Skholar July 2019 PDF

July 2019
Monthly Current Affairs

Why Skholar's eBook?
1) Fastest Revision of Exam specific Current
Affairs
2) Crisp & Comprehensive Subject-wise
Coverage
3) Multi-dimensional analysis using Kipling's
method
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Table of Contents Reform in Startup ecosystem ...................... 41

Polity & Governance .................................4 Overseas Borrowing .......................................... 42
Maratha Quota Verdict ....................................... 4 KUSUM Scheme .................................................... 43
J&K Reservation Bill ............................................ 5 Agri reforms ........................................................... 45
Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Inclusive Growth Dividend Scheme ......... 45
Nagaland (RIIN).................................................... 8 MGNREGA................................................................. 46
Suicide of Policemen ........................................... 9 Bank Nationalisation......................................... 48
Professionals in Governance ........................ 10 World Economic Outlook 2019 (July
Legal Logjam ......................................................... 12 edition) ..................................................................... 49
Law on Crime Against Humanity ............... 13 Sovereign Bonds.................................................. 50
Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Global Innovation Index 2019 .................... 51
Offences (ITSSO) ................................................ 14 India’s ban on Cryptocurrencies ............... 52
Draft Model Tenancy Act 2019 .................... 15 Panel on Virtual currencies........................... 54
SEBI’s financial autonomy............................. 17 Budget’s dilemma ............................................... 55
Saving the spirit of RTI ................................... 20 Budget & Agriculture ........................................ 57
UN Convention on International Measure to improve Farm livelihood....... 57
Settlement Agreements .................................. 23
Broadband Readiness Index ........................ 59
Consumer Protection Bill, 2019.................. 24
Environment...........................................60
Concerns over Privacy and Secrecy of
Data ............................................................................. 25 Worker safety code Bill 2019 ...................... 60
Central Welfare Database of Citizens ..... 27 Water Conservation........................................... 62
Maritime Anti-Corruption Network........... 28 Locust Control and Research scheme ..... 63
Economy ................................................ 29 Conservation of Great Indian Bustard ... 65
Wage Code Bill ...................................................... 29 Mediterranean sharks ...................................... 66
PM – KISAN Yojana............................................ 30 Orchids of India Survey .................................. 67
Reducing Fiscal Deficit..................................... 31 Blue Flag Challenge ........................................... 68
Project Utkarsh 2022........................................ 33 Gharial Conservation ........................................ 70
Electricity for Poor ............................................. 33 Thermal plants and Water conservation

....................................................................................... 71
Automatic Exchange of Information
(AEOI)........................................................................ 35 Clean Air Initiative ............................................. 73
National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)..... 36 Dragon tree species .......................................... 74
Plan Bee System .................................................. 36 Climate Change Study ...................................... 75
Global Labour Income Share and Namdapha Tiger Reserve ............................... 75

Distribution Report ............................................ 37 All India Tiger Estimate – 2018 ................. 76
Inter Creditor Agreement .............................. 37 Science & Techology ..............................77
Jobless growth becomes more systemic Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile
....................................................................................... 38 (ASRAAM) ................................................................ 77
Digital Payments Market ................................ 40
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Next-Generation Sequencing (NSG) Education access for Children with

facility ........................................................................ 77 disabilities ............................................................. 114
Ebola Vaccine ........................................................ 78 India must Delay retirement ..................... 114
Bhabha Kavach ..................................................... 79 Trends in India’s fertility transition ...... 116
Chandrayaan Mission and Space race .... 79 Unified District Information System for
Education (UDISE) for 2017-18 ............... 117
Tiangong-2 Mission............................................ 82
The Malaise of Malnutrition ........................ 118
New Space India Ltd ......................................... 82
Role of Communities in Ending AIDS .... 120
Desalination of Water....................................... 83
Minimum standards for clinical
Milky Way Galaxy ................................................ 86
establishments ................................................... 121
‘R&D Expenditure Ecosystem’ Report ..... 87
National Commission for Safai
GSLV Mark III-M1 Vehicle ............................. 88 Karamcharis (NCSK) ....................................... 122
NASA Finds New Planetary System.......... 88 Supply of piped water in states ............... 123
Smart India Hackathon - 2019 ................... 89 Migrations in India Data ............................... 124
International Relations .......................... 91 Essential Health Packages .......................... 125
Global Power Play ............................................... 91 Code on Wages Bill .......................................... 126
African Union FTA ............................................... 93 Amendments to POCSO Act ........................ 128
Maritime security-Challenges and Special POCSO Courts .................................... 128
opportunities ......................................................... 95
Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 .......... 129
Island Nations in the Indian Ocean ......... 96
A demographic window of opportunity:
G20 Meeting ........................................................... 99 On population and policy ............................. 131
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific ....... 100 STRIDE Scheme ................................................. 132
Defence & Internal Security ................. 102 Geography............................................133
Cyberattack option for India ...................... 102 Assam Floods ...................................................... 133
Automated Facial Recognition System Nuclear and Ocean Energy .......................... 135
(AFRS) ..................................................................... 103
Heat Waves .......................................................... 138
NIA Act Amendment Bill ............................... 104
History .................................................139
Transformation of the Armed forces ..... 106
Jaipur gets World Heritage Site tag ...... 139
Integrated Battle Groups ............................. 108
Pothamala Menhirs .......................................... 140
Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
JATAN software ................................................. 140
Amendment Bill, 2019.................................... 109
Scheme of Protection and Preservation of
Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Endangered Languages of India (SPPEL)
Amendment, Bill 2019.................................... 110
..................................................................................... 141
Society ................................................. 112
Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative .................... 142
Reservation in top posts at universities
..................................................................................... 112 Ethics ...................................................143
Individual Honesty........................................... 143
Guidelines on self-care interventions for
health ....................................................................... 113
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Polity & Governance
Maratha Quota Verdict

1. Recently the Bombay High Court upheld the Maratha reservation in Maharashtra.
2. In the past, reservation on the basis of similar recommendations in favor of Jats,

Gujjars, Patidars and Muslims had failed the judicial test.
Which are the issues involved?
The case involved several constitutional issues such as
1. Determination of Marathas as a backward class on the basis of quantifiable data.
2. The constitutional validity of the Act providing for their reservation.
3. The validity of extraordinary circumstances that justify going beyond the judicially
created 50% reservation rule.
3. Limits of judicial review in examining affirmative action policies of the state and
the effect of powers given to the National Commission for Backward Classes in 2018 after
its conversion from a statutory authority to a constitutional body.
4. The legality of the creation of a new socially and educationally backward class and
inclusion of just one caste in this class.
5. Non-inclusion in the existing OBC category assuming Marathas are backward.
What do the commissions say?
1. The Mandal Commission, which listed 128 communities as backward, identified

Marathas as ‘forward’.
2. Since 1995 Maharashtra government set up a number of commissions in which two

commissions refused to recognize Marathas as backward.
3. Later two commissions concluded that Marathas community is socially, educationally

and economically backward.
How the breach of 50% ceiling is justifiable?
1. Dr. B R Ambedkar wanted the reservation to be confined to a minority of seats. But

the Constitution does not mention such a ceiling.
2. As per the Indira Sawhney (1992) and other judgments the Supreme Court permitted
going beyond 50% in extraordinary circumstances, and this limit is not exhaustive of all
categories of reservation.
3. SC on Indira Sawhney laid down that 50% ceiling can be relaxed if
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a. The population is inhabiting in the far-flung and remote areas and being out of the
mainstream of national life.
b. Peculiar conditions and characteristics of the population need to be treated in a

different way.
4. But Maharashtra is neither remote or far-flung, nor are Marathas seen as being out of
the national mainstream.
5. The Gaikwad Commission report found that Marathas are socially, educationally and
economically backward, entitling them to affirmative action.
6. Based on this, the HC observed that if the 50% rule is followed, the minuscule forward
classes will benefit, and their domination will continue.
7. So, with the inclusion of 30% Marathas, 85% of the people of the state have now
become backward.
Why HC approved the creation of a separate backward class?
1. Since 346 castes are already in the OBC list and entitled to 19% reservation, the court
held that adding Marathas with 30% of the population will not be appropriate.
2. Marathas will then take away the major chunk of seats, and it will adversely affect the
interests of existing OBCs.
3. Relying on Indira Sawhney where the Supreme Court had permitted classification
between ‘backward’ and ‘most backward’, the High Court approved the creation of a new
class for Marathas.
4. The court also observed that the 102nd Constitutional Amendment has not taken over
the powers of the state to set up its own Backward Classes Commissions and states may
validly make reservations without the concurrence of the National Commission for
Backward Classes or Presidential order for the inclusion of any caste.
Where it will impact?
1. If there was a legitimate reason to go beyond 50% reservation, as in the case of Tamil
Nadu, it could have been inserted in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
2. But this judgment will result in demand for reservation in favor of dominant castes in
other states.
Source: The Indian Express
J&K Reservation Bill

1. Recently, Rajya Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Bill. It was passed
by Lok Sabha earlier.
2. The Bill partially amends a Presidential Order of 1954 in order to amend the state’s
Reservation Act.
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What is the Amendment?
1. The amendment extends the benefits of reservation to residents living along the
International Border (IB) which is currently available to the residents along the Line of
Actual Control (LAC).
2. This benefits the resident in Jammu, Samba and Kathua areas.
3. Through the Presidential Order, the Cabinet applied the 77th Constitutional
Amendment of 1995 to J&K, giving benefits of reservation in promotion to Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government service.
4. The Cabinet also applied the 103rd Constitutional Amendment of 2019 to J&K, which
gave 10% reservation to Economically Weaker Sections among people in the general
category.
Article 370 and Presidential Order of 1954
1. The 1954 order is an executive order issued by the President under Article 370 to
extend provisions of an Act of Parliament to J&K State, which can be done only with the
concurrence of the state government.
2. The Constitution of India applies to Jammu & Kashmir by virtue of Article 370, which
provides a mechanism for the way it applies.
3. Article 370 defines the state government as ‘the Maharaja’ and/or the ‘Sadar-i-Riyasat’
(Chief Minister) aided by a council of ministers.
Why is it controversial?
1. Constitutional amendments were recommended by the State Administrative Council

(SAC) headed by J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.
2. The decision to provide benefits to SCs, STs and EWS is not opposed by anybody in
J&K but there has been opposition to the route taken by the Centre and the J&K
Governor.
3. Amendment to the 1954 Presidential Order is regarded as the breach of Article 370.
4. The controversy is whether the Governor, in the absence of an elected government,

has the authority to give consent to extend a law of Parliament and change the
constitutional arrangement between J&K and the Union.
How did the Supreme Court respond to the status of the governor?
1. The issue of the Governor’s powers was defined by the Supreme Court in Mohammad
Maqbool Damnoo versus State of J&K (1972).
2. The replacement of an elected Sadr-i-Riyasat with the Centre-appointed Governor, the

court observed that a Governor is “head of government aided by a council of ministers”
and the Governor is responsible to the state government.
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Who shall decide the legality of the law?
1. The amendment has been challenged in J&K High Court. A petition of similar nature
has been pending since 1986.
2. The regional parties contend that “concurrence” means the concurrence of an elected
government and not that of a nominated government.
Nagaland’s NRC
Mains -GS3- Security
1. Nagaland is setting up a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) a

variant of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC).
2. Nagaland aims to complete the task of identifying and registering indigenous

inhabitants in less than five months.
3. After a list of indigenous inhabitants is in place, it will be published and time will be
given to filing claims and objections, before finalization.
4. Though Nagaland is considerably less populated than Assam, the complex

demographics of the Northeastern States may pose hurdles.
Assam Experiment
1. As many as 40 lakh people were left out of the NRC listing in Assam, which aimed to
filter out ‘illegal immigrants’ and it has witnessed divisive political posturing.
2. The Assam experiment has no clear endpoint. Bangladesh has repeatedly suggested
that the process going on in Assam is “an internal matter” of India, implying that there is
no possibility of deportation.
Attempts in Nagaland
1. In Nagaland, various local attempts have been made to determine non-locals, non-
tribals and non-Nagas, and identify the ‘Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant’ (IBI).
2. For instance - Two years ago, a town near Dimapur in Nagaland, passed a resolution
to place curbs on IBIs and devised ways to prevent them from integrating, living or
trading in the town.
3. The objective of this exercise in a volatile region, where the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act is routinely extended, is unclear.
4. Mechanism to deal with people left out in the list is not put in place.
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Way Forward
1. Nagaland must proceed with caution in this exercise. The RIIN should not ultimately
become a vehicle to make outsiders of insiders.
2. The right to appeal and a humane hearing should be in-built in this exercise.
3. Emotive political issues must not be allowed to drive the compiling of a registry of
citizens.
Source: The Hindu
Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)

a) Recently the Nagaland government has said guidelines for implementing a localized
version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be framed on consultation with
indigenous groups.
b) RIIN exercise was launched with teams surveying people living in every village and
urban ward to prepare a list of indigenous inhabitants who would be provided a
certificate.
c) The exercise is being undertaken to prevent outsiders from acquiring fake indigenous
inhabitant certificates for seeking jobs and be the beneficiaries of government schemes.
d) However, there is no clear definition of who is an indigenous inhabitant. State has 16

recognized tribes.
e) December 1, 1963, the date on which Nagaland attained statehood, is the base year
for determining an indigenous inhabitant of the State.
About NRC
a) It is the list of Indian citizens in Assam.
b) It is being updated to weed out illegal immigration from Bangladesh and neighboring
regions.
c) It was prepared in 1951, following the census of 1951. On the Supreme Court order, it
is being updated.
d) For a person’s name to be included in the updated NRC list, following criteria should
be fulfilled,
i) His name should be in the collective list of the NRC data of 1951 and the electoral rolls
up to midnight on 24 March 1971.
ii) Descendants of such persons need to provide linkage with the person whose name
appears in the legacy data.
Source: The Hindu
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Suicide of Policemen
1. Over 940 police personnel committed suicide in the five years till December 2018,
including in the Central Armed Police Force.
2. It is highest in Tamil Nadu followed by Maharashtra and Kerala.
What are the reasons for suicide?
The reasons for suicide among the police are manifold.
Long Duty Hours
1. Police personnel have no fixed hours of duty. They are considered to be on duty all the
time.
2. This deprives them of the luxury of spending time with their families which leads to
familial conflicts.
3. Festivals are given a go-by as they have to be on duty to ensure peace in their areas.
Denial of Leaves
1. Denial of leave is another issue that affects the efficiency of the police and leads to
frustration.
2. Operational requirements often warrant a full-strength force to deal with varied law
and order problems.
3. Most of the time superior officers are blamed for suicide or fratricide, but it is the
system that is to be blamed.
4. Due to large vacancies in the police forces, a huge responsibility rests on the available
personnel to maintain law and order.
Health Issues
1. The health of police personnel has taken a toll because of erratic working hours and
lack of physical exercise.
2. Many of them are known to suffer from stress-related diseases such as depression and
obesity.
How it can be resolved?
To arrest the growing incidence of suicides, the government needs to take multi-pronged
steps with urgency.
Filling up Vacancies
1. An acute shortage of personnel in the police has to be of immediate concern.
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2. In 2014, there was a shortage of over 5.6 lakh personnel against the sanctioned
strength of 22.8 lakh.
3. An in-depth study of the requirement of police personnel over the next decade would
be conducive to plan recruitment and training in a phased manner.
Counseling for Police personnel
1. Senior officers need to identify personnel with deviant behaviour.
2. The Delhi Police has taken a step forward in this direction to identify personnel with
psychological disorders to put them through counseling sessions.
3. Frequent interactions between officers and subordinates will help subordinates air their
grievances freely.
4. Solutions can be jointly worked out. Even if the grievances are not immediately
redressed, it will be soothing for an officer to share his or her problems with a senior
officer. It might even forestall a suicide attempt.
Source: The Hindu
Professionals in Governance
1. Governance in India is changing with the increasing number of professionals, apart
from career bureaucrats, working with the central or state governments.
2. This openness of governments to leverage external talent has coincided with a greater
interest among professionals who did not take the civil services route to engage with
public policy and governance.
3. The motivation among them to create an impact has resulted in recent graduates and
working professionals looking at the public policy as a career choice.
How professionals are engaging with Public policy and Governance in India?
1. A small fraction of professionals are joining the bureaucracy as lateral entrants mostly
in senior roles.
2. Relatively younger professionals are engaged as advisers, consultants or officers on

special duty in various ministries of government institutions such as the NITI Aayog,
National Skill Development Corporation and Quality Council of India, among others.
3. Several others are engaged as fellows with central or state governments. States such
as Haryana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have experimented with recruiting chief
minister’s fellows to work closely with the main administration, help deliver tangible
outcomes and act as catalysts for change.
4. At the Centre, similar examples include the recruitment of Swachh Bharat preraks
(inspirers) by the ministry of drinking water and sanitation and young professionals by
the NITI Aayog.
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5. The success of these fellowship programmes vary, based on how well they are
structured, empowered, managed and embedded in the system.
6. Another category of professionals are working with private organizations focused on

improving governance, such as Samagra, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and PRS
Legislative Research, or think tanks such as the Centre for Civil Society, Centre for Policy
Research and Observer Research Foundation.
Why there is an increase in demand?
1. A combination of hard skills and an approach focused on achieving outcomes.
2. Their willingness to think out of the box and bring in a fresh perspective helps in
solution design, especially as governance becomes more and more complex.
3. The low capacity of the system, especially at the junior and middle levels, further
makes professionals attractive and they are largely free of vested interests.
4. Over the coming years, the acceptance and need for professionals in governance are
expected to increase.
Which are the issues?
1. There is less number of professionals in direct decision-making roles in government,

as opposed to advisory roles.
2. These professionals do not have adequate training and understanding of governance

to take on more responsibilities in government.
3. Currently, most professionals learn on the job. They don’t have any prior experience
or training in public policy.
4. Many of them have worked in other sectors or are graduates from other disciplines
and have decided to change their career path, often driven by a desire to help the
country.
5. If they do have degrees in public policy, they are usually from foreign universities. The
education and training they have acquired are not contextualized in the complexities of
Indian politics, administration or development challenges.
6. Some Indian colleges do offer public policy courses; their rigor and depth are not par
with their counterparts abroad.
What needs to be done?
1. Given these challenges, there is a need for a premier Indian public policy training
institution to emerge that can attract the best talents and equip people with the
necessary skills and knowledge that can be applied in the Indian context.
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2. As the public policy landscape in the country opens itself to external talent, the time is
ripe to take stock, evaluate and channelize the nascent interest in policy and governance
among professionals into viable career tracks.
3. India would eventually gain much from such an exercise.
Source: Live Mint
Legal Logjam
1. As per the Economic Survey, contract enforcement remains the single biggest
constraint to improve India’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) ranking.
2. India currently stands at 163 in the world ranking on Contract Enforcement segment
of EODB.
3. In spite of a number of actions to expedite and improve the contract enforcement

regime, economic activity was affected by the long shadow of delays and pendency
across the legal landscape.
Economic Governance
1. The relationship between economic governance and the rule of law is the key to
prosperity.
2. Two key issues need to be dealt with in order to make the judiciary more efficient and
to clear the ‘legal logjam.’
a. The courts must achieve a 100% case clearance rate (CCR) so that there is zero
accumulation to the existing pendency.
b. The backlog of cases already present in the system must be removed.
3. CCR is the ratio of the number of cases disposed of in a given year to the number of
cases instituted in that year.
The Status of Backlogs
1. District and Subordinate (D&S) courts, which account for the bulk of pendency,
received 1.5 crore additional cases in 2018 and had a backlog of 2.87 crores (as on
January 1, 2018).
2. But it managed to dispose of 1.33 crore cases in the year, thus, closing 2018 at 3.04
crore.
3. There are currently 17,891 judges compared to the sanctioned strength of 22,750. On
average, a judge disposes of 746 cases.
4. In order to reach 100% CCR in 2018, the D&S courts needed 2,279 additional judges.
This is within the sanctioned strength! However, in order to clear all the backlog in the
next five years, further 8,152 judges are needed.
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Way Forward
1. The efficiency of the courts needs to be improved by increasing the number of working
days of courts, the establishment of Indian Courts and Tribunal Services, and
deployment of technology in the legal system.
2. Given the potential economic and social multipliers of a well-functioning legal system,
this is the best investment India can make.
Source: The Hindu
Law on Crime Against Humanity

1. Neither ‘Crimes against humanity’ nor ‘genocide’ has been made part of India’s
criminal law, a lacuna that needs to be addressed urgently.
2. This was expressed by the Delhi High Court while pronouncing the judgment in State
v. Sajjan Kumar (2018).
3. The case concerned the mass killing of Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 in Delhi
and throughout the country.
4. The court stated that these types of mass crimes “engineered by political actors with
the assistance of the law enforcement agencies” fit into the category of crimes against
humanity (CAH).
5. Internationally, CAHs are dealt under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal
Court (ICC).
6. They are defined as offences such as murder, extermination, enslavement,

deportation, torture, imprisonment and rape committed as a part of a widespread or
systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.
7. India is not a party to the Rome Statute, which means that it is under no obligation at
present to enact separate legislation dealing with CAH.
8. However, India had ratified the Genocide Convention (1948), but not enacted it in
domestic legislation.
Reasons for reluctance
1. The most probable reason for India’s reluctance to actively participate in the
negotiation process on a separate Convention on CAH, which started in 2014, could be
the adoption of the same definition of CAH as provided in the Rome Statute.
2. Indian representatives at the International Law Commission (ILC) have stated that the
draft articles should not conflict with or duplicate the existing treaty regimes.
3. India had objected to the definition of CAH during negotiations of the Rome Statute on
three grounds.
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a. India was not in favour of using ‘widespread or systematic’ as one of the conditions,
which would require a higher threshold of proof.
b. India wanted a distinction to be made between international and internal armed

conflicts. This was because its internal conflicts with Naxals and other non-state actors in
places like Kashmir and the Northeast could fall under the scope of CAH.
c. The objection related to the inclusion of the enforced disappearance of persons under
CAH. It is pertinent here that India has signed but not yet ratified the UN International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances as it would
put the country under an obligation to criminalise it through domestic legislation.
The Way Forward
1. The Delhi High Court also said that “a familiar pattern of mass killings” was seen “in
Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, and Muzaffarnagar in
Uttar Pradesh in 2013”, where the criminals “have enjoyed political patronage and
managed to evade prosecution”.
2. India’s missing voice at the ILC does not go well with its claim of respect for an
international rules-based order.
3. Turning a blind eye to the mass crimes taking place in its territory and shielding the
perpetrators reflect the poor status of India’s democracy.
4. India needs to show political will and constructively engage with the ILC, which would
address the shortcomings in the domestic criminal justice system.
Source: The Hindu
Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO)

a) According to an analysis of crime data of seven States accessed, Investigation into
nearly half the sexual offenses cases are not being completed within the stipulated 60-
day period.
Seven states/UT- Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. Chhattisgarh,

Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.
b) In many States, the fast-track courts designated to handle rape cases are also
handling other criminal cases leading to delay in verdicts.
c) Crime data used for analysis is based on ‘Investigation Tracking System for Sexual
Offences (ITSSO)’ tool.
d) Union Home Ministry launched ITSSO tool in February 2019 to monitor and track time-
bound investigation.
e) It is part of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) that
connects over 15,000 police stations across the country.
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f) It is available for Law Enforcement Agencies in the country at all levels- National,
State, District and Police Station.
g) ITSSO tool allows State to undertake real-time monitoring and management for
completion of investigation in rape cases in 2 months.
h) It is one of the measures developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs towards Smart
Policing.
Source: The Hindu
Draft Model Tenancy Act 2019

