding the functioning of their respective departments from the civil servants. As new to a department, the ministers have little knowledge about the functions of their particular




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departments. They, therefore, depend upon the advice of bureaucracy. Qualified, experienced and expert civil servants working in all government departments provide expert and professional advice and information to the ministers.

Role in Legislative Work: The civil servants play an important but indirect role in law-making. They draft the bills which the ministers submit to the legislature for law-making. The ministers provide all the information asked for by the legislature by taking the help of the civil servants.

Semi-judicial Work: The emergence of the system of administrative justice, under which several types of cases and disputes are decided by the executive, has further been a source of increased semi-judicial work of the bureaucracy. The disputes involving the grant of permits, licenses, tax concessions, quotas etc. are now settled by the civil servants.

Collection of Taxes and Disbursement of Financial Benefits: The civil servants play a vitally important role in financial administration. They advise the political executive in respect of all financial planning, tax-structure, tax-administration and the like. They collect taxes and settle disputes involving the recovery of taxes. They play a vital role in preparing the budget and taxation proposals. They carry out the function of granting of legally sanctioned financial benefits, tax reliefs, subsidies and other concessions to the people.

Record-Keeping: The Civil Service has the sole responsibility of keeping systematically all government records. They collect, classify and analyze all data pertaining to all activities of the government. They collect and maintain vital socio-economic statistics which are used for the formulation of Public policies and plans.

Role in Public Relations: The era of the modern welfare state and democratic politics has made it essential for the government to keep close relations with the people of the state. The need for maintaining active and full public relations is a vital necessity of every state. The civil servants play an active role in this sphere. They are the main agents who establish direct contacts with the people. They serve as a two-way link. On the one hand, they communicate all government decisions to the people, and on the other hand, they communicate to the government the needs, interests, and views of the people. Thus, bureaucracy plays a vigorously active and highly important role in the working of the government.

Need for a Neutral Bureaucracy

Neutrality depicts that public officials are not slaves to either the politicians or any other authority other than the moral authority of the Constitution. It shows that the principle of neutrality implies a measure of independence both from the partisan interests of the government of the day and the exogenous agenda that prompts certain social groups to cow others down to humiliating vulnerability.




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Bureaucracy should be neutral in terms of ideology and politics. So that there will not be an affinity to a particular class or ideology. Most importantly, it also suggests that even in the post-retirement period, public officials could make significant interventions for more noble purposes underlying the good society even without joining a particular brand of formal politics that has scant regard for constitutional principles such as freedom from fear and human dignity. For a genuine public official, commitment to constitutional principles is not only a lifelong project but, more importantly, it can be carried out without any political or ideological mediation.

If bureaucracy won't be neutral then it cannot lend its whole-hearted support to the existing political system, and to the economic and political system if any radical changes are introduced.

Without neutrality, there can be a close nexus between bureaucracy and large-scale enterprises which could further lead to crony capitalism.

In advanced societies, there is a number of classes and this finally leads to the conflict among classes. The officials should remain neutral in this conflict. Otherwise, they will be very eager to protect the interests of the class/classes to which they belong.

Committed Bureaucracy The civil services has been rightly termed ad the "steel frame" of India.The executive

machinery goes hand in hand with the legislature and judiciary to make India a better place to live in.

With many of the old visionary leaders like Pt. Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri having gone from the national and state scene in the sixties, many changes took place in political climate, values and systems in India. A rot started setting up rapidly in the administrative set up during this period and there started a cult of “committed” bureaucracy. During 1969 to 1974 personality cult was promoted. On a sustained and systematic basis, the process of committed bureaucracy flourished, thus undermining the integrity, values, ethos and confidence of the service. Officers were supposed to be the servicemen to carry out the orders of political bosses.The officers were not expected to be as loyal to the Constitution, as they had to be to their ministers.

The simplest of the arm-twisting measures, which politicians took in their hands, was to take the power of transfers, posting, and extensions. It placed the officers at the receiving end. Political patronage gave encouragement to corrupt and ambitious officials.

Indian Context The politicians relied more on populist slogans rather than the real issues like

population explosion, illiteracy, inadequate health care and poor social service programs.




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During Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s rule the political climate at provincial level started changing. Many new regional parties emerged at provincial level and came to power.

Mrs. Gandhi, after becoming Prime Minister in 1966, felt very insecure due to the hold of syndicate in politics. But she refused to act as a puppet in the hands of the syndicate and, therefore a split in Congress took place in 1969. Insecurity made Mrs. Gandhi to get complete hold over the bureaucracy. Mrs Gandhi desired the bureaucracy to be completely committed to the ruling party.

Right or wrong, presence of laws, rules and regulations were irrelevant to smart officers. During Emergency in 1975, the trusted officers of the Congress Party were placed on crucial positions. Slowly, but steadily the service lost its capacity to be the true agents of healthy change. Bureaucrats of proven competence and integrity found it comfortable to toe the footsteps of the political leaders. Willingly more and more officers became a tool in the hands of politicians. Upright officers with some mission and neutral approach had been sidelined.

In order to divert public attention from real issues, abstract issues like social justice, socialism, secularism, and communalism were floated in the political world. Economic logic and administrative acumen was subordinated to the logic of politics. The developmental activities of the previous years could not keep pace with the challenges facing the country at that time. Like now, the civil services were encouraged not to remain politically neutral and instead become ideologically oriented. Thereafter, personal loyalty to her was equated with loyalty to the party. But more importantly, loyalty to the leader also came to mean faithfulness or allegiance to the country, and opposition to her meant being anti-national.

Rewarding the loyalists, in the political field and in the administration, is what is known in the USA as the spoils system.

Consequences 1. An obvious consequence is that bureaucracy is becoming inefficient and

ineffective in the absence of professionalization, fairness and impartiality. If unqualified candidates get recruited in the civil services and promoted to various important positions they will not be able to provide quality services to the state.

2. Another important point is that bureaucrats remain busy in deliberation

management instead of trying to improve their capabilities since party "loyalty" and strength of deliberation are the only requirements for getting promotion. The most threatening thing is that thousands of brilliant civil servants have been penalized from time to time in the name of "loyalty." Such a situation will certainly discourage qualified and talented graduates from competing for the civil services.

3. The country has been and will be deprived of best talents for years due to

insouciance of political governments.




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4. Since the policies are skewed in the way the ruling government wants it, the main objective of being beneficial to the general public(especially the ones that need them the most) is overlooked. Populist measures implemented does not equated to ‘effective’ measures.

5. The biggest consequence is CORRUPTION; all forms corruption rot the entire administrative system which might take huge efforts to eradicate in the later stages. Misuse of power and creating a lousy law and order scenario.

6. The role of governors has been reduced to that of an instrument of the Central ruling party in a state. Governors have been forced to bend to the Central ruling party's desires, particularly in recommending the imposition of President's rule,

Way ahead: 1. Decentralization of power rather than its concentration 2. A judicious mix of the best minds in government and the private sector may be

necessary to professionally manage specific schemes. We have to think about India beyond those who have a ‘batch’, a ‘service’ and a ‘year’ to refer to.

3. By allowing lateral entry into top, decision-making levels of the bureaucracy, Our top bureaucracy, particularly the IAS, is likely to be well informed across a range of subjects, given their years of grassroots experience. But as the experience of public sector undertakings being run by IAS officials tells us, they may not be the best of managers or specialists. There is a paucity of specialists at higher levels; this is despite officials being sent on training programmes to this end. Finally, a dogged complacency seems to prevail — this is something that lateral recruits may disrupt, with new ideas and methods

4. Stability of tenure and related factors which will reduce the use of whip measures.

Weber has clearly stated in his Economy and Society: Vol. II that “The growing complexity of the administrative task and the sheer expansion of the scope increasingly result in the technical superiority of those who have had training and experience and will thus inevitably favour the continuity of at least some of the functionaries. Weber has clearly stated the origin and inevitability of bureaucratic organization and rule. The increasing complexities of modern admi-nistration only could be tackled by bureaucracy. Thus a bureaucrat should serve the political office, which symbolizes the people’s aspirations rather than merely the person who occupies that office. As such, he must understand that he is duty-bound to obey orders, so long as they do not jeopardize public welfare.




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The govt must unfold the plan of a new administrative machinery which will be a proper blend of bureaucrats and management specialists from outside government who are not weighed down by bureaucratic baggage. This will shake up the system and trigger a paradigm change in the way the government works. Yes, this will be the next big surgical strike in national interest.



IAS EXPRESS Feel the Pulse of UPSC May- 2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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ECONOMY

1.1 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs)

Context:

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 18 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) in March this year, including three bilateral APAs.

With the signing of these APAs, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT in the year 2018-19 stands at 52, which includes 11 bilateral APAs.

The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now stands at 271, which inter alia includes 31 bilateral APAs.

Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs):

An APA is an agreement between a taxpayer and the tax authority determining the Transfer Pricing methodology for pricing the tax payer’s international transactions for future years.

An APA provides certainty with respect to the tax outcome of the tax payer’s international transactions.

An APA can be one of the three types – unilateral, bilateral and multilateral. A Unilateral APA is an APA that involves only the taxpayer and the tax authority of the

country where the taxpayer is located. Bilateral APA (BAPA) is an APA that involves the tax payer, associated enterprise (AE)

of the taxpayer in the foreign country, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located and the foreign tax authority.

Multilateral APA (MAPA) is an APA that involves the taxpayer, two or more AEs of the tax payer in different foreign countries, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located and the tax authorities of AEs.

Significance:

The progress of the APA scheme strengthens the government’s resolve of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime.

The Indian APA programme has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to address complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.

1.2 Authority for Advance Rulings

An Authority for Advance Rulings (Central Excise, Customs & Service Tax) was set up by the Government of India to facilitate foreign investment into the country.

It gives binding rulings, in advance, on Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax matters pertaining to an investment venture in India.

The scheme of Advance Rulings was introduced under the Income-tax Act, 1961. Under the scheme, the power of giving advance rulings has been entrusted to an independent adjudicatory body.

Accordingly, a high-level body headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court has been set-up. This is empowered to issue rulings, which are binding both on the Income-tax Department and the applicant.

The Authority for Advance Rulings consists of a Chairman, who is a retired Judge of the Supreme court and two members of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India, one each from the Indian Revenue Service and the Indian Legal Service.

Any non-resident person whether individual, company, firm, association of persons or other body corporates can make an application for seeking an advance ruling in regard to his/its tax liability. Similarly, a certain category of residentscan also seek advance rulings.




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1.3 Centre likely to extend deadline for submission of INC-22 forms by firms

INC-22 is the Notice of situation or change of address of the registered office of the company.

INC-22 form requires companies incorporated on or before December 31, 2017, to provide details regarding the location of their offices, directors, and proof of business.

1.4 Composition Scheme

Context:

Taxpayers under the composition scheme of the GST will now have more relaxed rules with an increased turnover limit for the applicability, inclusion of service providers and reduced tax rates.

This scheme is also applicable to the real estate sector with respect to under-construction, ready and affordable homes.

The composition scheme is an alternative method of tax levy under GST designed to simplify compliance and reduce compliance costs for small taxpayers.

The main feature of this scheme is that the business or person who has opted to pay tax under this scheme can pay tax at a flat %age of turnovers every quarter, instead of paying tax at a normal rate every month.

Eligibility:

The composition scheme is applicable to manufacturers or traders whose taxable business turnover is up to Rs.1.5 crore(Rs.75 lakh in case of North-Eastern States).

A service provider can opt for the scheme if his taxable turnover is up to ?50 lakh.

Businesses with inter-State supplies, manufacturers of ice cream, pan masala and tobacco, and e-commerce players cannot opt for the composition scheme.

Importance:

The composition scheme effectively acknowledges the importance of the MSME sector, by granting relief to it on GST filings, procedures and tax rates.

1.5 Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

The CAGR is the yearly smoothened growth rate of an investment after a given interval. This is different from the average annual growth rate that investment might have seen over the two years. E.g.:

An investment of Rs.1,000 is made in 2014, which then grew 200% in the first year to Rs.3,000 in 2015, but then corrected to Rs.1,500 in the second year.

In this case, the average annual growth rate would be 75%, which is the average of 200% growth in the first year and a 50% contraction in the second.

However, a 75% annual growth rate would have yielded a return of Rs.3,062.5 at the end of the second year, which is not what happened.

To arrive at a more realistic growth rate to explain what happened, the compound annual growth rate, which basically smoothes out the average growth per year over the period under consideration.

So, in this example, the CAGR would be 22.47%. This number shows how much Rs.1,000 would have to grow every year to reach Rs.1,500 by the end of the second year.

Calculating CAGR requires three pieces of information: the start value of the investment, end value, and the number of periods under consideration.

CAGR provides a more accurate rate of growth that can help investors arrive at a more informed decision about their investment.

However, CAGR does not reflect investment risk. It does not provide information about how the investment has performed within that time period.




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1.6 Currency chest

Context:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests.

Guidelines:

Area of the strong room/ vault of at least 1,500 sq ft. For those situated in hilly/ inaccessible places, the strong room/ vault area of at least 600 sq ft.

The new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. Those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, a capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

The currency chests should have Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of Rs 1,000 crore, subject to ground realities and reasonable restrictions, at the discretion of the Reserve Bank.

Currency chests:

Currency chests are branches of selected banks authorised by the RBI to stock rupee notes and coins.

The responsibility for managing the currency in circulation is vested in the RBI.

The central bank advises the Centre on the number of notes to be printed, the currency denominations, security features and so on. The number of notes that need to be printed is determined using a statistical model that takes the pace of economic growth, rate of inflation and the replacement rate of soiled notes.

The Government has, however, reserved the right to determine the amount of coins that have to be minted.

Role of currency chests:

The RBI offices in various cities receive the notes from note presses and coins from the mints. These are sent to the currency chests and small coin depots from where they are distributed to bank branches.

The RBI has set up over 4,075 currency chests all over the country. Besides these, there are around 3,746 bank branches that act as small coin depots to stock small coins.

1.7 E-Way Bill System

Recently, the Finance Ministry has introduced changes in the e-way bill system, including auto calculation of distance based on PIN codes for the generation of e-way bill and blocking generation of multiple bills on one invoice, as it seeks to crack down on GST evaders.

Additionally, Non-filers of GST returns for two straight months will be barred from generating e-way bills for transporting goods.

EWay Bill is an Electronic Waybill for movement of goods to be generated on the eWay Bill Portal. A GST registered person cannot transport goods in a vehicle whose value exceeds Rs. 50,000 (Single Invoice/bill/delivery challan) without an e-way bill .

These enhanced features would add value to both, businesses and tax officers as the mixed bag aims at propelling ease of doing business together with acting as a deterrent for tax evaders.

1.8 Govt reaches out to industry for delisting controlled substances on trade portals

Context:

In a bid to curb trade of narcotics and other controlled substances on online portals, the government has reached out to the industry, especially business-to-business (B2B) portals, to ensure their delisting from such platforms.

The Government has shared a list of about 400 items including narcotics and psychotropic substances with business-to-business (B2B) portals.




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The industry outreach follows a probe against online B2B marketplace IndiaMART, which was investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in September 2018 for listing acetic anhydride, a precursor for heroin.

Narcotics Control Bureau:

The Narcotics Control Bureau was constituted by the Government of India in 1986 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

The act made an express provision for constituting a Central Authority for the purpose of exercising the powers and functions of the Central Government under the Act.

The National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is based on Article 47 of the Indian Constitution which directs the State to endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption, except for medicinal purposes, of intoxicating drugs injurious to health.

The drug abuse control is the responsibility of central government.

Following this, the portals have taken measures to ensure delisting of such controlled substances on their platform.

Earlier in January 2019, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) held a workshop in Bangkok to create more awareness among the industry.

The INCB Report 2018 had highlighted the growing evidence of an emerging modus operandi of drug trafficking in the region that involves the use of the Internet as a marketplace for drugs and precursors, with mail or courier services being used for delivery.

It had also pointed to India being the transit country for illicitly produced opiates, in particular heroin, which originate in Afghanistan and are trafficked through the country via Pakistan en route to Europe and North America (mainly Canada)

International Narcotics Control Board:

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions.

It was established in 1968 in accordance with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.

It was established by merging two bodies: the Permanent Central Narcotics Board, and the Drug Supervisory Body.

The functions of INCB are laid down in the following treaties: the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971,and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and

Psychotropic Substances of 1988.

India is a signatory to all the above three mentioned treaties.

INCB has 13 members (10 of the members are elected from a list of persons nominated by Governments, andremaining 3 members are elected from a list of persons nominated by the World Health Organization for their medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience), each elected by the Economic and Social Council for a period of five years.

INCB members may be re-elected.

It’s secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria.

1.9 Investments through P-notes

Context:

Investments through Participatory Notes in domestic capital market rose to Rs 78,110 crore at the end of March,2019 amid positive market sentiments.




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Participatory notes (P-notes) are issued by registered foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to overseas investors who wish to be a part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly after going through a due diligence process.

The increase in P-notes investment is in line with the higher net inflows of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in the cash segment.

Foreign Portfolio Investment:

Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) consists of securities and other financial assets passively held by foreign investors.

It does not provide the investor with direct ownership of financial assets and is relatively liquid depending on the volatility of the market.

Foreign portfolio investment is part of a country’s capital account and is shown on its Balance of Payments (BOP).

The BOP measures the amount of money flowing from one country to other countries over one monetary year.

The investor does not actively manage the investments through FPIs, he does not have control over the securities or the business. However, since the investor’s goal is to create a quick return on his money, FPI is more liquid and less risky than Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

In contrast, FDI lets an investor purchase a direct business interest in a foreign country. The investor’s goal is to create a long-term income stream while helping the company increase its profits.

The investor controls his monetary investments and actively manages the company into which he puts money. However, because the investor’s money is tied up in a company, he faces less liquidity and more risk when trying to sell his interest.

1.10 Non-disclosure of Information by RBI

Context:

The Supreme Court granted the last opportunity to the Reserve Bank of India to comply with its order to disclose its annual inspection report and list of wilful defaulters of banks under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

What is the annual inspection report?

The RBI conducts an annual financial inspection of commercial banks, both public and private. The central bank is empowered under Section 35 of the Banking Regulation Act to conduct an inspection of banks to ensure they adhere to prescribed rules and regulations.

This report looks into risk-based supervision, credit risk, market risk and operational risk of any bank, to ascertain bank’s possibility of failure.

Background:

The Supreme Court in Reserve Bank of India Vs Jayantilal N.Mistry and others had directed disclosure of information on annual inspection report and list of wilful defaulters sought for under the RTI Act relating to individual banks regulated and supervised by the RBI.

RBI’s Stand:

RBI had earlier refused to disclose such information on the grounds of economic interest, commercial confidence, fiduciary relationship or public interest with these individual banks. RBI, also argued that such information was exempt under Section 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act read with Section 45NB of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

Summary of SC’s judgement:

RBI is supposed to uphold public interest and not the interest of individual banks.

RBI is clearly not in any fiduciary relationship with any bank. RBI has no legal duty to maximize




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the benefit of any public sector or private sector bank, and thus there is no relationship of 'trust' between them. Further, withholding rather than disclosing of such information would be detrimental to the economic interest of the nation.

RBI has a statutory duty to uphold the interest of the public at large, the depositors, the country's economy and the banking sector. Thus, RBI ought to act with transparency and not hide information that might embarrass individual banks.

It is duty bound to comply with the provisions of the RTI Act and disclose the information sought.

What will be the Impact of this judgement?

The RBI will be required to provide annual inspection reports and other material.

While this will provide greater transparency about the affairs of banks, it has the potential to affect the regulatory process of the RBI.

Information contained in RBI annual inspection reports relating to banks is highly sensitive. The central bank through these efforts tries to ensure that the banking system remains smooth with minimum disruptions.

RTI Act, 2005:

Right to Information Act or RTI is a central legislation, which enables the citizens to procure information from a public authority.

It provides the mechanism for obtaining information under the control of public authority so that transparency and accountability can be increased.

Sec 8 of the RTI ACT:

Sec 8 deal with exemption from disclosure of information.—

information which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India

information which has been expressly forbidden to be published by any court of law

information, the disclosure of which would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the State Legislature

information including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party, unless the competent authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information

information available to a person in his fiduciary relationship, unless the competent authority is satisfied that the larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information

information received in confidence from foreign government

information, the disclosure of which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes

information which would impede the process of investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders

information under the Official Secrets Act.

1.11 Panel to Review Microinsurance Framework

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has set up a committee to review the regulatory framework on microinsurance.

Microinsurance products offer coverage to low-income households or to individuals who have little savings and is tailored specifically for lower valued assets and compensation for illness, injury or death.

The 13-member panel has been tasked with suggesting product designs with customer-friendly underwriting, including easy premium payment methods and simple claims settlement




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procedures.

Its mandate is to suggest changes in the distribution structure, including mobile-based and technology-driven solutions.

1.12 RBI allows Foreign Investors to invest in Municipal Bonds

The Reserve Bank of India has eased norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) by allowing them to invest in Municipal Bonds (Muni bond) under prescribed limits.

The limits for investing in Muni bond is same as that of FPI investment in State Development Loans (SDLs), which is currently 2% of outstanding loans.

Municipal Bonds

Municipal bonds are bonds issued by urban local bodies- municipal bodies and municipal corporates (entities owned by municipal bodies) to raise money for financing specific projects specifically infrastructure projects.

These Bonds has tax-free status if they conform to certain rules and their interest rates are market-linked.

Bangalore Municipal Corporation was the first ULB to issue Municipal Bond in India in 1997.

In 2015, SEBI made fresh guidelines for the issue of municipal bonds for enabling the ULBs to mobilize money.

These bonds are known as revenue bonds when raised for one project.

‘Muni bond’ could help corporations directly raise funds without looking to State grants or agencies such as World Bank and help in financing projects such as Smart Cities.

1.13 RBI Extends Ombudsman Scheme to Non-Deposit Taking NBFCs

Context:

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the extension of the Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), to eligible non-deposit taking non-banking financial companies (NBFC-NDs) having asset size of Rs 100 crore or above with customer interface.

It has been done to ensure expeditious redressal of complaints against deficiency in services concerning loans and other matters relating to deficiency in the services by NBFCs.

Ombudsman Scheme forNon-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs):

The Scheme was launched on February 23, 2018, for redressal of complaints against NBFCs registered with RBI under Section 45-IA of the RBI Act, 1934 and covered all deposit accepting NBFCs.

The NBFC Ombudsman is a senior official appointed by the Reserve Bank of India to redress customer complaints against NBFCs for deficiency in certain services covered under the grounds of complaint specified under the Scheme.

It provides a cost-free and expeditious complaint redressal mechanism relating to deficiency in the services by NBFCs covered under the scheme.

The scheme also provides for an appellate mechanism under which the complainant / NBFC has the option to appeal against the decision of the Ombudsman before the appellate authority.

The offices of the NBFC Ombudsmen are functioning at Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and handle complaints of customers in the respective zones.

1.14 Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Investment Advisers

Context:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for the growing number of investment advisers to address issues related to




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the quality of advice given to investors by such entities. Highlights:

SRO is the first-level regulator that performs the crucial task of regulating intermediaries representing a particular segment of securities market on behalf of the regulator. It would be seen as an extension of the regulatory authority of the SEBI and would perform the tasks delegated to it by the SEBI.

The role of SRO is developmental, regulatory, related to grievance redressal and dispute resolution as well as taking disciplinary actions.

The regulator has proposed a governing board with at least 50% public interest directors along with 25% representation each of shareholder directors and elected representatives.