What is provided through the Act?
a) The Act lays down the obligations of tenants and landlords and provides for an
adjudication mechanism for disputes.
b) It aims to balance the interests of owner and tenant by establishing adjudicating

mechanism for speedy dispute redressal.
c) It aims to establish Rent Court and Rent Tribunal to hear appeals and for matters
connected to rental housing.
d) It seeks to promote the creation of a rental housing stock for various income
segments including migrants, formal and informal sector workers, students, and working
professionals.
e) The Act mandates that no person will let or take any rental premises without an
agreement in writing in both urban and rural areas.
Why is this act needed?
a) As per the census 2011, there are around 1.1 crore houses lying vacant.
b) These houses can be brought into the rental market system which would promote the
growth of the rental housing segment.
c) Existing rent control laws are restricting the growth of rental housing and discourage
owners from renting out their vacant houses due to fear of repossession.
d) There is a need to bring transparency and accountability in the existing system to

unlock the potential of vacant house.
e) So, for these reasons the act is needed to balance the interests of both the property
owner and tenant in a judicious manner.
How would it protect the ‘Tenant and landlord rights’?
a) The Model Act states that the security deposit to be paid by the tenant should not
exceed two months’ rent for residential property.
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b) It should be a minimum of one month’s rent for non-residential property.
c) It lists the kinds of repairs each party would be responsible for, with the provision that
money for repairs can be deducted from the security deposit or rent, as applicable.
d) The Rent Court can allow repossession of the property by the landlord if the tenant
misuses the premises, after being served a notice by the landowner.
e) Misuse of the premises includes public nuisance, damage, or its use for immoral or
illegal purposes.
f) If the tenant refuses to vacate, the landlord can claim double the monthly rent for two
months, and four times the monthly rent thereafter.
Which initiatives are associated with rental stock concept?
a) Before the Housing for All by 2022 Mission (PMAY-Urban) was launched, it was
decided that 20% of the two crore houses that were to be created should be exclusively
for rent.
b) However, when it was rolled out in late 2015, the mission promoted only ownership
housing with no mention of rental stock.
c) Draft National Urban Rental Housing Policy provided for social rental housing for the
urban poor, need-based rental housing for migrant labour, single women and men, etc.
Source: The Hindu
Digitizing Ayushman Bharat records

Prelims – Miscellaneous, Mains -GS2- Polity
1. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a National Digital Health
Blueprint (NDHB) to manage and analyse the big data generated by the Ayushman
Bharat programme.
2. The document recommends the setting up of a National Digital Health Mission for this
purpose.
Need for such Database
1. Doctors in both the public and private sectors regularly complain about the lack of
comprehensive records of their patients and the digital registry is a longstanding
requirement of the health sector.
2. The proposed database is in line with global trends in healthcare where digital
technology is used to make treatment options more personalised and precise.
3. Big data can also be used to prevent epidemics and improve the efficiency of drugs.
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Privacy Concerns
1. The large-scale creation, collection and sharing of health data are concerns because of
privacy and data breach.
2. Section 43(a) and 72 of the Information Technology Act provide the broad framework
for the protection of personal information in India, including medical data.
3. However, data breaches in the digital domain are common. For example, the
electronic medical records of over 35,000 patients held by a Maharashtra-based
pathology lab were leaked in 2016.
4. NDHB states that the architecture of the digital systems will have in-built safeguards
to ensure privacy where the user could have control of their data.
5. The Ayushman Bharat targets the poorest section of the population with low levels of
digital literacy. In such a context, a system that places the onus of control on the user,
with an assumption that they can control the flow of information, can end up doing more
harm than good.
Way Forward
1. In 2018, the government framed a draft Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act
(DISHA).
2. The proposed legislation recognised that existing laws were inadequate to protect the
privacy of patients in the digital domain.
3. In contrast with the NDHB, DISHA placed the onus of data protection on the service
provider.
4. The draft was criticised by industry bodies, which feared the stifling of medical
research. DISHA never made it to Parliament.
5. The government could seek a balance between the concerns of industry and the rights
of patients by adopting the provisions of DISHA in the NDHB.
SEBI’s financial autonomy

What is happening?
a) Recently the Government of India has proposed to transfer surplus money with the
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).
b) Government has proposed amendments to the Securities and Exchange Board of India
Act, 1992 that are seen as affecting SEBI’s financial autonomy.
c) Amendments required that after 25% of its surplus cash in any year is transferred to
its reserve fund which would be used by the organization.
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d) SEBI will have to transfer the remaining 75% to the government.
e) The proposed amendments aren’t going well with the board members and employees
of the organization.
f) Government has rejected the plea from SEBI’s officials asking the government to
reconsider its decision. So, it can lead to future conflicts.
Why are these proposals drawing criticism?
a) It is very unlikely that the quantum of funds that the government is likely to receive
from SEBI will make much of a difference to the government’s overall fiscal situation.
b) Desire to increase control over the SEBI rather than by financial considerations is
perceived as the real motive behind the amendments.
c) Lack of financial autonomy can affect SEBI’s plans to improve the quality of its
operations by investing in new technologies.
d) So, this can affect the health of India’s financial markets in the long run.
Which financial organizations did suffer recently?
The Reserve Bank of India and the National Sample Survey Office came under pressure
in recent months.
Where does the solution lie?
a) Central Government believes it can do a better job of regulating the economy by

consolidating all existing powers under the Finance Ministry.
b) However, such centralization of powers can be risky and can affect the credibility of
financial regulators.
c) So, Regulatory agencies such as SEBI need to be given full powers over their assets
and be made accountable to Parliament.
Source: The Hindu
Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019

Mains-GS2-Governance
What are the changes to be introduced?
The Bill amends Sections 13, 16 and 27 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
I. Section 13
a) Section 13 of the original Act sets the term of the central Chief Information
Commissioner and Information Commissioners at five years (or until the age of 65,
whichever is earlier).
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b) The amendment proposes that the appointment will be for such term as may be
prescribed by the Central Government.
c) Section 13 also deals with the salaries, allowances and other terms of service of the
Chief Information Commissioner and the information commissioners.
d) The amendment proposes that the salaries, allowances and other terms of service of
CIC and ICs to be prescribed by the Central Government.
II. Section 16
a) Section 16 of the original Act deals with state-level Chief Information Commissioner
and the Information Commissioners.
b) It sets the term for state-level CICs and ICs at five years (or 65 years of age,
whichever is earlier).
c) The amendment proposes that these appointments should be for such term as may be
prescribed by the Central Government’.
d) Original Act prescribes salaries, allowances and other terms of service of the state
Chief Information Commissioner as the same as that of an Election Commissioner.
e) The amendment bill proposes that the above matters shall be prescribed by the
Central Government.
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Which are the stated grounds for bringing the amendments?
a) Statement of objectives say that the mandate of Election Commission of India and
Central and State Information Commissions are different. Hence, their status and service
conditions need to be rationalized accordingly.
b) Bill seeks to remove another anomaly e.g. Central Information Commissioner has
been given the status of a Supreme Court judge but his judgments can be challenged in
the High Courts.
c) The amendments seek to rectify a lot of things which were overlooked in the hastily
passed ‘Right to Information Act 2005’.
d) RTI Act does not give the government rule-making powers also.
How far has the RTI Act 2005 served the purposes?
a) The RTI Act is regarded as one of the most successful laws of independent India.
b) It has given ordinary citizens the confidence and the right to ask questions of
government authorities.
c) According to estimates, nearly 60 lakh applications are being filed every year. It is
used by citizens as well as the media.
d) The law is seen as having acted as a deterrent for government servants against taking
arbitrary decisions.
Why is there opposition to the Amendment Bill?
a) The original Act had quantified the tenures and defined the salaries in terms of
existing benchmarks.
b) The amendments would give powers to the Central Government to decide the terms of
appointment, salaries, and tenures of the CICs and ICs.
c) The bill threatened the independence of the Central Information Commissioner and
ICs.
d) It can add fuel into the ongoing institutional crisis.
Source: Indian Express
Saving the spirit of RTI

1. The recent amendment to the Right to Information Act 2005, has attracted widespread
critics.
2. The changes give the centre the authority to fix the tenure and salaries of information
commissioners—currently ranked at par with election commissioners, with a fixed tenure
of five years.
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3. Without a fixed tenure and salary, which will now be decided by the government,
information commissioners will lack the teeth to force public bodies to part with
information.
4. In 2005, the parliamentary standing committee reviewing the RTI Bill had said the
terms of appointment of information commissioners was the “essence of the Bill".
5. The law met with tremendous success —an estimated five to six million information
requests are filed every year—implementation of the Act has been far from perfect.
6. However it faces hassles ranging from long delays in getting a response to threats and
intimidation.
7. Here are five ways to strengthen the RTI regime, instead of downgrading the stature
of the information commissioner’s office:
Reduce pendency
1. The government could take steps to reduce pending appeals. Under the RTI Act, when
an applicant is denied information by a government department, the first appeal is made
to the appellate authority in the department.
2. If unresolved, the RTI applicant can move the office of the Central Information
Commission (CIC)—for queries related to central government—or State Information
Commission.
3. In June 2019, about 31,000 appeals were pending, over 9,000 of those pending for
over a year. Currently, four out of the ten positions of information commissioners are
vacant.
4. Since 2014, not a single appointment has been made in the CIC till the courts
intervened.
Prune the exemption list
1. According to an RTI ratings report by the Canada-based Centre for Law and
Democracy, India’s rank slipped from second position in 2011 to eighth in 2018.
2. India remains one of the top-ranked nations but there are several problems with its
access regime, the report said.
3. In its current form, Section 8 of the RTI Act lists ten exemptions, ranging from any
information that include national security, impede the process of ongoing investigations
to cabinet papers and deliberations of the council of ministers.
4. Section 24 of the RTI Act allows the government to increase the list of exemptions by
an executive order.
5. To strengthen the RTI Act, this should be only allowed through the legislature. Since
2005, the list of exempted government organizations has grown from 18 to 26.
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Protect whistle-blowers
1. According to a tracker of assaults on RTI activists set up by the Commonwealth

Human Rights Initiative, 84 RTI activists have been murdered since 2005 for seeking
information on illegal construction, alleged scams in social welfare schemes, and
corruption in panchayats.
2. Around seven activists have committed suicide, more than 350 have either faced
assault or harassment.
3. The central government has not yet enforced the Whistle Blowers Protection Act
enacted by Parliament in 2014, it should be enforced in earliest possible time.
CIC as a constitutional body
1. While introducing the amendments to the RTI Act, the government had argued that
the office of the information commissioner is a statutory body and not a constitutional
authority like the election commission.
2. Since the information commissioners’ orders can be challenged in a high court or the
Supreme Court, the rank and pay of the chief information commissioner cannot be the
same as that of a chief election commissioner (a position equivalent to a Supreme Court
judge).
3. The RTI is safeguarding a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution and so
the government should look into the possibility of elevating the information commission
to the status of a constitutional authority.
4. Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression to

citizens, but without the RTI, one cannot express oneself, including while making an
electoral choice.
5. In a slew of judicial pronouncements, the Supreme Court has also interpreted RTI as a
fundamental right.
Political parties under RTI
1. All political parties claim to serve the public but are unanimous in their reluctance to
share information with citizens.
2. In 2013, the CIC had declared six national political parties as public authorities under
the RTI Act and ordered them to make voluntary disclosures and respond to information
requests.
3. The CIC classified political parties as a public authority since they benefit from land
allotted by the government at cheap rates, free airtime with state broadcasters during
elections, and are allowed to claim income tax exemptions.
4. However, all parties refused to comply with the decision, prompting the petitioners in
the case to approach the Supreme Court in 2015, which is still hearing the case.
Source: Live Mint
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UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements

1. The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of the United Nations Convention on
International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by India.
Benefits of signing the convention
1. It is expected to boost the confidence of the investors and shall provide a positive
signal to foreign investors about India's commitment to adhere to international practice
on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Initiatives to promote ADR Mechanisms in India.
1. To evolve a comprehensive ecosystem of arbitration the Government is establishing

the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) as a statutory body.
2. The Commercial Courts Act, 2015, has been amended and legislative exercise to
further amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, is currently underway.
3. These initiatives are being taken with a view to encourage the settlement of
commercial disputes, domestic and international, in India through ADR Mechanism of
Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation.
4. The provisions of the 'Convention' are in line with the domestic laws and the efforts
made to strengthen Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.
About the Convention
1. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on
International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation in December 2018, and it
is open for signatories.
2. It will be known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation" (the Convention).
3. The Convention provides a uniform and efficient framework for the enforcement of
international settlement agreements resulting from mediation and for allowing parties to
invoke such agreements.
4. It is similar to the framework that the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement
of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958) (the "New York Convention") provides for
arbitral awards.
5. The Convention defines two additional grounds upon which a court may refuse to
grant relief.
6. Those grounds relate to the dispute that would not be capable of settlement by
mediation or would be contrary to public policy.
Source: PIB
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Consumer Protection Bill, 2019

1. Recently the Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 to promote, protect
and enforce the rights of consumers.
Salient Features of the Bill
1. Establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA):
It is an executive agency to provide relief to a class of consumers. The CCPA will be

empowered to-
a. Conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute Complaints

/Prosecution.
b. Order recall of unsafe goods and services
c. Order discontinuance of Unfair Trade Practices and Misleading Advertisements.
d. Impose penalties on Manufactures /Endorsers /Publishers of Misleading

Advertisements.
2. Simplified Dispute Resolution process
a. Empowerment of Consumer Commission to enforce their orders.
b. Appeals only on the question of law after the second stage.
c. Ease of approaching consumer commission.
d. Filing from a place of residence, E-filing of cases and Videoconferencing for hearing.
3. Mediation
a. An Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism.
b. Reference to Mediation by Consumer Forum wherever scope for early settlement exists
and parties agree for it.
d. Mediation cells to be attached to Consumer Forum
e. No appeal against settlement through mediation
4. Product Liability
a. A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller to be responsible to

compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services
b. The Basis for product liability action includes manufacturing/design defects, Deviation
from manufacturing specifications, Not conforming to express warranty etc.
c. Provision for rules for new-age consumer issues as it includes e-commerce & direct
selling.
Source: PIB
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Concerns over Privacy and Secrecy of Data

1. Tech companies, start-ups, and governments are seeking to utilise the enormous
amount of data being generated by the country’s transition to a Digital India.
2. The NITI Aayog has laid out a vision for making available anonymised data across
sectors.
3. The Economic Survey 2018-19 dedicated an entire chapter to the topic of data — “of
the people, by the people, for the people” — making a call to harness data as a public
good in the service of the people.
Which are the new idea mooted by Economic Survey 2018-19 on harnessing data?
1. It tells that governments should harness data and digital platforms to enable more
efficient service delivery, product innovation and evidence-based policymaking.
2. But with big data comes big responsibility. As demonstrated by Cambridge Analytica
and numerous other data breaches, poorly designed systems create risks for individuals,
businesses and governments.
Centralized Welfare Database
1. One big idea the Survey discusses is the creation of a centralised welfare database of
citizens that links different government-held data repositories about citizens.
2. The sharing of information, facilitated by this database, can improve welfare delivery,
empower citizens with information and “democratise” data.
3. Many states have already taken steps in this direction through the creation of massive
databases of information on every resident.
4. There is much to be cautious on the collection and use of data at scale as it can lead
to loss of personal data, both intentional and unintentional.
5. For example, recently, the Andhra Pradesh government websites publicly displayed
the Aadhaar number of women, their reproductive history, whether they had an abortion
and so on.
6. Another website exposed the name and number of every person who purchased
medicines from government-run stores, including those buying pills for erectile
dysfunction.
7. It is believed that Indians doesn’t care much about privacy in general, but studies
found that across India, public overwhelmingly concerned about the security of the data
they share with banks, hospitals and other institutions.
8. The government must design the proposed databases in ways that allow anonymised
personal data to serve its highest purpose, while protecting an individual’s right over
data.
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What does the survey tell about Protecting Personal Information?
1. The Survey acknowledges the importance of protecting personal information and

proposes an architecture that relies on obtaining individual consent.
2. However, the evidence shows that consent is noble in theory but deeply flawed in
practice.
3. A recent survey by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) shows
that English-speaking postgraduate law students struggle to understand the privacy
policies before clicking “I Agree”.
4. Therefore, any large-scale data collection must be preceded by extensive on-ground

research on how consent can be made meaningful to the individual.
5. Consent must be supplemented with a full range of individual data rights, including the
right to delete one’s data.
6. Any data should be subject to “collection limitation”, which means that a service
provider should only collect minimal personal data that is proportionate to the stated
purpose.
7. The databases should be designed in a manner that a department is not able to see
the data that it does not need, irrespective of whether citizens give their consent or not.
8. For example, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers does not need to have access to
an individual’s medical records. Access to each additional data field should be carefully
evaluated.
Data security and encryption.
1. Survey also emphasis on data security and encryption which is encouraging one.
2. However, the government should implement bolder technical safeguards. One such
feature is decentralised storage of data — for example in the individual’s personal device
— rather than in a central database.
3. Another is anonymisation at source, wherein the data is stripped of any personal

information as soon as it is created.
4. These will prevent the creation of data honeypots that can be attacked by hackers or
breached accidentally.
5. Research shows that changing the default option — asking people if they want to “opt-
in” to (as against “opt-out” of) data sharing requests can make a big difference to how
much data gets shared.
6. Citizens must have a time-bound and easily accessible recourse to any data breaches
or harms.
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7. They must be able to reach out to an adjudicatory body through multiple offline and
online modes. This body must be empowered to penalise both public and private bodies
that use the databases, and redress must be speedy.
Where lies the way forward?
1. India has a major opportunity, where data and digital platforms can become an
enabler of a meaningful life for every Indian.
2. This is also the opportunity for India to become a global leader and present a new
approach that other countries can emulate.
3. To achieve this, maximising public good but also safeguarding against harm must be
the mantra for the new digital India.
Central Welfare Database of Citizens

1. The Economic Survey 2018-19 pitched for setting up a central welfare database of
citizens.
2. The database by merging different data maintained by separate Ministries and

departments which can be tapped for enhancing ease of living for citizens, particularly
the poor.
3. The governments can create data as a public good within the legal framework of data
privacy, but it must not impose the elite’s preference of privacy on the poor, who care for
a better quality of living the most.
Stringent safeguards
1. It recommended granting access to select the database to the private sector for a fee,
and stringent technological mechanisms must exist to safeguard data privacy.
2. There had been discussions around the linking of datasets, primarily through the
seeding of an Aadhaar number across databases such as PAN database, bank accounts
and mobile numbers.
3. The linking is one-way. For example, banks can use the tokenised Aadhaar number to
combine duplicate records and weed out benami accounts, but this does not mean that
the UIDAI or government can read the bank account information or other data related to
the individual.
Other Recommendations
1. The private sector harness data where it is profitable, government intervention is

needed in social sectors of the country where private investment in data remains
inadequate.
2. These recommendations come at a time when India is working on finalising its

personal data protection policy.
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3. The principle is that most data are generated by the people, of the people and should
be used for the people.
4. The data to be used to enable the evidence-based policy, improve targeting in welfare
schemes, uncover unmet needs, integrate fragmented markets, bring greater
accountability in public services and generate greater citizen participation in governance,
etc.
5. The datasets can also include the administrative data such as birth and death records,
pensions, tax records, marriage records; survey data such as census data, national
sample survey data; transactions data such as e-national agriculture market data, UPI
data, institutional data and public hospital data on patients.
Source: The Hindu
Maritime Anti-Corruption Network

a) Recently Maritime Anti-Corruption Network has started ‘Port Integrity Campaign’ in
India.
b) PIC aims to reduce and in the long term eliminate integrity issues and bottlenecks to
trade during operations in Indian ports.
c) It is a collective action of MACN, the Government of India, international organizations,

and local industry stakeholders.
d) The pilot of the campaign will take place in Mumbai ports i.e. MPT and JNPT.
e) Main activities of the campaign include implementation of integrity training for port
officials and the establishment of clear escalation and reporting processes.
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About MACN
a) It is a global business network of private companies working to tackle corruption in

the maritime industry.
b) It was established in 2011 by a group of committed maritime companies.
c) MACN and its members work towards the elimination of all forms of maritime
corruption.
Source: The Hindu
Economy
Wage Code Bill

1. The Union Cabinet recently approved a revised version of Code on Wages Bill, which
seeks to define the norms for fixing minimum wages.
2. The minimum wages will be applicable to workers of organised and unorganised

sectors, except government employees and MNREGA workers.
Key Features of the bill
1. At present, minimum wages are fixed on the basis of categories such as skilled,
unskilled, semi-skilled, high skilled, geographical regions, and nature of work such as
mining and are applicable for 45 scheduled employments in the central sphere and 1709
scheduled employments in states.
2. As per the new bill, the minimum wages across the country would be only linked to
factors of skills and geographical regions, while the rest of the factors have been
removed,
3. It is expected to reduce the number of minimum wages across the country to 300
from about 2,500 minimum wage rates at present.
4. It will amalgamate the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948,
the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
5. A National Floor Level Minimum Wage will be set by the Centre to be revised every five
years, while states will fix minimum wages for their regions, which cannot be lower than
the floor wage.
6. The current floor wage, which was fixed in 2017, is at Rs 176 a day, but some states
have minimum wages lower than it such as Andhra Pradesh (Rs 69) and Telangana (Rs
69).
7. The Bill proposes to levy penalty ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh and
imprisonment for repeat offences.
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Other Labour reforms
1. The Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions is also expected to
be released shortly.
2. The government had proposed codification of labour laws into four codes.
3. The labour and employment ministry had drafted four labour codes: industrial
relations, wages, social security and welfare, and occupational safety, health and working
conditions by amalgamating, simplifying and rationalising the relevant provisions of the
existing central labour laws.
PM – KISAN Yojana
1. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), a cash transfer programme has
a long way to go in terms of both its implementation and scope of coverage.
2. Even as the cropping season is underway, the scheme’s support has not reached
farmers in most of the country’s regions.
3. It was launched by the Centre as the state response to assuage agrarian unrest.
4. The scheme’s original objective, to supplement the financial needs of the country’s
Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) and to augment farm incomes.
5. It has now been broadened to include all categories of agricultural landowners. This
expansion would benefit an additional 10% of rural landed households.
6. PM-Kisan offers ₹6,000 a year per household in three instalments. But this amounts to
only about a tenth of the production cost per hectare or consumption expenditure for a
poor household.
7. It offers meagre amount, but it promises some relief to poor farmers by partially
supplementing their input costs or consumption needs.
Poor Implementation
1. There are 125 million farming households owning small and marginal holdings of land
in the country, who constitute the scheme’s original intended beneficiaries.
2. At present, the list of beneficiaries includes only 32% (40.27 million) of these
households.
3. Further, a majority of the intended beneficiary households are yet to receive even
their first instalment of ₹2,000 and only 17% of the estimated ₹75,000 crore expenditure
has been spent.
4. Implementation in certain States has been prioritised. U.P., for instance, accounts for
one-third of the total beneficiary. A total of 17 States have received a negligible share of
the first instalment, accounting for less than 9%.
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Structural issues
1. The cash transfer is not linked to the size of the farmer’s land and also landless
tenants have been left from the scheme.
2. The scheme to be effective, PM-Kisan needs to be uniformly implemented across

regions but it is not a fix for larger structural issues.
3. The government is also planning to withdraw other schemes and increase amount in
cash transfer scheme.
4. Cash transfers will cease to be effective if the state withdraws from its other long-term
budgetary commitments in agricultural markets and areas of infrastructure such as
irrigation.
5. Subsidies for inputs, extension services, and procurement assurances are also meant
fort the stability of agricultural production.
6. Food security through the National Food Security Act is also closely linked to
government interventions in grain markets. If the budgetary allocations shift decisively in
favour of cash transfers, they will be a cause for great concern.
7. The scheme is conceptualised to supplement agricultural inputs; it ceases to be so

without the necessary link with the scale of production (farm size) built into it.
8. It becomes, in effect, an income supplement to landowning households. If income

support is the objective, the most deserving need to be given precedence.
Source: The Hindu
Reducing Fiscal Deficit

1. In the recent Union Budget, there was a debate over whether to deviate from the path
of fiscal consolidation due to sluggish tax collections.
2. But the Government has chosen to bring down the deficit to 3.3 percent of GDP in
2019-20 (BE), from 3.4 per cent in 2018-19 (RE).
Which are the Centre’s plan to meet its fiscal deficit target?
1. At the aggregate level, the Centre expects its gross tax revenues to grow at 18.3 per
cent in FY20. Achieving this is a challenging task.
2. Direct tax collections are expected to grow at roughly 18.6 percent in FY20, up from
12.3 per cent the year before.
3. Income tax collections are expected to grow by a staggering 23.2 per cent in FY20. In
comparison, they grew by a mere 7.2 per cent the year before.
4. Indirect tax collections have been budgeted to grow around 18 per cent in FY20, up
from roughly 4 per cent the previous year.
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5. The surge in collections is expected from higher taxes on petrol and diesel and higher
customs duties.
6. This budget also relies on dividends from the RBI and other public financial
institutions, disinvestment proceeds and revenues from the telecom sector to shore up
revenues.
Why cesses and surcharges are important?
1. Over the years, the Centre has begun to rely more on revenue collected through
cesses and surcharges to meet its expenditure obligations.
2. According to the 14th Finance Commission, states should receive 42 per cent of the
divisible tax pool. The revenue collected through this route is not part of the divisible tax
pool and is thus not shared with the states.
3. In this Budget the finance minister has raised the special additional excise duty and
road and infrastructure cess each by one rupee on a litre of petrol and diesel.
4. The amount the Centre hopes to collect through ceases and surcharges are now
greater than its entire allocation to centrally sponsored schemes or its total capital
expenditure.
What are the challenges?
1. Tax collections grew by a mere 8.4 per cent in FY19 due to sluggish economic activity.
2. The RBI has lowered its GDP growth projection for FY20 to 7 per cent from 7.4 percent
earlier.
3. Collections from central GST have been lowered to Rs 5.26 lakh crore in FY20, from
the interim Budget target of Rs 6.1 lakh crore.
4. Telecom sector is already under stress, and spectrum auctions may not result in
expected revenue.
5. Failure to meet these stiff targets will not only risk the task of meeting the fiscal deficit
target for this year but also cast doubts on the medium-term fiscal roadmap that
envisages bringing down the deficit to 3 per cent in 2020-21.
How is public sector borrowing crowd out private investment?
1. In the recent past, there has been concern over the rise in borrowings of the public
sector (Centre, states and public sector enterprises) as this left little space for the private
sector to borrow.
2. The current Budget reveals that borrowings by central PSUs are expected to decline
from Rs 4.1 lakh crore in FY19 to 3.1 lakh crore in FY20. Much of this decline is due to
fall in FCI’s borrowings.
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3. The Centre’s gross market borrowings are pegged at Rs 7.1 lakh crore in FY20, up
from Rs 5.71 lakh crore last year. But part of the borrowings will be met by raising funds
from abroad.
4. This will bring down the level of public sector borrowings in the domestic market,
creating space for the private sector.
5. The combined borrowing of the Centre and PSUs have risen as a percentage of GDP,
but they are expected to decline to 4.9 per cent of GDP in FY20 from 5.2 per cent in
FY19.
Project Utkarsh 2022

a) Recently the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board have finalized a three- year roadmap
to improve regulation and supervision, among other functions of the central bank.
b) Utkarsh 2022 is medium-term strategy which is in line with the global central banks’
plan to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory mechanism.
c) An internal committee was formed to identify issues that needed to be addressed over
the next three years.
Ideas behind the roadmap
a) Idea behind the project is that Reserve Bank of India plays a proactive role and takes
pre-emptive action to avoid any crisis.
b) It also wants to avoid events such as IL&FS debt default issue which can erode the
confidence of consumers.
Source: The Hindu
Electricity for Poor

1. The government has committed to an electricity future with uninterrupted supply for
all, increasingly from renewable energy sources.
2. Institutional rearrangements are being pushed to enable a transition to this future.
Who needs to be included in the India’s electricity future?
1. Government should include the poor as an integral part of electricity future.
2. It requires a shift in India’s approach to electricity access, away from redistributive

welfarism that prioritises subsidised costs for the poor at the cost of quality of service.
3. The immediate priority is to better target central aid for the poor through existing
programmes.
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What are the existing programmes?
For Agriculture Electricity
1. Government seeks to shift agricultural demand to solar energy. It helps the farmers
with day-time supply, reduces seasonal peak for discoms, and reduces subsidy burden on
the discoms and states.
2. The ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan’ (KUSUM), a central scheme
which seeks to harness 25.75 GW solar capacity for agricultural use.
3. KUSUM offers 30 per cent of benchmark cost as central aid and requires the states to
match with 30 per cent subsidy which also includes solar pumps.
4. The farmers can finance another 30 per cent of the cost, which will be paid through
monthly instalments, and they have to make a one-time payment for the remaining 10
per cent.
For Household Electricity
1. Phase II of the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Programme was recently approved; it

seeks to incentivise consumers and discoms to deploy 22 GW solar capacity.
Why these schemes have issues?
1. Despite sustained central aid for solar pumps, only about two lakh units are deployed.
Slow uptake is caused by farmers’ inability to pay their share, states’ reluctance to
contribute their share and delay in subsidy payment inflating the costs.
2. Given the state of agrarian distress, farmers who have already invested in pumps have
neither the incentive nor the ability to pay their share. The monthly instalments are an
additional burden.
3. Phase II of the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Programme enhanced the central aid to
40 per cent of benchmark cost.
4. But prioritising 1-3 KW systems misses out the poorest. Around half of Indian
households consume below 50 kWh per month and have a load below 0.5 KW, which can
be met through 1 KW solar systems.
How it can be addressed?
1. For KUSUM scheme the way forward must build on a partnership of the beneficiaries,
including the Centre, the states, discoms and farmer communities.
2. Maharashtra’s Solar Agriculture Feeder Programme provides a useful template. This

model eliminates the fiscal burden on farmers and assures the reliability of supply with
grid connectivity.
3. It retains the control on supply duration to manage groundwater withdrawal, which is

lost in standalone solar pumps.
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4. The Centre must put the focus on scaling this scheme, with state-specific approaches
and targets. Central aid for micro-irrigation may be clubbed with solar pump schemes for
better water-energy efficiency.
5. The Centre must redesign the Phase II of the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar
Programme, targeting consumers below 1KW consumption.
6. This group has the highest subsidy demand (per kWh), which is partly borne by the
states. But they have little incentive or capability to pay the capital costs.
7. By prioritising systems up to 1 KW the scheme can reach more beneficiaries with the
allocated amount. The Centre should offer a higher aid for these systems and require the
states and discoms to share the remaining costs.
8. The consumers’ contribution will include the space and unskilled maintenance, but no
upfront costs. Both states and discoms gain from reduced recurring subsidy demand,
discoms recover their investment through a regular tariff.
Which are the other areas of focus?
1. The evolving demand scenario will be as critical as supply sources to India’s electricity
future. Electricity demand in the residential sector will be largely driven by cooling needs,
mainly due to increasing temperatures.
2. For instance - Fan as a basic cooling option has mass usage, including low-income
homes and it accounts for about one-fifth of residential electricity consumption.
3. Commercially available efficient fans consume 30 per cent less electricity. Only 10 per
cent of ceiling fans sold are energy-efficient rated and only half of them are five-star
rated.
4. The Centre should extend financial aid to expand and expedite the National Energy
Efficient Fan Programme, with some cost-sharing for low-income households.
5. It will reduce subsidised consumption and thus help the discoms reduce their subsidy
burden while helping the poor to access basic cooling facilities.
6. With the rising incidence of heatwaves, making efficient fans affordable for the poor
has welfare benefits and contributes to the sustainability agenda.
Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI)

a) Recently the first exchange of banking information is going to take place between
India and Switzerland before the September 30.
b) This follows the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) agreement signed between
the two countries and which came into force January 2018.
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About AEOI
a) It enables the discovery of formerly undetected tax evasion and reduces the possibility
for tax evasion.
b) It provides for the exchange of non-resident financial account information with the tax
authorities in the account holders’ country of residence.
c) Participating jurisdictions that implement AEOI send and receive pre-agreed

information each year, without having to send a specific request.
d) It will enable governments to recover tax revenue lost to non-compliant taxpayers.
National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

Ministry of Agriculture has recently announced that more than 1.64 crore farmers have
registered on e-NAM platform till the end of June.
About e-NAM
a) It is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market
facilitate farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities.
b) It aims to bring reforms in the Agri- marketing sector and promote online marketing
of Agri commodities across the country and to provide maximum benefit to the farmers.
c) This market is helping in better price discovery and provide facilities for smooth
marketing of their produce.
d) It removes information asymmetry, increase transparency in the transaction process

and enhance accessibility to markets across the country.
Source: PIB
Plan Bee System
a) Recently Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has won the ‘Best Innovation Award’ in
Indian Railways for the 2018-19 year.
b) It is an amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honeybees to keep wild

elephants away from railway tracks.
c) There are 29 earmarked elephant corridors with the operating zone of NFR spread
across the north-eastern states and parts of Bihar and West Bengal.
d) This system generates the amplified sound of honeybees audible from 700-800
meters.
e) First instrument was installed at a level crossing west of Guwahati a track adjoining
the Rani Reserve Forest, an elephant habitat.
h) This system is an excellent example of how technology can conserve biodiversity.

Source: The Hindu
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Global Labour Income Share and Distribution Report

a) Recently the United Nations (UN) arm International Labour Organisation (ILO) has
published ‘Global Labour Income Share and Distribution Report’.
b) It reports that just 10% of workers receive nearly half of global pay.
c) This assessment gives the first global estimates of the distribution of labour income.
d) It contains data from 189 countries and is drawn from the world’s largest collection of
harmonized labour force survey data.
Situation in India
a) Top 10% earners in India made over 69% of the country’s labour income in 2017. It is
in contrast to 0.25% made by the bottom 10% earners.
b) This gap has been consistent in India since 2004.
c) While the pay inequality has remained consistent in India, it has reduced at the global
workplace in the last 13 years.
Inter Creditor Agreement

Recently sixteen lenders of Reliance Infrastructure Limited have signed an ‘Inter Creditor
Agreement (ICA)’ in an effort to resolve its debt.
About the ICA

a) It provides the ground rules for the finalization and implementation of a resolution
plan (RP) for borrowers with credit facilities from more than one lender.
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b) Under the framework, a Resolvency Plan has to be agreed to by 75% of the lenders by
value of debt and 60% by number of lenders.
c) With the ICA, the Reliance company has achieved a 180-day standstill period.
d) Purpose of the standstill period is to give the senior creditor an exclusive period of
time during which it may assess its rights.
e) ICA is aimed at the resolution of loan accounts with a size of ₹50 crore and above that
are under the control of a group of lenders.
f) It is part of the ‘Project Sashakt’ approved by the government to address the problem
of resolving bad loans.
Source: The Hindu
Jobless growth becomes more systemic

‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)’ has been released recently.
Who releases the survey?
National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation has released ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)’.
Which are the issues raised by the Survey?
Some findings of the survey are a cause for concern. Two biggest issues are,
a) Shrinking share of the labour force
i) Labour force participation rate in the earlier survey of 2012 was 55.5%. This has
shrunk to 49.7% in 2018.
ii) LFPR is the percentage of people working or seeking work in the above-15 years age
category.
b) Rising unemployment.
i) There is an absolute decline in the number of workers from 467.7 million in 2012 to
461.5 million in 2018.
ii) Figure for the overall unemployment rate at 6.1% is 2.77 times the same figure for
2012.
What are the dimensions of the rise in overall unemployment?
a) The rise in overall unemployment has both locational and gender dimensions.
b) Highest unemployment rate of a severe nature was among the urban women at
10.8%, followed by urban men at 7.1%, rural men at 5.8%, and rural women at 3.8%.
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c) Ignoring the location of residence, severe unemployment is found among men at

6.2%, higher than among women at 5.7%.
d) Women are the worst sufferers. Women’s labour force participation rate has been
sharply declining.
Why are women losing out?
a) The survey suggest that due to women are losing out because
i) Exclusion from the labour force
ii) Inability to access employment when included in the labour force
b) India have become the countries with the lowest participation of women in the labour
force.
c) Women’s labour force participation have declined from 31% to 24% in these five
years.
d) Youth Unemployment Rate, unemployment among those in the 15-29 years age
category, has reached a high 17.8%.
e) Even here, the women stand more disadvantaged than men, especially urban women.
How education and unemployment are linked?
a) The survey findings suggest that the unemployment rates go up as levels of education
go up.
b) Unemployment Rate is 5.7% among those with secondary school education but
increases to 10.3% among those with higher secondary-level education.
c) Highest rate is among the diploma and certificate holders (19.8%); followed by
graduates (17.2); and postgraduates (14.6%).
d) Educated persons have aspirations for specific jobs and hence they are likely to go
through a long waiting period than their less-educated counterparts.
e) They are also likely to be less economically deprived.
f) Country’s inability to absorb the educated into gainful employment is indeed an

economic loss and a demoralising experience both for the unemployed and those
enthusiastically enrolling themselves for higher education.
Where to focus?
a) Trend of ‘Jobless Growth’ is more generalised.
b) Earlier it was limited to the organised sector, however, it has now spread to other
sectors of the economy.
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c) This calls for a thorough re-examination of the missing linkages between growth and
employment.
Source: The Hindu
Digital Payments Market

The Indian government has asked WhatsApp Pay to localize all data processing related to
payment transactions in India to grant approval.
What’s the issue?
1. WhatsApp Pay relies on the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
system to facilitate inter-bank transactions.
2. There are huge hidden costs of this current deal and broader issues on big tech’s
(Google, Amazon and Facebook) entry into financial services, especially payments.
Where does the Digital payments market stand?
1. India’s digital vision emphasizes on data sovereignty and promotion of local payment
enterprises.
2. With 800 million mobile users in the country and 430 million having Internet access,
digital payments are estimated to grow to over $1 trillion by 2025.
3. India should leverage this immense opportunity with the right policy incentives to
enable local firms to capture large shares of the digital payments market to become e-
commerce players on a global scale.
Which are the complexities of digital markets?
1. Monopolistic chances
a. Granting companies like WhatsApp, Google, and Amazon a greater role in the digital
payments market will provide large advantage over all other firms, as it has large social
media and messaging base.
b. This creates a monopolistic situation which is against the free market principle.
c. Thus severely limiting the capacity of local firms to benefit from the potential of India’s
own digital payments market.
2. Privacy
a. The localization requirement of the government is limited to payments data only.
b. As a result, these companies still have access to metadata on all payment

transactions, which would make them the best repository of the country’s data, both
social and financial.
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c. This kind of data pooling is not allowed in countries like the US, as financial privacy
laws protect against such an outcome.
How to ensure a safe digital transformation?
1. A clear roadmap on how digital technologies will transform different sectors, especially
finance and payments, to promote competition, enabling local firms, protecting consumer
welfare and data sovereignty is required.
2. Clear guidelines that enable the development of a digital payments market, beyond
requirements for just storing and processing payments.
3. Data localization is costly and consumers must be protected from passing on of

compliance costs by businesses.
4. Enforcement of Data Rights of the people such as the right to know, erase, consent,
etc.
5. Support to local firms to create new jobs, new prospects, and digital dividends.
Source: The Hindu
Reform in Startup ecosystem

The Indian startup ecosystem that has grown immensely and is among the top three in
the world today.
What are the efforts taken by the Government?
1. Establishment of Fund of funds for startups (FFS) with 10,000 crore corpus.
2. Removal of the angel tax, as it was an impediment to angel investments.
3. It plans to improve skilling in artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and
virtual reality (VR).
4. India needs to do more to keep pace with the changing economic demands of the
startup sector.
Where do we need to focus?
Taxation
1. Startups in the social impact space address more complex issues which can have a
large social impact.
2. Hence, additional incentives for angel investments in social startups is needed.
Ecosystem
1. A Holistic approach to building and incentivizing innovation ecosystems is needed

through,
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a. Exemption of Taxation for accredited Investors subject to complying with certain net
worth criteria which will increase investment flow in startups.
b. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) for incubators is needed for innovation ecosystem
building which can be used to increase innovation education, training and hackathons, to
raise the innovation quotient of the society.
c. Incubator stakeholder training needed to train key stakeholders, such as incubation

managers, mentors, angel investors and service providers so that they can serve the
startups and the innovation ecosystem efficiently.
d. Monitoring of incubators
e. Effective and timely deployment of FFS
2. Less than 1% of corporations in India are working with startups.
3. Government must help spur the demand for startup products from corporations by
allowing corporations to use their CSR budgets to fund their innovation projects.
5. A lower tax rate for revenue generated from corporate innovation programs.
6. The government should also implement effective procurement policies for purchasing
through startups in lines of MSME model.
7. Encourage innovation through ‘challenge grants’ to seek innovative solutions from

startups.
8. Incentivise startups to use India Stack as an innovation platform.
Source: Livemint
Overseas Borrowing
The government plans to raise a part of its gross borrowing in external markets.
What is an overseas bond issue?
1. A government bond is a debt instrument that the government undertakes with the
promise to pay periodic interest payments and repay the entire face value of the bond on
the maturity date.
2. So far, the government has only issued bonds in the domestic market.
Which are the benefits of an overseas bond issue?
1. The government borrowing is at such a level that there are not enough funds available
for the private sector to adequately meet its credit and investment needs.
2. If the private sector cannot borrow adequately, then it cannot invest and that affects
the economic growth.
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3. Therefore, borrowing overseas allows the government to raise funds in such a way
that there is enough domestic credit available for the private sector.
Where the risks lies?
1. When national currencies depreciate sharply, it makes it more expensive for India to
repay its external debt.
2. This would also lead to a quicker increase to its foreign exchange reserves, which
would lead to a stronger rupee against the dollar.
3. A stronger rupee would encourage imports and discourage exports.
Sources: the Hindu.
KUSUM Scheme
1. Recently, the Cabinet approved the Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan
(KUSUM).
2. Centre allocated Budget of Rs. 34,000 crores, and a similar contribution expected from
the States.
3. KUSUM aims to provide energy sufficiency and sustainable irrigation access to

farmers.
What is KUSUM?
KUSUM proposes a 60% subsidy for the solar pumps, borne equally by the Centre and
the States, and the remaining 40% by the farmer’s contribution — 10% as down
payment and 30% through loans.
Why government brought such a scheme?
1. At present, despite farm power subsidies, nearly 30 million farmers, especially

marginal landholders, use diesel for their irrigation needs as they have no access to
electricity,
2. More than half of India’s net sown area remains unirrigated.
3. KUSUM could radically transform the irrigation economy if the government chooses an
approach of equity and prudence by design.
Which are the issues in the scheme?
Disparity in implementation
1. Chhattisgarh which has low irrigation demand and Rajasthan with low groundwater,
together account for about half of the two lakh solar pumps currently deployed in the
country.
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2. States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where penetration of diesel
pumps is among the highest, have not managed to deploy any significant number of
solar pumps.
3. It also increases the inter-farmer disparity given the inequity in access to credit and
repayment capacity between small and large farmers.
How it can be addressed?
1. The disparity among states highlights poor State budget allocation towards solar
pumps and the lack of initiative by State nodal agencies.
2. To encourage equitability, the Centre should incentivise States through target-linked

financial assistance and create avenues for peer learning.
3. To reduce inter-farm disparity, KUSUM should provide greater financial assistance to

small farmers and long-term loans with interest subsidies for large and medium farmers.
Where else does the scheme face challenges?
1. The scheme also proposed solarising the existing grid-connected pumps and procuring
of surplus electricity from the farmers by the DISCOMs.
2. Existing grid-connected farmers, who have received power subsidies for decades,
would receive the same financial support as that received by an off-grid farmer and earn
a regular income from the DISCOMs.
3. This would require the entire agriculture electricity line (feeder) to be energized
including for those not having solarised pumps. This would aggravate DISCOMs’ losses
on such feeders.
4. Instead, the scheme should only provide Central government subsidy of up to 30% for
solarisation for existing grid-connected farmers and use the proposed State support to
incentivise DISCOMs to procure energy from the farmers.
5. Solarising grid-connected pumps must include replacement of the old inefficient

pumps.
6. The feeding surplus energy to the grid could also be used to power post-harvesting
processes, which complement the seasonal irrigation load and can enhance farm incomes
through local value addition.
Source: The Hindu
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Agri reforms
A panel of Chief Ministers discussed ways to bring State Governments on board to usher
reforms in the agriculture sector.
Significance of the Panel
1. Agriculture is a State subject and all the States must be brought on board for
simultaneous and time-bound reforms across States and bring effective transformation
countrywide.
2. Farm sector growth had lagged behind other sectors as it had not been part of the
economic reforms of 1991.
3. Almost three decades later, the Chief Ministers are attempting to build consensus
around structural changes in the agriculture sector.
Reforms Discussed by the Panel
1. Central government grants and the Finance Commission allocations should be linked
with the agriculture reforms implemented by States.
2. The scrapping of the Essential Commodities Act for the food sector and a review of
agricultural subsidies.
3. Ensuring fair prices and ending manipulative monopolies in the local agriculture
produce mandis and removing obstacles to the implementation of the digital e-NAM
system in all States.
4. Approaches to spur growth in the food processing sector, which must grow at a faster
pace than the overall agriculture sector in order to increase farmers’ income.
5. The need for better coordination between the Agriculture and Commerce Ministries to
ensure a dynamic pricing policy based on global market trends for major agricultural
commodities.
6. Ensure better targeting of subsidy schemes in order to maximize benefits for farmers.
7. Ways to reduce credit costs along with improving linkages with financial institutions
and increasing private investment in the sector.
8. The need for States to adopt the Centre’s Model Contract Farming Act.
Source: The Hindu
Inclusive Growth Dividend Scheme

1. Income transfers to the poor have emerged as a popular policy option for
governments across the world seeking to alleviate poverty.
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2. Proponents argue that income transfers efficiently allow the poor to spend on their
welfare, but critics point to the high cost of implementation and the challenges of
identifying the poor.
Inclusive Growth Dividend
1. India Policy Forum proposed an alternative solution that addresses both these
challenges: An inclusive growth dividend (IGD).
2. Every month, the IGD would transfer the equivalent of 1% of India’s gross domestic
product (GDP) per capita, around ₹500, to every household in India (roughly₹110 per
citizen).
3. While this amount would have a negligible effect on the rich, it can significantly boost
consumption among the rural poor.
Significance of the IGD
1. IGD can generate a 10% boost in consumption for the bottom 30% of India’s rural
population. The monthly transfers to bank accounts can also increase financial inclusion
and build a pool of savings for the poor.
2. Since it includes all citizens in the IGD, the government can also save costs on
targeting.
3. The total cost of the IGD would be around 1% of India’s GDP, this is double the cost of
the ongoing PM-KISAN scheme, which transfers ₹6,000 annually to small landholding
farmer families.
4. It is significantly lower than other proposed income transfers schemes (such as the
NYAY, which would’ve cost 2.5% of GDP).
5. Unlike other proposed income transfer schemes, the IGD can be implemented without
disrupting existing anti-poverty programmes.
Source: Live Mint
MGNREGA
What is the issue?
1. The economy has been slowing over the last three years. Indicators such as sales of
consumer durables and automobiles show that it is largely a result of declining demand,
particularly in rural areas.
2. The recent Union budget was expected to address some of these concerns. But no
effort is made to increase spending in rural areas, except the electoral promise of cash
transfer to farmers.
3. For most of the rural programmes, the budget expenditure was kept constant or
lowered.
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4. Budget allocation for all-India scheme, including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has fallen and is insufficient, given the wage-
payment arrears.
5. MGNREGA directly contribute to creating rural infrastructure and indirectly help

increase rural demand and employment.
How MGNREGA turned into a failure?
1. The government kept the budget allocation low, created administrative bottlenecks
and altered the basic character of the scheme that stifled the programme.
2. MGNREGA was envisaged as a provider of rural employment to casual workers at

government-mandated minimum wages set above market wages.
3. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has been tracking wages received by
casual workers employed under MGNREGA and private markets since 2007-08.
4. The Survey shows the MGNREGA wages were declining compared to market wages,
since 2007-08.
Year MGNREGA wages compared to Market Wages