Further, the governing board can appoint a managing director or chief executive officer to manage the daily affairs of the SRO.

Need for SRO:

SEBI was in receipt of a large number of complaints alleging charging of exorbitant fees, assurance of returns, misconduct etc. by investment advisers.

Given the growth in this segment of the market, it was felt that the time is appropriate to initiate the formation of an SRO.

1.15 Small Finance Banks

Context:

Data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) show that the small finance banks, in total, saw their deposits grow 31.6% in the third quarter (ended December) of this financial year, compared with the second quarter. The phenomenal growth of small finance banks has come on a very small base which is why bigger banks and NBFCs don’t see them as competition yet.

Small Finance Banks (SFBs):

The small finance bank will primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to unserved and underserved sections including small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.

Mode of operation:

Take small deposits and disburse loans.

Distribute mutual funds, insurance products and other simple third-party financial products.

Lend 75% of their total adjusted net bank credit to priority sector.

Maximum loan size would be 10% of capital funds to single borrower, 15% to a group.

Minimum 50% of loans should be up to 25 lakhs. Prohibitions on SFBs:

Lend to big corporates and groups.

Cannot open branches with prior RBI approval for first five years.

Other financial activities of the promoter must not mingle with the bank.

It cannot set up subsidiaries to undertake non-banking financial services activities.

Cannot be a business correspondent of any bank. Guidelines:

Promoter must contribute minimum 40% equity capital and should be brought down to 30% in 10 years.

Minimum paid-up capital would be Rs 100 cr.

Capital adequacy ratio should be 15% of risk weighted assets, Tier-I should be 7.5%.

Foreign shareholding capped at 74% of paid capital, FPIs cannot hold more than 24%.

Priority sector lending requirement of 75% of total adjusted net bank credit.




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50% of loans must be up to Rs 25 lakh.

1.16 Ways and Means Advances (WMA)

Context:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with the government of India has set the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September 2019) at Rs 75000 crore.

Ways and Means Advances (WMA):

The Reserve Bank of India gives temporary loan facilities to the centre and state governments as a banker to government. This temporary loan facility is called Ways and Means Advances (WMA).

WMA Scheme for the Central Government:

The WMA scheme for the Central Government was introduced on April 1, 1997, after putting an end to the four-decade old system of adhoc (temporary) Treasury Bills to finance the Central Government deficit.

The WMA scheme was designed to meet temporary mismatches in the receipts and payments of the government. This facility can be availed by the government if it needs immediate cash from the RBI. The WMA is to be vacated after 90 days. Interest rate for WMA is currently charged at the repo rate. The limits for WMA are mutually decided by the RBI and the Government of India.

Overdraft:

When the WMA limit is crossed the government takes recourse to overdrafts, which are not allowed beyond 10 consecutive working days. The interest rate on overdrafts would be 2 percent more than the repo rate.

The minimum balance required to be maintained by the Government of India with the Reserve Bank of India will not be less than Rs.100 crore on Fridays, on the date of closure of Government of India’s financial year and on June 30, the date of closure of the annual accounts of the RBI, and not less than Rs.10 crore on other days.

The cash management of GoI has considerably deteriorated in the recent past, with situations of large surplus and large deficit. This has put tremendous pressure of RBI with respect to liquidity management and conduct of monetary policy.

WMA Scheme for the State Governments:

Under the WMA scheme for the State Governments, there are two types of WMA – Special and Normal WMA.

Special WMA is extended against the collateral (mortgaging) of the government securities held by the State Government.

After the exhaustion of the special WMA limit, the State Government is provided a normal WMA. The normal WMA limits are based on three-year average of actual revenue and capital expenditure of the state. The withdrawal above the WMA limit is considered an overdraft.

A State Government account can be in overdraft for a maximum 14 consecutive working days with a limit of 36 days in a quarter. The rate of interest on WMA is linked to the Repo Rate. Surplus balances of State Governments are invested in Government of India 14-day Intermediate Treasury bills in accordance with the instructions of the State Governments.




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INDIA AND WORLD

2.1 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Congress 2019 held in New Delhi

Context:

The Vice President of India highlighted the need to make sustainable solutions such as harvesting solar energy, enhancing green cover and water conservation an essential part of town planning while addressing the 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) Congress 2019.

RCAP 2019 is the 4th in the series of Resilient Cities Asia Pacific Congresses. The first three being held in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2015; in Melaka, Malaysia in March 2016 and in Vietnam in December 2017.

The 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific 2019 Congress is being organised by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) – Local Governments for Sustainability and hosted by South Delhi Municipal Corporation on 15th to 17th of April 2019 in New Delhi.

The proposed themes for RCAP 2019 are: Integrated climate resilience planning to manage risks and vulnerabilities Good governance and resilience Nature-based solutions to adaptation Climate knowledge brokering Opportunities for regional networking and collaboration Sustainable infrastructure development and green growth Urban Nexus Financing mechanisms for Asian cities

Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific:

Resilient Cities is the annual global platform for urban resilience and climate change adaptation where dialogues are conducted to forge partnerships, with the ultimate goal of identifying implementable solutions and creating lasting impacts for cities in the region.

It was launched in 2010. Need:

Current changes in climate, combined with rapid and often unplanned urbanisation, make Asia one of the regions of the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, intensification of extreme weather events and rising sea levels are already a reality in the region.

At the same time, increasing population and spreading of human settlements in low lying, flood prone coastal areas magnify the risks coming from climate change related disasters, thus increasing the vulnerability of people, especially the urban poor, who live in hazardous areas.

2.2 Asian Development Outlook 2019

ADB publishes Asian Development Outlook 2019. Highlights:

Growth in developing Asia is projected to soften to 5.7% in 2019 and 5.6% in 2020. Excluding Asia’s high-income newly industrialized economies, growth is expected to slip from 6.4% in 2018 to 6.2% in 2019 and 6.1% in 2020.

Since oil prices rose and Asian currencies depreciated, inflation edged up last year but remained low by historical standards. In light of stable commodity prices, inflation is anticipated to remain subdued at 2.5% in both 2019 and 2020.

Only 20 of 45 individual economies are projected to see growth accelerate in 2019.

By sub-region, aggregate growth rates in Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia are expected




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to decelerate, while South Asia and the Pacific will bounce back from slowdown in 2018.

In East Asian economy growth in East Asia decelerated by 0.2% to 6.0% in 2018, weighed down by weakening external trade and moderating investment in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) but sustained by resilient domestic consumption.

Position of India:

Growth rate: India’s growth forecast is cut to 7.2% for 2019-20 because of a slower-than-expected pickup in investment demand. The growth rate in Financial Year 2020-21 is likely to be 7.3%.

Recovery may be due to agriculture and stronger domestic demand, improved health of banks and corporations and implementation of a value-added tax.

The inflation is expected to average around 4% in the first half of FY2019, and therefore the Reserve Bank would have some room for lowering policy rates further increasing credit.

Asian Development Bank:

The Asian Development Bank was conceived in the early 1960s as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.

It assists its members, and partners, by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.

Established on 19 December 1966.

Headquartered — Manila, Philippines.

Official United Nations Observer. Voting rights:

It is modelled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.

Japan > United States > China > India >Australia

2.3 Bold Kurukshetra 2019

12th edition of ‘Bold Kurukshetra 2019’, a India- Singapore joint military exercise, began at Babina Cantonment, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

The Exercise is aimed at attaining a high level of interoperability between the armies of both the nations through mutual understanding and familiarisation with each other’s operational procedures and equipment.

2.4 China drops BCIM from BRI projects' list

Context:

China has said that the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor will not be a part of the Belt & Road Initiative.

India’s decision to skip the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) may have led to the exclusion of the Bangladesh- China- India- Myanmar (BCIM) Economic corridor from the list of projects covered by the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.

Citing sovereignty concerns, India, for the second time, has not officially participated in the BRF, as China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—a flagship of the BRI—passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In the official communique of BRF, South Asia is covered by three major undertakings—the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network and the China Pakistan Economic




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Corridor (CPEC). Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Corridor:

The 2800 km BCIM corridor proposes to link Kunming in China’s Yunnan province with Kolkata, passing through nodes such as Mandalay in Myanmar and Dhaka in Bangladesh before heading to Kolkata.

China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC):

The 1,700-km corridor provides China another node to access the Indian Ocean.

The CMEC will run from Yunnan Province of China to Mandalay in Central Myanmar.

From there it will head towards Yangon, before terminating at the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the Bay of Bengal.

The CMEC will reduce Beijing’s trade and energy reliance on the Malacca straits — the narrow passage that links the Indian Ocean with the Pacific.

China is worried that US Naval domination over the Malacca straits can threaten one of China’s major economic lifeline.

Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network:

The Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan connectivity network starting from Chengdu, from where it is linked to Tibet by the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and Railway.

China has visualized that that railway can eventually be connected with the Indian railway network, linking China and India across the Himalayas.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):

The CPEC is a bilateral project between Pakistan and China, intended to promote connectivity across Pakistan with a network of highways, railways, and pipelines accompanied by energy, industrial, and other infrastructure development projects.

CPEC links the Western part of China to the Gwadar Port in Balochistan, Pakistan running some 3000 km from Xinjiang to Balochistan via Khunjerab Pass in the Northern Parts of Pakistan.

2.5 Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)

Context:

In the wake of growing threats and acts of terrorism across the world, India and Bolivia have called for an early finalisation of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).

CCIT:

The Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism is a proposed treaty which intends to criminalize all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, arms, and safe havens.

It is a draft proposed by India in 1996 that is yet to be adopted by the UNGA. Provisions of CCIT:

Universal definition of terrorism: no good terrorist or bad terrorist.

Ban on all groups regardless of country of operation, cut off access to funds and safe havens.

Prosecution of all groups including cross border groups.

Amending domestic laws to make cross-border terror an extraditable offence.

It also addresses, among other things, the issue of Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism in south Asia.

Concerns of various countries:

US + allies concerns over definition of terrorism, including acts by US soldiers in international interventions without UN mandate.

Latin American countries concerns over international humanitarian laws being ignored.




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There are also concerns that convention will be used to target Pakistan and restrict rights of self-determination groups in Palestine, Kashmir etc.

2.6 Conflict Diamonds

Context:

India is concerned over widening of definition of ‘conflict diamonds’ under the Kimberley Process, as suggested by developed countries such as the US and Canada.

The proposal is to include human right abuses and child labour issues. This may end up as a non-tariff barrier for developing countries.

Non-tariff Barrier:

A nontariff barrier is a trade restriction, such as a quota, embargo or sanction, that countries use to further their political and economic goals.

Countries commonly use nontariff barriers in international trade.

Nontariff barriers often release countries from paying added tax on imported goods and create other barriers that have a meaningful yet different monetary impact.

Countries can use nontariff barriers in place of, or in conjunction with, standard tariff barriers. India’s Stand:

While the concerns are largely based on reports of human rights abuses in the diamond fields of Zimbabwe and Angola which includes killing of villagers.

India is afraid that once the exercise of broadening the definition of conflict diamond begins, many other issues could get incorporated and a lot of subjectivity may flow in.

This becomes more important since India is the world’s largest centre for cut and polished diamonds and accounts for 75% of the world’s polished diamonds exports.

The sector is labour-intensive and employs over 4.64 million workers, which is expected to go up to 8.23 million by 2022.

India is against human rights abuse and labour law violations, but there are other agencies including the UN Human Rights Commission and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to address them.

The Kimberly Process was never meant to address such issues. While countries like Zimbabwe and Angola need to be checked, India and some other developing countries engaged in peaceful trade should not be at the receiving end.

Note

Over the last couple of years, a number of members including Canada, the EU and the US have been complaining that the Kimberley process addresses a very narrow band of issues and ignores the rest.

Thereby, Canada, in last year’s plenary meeting in Brussels, put forward a proposal to expand the definition of conflict diamonds to include rough diamonds used by public security forces or private (including criminal or mercenary) armed groups to acquire wealth through the illegal control, bribery, taxation, extortion or dispossession of people.

India is the chair of the Kimberley System Certification Scheme (KPCS) for the year 2019, and will have to mobilise other developing countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Brazil and Vietnam to oppose unintended barriers to trade.

2.7 Exercise Varuna

India and France will be conducting joint Naval exercise “Varuna” off the coast of Goa from May 1, 2019.

Along with other naval ships Aircraft carriers of two countries, INS Vikramaditya and FNS




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Charles de Gaulle will be the part of Naval Exercise.

The two countries have also operationalized their reciprocal military logistics support agreement, which saw French anti-aircraft destroyer FNS Cassard docking at the Mumbai naval port in January.

Under the pact, Indian warships can access French bases like the Reunion Islands near Madagascar and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa in the Indian Ocean.

2.8 Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)

Context:

The move by the United States (U.S.) to terminate India’s designation as beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme because it no longer complied with the statutory eligibility criteria, is likely to affect plastic exports from India. Some of the product segments which may face a decline in exports to U.S. due to withdrawal of GSP concessions include plastics raw materials, consumer and houseware items and polyester films.

Highlights

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to rescind the benefits Indian exports enjoy under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme.

The trigger for the latest downturn in trade ties was India’s new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart-backed Flipkart do business in a rapidly growing online market set to touch $200 billion by 2027.

That, coming on top of a drive to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard and Visa to move their data to India and the imposition of higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones, left a broader trade package the two sides were working on through last year in tatters.

With this, India could lose a vital U.S. trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States.

Generalised System of Preferences (GSP):

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories.

Objectives of GSP:

The objective of GSP was to give development support to poor countries by promoting exports from them into the developed countries.

GSP promotes sustainable development in beneficiary countries by helping these countries to increase and diversify their trade with the United States.

Benefits:

Indian exporters benefit indirectly through the benefit that accrues to the importer by way of reduced tariff or duty free entry of eligible Indian products

Reduction or removal of import duty on an Indian product makes it more competitive to the importer, other things (e.g. quality) being equal.

This tariff preference helps new exporters to penetrate a market and established exporters to increase their market share and to improve upon the profit margins, in the donor country.

Impacts on India due to withdrawal:

India exports nearly 50 products of the 94 products on which GSP benefits are stopped. The GSP removal will leave a reasonable impact on India as the country enjoyed preferential tariff on exports worth of nearly $ 5. 6 billion under the GSP route out of the total exports of $48




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bn in 2017-18.

Removal of GSP indicate a tough trade position by the US; especially for countries like India who benefited much from the scheme. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $ 21 bn in 2017-18.

2.9 H-1B Visa

Context:

H-1B visa holders in the US are facing problems in switching jobs even if the new job is similar to the old and requires the same exact skill sets.

The US citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has denied several applications by the new employer by citing that the new position does not constitute a 'specialty occupation’.

Note:

The US H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ graduate level workers in specialty occupations. Speciality occupations requires Theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as in IT, finance,

accounting, architecture, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine, etc. Any professional level job that usually requires you to have a bachelor’s degree or higher

can come under the H-1B visa for specialty occupations.

If the H-1B holders starts working elsewhere and the transfer is denied, the person could be 'out of status' with a bar on entry into the US for three to ten years, unless the old employer is willing to take back the worker.

The US H1-B visa is designed to be used for staff in specialty occupations. The job must meet one of the following criteria to qualify as a specialty occupation: Have a minimum entry requirement of a Bachelor's or higher degree or its equivalent. The degree requirement for the job is common to the industry or the job is so complex or

unique that it can be performed only by an individual with a degree. The employer normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position. The nature of the specific duties is so specialized and complex that the knowledge

required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a bachelor's or higher degree.

H-1B visa holders can bring their spouse and children under 21 years of age to the US under the H-4 Visa category as dependents. An H4 Visa holder is allowed to remain in the US as long as the H-1B visa holder remains in legal status.

While, an H-4 visa holder is not eligible to work in the US, they may attend school, obtain a driver's license and open a bank account while in the US.

Capping on Visa:

USCIS sets a limit on how many H1B visas are issued each year.

These numbers can change as per regulations of the US government. Historically, the cap is placed at 65,000.

An additional 20, 000 H1B visas are issued for qualified people who have completed a Masters degree from USA. This quota is independent and additional to general 65,000 quota.

It is done through lottery process.

Employer prefer H1B visa because applying for a non-immigrant visa is generally quicker than applying for a US Green Card, therefore the H-1B visa is popular for companies wishing to bring in staff for long-term assignment in the US.

However, because of the lack of available visas employers frequently have to look at applying for other visa categories such as: L-1B for specialized workers




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L-1A for managers and executives E-2 Treaty Investor visa E-1 Treaty Trader visa E-3 for Australians etc.

Significant changes introduced to H1B visa:

US says H1B visas will be issued to only the most-skilled foreigners or highest-paid beneficiaries

In July 2018, USCIS adjudicators granted right to reject H1B applications that do not provide the necessary required information when submitted.

In October 2018, The US initiates deportation of H1B holders with expired visas.

In October 2018, The US proposes revision of “specialty occupations” definition for the H1B visa.

In Jan 2019, The USCIS announces it will require petitioners seeking to file H1B cap-subject petitions to first electronically register with USCIS.

2.10 India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD)

Context:

India has signed an agreement with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Consultancy Service (NABCONS) for setting up the India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD) in Malawi, a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa.

The agreement is a part of India’s efforts to enhance capacity in the areas of agro-financing and entrepreneurship development for African countries.

India-Africa Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IAIARD):

IAIARD will be a Pan-African Institute wherein trainees from Malawi and other African countries will be trained to develop their human resources and build their capacity.

The entire expenditure on India faculty, their travel, logistics and training course expenses for students from other African countries will be borne by the Indian Government for an initial period of three years.

IAIARD will develop training programmes in the areas of micro-financing and agro-financing, among others.

Importance:

This will be the first of its kind institute developed in an African country by India.

This will further strengthen the bilateral relations between India and Malawi and that of India’s relations with the African Union.

2.11 International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Context:

Bolivia has joined the International Solar Alliance by signing the framework agreement on International Solar Alliance.

Highlights

The agreement of the International Solar Alliance was open for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016.

The signatories of the agreement include India, France, Australia, UAE, UK, Japan amongst others.

International Solar Alliance (ISA):

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of more than 122 countries initiated by India, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between




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the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, now extended to all members of UN.

The Paris Declaration establishes ISA as an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member countries.

Objectives:

The ISA’s major objectives include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030.

Mandate:

As an action-oriented organisation, the ISA brings together countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase, facilitating the deployment of existing solar technologies at scale, and promoting collaborative solar R&D and capacity building.

When the ISA Framework Agreement entered into force on December 6th, 2017, ISA formally became a de-jure treaty based International Intergovernmental Organization, headquartered at Gurugram, India.

2.12 Iran Oil Imports: With US Ending All Waivers, India Will Have to Brace for Headwinds

Context:

The US has said that it will not renew exemptions from its sanctions for importing oil from Iran. There will be no Significant Reduction Exceptions (SREs) to any nation anymore.

The exemptions were granted last November for a 180-day period for India and seven other countries, and are due to expire on May 2.

India, China, and US allies Japan, South Korea, and Turkey will be the most impacted by the non-renewal of waivers.

The other three currently exempted countries — Italy, Greece, and Taiwan — have already reduced their imports to zero.

Impact of Sanctions:

On Iran: The significant reduction in oil export will deny Iran its principal source of revenue.

On Global Oil Supplies: Iran has a 4% share of global oil production in 2018. Sanctions on Iran are likely to impact global oil supply chains.

Disruption in supply may also lead to a significant rise in oil prices.

However, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, three of the world’s largest energy producers have said that they are committed to ensuring that global oil markets remain adequately supplied.

Threatened sanctions on India:

The US has said that India’s “escrow account” used for Rupee-Rial trade cannot be operated after May 2 deadline.

Escrow Account: An escrow account is a temporary pass-through account held by a third party during the process of a transaction between two parties.

However, there is no change in the exemption given for India’s investments in Chabahar port as a trade route to Afghanistan.

US has said that it will place financial curbs on any entities or companies violating the oil sanctions, including a ban on the use of the SWIFT banking international transaction system by the companies, seizure of any US assets of those companies, and curtailing any other dollar transactions.

Impact on India:

Oil Supply for Refineries: The decision of the US is likely to irk India, particularly since the US has also imposed sanctions on another of India’s top suppliers, Venezuela.




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Current account deficit: Higher crude oil prices will widen the trade deficit and current account deficit, given that the value of imports goes up with crude oil.

Each dollar increase in the price of oil raises India’s annual import bill by over Rs 10,500 crore, any spike in global crude prices could have a bigger impact on India’s deficit numbers in the absence of the Iranian oil.

Rupee and Inflation: The currency could be impacted if the trade and current account deficits were to widen. An increase in the import bill will tend to put pressure on the rupee. The rise in crude oil prices passed on to the consumer will increase inflation.

India’s Response:

Indian oil companies have almost halved their Iranian oil purchases since November when the sanctions came into effect.

India’s petroleum Minister has said that India will diversify its imports from major oil-producing nations other than Iran.

India and Iranian Oil:

India is the world’s third-biggest oil consumer. It meets more than 80% of its crude oil requirements and around 40% of its natural gas needs through imports.

India is Iran’s top oil buyer after China. In 2018-19, it imported 23.5 million tonnes from Iran; in the previous year, almost 10% of its total 220.4 million tonnes of crude import was from Iran.

Iran was the fourth largest supplier of oil to India in 2018-19, and other suppliers may not provide the same benefits in the form of price and credit facilities.

2.13 Navy to take Part in Fleet Review in China

The Indian Navy has sent two ships to Qingdao, China, to participate in the International Fleet Review, to be held later in the month of April as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the People’s Liberation Army (Navy).

The ships are stealth destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet tanker INS Shakti:

INS Kolkata is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors to address threats in all dimensions of naval warfare.

INS Shakti, a replenishment ship, is one of the largest tankers displacing over 27,000 tonnes and capable of carrying 15,000 tonnes of liquid cargo and over 500 tonnes of solid cargo including victuals and ammunition.

Pakistan’s Navy is not participating in the event:

The reason could be inability of Pakistan to spare its warships for the event. Currently, there is a heavy deployment of the Indian navy in the Arabian Sea.

International Fleet Review (IFR) is a parade of naval ships, aircraft and submarines, and is organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their organisational capabilities.

It also serves as an ideal platform for world’s navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship designing and ship building capabilities in a global/ international arena.

In 2018, it was held at Jeju, South Korea.

The Indian Navy had last held an International Fleet Review in February 2016, in which 50 navies of different countries took part with nearly 100 warships.

2.14 NuGen Mobility Summit 2019

Context:

The NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 will be held during November at Manesar, National Capital Region. The Summit will be organised by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in association with many institutions including NATRiP.




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Highlights:

The objective behind the Summit is to share new ideas, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future.

It will help in building a platform for bringing together all stakeholders in the automotive industry to understand global advancements in technologies.

ICAT Manesar:

International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) Manesar is a division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS) under the Department of Heavy Industries, India.

Functions:

It provides services for testing, validation, design and homologation of all categories of vehicles.

It assists the automotive industry in adopting cutting edge technologies in vehicle evaluation and component development to ensure reliability, durability and compliance to the current and future regulations

2.15 Special 301 Report

The United States has placed India on its Priority Watch List for alleged violations of intellectual property rights.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative released its annual Special 301 Report, in which it placed 36 countries on the Priority Watch List.

USA places trading partners that currently present the most significant concerns regarding IP rights on the Priority Watch List or Watch List. The “Priority Watch List” classification indicates that problems exist in that country involving its IP protection, enforcement, or market access.

Consequences of being placed on Special report 301:

U.S. government may initiate dispute settlement proceedings at the World Trade Organization (WTO) or other relevant trade agreement.

The U.S. government can also eliminate tariff preferences unilaterally granted, such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

2.16 Top UK fellowship for Yusuf Hamied, other Indian scientists

Scientist and businessman Yusuf Hamied is among a host of Indian-origin experts honoured in the 2019 list of new fellows of the U.K.’s Royal Society.

The Royal Society is an independent scientific academy of the U.K. and the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting excellence in science.

It is the world’s oldest scientific academy, in continuous existence since the seventeenth century.

Cipla Chairman, Hamied is a Padma Bhushan awardee, and is known for efforts to produce low-cost drugs to treat diabetes, cancer and other diseases.

Among other Indian-origin scientists elected as fellows this year are microbiologist Gurdyal Besra, mathematicians Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh and health experts Gagandeep Kang and Anant Parekh.

2.17 World Bank report on remittances

World Bank has released its Migration and Development Brief. Highlights - India specific:

India is positioned as the world’s top recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending USD




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79 billion back home in 2018. The remittances in 2018 grew by over 14 percent in India.

India managed to retain its top spot in remittances by registering a significant flow of remittances from USD 62.7 billion in 2016 to USD 65.3 billion 2017 and to USD 79 billion in 2018, a significant growth over the last three years.

Natural disasters like Kerala floods likely boosted the financial help that migrants sent to their families.

Global highlights:

The remittances to low-and middle-income countries reached a record high of USD 529 billion in 2018, an increase of 9.6 percent from USD 483 billion in 2017.

Global remittances, including flows to high-income countries, reached USD 689 billion in 2018, up from USD 633 billion in 2017. The overall increase in remittances regionally was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the United States and outward flows from few Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation.




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INTERNATIONAL

3.1 Agent Orange

The US has launched a clean-up project at a former storage site for Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide used by U.S. military forces (Operation Ranch Hand) during the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

US forces sprayed millions of liter of Agent Orange over South Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 in a bid to flush out Viet Cong communist guerrillas by depriving them of tree cover and food.

The active ingredients in Agent Orange are a combination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T).

3.2 Alexander Statue in Athens

Context:

A statue of Alexander the Great has been installed in central Athens, Greece. Three decades after it was finished by Yannis Pappas, one of the greatest Greek sculptors of the 20th century.

In the bronze statue, Alexander bears no arms and is depicted at a very young age.

In the past, statues of the Alexander have been erected in other parts of Greece, but not in Athens.

The long delay is mainly due to bureaucratic reasons and Greek authorities delayed installing so as not to raise tensions during efforts to resolve a row with neighboring Macedonia over its name.

The figure, the history and the legacy of Alexander were found in recent years at the center of the dispute between the two countries over the use of the name Macedonia.

The Republic of Macedonia was renamed as Republic of North Macedonia in January 2019 and since the two sides have stepped up efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in many sectors.

Alexander:

Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia was born in 356 BCE in Pella, Macedonia. He died on June 13, 323 BCE in Babylon.

He was the king of Macedonia (336–323 BCE), who overthrew the Persian empire.

He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to northwestern India.

Alexander Invasion of India:

In 326 BC, Alexander invaded India, after crossing the river Indus he advanced towards Taxila.

He then challenged king Porus, ruler of the kingdom between the rivers Jhelum and Chenab.

The Indians were defeated in the fierce battle (Battle of Hydaspes).

Alexander captured Porus and, like the other local rulers he had defeated, allowed him to continue to govern his territory.

Alexander remained in India for 19 months (326-325 B.C.), which were full of fighting in July 325 BC Alexander and his army returned westward for home.




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3.3 Appointment of World Bank President

David Malpass has been appointed as the President of World Bank. He was nominated by the US president Donald Trump.

Appointment of the World Bank President

As per the guidelines of the World Bank, the World Bank president must have: A proven track record of leadership. Experience managing large organizations with international exposure, and a familiarity

with the public sector. Ability to articulate a clear vision of the Bank’s development mission. A firm commitment to and appreciation for multilateral cooperation. Effective and diplomatic communication skills, impartiality, and objectivity.

Nomination:

Executive directors of the World Bank can nominate candidates for the post and the candidate must be citizens of one of the bank’s member countries and cannot be a bank governor, executive director or alternate.

If there are more than three candidates, there would be a shortlisting process to narrow the field through an informal straw poll. Then the shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the board.

The board will then make a final selection through a majority vote. Number of votes needed to win:

To win the presidency of the World Bank, a candidate must win approval from the institution’s executive board, which has 25 members.

The US holds a 16% share of board voting power hence more often it is the US-backed candidate gets elected for the post of the president.

3.4 Battle of Kangla Tongbi

Context:

The Platinum Jubilee of the Battle of Kangla Tongbi War was commemorated on 07 Apr 2019 by Army Ordnance Corps at Kangla Tongbi War Memorial near Imphal honouring the valiant brave hearts of Ordnance Personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot who made their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during the battle of World War-II on the night of 6/ 7 April 1944.

Battle of Kangla Tongbi:

It is considered one of the fiercest battles of World War II. It was fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) on the night of 6/7 April 1944 against Japanese forces. Japanese forces had planned a three pronged offensive to capture Imphal and the surrounding areas.

In their attempt to extend their line of communication to Imphal, the 33rd Japanese Division cut in behind the 17th Indian Division at Tiddim (Myanmar) and establishing themselves firmly on the main Kohima – Manipur highway, started advancing towards Kangla Tongbi. However, combatant role of AOD personnel shook the enemy and forced the Japanese to withdraw.

Significance:

The Kangla Tongbi War Memorial is a mute testimony to this battle and the unflinching devotion to duty of the Ordnance personnel of 221 AOD, 19 of whom made the supreme sacrifice.

It conveys to the world at large that Ordnance personnel, apart from being professional logisticians, are second to none in combat, being equally proficient soldiers, should the occasion demand.




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3.5 Bloomberg Misery Index

Context:

The South American nation, Venezuela has topped the rankings of Bloomberg’s Misery Index, which is calculated as the sum of a country’s inflation and unemployment rates.

Highlights:

It relies on the age-old concept that low inflation and unemployment generally illustrate how good an economy’s residents should feel.

This year’s scores are based on Bloomberg economist surveys, while prior years reflect actual data.

The index compared the median estimate of economists’ forecasts for each country’s rates in 2019 to 2018 published data. There are total 62 countries in the index.

Joining Venezuela in the most-distressed cuntries are Argentina, South Africa, Turkey, Greece and Ukraine -- each of which retained the same rank as last year, showing intense economic stress and scant progress in taming price growth and getting people back to work.

Thailand again claimed the title of the “least miserable” economy, though the government’s unique way of tallying unemployment makes it less noteworthy than Switzerland’s improvement to second-least and Singapore managing to stay in the bottom three.

The U.S. moved six spots toward 13th least miserable, and the U.K. improved four spots to 16th least.

Russia’s 17-spot deterioration in its score, to the 17th most miserable economy, is owed to projections of higher prices and stagnation in joblessness.

3.6 Country-by-Country Reports Agreement

Context:

India has notified the inter-governmental agreement with the US for exchange of country-by-country (CbC) reports on multinational companies regarding income allocation and taxes paid in order to help check cross-border tax evasion.

This agreement will enable both the countries to automatically exchange CbC reports filed by the ultimate parent entities of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the respective jurisdictions to the financial years commencing on or after January 1, 2016.

That is, the Companies headquartered in the US but having operations and taxability in India now need not file country-by-country (CbC) reports in India.

For such international companies, filing CbC reports in the US would be sufficient.

This will reduce the compliance burden on their subsidiaries operating out of these countries. Note:

The Income-tax Act requires Indian subsidiaries of multinational companies to provide details of key financial statements from other jurisdictions where they operate.

This provides the I-T Department with a better operational view of such companies, primarily with regards to revenue and income tax paid.

The provision was a part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) action plan and later incorporated in the I-T Act also.

Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS):

BEPS is a term used to describe tax planning strategies that exploit mismatches and gaps that exist between the tax rules of different jurisdictions.

It is done to minimize the corporation tax that is payable overall, by either making tax profits ‘disappear’ or shift profits to low tax jurisdictions where it is little or no genuine activity.

In general BEPS strategies are not illegal; rather they take advantage of different tax rules




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operating in different jurisdictions.

BEPS is of major significance for developing countries due to their heavy reliance on corporate income tax, particularly from multinational enterprises (MNEs).

The BEPS initiative is an OECD initiative, approved by the G20, to identify ways of providing more standardised tax rules globally.

3.7 Cyclone Kenneth

A powerful tropical cyclone has made landfall in Mozambique, just six weeks after Cyclone Idai devastated the central part of the country and left hundreds dead.

Cyclone Kenneth battered northern Mozambique with winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour. The cyclone also struck the island nation of Comoros.

Mozambique is still recovering from the previous powerful storm, which made landfall further south in March 2019.

This is the first time in known history that Mozambique has been hit by two cyclones in one season.

3.8 FAL convention of IMO

Context:

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has launched new rules to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports for national governments.

Its objective is to make cross border trade easy and hassle free. It was important measure because 10 billion tonnes of goods are traded by sea annually across the globe.

Background:

The requirement, mandatory under IMO’s Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention), is part of amendments under the revised Annex to the FAL Convention, adopted in 2016.

Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention):

Adopted in 1965, the main objective of the convention is to achieve the most efficient maritime transport as possible, looking for smooth transit in ports of ships, cargo, and passengers.

The Convention encourages the use of a “single window” for data, to enable all the information required by public authorities in connection with the arrival, stay and departure of ships, persons and cargo, to be submitted via a single portal, without duplication.

Under the requirement for electronic data exchange, all national authorities should now have provision for electronic exchange of this information.

International Maritime Organization (IMO):

The International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

The IMO’s primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.

IMO is governed by an assembly of members and is financially administered by a council of members elected from the assembly.

The IMO’s structure comprises the Assembly, the Council, the Maritime Safety Committee, the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee, the Technical Cooperation Committee, and the secretariat, headed by a Secretary-General.




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3.9 Global Cooling Coalition

Context:

The first-ever global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at the recently held First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Highlights:

The Global Cool Coalition is a unified front that links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

Objective: It is expected to inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilise action to accelerate progress towards clean and efficient cooling.

Supporters: Besides the UN, it is supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

Composition: It includes government officials from Chile, Rwanda, Denmark as well as leaders from civil society, research and academia.

Necessity:

Throughout the world, 2018 was the fourth hottest year, preceded by 2017, 2015 and 2016. With increasing incomes and urbanisation, number of air conditioning units across the globe is set to increase from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion by 2050, and India alone may account for one billion units.

In the next 20 years, India’s cooling requirement will increase by eight times, with air conditioners alone consuming more than half of the total energy required for cooling in the country by 2037-38. India has already developed a national cooling action plan that was launched by the Union environment ministry on March 8, 2019.

3.10 Global Food Policy Report

It is released by the Washington DC-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Rural revitalization is the theme for 2019. Key Observation:

Marked by the deepening cycle of hunger and malnutrition, poverty, limited economic opportunities, and environmental degradation, rural areas continue to be in a state of crisis in many parts of the world.

This crisis can slow the progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global climate targets.

Rural population account for 45.3% of the world’s total population and at least 70% of the world’s population remains extremely poor.

The rural population suffers from rapid population growth rates, inadequate job and enterprise creation, poor infrastructure, scarce financial services.

In addition, rural communities bear the brunt of climate change impacts.

Nearly 50% of rural youth all over the world do not have any formal job – they are either unemployed or under-employed.

Rural revitalization is important to end hunger and malnutrition.

The Changing consumption patterns—driven largely by urbanization, demographic transitions, increasing income, and growing integration of food supply chains and food systems in India — offer new opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment in rural areas.

Challenges:

India is continuously facing the challenge of climate change, risks on land degradation, deterioration of soil quality, and loss of biodiversity have potentially slowed




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the rural transformation. Indian Measures to Boosts Rural Economy:

Giving Minimum Support Prices by the government for major crops equal to at least 1.5 times their production costs.

India plans to upgrade 22,000 rural haats (local informal markets) to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), and upgrade agri-marketing infrastructure.

3.11 Global Report on Food Crisis 2019

Context:

Global Report on Food Crisis is a report released jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and EU.

Highlights:

Approximately 113 million people in 53 countries experienced high levels of food insecurity last year. These crises are primarily driven by conflict and climate-related disasters.

The number going chronically-hungry has remained well over 100 million over the past three years, with the number of countries affected, rising.

According to the report, nearly two-thirds of those facing acute hunger come from just eight countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Climate and natural disasters pushed another 29 million people into acute food insecurity in 2018 and that number excludes 13 countries – including North Korea and Venezuela – because of data gaps.

Despite a slight drop in 2018 in the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity – the most extreme form of hunger, the figure is still far too high.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

The goal of FAO is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

FAO Council:

It was established by the Conference at its Third Session (1947) to replace the original “Executive Committee of FAO” in accordance with a recommendation of the Preparatory Commission on World Food Proposals.

The Council, within the limits of the powers, acts as the Conference’s executive organ between sessions.

It exercises functions dealing with the world food and agriculture situation and related matters, current and prospective activities of the Organization, including its Programme of Work and Budget, administrative matters and financial management of the Organization and constitutional matters

3.12 Kafala System

Qatar is set to abolish its controversial exit visa system for all foreign workers by the end of 2019.

Under the Kafala system, a migrant worker’s immigration status is legally bound to an individual employer or sponsor (kafeel) for their contract period.

The migrant worker cannot enter the country, transfer employment nor leave the country for any reason without first obtaining explicit written permission from the kafeel.




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3.13 Libyan Civil War

General Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), has launched an offensive on the capital Tripoli of Libya.

Haftar forces have already taken control of the east of the country including most of the oilfields.

The general supposedly has the backing of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and some West Asian countries, apart from Russia and France.

Genesis:

Anti-government protests began on February 15, 2011, leading to civil war between opposition forces and Muammar Gaddafi loyalists.

The capital city, Tripoli was captured and the government was overthrown after military intervention by western powers.

In Libya, a UN-backed internationally recognized government was put in place called the Government of National Accord (GNA).

Libya has no single government currently, with LNA backing the Tobruk-based parliament which governs the East of Libya, and the GNA which controls Libya's western parts from Tripoli.

The UN-backed government failed to provide stability to Libya. West Libya which was under GNA control was replete with inter-militia battles and kidnappings.

The GNA commands no security forces, public administration scarcely exists, water, petrol and power shortages abound, and few banks operate.

International Reaction:

The GNA of Libya has asked the UN Security Council to intervene to protect Tripoli.

United Nations has issued a plea for a temporary ceasefire to allow the wounded to be evacuated.

Many European countries, the US has asked to cease hostilities and de-escalation of tension.

The US has ordered evacuation of its troops stationed in Tripoli.

India also evacuated its contingent of peacekeeping forces comprising of 15 CRPF personnel from Tripoli.

India has also asked its citizens to exercise extreme caution. Impact:

The civil war in Libya may lead to a new migrant crisis from Africa into Europe.

Libya has the largest oil reserve in Africa and one of the largest oil producer in the world. Instability in Libya may increase oil prices globally. This will impact India directly.

Libya:

Libya is a mostly desert and oil-rich country in northern africa.

Libya gained independence in 1951. Soon after oil was discovered and earned the country immense wealth.

Colonel Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and ruled for four decades until he was toppled in 2011 following an armed rebellion assisted by Western military intervention.

Capital: Tripoli

Population: 6.4 million

Area: 1.77 million sq km (685,524 sq miles)

Major language: Arabic

Major religion: Islam

Currency: Libyan dinar




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3.14 Loya Jirga - An Afghan Tradition

Politicians and officials from across Afghanistan have gathered in Kabul to discuss the war and U.S. efforts to forge a peace deal with the Taliban.

The meeting is being termed as ‘Loya Jirga’— literally “grand assembly” in Pashto. It is the largest such assembly in modern Afghan history.

The four-day gathering has about 3200 representatives from every district in Afghanistan.

According to the afghan constitution, Loya jirgas decision can take precedence over all state institutions, including the presidency.

Loya jirgas have traditionally been a forum to discuss and reach a consensus on important political issues among Afghanistan's various ethnic groups, tribes, and factions.

The notion of the Loya jirga dates from 977 A.D. when a jirga in southeastern Ghazni province chose the freed Tatar slave Naziruddin to head the Ghaznavid Empire.

3.15 Nepal Launches its First Satellite

Nepal has successfully launched its first satellite into space from Virginia in United States to gather detailed geographical information of the Himalayan nation.

Developed by the Nepalese scientists, was launched at 2:31 am (Nepal time), according to Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

NepaliSat-1 satellite has been developed by the two Nepali scientists, Aabhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha under the BIRDS project of the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan.

NAST initiated the launch of the country's own satellite under the BIRDS project of the Japanese Kyushu Institute of Technology.

The BIRDS project has been designed in association with the United Nations and aims




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at helping countries launch their first satellite.

NepaliSat-1 is a low orbit satellite which will be in the 400-km distance from the Earth's surface.

It will be stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) for a month and then it will be sent to orbit the earth.

It is a small satellite weighing 1.3 kilograms, with limited capability.

The satellite will take photographs on a regular basis to gather geographical information of Nepal.

3.16 Press Freedom Index

Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries and is being published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002.

India ranked 140 out of 180 in the Press freedom Index of 2019.

Higher ranks and scores indicate lower freedom of the Press.

The degree of freedom is determined by compiling responses of media professionals, lawyers and sociologist to a questionnaire.

The parameters that are evaluated include the level of pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legal framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.

3.17 Simulated Martian Base

A Chinese company called C-Space has opened “Mars Base 1,” a simulated Martian base of future astronauts in the desert hills of Gobi Desert in China’s Gansu province.

The base is currently an educational facility and in the future, it will be expanded to be a tourist destination also.

“Mars Base 1” will help in educating students about how life could be like on Mars. Gobi Desert:

The Gobi is a desert and semidesert region of Central Asia. The Gobi (from the Mongolian Gobi, meaning “waterless place”) stretches across huge portions of both Mongolia and China.

The Gobi desert is bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, and Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and by the North China Plain to the southeast.

3.18 Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide

Context:

Recently, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been elected as the new president of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy belongs to the servant of the people party. He is also a political satirist with no political background.

Issues Facing Ukraine: Confrontation with Russia

Ukraine is at loggerheads with Russia over the occupation of Crimean peninsula by Russia.

The annexation of Crimea from Ukraine followed a Russian military intervention in Crimea that took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and was part of wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine.

Last year Russia also arrested 24 Ukrainian naval officers from Kerch Strait for alleged border violations.




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Ukraine is also seeking North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union membership, a move that would be offensive to Russia and that could obstruct attempts to resolve other tensions with Russia.

Euromaidan Movement

Euromaidan (European Square) was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began in November 2013 with public protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti ("Independence Square") in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The separatist movement in East Ukraine

The Donbass region (the Donetsk and Luhansk regions) of eastern Ukraine is facing a pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014.

According to the Ukrainian government, the movement is actively supported by the Russian government and Russian paramilitaries make up to between 15% to 80% of the separatists fighting against Ukraine government.

Normandy Format

Normandy format is also known as the Normandy contact group, or the Normandy Four is a diplomatic group of senior representatives of the four countries (Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and France) to resolve the war in Eastern Ukraine.

Corruption

Corruption was one the key reason behind the ouster of a sitting president, Petro Poroshenko.

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index shows Ukraine at 120 among 188 countries.

The newly elected president has vowed various severe measures against corruption. Economic Crisis

Ukraine’s economy is recovering from the severe decline in the economy it experienced after the 2014 unrest, yet the gross domestic product is still substantially below its level in 2013.

In December 2018 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given US$3.9 billion packages to Ukraine.

But further assistance is conditional on Ukraine making key reforms and tackling corruption. India-Ukraine Relations:

Immediately after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Government of India recognized the Republic of Ukraine as a sovereign independent country in December 1991.

The Embassy of India in Kyiv was established in May 1992 and Ukraine opened its Mission in New Delhi in February 1993.

India and Ukraine enjoy warm and friendly relations and cooperate in areas like Culture, Arts, Education, Mutual Legal Assistance, Outer Space cooperation.

Defense Relations

India and Ukraine also have significant defense cooperation. Ukraine has been a source of military technology and equipment for India since its independence.

Indian companies are collaborating with Ukrainian companies in this area.

India is dependent on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex which plays an instrumental role in the modernization and upkeep of its air force.

Diaspora

Ukraine also has a significant size of the Indian community excluding students, it is estimated to be about two thousand.

There are above 8,000 Indian students enrolled in various Ukrainian medical/technical universities.




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3.19 US to designate Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group

Context:

President Donald Trump has announced the United States is designating Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a terrorist organisation.

The move could have widespread implications for U.S. personnel and policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. This will mark the first such designation by any American administration of an entire foreign government entity.

Highlights:

The designation comes with sanctions, including freezes on some assets and a ban on Americans doing business with the group.

The “unprecedented” move “recognises the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.”

Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not conducted with the IRGC in any material way.

The measure would criminalise contact with the Guards and enable the prosecutors to bring charges to those that bring material support to the IRGC.

Russia and China may start designating U.S. agencies for punitive actions.

Iraq could be caught in a double bind, as it purchases electricity from Iran, including from entities tied to the IRGC.

The designation is likely to complicate U.S. actions in Iraq, where U.S. troops work to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State and where Shiite militias tied to the IRGC operate close by. The IRGC is also tied to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the political wing of the terrorist group is part of the government.

The designation puts further distance between Trump’s policies toward Iran and those of European allies who remain a part of the nuclear deal.

Background:

The move continues the administration’s aggressive posture toward Iran, which includes U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

The administration had previously named the IRGC as a supporter of terrorism conducted by militias it supports, but stopped short of listing it as a foreign terrorist organization in 2017. In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the international nuclear deal with Iran.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps:

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution with a mission to defend the clerical regime.

It is a military unit originally set up as security for Iran’s clerical rulers.

It has grown to be the country’s most powerful security organization, with nearly unchecked political influence and interests in business, real estate and other areas of the economy.

3.20 White paper on ‘online harms’ Context:

UK government has released a white paper on ‘online harms’. These new rules are aimed at limiting harmful online content. Developing a culture of transparency, trust and accountability will be a critical element of the new regulatory framework.

Highlights

In this white paper, the UK government called for an internet regulator with the power to




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issue fine, to block access to websites if necessary, and to make individual executives legally liable for harmful content spread on their platforms.

The government will establish a new statutory duty of care to make companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users and tackle harm caused by content or activity on their services. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator.

Companies must fulfil their new legal duties. The regulator will set out how to do this in codes of practice. If companies want to fulfil these duties in a manner not set out in the codes, they will have to explain and justify to the regulator how their alternative approach will effectively deliver the same or greater level of impact.

The regulator will have the power to require annual transparency reports from companies in scope, outlining the prevalence of harmful content on their platforms and what measures they are taking to address this. These reports will be published online by the regulator, so that users and parents can make informed decisions about online use.

As per Online Harms White Paper, Tackling illegal and harmful content and activity online is one part of the UK’s wider mission to develop rules and norms for the internet, including protecting personal data, supporting competition in digital markets and promoting responsible digital design.

3.21 World Book and Copyright Day

World Book and Copyright Day are celebrated by UNESCO every year on the 23rd of April.

It is an occasion to promote the joy of books and the art of reading.

23rd April was selected by UNESCO to pay tribute to great literary figures including William Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega who died on this day.