Male Female
2007-08 105% 158%
2009-10 90% 126%
2017-18 57% 82%
5. In the initial period, higher MNREGA wages compared to market wages was one of the
reasons that the programme attracted almost 50% of female workers, despite declining
female workforce participation trend.
6. Due to the increase in market wages, the male worker had low demand to MGNRGA,
but women continue to work under the scheme, because of non-availability of work,
discrimination and exclusion from the private labour market.
7. MGNREGA wages are less than half of the national minimum wage of ₹375 per day (as
of July 2018). The recent Economic Survey also in favour of keeping minimum wages at
a high level to reduce poverty and inequality.
8. The government is pushing for a minimum wage code and the largest government-run
programme has been violating state minimum wages for almost a decade.
9. MGNREGA could have been the lifeline to revive the rural economy, which is in
distress.
10. The political competition and flawed policies of the government have led to the failure
of the scheme, despite its better performance in rural development.
Source: Live Mint
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Bank Nationalisation
1. 50 years back, the Indian government nationalized banks, an important economic
decision, for political reasons rather than economic logic.
2. The objective was to force banks, many of which were controlled by business groups,
to lend to the farm and other sectors, to small firms, offer services in the hinterland and
expand credit, especially in rural areas.
3. Since then there has been structural transformation which is evident in
a. The countrywide footprint of banks
b. Channelising of savings to productive investment
c. Support for industry and the government to finance its plan investments
d. Deliver on its social banking mandate
e. Generate jobs in the services sector
f. Help reduce regional disparities and broadly enhance growth.
Challenges faced by PSUs
1. Many metrics show that Indian banks are in a growth path. But the loan disbursed in
the 1980s, to support government programmes, dealt the first deep blow, which took the
state-owned banks years to recover.
2. Later, infrastructure financing affected PSUs. It was an area with little expertise, banks
faced the asset-liability mismatch risk.
3. The budget recapitalized the banks to clear their balance sheets and bolster lending
without generating enough returns. The government is also slow on governance reforms
in the banks.
Way Forward
1. More political indulging on the separation of ownership from the management of banks
will impose huge fiscal costs which will have to be borne by taxpayers.
2. It will also drain resources which should ideally be for the delivery of public goods.
3. The government must disinvest many of its banks progressively, with a possible
shareholding of 26 per cent or 33 per cent.
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World Economic Outlook 2019 (July edition)

Recently the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has launched the July edition of ‘World
Economic Outlook 2019’.
Important stats
a) The report has cut India’s growth forecast for 2019-20 to 7% from its forecast in April
of 7.3% on poor demand conditions.
b) This edition also cut India’s growth forecast in 2020-21 to 7.2% from the previous
estimate of 7.5%.
c) IMF has also cut its forecast for world GDP growth by 0.1 percentage point each in
2019 and 2020 to 3.2% and 3.5%.
About the Outlook
a) It is a survey by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff usually published twice a
year.
b) It presents IMF staff economists' analyses of global economic developments during the
near and medium-term.
c) It forecasts include key macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP, inflation, current

account and fiscal balance of many countries around the globe.
d) It also deals with major economic policy issues.
About the IMF
a) This organization aims to ensure the stability of the international monetary system i.e.
the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries to
transact with each other.
b) It works towards,
i) Fostering global monetary cooperation
ii) Securing financial stability
iii) Facilitating international trade
iv) Promoting high employment and sustainable economic growth
v) Reducing poverty around the world
c) IMF is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries that make up its near-global
membership.
Source: The Hindu and IMF website
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Sovereign Bonds
What is the recent controversy with ‘Sovereign bonds’?
Sovereign bond
a) A bond is a fixed income instrument that represents a loan made by an investor to a

borrower.
b) A bond could be thought of as an I.O.U. (I Owe You) between the lender and borrower
that includes the details of the loan and its payments.
c) When a government issues such bond it is called a sovereign bond.
Controversy
a) In the recent Budget speech, the Finance Minister announced that the Government
would start raising a part of its gross borrowing programme in external markets in
external currencies.
b) According to most reports, this type of borrowing is likely to start by October with the
initial amount of $10 billion.
c) The current controversy relates to India’s sovereign bonds that will be floated in
foreign countries and will be denominated in foreign currencies.
d) It means both the initial loan amount and the final payment will be in either US dollars
or some other comparable currency.
e) It can possibly create unstable conditions in India’s foreign exchange depends on the
exchange rate risk.
f) The difference between issuing a bond denominated in rupees and issuing it in a

foreign currency is the incidence of exchange rate risk.
g) If the loan is in terms of dollars, and the rupee weakens against the dollar during the
bond’s tenure, the government would have to return more rupees to pay back the same
amount of dollars.
h) If, however, the initial loan is denominated in rupee terms, then the negative fallout
would be on the foreign investor.
Which country’ s sovereign bonds are well known?
a) Generally, the more financially strong a country, the more well respected is its
sovereign bond.
b) Some of the best-known sovereign bonds are the Treasuries (of the United States),
the Gilts (of Britain), OATS (of France), the Bunds (of Germany) and the JGBs (of Japan).
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Why is India borrowing in external markets in external currency?
a) Indian government’s domestic borrowing is crowding out private investment.
b) Domestic borrowing is also preventing the interest rates from falling even when
inflation is constant and the RBI is cutting policy rates.
c) If the government borrows from outside, there will be investable money left for private
companies to borrow. So, interest rates can start coming down.
d) India’s sovereign external debt to GDP (approximately 5%) is among the lowest
globally. So, there is scope for the Indian government to raise funds this way.
e) Sovereign bond issue will provide a yield curve for Indian corporates who wish to raise
loans in foreign markets.
f) Currently, timing is also great. Especially in the advanced economies where the
government is likely to go to borrow, the interest rates are low.
Where the concerns lie?
a) There is an element of risk, e.g. exchange rate risk, that comes into the picture when
a government borrows in foreign markets and in foreign currency.
b) Studies have shown that volatility in India’s exchange rate is far more than the
volatility in the yields of India’s G-secs.
c) This means that although the government would be borrowing at cheaper rates than
domestically, the final rates might make the deal costlier.
d) There is possibility of excess money supply that can create inflation and push up the
interest rates. Thus it can disincentivize private investments.
Global Innovation Index 2019

Recently the Global Innovation Index 2019 was launched at New Delhi. For the first time,
the GII launch is being hosted by the Government of India.
Key Findings
a) Switzerland is the world’s most-innovative country followed by Sweden, the United

States of America (U.S.), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (U.K.).
b) The report identifies regional leaders India (in the Central and Southern Asia), South
Africa, Chile, Israel, and Singapore, with China, Viet Nam, and Rwanda topping their
income groups.
c) India climbed five notches on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2019 to the 52nd
position among 129 countries from 57th last year.
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d) The report shows that public R&D expenditures, particularly in some high-income
economies, are growing slowly or not at all.
e) Most top science and technology clusters are in the U.S., China, and Germany, while
Brazil, India, Iran, the Russian Federation, and Turkey also feature in the top 100 list.
About the report
a) It ranks economies according to their innovation capacity and performance and

provides valuable insights into the dynamics of global innovation.
b) The GII 2019 theme is ‘Creating Healthy Lives – The Future of Medical Innovation.’
c) It was developed jointly by World Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO), Cornell

University, INSEAD.
d) It ranks 129 economies based on 80 indicators from research and development

investments, international patent, trademark applications, mobile-phone app creation,
and high-tech exports.
Source: The Hindu and WIPO website
India’s ban on Cryptocurrencies

An inter-ministerial committee (IMC) was set up to assess the viability of virtual
currencies and it has submitted its report.
What are virtual currencies?
1. Virtual currency is a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded and
functions as
a. A medium of exchange,
b. A unit of account,
c. A store of value.
2. Unlike fiat currency like the rupee, it is not legal tender and does not have the backing
of a government.
3. A cryptocurrency is a subset of virtual currencies, and is decentralized, and protected

by cryptography.
How do the Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) and Blockchain work?
1. DLT refers to technologies that involve the use of independent computers (also
referred to as nodes) to record, share, and synchronise transactions in their respective
electronic ledgers.
2. Keeping such distributed ledgers requires the need for keeping the data centralized, as
is done in a traditional ledger. All virtual currencies use DLT.
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3. A transaction under DLT refers to the transfer of “value” from one to another. This
“value” could be any record of ownership of assets — money, security, land titles — or
the record of specific information such as information about one’s identity or health
information, etc. So DLT has applications in several fields.
4. Blockchain is a specific kind of DLT that came to prominence after Bitcoin, a

cryptocurrency that used it.
5. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin use codes to encrypt transactions and stack them up
in blocks, creating Blockchains. It is the use of codes that differentiates cryptocurrencies
from other virtual currencies.
Which are the IMC’s view on DLT and cryptocurrencies?
1. The IMC accepts that internationally, the application of DLT is being explored in the
areas of trade finance, mortgage loan applications, digital identity management or KYC
requirements, cross-border fund transfers and clearing and settlement systems.
2. It recommends the Department of Economic Affairs to take necessary measures to

facilitate the use of DLT in the entire financial field after identifying its uses.
3. The IMC also recommends that regulators — RBI, SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA, and IBBI —
explore evolving appropriate regulations for development of DLT in their respective
areas.
4. However, the IMC has recommended a ban on private cryptocurrencies, but it is open
to a cryptocurrency that the RBI may unveil.
5. It noted that the RBI Act has the enabling provisions to permit the central government
to approve a “Central Bank Digital Currency” (CBDC) as legal tender in India.
Why IMC has recommended banning of private cryptocurrencies?
IMC had following concerns with the private cryptocurrencies.
1. Non-official currencies
a. The non-official virtual currencies can be used to defraud consumers, particularly

unsophisticated consumers or investors.
b. The IMC gives the example of the Rs 2,000 crore scam involving Gain Bitcoin in India
where investors were duped by a Ponzi scheme.
c. Such currencies often experience tremendous volatility in their value.
d. In a country where lakhs of traders get involved in such currencies, this could have
huge implications.
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2. Environmental Concerns
a. Scaling up such a currency system over a large population would require high levels of
energy resources. Currencies such as Bitcoin require humongous processing power.
b. According to a report by the Bank of International Settlement, Bitcoin processing

already uses as much energy as is used by Switzerland; it called this an environmental
disaster.
3. Financial Instability
a. If private cryptocurrencies are allowed to function as legal tender, the RBI would lose
control over the monetary policy.
b. This would result in financial instability, as it would not be able to keep a tab on the
money supply in the economy.
4. Money Laundering and Absence of Grievance Redressal Mechanism
a. The anonymity of private digital currencies make them vulnerable to money laundering
and use in terrorist financing activities while making law enforcement difficult.
b. There is no grievance redressal mechanism in such a system, as all transactions are

irreversible.
Panel on Virtual currencies

a) An inter-ministerial committee set up by the government on virtual currencies has
submitted its report.
b) The committee was chaired by Subhash Garg. The committee was formed in 2017.
Recommendations
a) It has recommended that private cryptocurrencies be banned completely in India by

enacting a law, imposing fines, penalties, and imprisonment up to 10 years.
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b) The committee has proposed a draft bill ‘Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of
Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’.
c) However, the committee has taken a lenient view on the government launching an
official digital currency with the assistance by the Reserve Bank of India.
d) Fine has been set at either three times the loss or harm caused by a person, or three
times the gain made by the person, whichever is higher.
e) It recommends the RBI to examine the utility of using ‘Distributed Ledger Technology
(DLT)’ based systems for enabling faster and more secure payment.
Reasons for banning private cryptocurrencies
a) The committee highlights the fact that cryptocurrencies do not have any intrinsic value
of their own and lack any of the attributes of a currency.
b) It means cryptocurrencies neither act as a store of value nor are they a medium of
exchange in themselves.
c) So the committee states that the private cryptocurrencies should not be allowed.
d) Private cryptocurrencies are inconsistent with the essential functions of money or

currency. Hence private cryptocurrencies cannot replace fiat currencies.
Benefits of DLT
a) The committee has asked to explore the benefits of the ‘Distributed Ledger Technology
(DLT)’ and blockchain.
b) DLT-based systems can be used by banks and other financial firms for loan tracking,
collateral management, fraud detection, claims management in insurance, etc.
c) DLT can be beneficial for removing errors and frauds in the land markets if the
technology is implemented for maintaining land records.
Source: The Hindu
Budget’s dilemma
Economic Activity has been losing momentum for the last three quarters.
Why is it happening?
Issue of NBFCs
1. The Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) are facing liquidity crunch and
providing special liquidity window from the government could turn into a moral hazard.
2. Instead, the government must focus on the root problem of asymmetric information
about asset quality, which has resulted in trust deficit, due to which NBFCs are facing a
liquidity crunch.
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Agrarian Distress
1. Due to continuously declining terms of trade, it has reduced rural purchasing power
and consumption.
2. Poor monsoon start could further raise rural anxiety and induce precautionary savings.
Global environment
1. Trade war between US and China, which requires a sustainable deal than a temporary
agreement.
2. Global consumption is expected to decline and capital expenditure and investment

could reduce.
3. The declined demand is observed around the world, and in India also core inflation
slowing to 2.5 percent in 2019 from almost 6 percent in 2018.
Counter-cyclical Policy
Monetary Policy
1. The counter-cyclical policy would suggest policy must ease to increase demand, and
monetary policy has started with 75 bps of rate cuts.
2. Markets are expecting more easing, but in the current environment, the monetary
policy is not effective.
3. Banks are reluctant to cut deposit and lending rates because of high-interest rates
provided by the government on small saving schemes and other issues such as NBFC
crises.
Fiscal Policy
1. As per Counter Cyclical policy when the monetary policy is ineffective, fiscal policy
must step in by increasing government spending.
2. Higher government spending could result in a higher fiscal deficit.
3. The increasing fiscal deficit would be financed by banks and household savings.
4. The meaningful expansion of fiscal deficit would further undermine monetary

transmission, thereby making partially, counterproductive.
What should a budget do to increase demand?
1. Last year, the government achieved about 0.5 per cent of GDP in asset sales.
2. Sticking to deficit target of 3.4 percent of GDP, targeted asset sales of 1 percent of
GDP should be pursued, both through a combination of strategic disinvestment and re-
cycling existing infrastructure assets.
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3. This would ensure that even as the deficit is the same as last year, fiscal policy
effective becomes expansionary.
4. This is because revenues raised through asset sales are not contractionary likes taxes
and duties. Instead, they are an exchange of assets between the public and private
sector.
5. However, it’s important that these asset sales are used for higher public investment,
but not to finance current expenditure or make up for shortfalls in tax revenues.
6. Aggressive asset sales will allow a growth stimulus without widening the deficit and
allow better transmission of monetary policy to further help growth. Both fiscal and
monetary policy will be working in tandem.
Budget & Agriculture

1. The Ministry of Finance holds Pre-Budget Consultations with stakeholders including
representatives from agriculture and allied sectors every year.
2. This year proposals and suggestions received from the stakeholders of agriculture and
rural development group covered a wide range of issues including:
a. Need to incentivize ‘Solar’ as a crop that farmers can grow. Provide capital subsidy as
DBT to farmers for ‘solar rooftop’ panels which can generate incomes for farmers by
linking to grids.
b. ‘Rural start ups’- Gram start-ups can be set up with mentorship given by companies,
for which initial support for pilot projects can be provided by the State.
c. To reduce groundwater depletion, measures may be taken, especially with respect to

Agricultural Land Leasing Act.
d. Triple the quantum of investment for micro-irrigation and solar pumps. Solar pumps
can be given to scale up irrigation in deprived regions.
e. Diversification of livelihoods should be the focus to prevent distress migration. The

focus should be on employment generation in the non-farm sector.
f. To promote employment, handicrafts and handlooms package can be introduced in

rural areas especially the North East region.
Source: PIB
Measure to improve Farm livelihood

1. There is a downturn in agriculture exports, prices are fragmented and food-processing
sector is lagging.
2. Weakening consumer and industry sentiment, restriction of lending by banks, stagnate

in real estate sector point to the difficulty in reversing the trend.
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3. Meager allocation of funds for human resources at both the national and state levels
has cost the nation.
4. Development of human resources must become the foremost priority of Budget 2019
and the defining goal of the next decade.
5. To improve the livelihoods of farmers, a slew of seemingly unconnected measures are

required to be initiated simultaneously.
Food Processing and Human Resource Development
1. The food-processing units are struggling which are unable to utilise their capacities
and service their loans.
2. Despite multiple subsidy packages, the potential for food processing remains
unfulfilled.
3. The focus should have been to generate demand, but India is investing in creating
supply by incentivizing more food processing units through a food park scheme with a
subsidy of Rs 50 crore per park.
4. Of the 42 food parks approved, most of the 17 which were actually commissioned are
struggling or shut. The rest is yet to start, and many may have walked off with a
substantial subsidy component.
5. The few success stories in food processing like dairy, potatoes, tomatoes, gherkins are
predominantly of the farmers who are directly linked to processors offering a higher
price, which creates a virtuous cycle of prosperity.
6. This is because processors desiring specifics in quality, traceability and volumes invest
in developing the cultivation and post-harvest handling capabilities of farmers.
7. But industry lacks linkages with research institutions for processable crop varieties and
their availability in sufficient quantities.
8. Due to the food insecurity concerns since Independence, agriculture research

continues to focus on staple food crops instead of crops with higher nutritional value.
9. Agriculture research has been the most neglected segment, which has resulted in 52
per cent and 45 per cent vacancies in sanctioned posts in national and state agriculture
research institutions respectively.
10. There is a vast shortage of veterinary doctors for animal healthcare and farm
extension for animal husbandry is almost missing. This leads to the unnecessary use of
chemicals, steroids and antibiotics in our food value chain.
11. The budget should attempt to fill these gaping holes.
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Financial mismanagement
1. One section of the government is taxing the agriculture sector through GST, while
another is subsidizing it.
2. The center is funding to improve the efficiency of paddy sowing, while the state
government targets crop diversification away from paddy.
3. As agriculture is a state subject, the Union Government is unable to influence it much.
4. Due to such conflicting issues, the goal of diversification from non-perishable crops
and a secure MSP to a market-linked system of growing fruits and vegetables, dairy,
poultry, etc is left on farmers risk.
5. Due to consistent failure to resolve issues of middlemen and market reforms, it is

suggested to place agriculture on the Concurrent List.
Women Empowerment and Agriculture
1. Until the share of the women farmers increases, where they do more paid work and
less unpaid work, we cannot replicate the success of the Asian economies.
2. Less than 5 percent of landholdings is women-owned revealing the fact that, although
the women farmers are increasing in India the majority of them are engaged in unpaid
work.
Way Forward
1. Strategic development approaches differ, depending on the objectives. A capitalist

society like the US fights inequality by creating equal opportunities and Scandinavian
nations design policies to create equal outcomes.
2. In India, sociologists should have as much influence as economists in policy framing

for better results.
Broadband Readiness Index

1. The Department of Telecom (DoT) and the Indian Council for Research on
International Economic Relations (ICRIER) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) for Indian States and Union
Territories (UT).
2. The first estimate will be made in 2019 and subsequently every year until 2022.
3. BRI is in line with the recommendation of the National Digital Communication Policy
(NDCP) 2018.
About Broadband Readiness Index
1. The BRI consists of two parts.
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2. Part I will focus on infrastructure development based on the measurement of nine

parameters such as availability of state policy on IT and Towers, availability of a
centralized IT Portal for clearances etc.
3. Part II consists of demand-side parameters which will be captured through primary

surveys. It will include indicators such as
a. Percentage of households using computers/ laptops with an internet connection.
b. Percentage of households with a fixed broadband connection.
c. Internet users as a percentage of the population,
d. Smart phones density.
e. Percentage of households with at least one digitally literate member, etc.
Benefits of the Index
1. The index will appraise the condition of the underlying digital infrastructure and
related factors at the State/UT level.
2. It will provide useful insights into strategic choices made by the States for investment
allocations in ICT programmes.
3. In the spirit of competitive federalism, the index will encourage states to cross learn
and jointly participate in achieving the overall objective of digital inclusion and
development in India.
4. It will also allow for a better understanding of a state’s strengths and weaknesses that
can feed into evidence-based policymaking.
Source: PIB
Environment
Worker safety code Bill 2019

Recently the Union Cabinet has approved a code on ‘Occupational Safety, Health and
Working Conditions Bill, 2019’.
About the bill
a) The bill aims to enhance the coverage of the safety, health and working conditions
provisions manifold as compared to the present scenario.
b) The bill aims to merge 13 labour laws into one code on occupational safety, health and
working conditions that would apply to all establishments with 10 or more workers.
c) The bill will be applicable to all trades, including IT establishments and service sector.
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d) The code makes it mandatory for employers to provide free annual medical check-ups
and issue appointment letters to all employees.
e) The multiple committees under five labour Acts would be replaced by the National
Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Board.
f) The code framed rules for women workers working night shifts.
Acts to be amalgamated
a) Factories Act, 1948
b) Mines Act, 1952
c) Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of

Service) Act, 1996
d) Plantations Labour Act, 1951
e) Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970
f) Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service)

Act, 1979
g) Working Journalist and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Misc.
Provision) Act, 1955
h) Working Journalist (Fixation of rates of wages) Act, 1958
i) Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
j) Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act, 1976
k) Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966
l) Cine-Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act, 1981.
m) Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986
Benefits
a) It will provide Safety, Health, welfare and improved Working Conditions which are
prerequisite for well-being of the worker and for economic growth of the country.
b) Workforce of the country would be more healthy and productive. There will be less
occurrence of accidents.
Source: PIB
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Water Conservation
What are facts about water availability and use in India?
a) India has only 4% of the global freshwater resources. However, it has to quench the
thirst of about 18% of the world population.
b) As per the Central Water Commission, Water use for Irrigation purposes is likely to be
reduced to 68% by 2050 from 78% in 2010.
c) For domestic use, it was just 6% in 2010 but it is likely to go up to 9.5% by 2050.
How is the agriculture responsible for water crisis?
a) Various reports suggest that agriculture will remain the biggest user of water to
produce enough food, feed, and fiber for the foreseeable future.
b) Major source of the irrigation is groundwater (63%), canals accounting for (24%),
tanks (2%) and all other sources accounting for about (11%).
c) It shows that real burden of irrigating Indian agriculture lies with groundwater driven
by private investments from farmers.
d) Policy of cheap or free power supply for irrigation has led to a situation of near
anarchy in the use of groundwater.
Which crops are highly water intensive?
a) Two water-guzzling crops, Paddy and sugarcane, take away almost 60% of India’s
irrigation water.
b) One kilogram of rice produced in Punjab requires almost 5,000 liters of water.
c) One kg of sugar, say in Maharashtra, requires about 2,300 liters of water for irrigation.
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Where the solution lies?
a) Monetary rewards should be given to farmers for saving water and power for
irrigation.
b) There can be an income support for crops that require less water. E.g. for maize or
soybean in Punjab during the Kharif season.
c) This would provide savings on the power subsidy as well as precious groundwater.
d) Sugarcane needs to be contained in the Maharashtra-Karnataka belt and expanded in

the UP-Bihar belt.
e) With new Co 0238 varieties that give recovery rates of more than 10.5%, there is a
good case that sugarcane can be developed for ethanol.
f) Rationalization of power pricing should be done for agriculture.
g) Policies should be put on the right track to reap the benefits of technological solutions
like drip irrigation, sprinklers, etc.
h) Israel has perhaps the best water technologies and management systems, ranging
from drips to desalinization to recycling of urban wastewater for agriculture. India can
adopt such systems.
Locust Control and Research scheme

a) Ministry of Agriculture has announced that there has been an incursion of desert
locusts in Rajasthan and Gujarat from areas bordering Pakistan.
b) However, any damage has not been reported to the crops.
c) India has a Locust Control and Research scheme that is being implemented through
the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO).
d) LWO’s responsibility is monitoring and control of the locust situation in Scheduled

Desert Areas mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and partly in Punjab and Haryana.
e) The LWO publishes a fortnightly bulletin on the locust situation.
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About Locust
a) Locusts are certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that
have a swarming phase.
b) These insects are usually solitary. However, under certain circumstances, they become
more abundant and change their behavior and habits.
Sea level rise in ports

Mains-GS3-Environment, Mains-GS3- Disaster Management
a) As per the Ministry of Earth Sciences, four ports, Diamond Harbour, Kandla, Haldia
and Port Blair, in India recorded a higher sea-level rise than the global average
b) The data says that Diamond Harbour in West Bengal located at the mouth of the river
Hooghly has recorded the maximum sea level increase.
c) Mean sea level rise for Diamond Harbour was based on recordings over the period
from 1948 to 2005.
d) Chennai and Mumbai recorded a sea level rise far below the global and the national
averages.
Connection with Global Warming

a) Sea level rise is said to be linked with global warming.
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b) As per the fifth assessment report of the International Panel on Climate Change, the
global sea level was rising at an average rate of 1.8 mm per year over the last century.
c) Rising sea levels can worsen the impacts of coastal hazards such as storm surge,
tsunami, coastal floods, high waves and coastal erosion in the low-lying coastal areas.
d) Global Warming leads to internal expansion of water in oceans and thus a rise in the
sea level.
Source: The Hindu
Conservation of Great Indian Bustard

Union Ministry of Environment has recently informed the Parliament about the
conservation project of ‘Great Indian Bustard’.
About the project
a) As there are just 130 great Indian bustards left in the country, Government has
initiated a project to protect the Great Indian Bustard.
b) Funds are being provided to states and Union Territories for conservation and
protection of 21 critically endangered species. The list also includes the Great Indian
Bustard.
c) Funds are provided under the centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Integrated Development of
Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH)’ under the component ‘Species Recovery Programme’.
d) Along with it, Project titled ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great
Indian Bustard-An Integrated Approach’ has been launched for five years.
e) Funds for the project are being provided through ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation
Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for conservation.
f) Technical support is supported from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
g) Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra are the important range states involved in this
programme.
h) Currently, there are two centres for breeding and hatching- one in Jaisalmer and the
other in Kota, both in Rajasthan.
About GIB
a) It is one of the heaviest birds found in the country.
b) The birds prefer terrestrial habitats such as Grassland.
c) It is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ under the IUCN red list.
d) The population of the species is declining because of activities such as Mining &
quarrying, agriculture, invasive species, anthropogenic threats etc.
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About ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH)’
a) It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched to provide assistance to States/UTs for

protection of wildlife habitat.
b) It is extended till 2019-2020.
c) The activities covered under the scheme include,
i) Staff development and capacity building
ii) Wildlife research and evaluation
iii) Anti-poaching activities
iv) Wildlife veterinary care
v) Addressing man-animal conflicts
vi) Promoting eco-tourism.
d) Financial assistance is also provided to States for the relocation of communities from
within protected areas to other areas.
Source: PIB and The Hindu
Mediterranean sharks
Recently published report of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) states that Sharks are at risk
of disappearing from the Mediterranean sea region.
About the report
a) The report is titled as the ‘Sharks in Crisis: A call to action for the Mediterranean’.
b) The report comes on the occasion of Shark Awareness Day observed annually on July
14.
c) As per the report, Overfishing and plastic pollution pose threat to their populations.
d) The report states that more than half of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean
were under threat and that almost a third of them have been fished to the brink of
extinction.
e) Tunisia has become the second largest fishing country for sharks in the Mediterranean
after Libya.
f) The IUCN Red List of endangered species counts 79 endangered shark and 120
endangered ray species. Rays are the largest group of cartilaginous fish.
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About the WWF
a) It aims to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life
on Earth.
b) It works in 100 countries and is supported by millions of people globally.
c) Morges Manifesto (1961) highlighted the need of financial support to continue the
work. So accordingly the WWF was established as an international fundraising
organization.
d) Focused Areas
i) Food
ii) Climate
iii) Fresh Water
iv) Wildlife
v) Forest
vi) Ocean
Source: The Hindu and WWF website
Orchids of India Survey

Botanical Survey of India has come up with the first comprehensive census of orchids of
India ‘Orchids of India Survey: A Pictorial Guide’.
About the survey
a) It states that India is home to 1,256 species of orchid. Out of which, species endemic
to India at 388.
b) Orchids can be broadly categorized into three life forms,
1) Epiphytic-
i) These are plants growing on other plants including those growing on rock boulders and
often termed lithophyte.
ii) The report states that about 60% of all orchids found in the country i.e. 757 species
are epiphytic.
iii) These are abundant up to 1800 m above the sea level and their occurrence decreases
with the increase in altitude.
2) Terrestrial-
i) These plants grow on land and climbers.

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ii) 447 orchid species are terrestrial.
iii) These are found in large numbers in temperate and alpine region.
3) Mycoheterotrophy-
i) These are plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the
roots of a vascular plant.
ii) 43 orchid species are mycoheterotrophic.
iii) These are mostly associated with ectomycorrhizal fungi, are found in temperate
regions, or are found growing with parasites in tropical regions.
c) A State-wise distribution of orchid species point out that the Himalayas, North-East
parts of the country and Western Ghats are the hot-spots of the beautiful plant species.
d) Highest number of orchid species is recorded from Arunachal Pradesh, followed by

Sikkim, and West Bengal.
e) One-third endemic species are found in Western Ghats. Kerala and Karnataka is
dominant state.
f) Entire orchid family is listed under appendix II of CITES (Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and hence any trade of wild orchid
is banned globally.
About Botanical Survey of India
a) It is the apex taxonomic research organization of India, which is under the Ministry of
Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
b) It was established in 1890 under the direction of Sir George King.
c) The organization’s mandate is to explore, collect, identify and document the rich plant
resources of India.
d) It is headquartered in Kolkata.
Source: BSI website and The Hindu
Blue Flag Challenge

The Union Environment Ministry has selected 12 beaches in India to contest for a ‘Blue
Flag’ certification.
Which beaches have been selected?
a. Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Bhogave (Maharashtra),
b. Ghoghla (Diu), Miramar (Goa),
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c. Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka),
d. Kappad (Kerala), Eden (Puducherry),
e. Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh),
f. Golden (Odisha), and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
Why to participate?
To achieve the internationally recognized highest standard for the purpose of,
a. Beach management
b. Planning and execution of projects for infrastructure development,
c. Cleanliness and hygiene.
d. Safety and security services.
What are the parameters?
There are nearly 33 criteria, voluntary and some compulsory that must be met to qualify
for a Blue Flag certification. These include.
a. Water meeting certain quality standards
b. Having waste disposal facilities
c. Being disabled-friendly
d. Availability of first aid equipment and
e. No access to pets in the main areas of the beach.
How has India improved?
a. India is set to apply for certification for two beaches, at Shivrajpur and Ghogla, by the
end of July.
b. About ₹20 crore has been spent on each beach.
c. Beaches are given the qualification for a year and must apply annually to continue
meriting the right to fly the flag at their locations.
d. The improvements are to be made at a minimum of 10 meters from the high tide line.
India has shown improvements by setting up the following-
1. Container toilet blocks
2. Change rooms
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3. Shower panels
4. Mini greywater treatment plants in an enclosed structure
5. Mini solid waste recycling plants and
6. Off-grid solar photovoltaic panels.
Source: The Hindu
Gharial Conservation
About the conservation plan
a) Gharials are first bred in Nandankanan Zoological Park and then released into their
natural habitat i.e. Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi.
b) Satkosia gorge is the southernmost limit of gharials’ home range in India.
c) Gharials are individually marked and fitted with radio transmitters for future
identification and tracking of their migration route.
d) The technical assistance for biotelemetry is being provided by the gharial Telemetry
Project, The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.
e) Odisha is the only state in India having all three species — gharial, mugger and
saltwater crocodile.
About the Nandankanan Park
a) It is a premier zoological park located near Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
b) Gharials have bred for the first time in captivity in the world at Nandankanan
Zoological Park in 1980.
c) It is the first zoo in the World to breed White tiger and Melanistic tiger.
d) Nandankanan is the only conservation breeding center of Indian Pangolins in the

world.
e) It is the only zoological park in India to become an institutional member of World

Association of Zoos and Aquarium (WAZA).
f) It is the first zoo in India where endangered Ratel was born in captivity.
g) Nandankanan is the only zoo in India to have an Open-top Leopard Enclosure.
About Gharial
a) It is a species of crocodile listed as a ‘Critically Endangered’ by IUCN.
b) It is native to sandy freshwater riverbanks in the plains of the northern part of the
Indian subcontinent.
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c) It is threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources, and

entanglement in fishing nets.
d) It is one of the longest of all living crocodilians.
Source: The Hindu and IUCN website
Thermal plants and Water conservation

What will be the challenge before energy sector?
a) Managing the electricity needs of a country that’s already dealing with water scarcity
will be a challenge before Energy sector.
b) Water is essential for human survival, agriculture and industry. India has only 4% of
the world’s renewable water resources but about 18% of the world’s population.
c) India has announced the goal of 100% electrification. To achieve this, the country’s
installed power capacity will need to be doubled.
d) Even with the growth of renewable energy, coal has been projected to be the
backbone of the electricity sector till 2030 and beyond.
e) As the thermal power plants are water-intensive and operate on coal, there is need of
managing the electricity needs of India as well as deal water scarcity.
Where are generally TPP located?
a) Thermal power plants (TPPs) consume significant amounts of water during the
electricity generation process.
b) Most of India’s TPPs are located in water-stressed areas.
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c) Water shortages have led to electricity-generation disruptions and significant revenue

losses to the economy.
When did Government take step?
a) In December 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a
notification setting limits for water consumption by TPPs.
b) However, the amended Environment Protection (EP) Rules codified in June 2018 ended
up permitting TPPs to use more water than what was initially specified.
How to improve the situation?
a) Central Electricity Authority (CEA) recently released the format for TPPs to report on
their annual water consumption.
b) These guidelines can be strengthened by including following relevant inputs.
i) TPPs should disclose the amount of water consumed by them in previous years so that
a baseline for water consumption per TPP can be established.
ii) Reporting requirements must be added to the EP Rules to accord the disclosure
process greater transparency and enforceability.
iii) TPPs should also be required to submit verifiable evidence e.g. water bills to support
and substantiate the disclosures.
iv) Data supplied by TPPs should be placed in the public domain so that the parameters
disclosed can be studied in the context of region-specific water shortages, outages in the
plants, etc.
c) Section 15 of the EP Act provides for a blanket penalty for contravention of any
provision of the Act. However, it doesn’t stipulate specific penalties for specific offenses.
So, it should be reviewed by the government at the earliest.
d) Relevant officials in charge of enforcement, across the Ministry and the CEA, should be
identified, and their roles clearly defined.
e) To reduce the stress caused by TPPs, Renewable sources should be adopted

aggressively to achieve its global climate targets.
Source: The Hindu
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Clean Air Initiative

Recently the United Nations (UN) launched ‘Clear Air Initiative’ ahead of upcoming ‘2019
Climate Action Summit’.
About the initiative
a) It is launched by the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United
Nations Environment Programme, and Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
b) The initiative ask the governments at all levels to join the Initiative.
c) It asks for the commitment of the government to achieve air quality that is safe for
citizens
d) Governments need to take the following actions,
i) Implementing air quality and climate change policies that will achieve the WHO
Ambient Air Quality Guideline values.
ii) Implementing e-mobility and sustainable mobility policies and actions with the aim of
making a decisive impact on road transport emissions.
iii) Assessing the number of lives that are saved, the health gains, and avoided financial
costs to health systems that result from implementing their policies.
iv) Tracking progress, sharing experiences and best practices through an international
network supported by the Breathe life Action Platform’.
Need of urgent action
a) According to the WHO, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths each year, of
which 600,000 are children.
b) According to the World Bank, air pollution costs the global economy an estimated
US$5.11 trillion in welfare losses.
c) In the 15 countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, health impacts of air
pollution are estimated to cost more than 4% of GDP.
About UN
a) It is an intergovernmental organization tasked with maintaining international peace

and security , achieving international cooperation, and being a centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations.
b) It was founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 Member States.
c) It provides a forum for its members to express their views in the General Assembly,
the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and other bodies and committees.
d) It is headquartered at New York, United States.
Source: The Hindu and UN website
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Dragon tree species

Recently Researchers discover ‘Dragon tree species’ in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong
district.
About the species
a) The scientific name of the species is ‘Dracaena Cambodiana’.
b) It is an important medicinal plant as well as an ornamental tree.
c) It yields dragon’s blood i.e. a bright red resin used since ancient times as medicine,
body oil, varnish, incense, and dye.
d) This is the first time that a dragon tree species has been reported from India.
e) In India, the Dracaena genus belonging to the family Asparagaceae is represented by

nine species and two varieties in the Himalayan region, the northeast and Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
f) However, recently discovered Dracaena Cambodian is the only true dragon tree
species.
g) Several antifungal and antibacterial compounds, antioxidants, flavonoids, etc.have

been extracted from various parts of the plant.
h) But recent overexploitation to meet the increasing demand for dragon’s blood has
resulted in rapid depletion of the plant.
Source: The Hindu
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Climate Change Study

According to a study released recently in Journals, World temperatures rose faster in the
late 20th century than at any other time in the last 2,000 years.
Highlights of the study
a) Researchers aim to provide a comprehensive timeline of the planet’s recent climate

history.
b) They used data compiled from nearly 700 temperature indicators such as tree rings,
sediment cores, coral reefs, and modern thermometer readings.
c) The study stated that at no point in modern human history did temperatures rise so
quickly and consistently as in the late 20th century.
d) The study found that pre-industrial temperature fluctuations were largely driven by
volcanic activity.
Source: The Hindu
Namdapha Tiger Reserve

Recently conservation of the Royal Bengal Tiger in Namdapha Tiger Reserve took a hit
because of staff crisis. Employees were inducted under the Project Tiger.
About Namdapha Tiger Reserve
a) It was declared in the year 1983 as the Tiger Project of the country. It is located in
Arunachal Pradesh.
b) Namdapha is, in fact, the name of a river which originates from Daphabum hills.
c) Biogeographically, the reserve falls within the Eastern Himalayan biogeographic zone
in the Indian Biogeographic Region which covers the Palearctic Realm and the Indo-
Malayan Realm.
d) The reserve area falls within the geographical sub-tropical zone and enjoys the sub-
tropical climate.
e) Flora and fauna of Namdapha protected areas is exceptionally rich, dense and diverse
in species composition.
About Project Tiger
a) It was launched in 1973 to conserve its national animal, the ‘Tiger’.
b) The project aims to foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger
reserves, with an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer.
c) Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of

Environment providing central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in
designated tiger reserves.
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d) The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy.
About NTCA
a) It is a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment as provided in the Wildlife

(Protection) Act, 1972.
b) It has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
for strengthening tiger conservation in the country.
c) It fosters accountability of Center-State in the management of Tiger Reserves, by

providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
d) Minister of Environment, Forest is chairman of NTCA.
Source: The Hindu and NTCA
All India Tiger Estimate – 2018

On the International Tiger Day, the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger
Estimation – 2018 was released.
Key Finding of the Census
1. The count of tigers in India has risen to 2967, in 2018, according to this census. India
is today among the biggest and most secure habitats.
2. The 33% rise in tiger numbers is the highest ever recorded between cycles which
stood at 21% between 2006 to 2010 and 30% between 2010 and 2014.
3. The rise in tiger numbers was in conformity with the average annual growth rate of
tigers since, 2006.
4. Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, followed by Karnataka and
Uttarakhand with 524 and 442 tigers respectively.
5. India achieved its commitment to the St. Petersburg Declaration, of doubling Tiger
population, much in advance to the 2022 deadline.
6. Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while tiger’s numbers
in Odisha remained constant. All other States witnessed a positive trend.
7. At the landscape level, all 5 landscapes showed an increase with the Central Indian
landscape recording the highest increment.
Method of Sampling
1. India has been estimating its tigers using a double sampling approach involving a
mark-recapture framework to ascertain tiger numbers, which is being improved over
time.
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2. During the 4th cycle, data was collected using an Android-based application- M-
STrIPES (Monitoring system for Tigers’ Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) and
analysed on the applications’ desktop module.
3. Besides cameras were also used to get the images of wildlife including tigers.
4. Segregation of these images was possible in a short time because of the use of
artificial intelligence software.
MEETR
1. A report of the 4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger

Reserves (MEETR) was also released.
2. Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh scored the highest and Sathyamangalam Tiger
Reserve, Tamil Nadu showed the highest increment in management since the last cycle
for which the latter was awarded.
3. 42% of the tiger reserves fell in the Very Good management category, 34% in the
Good category, 24% in the Fair category while no tiger reserve was rated Poor.
Source: PIB
Science & Techology
Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM)

a) Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to adopt a new European visual range air to air
missile ASRAAM across its fighter fleet.
b) ASRAAM of European missile-maker MBDA has been approved for fitting on Jaguar
jets.
c) IAF was looking to integrate it on the Su-30MKIs and the indigenous Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) as well.
d) ASRAAM is widely used as a Within Visual Range (WVR) air dominance missile with a
range of over 25km.
Source: The Hindu
Next-Generation Sequencing (NSG) facility

Recently the Next Generation Sequencing (NSG) facility at the Centre for Cellular and
Molecular Biology was inaugurated.
About NSG facility
a) It includes technology for high genome sequencing and also diagnostic sequencing of
clinical samples.
b) This facility can sequence 18,000 samples in 8 minutes.
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c) The facility would help prenatal genetic screening and counseling. So, it can generate
large scale genomic data critical for diagnosis and therapy.
d) Genome sequencing is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an

organism's genome at a single time.
About CCMB
a) It is a premier research organization in frontier areas of modern biology.
b) Objectives of the Centre are to conduct high-quality basic research and training in
frontier areas of modern biology.
c) It promotes the centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the
interdisciplinary areas of biology.
d) It is located at Hyderabad.
Source: PIB
Ebola Vaccine
Recently the preliminary data from Ebola vaccination trials in Congo suggest the ‘Merck’s
vaccine (VSV-EBOV)’ has 97.5% efficacy in preventing Ebola.
About the Vaccine
a) The vaccine is aimed to protect vaccinated individuals from getting infected with Ebola
virus.
b) The duration of protection offered by the vaccine is not known, though a few studies
suggest protection up to one year.
c) The vaccine was developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and licensed to
New-Link Genetics.
About the Ebola disease
a) Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
b) Virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population
through human-to-human transmission.
c) EVD first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in South Sudan, and
the other Democratic Republic of Congo.
d) Latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River from which the disease takes its
name.
e) Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood,
secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats,
chimpanzees, gorillas, etc.
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f) Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact.
Source: The Hindu
Bhabha Kavach
a) Recently India’s lightest bullet-proof jacket ‘Bhabha Kavach’ launched at the
International Police Expo 2019 in New Delhi.
b) It is developed jointly by the Ordnance Factories Board and the public sector metals
and metal alloys manufacturer Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI).
c) It can withstand bullets from rifles such as the AK-47 assault rifle, INSAS rifle, etc.
d) The jacket is powered with nanotechnology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and
has a five-year warranty.
e) Trials have validated that the Bhabha Kavach meets US National Institute of Justice
(NIJ) Level III standards, which guarantees protection against 7.62 mm NATO-standard
bullets.
Construction
a) It is built from layers of high-density, high-tenacity polyethylene, which are thermo-

sealed by MIDHANI.
b) This means the layers are fused together at high temperature. This forms a thick, hard
armour plate, which is then sprayed with BARC’s carbon nanomaterial.
c) Soaking into the layers of the plate, the nanomaterial instils the toughness and
tenacity needed to slow down and trap a bullet as it passes through the plate.
About BARC
a) It is India's premier nuclear research facility involved in advanced research and

development in nuclear science, engineering and related areas.
b) It is the brainchild of Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha.
c) It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Chandrayaan Mission and Space race

What is the importance of ‘Chandrayaan 2 Mission’?
a) Chandrayaan 2 is an Indian lunar mission that will visit the part where no country has
ever gone before i.e. the Moon's south polar region.
b) The aim of the mission is to improve humanity’s understanding of the Moon through
discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole.
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c) Moon provides the best linkage to Earth’s early history. It offers an undisturbed
historical record of the inner Solar system environment.
d) So, it is necessary to study the moon to understand the mysteries of the solar system
and ultimately the universe.
e) This mission will attempt to soft-land the lander -Vikram and rover- Pragyan in a high
plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N on the moon to serve this
purpose.
Why is the Lunar South Pole being explored?
a) Lunar South Pole is especially interesting because of the lunar surface area here that
remains in shadow is much larger than that at the North Pole.
b) There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around

it. Many recent surveys have identified the presence of water in the polar regions.
c) Having easy access to water is obviously critical to a sustainable human presence on

the moon.
d) In addition, South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil
record of the early Solar System.
e) Lunar south pole also has places where the sun never sets. These places are called
‘Peaks of Eternal Light’.
How are ‘Peaks of Eternal Light’ significant?
a) These are the points on any celestial body that receive sunlight through the year. The
moon has these peaks on its polar regions.
b) The peaks in the south polar region are considered more attractive than those in the
north.
c) Near permanent sunlight facilitates the establishment of lunar stations with assured
supply of solar energy.
d) Some of these peaks are located next to areas that are in permanent darkness and
hold significant reserves of lunar ice which can provide water also.
e) Water can also be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen, which in turn can be
turned into rocket fuel.
f) With moon’s low gravity, space vehicles need a lot less fuel than on earth for take-off.
g) So, it can make the moon a convenient way-station from which human explorers could
travel to other celestial bodies.
That’s why many countries, private corporations are giving importance to exploration of
‘Lunar South Pole.’
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Who is aiming at ‘lunar south pole’ exploration?
a) In January 2019, China’s Chang’e 4 soft-landed in the Von Karman crater on the dark
side of the south polar region.
b) China hopes to build a lunar robotic station near the south pole in little more than a
decade.
c) United States lunar program, revived by the Trump Administration, aims to put
humans back on the moon in the next decade.
d) NASA’s focus is on the south pole and if it succeeds, it will be the first manned crew to
arrive at the south pole.
e) Amazon’s subsidiary ‘Blue Origin’ has planned ‘Blue Moon project’ that seeks to land
men and women on the moon in the next few years.
Where the challenges lie?
a) As a lunar race unfolds, the world can possibly run into difficult problems about such
mundane issues as property rights.
b) Currently, the international law of outer space is defined by the 1967 Outer Space
Treaty (OST)
c) OST explicitly affirms that outer space and celestial bodies like the moon can’t be
appropriated by any nation through claims.
d) However, It calls the exploration and use of outer space shall be the province of all
mankind.
e) Currently the “peaks of eternal light” constitute the most valuable real estate on the
moon. There are chances of fierce competition among countries, corporations over such
regions.
f) There is also contention on ownership of the resources of the moon. In 2015, the US
has already authorized its citizens to own, transport and sell resources exploited on the
moon.
g) Even small country such as Luxembourg has passed a similar law to attract companies
interested in space mining.
Which are the solutions?
a) India needs to match the extraordinary success of its scientists with sustained
diplomatic effort at the highest level.
b) India’s foreign Office needs to take up international space cooperation as a strategic

priority.
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c) It needs to develop a stronger political voice for India in shaping new rules for the
moon and outer space.
Source: Indian Express and The Hindu
Tiangong-2 Mission
a) Tiangong-2 was a manned Chinese space station that was destroyed upon its
controlled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
b) Recently it was retired from service after it had completed its experiments in space.
c) Tiangong-2 space station was launched in 2016 and housed two Chinese astronauts
also.
d) It’s precursor ‘Tiangong-1’, China’s first space station, was crashed into the southern
Pacific Ocean.
e) Tiangong means ‘Heavenly Palace’ in Chinese.
f) China expects to complete its space station, Tianhe, which will be able to host three
astronauts for long durations, around 2022.
About International Space Station (ISS)
a) It is a space station in low Earth orbit.
b) ISS program is a joint project between five participating space agencies,
i) NASA (United States)
ii) ROSCOSMOS (Russia)
iii) JAXA (Japan)
iv) ESA (European Union)
v) CSA (Canada)
c) The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental

treaties and agreements.
d) ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which

crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy,
meteorology, etc.
Source: Indian Express and NASA website
New Space India Ltd

1. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, has started a new Public Sector
Enterprise viz. New Space India Limited (NSIL) has been incorporated.
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2. It is a new commercial arm of the Department of Space to tap the benefits of the
Research & Development carried out by ISRO.
3. The Company will spearhead commercialization of various space products including

production of launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and marketing of space products.
4. India has emerged as a major space power with the technology and ability to launch
satellites and other space products at globally low cost. Now it is time to harness this
ability commercially.
Source: PIB
Desalination of Water
1. India’s top policymakers are warning about water crises and reports show that major
cities in India are already struggling to stave off a water crisis.
2. To address the water crisis, ideas of exploring technologies to harness fresh water are
mooted.
3. The one idea is desalination or obtaining freshwater from saltwater. It is being already
used in Chennai, but it has limited application due to operating cost.
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What is desalination technology?
1. To convert saltwater into freshwater, the most prevalent technology in the world is
reverse osmosis (RO).
RO Technology
1. A plant pumps in salty or brackish water filters separate the salt from the water, and
the salty water is returned to the sea. Freshwater is sent to households.
2. Osmosis involves a solvent (such as water) naturally moving from an area of low
solute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration.
3. A reverse osmosis system applies an external pressure to reverse the natural flow of
solvent and so seawater or brackish water is pressurised against one surface of the
membrane, causing salt-depleted water to move across the membrane, releasing clean
water from the low-pressure side’.
4. Seawater has Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (a measure of salinity) close 35,000 parts
per million (ppm) of water. An effective network of RO plants reduces this down to about
200-500 ppm.
5. Engineering such plants have various constraints, such as, salt levels in the source
water, energy requirement and disposing of the salt back into the sea.
6. There are about 18,000 desalination plants in the world across 150 countries and
nearly half of Israel’s water is sourced through desalination.
Where RO plants are installed in India?
1. Government has set up two desalination plants in Chennai, together they meet around
a fourth of the city’s water requirement.
2. Due to the success of these plants, the city’s water authorities are planning to install
two more plants funded by the German agency, KfW and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency.
3. In 2018 Gujarat government announced plans of setting up 7 RO plants in different

parts of the state. Mainly to solve the water availability problems in the drought-prone
Saurashtra region.
4. There are other desalination plants that cater to industrial purposes. But portable
water RO plants are only in Chennai.
Why RO plants can be challenging?
1. The major environmental challenge is the deposition of brine (highly concentrated

saltwater) along the shores.
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2. Fishermen near Chennai have complained that the brine being deposited along the
seashore is triggering changes along the coastline and reducing the availability of prawn,
sardine and mackerel.
3. According to environmentalists, the hyper salinity along the shore affects plankton,
which is the main food for several of these fish species.
4. The high-pressure motors needed to draw in the seawater end up sucking in small fish
and life forms, thereby crushing and killing them which is loss of marine resources.
5. The construction of the RO plants requires huge groundwater. This was freshwater
that was sucked out and has been replaced by saltwater, rendering it unfit for the
residents around the desalination plants.
6. On average, it costs about ₹900 crore to build a 100 MLD-plant and about five years
for a plant to be set up. It is estimated that it cost ₹3 to produce 100 litres of potable
water.
How healthy is RO water?
1. There were concerns that desalinated water was shorn of vital minerals such as
calcium, magnesium, zinc, sodium, potassium and carbonates. They are collectively
referred to as TDS.
2. Higher quantities of these salts in desalination plants tend to corrode the membranes
and filtration system in these plants. So, a treatment plant would try to keep the TDS as
low as possible.
3. Highly desalinated water has a TDS of fewer than 50 milligrams per litre and it is pure
but does not taste like water. Anything from 100 mg/l to 600 mg/l is considered as good
quality potable water.
4. Most RO plants, including in Chennai, put the water through a post-treatment process
whereby salts are added to make TDS around 300 mg/l.
5. Several of the home-RO systems too employ post-treatment and add salt to the water.
Which are other technological alternatives?
1. Thermal energy sourced from the ocean can be used. For instance - Low-temperature
thermal desalination (LTTD) technique.
2. It works on the principle that water in the ocean 1,000 or 2,000 feet below is about 4º
C to 8º C colder than surface water.
3. Here the salty surface water is collected in a tank and subject to high pressure (via an
external power source). This pressured water vaporises, and this is trapped in tubes or a
chamber.
4. Cold water plumbed from the ocean depths is passed over these tubes and the vapour
condenses into fresh water and the resulting salt diverted away.
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5. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), a research organisation based in

Chennai, has been working on this technology for decades.
6. In 2005, it set up a 100,000 litre-a-day plant in Kavaratti, Lakshwadeep islands and

this has been providing water to about 10,000 residents. Plants of similar capacity are
proposed at other sites in Lakshwadeep islands.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
1. A 10 million litre a day plant is proposed to be built in the deep ocean, 50 kilometres
away from the Chennai coast.
2. It is similar to LTTD but here the plant will draw power from the vapour generated as
a part of the desalination process.
3. This vapour will run a turbine and thereby will be independent of an external power
source. It seems great in theory but there is no guarantee it will work commercially.
4. This ocean-based plant requires a pipe that needs to travel 50 kilometres underground
in the sea before it reaches the mainland. The NIOT has in the past had significant
problems in managing such a pipe.
5. RO is commercially proven and the dominant technology and therefore it could be hard
to convince private players to invest in such a technology.
Source: The Hindu
Milky Way Galaxy

Recently scientists, based on data from the Gaia space observatory, has stated that Milky
Way galaxy was merged with another smaller galaxy in a colossal cosmic collision.
Observations
a) Milky Way’ s current shape was influenced as a result of collision with another smaller
galaxy 10 billion years ago.
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b) Milky Way was collided with dwarf galaxy Gaia-Enceladus which increased our galaxy’s
mass by about a quarter.
c) It triggered a period of accelerated star formation lasting about 2 to 4 billion years.
d) Galaxies of all types, including the Milky Way, began to form relatively soon after the
Big Bang explosion but were generally smaller than those seen now.
e) Subsequent galactic mergers were instrumental in configuring galaxies existing now.
About the Gaia space observatory
a) It is an ambitious mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy, the Milky

Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation, and evolution of the Galaxy.
b) It provide positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracies needed to
produce a stereoscopic and kinematic census of about one billion stars in our Galaxy.
c) It was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2013 and expected to
operate until 2022.
Source: The Hindu
‘R&D Expenditure Ecosystem’ Report

Recently ‘Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)’ launched the ‘R&D
Expenditure Ecosystem’ Report.
Overview
a) The report states that the growth in research and development (R&D) expenditure
should be commensurate with the economy’s growth.
b) R&D Expenditure growth should be targeted to reach at least 2% of the gross

domestic product (GDP) by 2022.
c) The report says that the ministries at the Centre could be mandated to allocate some
percentage of their budget for developing and deploying technologies as per the
respective priorities.
d) It pointed out that India’s public investment in R&D as a fraction of GDP has remained
stagnant (0.6% to 0.7% of GDP) over the last two decades.
e) However, it is well below the major countries such as the United States (2.8%), China
(2.1%), Israel (4.3%) and Korea (4.2%).
f) It recommends that states partner with the Centre to jointly fund research and
innovation programmes through socially designed Central Sponsored Schemes(CSS).
g) The report pitches for creating 30 dedicated R&D Exports Hub and a corpus of Rs
5,000 crore for funding megaprojects.
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About EAC-PM
a) This body analyse any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime
Minister and advising him thereon.
b) The body addresses issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views

thereon to the Prime Minister. This could be either Suo-motu or on reference from the
Prime Minister or anyone else.
c) Currently, Bibek Debroy is the chairman of the council.
Source: The Hindu
GSLV Mark III-M1 Vehicle

Recently the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle- Mark III-M1 (GSLV Mark III-M1)
vehicle used for launching Chandrayaan-2 had successfully placed the satellite in the
Earth Parking Orbit (EPO).
About GSLV Mark III
a) It is a three-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Indian Space Research

Organisation.
b) The vehicle has two solid strap-on, a core liquid booster, and a cryogenic upper stage.
c) It is designed to carry heavy tonnes class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer

Orbit (GTO) or about tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) up to 600 KMs
d) Use of GSLV Mark III- M1 in the recent Chandrayaan- 2 have helped to save the fuel
and number of manoeuvres or stages in the mission.
About Earth Parking Orbit
a) It is a temporary orbit used during the launch of a satellite or other space probe.
b) A launch vehicle boosts into the parking orbit, then rests for a while, then fires again
to enter the final desired trajectory.
c) Use of a parking orbit requires a rocket upper stage to perform the injection burn
while under zero-gravity conditions.
Source: The Hindu and NASA website
NASA Finds New Planetary System

1. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, a planet-seeking satellite that was
launched by the SpaceX Falcon 9 in April 2018, has found three new planets that orbit a
nearby dwarf star that is both smaller and cooler than our own Sun.
2. The newfound planets range in size and temperature but are all bigger than Earth and
with a higher temp on average.
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3. Size and temperature are calculated only based on their distance from the star they
orbit, and its energy output, without factoring in any atmospheric effects since it’s not
yet known whether they have atmospheres.
New Planets
1. At the low end, there’s TOI 270 d, which has an average temp of 150 F — almost
three times Earth’s own.
2. Both TOI 270 d, the farthest from its own system’s central star, and TOI 270 c, its
nearest neighbour, are thought to be primarily gaseous and most closely resemble
Neptune in our own Solar System.
3. They’re new types of planets not seen anywhere in our own solar system.
4. The planets are all between 1.5 to 2 times the size of Earth, which is an unusual size
for planets to be when considered overall.
5. The TOI 270 system is also perfectly positioned for study by the forthcoming James
Webb Space Telescope; therefore it presents a great opportunity for future research once
that space-based observatory gets running in 2021.
Smart India Hackathon - 2019

a) Recently the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) -2019 (Hardware Edition)
was inaugurated by the Ministry for Human Resource Development.
b) SIH provides a platform where students’ innovators can develop a smart solution to
day to day problems.
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c) Problems are associated with the following areas.
Focussed areas
i) Agriculture & Rural Development
ii) Food Technology
iii) Waste management
iv) Clean Water
v) Renewable Energy
vi) Healthcare & Biomedical devices
vii) Smart Vehicles
viii) Robotics and Drones
ix) Security & Surveillance
x) Smart Communication
xi) Sports and Fitness
xii) Sustainable Environment
xiii) Smart Textile
xiv) Smart Cities areas
d) Depending upon the nature of problem, cash prizes for selected ideas and solutions
will be given to participating teams.
About SIH 2019
a) It is an initiative by Ministry of HRD, All India Council of Technical Education,

Persistent Systems, i4c, and Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini
b) It involves 1 Lakh+ technical students, 3000+ technical institutions, 200+

organizations from across India.
c) It is the world's biggest Software and Hardware hackathon.
d) It aims to harness the expertise of students from IISc, IITs, NITs and AICTE/UGC
approved institutions.
Source: PIB and The Hindu
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International Relations
Global Power Play

1. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1989. Before the collapse, there were two superpowers
– The US and the USSR.
2. Militarily no country could challenge either of them and the superpowers were wary of
each other.
3. Both the countries competed in space and their nuclear might was unassailable.
4. Economically, the US’s strength was on display but till the early Eighties, the economic
power of the Soviet Union was largely assumed, till it imploded.
5. The US had much greater soft power with Hollywood movies, sports dominance and
best universities that accepted the best from other countries; the Soviet Union lagged in
soft power other than in the Olympic medals tally.
6. In such a world, countries aligned with one or the other superpower to different
degrees. Post-World War II, Japan, Germany and the UK were closely aligned to the US
and other western European nations were also in the US camp through NATO.
7. India’s non-alignment post-Indira Gandhi became Soviet Union-leaning and the US

moved closer to Pakistan as a check on the Soviets who had taken control of
Afghanistan.
8. India leaned towards Soviet because of its strong backing to India after the 1971 war
which allowed the liberation of Bangladesh.
World order after the Collapse of Soviet
1. The collapse of the Soviet Union left India weak internationally and the economic
policies had taken India into a major balance of payments crisis in 1991.
2. It forced India to review both the economic policies and global alignments. With an
IMF assisted structural adjustment programme, many parts of the economy were
liberalised.
3. India slowly moved away from the import-substituting industry model and became a
more market-friendly economy.
4. The complete collapse of Afghanistan post the Russian retreat destabilised the country
because of the actions of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the US to install a friendly regime.
5. Due to the mess, the Taliban emerged. This meddling in Afghanistan converted an
anti-Soviet sentiment into the anti-US (or more broadly anti-foreign sentiment) and led
to the emergence of Osama Bin Laden.
6. The 9/11 attacks followed and with it the reassessment of Pakistan as an ally by the
US.
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7. The ISI’s activities with al Qaeda and Taliban isolated Pakistan substantially at a time
when India was looking for new friends and its economy was emerging.
The emergence of China and Technology
1. Two forces dominated the geopolitical context in the first decade of the 21st century—
China and technology.
2. China became the second-largest economy in the world with its GDP going from $1
trillion to $10 trillion dollars in 15 years.
3. At the same time, the progress in technology was transformative on the back of
massive computing power, high-speed connectivity, cheap and unlimited storage and the
creation and capture of enough data to make machine learning intelligent and powerful.
4. As a result, technological power and cyber capabilities also became a superpower

compulsion.
5. These two developments have led to a change in the basis of power and geopolitical
alignment in today’s world.
6. Now power needs to be evaluated on four levels — military, economic, cyber and soft
power.
Current Power Distribution
1. Now different countries lead in different areas, making alignment and geopolitics more
complicated.
2. The US and Russia are in the lead in Military power followed by China.
3. In terms of economic power, the US leads followed by China, and Russia does not
figure.
4. In the cyber domain, five countries have established positions – the US, China, Russia,
Israel and Iran and others are lagging.
5. The Russian attack on the US elections, the purported cyber-attack by the US on Iran,
the banning of Huawei, Iranian cyber-attacks on the Saudis and China’s great strength in
digital and artificial intelligence proves the cyber power.
6. In soft power, the US leads but China and Russia don’t feature. Here, India has a play.
Position of India
1. India’s actions are following a multi-layered strategy, walking a complicated tightrope.
2. India continues to ally with Russia on arm’s purchases with purchase of the S-400 Air
Missile System, despite the threat of American sanctions.
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3. Economically, India is trying to get closer to the US and not fighting the unilateral
sanctions of the US against Iran on oil, despite the substantial impact on India’s balance
of payments.
4. Despite great capability in technology and a big presence in Silicon Valley, India lag in
cyber preparedness is a great risk to itself.
5. India’s movement on data localisation is needed. Even Europe has imposed the GDPR.
Overall, India needs to act fast.
6. With soft power, India is doing better. It is advancing with music, food and Bollywood
and going beyond West Asia into the affluent Indian diaspora in the US and UK.
7. Getting the UN to recognise a World Yoga Day has been a great first step but the
inbound tourism still lags behind.
8. Faster arms purchases, developing cyber capability and using technology to address
major gaps in education and healthcare are needed.
9. India has the opportunity to become a third major power, but it has to work in getting
that position.
African Union FTA

What has happened?
a) Recently 12th Summit of the African Union (AU) concluded at Niamey, the capital of
the Niger Republic.
b) The summit saw 54 of 55 of its member states signing the African Continental Free
Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) for goods and services. Half of the countries have already
ratified it.
c) Actual cross-border free trade is going to be started by July 2020 with the elimination
of customs duties on 90% of the tariff-lines among African countries.
d) This project has the potential to create an African Common Market of 1.2 billion
people and a GDP of over $3.4 billion.
e) AFCFTA would become the world’s largest Free Trade Agreement and it would have a
global impact.
Which are the main hurdles?
a) African Union has been largely ineffective in dealing with the continent’s problems
such as decolonization, underdevelopment, Islamic terrorism, and the Arab Spring.
i) Earlier projects of African Union such as Africa Unity project etc. have been spectacular
flops.
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ii) So, there is natural skepticism about the viability of AFCFTA.
b) National economies in Africa are generally weak with a low manufacturing base.
i) They lack competitiveness and mutual complementarity.
ii) Only a sixth of Africa’s current total trade is within the continent.
c) AFCFTA seems to be countercyclical to the ongoing global protectionist trends as seen

in the U.S.-China trade conflict, Brexit, etc.
i) World trade is likely to grow only by 2.6% in 2019.
ii) Commodity prices are stagnant and globalization is often being reversed.
Where is the scope for optimism?
a) Greater collective self-reliance through African economic integration makes eminent

sense in this volatile world.
b) AFCFTA can build upon the experience of the continent’s five regional economic
blocks.
c) AU Commission has prepared an extensive road map towards the AFCFTA with
preliminary work on steps such as elimination of non-tariff barriers, supply chains,
dispute settlement, etc. So, this is a deviation from its earlier plans.
d) Political will is strong enough to overcome the different challenges such as inadequate
infrastructure, poor connectivity, etc.
How should India act?
a) Africa is an important economic partner for India with total annual merchandise trade
estimated at $70 billion or nearly a tenth of India’s global trade.
b) India is Africa’s third-largest trading partner. While India’s global exports have been
largely stagnant, those to Africa have surged.
c) Africa has unfulfilled demand for Indian commodities e.g. automobiles,

pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, etc. and services e.g. IT/IT-Enabled Service, skilling,
expertise in management and banking, financial services and insurance, etc.
d) So, India needs to anticipate the AFCFTA’s likely impact on its interests and try to
influence and leverage it to enhance India-African economic ties.
e) Indian firms can co-produce the goods and services in partnership with local
manufacturers in Africa.
f) AFCFTA is likely to open new opportunities for Indian stakeholders in fast-moving

consumer goods manufacturing, connectivity projects and the creation of a financial
backbone.
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g) India can help the African Union Commission prepare the requisite architecture, such
as common external tariffs, competition policy, intellectual property rights, and natural
persons’ movement.
h) It can identify various African transnational corporations which are destined to play a
greater role in a future continental common market and engage with them strategically.
i) The cross-linkage of a three million Indian diasporas spread across Africa can also be
very valuable.
Source: The Hindu
Maritime security-Challenges and opportunities

Recent developments in the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca reveals India’s emerging
challenges and opportunities on the maritime front.
Challenges
1. To the West
a. Nearly $500 billion worth of trade passes through the Straits of Hormuz.
b. At least 17 countries have been affected by the recent attacks on oil tankers due to
escalating tensions between Iran and the United States of America in the Gulf region.
2. To the East
a. The value of commerce flowing through the Malacca Straits annually is estimated at
more than $3 trillion and China’s economic lifeline.
b. So, it is trying to establish a significant naval presence in this region
3. Shifting Dynamics
a. The US has long been the guarantor of maritime security in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans.
b. The US is no longer dependent on oil imports from the Middle East and has become a
major hydrocarbon exporter.
c. This has created a new economic context for traditional American commitments to the
Gulf, as it now weighs the costs and benefits of its role in the region.
d. The US is determined to ramp up the pressure against its partners in Europe and Asia
to change the relative security burdens.
e. Like the US pressure on its European allies to increase the contribution for the
maintenance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), it insists that Asia pay for
its energy security in the Gulf.
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f. The US has unveiled plans to build an international coalition to secure the Gulf with the
possible participation of Japan and South Korea.
Opportunity
1. Two main factors that provide China and India an opportunity to play a larger role in
the Gulf are,
a. US’s demand on Asia to do more for their energy security and
b. Intention of Gulf countries to diversify their security partnerships against the potential
reduction of American security commitments.
2. India is closer to the Gulf than China and is in a better position to raise its maritime
profile in the region.
3. It also has huge stakes and a longer tradition of providing security to the gulf region.
4. However, China has already bettered its capabilities with the permanent military
presence in the region through its Djibouti base.
Way forward
1. India’s focus is only on the implications of the Gulf crisis for its planned investments in
Iran’s Chabahar port and on finding ways to appear neutral.
2. India must improve its maritime security capabilities and coalitions with like-minded
countries.
Source: The Indian express
Island Nations in the Indian Ocean

The Defence Minister is on a visit to Mozambique which reflects the growing significance
of the East African coast and the islands off it for the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific.
Expected Outcome of the visit
1. A number of agreements, including on hydrographic survey, sharing of white shipping

information and the monitoring of its exclusive zone is expected to be signed.
2. India is also expected to deliver two fast patrol naval craft to the country as part of
India’s expanding security cooperation with Mozambique.
3. However, the defence minister could also have visited two nearby island nations,
Comoros and Madagascar.
4. A visit to these two islands might have given the minister a better strategic
appreciation of Mozambique and its maritime neighbourhood.
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Historical Significance of the Mozambique Channel
1. Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros together constitute the Mozambique Channel,

a critical waterway in the Indian Ocean, that has shaped the strategic evolution of the
Indian Ocean over the centuries.
2. The Vasco da Gama, in his search for a sea route to India, sailed through the
Mozambique Channel in 1498 after coming round the southern tip of Africa.
3. Since then, the Mozambique Channel had been a major point in the sea lines of
communication from Europe to India and further east.
4. The control of the Mozambique Channel and the Western Indian Ocean islands became
a major element of the extended rivalry between the major powers in the past.
5. European rivalries after the Napoleonic Wars moved to the Indian Ocean, later it was
controlled by the British.
6. After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 — which provided a shorter route from
Europe to India — the sailing of the South Western Indian Ocean began to diminish.
Regaining the significance
1. Strategic interests are changing as a number of factors draw international attention to

the Mozambique Channel in the 21st century because of -
a. The rise of China and East Asia.
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b. The slower emergence of India
c. Both the factors have deepened economic interdependence between Asia, the Middle
East and Africa.
2. The sea lines of communication between the east coast of Africa and the Far East have
once again acquired some weight and importance.
3. The competition with established Indian Ocean powers like the US, UK, France and
India with rising China is inevitable, therefore every little island is becoming strategically
important.
Strategic Island chains in the Indian Ocean
1. The Andaman Island chain that bisects the Bay of Bengal. The Great Nicobar Island at
the southern tip of the chain is well placed to dominate the western gates of the Malacca
Straits that link the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
2. A second chain runs from Gwadar in the northern Arabian sea along the Laccadives-
Chagos ridge to Diego Garcia island that hosts a large American base.
3. A third island chain flows down from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, down along the
East African coast to the Mozambique channel through the island of Zanzibar. The islands
in the South Western Indian Ocean, including Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles and
Mauritius, can be seen as part of this chain.
4. Along all the three island chains, India is trying to cope with the rising Chinese naval
profile.
5. India is taking initial steps to modernise the governance in the Andaman and Nicobar
and augment Indian naval presence there but China’s deepening security ties with the
littoral countries of the Bay of Bengal could begin to undermine India’s geographic
advantages arising from the ownership of the islands.
6. On the second island chain, India is closely watching China’s expanding naval presence
on Pakistan’s Arabian seacoast and is battling to retain India’s primacy in Sri Lanka and
the Maldives.
7. The US naval presence in Chagos is coming under stress as sovereignty over the
archipelago has become the subject of an international dispute.
8. The third island chain has seen a dramatic expansion of Chinese economic and
strategic influence over the last decade. Here China has established its first military base
and has an ambitious agenda of port construction, infrastructure development, and
defence diplomacy.
Way Forward
1. India has enhanced the diplomatic presence in Africa and initiate sustained high-level
political contact and beefed up security partnerships in the littoral of the South Western
Indian Ocean.
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2. However, the scale of the challenge confronting India in the three island chains
continues to expand, amidst China’s rapid strategic advance in the Indian Ocean.
3. Defence Minister’s visit to Mozambique offers an opportunity for India to review the
progress made in implementing the Indian Ocean Strategy that India announced in 2015.
4. Such a review should also help reveal some of the big obstacles — especially the
internal ones — that continue to limit India’s possibilities with the three Indian Ocean
island chains.
G20 Meeting
1. The G-20 summit was held in Osaka, Japan.
2. The G-20 countries (19 nations and the European Union) account for 85% of the
world’s nominal GDP.
Highlights of the meeting
1. India engaged in nine bilateral, eight pull-aside engagements of the Russia-India-