This date was finalized in the year 1995 in the UNESCO General Conference, held in Paris.

The 24th edition of World Book and Copyright Day celebrated literature and reading while focusing particularly on the importance of enhancing and protecting Indigenous languages.

Each year UNESCO on the recommendation of the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers, and libraries, declare the world book capital for one year effective from 23rd April.

In 2019 Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates has been recognized as World Book Capital.

New Delhi was declared as the world book capital in the year 2003. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

Formed in 1945, it is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.

Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.

As of January 2019, it has 193 member states.

3.22 World Heritage Day

Every year, April 18 is celebrated as World Heritage Day.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 had decided to celebrate April 18 as as the International Day for Monuments and Sites or World Heritage Day.

Approved by UNESCO in 1983 during its 22nd General Conference, the day is dedicated to recognising sites of historical importance, raising awareness regarding them, and stressing on the need to restore and preserve them.




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Highlights:

Every year, a theme is proposed for the day which guides the celebrations.The theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘Rural Landscapes’, which is related to the theme of the 2019 ICOMOS Scientific Symposium on Rural heritage that will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco in October.

This year’s International Day for Monuments and Sites offers the opportunity for National and International Scientific Committees to raise awareness about the relevance of rural landscapes, the challenges that encompass their conservation, the benefits that these efforts provide, and how rural landscapes are intrinsically related with sustainable development.

In the ICOMOS “Principles concerning rural landscapes as heritage”, adopted by the ICOMOS General Assembly in 2017, rural landscapes are defined as “terrestrial and aquatic areas co-produced by human-nature interaction used for the production of food and other renewable natural resources, via agriculture, animal husbandry and pastoralism, fishing and aquaculture, forestry, wild food gathering, hunting, and extraction of other resources, such as salt. Rural landscapes are multifunctional resources. At the same time, all rural areas have cultural meanings attributed to them by people and communities: all rural areas are landscapes.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS):

It is the only global non-government organization of this kind, which is dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology, and scientific techniques to the conservation of the architectural and archaeological heritage.

It is headquartered in Paris, France. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

Formed in 1945, it is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.

Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.

As of January 2019, it has 193 member states.

UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. It has a World Heritage List for such cultural and heritage sites.

India has its 37 sites listed under the World Heritage List.




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NATIONAL

4.1 Bodhisattva figure unearthed from Phanigiri

Context:

Recently, a 1.74-meter Bodhisattva figure was unearthed from Phanigiri in Telangana.

It is life size stucco Bodhisattva figure, which was created by craftsmen at Phanigiri at the peak of Ikshvaku dynasty rule, nearly 1700 year ago.

Bodhisattva:

A person who has attained prajna, or Enlightenment, but who postpones Nirvana in order to help others to attain Enlightenment. Individual Bodhisattvas are the subjects of devotion in certain sects and are often represented in painting and sculpture.

Phanigiri:

It is a Buddhist site in Suryapet district, Telangana. It dates back to the 1st Century before common era(BCE), The place consists of a Buddhist complex which is adorned with a massive stupa along with two apsidal halls with stupas in it.

Ikshvaku dynasty:

The dynasty ruled in the eastern Krishna River valley of India, from their capital at Vijayapuri(modern Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh) during approximately 3rd and 4th centuries CE. The Ikshvakus are also known as the Andhra Ikshvakus or Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri to distinguish them from their legendary namesakes.

The Ikshvaku kings were Shaivites and performed Vedic rites, but Buddhism also flourished during their reign. Several Ikshvaku queens and princes contributed to the construction of the Buddhist monuments at present-day Nagarjunakonda.

4.2 Café Scientifique

Context:

‘Café Scientifique’ is the first of its kind initiative in the State of Kerala aimed at popularising Science.

The café envisages to bring science back into popular culture by demystifying scientific research for the public and empowering non-scientists to comfortably assess science and technology issues, particularly those that impact social policymaking.

It is a grassroots public science initiative based on the French Café Philosophique model.

Originating in England, the concept quickly gained popularity and was adopted by other countries.

Working:

The plan is to organise meetings of science enthusiasts in the district every month at a café or a convenient place, where one or more scientists are invited to talk to the public about new developments in science.

The project is also aimed at making science relevant, powerful and important to the public, especially the younger generations.

Various topics such as universe, climate change, evolution, genetics and human-animal relations will be discussed in every monthly gathering.

4.3 Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Context:

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation and enforcement of the Act, and was duly constituted in March 2009. Chairman and members of the commission were appointed by the




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central government. Objectives:

To prevent practices having adverse effect on competition.

To promote and sustain competition in markets.

To protect the interests of consumers.

To ensure freedom of trade. Functions:

It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.

The Commission is also required to give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.

Competition Act, 2002:

The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control and M&A), which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.

4.4 Crop insurance scheme

Under a new rule introduced in October 2018 (which took effect in January 2019), insurance companies will have to pay fines for delaying payment of crop-insurance claims.

Enforcement of this new rule governing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has revealed the magnitude of the problem:

Outstanding claims owed to farmers amounted to nearly Rs 530 crore until March 31, 2019.

It accrued over the past four sowing seasons between the Kharif and summer-sown season of 2016 to the winter sowing season of 2017-18.

About “eight companies” have now been slapped with a fine of Rs 16 crore for various delays.

As per rules, an insurance company must now make payments within 30 days of receiving all claims-related data, failing which penalty at a rate of 12% of the outstanding is levied.

Farmers, under PMFBY, have to pay between 1% and 2% of the total premium, depending on crops and sowing season. The rest is shared between the Centre and states on a 50-50 basis.

A majority of those fined are public-sector insurance companies since they have, between them, a majority share of the farm insurance business. Currently, 18 companies are impaneled to offer farm insurance. Of these, five are state-owned. The share of crop insurance business with state-owned firms is 52%.'

The two changes introduced are:

The fines, aimed at ensuring compliance of insurance companies with making timely payments.

It provides for penalizing state government for their share of the delay. Consequences of Delay:

Delay in paying compensation for crops ruined by weather shocks can have a domino effect on the fortunes of individual farmers and the overall economy.

Such delays can push millions of farmers into poverty, leaving them with little money for the next sowing season.

Such delays hamper farmers’ ability to service their agricultural loans, pushing them closer to the brink of default. Farm insurance is compulsory for any farmer taking an agricultural loan.

Such vicious cycles of delayed payments, among other issues, were one of the factors behind




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massive protests by farmers in the last two years to demand farm loan waivers Concerns:

Fixing responsibility is a positive step, but the penalty has to have a valid reason. Claims cannot be cleared just because data has been cleared by states.

There can be a discrepancy in claims data sent by states or consequential delays from state governments, which often cause delays in releasing premium.

Road ahead:

If the PMFBY scheme is to achieve its most critical goal, timely payouts to farmers must be ensured.

It should rely on high-end technological fixes, from drones to even a new constellation of satellites, for accurate crop damage assessments, which is the key to faster processing of claims.

4.5 Dastangoi

An oral Urdu storytelling tradition.

It has the dastango or storyteller whose voice is main artistic tool at the centre.

While it originated in Persia, the art form travelled to Delhi and other parts of India, with the spread of Islam.

It reached its pinnacle during the sepoy mutiny of 1857, when a number of Dastangos migrated to Lucknow, and popularized the art form in the city.

The artform died for a while with the demise of Mir Baqar Ali in 1928, and was revived in 2005 only.

4.6 Domkhar Rock Art Sanctuary

Created in 2012, it is a constellation of rock art on the right bank of the river Indus in Domkhar village in lower Ladakh.

Stanzin Thangjuk, a farmer, has been instrumental in single-handedly protecting 500 odd rock carvings at Domkhar.

The archaic scripts on these rocks have been discovered to be similar to those found among the nomadic tribes of the steppe region of Central Asia who lived 2,000 years ago.

No one has been able to put an exact date to the carvings, but they are believed to be over two millennia old. They also shed some light on the pattern of human movement during that era. Also, there is a stylistic representation of animal figures.

4.7 Enemy properties

Context:

The government has sold enemy shares worth around Rs 1,150 crore in IT major Wipro to LIC and two other state-owned insurers.

Enemy properties:

Enemy properties are those properties that were left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China.

There are 9,280 such properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 by Chinese nationals.

Of the total properties left behind by those who took Pakistani citizenship, 4,991 are located in Uttar Pradesh, the highest in the country. West Bengal has 2,735 such estates and Delhi 487.

The highest number of properties left by Chinese nationals is in Meghalaya (57).West Bengal has 29 such properties and Assam seven.




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The estimated value of all enemy properties is approximately Rs 1 lakh crore. Enemy properties Act:

After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and lists the custodian’s powers.

The government amended the Act in the wake of a claim laid by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja of Mahmudabad, on his properties spread across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the Central government.

4.8 Garia Puja Festival

The Garia Puja is a major festival in Tripura.

The festival is held from the last day of the month of Chaitra till the seventh day of the month of Vaishakha according to Hindu calendar.

This festival is celebrated as a harvest festival by the ethnic tribes Tripuris and Reangs.

In the festival, a bamboo pole is worshipped with flowers and garlands by the tribals which symbolize the Lord Garia.

The ingredients used in the Puja are fowl chick, cotton thread, rice, eggs, etc. An important part of the Puja is sacrificing a fowl and offering the blood to the deity. After the sacrifice, the Garia dance is performed.

4.9 India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has created the Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP).

It draws on a wide range of data relevant to cancer policy and control from 28 countries.

The aims of the ICP are to allow benchmarking of national efforts and identify best practice in addressing the cancer challenge.

Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP):

Australia tops the ICP, followed by the Netherlands and Germany. Saudi Arabia, Romania, and Egypt face at the bottom in Index.

The ICP explores the issue of cancer preparedness through three broad domains: policy and planning; care delivery; health systems and governance.

Four essentials of cancer preparedness: essential investment (appropriate spending and resources), roadmap (effective planning), foundation (functioning health systems), intelligence (availability and quality of cancer-related data).

Cancer:

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs.

Other common terms used for cancer are malignant tumors and neoplasms.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is estimated to account for 9.6 million death in 2018.

World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year. Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU):




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The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), created in 1946, is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence.

India and ICP:

India's overall rank is 19th with a score of 64.9.

India ranks 17th in cancer policy and planning, but it has a relatively high score of 80.8.

India’s score largely stems from its strong cancer research and tobacco control measures.

It ranked first for research and third for tobacco control in ICP.

India ranks 23rd for its national cancer control plan.

With a score of 40.3, India’s healthcare system ranks 25th in the index, above only Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Egypt.

India’s healthcare infrastructure is the second worst among the index countries.

In its delivery of cancer care, India ranks 20th with a score of 61.3.

India has a high standard of clinical guidelines, a category in which it is ranked first.

India falls short on immunization, screening and early detection.

4.10 India still not power-surplus nation

India’s installed generation capacity (344 GW) of power is more than peak demand (170GW).

However, due to lack of demand by Discoms’ and loss in transmission, during peak hours, as much as 175.52 gigawatt (GW) was up against demand of 177.02 GW leaving a deficit of 1.49 GW or 0.8 per cent in 2018-19.

This inhabited India from being power surplus country.

Surplus power occurs when the power available with distribution companies at a given time exceeds the demand for electricity.

A surplus could arise due to a fall in the demand for power, for instance, during an industrial slowdown. Or it could result from an increase in the power supply, for instance, when a new generating station is added.

4.11 International Convention on World Homeopathy Day

Context:

A convention is being organised by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous research organisation, Ministry of AYUSH on the occasion of the World Homoeopathy Day.

Highlights:

The World Homoeopathy Day 2019 will be observed across the world on April 10, 2019 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann.

Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, a great scholar, linguist and an acclaimed scientist, is known as the Father of Homeopathy, Father of Human Pharmacology, Father of Nano Medicine and the Father of Infinite Dilution concept in Chemistry.

Significance of World Homoeopathy Day:

There is an imminent need to focus on improving the quality of education and enhancing the success rate of an average practitioner.

There is also a need to ensure the production and availability of high quality homeopathic drugs in the market.




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4.12 Kandhamal Haldi

Context:

Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric), famous for its healing properties, has received GI tag. Highlights:

The golden yellow spice, named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.

Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal. Apart from domestic use, turmeric is also used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

More than 60,000 families (nearly 50% of Kandhamal population) are engaged in growing the variety. The crop is sustainable in adverse climatic conditions.

GI tag:

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

GI is covered as element of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under Paris Convention for Protection of Industrial Property.

At international level, GI is governed by WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In India, Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection Act), 1999 governs it.

4.13 Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards

Context:

Vice President recently conferred around 100 ‘President’s Certificate of Honour’ and ‘Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman’ Awards to scholars in Classical Languages.

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Award:

The Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman distinction is conferred on persons in recognition of their substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam.

Introduced in the year 2002.

Given to selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years.

Carries a certificate of honour, a memento and a one-time cash prize of Rs.1 lakh. Maharshi Badrayan:

He was an Indian philosopher about whom almost no personal details are reliably known.

Badarayana is regarded as having written the basic text of the Vedanta system, the Vedntastra a.k.a. Brahmastra.

He is thus considered the founder of the Ved?nta system of philosophy. The date of Badarayana and his Brahma Sutras is uncertain. Different scholars have dated the Brahma Sutras variously from 500 BCE to 450 BCE.

4.14 Mahavir Jayanti

Context:

Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most auspicious festivals in the Jain community.

This day marks the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, who was the 24th and the last Tirthankara who succeeded the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanatha.




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According to Jain texts, Lord Mahavira was born on the 13th day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra.

This festival is celebrated widely by the Jain community in memory of the last spiritual teacher of the religion. A procession is called with the idol of Lord Mahavira called the Rath Yatra. Reciting stavans or Jain prayers, statues of the lord are given a ceremonial bath called abhisheka.

Mahavira:

Mahavir was born to King Siddhartha of Kundagrama and Queen Trishala, a Lichchhavi princess in the year 540 BC in the Vajji kingdom, identical with modern day Vaishali in Bihar.

Mahavira belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty.

There are several historians who believe that he was born in a place called Ahalya bhumi and the land has not been plowed for hundreds of years by the family that owns it.

Lord Mahavir was named Vardhamana, which means “one who grows”.

He abandoned the worldly life at the age of 30 and attained ‘kaivalya’ or omniscience at the age of 42.

Mahavira taught ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity) and aparigraha (non-attachment) to his disciples and his teachings were called Jain Agamas. Ordinary people were able to understand the teachings of Mahavira and his followers because they used Prakrit.

It is believed that the Mahavira passed away and attained moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) at the age of 72 in 468 BC at a place called Pavapuri near modern Rajgir in Bihar.

Jainism:

The word Jaina comes from the term Jina, meaning conqueror.

Tirthankara is a Sanskrit word meaning 'Ford maker', i.e., one who is able to ford the river, to cross beyond the perpetual flow of earthly life.

Jainism attaches utmost importance to ahimsa or non-violence. It preaches 5 mahavratas (the 5 great vows): Ahimsa (Non-violence) Satya (Truth) Asteya or Acharya (Non-stealing) Aparigraha (Non-attachment/Non-possession) Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity)

Among these 5 teachings, the Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity) was added by Mahavira.

The three jewels or Triratna of Jainism include Samyak Darshana (right faith), Samyak Gyana (right knowledge) and Samyak Charitra (right conduct).

Jainism is a religion of self-help. There are no gods or spiritual beings that will help human beings. It does not condemn the varna system.

In later times, it got divided into two sects: Shvetambaras (white-clad) under Sthalabahu and Digambaras (sky-clad) under the leadership of Bhadrabahu.

The important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated: even stones, rocks, and water have life. Non-injury to living beings, especially to humans, animals, plants, and insects, is central to Jaina philosophy.

According to Jaina teachings, the cycle of birth and rebirth is shaped through karma. Asceticism and penance are required to free oneself from the cycle of karma and achieve the liberation of the soul.

The practice of Santhara is also a part of Jainism. It is the ritual of fasting unto




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death. Swetambara Jains call it Santhara whereas Digambars call it Sallekhana.

4.15 Mission DELHI

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched Mission DELHI (Delhi Emergency Life Heart-Attack Initiative) project.

In the pilot phase, it will cater only to people living in a three-kilometer radius of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The project aims to reduce the mortality from a serious type of heart attack called ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), wherein one of the heart’s major artery, supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle, gets completely blocked.

It aims to reduce the time it takes for people with a serious heart attack to receive clot-busting medicine.

4.16 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

Context:

Roadis, a private investor and operator of transport infrastructure worldwide and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) have jointly set up a platform to invest in road projects in India.

The platform would invest up to $2 billion of equity targeting toll-operate-transfer models, acquisitions of existing road concessions and investment opportunities in the road sector with an aim to create a large roads platform in the country.

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF):

The government had set up the Rs.40,000 crore NIIF in 2015 as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled infrastructure projects.

The Indian government is investing 49% and the rest of the corpus is to be raised from third-party investors such as sovereign wealth funds, insurance and pension funds, endowments, etc.

NIIF’s mandate includes investing in areas such as energy, transportation, housing, water, waste management and other infrastructure-related sectors in India.

NIIF currently manages three funds each with its distinctive investment mandate. The funds are registered as Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Three Funds:

Master Fund: The Master Fund is an infrastructure fund with the objective of primarily investing in operating assets in the core infrastructure sectors such as roads, ports, airports, power etc.

Fund of Funds: Fund of Funds anchor and/or invest in funds managed by fund managers who have good track records in infrastructure and associated sectors in India. Some of the sectors of focus include Green Infrastructure, Mid-Income & Affordable Housing, Infrastructure services and allied sectors.

Strategic Investment Fund: Strategic Investment Fund is registered as an Alternative Investment Fund II under SEBI in India.

4.17 NIRF 2019 rankings

NIRF 2019 rankings have been released. Highlights:

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has topped the Ministry of Human Resource and




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Development's annual National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

President Ram Nath Kovind announced the rankings of India's educational institutes at an event in New Delhi.

In the fourth edition of the rankings, the Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru came in first in the management category, and IIT-Madras, besides bagging the top position in the overall list, was also ranked first in the science category.

The ministry evaluates colleges and universities across the country based on five broad parameters — teaching, learning and resources; research and professional practice; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity; and perception.

Apart from the overall list, rankings were announced in eight categories, including best universities and colleges as well as discipline-wise rankings for engineering, medicine, pharmacy, law, architecture and management.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF):

Started in 2015, NIRF outlines a methodology to rank educational institutions across the country.

The parameters used for ranking broadly cover teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practices, graduation outcome, outreach and inclusivity, and perception. From 2017, besides being ranked under specific disciplines, large institutions were also given a common overall rank.

This year as well, educational institutions across the country were ranked in nine categories – overall, universities, engineering, colleges, management, pharmacy, medical, architecture and law.

Significance:

Ranking promotes competition among the Universities and drive them to strive for excellence.

The rankings assume significance as performance of institutions has been linked with “Institutions of Eminence” scheme.

Institutions of Eminence scheme:

The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.

Key features:

The 20 selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

The government will run 10 of these and they will receive special funding.

The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.

Only higher education institutions currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are eligible to apply for the eminence tag.

The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided the sponsoring organisation submits a convincing perspective plan for 15 years.

4.18 Service Voter

Context:

The soldiers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were the first to cast their vote for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh as Service Voters.

Service voter belonging to defence and paramilitary forces have the option of either voting through postal ballot or through a proxy voter duly appointed by him/her.

There are roughly 30 lakh service voters including defence and paramilitary forces who (in many




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cases with families at family stations) will cast their votes through service voter facility. Service Voter:

Service voter is a voter having service qualification. According to the provisions of sub – section (8) of Section 20 of Representation of People Act, 1950, service qualification means: Being a member of the armed Forces of the Union ; or Being a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have

been made applicable whether with or without modification ; Being a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state; or Being a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India.

Service voter vs Ordinary voter:

While an ordinary voter is registered in the electoral roll of the constituency in which his place of ordinary residence is located, person having service qualification can get enrolled as ‘service voter’ at his native place even though he actually may be residing at a different place (of posting).

Service voter has, however, an option to get himself enrolled as general elector at the place of his posting where he factually, at the point of time, is residing ordinarily with his family for a sufficient span of time.

Eligibility of Armed Forces / Para Military Forces:

As per the existing arrangements, members of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and personnel of General Reserve Engineer Force (Border Road Organization), Border Security Force, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal are eligible to be registered as service voters.

The wife of a service voter shall, if she is ordinarily residing with him, be also deemed to be a service voter in the constituency specified by that person. The service voter has to make a statement to the effect in the relevant Form 2/2A/3 that his wife ordinarily resides with him. The wife will be enrolled as a service voter on the basis of declaration made by her husband in the application form itself submitted by him and no separate declaration / application is required to be made by the wife. A son / daughter / relative / servant etc. residing ordinarily with a service voter cannot be enrolled as service voter.

Under the existing law, this facility is available only to the wife of a male service voter and is not available to the husband of a female service voter.

A person, at a particular time, cannot be enrolled as a voter at more than one place in view of the provisions contained under Sections 17 and 18 of Representation of People Act, 1950. Likewise, no person can be enrolled as an elector more than once in any electoral roll.

Classified Service Voter:

Service voter belonging to Armed Forces or forces to which provisions of Army Act, 1950 are applicable, has option of either voting through postal ballot or through a proxy voter duly appointed by him.

A service voter who opts for voting through a proxy is called Classified Service Voter (CSV). Proxy voter:

A service voter may appoint (by applying to Returning Officer in Form 13 F of Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 – Form available at the website of Election Commission) any person as his / her proxy to give vote on his / her behalf and in his / her name at the polling station. The proxy shall have to be ordinary resident of that constituency.

He need not be a registered voter but he / she must not be disqualified to be registered as a voter.

The provision for voting through proxy is valid till the person making the appointment is a service voter.




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4.19 Tiwa Tribes

The tribe Tiwas (Lalungs) lives both in the hills and plains of Assam and Meghalaya state. Tiwa means people who were lifted from below.

They are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam.

In the month of April, Khelchawa festival is celebrated by Tiwa tribe at the close of the harvest season.

The hill Tiwa villagers are habitual to the Jhum cultivation, horticulture, vegetables and the crops which are cultivable in the area.

They speak a Tibeto Burman language.

4.20 Vasanthotsavam

The annual ‘Vasantotsavam’ is being held at the temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.

The Annual Vasanthotsavam is performed for 3 days of Trayodasi, Chaturdasi and Pournami in the month of Chaitra (March/April) every year.

It is believed to be started by King Achyutaraya in 1460's to mark the arrival of Spring Season.

Vasantotsavam is the combination of 2 words - "Vasantha" (Spring season in Sanskrit) and "Utsavam" (festival in Sanskrit).

4.21 Veer Parivar App

President of India recently launched ‘Veer Parivar App’, a mobile application for families of CRPF personnel killed in the line of duty.

Highlights:

The application will act as an interface between the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) authorities and the next of kin of the slain personnel.

It will render all assistance to the families of the martyred CRPF personnel with regard to issuance of ex gratia, pensionary benefits and all information regarding the welfare schemes introduced for them by the government.

The assistance will be provided to the families on a real-time basis. The CRPF headquarters in Delhi and various group centres across the country will respond to these issues.

The Android-based app will be installed by the force’s officials securely on the phone of the families and will not be available over the app stores.

4.22 Yakshagana

Yakshagana is a rare and unique traditional theatre of Karnataka state in India and has a recorded history of more than 5 centuries.

It is a rich artistic blend of music, dance, speech, and costumes, this art combines the features of opera as well as drama, the characteristics of moral education and mass entertainment.