China, Japan-U.S.-India and Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa groupings.
2. India-the USA- China also met on the sidelines despite growing trade tensions.
Outcomes
1. The Indian and U.S. Commerce Ministers will meet again to try to resolve the impasse
over trade issues.
2. The U.S. and China have called a halt to raising tariffs until they resolve issues.
3. These moves can have a positive impact on the national and global economies.
4. Indian concerns were raised at the G-20 deliberations, including the need for
cooperation on dealing with serious economic offenders and fugitives and climate change
funding.
5. Osaka Declaration was announced on “data free flow with trust”. India refused to
attend the digital economy summit as it runs counter to the Reserve Bank of India’s
proposed data localization guidelines.
6. On issues such as ocean pollution management, gender equality and concerted efforts
to fight corruption, the G-20 reached consensus.
Way Forward
1. Saudi Arabia will be hosting the next G-20 in 2020, followed by Italy in 2021, and
India in 2022.
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2. Many global challenges, such as climate change and its impact, the balance between
the needs for speed and national security with 5G networks, the technology-driven
terrorism, will become more critical for the grouping.
3. India should lead the exercise in making the G-20 more effective in dealing with some
of the inequities in its system.
4. The G-20 while discussing on pressing issues, should also promote the purpose of
sustainable growth and financial stability.
Source: The Hindu
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

The 34th ASEAN summit in Bangkok has come out with the document titled ‘ASEAN
Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’.
Similarities between the Indian and ASEAN Approached in the region
Centrality of the development
1. ASEAN acknowledging that this is a very important part of the globe from both a geo-
political and geo-economic perspective, the group wants developments here to be
ASEAN-centric and ASEAN-led.
2. This approach of ASEAN heaves closely to the Indian position of Southeast Asia as the
center of Indo-Pacific region and, ASEAN as central to its future which was specified by
India in Shangrila dialogue.
3. This similarity of approach works well for both sides since India already has sizeable
areas of cooperation within the “ASEAN Plus India” and the East Asia Summit
frameworks.
Rules-based Architecture
1. ASEAN group aims to promote Indo-Pacific as an enabling environment for peace,

stability and prosperity by upholding a “rules-based regional architecture”.
2. India, too, seeks such an order which must equally apply to all individually as well as
to the global commons.
3. It also refers to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for peaceful
resolution of disputes at a time of aggressive actions of China in the South China Sea.
Inclusive Indo-Pacific Region
1. It has an inclusive approach to the region as it visualises “avoiding the deepening of

mistrust, miscalculation and patterns of behaviour based on a zero-sum game”.
2. India has also stated that the Indo-Pacific region is not an exclusive to specific
countries but must be inclusive, aiming at security and prosperity for all in the region,
which is also specified in India’s idea of SAGAR.
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Growth and Development of the region
1. The Outlook draws a clear objective of security and stability for continued growth and
development of all countries in the region through greater connectivity, more trade and
higher investment.
2. Free, fair and balanced trade based on rules will be very important to cut out extreme
imbalances and ensure prosperity shared for all.
3. The ASEAN and others in the region can ensure such fair behaviour is something which
needs have to work towards.
4. It is in line with India’s demand for favorable trade opportunities in joining the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Continuation of existing Goals and objectives
1. ASEAN outlook is not a new strategy of ASEAN, but a continuation of ASEAN goals and
objectives.
2. It mentioned that no new structures will be created, but that existing ones will be
optimally utilized for achieving some of the goals stated in the Outlook.
3. There are great similarity and parallel in both thought and approach between the
Indian and ASEAN positions on the Indo-Pacific Region.
4. As both middle or balancing powers that do not want to be in a position to have to

choose sides between the big players, there is common ground between the two.
5. It is difficult for both ASEAN as well as India to side with individual countries or groups
in the current global situation.
Way Forward
1. Current global order requires harmony between the balancing powers. India should
institute a new dialogue with the ASEAN grouping.
2. The dialogue would further calibrate approaches in important matters. Both India and
ASEAN can have more say on the issues than individually, which would benefit both.
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Defence & Internal Security
Cyberattack option for India

1. Amidst U.S.-Iran tensions, an American drone was shot down by Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps
1. In retaliation, the U.S. cybercommand conducted online attacks against Iran.
3. It is speculated that the strikes targeted Iran’s military command and systems such as
those that control Iran’s missile and rocket launchers.
India’s retaliation options
1. After every terror attack, India has few retaliation options. They comprise air strikes,
ground-based surgical strikes, stand-off strikes from inside the border and covert
operations.
2. And the option to impose diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.
Criteria for attacks
1. It is necessary to meet or foresee the meeting of, these criteria before any operation
is incorporated into India’s arsenal of retaliatory options.
2. These criteria are not in the context of the operational requirements of the Indian
armed forces. The criteria are pre-emption, non-military nature, and deterrence.
a. Pre-emption would allow India to argue and justify the operation on international
forums. It feasibly falls under the exception of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter through the
passage of self-defence.
b. The non-military operational aim has never been to target the Pakistani people or
even the Pakistani military.
c. Deterrence - The operation should be of such an impact that it creates deterrence, that
is, it fulfils the purpose of imposing substantial damage on the enemy, which invariably
leads to deterrence.
Cyberstrike – New option?
1. The conduct of U.S. cybercommand was aimed at the Iranian establishment,

specifically targeting its military installations.
2. If India conducts a cyberstrike against Pakistan’s military command or systems, it will

be termed as one against Pakistan and not the terrorists.
3. The non-military nature and pre-emption of the operation will be viewed through the
perspective of attacking Pakistani military and Pakistan in essence, rendering them as
futile, for example in terms of diplomatic parleys.
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4. A cyberstrike against Pakistan will call for counter-cyberstrike. Instead of the intended
deterrence, it will likely lead to an escalation.
5. In such a situation most of the criteria will not be met. Hence, a cyberattack is not a
feasible retaliatory option for India at present.
Cyberstrike on terrorist groups
1. The dependency of terrorist groups on computers, networks and the Internet has
increased. Terrorist groups use the Internet mainly for propaganda.
2. It can be curtailed by any necessary cyber operation. Most importantly, such an

operation should not be a ‘retaliatory operation’ but a ‘regular operation’.
3. A cyberattack can be an option when the situation changes, and India decides to act
against providers of safe haven to terrorists. In such instances, the Pakistani
establishment might be targeted beyond diplomatic pressures.
4. The ability of the Indian armed forces to conduct such cyberstrikes is not completely
known, given that disclosure of such details would take away the element of surprise.
Source: The Hindu
Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS)

Recently National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released a Request for Proposal for an
Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) to be used by police officers across the
country.
About AFRS
a) It works by maintaining a large database with photos and videos of peoples’ faces.
b) A new image of an unidentified person, often taken from CCTV footage, is compared
to the existing database to find a match and identify the person.
c) Artificial intelligence technology used for pattern-finding and matching is called ‘Neural
Networks’.
d) Currently facial recognition is done manually which is time-consuming and prone to

human errors.
e) The project is aimed at being compatible with other biometrics such as iris and
fingerprints.
f) It will be a mobile and web application hosted in NCRB’s Data Centre in Delhi but used
by all police stations in the country.
g) It can play a vital role in improving outcomes in the area of Criminal identification and
verification by facilitating easy recording, analysis, retrieval and sharing of Information
between different organisations.
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Similar Projects
a) Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Digi Yatra’ using facial recognition for airport entry was
trialled in the Hyderabad airport.
b) Telangana police launched their own system in August 2018.
AFRS and CCTNS
a) CCTNS stands for Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems.
b) NCRB has proposed integrating the AFRS with multiple existing databases. Most
prominent is the NCRB-managed CCTNS.
c) Facial recognition has been proposed in the CCTNS program since its origin. However,
it has not been implemented yet.
d) CCTNS accessible to the CBI, Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency,

Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Concerns around using facial recognition
a) According to Cyber experts, Facial recognition can be used as a tool of control and
risks inaccurate results.
b) Indian citizens are more vulnerable in the absence of a Data Protection Law.
c) It can be violative of Right to Privacy of citizens.
About NCRB
a) It was set-up to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to

assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
b) Its foundation was based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission
(1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task force (1985).
c) It aims to Empower Indian Police with Information Technology and criminal

Intelligence to enable them to uphold law and protect people.
NIA Act Amendment Bill

Recently, Lok Sabha passed the NIA Act Amendment Bill, which gives more powers to the
National Investigation Agency and extends its jurisdiction beyond India’s borders.
What is the NIA Act?
1. The NIA Act, 2008, governs the functioning of India’s premier counter-terror agency.
It was introduced in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
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2. The Act makes NIA the only truly federal agency in the country, along the lines of the
FBI in the United States, and more powerful than the CBI.
Central Bureau of Investigation
a. The CBI has to seek the permission of a state government before investigating a case
against a central government employee in that state.
b. If a crime is committed in a state, it has to wait for that state government or a court
to call it in to investigate.
3. The NIA has powers to take suo motu cognisance of terrorist activity in any part of
India and to register a case, to enter any state without needing permission from its
government, and to investigate and arrest people.
4. The NIA can only investigate cases which are listed in the Act’s schedule, which largely
deal with the security and integrity of the country.
5. NIA cannot probe murder and rape cases, which come under the Indian Penal Code
(IPC).
Which are the changes made in the Act?
1. The new Bill makes three broad additions to the NIA Act viz.
a. It gives NIA extra-territorial jurisdiction.
b. Adds four more scheduled offences to the list of eight offences in the original Act.
c. Gives powers to the government to designate sessions courts as special courts for trial
of NIA cases.
Why these changes are made?
Extra-territorial Jurisdiction
1. The Bill allows the agency to register a case when Indians living abroad, or India’s
assets based in a foreign country come under attack from terrorists.
2. This lacuna was a reason for the case against the Italian Marines who had shot dead
an Indian fisherman off the coast of Kerala in 2012 had issues in prosecution.
3. The accused argued that the offence had taken place in international waters, and thus
NIA had no jurisdiction. It was after India proved that the offence had taken place in
Indian waters that the case could proceed.
4. The new provision will allow the NIA to register cases if an Indian embassy comes
under attack abroad, or if Indian underwater cables of communication in international
waters are sabotaged.
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5. The outcome of such cases will continue to depend on how much diplomatic leverage
India has with that country, but the Bill empowers it to begin the process.
6. The IPC does have provisions of extra-territorial jurisdiction, but it is limited to Indians
committing crime abroad.
Special courts
1. Earlier, setting up special courts in any state would take six to nine months since a
proposal had to be made, High Courts’ concurrence had to be obtained, the judge had to
be nominated.
2. Now the government can designate existing sessions courts to function as special
courts, so that trial can start immediately.
New Offences
1. The offences added to the NIA Act Schedule are
a. Human trafficking (Sections 370, 370A of IPC, 1860).
b. Manufacture or sale of prohibited arms (Section 25[1AA] of Arms Act, 1959).
c. Cyber-crimes (Section 66F of IT Act 2000).
d. Explosive Substances Act, 2000.
Where are the other suggestions?
1. Few of NIA’s suggestions have not been accepted. One of them is including Ranbir
Penal Code applicable in J&K.
2. NIA while prosecuting people from Kashmir (it is probing alleged terror funding and
organised stone-pelting), it faces challenges of jurisdiction.
2. The Ranbir CrPC varies slightly from the CrPC. A statement recorded under Section
161 of the CrPC is not signed. Under RCrPC, it is. Such procedural differences can impact
a prosecution case in court.
Transformation of the Armed forces

Recently Indian Army is planning to begin the reorganization of the Army Headquarters
(AHQ) soon.
About the measures
a) It is one of the four measures being undertaken as part of the transformation of the
force.
b) Other measures include,
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i) Creation of Integrated Battle Groups
ii) Cadre review of officers
iii) Review of the terms and conditions of Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks.
c) Aim of the project is a holistic integration to enhance the operational and functional
efficiency, optimize budget expenditure, facilitate force modernization and address
aspirations.
d) Government has already given in-principle approval for the AHQ restructuring. One of
the main ideas behind it is to get procurements aligned.
e) Under the plan, the Master-General Ordnance will report to the Deputy Chief to bring
all ammunition under one head.
f) Functions of two Deputy Chiefs, one for information systems and the other for planning
and systems, are being brought under one authority to avoid overlapping.
g) Restructuring of headquarter also includes other internal governance reforms.
Shekatkar Committee
a) One of the important committees associated with the military reforms is Shekatkar
committee.
b) The committee is tasked to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and

rebalance defense expenditure of the armed forces. It submitted the report in December
2016.
c) Important recommendations given by the committee are,
i) Optimization of Signals Establishments to include Radio Monitoring Companies, Corps

Air Support Signal Regiments, Air Formation Signal Regiments, Composite Signal
Regiments and merger of Corps Operating and Engineering Signal Regiments.
ii) Restructuring of repair echelons in the Army to include Base Workshops, Advance Base
Workshops and Station Workshops in the field Army.
iii) Redeployment of Ordnance echelons to include Vehicle Depots, Ordnance Depots, and
Central Ordnance Depots apart from streamlining inventory control mechanisms.
iv) Better utilization of Supply and Transportation echelons and Animal Transport Units.
v) Closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations.
vi) Enhancement in standards for recruitment of clerical staff and drivers in the Army.
vii) Improving the efficiency of the National Cadet Corps.
Source: The Hindu and PIB
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Integrated Battle Groups

1. The Army’s plan to create the new concept of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) is close
to implementation.
2. It is a part of the overall force transformation.
What are Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs)?
1. IBGs are brigade-sized, agile, self-sufficient combat formations, which can swiftly
launch strikes against an adversary in case of hostilities.
2. Each IBG would be tailor-made based on Threat, Terrain and Task and resources will
be allotted based on the three Ts. An IBG operating in a desert needs to be constituted
differently from an IBG operating in the mountains.
3. They need to be light as they will be able to mobilize within 12-48 hours based on the
location.
How many types of IBGs will be formed?
1. The IBGs will be defensive and offensive.
2. The offensive IBGs would quickly mobilise and make a thrust into enemy territory for
strikes.
3. The defensive IBGs would hold ground at vulnerable points or where enemy action is
expected. The composition of the IBGs would also depend on this.
Where lies the IBGs in Army hierarchy in India?
1. The command is the largest static formation of the Army spread across defined
geography, and a corps is the largest mobile formation.
2. Typically each corps has three divisions and each division has three brigades. Each
brigade has 3-4 troops.
3. The idea is to reorganize divisions into IBGs which are brigade-sized units but have all
the essential elements like infantry, armored, artillery and air defence embedded
together based on the three Ts.
4. The key corps of the Army is likely to be reorganised into 1-3 IBGs.
5. The concept of IBGs has already been test-bedded by 9 Corps. They are reorganising,
based on the feedback. The Army will approach the Government for sanction.
Which are the other changes expected in the Army?
1. Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat has initiated four major studies to undertake an overall
transformation of the force. These include:
a. The restructuring of Army Headquarters.
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b. Force restructuring which includes the creation of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG).
c. The cadre review of officers.
d. The review of the terms and conditions of Junior Commissioned Officers and Other
Ranks.
2. The aim is holistic integration to enhance operational and functional efficiency,

optimise budget expenditure, facilitate force modernisation and address aspirations.
3. The overall transformation is expected to a reduction in the size Army.
When did the Indian army make such changes in the past?
1. After the terrorist attack on the Parliament, the Indian military undertook massive
mobilisation but the Army’s formations in the deep inside territories took weeks to
mobilise thus losing the element of surprise.
2. Following this, the Army formulated a proactive doctrine known as ‘Cold Start’ to
launch swift offensive but its existence was consistently denied in the past.
3. Its existence was acknowledged for the first time by Army chief in January 2017.
Source: The Hindu
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019

Lok Sabha passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)Amendment Bill, 2019 recently.
How is this bill different from the original act?
a) The bill seeks to facilitate speedy investigation and prosecution of terror-offenses and
designating an individual as terrorist in line with the international practices.
b) The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
c) The original law gives powers the Government to designate an organization that
commits or participates in acts of terrorism as ‘Terrorist organizations.’
d) However, the bill amends ‘organizations’ with “organizations/individuals” in Sections

35-38 of the act to designate individuals also.
e) Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the
Director-General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.
f) The Bill adds that if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the NIA, the
approval of the Director-General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.
g) Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of
Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.
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h) The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or
above, to investigate cases.
i) The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the
treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.
j) The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of
Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).
k) The Bill adds another treaty to the list. This is the International Convention for
Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).
Who can prove one is not a terrorist?
The bill puts the burden of proving that one is not a terrorist on the individual who is
designated a ‘Terrorist’ by the central government.
Where the concerns lie?
a) Designating an individual as a terrorist raises serious constitutional questions and has

the potential for misuse by the government.
b) The practice of designated individuals as terrorist is seen as being necessary because

banned groups tend to change their names and continue to operate.
c) A wrongful designation as a terrorist can cause huge damage to a person’s reputation,

career, and livelihood.
d) The bill contains some anti-federal feature. Forfeiture of designated terrorist’s

property by the NIA overrides the power of state government.
e) It can violate the fundamental rights of the suspects.
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express and PRS Legislature
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment, Bill 2019

Recently, the Lok Sabha passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA),
Bill 2019.
What is the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and its amendment?
1. UAPA Act currently allows the government to designate any organisation as “terrorist”
if it believes that it is involved in terrorism.
2. The amendments passed by the Lok Sabha seeking to empower the Centre to
designate individuals as terrorists.
3. Banned outfits often change their names. So, there’s a need for a provision to declare
an individual as a terrorist.
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Why is this amendment being criticized?
1. The proposed amendments to the UAPA do not spell out who is a terrorist.
2. It merely says that the Centre may designate a person or an outfit “as terrorist if it
(he/she) commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promote
terrorism, or is otherwise involved in terrorism”.
3. The vagueness means that the Centre and investigative agencies have wide
discretionary powers to decide what constitutes a terrorist offence.
4. The proposed amendments are also troubling due to changes made to the National
Investigation Agency law.
5. The amended NIA law gives the agency the power to investigate terror crimes relating
to Indians and interests of India. But the amendments do not define “interests of India”.
6. The references of the Home Minister regarding “Urban Maoists” during the debate
have raised fears that the government could use its power to tag a person as a “terrorist”
to stifle dissent or to target people from specific communities.
Which are other concerns?
1. The new NIA law gives the agency powers to investigate crimes related to human
trafficking, offences related to counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited
arms, cyber-terrorism and offences under the Explosive Substances Act.
2. These functions were performed by the police of the state concerned. The policing
powers of states will be further curtailed if the amendments to the UAPA act are
approved.
3. For example, the provision to empower the head of the NIA to approve the forfeiture
of properties of “those involved in terrorist activities” undermines the role of the
Director-General of Police in the states.
Where lies the way forward?
1. The amendment is required to bolster national security. But there must be a

distinction between an individual and an organisation, and it must be kept in mind that
the Constitution guarantees the former the right to life and liberty.
2. The government must also rethink regarding the issues pertaining to the rights of life
and liberty, and to federalism when the amendments to the UAPA come up for debate in
the Rajya Sabha.
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Society
Reservation in top posts at universities

1. The government introduced the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in
Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2019.
2. It is meant to provide for the reservation of posts in appointments by direct

recruitment of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and
Socially and educationally backward classes, in teachers carder.
3. The ordinance is meant for certain Central Educational Institutions established,

maintained or aided by the Central Government.
4. The ordinance redresses the anomaly found in the recruitment of Other Backward
Class (OBC) candidates at higher levels of teaching positions.
Need for the Ordinance
1. OBCs account for about 50% of the country’s population, their representation in all
faculty positions in all central educational institutions is only 9.8%.
2. The representation became almost negligible at higher levels, i.e. those of Associate
Professor and Professor, accounting for just 1.22% and 1.14%, respectively.
3. Even after a clarification issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the
many central universities are violating the law by not providing the reservations.
4. The ordinance shall provide reservation to OBCs at all levels of teaching, leaving no
space of misinterpretation by some universities that had arbitrarily restricted reservation
for OBCs to the level of ‘Assistant Professor’.
Reasons for violations
1. Generally, the decision-making power at universities rests upon the Professors and
Associate Professors. Professors, who play a significant role in the recruitment process,
at times misinterpret the constitutional provisions.
2. Even if a violation is found, the maximum a court does is to order correction to the
institution’s advertisement, without awarding any compensation to the petitioner or
punishment to the violator.
3. Moreover, legal procedure is generally avoided as it is a tedious process.
3. Implementation of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in higher educational institutions
funded by the Centre was delayed for more than 15 years after the announcement, while
the same for EWS was done within a month of the announcement.
4. So there is a differential treatment, which resulted in an imbalanced representation of

a social group at higher levels of teaching and decision-making.
Source: The Hindu
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Guidelines on self-care interventions for health

1. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched its first guidelines on self-care
interventions for health.
2. It was launched in response to an estimate that by 2035 the world will face a shortage
of nearly 13 million healthcare workers and currently at least 400 million people
worldwide lack access to the most essential health services.
3. In its first volume, the guidelines focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
a. Some of the interventions include self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV) and
sexually transmitted infections, self-injectable contraceptives.
b. Home-based ovulation predictor kits, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) self-testing

and self-management of medical abortion.
4. These guidelines look at the scientific evidence for health benefits of certain
interventions that can be done outside the conventional sector and sometimes with the
support of a health-care provider.
5. They do not replace high-quality health services, nor they are a shortcut to achieving
universal health coverage.
6. The world is witnessing growth in new diagnostics, devices, drugs and digital
innovations which are transforming people’s interaction with the health sector.
7. The WHO defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to
promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability
with or without the support of a health-care provider”.
Autonomy and engagement
1. Self-care interventions represent a significant push towards new and greater self-
efficacy, autonomy and engagement in health for self-carers and caregivers.
2. WHO recognises self-care interventions could expand access to health services,

including for vulnerable populations.
3. People are increasingly active participants in their own health care and have a right to
a greater choice of interventions that meets their needs across their lifetime, but also
should be able to access, control, and have affordable options to manage their health and
well-being.
4. People who are negatively affected by gender, political, cultural and power dynamics,
including those who are forcibly displaced, will have access to sexual and reproductive
health services, as many people are unable to make decisions around sexuality and
reproduction.
5. The guidelines will be expanded to include other self-care interventions, including for
prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases.
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6. WHO is also establishing a community of practice for self-care and will be promoting
research and dialogue in this area during the self-care month between June 24 and July
24.
Source: The Hindu
Education access for Children with disabilities

1. Around 7.8 million children under the age of 19, accounting for two per cent of the
child population, are living with disabilities in India.
2. Their population is disproportionately left out of the education system as compared to

the overall proportion of out-of-school children.
3. A report released by UNESCO states that in India, 75 per cent of five-year-olds with
disabilities and a quarter of children with disabilities in the age group of five to 19 years
do not attend any educational institution.
4. In order to address these concerns, the report recommends amendments to the Right
of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, so that it can be aligned with the 2016
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
5. As per the report, the two laws provide a comprehensive legal framework but remain
some ambiguities in terms of
a. Where children with disabilities should study and who should teach them.
b. Gaps in terms of appropriate norms and standards applicable to all educational

institutions.
6. It also attributes the low numbers of such children in schools due to the lack of
accessible physical infrastructure, school processes, assistive technologies, information
and communication technology and devices.
India must Delay retirement