Yakshagana is strongly influenced by the Bhakti movement. Bhakti movement:

The Bhakti movement probably began around in 6th and 7th century AD and achieved a great deal of popularity through the poems of the Alvars and Nayanars, the Vaishnavite and Shaivite poets.

They were often opposed to the establishment and all authoritarian monastic order.

They also strongly criticized all sectarian zealotry and caste discrimination in society.

All of them claimed relevance for religion in social life, in the sphere of real human aspirations




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and social relationships. Bhakti poets emphasized surrender to god.

Hailing from both high and low castes, these poets created a formidable body of literature that firmly established itself in the popular narratives.

The leader of this revivalist movement was Shankaracharya, a great thinker, and a distinguished philosopher. And this movement was propounded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Namadeva, Tukaram, Jayadeva in different of India.

The movement's major achievement was its abolition of idol worship.

It is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indic traditions.




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POLITICAL ISSUES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GOVERNANCE

5.1 Alexandrine Parakeet

District administration of Jhalawar in Rajasthan is using the Alexandrine Parakeet, as the mascot of voter awareness program for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Also known as Gagroni parakeet, it derives its name from the Gagron fort of Jhalawar, it is also known for imitating the human voice.

Apart from focusing on the upcoming polls, the administration is concentrating on the conservation of parakeet

The district administration has made a cartoon series underSVEEP programme which is based on Gagroni parakeet.

Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP):

SVEEP started in 2009 is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.

SVEEP is designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections and learning thereof.

Alexandrine Parakeet:

It is protected under the Schedule 1 (B) of the Wildlife protection act (WPA) 1972. It is native to South and South East Asia.

It is ‘Near Threatened’ in the Red list of the IUCN and in Appendix II of CITES.

The male parakeet has a red ring on its neck and red spots on wings.

Poaching of this parakeet for its household pet uses and for the flesh, and habitat destruction has led to the sharp decline in the population of the bird.

5.2 Article 370

Context:

The constitutional relationship between J&K and the Indian Union has been the subject of numerous discussions in recent times. Recently, Jammu and Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that the relationship between the Union and the State would be over if Article 370 of




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the Constitution is revoked. Article 370:

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a ‘temporary provision’ which grants special autonomous status to Jammu & Kashmir.

Under Part XXI of the Constitution of India, which deals with “Temporary, Transitional and Special provisions”, the state of Jammu & Kashmir has been accorded special status under Article 370.

All the provisions of the Constitution which are applicable to other states are not applicable to J&K.

Important provisions of Article 370:

According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and communications, Parliament needs the state government’s concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus the state’s residents live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians.

Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property in Jammu & Kashmir.

Under Article 370, the Centre has no power to declare financial emergency under Article 360 in the state. It can declare emergency in the state only in case of war or external aggression. The Union government can therefore not declare emergency on grounds of internal disturbance or imminent danger unless it is made at the request or with the concurrence of the state government.

Under Article 370, the Indian Parliament cannot increase or reduce the borders of the state.

The Jurisdiction of the Parliament of India in relation to Jammu and Kashmir is confined to the matters enumerated in the Union List, and also the concurrent list. There is no State list for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

At the same time, while in relation to the other States, the residuary power of legislation belongs to Parliament, in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the residuary powers belong to the Legislature of the State, except certain matters to which Parliament has exclusive powers such as preventing the activities relating to cession or secession, or disrupting the sovereignty or integrity of India.

The power to make laws related to preventive detention in Jammu and Kashmir belong to the Legislature of J & K and not the Indian Parliament. Thus, no preventive detention law made in India extends to Jammu & Kashmir.

Part IV (Directive Principles of the State Policy) and Part IVA (Fundamental Duties) of the Constitution are not applicable to J&K.

Ways to counter growing unrest:

Focusing on investing in J&K’s infrastructure.

Absence of an effective information and communication plan has hobbled the government’s ability to respond even when it is on the moral high ground. This must be immediately corrected.

Standard operating procedures must require the use of lethal force only when there is an imminent threat to life and property, force should be used proportionately and not as a punitive measure.

What is needed at the moment is the deployment of new socio-cultural resources, and a new operational culture to wind down the militancy without alienating more locals who could either join or influence their relatives and friends to join various terrorist organisations.

Lethal force should be the last resort, used only when lives are threatened. Promptly investigating allegations of abuses and prosecuting those responsible is key to resolving this mess.

Externally, wide-ranging peace talks between India and Pakistan, the Indian administration and ‘azaadi’ groups is needed and internally, peace-building on the ground by multiple stakeholders




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involved is necessary.

5.3 Electoral bond scheme

Context:

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to strike down the ‘Electoral Bond Scheme 2018’ and amendments in the Finance Act, 2017, which allow for “unlimited donations from individuals and foreign companies to political parties without any record of the sources of funding.”

Softening its stand on electoral bonds for funding of political parties, the Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that it is not against such mode of donations as such but only the anonymity of donors, a stand stoutly opposed by the Centre which insisted that secrecy of political funding is important.

Highlights:

Electoral bonds have been introduced to promote transparency in funding and donation received by political parties.

The scheme envisages building a transparent system of acquiring bonds with validated KYC and an audit trail. A limited window and a very short maturity period would make misuse improbable.

The electoral bonds will prompt donors to take the banking route to donate, with their identity captured by the issuing authority. This will ensure transparency and accountability and is a big step towards electoral reform.

The previous system of cash donations from anonymous sources is wholly non-transparent. The donor, the donee, the quantum of donations and the nature of expenditure are all undisclosed

According to government the system of Bonds will encourage political donations of clean money from individuals, companies, HUF, religious groups, charities, etc. After purchasing the bonds, these entities can hand them to political parties of their choice, which must redeem them within the prescribed time.

Some element of transparency would be introduced in as much as all donors declare in their accounts the amount of bonds that they have purchased and all parties declare the quantum of bonds that they have received.

Electoral bonds:

Electoral bonds will allow donors to pay political parties using banks as an intermediary.

Although called a bond, the banking instrument resembling promissory notes will not carry any interest. The electoral bond, which will be a bearer instrument, will not carry the name of the payee and can be bought for any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1 crore.

As per provisions of the Scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a citizen of India, or entities incorporated or established in India. A person being an individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.

Only the registered Political Parties which have secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last Lok Sabha elections or the State Legislative Assembly are eligible to receive the Electoral Bonds.

The electoral bonds are aimed at rooting out the current system of largely anonymous cash donations made to political parties which lead to the generation of black money in the economy.

Drawbacks:

The move could be misused, given the lack of disclosure requirements for individuals purchasing electoral bonds.




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Electoral bonds make electoral funding even more opaque. It will bring more and more black money into the political system.

With electoral bonds there can be a legal channel for companies to round-trip their tax haven cash to a political party. If this could be arranged, then a businessman could lobby for a change in policy, and legally funnel a part of the profits accruing from this policy change to the politician or party that brought it about.

Electoral bonds eliminate the 7.5% cap on company donations which means even loss-making companies can make unlimited donations.

Companies no longer need to declare the names of the parties to which they have donated so shareholders won’t know where their money has gone.

They have potential to load the dice heavily in favour of the ruling party as the donor bank and the receiver bank know the identity of the person. But both the banks report to the RBI which, in turn, is subject to the Central government’s will to know.

5.4 FAME 2 scheme

Context:

NITI Aayog & Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Release Technical Analysis of FAME II Scheme. Report looks at potential saving in areas of energy, oil and carbon emissions.

Highlights

Effects of FAME II will go beyond the vehicles that are eligible under the FAME II.

There is considerable energy and CO2 savings associated with the two, three, and four-wheeled vehicles and buses covered by FAME II over their lifetime, as well as the potential savings associated with greater adoption levels by 2030.

The electric buses covered under FAME II will account for 3.8 billion vehicle kilometers travelled (e-vkt) over their lifetime.

In order to capture the potential opportunity in 2030, batteries must remain a key focal point as they will continue to be the key cost driver of EVs.

Vehicles eligible under FAME II scheme can cumulatively save 5.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent over their lifetime worth Rs 17.2 thousand crores.

EVs sold through 2030 could cumulatively save 474 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) worth INR 15 lakh crore and generate net CO2 savings of 846 million tonnes over their operational lifetime.

Features FAME 2 scheme

Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, or FAME 2 scheme aims to boost electric mobility and increase the number of electric vehicles in commercial fleets.

Target: The outlay of Rs.10,000 crore has been made for three years till 2022 for FAME 2 scheme.

The government will offer the incentives for electric buses, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to be used for commercial purposes.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles and those with a sizeable lithium-ion battery and electric motor will also be included in the scheme and fiscal support offered depending on the size of the battery.

Charging Infrastructure:

The centre will invest in setting up charging stations, with the active participation of public sector units and private players.

It has also been proposed to provide one slow-charging unit for every electric bus and one fast-charging station for 10 electric buses.

Projects for charging infrastructure will include those needed to extend electrification for running




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vehicles such as pantograph charging and flash charging.

FAME 2 will also encourage interlinking of renewable energy sources with charging infrastructure.

FAME India:

FAME India is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.

Main thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies. FAME focuses on 4 areas i.e. Technology development, Demand Creation, Pilot Projects and Charging Infrastructure.

5.5 Right to travel abroad is an important basic human right, SC

Context:

Recently, the Supreme Court has ruled that the right to travel abroad is an important basic human right while permitting an IPS Officer who was denied permission to go abroad as he is facing departmental proceedings.

SC observed that the pendency of departmental proceedings cannot be a ground to prevent the officer from traveling abroad.

SC was hearing an appeal against the Government of India’s denial of permission due to lack of vigilance clearance.

The decision of the government of India was upheld by Central Administrative Tribunal and High court.

The bench, while disposing of the appeal, referred to the judgment in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, and observed that:

The right to travel abroad is an important basic human right for it nourishes independent and self-determining creative character of the individual, not only by extending his freedoms of action but also by extending the scope of his experience.

Supreme Court also referred to a judgment of US Supreme court in Kent v. Dulles which said that “Freedom to go abroad has much social value and represents the basic human right of great significance.”

Freedom of Movement:

Freedom of movement is one of the six freedom under Article 19(1) of the constitution of India.

Article 19: Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech etc

All citizens shall have the right o to freedom of speech and expression; o to assemble peaceably and without arms; o to form associations or unions; o to move freely throughout the territory of India; o to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and o to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

The freedom of movement has two dimensions, viz, internal (right to move inside the country) and external (right to move out of the country and the right to come back to the country). \

Article 19 protects only the first dimension. The second dimension is dealt with by Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty).

Menaka Gandhi Case

In Menaka case (1978), the Supreme Court took a wider interpretation of Article 21.

The court held that the ‘right to life’ as embodied in Article 21 is not merely confined to animal existence or survival but it includes within its ambit the right to live with human dignity and all those aspects of life which go to make a man’s life meaningful, complete and worth living.




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It also ruled that the expression ‘Personal Liberty’ in Article 21 is of the widest amplitude and it covers a variety of rights that go to constitute the personal liberties of a man.

5.6 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)

Context:

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the random matching of paper trail machine slips with EVM results from one to five polling booths in each assembly segment for the multiphase Lok Sabha polls. The move is aimed at bringing more “credibility” and “integrity” to the electoral process.

VVPAT:

The Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail is a method that provides feedback to voters.

It is an independent verification printer machine and is attached to electronic voting machines.

It allows voters to verify if their vote has gone to the intended candidate. Working:

When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT.

The slip contains the poll symbol and name of the candidate.

It allows the voter to verify his/her choice. After being visible to the voter from a glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot slip will be cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard.

It can be accessed by polling officers only.

It dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The slip dropped in a box but the voter cannot take it home.

Advantages:

Enables to verify vote: Instant feedback to voter that vote polled has been allocated to the intended candidate.

Enables authorities to count the votes manually if there is a dispute in the electronically polled votes.

Operates under a Direct Recording Election system (DRE) which detects fraud and existent malfunctions.

Will ensure greater transparency in voting process.

Gives both the voters and political parties an assurance.




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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6.1 Ahimsa mutton

The Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), in collaboration with the National Research Centre on Meat (NRCM), has initiated research aimed at producing meat through cellular agriculture or cells sourced from animals and later cultivated into the meat. '

It has also been called as cell-based meat or clean meat or ahimsa meat (non-violence meat) which will be isnutritionally equivalent to conventional animal meat.

Significance of Cell-based Meat:

Protecting Biodiversity and environment

Stop use of animals in research purposes

Can address concerns relating to food security, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.

6.2 'Antimicrobial resistance a threat to everyone'

Context:

UN Interagency Coordinating Group has released a report titled "NO TIME TO WAIT: Securing The Future From Drug-resistant Infections".

The Report says that drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050.

Key Highlights:

Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis that threatens a century of progress in the health and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a formidable challenge to achieving Universal Health Coverage and threatens progress against many of the Sustainable Development Goals, including in health, food security, clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production, and poverty and inequality.

Misuse and overuse of existing antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants are accelerating the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The world has to act urgently. If timely actions are not taken antimicrobial resistance will have a disastrous impact within a generation.

Currently, at least 7,00,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases, including 2,30,000 people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

By 2030 antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty.

Without investment from countries in all income brackets, future generations will face the disastrous impacts of uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance.

The drivers of antimicrobial resistance lie in humans, animals, plants, food and the environment. Thus a sustained One Health response is essential to engage and unite all stakeholders around a shared vision and goals.

The countries should prioritize national action plans to scale-up financing and capacity-building efforts, put in place stronger regulatory systems and support awareness programs for responsible use of antimicrobials by professionals.

It is also necessary to invest in research and development for new technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance.

UN Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial Resistance:

IACG was established in 2016 in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).




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The IACG’s mandate is to provide practical guidance for approaches needed to ensure sustained effective global action to address antimicrobial resistance.

Summary of IACG Recommendations:

Accelerate Progress In Countries

Equitable and affordable access to existing and new quality-assured antimicrobials in member states

Accelerate the development and implementation of One Health National Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan within the context of the SDGs.

Innovate To Secure The Future

Public, private and philanthropic donors and other funders should increase investment and innovation in quality-assured, new antimicrobials.

Equitable and affordable access to existing and new, quality-assured antimicrobials should be promoted.

Collaborate For More Effective Action

Systematic and meaningful engagement of civil society groups and organizations is necessary for the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance.

Invest For A Sustainable Response

The IACG emphasizes the need for increased investments in the response to antimicrobial resistance, including from domestic financing in all countries; bilateral and multilateral financing; development institutions and banks; and private investors.

Strengthen Accountability And Global Governance

There is a need for the urgent establishment of a One Health Global Leadership Group on Antimicrobial Resistance,supported by a Joint Secretariat managed by the Tripartite agencies (FAO, OIE, and WHO).

There is a need to convene an Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against Antimicrobial Resistance to monitor and provide the Member States with regular reports on the science and evidence related to antimicrobial resistance.

6.3 Chain melted state

Context:

Scientists have found a new state of physical matter recently. The new state is solid and liquid at the same time. Atoms can exist as both solid and liquid simultaneously.

The state is known as the chain melted state. Highlights:

When applying high pressures and temperatures to potassium, a simple metal; it creates a state in which most of the element’s atoms form a solid lattice structure. However, some elements can, when subjected to extreme conditions, take on the properties of both solid and liquid states.

Researchers have shown that this unusual but stable state is part solid and part liquid.

Applying pressure to the atoms leads to the formation of two interlinked solid lattice structures. Chemical interactions between atoms in one lattice are strong, meaning they stay in a solid form when the structure is heated, while the other atoms melt into a liquid state. Under the right conditions, over half a dozen elements, including sodium and bismuth are thought to be capable of existing in the newly discovered state.




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6.4 Climate-Resistant Chickpea Varieties

Context:

An international team led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has discovered important factors for heat and drought tolerance in chickpea.

Highlights:

The study has identified four important genes for heat tolerance and three important genes for drought tolerance.

The study was based on complete genome sequencing of 429 chickpea lines from 45 countries.

By using such genomics-assisted breeding approach, the time taken to produce a new heat- and drought-tolerant chickpea variety can be halved from about eight to four years.

The study has found that chickpea originated in the Mediterranean/south-west Asia and migrated to south Asia.

It reached India about two centuries ago, apparently through Afghanistan.

The study provides insights into chickpea’s genetic diversity, domestication too. Advantages:

World is already witnessing increase in temperature because of climate change. So a new variety with heat and drought tolerance will be highly useful to Indian farmers.

In India, chickpea is generally sown in September-October and harvested in January-February.

When heat-tolerant chickpeas are developed in future, farmers in India may have a possibility to go in for a second round of cropping.

Though the yield will be less for the second crop, farmers will still stand to gain. Chickpea:

Chickpea grain is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with a wide range of essential amino acids , but low in fat. The crop also fixes relatively large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen.

More than 90% of chickpea cultivation area is in South Asia, including India.

India is by far the world largest producer but is also the largest importer.

Chickpeas are susceptible to several major diseases and insect pests and yields can fall precipitously if the crop is exposed to extreme temperatures or drought.

Globally, more than 70% yield is lost due to drought and increasing temperatures.

Chickpea is a winter season crop, so in general any further increase in temperature is expected to further reduce the yield.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics:

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in the drylands of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

It was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana State, in India, with two regional hubs (Nairobi, Kenya and Bamako, Mali).

ICRISAT conducts research on six highly nutritious drought-tolerant crops, also known as Smart Food: Chickpea, Pigeonpea, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet, Sorghum, and Groundnut.

Smart Food is food that is define as good for consumer, the planet and the farmer, and is one of the solutions that contributes to addressing all these issues in unison.




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6.5 CRISPR Technology

Context:

For the first time, four lizards have been genetically modified using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool.

Highlights:

Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) were able to target the pigmentation genes of Anolis sagrei lizards to create four albino offspring.

The team specifically targeted the tyrosinase gene and successfully injected the gene editing solution into 146 oocytes.

Albinism is a trait inherited from both parents and in this study, the researchers found that the CRISPR protein targeted the tyrosinase protein from both the mother and father of the offspring which means that the CRISPR solution was active long after fertilization.

CRISPR-Cas9:

The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations and made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories.

CRISPR technology is basically a gene-editing technology that can be used for the purpose of altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism. The technology can be used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic code or editing the DNA at particular locations.

Significance:

CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes.

It allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.

Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops. However, its promise also raises ethical concerns.

Working:

CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste mechanism on DNA strands that contain genetic information.

The specific location of the genetic codes that need to be changed, or “edited”, is identified on the DNA strand, and then, using the Cas9 protein, which acts like a pair of scissors, that location is cut off from the strand. A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself.

Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process, supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes that binds itself with the broken DNA strand.

Concerns:

Tampering with the genetic code in human beings is more contentious.

Leading scientists in the field have for long been calling for a “global pause” on clinical applications of the technology in human beings, until internationally accepted protocols are developed.

Issues:

Study by Stanford University, U.S., found that the CRISPR-Cas9 system introduces unexpected off-target (outside of the intended editing sites) effects in mice. The fear that the CRISPR system is being prematurely rushed for clinical use lingers. Three recent reports have exacerbated this fear even further.

Studies highlighted that CRISPR-Cas9-edited cells might trigger cancer.

May increase the risk of mutations elsewhere in the genome in those cells.

Although, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been successfully used to cure several diseases however, it remains many things are not clear like how we should determine which disease or




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traits are appropriate for gene editing.

Ethical concerns: In addition, there are concerns with manipulating human embryos for own interest.

Future of CRISPR technology:

This CRISPR technology is indeed a path-breaking technology, to alter genes in order to tackle a number of conventional and unconventional problems, especially in the health sector.

However, experiments and tests to validate its use must be subjected to appropriate scrutiny by the regulators, and their use must be controlled to prevent commercial misuse.

6.6 First direct image of black hole

The first photograph of a black hole was revealed by scientists recently. Black Hole

A black hole is an object in space that is so dense and has such strong gravity that no matter or light can escape its pull. Because no light can escape, it is black and invisible.

There’s a boundary at the edge of a black hole called the event horizon, which is the point of no return — any light or matter that crosses that boundary is sucked into the black hole. It would need to travel faster than the speed of light to escape, which is impossible.

Anything that crosses the event horizon is destined to fall to the very centre of the black hole and be squished into a single point with infinite density, called the singularity.

Evidence for existence of black holes:

By looking for the effects of their extreme gravity, which pulls stars and gases toward them.

Also, while anything past the event horizon is invisible, outside that boundary there is sometimes a spiral disk of gas that the black hole has pulled toward — but not yet into — itself.

The gases in that accretion disk are heated up as they accelerate toward the black hole, causing them to glow extremely brightly. The colours they glow are invisible to us, but are detectable with an X-ray telescope.

Scientists have also detected the gravitational waves generated when two black holes collide. light surrounding the black hole right to the edge of the event horizon, which is the goal of the Event Horizon Telescope.

Size of black holes:

Small black holes are called stellar-mass black holes. They have masses similar to those of larger stars — about five to 20 times the mass of the sun.

The other kind is supermassive black holes, which are millions to billions of times more massive than the sun. That’s the kind the Event Horizon Telescope has been trying to photograph, as bigger objects ought to be easier to see.

There is some evidence that black holes between these two sizes exist, but that has yet to be confirmed.

While black holes are very massive, that doesn’t mean they take up a lot of space. Because they’re so dense, they’re actually quite small.

According to NASA, a black hole 20 times the mass of the sun could fit inside a ball 16 kilometres wide — the width of the Island of Montreal at its widest point.

Location of black holes:

Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. The one in our galaxy is called Sagittarius A* and is one of those the Event Horizon Telescope has been attempting to photograph.

Sagittarius A* isn’t the only black hole in our galaxy, though. Earlier this year, astronomers discovered another 12 within three light-years of it, suggesting there could be upwards of 10,000




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black holes around the galactic centre. Formation of black holes:

Supermassive black holes are believed to form at the same time as the galaxy that surrounds them, but astronomers aren’t sure exactly how.

Stellar mass black holes form when a star with a mass greater than three times that of our sun runs out of fuel. It explodes into a supernova and collapses into an extremely dense core that we know as a black hole — something predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Einstein’s theory also predicts the size and shape of the black holes that the Event Horizon Telescope is trying to photograph.

6.7 Fungal infection Candida auris

Context:

The killer germ, a fungus called Candida auris, has showed up in countries as far apart as Australia and Canada, Venezuela and Japan, over the past few years. It has set alarm bells ringing because it is often resistant to multiple anti-fungal drugs.

Candida auris:

Candida auris is an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat. Patients can remain colonised with C. auris for a long time and C. auris can persist on surfaces in healthcare environments. This can result in spread of C. auris between patients in healthcare facilities.

It is difficult to identify with standard lab methods. It may have had a role to play in the development of its resistance. Healthcare personnel oblivious to it for long continue to prescribe antibiotics — giving the organism time to acclimatise to the medication. C. auris is known to cause outbreaks in hospitals, where it finds vulnerable individuals.

Precautions and Treatment:

The key is to prevent the fungus from spreading, so the management of the infection is hinged on isolation of the patient, ideally in a single room, with strict hand hygiene.

Everyone who has come in contact with a patient should be screened for the fungus, and all equipment used for the care of the patient should be cleaned every day in accordance with clinical care recommendations.

Guidelines for treatment say that only when there are symptoms of an infection should the patient be given anti-fungals such as Caspofungin and Micafungin.

Signs and symptoms of C. auris:

Symptoms may not be noticeable, because patients infected with C. auris are often patients in the hospital with another serious illness or condition.

Symptoms can vary greatly depending on the part of the body affected and can cause different types of infection such as bloodstream infection, wound infection, and ear infection, etc. Doctors say symptoms can include fever, body aches, and fatigue.

Treatment:

C. auris infection often goes unnoticed and its resistance to drugs makes it even more difficult to treat. Moreover, it is difficult to identify with standard laboratory tests, increasing the risk of mismanagement or misidentification if not diagnosed properly.

As per CDC, more than 90 per cent of C. auris infections are resistant to at least one drug, and 30 per cent are resistant to two or more antibiotics. And other prominent strains of the fungus Candida have not developed significant resistance to drugs, said the CDC. Finding a cure for the infection is now a matter of urgency.

Transmission:

Basically, C. auris can spread in hospitals, targetting people with weakened immune systems.




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It can spread from one patient to another in healthcare settings through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces or equipment.

Healthy people usually don’t get infected with the fungus. Yet, more research is required to further understand how it spreads.

Prognosis:

Nearly half of patients die within 90 days of being diagnosed with the fungus.

In most cases, patients who have died with C. auris had other serious conditions that increased their risk of death.

Prevention and control measures:

Placing the patients with C. auris in single rooms and using Standard and Contact Precautions.

Increasing emphasis on hand hygiene.

Cleaning and disinfecting patient care environment and reusable equipment with recommended products.

Inter-facility communication about patient’s C. auris status – when a patient is being transferred to another healthcare facility.

Conducting surveillance for new cases to detect ongoing transmission.

Screening patients to identify C. auris colonisation is a vital part of infection prevention and control.

Multidrug resistance problem:

The increase in resistant organisms is fueled by overuse of antimicrobial drugs, not just in healthcare settings but also in agriculture.

As more microorganisms evolve ways to survive commonly used drugs, treating infections becomes more difficult.

This increases the risks associated with hospitalizations and surgeries.

6.8 Gene therapy’s fight against ‘bubble boy’ disease may have yielded a safe cure

Context:

As per a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, U.S. scientists used ‘HIV’ in making a gene therapy that cured eight infants of "bubble boy" disease.

The study details how scientists turned the enemy virus (HIV) into a saviour, altering it so it couldn’t cause disease and then using it to deliver a gene that babies with "bubble boy" disease lacked.

Bubble Boy Disease, also known as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SCID) is caused by a genetic flaw that keeps the bone marrow from making effective versions of blood cells that comprise an immune system.

An immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, organs that helps the body in fighting infections and other diseases.

It affects 1 in 2,00,000 newborns, almost exclusively males. Without treatment, it often kills in the first year or two of life.

The nickname ‘bubble boy disease’ has come from a famous case in the 1970s- a Texas boy with SCID, lived for 12 years in a protective plastic bubble for isolation from germs.

A bone marrow transplant from a genetically matched sibling can cure SCID, but most people lack a suitable donor. Transplants are risky too; the Texas boy died after one.

Doctors think gene therapy could be a solution. It involves removing some of a patient’s blood cells, using the modified HIV to insert the missing gene, and returning the cells to the body.




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6.9 Genome sequencing to map population diversity

Context:

CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) plans to undertake genome sequencing of a sample of nearly 1000 Indian rural youth to determine unique genetic traits, susceptibility (and resilience) to disease.

This is the first time that such a large sample of Indians will be recruited for a detailed study.

These recruited youths, as part of genome-sample collections, are representative of the country’s population diversity.

In this case, the bulk of them will be college students, both men and women, and pursuing degrees in the life sciences or biology.

The project is an adjunct to a much larger government-led programme, still in the works, to sequence at least 10,000 Indian genomes.

Genome Sequencing:

Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of Adenine, Cytosine, Guanines, and Thymine that make up an organism's DNA.

Human genome:

It is made up of 23 chromosome pairs with a total of about 3 billion DNA base pairs.

There are 24 distinct human chromosomes: 22 autosomal chromosomes, plus the sex-determining X and Y chromosomes.

Chromosomes 1-22 are numbered roughly in order of decreasing size.

Somatic cells usually have one copy of chromosomes 1-22 from each parent, plus an X chromosome from the mother and either an X or Y chromosome from the father, for a total of 46.

There are estimated 20,000-25,000 human protein-coding genes.

The estimate of the number of human genes has been repeatedly revised down from initial predictions of 100,000 or more as genome sequence quality and gene finding methods have improved, and could continue to drop further.

Significance:

Sequencing the genome is an important step towards understanding it.

The genome sequence will represent a valuable shortcut, helping scientists find genes much more easily and quickly. A genome sequence does contain some clues about where genes are, even though scientists are just learning to interpret these clues.

Scientists also hope that being able to study the entire genome sequence will help them understand how the genome as a whole works—how genes work together to direct the growth, development and maintenance of an entire organism.

Finally, genes account for less than 25 percent of the DNA in the genome, and so knowing the entire genome sequence will help scientists study the parts of the genome outside the genes. This includes the regulatory regions that control how genes are turned on and off, as well as long stretches of "nonsense" or "junk" DNA—so called because significance of it hasn’t been established.

Human Genome Project:

The Human Genome Project was an international research effort to determine the sequence of the human genome and identify the genes that it contains. The Project was coordinated by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy.

It was a 13-year-long, publicly funded project initiated in 1990 with the objective of determining the DNA sequence of the entire euchromatic human genome within 15 years.

The overwhelming success of the Human Genome Project is readily apparent. Not only did the




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completion of this project usher in a new era in medicine, but it also led to significant advances in the types of technology used to sequence DNA.

Today, the goal of personalized medicine is to utilize information about a person's genes, including his or her nucleotide sequence, to make drugs better and safer.

For example, evolution of Her2/neu and Response to Breast Cancer Treatment and CYP450 and Response to Antidepressants are direct result of Human Genome Project.

6.10 Grafting Technology

Context:

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has evolved grafting technology – to boost the yield of Brinjal.

What it is?

It is the method in which the cut stem of two different plants- one with root and other without root, are joined together in such a way that the two stem grows as a single plant. This new plant has the characteristics of both the plants.

The cut stem of plant having root is called stock and the cut stem of another plant is called Scion.

It boosts plant growth by increasing the uptake of nutrients and developing resistance to soil-borne diseases with suitable rootstocks.

Grafting is used in a variety of plants like roses, apples, avocado, etc.

6.11 Hayabusa-2

Context:

Japan’s spacecraft Hayabusa-2 recently dropped an explosive on an asteroid to make a crater. It’s aim was to make a crater on asteroid. Also, this spacecraft will collect its underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system.

Notably, Hayabusa2 is the second Japanese spacecraft to land on an asteroid, after Hayabusa achieved a similar feat back in 2005.

Hayabusa:

In mid-September 2005, Hayabusa landed on the asteroid Itokawa, and managed to collect samples in the form of grains of asteroidal material.

It returned to Earth with the samples in June 2010, thereby becoming the first spacecraft to return asteroid samples to Earth for analysis.

Hayabusa-2:

It is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA.

It was launched on 3 December 2014 and rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu on 27 June 2018.

It is in the process of surveying the asteroid for a year and a half, departing in December 2019, and returning to Earth in December 2020.

Hayabusa-2 carries multiple science payloads for remote sensing, sampling, and four small rovers that will investigate the asteroid surface to inform the environmental and geological context of the samples collected.

Since it arrived at Ryugu in June 2018, Hayabusa 2 has dropped two hopping landers, collectively known as MINERVA-II, onto the surface of the space rock to take pictures and measure the asteroid’s temperature.

Hayabusa-2 payloads:

Remote sensing: Optical Navigation Camera (ONC-T, ONC-W1, ONC-W2), Near-Infrared




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Camera (NIR3), Thermal-Infrared Camera (TIR), Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR).

Sampling: Sampling device (SMP), Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI), Deployable Camera (DCAM3).

Four rovers: Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT), Rover-1A, Rover-1B, Rover-2. Objectives:

To characterize the asteroid from remote sensing observations (with multispectral cameras, near-infrared spectrometer, thermal infrared imager, laser altimeter) on a macroscopic scale.

To analyse the samples returned from the asteroid on a microscopic scale. Significance:

Ryugu is a C-type asteroid – a relic from the early days of the Solar System.

Scientists think that C-type asteroids contain both organic matter, and trapped water, and might have been responsible for bringing both to Earth, thereby providing the planet with the materials necessary for life to originate.

6.12 Malware Kronos

Context:

A British cybersecurity researcher has pleaded guilty for developing a malware named Kronos aimed at stealing banking information.

It can be noted that the same researcher was earlier hailed as a hero for finding a “kill switch” to the WannaCry virus.

Highlights:

WannaCry virus was a cryptoransomware, also known as WannaCrypt, which affected thousands of computers spread over 150 countries, including India in May, 2017.

Kronos is a type of Trojan. Trojans are commonly spread via email attachments, and once downloaded, can give attackers free reign to snoop and steal sensitive information like financial data, emails, and passwords.

Kronos first appeared online on a Russian underground forum in 2014. Security Threats on the Web:

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt made to take down a website or online service by flooding it with more traffic than server/network can accommodate.

In a DDoS attack, the traffic can come from hundreds or thousands of sources, which makes it near-impossible to stop the attack simply by blocking a single IP address.

Sites also struggle to differentiate between a legitimate user and attack traffic.

A DDoS attack differs from a Denial of Service (DoS) attack, which typically uses a single computer and connection to flood a system or site. Viruses

A computer virus is a type of malicious code or program written to alter the way a computer operates and is designed to spread from one computer to another.

It requires some user interaction to be initiated. Computer viruses cannot reproduce and spread without programming such as a file or document. Malware and Trojans

Malware is a more generic term that can be used to refer to nefarious software, which has been specifically designed to disrupt or damage a computer system, while trojans are programs that pretend to be something they're not, and include malicious additions.

Trojans are often bundled with legitimate software (eg, downloaded via P2P or file-download sites) but keep the original software intact to avoid suspicion and allow the trojan to spread




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further.

The term 'spyware' is a sub-division of malware and refers to those programs dedicated to stealing personal details (logins, passwords, personal info, etc) once they've found a way onto computer or phone. Phishing

It is an effort by scammers to trick users into giving up personal information that they can then use to access your bank accounts or credit cards. Phishers can reach users through email, text or even by phone.

The core of phishing attacks is deception. Each attacker is attempting to convince users that they are a familiar person or brand. Ransomware

Ransomware prevents users from accessing their devices and data until a certain ransom is paid to its creator or risk losing access forever.

Ransomware usually locks computers, encrypts the data on it and prevents software and apps from running. Worms

A computer worm is a type of malware that spreads copies of itself from computer to computer. A worm can replicate itself without any human interaction, and it does not need to attach itself to a software program in order to cause damage.

This makes worms potentially more dangerous than viruses, trojans or other malware, as they're harder to contain.

While traditional anti-virus software will take care of a lot of the better-known viruses and trojans, the ability to replicate itself to networked resources without any interaction makes containing a worm a much harder task.

6.13 Measles cases up 300% worldwide in 2019, says WHO

Context:

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released new measles surveillance data for 2019.

According to WHO, measles cases rose 300% worldwide through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

WHO has found that the current outbreak is mostly among children in both developing as well as developed countries.

Reasons for the Rise in Measles Cases: Anti-Vaccination Movement

The major reason for rising in measles cases in developed countries is the anti-vaccine movement seen recently in many parts of Europe and the United States.

Such movements are driven by fraudulent claims linking the vaccine against measles to risk of autism in children.

However, repeated studies have shown that there is no such link. Poverty

In poorer countries, fewer people are vaccinated and a larger portion of the population is left vulnerable to the virus.

This creates the environment for a large outbreak to occur - such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kyrgyzstan, and Madagascar.

Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the




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availability of vaccination services.

In 2019, WHO has added Vaccine hesitation to the list of ten threats to global health in 2019. Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy

Compulsory nature of vaccines is seen as forcing by state

Temporal adverse health outcomes due to vaccination,

Unfamiliarity with vaccine-preventable diseases,

Lack of trust in corporations and public health agencies. Steps to Address Vaccine Hesitancy

Detecting and addressing vaccine-hesitant subgroups

Educating all health care providers involved with immunization on best practices

Educating children, youth and adults on the importance of immunization for health

Measles:

Measles virus is an enveloped, ribonucleic acid virus of the genus Morbillivirus.

Measles is highly contagious, and an infected person will often transmit the virus to over 90% of unprotected close contacts.

The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.

Measles can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine and had been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare systems.

Treatment:

No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.

Severe complications from measles can be avoided through medical care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake, and treatment of dehydration.

Prevention:

Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths.

The Measles & Rubella Initiative:

Launched in 2001, the Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R Initiative) is a global partnership led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and WHO.

The Initiative is committed to ensuring that no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome. We help countries to plan, fund and measure efforts to stop measles and rubella for good

India and Measles:

India has one of the highest incidences of Measles in the world.

According to WHO Data, in 2018, more than 68,000 confirmed cases of measles were reported in India.

However, India has made important gains in recent years. Measles deaths have declined by 51% from an estimated 100,000 in the year 2000 to 49 000 in 2015. Government Initiatives

Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched MR Vaccination program in 2017.

The MR campaign targets around 41 crore children across the country, the largest ever in any campaign.




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All children aged between 9 months and less than 15 years will be given a single shot of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination irrespective of their previous measles/rubella vaccination status or measles/rubella disease status.

MR vaccine will be provided free- of- cost across the states.

Other Initiatives include Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush.

6.14 Nasa's InSight lander 'detects first Marsquake'

NASA's Mars InSight lander has measured and recorded, for the first time ever, tremors on Mars called "Marsquake." (Like Earthquakes on Earth)

A faint seismic signal was detected by the lander's Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, was recorded on April 6, the lander's 128th sol (Mars Solar Day).

The new seismic event was too small to provide solid data on the Martian interior, which is one of InSight's main objectives.

Mars and the Moon do not have tectonic plates, but they still experience quakes.

On Mars and Moon, quakes are caused by a continual process of cooling and contraction of the surface that creates stress. This stress builds over time until it is strong enough to break the crust, causing a quake.

6.15 Novel fire extinguisher can be used in space

Scientists have developed a novel fire extinguisher for use in space environments that sucks in the flame as well as combustion product.

The Vacuum Extinguish Method (VEM), is designed by researchers at the Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan.

VEM is based on the completely "reverse" operation of widely-used fire extinguisher, namely, spraying extinguisher agent(s) into the firing point.

VEM is based on the suction of the combustible products and the flame with vacuum, and then collecting them into a vacuum container to be isolated.

It is useful for the special environments that are highly enclosed -- such as space vehicles and submarines -- to prevent spreading the harmful combustion products such as fume, particulate matters, toxic gas component across the entire enclosed cabin.

6.16 PSLV-C45 EMISAT Mission

Context:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the country’s first electronic surveillance satellite, EMISAT. It was launched on-board PSLV-C45. As many as 28 small satellites of international customers were also put in space as secondary riders.

EMISAT:

EMISAT is an advanced electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite jointly developed by ISRO-DRDO. It is meant for electromagnetic spectrum measurements.

It is modelled after a famous Israeli spy satellite called SARAL (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika). Both these satellites have the SSB-2 bus protocol - the core component for their sharp electronic surveillance capabilities across the length and width of a large country like India.

EMISAT also has a special altimeter (a radar altitude measuring device) called ‘AltiKa’ that works in the Ka-band microwave region of the spectrum. The electronic surveillance payload of EMISAT was developed under a DRDO’s project called KAUTILYA.

The main capability of EMISAT is in signal intelligence — intercepting signals broadcasted by




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communication systems, radars, and other electronic systems. The Ka-band frequency that EMISAT is sensitive to, allows the 436-kg EMISAT — India’s newest spy in the sky — to scan through ice, rain, coastal zones, land masses, forests and wave heights with ease.

Achievements:

First time ISRO is launching satellites in three different orbits.

The PSLV-C45 launch vehicle is also the first PSLV rocket to use four strap-on motors. The four strap-on motor rockets are from the PSLV-QL range.

This is the first time it has been envisaged to provide a microgravity environment for research organizations and academic institutes to perform experiments.

The PSLV-C45 is also the first launch to use solar panels to make the fourth stage last longer in orbit. Using the solar panels in the fourth stage, the PSLV can provide power to attached payloads almost indefinitely.

It is also the first launch vehicle to use solar propulsion.

6.17 Scientists Restore Brain Cell Activity

Context:

In a radical experiment, scientists have restored brain circulation and some cell activity in pigs' brains, hours after the animals died in a slaughterhouse.

The results, though done in pigs and not humans, challenge the long-held view that, after death, brain cells undergo sudden and irreversible damage.

It was held that the brain cannot long survive without blood. Within seconds, oxygen supplies deplete, electrical activity fades, and unconsciousness sets in. If blood flow is not restored, within minutes, neurons start to die in a rapid, irreversible, and ultimately fatal wave.

In the study, the researchers developed a novel system for studying intact, postmortem brains, dubbed BrainEx.

BrainEx:

It's a network of pumps that pipe a synthetic solution — a substitute for blood — into the brain's arteries at a normal body temperature.

The brains were placed in the BrainEx system 4 hours after the pigs' death, and were allowed to "perfuse" with the synthetic blood substitute for 6 hours.

During this time, the BrainEx system not only preserved brain cell structure and reduced cell death, but also restored some cellular activity.

For example, some cells were metabolically active, meaning they used glucose and oxygen and produced carbon dioxide. Other cells reacted with an inflammatory response when stimulated with certain molecules.

In contrast, the brains that were not treated with BrainEx rapidly decomposed. Ethical concerns:

Although scientists are a long way from being able to restore brain function in people with severe brain injuries, if some restoration of brain activity is possible, then the definition of brain death will need to changed.

More guidelines is required around the ethical issues raised by the study, which raises long-standing assumptions about what makes an animal ? or a human ? alive.

One concern is also of how to detect consciousness and how long systems like BrainEx should be allowed to run.

Significance:

The work could provide scientists with new ways of studying the brain, allowing them to examine functions in the entire, intact brain in a way that hasn't been possible before.




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This in turn could help scientists better understand brain diseases or the effects of brain injury.

However, the researchers stressed that they did not observe any kind of activity in the pigs' brains that would be needed for normal brain function or things like awareness or consciousness.

Road ahead:

Because the study lasted for only 6 hours, more research is needed to know whether BrainEx can preserve brains for longer than this time.

In addition, a lot of questions remain about how similar this model is to the brain environment.

The system does not use real blood, and the brain is not bathed in fluid as it is inside the skull.

The new technology opens up opportunities to examine complex cell and circuit connections and functions that are lost when specimens are preserved in other ways.

The work also could stimulate research on ways to promote brain recovery after loss of blood flow to the brain, such as during a heart attack.

6.18 Scissors Enzyme

Context:

Scientists at CCMB have discovered a new enzyme which helps in breaking cell walls of bacteria and hence, offers a potential for a new drug delivery route to arrest the anti-bacterial resistance.

Researchers discovered that by blocking ‘scissors enzyme’ from functioning, new ways to target microbes could be found, leading to a new wave of antibiotic drug. Other bacteria, too, have the same enzyme working on cell division as the cell wall is fundamental for bacterial growth and division.

Highlights:

The new enzyme offers a potential for a new drug delivery route to arrest the anti-bacterial resistance through existing antibiotic drugs.

It opens up fresh ways to target microbes, leading to a new wave of antibiotic drugs. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology:

The Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a premier research organization which conducts high quality basic research and trainings in frontier areas of modern biology, and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the interdisciplinary areas of biology.

It was set up initially as a semi-autonomous Centre on April 1, 1977 with the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory (presently, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, IICT) Hyderabad.

It is located in Hyderabad and operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

It is designated as “Center of Excellence” by the Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.

6.19 Signs we're experiencing a 6th mass extinction

An international team of scientists has published a way forward known as the Global Deal for Nature (GDN) to prevent the sixth mass extinction on Earth.

GDN’s mission is to save the diversity and abundance of life on the earth at the cost of $100 billion a year.

The three goals of the GDN are to protect biodiversity by conserving at least 30% of the




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Earth’s surface by 2030; mitigate climate change by conserving the Earth’s natural carbon storehouses; and reduce major threats.

The large-scale loss of species like the one we are currently witnessing have also happened earlier, even before humans appeared on the scene.

During the long period (> 3 billion years) since the origin and diversification of life on earth there were five episodes of mass extinction of species. However the ‘Sixth Extinction’ presently in progress different from the previous episodes.

The difference is in the rates; the current species extinction rates are estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times faster than in the pre-human times and our activities are responsible for the faster rates.

Ecologists warn that if the present trends continue, nearly half of all the species on earth might be wiped out within the next 100 years.

Mass Extinction – History:

Era Impact and Possible Reasons

End Ordovician, 444 million years ago

86% of species lost

Severe ice age that lowered sea levels, possibly triggered by the uplift of the Appalachians. The newly exposed silicate rock sucked CO2 out of the atmosphere, chilling the planet.

Late Devonian, 375 million years ago

75% of species lost

With the emergence of land plants, their deep roots stirred up the earth, releasing nutrients into the ocean. This might have triggered algal blooms which sucked oxygen out of the water, suffocating bottom dwellers like the trilobites.

End Permian, 251 million years ago

96% of species lost

A cataclysmic eruption near Siberia blasted CO2 into the atmosphere. Methanogenic bacteria responded by belching out methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Global temperatures surged while oceans acidified and stagnated, belching poisonous hydrogen sulfide.

End Triassic, 200 million years ago

80% of species lost

No clear causes have been found.

End Cretaceous, 66 million years ago

76% of all species lost

volcanic activity and climate change along with asteroid species

Mass Extinction What has gone wrong

Increased human foot-print has resulted in habitat loss, overhunting and overfishing, the introduction of invasive species into new ecosystems, toxic pollution, and climate change.

Populations of vertebrates have fallen by an average of 60 percent since 1970. How many species are already extinct?

Out of Vertebrate species at least 338 have gone extinct, with the number rising to 617 when one includes those species "extinct in the wild" and "possibly extinct.

Recent vertebrate extinctions in the wild include the northern white rhino, which lost its last male member in 2018, and Spix's macaw, a blue parrot native to Brazil.




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99 percent of Earth's species are invertebrates, and 40 percent of the species known to have died off. How many species are endangered?

There are 26,500 species threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This includes 40 percent of amphibian species, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 25 percent of mammals, and 14 percent of birds.

Since 1993,only 43% of African Lion are left. The number for cheetah is only 7000 and that of Amur leopard is just 100. What are the consequences?

The loss of species can have catastrophic effects on the food chain on which humanity depends. Ocean reefs, which sustain more than 25 percent of marine life, have declined by 50 percent already — and could be lost altogether by 2050. This is almost certainly contributing to the decline of global marine life, down — on average — by 50 percent since 1970.

In general, loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to (a) decline in plant production, (b) lowered resistance to environmental perturbations such as drought and (c) increased variability in certain ecosystem processes such as plant productivity, water use, and pest and disease cycles.

6.20 Stephen Hawking's theory of dark matter debunked

Context:

A group of scientists have ruled out Stephen Hawking’s theory for mysterious dark matter. Highlights:

Stephen Hawking proposed a theory that primordial black holes are a source of dark matter.

He computed that the mass of the primordial black holes could range from as low as one-hundredth of a milligram to as high as more than the mass of a thousand Suns.

Primordial Black Holes:

Two Soviet physicists, Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich and Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov, showed that at the initial instant of the big bang, the densities would have been very high at many points, resulting in the formation of small black holes. They were named `primordial black holes’.

Gravitational Lensing:

Black holes are not radiant and will not be visible through any telescope.

However, as first suggested by Albert Einstein, if by chance, a tiny primordial black hole eclipses a distant star, light rays of the star will bend around the black hole due to gravitational effect, resulting in the star appearing to be brighter than it originally is for a short while.

Called `gravitational lensing’, this rare phenomena can occur only when the star, the black hole and the observer on the Earth are aligned in a straight line.

When the black hole is in alignment with a distant star, due to gravitational attraction, light rays are bent inwards like a lens, making the star appear brighter.

Latest findings:

The research team used the Hyper Suprime-Cam on the Japanese Subaru Telescope located in Hawaii to look for any tell-tale evidence of primordial black holes between Earth and Andromeda galaxy using gravitational lensing technique.

For one whole night, the research team took 190 consecutive images of Andromeda galaxy. If the Universe is filled with invisible teeny weeny primordial black holes, with masses lighter than the moon, as postulated by Stephen Hawking, then the team should have seen at least 1,000 gravitational lensing events.

However, they were able to see at most one such candidate event, if not none. This implies Prof




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Stephen Hawking’s theory that such black holes make up all of dark matter is wrong. Dark Matter:

In most galaxies, the stars closer to the centre and the stars at the edge of the galaxies take almost same time to make one revolution.

This implied that something invisible and enveloping the galaxies was giving an extra push to the outer stars, speeding them up.

This entity has remained as one of the central unresolved puzzles in cosmology since 1930s. It is named `Dark Matter’.

The material is considered to be a ‘matter’ since it appears to have gravitational attraction and it is ‘dark’ because it does not seem to interact with light (or for that matter any part of the electromagnetic spectrum).

Almost 85% of the total mass of the Universe is composed of dark matter.

6.21 'This unique species can help fight antimicrobial resistance'

Scientists have isolated an antimicrobial protein found in the milk of an egg-laying mammal, Echidnas.

The protein can serve as an alternative to antibiotics used on livestock.

The protein in the milk of echidna can puncture the cell membranes of multiple bacterial species, thus destroying the source of infection.

There are many ways to produce the protein in large quantities and one among them is using E. coli bacteria. It can then be used to fight infections.

The scientist pointed out that there is a rise of the antimicrobial resistance bugs in livestock which can be checked by use of this antibiotics in the animal husbandry industry.

Monotremes: Egg Laying Mammals

Egg laying mammals are also known as Monotremes.

There are only five living monotreme species: the duck-billed platypus and four species of echidna (also known as spiny anteaters).

All of them are found only in Australia and New Guinea.

6.22 Titan

Context:

Using data from Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found that the Saturn's moon Titan has lakes of liquid Methane.

With this discovery, Titan becomes the only planetary body in our solar system other than Earth which has stable liquid on its surface.

Saturn:

It is the second largest planet after Jupiter in our Solar System.

Saturn is a Jovian planet i.e. it is completely made up of gas.

Along with Uranus and Neptune, Saturn is the only planet which has rings.

As of now, Saturn has 53 confirmed moons orbiting it.

Titan is largest of all moons of the Saturn and second largest moon in Solar system after Jupiters Ganymede.

Cassini:

Launched: Oct. 15, 1997

End of Mission: Sept. 15, 2017

Significance: Cassini orbited and studied the Saturn and its moons in detail.




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Cassini mission also landed the Huygens probe on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in January 2005.

6.23 Universe's First Molecule

Context:

Scientists have detected the most ancient type of molecule in our universe in space for the first time ever.

Key Findings:

Helium hydride ion (HeH+) was the first molecule that formed when, almost 14 billion years ago, the falling temperatures allowed recombination of the light elements (hydrogen, helium, deuterium and traces of lithium) produced in the Big Bang.

It is the first type of molecule (first molecular bond) that formed in the universe after the Big Bang.

At that time, ionised hydrogen and neutral helium atoms reacted to form HeH+.

Once the universe cooled down, hydrogen atoms started to interact with helium hydride, creating molecular hydrogen, which set the stage for star formation.

From that point on, stars created the other elements of the cosmos.

Despite its importance in the history of the early Universe, HeH+ has so far escaped detection in astrophysical nebulae— cloud of gas and dust in outer space.

Helium hydride — a combination of helium and hydrogen — was detected roughly 3,000 light-years from Earth by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy:

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Centre.

It is flown at approx 45,000 feet, where its observations are not impacted by interference from Earth's atmosphere.

SOFIA returns to Earth after every flight, allowing scientists to regularly update the instrument with the latest technology. One of the most recent upgrades included adding a specific channel to detect signatures of helium hydride, which previous telescopes did not have.

The molecule was found in a planetary nebula, NGC 7027, which is the dusty remnant of a sun-like star.

While helium hydride has been produced and tested in a laboratory setting, this discovery marks the first time that this molecule has been detected in space — which sheds light on the chemistry of the early universe.

6.24 World Haemophilia Day

Context:

Haemophilia day is celebrated on April 17 every year, the day aims to increase awareness about haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.

The day is celebrated in the honor of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Haemophilia (WHF).

This year, the theme of World Haemophilia Day is Outreach & Identification—“The first step to care”.

Since 1989, World Haemophilia Day is the day on which the whole bleeding disorders community comes together to celebrate the continuous advances in treatment while raising




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awareness and bringing understanding and attention to the issues related to proper care to the wider public.

Haemophilia:

It is a medical condition, mostly inherited, in which the ability of blood to clot is severely reduced so that even a minor injury can cause severe bleeding.

People with Haemophilia do not have enough clotting factor - a protein in blood that controls bleeding.

It is quite rare. About 1 in 10,000 people are born with it.

Major Types of HaemophiliaThe most common type of Haemophilia is called Haemophilia A. This means the person does not have enough clotting factor VIII (factor eight).

Haemophilia B is less common. A person with Haemophilia B does not have enough factor IX (factor nine).

Men are more vulnerable to haemophilia than women. Symptoms:

Big bruises.

Bleeding into muscles and joints.

Spontaneous bleeding (sudden bleeding inside the body for no clear reason).

Prolonged bleeding after getting a cut, removing a tooth, or having surgery.

Haemophilia is diagnosed by taking a blood sample and measuring the level of factor activity in the blood.

Treatment

The main treatment for Haemophilia is Replacement Therapy.

Concentrates of clotting factor VIII (for Haemophilia A) or clotting factor IX (for Haemophilia B) are slowly dripped or injected into a vein. These infusions help replace the clotting factor that is missing or low.

Stats

According to the World Federation of Haemophilia’s Annual Global Survey 2017, there were over 1.96 lakh persons living with Haemophilia across the world in 2017.




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In the country-wise data, India emerges with the highest count at nearly 19,000. Experts believe that 80% of cases go unregistered in India due to the absence of proper diagnostic facilities in the remote areas, so the actual count is close to 2 lakh.

World Federation of Haemophilia(WFH)

It is an international not-for-profit organization that was established in 1963.

It is a global network of patient organizations in 140 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization.

Its mission is to improve and sustain care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world.

6.25 World's first malaria vaccine to go to 360,000 African children

Context:

The world first malaria vaccine has been rolled out in Malawi for children under two.

RTS,S/AS01, trade name Mosquirix, is an injectable vaccine targeting P. falciparum, the most prevalent malaria strain in Africa. It is the first and only vaccine to show partial protection in young children. In clinical trials, the vaccine was found to prevent approximately 4 in 10 malaria cases, including 3 in 10 cases of life-threatening severe malaria.

The WHO-coordinated pilot programme is a collaborative effort with ministries of health in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi and a range of in-country and international partners, including PATH, a non-profit organization, and GSK, the vaccine developer and manufacturer, which is donating up to 10 million vaccine doses for this pilot.

PATH is an international nonprofit team of innovators which advises and partners with public institutions, businesses, grassroots groups, and investors to tackle the world’s toughest global health problems, including malaria.

The malaria vaccine pilot aims to reach about 360,000 children per year across the three countries.

Recently the World Bank released World Malaria Report, 2018, according to which Malaria occurs in 91 countries but about 90% of the cases and deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mechanism :

RTS,S aims to trigger the immune system to defend against the first stages of malaria when the Plasmodium falciparum parasite enters the human host’s bloodstream through a mosquito bite and infects liver cells.

The vaccine is designed to prevent the parasite from infecting the liver, where it can mature, multiply, re-enter the bloodstream, and infect red blood cells, which can lead to disease symptoms.

Financing for the pilot programme has been mobilized through an unprecedented collaboration among three key global health funding bodies: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid. Additionally, WHO, PATH and GSK are providing in-kind contributions

Shortcomings:

It is Inconvenient: A child must receive four injections before age 2, sometimes at intervals that do not match the routine vaccine schedules for most other diseases.

Partly effective: Testing in more than 10,000 African children from 2009 to 2014 showed that, even after four doses, the vaccine prevented only about 40 percent of detectable malaria infections.

Not long lasting: It is unclear how long even those relatively low levels of protection last; previous trials followed vaccinated children for four years. Experts also worry that parents whose children are vaccinated will become less vigilant about using mosquito nets, and less likely to seek




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medical care when their children develop fevers.

Develop Resistance: The vaccine reduced the occurrence of severe malaria by about 30 percent, and the occurrence of severe anemia — a complication that often kills children — by about 60 percent. It did not protect well against parasite strains that were poor genetic matches, raising a concern that, over time, parasites could evolve resistance to the vaccine as they have to drugs

Malaria in India:

India ranks very high in the list of countries with a serious malaria burden. In 2018, 3,99,134 cases of malaria and 85 deaths due to the disease were reported in the country, according to data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.

Malaria:

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites.

The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors."

There are more than 400 different species of Anopheles mosquito; around 30 are malaria vectors of major importance.

All of the important vector species bite between dusk and dawn.

There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum (the most prevalent malaria parasite on the African continent and it is responsible for most malaria-related deaths globally) and P. vivax (the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa) – pose the greatest threat.

Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, the regions of South-East Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and the Americas are also at risk.

WHO recommends protection with effective malaria vector control. Two forms of vector control – insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying – are effective in a wide range of circumstances.

World malaria day is celebrated on 25th April every year.

6.26 Xenon Decay Observed

Context:

Scientists at XENON Dark Matter Project have detected the radioactive decay of liquid Xenon-124 atomic nuclei for the first time.

The half-life measured for Xenon-124 is 1.8×1022 years, about one trillion times longer than the age of the universe. This is the slowest radioactive decay ever spotted.

This makes the observed radioactive decay the rarest process ever seen in the detector XENON1T.

The new study shows that the XENON detector is also able to measure other rare physical phenomena, such as double electron capture.

Double Electron Capture:

In double electron capture, two protons in the nucleus simultaneously “catch” two electrons from the innermost atomic shell, transform into two neutrons, and emit two neutrinos.

The XENON experiment is a collaboration of 160 scientists, representing 24 different nationalities, and 27 institutions from the US, Europe, Japan, and UAE.

Xenon Dark Matter Project aims to search for Dark matter particles at Gran Sasso Laboratory of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) in Italy.




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SOCIAL ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT

7.1 Community Radio Stations (CRS)

Context:

In a first of its kind initiative, the Election Commission of India has reached out to over 150 Community Radio stations from across the country to help educate and inform the voters.

Community Radio:

Community radio is a type of radio service that caters to the interests of a certain area, broadcasting content that is popular to a local audience.

Community radio is confined to a small geographical area. It serves a community which uses common resources for livelihood, has common development issues and concerns, which are relatively localized, nevertheless connected to national and regional development goals.

Today, there are more than 180 community radio stations across India, broadcasting in languages like Bundelkhandi, Garhwali, Awadhi and Santhali languages that typically find little or no space on television.

Challenges:

Lack of journalistic and technical skills and thus a consistent demand for training.

Community Radio derives its strength and popularity from community participation. In practise participation is harder than it seems, because it is labour intensive, requires the right attitude, skills and mobile equipment.

Without proper management skills, as well as some knowledge of financial management and income generation, it is very hard for Community Radio to survive without donor funding.

Community Radio is by definition relatively small and often situated in locations where basic services, like a constant supply of electricity, are lacking. Due to these conditions equipment suffers and needs to be vigorously maintained and/or regularly replaced.

Absence of a clear regulatory framework in which Community Radio operates. Eligibility:

As per the 2006 policy of the Government, an organisation desirous of operating a Community Radio Station (CRS) must be able to satisfy and adhere to the following principles:

It should be explicitly constituted as a ‘non-profit’ organisation and should have a proven record of at least three years of service to the local community.

The Community Radio Station should serve a specific well-defined local community.

The ownership and management structure should be such that it reflects the community which it serves.

It should only broadcast programmes that cater to the educational, developmental, social and cultural needs of the community.

The organization must be a Legal Entity. it should be registered (under the registration of Societies Act or any other such act relevant to the purpose).

Content of CRS:

At least 50% of content shall be generated with the participation of the local community, for which the station has been set up.

Programmes should preferably be in the local language and dialect(s).

The CRS license thus given by the government entitled them to operate a 100-watt (Effective Radiated Power) radio station, with a coverage area of approximately a 12-km radius. A maximum antenna height of 30 meters is allowed.




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7.2 For First Time, Army Calls Women Applicants For Military Police

Context:

Recently, the Indian army has invited applications from eligible women candidates for recruitment of Soldier in Women Military Police.

Army has an eventual aim to constitute 20% of the military police cadre from their ranks.

The armed forces have till now inducted women only as officers and have not allowed them to join the “fighting arms” like the infantry, armored corps, and artillery or serve on operational warships.

The government had announced that women would be inducted as soldiers or Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) in the military police from 2019 onwards.

Currently, only Indian Air Force inducts women in a combat role as fighter pilots.

The Air Force has 13.09% of women officers, the highest among all three forces.

The Army has 3.80% of women officers, while the Navy has 6% of women officers. -ves:

Physical Ability: While the majority of jobs in the armed forces are open equally to men and women, there are some to which women are just not physically suited.

The standards of physical fitness have been set to suit men, and women attempting to reach them will over-stretch themselves.

Morale & Cohesion: Having women serving in direct combat will hamper mission effectiveness by hurting unit morale and cohesion.

Military readiness: Pregnancy can affect the deployability of a unit when the unit has a disproportionate number of women or is understaffed.

Tradition: Men, especially those likely to enlist, maintain traditional gender roles. Harassment and resentment of the presence of women in a hyper-masculine military subculture would likely become a problem.

Abuse by Enemy: Both male and female prisoners are at risk of torture and rape, but misogynistic societies may be more willing to abuse women prisoners.

+ves:

Gender is not a hindrance: As long as an applicant is qualified for a position, one’s gender is arbitrary. It is easy to recruit and deploy women who are in better shape than many men sent into combat.

Military Readiness: Allowing a mixed gender force keeps the military strong. The armed forces are severely troubled by falling retention and recruitment rates. This can be addressed by allowing women in the combat role.

Effectiveness: The blanket restriction for women limits the ability of commanders in theater to pick the most capable person for the job.

Tradition: Training will be required to facilitate the integration of women into combat units. Cultures change over time and the masculine subculture can evolve too.

Cultural Differences & Demographics: Women are more effective in some circumstances than men. Allowing women to serve doubles the talent pool for delicate and sensitive jobs that require interpersonal skills, not every soldier has.

7.3 PepsiCo Sues Potato Farmers

Context:

PepsiCo, a multi-million dollar conglomerate, has sued Gujarati farmers asking them to pay Rs.1.05 crore each for alleged violation of Intellectual Property Rights.

The company has said that farmers infringed its patent rights by growing the potato variety




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used in its product called as Lays chips.

However, facing boycott calls after it sued Gujarati potato farmers PepsiCo has offered to settle the case if the farmers stop growing the registered potato variety used in its Lays chips.

Pepsico’s Point of View:

PepsiCo has invoked Section 64 of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 to claim infringement of its rights.

The section prohibits anyone other than the breeder of seeds or a registered licensee of that variety to sell, export, import or produces such variety.

The farmers were allegedly growing a variety of potato namely FL 2027, also called FC5, on which PepsiCo claimed exclusive rights by virtue of a Plant Variety Certificate (PVC).

Farmers Point Of View:

However, farmers groups have said that section 39 of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 allows farmers to grow and sell any variety of crop or even seed as long as they don’t sell branded seed of registered varieties.

The farmers have requested the government to interfere on their behalf and ask Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) to make a submission in court and fund legal costs through the National Gene Fund.

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001:

The aim of the act is the establishment of an effective system for the protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plant.

The act also establishes Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The major function of Authority includes Registration of new plant varieties; documentation of varieties registered; Preservation of plant genetic resource; Maintenance of the National Register of Plant Varieties and Maintenance ofNational Gene Bank (for conserving seeds of registered varieties).

Rights under the Act:

Breeders’ Rights: Breeders (Seed Producers) will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected variety.

A breeder can exercise for civil remedy in case of infringement of rights

Researchers’ Rights: Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting an experiment or research.

Researchers can use the initial source of variety for the purpose of developing another variety but repeated use needs the prior permission of the registered breeder.

Farmers' Rights: A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled to registration and protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety.

A farmer can save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001

However, the farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001.

There is also a provision for compensation to the farmers for non-performance of variety.

The farmer shall not be liable to pay any fee in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar or the Tribunal or the High Court under the Act.

National Gene Fund:

In 2007, the National Gene Fund was constituted under the PPV&FR Act 2001.

It started with an initial amount of Rs 50 lakh from the Central government and gets a




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contribution from the money paid by plant breeders as registration and annual fee. Contract Farming:

Contract farming can be defined as agricultural production carried out according to an agreement between a buyer and farmers, which establishes conditions for the production and marketing of a farm product or products.

In contract farming, the farmer agrees to provide agreed quantities of a specific agricultural product which meet the quality standards of the purchaser and be supplied at the time determined by the purchaser.

On the other hand, the buyer commits to purchase the product and, in some cases, to support production through the supply of farm inputs, land preparation and the provision of technical advice.

7.4 Vayoshreshtha Samman

Context:

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the nodal ministry for the cause of senior citizens, has been celebrating the International day of Older Persons since 2005 by conferring Vayoshreshtha Sammans to eminent senior citizens and institutions in recognition of their services towards the cause of elderly persons, especially indigent senior citizens.

In 2013, the Vayoshreshtha Sammans were upgraded as a “National Award”.

The Awards are given to institutions/organisations/individuals from any part of the country.

Given in 13 categories, nominations for the year 2019 awards have started. International day of Older Persons (IDOP):

On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated 1st October as the ‘International Day of Older Persons’.

It is celebrated every year to pay attention to the particular needs and challenges faced by many older people.

The theme for the year 2018 celebration was “Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions".




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ECOLOGY

8.1 Antarctica: Thousands of emperor penguin chicks wiped out

Researchers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has found that second largest Emperor penguin colony in the world, in Halley Bay Antarctica has suffered a “catastrophic” breeding failure.

In the colony, nearly all chicks born over three years died due to shrinking sea ice.

Emperor Penguins are the largest of all the different kinds of penguin and are endemic to Antarctica. They have near threatened status in IUCN.

Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galapagos penguin, found north of the equator.

Every year the 25th of April is observed as World Penguin Day.

8.2 Bharat Stage (BS) norms

Context:

NCR districts switch to Euro-VI grade fuels (BS-VI fuels). The supply of ultra-clean Euro-VI grade fuel (also known as Bharat Stage VI grade fuel) began in cities adjoining the National Capital Region (NCR) on April 1, 2019.

Delhi in April 2018 became the first city in the country to roll-out ultra-clean Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) grade fuel, both petrol and diesel.

Bharat Stage (BS) Norms:

The BS or Bharat Stage emission standards are norms instituted by the government to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.

India has been following the European (Euro) emission norms, though with a time-lag of five years.

Difference between BS-IV and BS-VI:

The major difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.

The newly introduced fuel is estimated to reduce the amount of sulphur released by 80%, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm.

As per the analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to reduce by nearly 70% and 25% from cars with petrol engines.

Importance of upgrading:

Upgrading to stricter fuel standards helps tackle air pollution.

Global automakers are betting big on India as vehicle penetration is still low here, when compared to developed countries. At the same time, cities such as Delhi are already being listed among those with the poorest air quality in the world.

The national capital’s recent odd-even car experiment and judicial activism against the registration of big diesel cars shows that governments can no longer afford to relax on this front.

With other developing countries such as China having already upgraded to the equivalent of Euro V emission norms a while ago, India has been lagging behind.

The experience of countries such as China and Malaysia shows that poor air quality can be bad for business. Therefore, these reforms can put India ahead in the race for investments too.




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8.3 Committee on National Clean Air Programme

The Union Environment Ministry has constituted a committee to implement the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024.

The committee will be chaired by the Secretary, Union Environment Ministry and has members from Ministry of Power, the Energy Resources Institute (TERI), and Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K).

The committee would be headquartered in New Delhi and would give overall guidance and directions to effectively implement the NCAP.

The NCAP was unveiled in January, 2019 is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to combat air pollution.

The NCAP is envisioned as a five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year. There would be a review every five years.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) database on air pollution over the years has listed Tier I and Tier II Indian cities as some of the most polluted places in the world.

In 2018, 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities were in India.

8.4 Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22.

Worldwide events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme of Earth Day 2019 is “Protect Our Species”.

It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

The idea of commemorating such a day was propounded by Gaylord Nelson, an American environmentalist and politician.

According to the United Nations, International Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance.

The Earth Day also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration (Earth Summit), to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.

This day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports.

Earth Day Network:

Earth Day Network is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.

EDN main office is located in Washington DC, USA.

Recently the Earth Hour 2019 was observed on March 30 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time with the theme #Connect2Earth.

8.5 Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA)

Context:

EPCA comes out with parking management plan for Delhi. In report, agency flags free parking on public land, multiplicity of agencies to be key cause of congestion and parking menace.

Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA)

EPCA was constituted with the objective of ‘protecting and improving’ the quality of the




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environment and ‘controlling environmental pollution’ in the National Capital Region. The EPCA also assists the apex court in various environment-related matters in the region.

EPCA is Supreme Court mandated body tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region. It was notified in 1998 by Environment Ministry under Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Composition

Besides the chairman, the EPCA has 14 members, some of whom are the environment secretary of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council, transport commissioner of the NCT, the commissioners of various municipal corporations of Delhi and professors at IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Functions

To protect and improve quality of environment and prevent and control environmental pollution in National Capital Region.

To enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.

8.6 Eurasian Lynx

Context:

The Eurasian Lynx, found currently only in Ladakh and some parts of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, may have found its way into the Kashmir Valley, according to a report.

Highlights

If confirmed, the lynx would be the third smaller cat species reported from the Kashmir Valley. The other two include the Jungle Cat and the Leopard Cat.

The Eurasian Lynx or Ee in Ladakhi is one of the medium-sized wild cats which roam the high and cold snow-covered mountains of Ladakh. The cat is agile and strong and is high adapted to the thin air atmosphere of Ladakh.

It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an altitude of 5,500 m (18,000 ft). Because of its wide distribution, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008.

8.7 Forest fires threatening flora and fauna of Odisha

Context:

Odisha had registered a sudden jump in forest fires across the State resulting in massive damage to flora and fauna. As many as 5,332 fire spots had been noticed since November 1 last year, the beginning of forest fire season, in the State. The month of March had alone registered 4,495 fire spots.

Causes:

Forest fires are caused by Natural causes as well as Man-made or anthropogenic causes.

Natural causes such as lightning which set trees on fire. High atmospheric temperatures and low humidity offer favourable circumstance for a fire to start.

Man-made causes like flame, cigarette, electric spark or any source of ignition will also cause forest fires.

Traditionally Indian forests have been affected by fires. The problem has been aggravated with rising human and cattle population and the increase in demand for grazing, shifting cultivation and Forest products by individuals and communities.

High temperature, wind speed and direction, level of moisture in soil and atmosphere and duration of dry spells can intensify the forest fires.

Implications:




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Apart from causing a huge loss to the timber and other fruit and leaf bearing trees and creepers of the forest, fires also destroy wildlife and their habitat.

Nests and eggs of ground dwelling birds are lost. Reptiles also lose their young ones due to forest fires.

Deduction of Forest fire:

When a fire is detected by NASA’s MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) satellites, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) analyses the data by overlaying the digitised boundaries of forest areas to pinpoint the location to the exact forest compartment.

The FSI relays news of the fire to the concerned State, so that the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in charge of the forest where the fire is raging is informed.

MODIS:

MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites.

Terra’s orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon.

Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth’s surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths.

Significance:

These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere.

MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment.

8.8 Global Forest Watch

Context:

The Global Forest Watch (GFW) is released by World Resources Institute (WRI) which reveals that India has lost over 1.6 million hectare of tree cover between 2001 and 2018, about four times the geographical area of Goa.

GFW is an open source web application to monitor global forests in near real time. Key Findings:

In India, five north-eastern states — Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur — were responsible for over 50% of all tree cover loss in the same period.

The main reason for loss of tree cover in the north-eastern states is diversion of forest land and climate change.

The loss of tree cover contributed to 172 MT of carbon emissions in India during this period.

The analysis reveals the total tree cover which used to be 12% of the country’s geographical area in 2000 reduced to 8.9% in 2010.

Methodology:

The Global Forest Watch uses a dataset collated by the University of Maryland, Google, US Geological Survey, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), besides satellite images, to map tree cover (at 30 metre resolution) globally for the years 2000 and 2010.

Limitation:

The data used by Global Forest Watch for this analysis is very coarse for India as it doesn’t cover open forest and scrub forest which is a big composition of forests in India.




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World Resources Institute:

WRI is a global research organization that spans more than 50 countries and focuses on six critical issues at the intersection of environment and development: climate, energy, food, forests, water, and cities and transport.

It was established in 1982. Headquartered in Washington, US.

8.9 Goldman Environmental Prize

Context:

An environmental lawyer and activist from Liberia, Alfred Brownell was among the six activists to be awarded Goldman Environmental Prize.

He prevented a company from converting tropical rainforest into palm oil plantations.

The other five winners are: Linda Garcia of Vancouver, Washington, who successfully prevented the construction

of North America’s largest oil terminal. Ana Colovic Lesoska of North Macedonia, whose helped stop hydroelectric

projects from being built in the country’s largest national park. Bayarjargal Agvaantseren of Mongolia, who led the fight to create the Tost

Tosonbumba Nature Reserve. Jacqueline Evans of the Cook Islands, whose work led to the conservation and

sustainable management of all of the Cook Islands’ ocean territory and creation of 15 marine protected areas.

Alberto Curamil of Chile, a jailed indigenous activist who had protested several hydroelectric projects in the country.

Note:

The Goldman Environmental Prize environmental recognizes and honors grassroots individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.

The prize was created in 1989 by philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman.

Winners are selected from nominations made by environmental organisations and others. The prize carries a $200,000 award.

In addition to a monetary prize, Goldman Prize winners each receive a bronze sculpture called the Ouroboros.

Common to many cultures around the world, the Ouroboros, which depicts a serpent biting its tail, is a symbol of nature’s power of renewal.

8.10 Green Urban Areas

CPWD recently organized National Seminar on “Greenery and Landscaping”. Green Urban Areas/Spaces:

Green spaces such as parks and sports fields as well as woods and natural meadows, wetlands or other ecosystems, represent a fundamental component of any urban ecosystem.

Green urban areas facilitate physical activity and relaxation, and form a refuge from noise. Trees produce oxygen, and help filter out harmful air pollution, including airborne particulate matter. Water spots, from lakes to rivers and fountains, moderate temperatures.

Urban parks and gardens play a critical role in cooling cities, and also provide safe routes for walking and cycling for transport purposes as well as sites for physical activity, social interaction and for recreation. Recent estimates show that physical inactivity, linked to poor walkability and lack of access to recreational areas, accounts for 3.3% of global deaths.




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Green spaces also are important to mental health. Having access to green spaces can reduce health inequalities, improve well-being, and aid in treatment of mental illness. Some analysis suggests that physical activity in a natural environment can help remedy mild depression and reduce physiological stress indicators.

8.11 Illegal Bt brinjal farming in Haryana, allege activists

Context:

The activists representing the Coalition for a GM-Free India (CGFI) have alleged that Bt brinjal is being cultivated illegally in Haryana.

Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal, has been at the centre of controversy in India.

Bt brinjal, a genetically modified strain created by India's seeds company Mahyco in collaboration with American multinational Monsanto, claims to improve yields and help the agriculture sector.

However, environment activists say the effect of GM (genetically modified) crops on rats have shown to be fatal for lungs and kidneys. It is dangerous to introduce these experimental foods into the market without proper research.

It can be noted that recently, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), has sought information about Bt brinjal from Bangladesh, where farmers have been growing the crop since 2013.

Bt Brinjal:

Brinjal is prone to attack from insect pests and diseases, the most serious and destructive of which is the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) Leucinodes orbonalis.

Since FSB larvae are concealed within shoots and fruits, the pest normally escapes insecticide sprays.

Therefore, FSB-resistant brinjal or Bt brinjal was developed using a transformation process similar to the one used in the development of Bt cotton.

According to International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), which works to promote bio-technology, Bt brinjal incorporates the cry1Ac gene expressing insecticidal protein which creates resistance against fruit and shoot borer , a pest.

GMOs:

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.

The technology is called “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.

It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another and also between non-related species.

GM crops are aimed at providing increased level of crop protection by introducing resistance against plant diseases caused by insects, viruses and from herbicides.

The resistance against insects in GM crops is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production, which is currently used as a conventional insecticide in agriculture and is considered safe for human consumption.

Virus resistance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from certain viruses which cause disease in plants. Virus resistance makes plants less susceptible to diseases caused by such viruses, resulting in higher crop yields.

Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying




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resistance to some herbicides. In situations where weed pressure is high, the use of such crops has resulted in a reduction in the quantity of the herbicides used.




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8.12 In a first, east Asian birds make Andaman stopover

Researchers have sighted a number of East Asian birds in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The birds include Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) which is native of Australia and New Guinea.

Other birds are the Zappey’s Flycatcher (Cyanoptila cumatilis) bird from China and Javan Pond Heron (Ardeola speciosa) which is usually found in Thailand and Cambodia.

During their migration from north to south, these birds make a stopover at the Andaman and Nicobar islands. These birds use Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a few weeks rests before they can fly along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF).

Flyways:

Flyways are the area used by a group of birds during their annual cycle which includes their breeding areas, stop over areas and wintering areas.

There are nine flyways in the world. Three of the nine flyways pass through Indian Subcontinent:

Central Asian Flyway (CAF)

This is a migration route, covering over 30 countries, for different waterbirds linking their northernmost breeding grounds in Russia (Siberia) to the southernmost non-breeding (wintering) grounds in West and South Asia, the Maldives and British Indian Ocean Territory.

India has a strategic role in the flyway, as it provides critical stopover sites to over 90% of the bird species known to use this migratory route

East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF)

The East Asia/Australasia Flyway extends from Arctic Russia and North America to the southern limits of Australia and New Zealand.

It encompasses large parts of East Asia, all of Southeast Asia and includes eastern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Asian East African Flyway (AEAF)

The Asian East African Flyway extends from Arctic Russia to South Africa and Madagascar in Africa. The flyway pass cover area from west of Tibetan plateau and Himalayas including central Asia and West Asia

It also covers parts of north-western India. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS):

It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.

CMS or Bonn Convention provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.

India is a party to the CMS since 1st November 1983. Raptor MoU:

Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia is also known as Raptor MoU

Raptors MoU is an agreement under CMS.

It aims to promote coordinated actions to maintain the favorable conservation status of migratory birds of prey (raptors) throughout their range in the African-Eurasian region

India is a signatory to Raptor MoU. It is not legally binding.




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8.13 India to access lithium reserves in Bolivia

Context:

India and Bolivia have signed an agreement for the development and industrial use of lithium, a prime component used to power electric vehicles and cell phones.

Highlights:

India and Bolivia agreed to forge a mutually beneficial partnership to facilitate Bolivian supplies of lithium Carbonate to India and foster joint ventures for lithium battery/cell production plants in India.

This agreement will make Bolivia, which is known to have one-fourth of the world’s lithium reserves, one of the major provider of metal for India’s e-mobility and e-storage needs.

The agreement facilitates mechanisms for the commercialization of Lithium Carbonate and Potassium Chloride produced in Bolivia by Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos Corporación (YLB – Corporación).

Significance:

Bolivia is estimated to hold over 60% of the world’s reserves for lithium but has not yet started producing it commercially.

India is the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world and has the ambitious goal of 30 per cent electric vehicles by 2030. But India imports all its lithium-ion batteries since India has no known sources of lithium, and zero lithium-ion battery manufacturing capabilities currently.

As a result, India is heavily dependent on China, Taiwan and Japan for import, especially of batteries required for portable electronics.

With this agreement, number of Indian companies setting up production capabilities in Bolivia goes up, as well as the import of lithium to India.

Domestic production is also set to see a boost, from the automotive perspective. Further, the arrival of hybrids and electric vehicles from as early as 2020 onwards, will force manufacturers to look at local production.

This agreement could also turn out to be the backbone for the recently launched FAME India policy (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles) and will also give a substantial push to India’s ambition to have at least 30 per cent of its vehicles run on electric batteries by 2030.

8.14 Kakapo Parrot (Strigops habroptila)

According to New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC), Kakapos - the world's heaviest species of parrot - have had their most successful breeding season this year.

The researchers have said that climate change might be responsible for changing the breeding pattern of these parrots.

Kakapo parrots (meaning “night parrot” in Maori), also known as owl parrot, are nocturnal and flightless parrots endemic to New Zealand.

The kakapos, which currently have a total of 147 adults, were believed to be extinct until some were found again in 1970.

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered; CITES: Appendix 1.

8.15 Kumbh brought Allahabad to verge of an epidemic, says NGT

Context:

The NGT has reported the sad state of solid waste management during the months-long religious gathering of Kumbh.

https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-4th-march-2019-




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Issues raised:

Inadequate sewage treatment plant in the city to treat such a large amount of solid waste. The NGT report said 60,000 metric tonnes (mt) of the untreated solid waste get collected at the Baswar solid waste treatment plant. Out of this, 18,000 mt wastes was generated at the Kumbh Mela even as the plant was not operational since September 2018.

The inadequate sewage treatment capacity of the district—around 254 million liters per day (MLD)—is not enough to tackle half of the sewage generated during the Mela.

Issue of dirty water from toilets was being collected in kutcha pits. It will impact the groundwater quality, environment as well as human health.

The NGT report predicted a rise in cases of acute diarrhea, enteric fever, viral hepatitis, and cholera.

Pucca constructions were being raised at flood plains.

No effective planning for the protection of the environment and pollution control was made for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Raised the question over the use of geo-tube technology for filtering sewage waste before letting it enter the river, which has failed to solve the problem of solid waste.

Based on the findings of the report the NGT has pulled up the state administration over the inadequate arrangement, poor management of the event.

Geotube:

A Geotube container is a geotextile dewatering solution made from specially designed, dual filament, polypropylene fabric and is fabricated to the requirements of each specific project.

Geotube technology provides simple, low maintenance, and cost-effective solution for the dewatering needs of many industries.

8.16 Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary

The Manjira sanctuary situated along the river Manjira in Telangana. Originally a crocodile sanctuary, today more than 70 species of birds are spotted here and is home for the vulnerable species mugger crocodile.

Mugger crocodile:

The mugger crocodile most commonly found in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes, hill streams, and village ponds. It can live in fresh water and coastal saltwater lagoons.

It also can live in human-made reservoirs.

This crocodile does not migrate seasonally, inhabiting the same locale in wet seasons or dry seasons. This species makes burrows on land in a wide variety of habitats.

Mugger crocodile has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

8.17 'Near Normal' Monsoon in 2019: IMD

Context:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that India is likely to have 'near normal' monsoon this year with a well-distributed rainfall which could be beneficial for the agriculture sector.

Findings:

However, it has also suggested that there is a significant probability for rains falling in the ‘below normal’ category.

Monsoon rainfall forecast is 96% of the Long Period Average (or 89 cm, which is a 50 year average of India’s monsoon rains).




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This forecast is “near normal.” While (90%-96% of LPA) rain is ‘below normal’. This is a more optimistic assessment from earlier forecast done by the a private agency, Skymet

which had projected a below average monsoon in 2019 on the back of a prospective El Nino.

It can be noted that recently US weather agencies have also forecasted that there is a 60% chance of El Nino this summer season.

The IMD’s has based its finding on various other global climate models projecting a ‘weakening El Nino.’

A temperature rise greater than 1 degree C for three months constinously, is considered a ‘strong’ El Nino (and threatening to the monsoon).

A 0.5C -1C rise is called ‘weak El Nino conditions.’ Currently the El Nino is 0.9 C.

Other factors which may have influence on Monsoon are: The location of the warming in the Pacific. Progressive heating of the land during April-May-June. The extent of the Himalayan/Eurasian snow cover is another. Less snow cover means a

warmer subcontinent, which can help to intensify the monsoon circulation and bring more rain.

However, this year north India has had an extended winter earlier this year resulting in more snow cover.

Another factor, called a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) could further neutralise the potential negative impact from the El Nino.

Indian Ocean Dipole

IOD refers to a warming in the western Arabian ocean phenomenon. A positive Indian Ocean Dipole — where the western portions of the Indian Ocean are warmer than the east and thereby push rain-bearing clouds over India.

El Nino:

Under ‘normal’ conditions, the west tropical Pacific is warmer than its eastern basin. The warmer area of the ocean is also a source for convection and is associated with cloudiness and rainfall.

During El Nino years, the warmth shifts to Central and East Tropical Pacific and along with it, cloudiness and rainfall.

El Nino has been found to impact almost half the world triggering droughts in Australia, India, southern Africa and floods in Peru, Ecuador, the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Colorado River basin.

However, there is no direct correlation between the ENSO events and the monsoon has been established yet.

From 1950 to 2012, there were 16 La Nina years, with the monsoon rains above or around average nearly every time.

The 1997-98 El Nino, among the century’s strongest, generated above-average rain. Likewise, 2002 proved to be one of the driest monsoons despite it being a weak to moderate El Nino year.

Other acronyms related to El Nino: Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) that gives an indication of the development and

intensity of El Nino or La Nina.

The SOI is calculated on the basis of the atmospheric pressure differences between South Pacific Ocean and Australia.

Sustained positive SOI values are indicative of La Nina conditions while negative values suggest El Nino conditions.

ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) refers to the oscillation between the El




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Nino and the La Nina.

ENSO shifts irregularly back and forth between El Nino and La Niña every two to seven years.

Each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, precipitation, and winds disrupting large-scale air movements in the tropics, triggering a cascade of global side effects.

8.18 Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus)

Kurinji or Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India.

Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms only once in 12 years.

Some Kurinji flowers bloom once every seven years, and then die. Their seeds subsequently sprout and continue the cycle of life and death.

The Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.

8.19 Olive Ridley Turtles

Context:

Recently, Olive ridley turtle eggs that were laid in March began hatching and thousands of baby olive ridley turtles have entered the bay of Bengal.

According to officials, 4.5 lakh turtles had arrived at beaches under Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary to lay eggs in 2019. It is expected that millions of baby turtles would make their way into the sea.

Olive Ridley:

The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.

The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Olive-ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat and nesting beaches, due to human activities such as unfriendly turtle fishing practices, development, and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centers.

Bhitarkanika National Park:

Bhitarkanika National Park is one of Odisha’s finest biodiversity hotspots and is famous for its mangroves, migratory birds, turtles, estuarine crocodiles, and countless creeks.

The Bhitarkanika is represented by 3 Protected Areas, the Bhitarkanika National Park, the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

Bhitarkanika is located in the estuary of Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, and Mahanadi river systems.

It is said to house 70% of the country’s estuarine or saltwater crocodiles, conservation of which was started way back in 1975.

Rushikulya River:

Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of Odisha.

The Rushikulya River is one of the major rivers in the state of Odisha and covers entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam district of Odisha

Devi River:

Devi river is one of the principal distributaries of Mahanadhi. It flows through Jagatsinghpur




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district and Puri district across Odisha state in India and joins the Bay of Bengal.

8.20 Poachers threaten precious Madagascar forest and lemurs

Around 20 indigenous animal species of Madagascar are under threat.

Among the species under threat, the majority belongs to the primate group. The group contains all the species commonly related to lemurs, monkey, apes, and humans. Lemurs are among the unique to Madagascar.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, of the 111 lemur species, 24 are currently listed as Critically Endangered, 49 are Endangered and 20 are Vulnerable.

All species are listed by CITES on Appendix I, which prohibits the trade of specimens or parts, except for scientific purposes.

Indri, the largest of all lemurs and a species with such symbolic value for Madagascar that it is often compared to the giant panda in China, is among the species of lemurs that would be uplisted from endangered to critically endangered.

Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, the world’s smallest primate, would also be up-listed endangered.

Silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus) also known as “angel of the forest"—refers to its white fur. It is one of the rarest mammals on Earth and is listed by IUCN the as one of the world's 25 most critically endangered primates.

There are a number of threats to lemurs’ survival in Madagascar, chief among them are:

Widespread destruction of their tropical forest habitat.

Illegal logging

Deforestation driven by slash-and-burn agriculture.

Charcoal production.

Mining

Hunting of lemurs for food and for the pet trade as an emerging but serious threat. Madagascar:

The island nation of Madagascar has developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife since it split from the African continent an estimated 160 million years ago.

It’s more than 3,000 miles of coastline and over 250 islands are home to some of the world’s largest coral reef systems and most extensive mangrove areas in the Western Indian Ocean.

World Lemur Day is observed every year on 30 October by IUCN.

8.21 Scientists use EU satellite to spot Aegean sea litter

Context:

A team of Greek University students has successfully detected the location of litter in Aegean sea using the European union’s satellite system.

The purpose of the experiment was to see whether the satellites will be able to detect the floating rafts of plastic in the sea.

Such detection of marine waste will be helpful in cleaning.

Pollution of the marine environment means the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of unwanted substances or energy into the marine environment, including estuaries.

Such introduction results in harm to living resources and marine life, hazards to human health, a hindrance to marine activities, including fishing and other legitimate uses of the sea.

Marine Pollution - Sources :




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Land-based sources (such as agricultural run-off, discharge of nutrients and pesticides and untreated sewage including plastics) account for approximately 80% of marine pollution, globally.

Excessive nutrients from sewage outfalls and agricultural runoff have contributed to the increasing incidence of low oxygen (hypoxic) areas known as dead zones, where most marine life cannot survive, resulting in the collapse of some ecosystems.

There are now close to 500 dead zones with a total global surface area of over 245,000 km², roughly equivalent to that of the United Kingdom.

The excess nitrogen may lead to the proliferation of seaweeds and microorganisms and cause algal blooms. Such blooms can be harmful, causing massive fish kills, contaminating seafood with toxins and altering ecosystems.

Litter can accumulate in huge floating garbage patches or wash up on the coasts. Plastics float in the Ocean, releasing contaminants as they break down into toxic micro-particles that animals mistake for food.

Fish and birds can choke on these particles, get sick as they accumulate in their stomachs, or become entangled in the larger debris.

In 2010, the Gulf of Mexico deep-water oil spill had a devastating effect on the entire marine ecosystem, as well as the populations that depend on the marine areas for their livelihoods.

Smaller oil spills happen every day, due to drilling incidents or leaking motors, and cause the death of birds, marine mammals, algae, fish and shellfish.

Clean Ocean - Need of the hour:

The ocean is a vital source of nourishment, especially to people in the world’s poorest nations.

Many depend on fish for their primary source of protein; fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of about 540 million people (8% of the world’s population) directly or indirectly.

Overfishing, loss of biodiversity and the possible extinction of species put stress on these limited resources. This could lead to famine, increased poverty and conflicts, including war.

Learning to manage ocean sustainably is the only path to global prosperity and peace.

8.22 Simbakubwa Kutokaafrika

Researchers have discovered the fossils of an enormous carnivore who lived in Kenya 22 million years ago.

It has been named as Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, Swahili for “big lion”. It weighed about a tonne and was 8 feet long.

Simbakubwa is neither a bear nor a member of the extended feline family (big cat family).

The massive mammal was a Hyaenodon, a now-extinct lineage of carnivores. Hyaenodon are not, by the way, related to modern hyenas, but they do have similar dentition (the arrangement or condition of the teeth in a particular species).

8.23 Southern River Terrapin

Cambodia has released twenty critically endangered Southern Terrapin Turtle 'Royal Turtles' into their Cambodian rivers.

Southern River Terrapin was on the brink of extinction because of hunting, trafficking, and illegal sand mining.

Southern River Terrapin is found in Cambodia; Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN red list.




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8.24 State of Global Air-2019 Report

Context:

Two US based institutes Health Effects Institute (HEI) and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) recently released a detailed report on quality of the global air with title, “State of Global Air-2019”.

Highlights:

In 2017, exposure to PM 2.5 pollution was found to be the third leading risk factor globally for Type 2 diabetes.

The economic costs of diabetes are substantial — estimated as 1.8% of worldwide gross domestic product in 2015 and pose a growing challenge to health care systems in countries at all levels of development.

Type 2 Diabetes represents a substantial, growing, and costly health burden. In 2017, the disease accounted for more than 1 million deaths globally and burdens have increased by 175% and 141%, respectively, since 1990.

There is a strong inverse relationship between a country’s level of social and economic development and the PM2.5 exposures experienced by its population; that is, less developed countries suffer PM2.5 exposures that are four to five times those of more-developed countries.

In 2017, annual PM2.5 exposures were highest in South Asia, where Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan had the highest exposures. Bhutan’s exposure level was the lowest in the region but was still above WHO’s first interim target.

The 10 countries with the lowest national PM2.5 exposure levels were the Maldives, United States, Norway, Estonia, Iceland, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Brunei, and Finland.

Ozone pollution is a continuing challenge in more developed countries and is increasing in less developed areas, posing new air quality concerns.

Air pollution collectively reduced life expectancy by 1 year and 8 months on average worldwide, a global impact rivaling that of smoking. This means a child born today will die 20 months sooner, on average, than would be expected in the absence of air pollution.

Highlights - India and China:

India and China are collectively accounted for more than 50% of global 5 million deaths due to air pollution.

Major PM2.5 sources in India include household burning of solid fuels; dust from construction, roads, and other activities; industrial and power plant burning of coal; brick production; transportation; and diesel-powered equipment.

An estimated 846 million people in India (60% of the population) and 452 million people in China (32% of the population) were exposed to household air pollution in 2017.

Indian Government Reforms:

A sweeping government effort seeks to shift more households to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead of biomass fuels. While many families can afford subsidized LPG fuel, the fee for installing a household LPG hookup can be prohibitive.

The government initiative, known as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), provided LPG connections to 35 million poor families free of charge between 2016 and early 2018 and aims to provide 80 million connections by 2020.

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