1. According to the Economic Survey, India may have to raise the retirement age.
Why does India need to increase retirement age?
1. India will experience a rapid increase in the size of the elderly population over the next
two decades due to the slowing down of the population growth rate.
2. It is forecast that the population rate will grow less than 1% from 2021 to 2031 and
under 0.5% from 2031 to 2041.
3. The slow growth is primarily due to the fall in the total fertility rate (TFR), which is
projected to decline between 2021-2041 and fall below replacement level fertility at 1.8
as early as 2021.
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What is the replacement fertility rate?
1. The total fertility rate of 2.1 is called the replacement level fertility below which
populations begin to decline.
2. For India, the effective replacement level fertility is slightly higher than the normal
benchmark due to the skewed gender ratio and is at 2.15-2.2.
3. The current TFR in 14 out of the 22 major States is already below the effective
replacement level fertility.
4. At the State level, Southern states along with West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra and
Himachal Pradesh have below replacement level fertility and will see TFR decline to 1.5-
1.6 by 2021.
5. All States are likely to see below replacement level fertility by 2031.
When it will affect the elderly population?
1. The size of the elderly population, 60 years and above, is expected to nearly double
from 8.6% in 2011 to 16% by 2041.
2. The population size of those between 0-19 years, which is on the decline, is likely to
drop from as high as 41% in 2011 to 25% by 2041, thus dependency ratio would
increase.
3. It would result in new policy challenges such as provision for health and old-age care,
access to retirement-related financial services, public pension funding, and retirement
age.
How did other countries respond to such a challenge?
1. Increasing the retirement age for both men and women could be considered in line
with the experience of other countries.
2. This will be key to the viability of pension systems and would also help increase female
labour force participation in the older age groups
3. Many countries such as the U.S., Germany and France have already raised the
retirement age to reduce the burden on pension funding.
Where is the way forward?
1. The working-age population is expected to see a large increase leading to India’s

demographic dividend peaking around 2041 when the share of those in the age group of
20-59 is expected to hit 59%.
2. This means additional jobs will have to be created to keep pace with the annual
increase in the working-age population of 9.7 million during 2021-31 and 4.2 million
during 2031-41.
Source: The Hindu
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Trends in India’s fertility transition

1. According to the new Sample Registration Survey (2017) data, the fertility rates
continue to fall rapidly but the data shows two contrasting trends in rural and urban
India.
2. Fertility Rate - The average number of children that a woman will have in her lifetime.
Fertility in Higher Age Group
Rural Areas
a. Fertility in the higher age groups (mothers aged 35 and above) has fallen substantially
in rural areas, as couples choose to limit their family size, and stop having children after
they have had the desired number (between two and three children per woman on
average).
b. This is also reflected in the fact that the mean age at childbirth is still falling rather
than growing in India.
c. This trend is also expected to reverse within the next five years, according to
estimates from the United Nations Population Division’s World Population Prospects
(2017 revision).
Urban Areas
a. In urban areas, fertility among older women has grown, as better educated women
are able to delay marriage and childbirth, and improved healthcare allows women to
have children later in life.
b. Fertility, in general, is lower among more educated women, but there is an exception:
In urban areas, fertility rates among women in their 30s are higher among better
educated rather than less educated women.
c. Fertility fell across all age groups in both rural and urban India. But between 2004-06
and 2015-17, fertility in the older age groups in urban India has risen.
d. However, given that the vast majority of female fertility in India remains concentrated
among women in their twenties, this increase did not have any impact on the overall
trend, which is of steadily falling female fertility.
The fertility rate in Urban areas
1. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in urban India as a whole has now fallen to levels that in
some countries are taken as a cause for concern in terms of being too low.
2. It means that these urban areas will only grow as long as mortality improves and
there is some in-migration.
3. TFR in urban India fell to 1.7 as of 2017, comparable to that of Belgium, Iceland and
Norway, and lower than that of the United States or the United Kingdom (1.8).
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4. Japan, which is regarded as being in the grip of a demographic crisis with too low
fertility rates.
5. The fertility in the urban parts of the southern states is now lower than European
levels. Some other less affluent states are also now at Japan-like “crisis" levels.
6. Urban Odisha, West Bengal (1.3), Jammu & Kashmir (1.2), Himachal Pradesh (1.1)
have TFR even lower than in the south, and lower than that of Japan.
The fertility rate among states
1. Among the major states, fertility in the southern states has fallen well below
replacement levels.
2. The focus on above-replacement fertility in the northern states has dominated the
national dialogue around fertility to the detriment of the southern states and urban areas
where fertility is falling far faster than expected.
3. In addition to the natural demographic transition (by which populations get richer,
women get better health and education, child survival rates improve, and families choose
to have fewer children) the south is also seeing the impact of aggressive family planning
target-setting by southern state governments and health officials.
4. India is not yet having the discussions around low fertility and ageing that it needs to,
let alone setting supportive policy.
Source: Live Mint
Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) for 2017-

18
a) According to data from the ‘UDISE 2017-18 (provisional)’, Less than two-thirds
(63.14%) of the country’s schools have electricity connections.
b) All schools in three Union Territories, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and
Lakshadweep, have a connection.
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c) These are followed by the states and UTs of Delhi, Gujarat, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu,
Punjab, Goa, and Daman & Diu.
d) This data also shows that in five North-eastern states, less than half the schools have
electricity.
e) Ministry of Human Resource Development have provided electricity connections to

schools through erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) until 2017-18 and the present
Samagra Shiksha (effective from 2018-19).
About U-DISE
a) It is the largest Electronic Management Information System (EMIS) in India.
b) It provides the necessary data for planning and managing school education.
c) It also serves as the major source of official statistics.
About Samagra Shiksha Scheme
a) It is an overarching program for the school education sector extending from pre-
school to class 12.
b) It aims to improve school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for

schooling and equitable learning outcomes.
c) It subsumes the three Schemes of
i) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
ii) Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)
iii) Teacher Education (TE)
d) This sector-wide development program would also help harmonize the implementation
mechanisms and transaction costs at all levels.
Source: Indian Express and Ministry of HRD website
The Malaise of Malnutrition

Who published ‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis India, 2019’ report?
‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis India 2019 report’ was published by the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation and the World Food Programme.
What does ‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019’ say?
a) The report paints a picture of hunger and malnutrition amongst children in large
pockets of India.
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b) Malnutrition includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate

vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related noncommunicable
diseases.
c) The report states that the highest levels of stunting and underweight are found in
Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
d) The report states that stunting is highest amongst children from the Scheduled Tribes
(43.6%), followed by Scheduled Castes (42.5%) and Other Backwards Castes (38.6%).
d) It also states that over the last 20 years, total food grain production in India increased
from 198 million tonnes to 269 million tonnes.
e) However, despite increase in food production, the rate of malnutrition in India remains
very high.
How has malnutrition been affecting adversely?
a) The report shows the poorest sections of society caught in a trap of poverty and
malnutrition. This trap is being passed on from generation to generation.
b) Malnourished mothers produce children who are stunted, underweight and unlikely to
develop to achieve their full human potential.
c) The effects of malnourishment are not just limited to physical conditions. Malnutrition
is a reflection of age-old patterns of social and economic exclusion.
d) Malnutrition also affects cognitive development by causing direct structural damage to

the brain and by impairing infant motor development.
e) These disadvantaged children are likely to do poorly in school and subsequently have
low incomes, high fertility, and provide poor care for their children.
Which concerns are associated with Government Initiative?
a) Government’s National Nutrition Mission aims to reduce stunting by 2% a year,

bringing down the proportion of stunted children in the population to 25% by 2022.
b) But this modest target also will require doubling the current annual rate of reduction
in stunting.
c) Latest developments related with Poshan Abhiyaan don’t give confidence about
whether this can be achieved.
d) Anganwadis are key to the distribution of services to mothers and children. But many
States are struggling to set up functioning Anganwadis, and recruit staff.
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Where the solution lies?
a) Key to ending the tragedy of child nutrition lies with few state governments. Highest
levels of stunted and underweight children are found in Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
b) Stunting and malnourishment starts with the mother. So, more focus should be given
on the improvement of mother’s health.
c) As Amartya Sen noted, famines are caused not by shortages of food, but by
inadequate access to food. So, the food distribution system should be strengthened to
provide access to food.
Source: The Hindu
Role of Communities in Ending AIDS

1. The UN Sustainable Development Goals include ensuring good health and well-being
for all by 2030.
2. This includes the commitment to end the AIDS epidemic. In many countries, continued
access to HIV treatment and prevention options are reducing AIDS-related deaths and
new HIV infections.
3. But there are still many countries where AIDS-related deaths and new infections are
not decreasing fast. In fact, they are rising in some cases.
Role of Community
1. Success is being achieved where policies and programmes focus on people, not
diseases, and where communities are fully engaged from the outset in designing, shaping
and implementing health policies.
2. It results in real and lasting change which will also reduce the impact of AIDS.
3. Adopting the latest scientific research and medical knowledge, strong political
leadership, and proactively fighting and reducing stigma and discrimination are all
crucial.
4. But without sustained investment in community responses led by people living with
HIV, countries cannot gain the traction necessary to reach the most vulnerable.
5. Community services support fragile public health systems and fill gaps by connecting
with key populations such as gay men, sex workers, drug addicts & transgenders.
6. They provide services that bolster clinic-based care and extend the reach of health
services to the community at large. They also hold decision-makers accountable.
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UN Declaration on Ending AIDS
1. The 2016 UN Political Declaration on Ending AIDS also recognises the critical role of
communities in ending AIDS and advocates that community responses to HIV must be
scaled up.
2. Countries committed to at least 30% of services being community-led by 2030.

However, most countries are nowhere near reaching that commitment.
3. Countries with a lack of investment in communities, often have weak progress against
HIV and other health threats.
Communities in India
1. Since the beginning of the epidemic and until now, communities have been the most
trusted and reliable partners for the National AIDS Control Organization and the Joint UN
Programme on HIV/AIDS.
2. They are engaged in prevention, care, support and treatment programmes. There are
over 1,500 community-based organisations reaching out to key populations with 300
district-level networks of people living with HIV.
Way Forward
1. Our communities present us with a lot of untapped potential.
2. Unleashing this is the key to gaining the momentum for faster progress towards
reaching UNAIDS Fast-Track targets.
Source: The Hindu
Minimum standards for clinical establishments

Recently the Union Ministry of Health has proposed ‘Minimum standards of facilities and
services’ for clinical establishments.
About the standards
a) These ‘Minimum Standards’ are proposed in the amendments for the Clinical
Establishment (Central Government) Rules, 2019.
b) Standards will be applicable to clinics offering both AYUSH and allopathy services.
Proposed amendments are aimed at bringing uniformity in standard of healthcare
services provided by several establishments.
c) Health facilities not complying with prescribed norms in terms of infrastructure,

manpower, equipment, drugs, support service, and record registration will not be
granted registration.
d) Currently ‘Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010’ makes

registration a must for running a clinical establishment.
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e) However, the Act is currently applicable only in 11 states.
f) According to the proposed standards, the physical facility should be developed to

provide a safe and secure environment for patients, their families, staff and visitors.
g) It should be situated in a place having clean surroundings and shall comply with local
by-laws in force from time to time.
h) There has to be a minimum space requirement for carrying out basic functions of the
facility as prescribed in the rules.
i) Names of the doctor with registration number, fee structure of doctors, should be
provided within the facility should be well displayed in language understood by the local
public in the area.
National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK)

a) According to data available with the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
(NCSK), Fifty workers have died cleaning sewers in the first six months of 2019.
b) This data includes figures for only eight states,
i) Uttar Pradesh
ii) Haryana
iii) Delhi
iv) Punjab
v) Gujarat
vi) Maharashtra
vii) Karnataka
viii) Tamil Nadu
c) The data says that Railways is the largest employer of Safai Karamcharis and the
problem of manual scavenging is nowhere as acute as it is in the Railways.
d) The data feels that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should not focus just on toilet building but
also on eradication of manual scavenging or workers’ rehabilitation.
e) Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest numbers of such casualties, followed by Gujarat,
Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.
f) In terms of payment of mandatory compensation, Tamil Nadu has a better record of

making payment.
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Suggestions by the commission
a) Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

should be amended to hold state government agencies and urban local bodies
responsible for the deaths.
b) States and municipalities should invest heavily in mechanized cleaning of sewers and
septic tanks
About NCSK
a) It was constituted in 1994 as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament i.e. ‘National

Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993’.
b) Initially, it was appointed for a period of three years i.e. up to 1997. However, later
the period was extended consecutively.
c) The commission recommends to the Central Government specific programs of action

towards elimination of inequalities in status, facilities, and opportunities for Safai
Karamcharis.
d) It makes the reports to the Central or State Governments on any matter concerning
Safai Karamcharis.
e) It comprises,
i) One Chairman (in the rank and status of the Union Minister for States)
ii) Four members, including a lady member (in the rank and status of the Secretary to
the Government of India)
iii) Secretary (in the rank of Joint Secretary to Govt. of India) along with other
supporting staff.
Source: NCSK website and Indian Express
Supply of piped water in states

Recent reply tabled by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in Parliament shows the penetration of
piped water in villages across the states in the country.
About the data
a) The data shows that Gujarat has the highest penetration (78.46%) under the National
Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).
b) Among smaller states, Sikkim has the highest coverage at (99.34%) for its 88,013
rural households.
c) West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are at the bottom of the table with and rural
households covered respectively.
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d) The data was given by the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the
Ministry of Jal Shakti.
About the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)
a) It was launched in 2009.
b) It aims to provide safe and adequate water for drinking, cooking and other domestic
needs to every rural person on a sustainable basis.
c) It aimed to provide all rural habitations, government schools, and Anganwadis access
to safe drinking water.
Migrations in India Data

Recently Census 2011 data on migration was released.
Highlights of the data
a) The data shows that Marriage and employment are the major reasons for migration.
Bulk of the migration takes place within individual states.
b) Over 45.58 crore Indians were found to be ‘Migrants’ for various reasons during the
enumeration exercises of Census 2011.
c) When a person is enumerated in Census at a different place than his/her place of

birth, she/he is considered a ‘Migrant’.
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d) Data shows the migration patterns associated with big states. Maharashtra had more
migrants from Madhya Pradesh than from Bihar.
e) Gujarat had double the number of migrants from Rajasthan than from Bihar.
Essential Health Packages

1. To achieve universal health coverage, governments across the world seek to deliver a
basic set of critical health services for all their citizens.
2. These services, or essential health packages (EHPs), form the backbone of public
health systems.
3. In India with several different public health interventions, there is no clarity on what
services should be covered under India’s EHPs and how these should be delivered.
Study on India’s EHPs
1. India’s EHP should be determined by the disease burden and existing health coverage
according to a study.
2. The study found that the overall illness rate was 11.2% with an unmet need for
medical treatment of 6-7%.
3. The largest unmet need for treatment came from those suffering from cardiovascular
conditions and non-communicable diseases.
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4. Treatment-related to maternal and child healthcare had the lowest unmet need
because of government initiatives dedicated to those conditions.
5. It also finds that cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections, injuries, and neoplasia
hurt the poor the most.
Way Forward
1. The study suggests that treatment for these conditions should be included in a basic
health package.
2. The median annual out-of-pocket expenditure on in-patient treatment was

around ₹10,000 across households and estimate that an insurance cover of ₹3 lakh
would be enough to cover all the needs for deprived families in rural areas.
3. Therefore it recommends the insurance cover in the Ayushman Bharat scheme be

decreased from ₹5 lakh to ₹3 lakh as this could lower the premium cost and make the
scheme more efficient.
Source: Live Mint
Code on Wages Bill

1. Recently, the Lok Sabha passed The Code on Wages Bill, 2019, which aims to
transform the old and obsolete labour laws into more accountable and transparent ones.
2. As many as 17 present labour laws are more than 50 years old and some of them
belong to the pre-independence era.
3. The four Acts being subsumed in The Code on Wages Bill are
a. The Payment of Wages Act, 1936
b. The Minimum Wages Act of 1948.
c. The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.
d. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
The salient features of the Code:
1. Wage Universalization
a. The Code on Wage universalizes which has the provisions of minimum wages and
timely payment of wages is now applicable all employees irrespective of the sector and
wage ceiling.
b. At present, the provisions of both the Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act
apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments
only.
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c. The Code would ensure "Right to Sustenance" for every worker and intends to increase
the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing about 40% to 100% workforce.
d. This would ensure that every worker gets a minimum wage which will also be
accompanied by an increase in the purchasing power of the worker thereby giving a fillip
to growth in the economy.
e. Introduction of statutory Floor Wage to be computed based on minimum living

conditions will extend qualitative living conditions across the country to about 50 crore
workers.
f. It also envisaged that the states to notify payment of wages to the workers through
digital mode.
2. Simplification of the definition of Wages
a. There are 12 definitions of wages in the different Labour Laws leading to litigation
besides difficulty in its implementation.
b. The definition has been simplified and is expected to reduce litigation and will entail at
a lesser cost of compliance for an employer.
3. Standard methodology to fix the minimum wage
a. At present, many of the states have multiple minimum wages. Through Code on
Wages, the methodology to fix the minimum wages has been simplified and rationalised
by doing away with the type of employment as one of the criteria for fixation of the
minimum wage.
b. The minimum wage fixation would primarily be based on geography and skills.
c. It will substantially reduce the number of minimum wages in the country from the
existing more than 2000 rates of minimum wages.
4. Other changes
1. New introduction in the inspection regimes including web-based randomised

computerised inspection scheme, jurisdiction-free inspections, calling of information
electronically for inspection, the composition of fines etc.
2. All these changes will be conducive for the enforcement of labour laws with
transparency and accountability.
3. There were instances that due to the smaller limitation period, the claims of the
workers could not be raised.
4. To protect the interest of the workers, the limitation period has been raised to 3 years
and made a uniform for filing claims for minimum wages, bonus, equal remuneration
etc., as against existing varying period between 6 months to 2 years.
Source: PIB
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Amendments to POCSO Act

a) Recently the Government of India has defined child pornography in its amendments to
the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act)
b) The bill increases the fine on those who store or possess pornographic material in any
form involving a child. Upper limit for the fine is not set.
c) The amendments also include death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children,
besides providing stringent punishments for other crimes against minors.
d) Neither Section 67 of the Information Technology Act nor Section 293 of the Indian
Penal Code defines child pornography.
e) Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 14, 15, 34,42 and 45 of the POCSO Act, 2012 will be amended
to address the aspects of child sexual abuse in an appropriate manner.
New definition
Child pornography is ‘Any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child
which includes photograph, video, digital or computer-generated image indistinguishable
from an actual child and an image created, adapted or modified but appear to depict a
child’.
Source: The Hindu and Financial Express
Special POCSO Courts

a) Recently the Supreme Court (SC) ordered setting up of special courts in districts with
over 100 pending Prevention Of Children Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases.
b) SC Bench directed the courts to be set up within 60 days.
c) They will be established under a Central scheme and fully funded by the Centre.
d) It means centre would fund everything from the payment of the presiding officers,
staff and support persons to the court’s child-friendly infrastructure.
About the POCSO Act 2012
a) Ministry of Women and Child Development introduced the Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
b) It extends to the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir.
c) The Act ensures the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of
the child.
d) It defines different forms of sexual abuse, including penetrative and non-penetrative

assault, as well as sexual harassment and pornography.
e) The Act provides for the establishment of Special Courts for trial of offences under the
Act.
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About POCSO (Amendment) Bill, 2019
a) It makes punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children
including the death penalty.
b) Proposed changes in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act also
provide for fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography.
c) According to the amendment bill, those committing penetrative sexual assaults on a

child below 16 years of age would be punished with imprisonment up to 20 years, which
might extend to life imprisonment as well as fine.
d) The Bill provides that those who use a child for pornographic purposes should be
punished with imprisonment for up to five years and a fine.
e) However, in the event of a second or subsequent conviction, the punishment would be

extended up to seven years along with a fine
Source: Indian Express and The Hindu
Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019

Recently the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 was approved by the Cabinet.
Provisions of the Bill
1. It prohibits the commercial surrogacy in India and permits only related women to act
as a surrogate to infertile couples.
2. It provides for constitution of Surrogacy boards at national and state levels.
3. Intending couples should not abandon the child under any condition.
4. Only Indian couples legally married for at least 5 years allowed to opt for surrogacy.
5. It prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows only ethical altruistic surrogacy which
means the surrogate mother cannot take any money. while the intended parents can
voluntarily pay money but there cannot be any commercial agreement or contract.
6. Age Criteria: Between 23 to 50 years for female and 26 to 55 years for male for
intended couples.
Eligibility Criteria for Surrogate Mother
1. The surrogate mother must be a close relative of intending couple.
2. The Surrogate must be married having a child of her own.
3. She should be between the age of 25 to 35 years old.
4. She should not have been a surrogate earlier and must be certifiable mentally and
physically fit.
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Rights of the Child
1. A child born out of surrogacy to be the biological child of intending couple.
2. The new-born child shall be entitled to all rights and privileges available to a natural
child.
Other Provisions
1. Registration of surrogacy clinics and practitioners under appropriate authority is

mandatory.
2. Compulsory insurance coverage for the surrogate mother and no sex selection are
mandatory provisions.
Critics of the bill
1. It imposes a certain morality on others as the bill excludes gay couples, single men
and women, and unmarried couples who want a child.
2. The Law Commission India Report on Commercial Surrogacy also recommended

prohibiting commercial surrogacy. However, it said that prohibition based on vague moral
grounds or without proper assessment is irrational.
3. The Health Ministry did not conduct or rely on studies on commercial surrogacy but
concluded that all forms of commercial surrogacy are suspicious.
4. The legislation allows surrogacy only through a close relative. But the Bill doesn’t
define ‘close relative’ and other conditions such as age restrictions and marital status
further bring down the number of eligible surrogate mothers.
5. It has been argued that commercial surrogacy is used for trafficking, and foreigners
abandon children born through surrogacy. But there are also cases where families have
benefited from surrogacy.
6. Other practices are misused too, but they are all not banned.
Way Forward
1. Imposing a ban where better regulation may have sufficed will take the entire process
underground.
2. Tightening regulations would respect the interests of infertile couples. It would also
respect the woman’s choice about how she wants to bear a child.
3. The misuse of commercial surrogacy must be addressed with tighter regulation.
4. The focus should be on the well-being of the surrogate. The intending couple should
ensure financial enumeration, a sound insurance cover and regular health check-ups for
the surrogate.
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5. The relevant parts of the process should be legally documented.
Source: The Hindu
A demographic window of opportunity: On population and policy

When will India overtake China as the most populous country?
a) Recently published ‘World Population Prospects and forecast’ states that India will
overtake China as the most populous country by 2027.
b) It was released by the United Nations. UN revises its population projections every two
years.
c) However, in 2015, it was predicted that India would overtake China in 2022.
d) In 1979, China instituted a ‘One-child policy’. Even if India could institute a policy that
reduces its fertility rate to the Chinese level, India will overtake China as the most
populous country.
Which are the critical issues to be dealt with?
a) Birth rates and few incentives or disincentives are powerful enough to overcome the
desire for children.
i) Measures such as restriction on maternity benefits for first two children only,
disqualification from panchayat elections for people with more than two children, etc. are
inadequate.
ii) Incentives for sterilization are also not working.
iii) Many women are preferring more than two children over the post of sarpanch.
b) If punitive actions won’t work, people must be encouraged to have smaller families
voluntarily.
i) Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for the poorest women was 3.2 compared to only 1.5 for the
richest quintile in 2015-16.
ii) To get to TFR of 1.5, a substantial proportion of the population among the top 40%
must stop at one child.
c) There must be a change in our mindset about how population is incorporated in

broader development policies.
i) Population growth in the north and central parts of India is far greater than that in
south India.
ii) However, southern states are ahead than northern states in development levels.
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Who will be favoured after use of 2011 census baseline?
a) 15th Finance Commission is expected to use the 2011 Census for making its
recommendations regarding source allocation among the states.
b) Before it, 1971 population is used to allocate seats for the Lok Sabha and for Centre-
State allocation under various Finance Commissions.
c) This proposed revision has led to protests from the southern States as the feeling is
that they are being penalized for better performance in reducing fertility.
e.g. Between the 1971 and 2011 Censuses, the population of Kerala grew by 56%
compared to about 140% growth for Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
d) A move to use the 2011 Census for funds allocation will favor the north-central States
compared to Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
How to maximize the demographic dividend?
a) Government must invest in the education and health of the workforce, particularly in
States whose demographic window of opportunity is still more than a decade away.
b) Enhancing the productivity of backward states will benefit everyone in the future.
c) India should accept the fact that being the most populous nation is its destiny. It must
work towards enhancing the lives of its current and future citizens.
Source: The Hindu
STRIDE Scheme
1. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a new scheme - ‘Scheme for
Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy’ (STRIDE).
2. STRIDE will provide support to research projects that are socially relevant, locally
need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
3. STRIDE shall support research capacity building as well as basic, applied and
transformational action research that can contribute to national priorities with a focus on
inclusive human development.
4. Trans-disciplinary research is a team effort of investigators from different disciplines to

create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological innovations that integrate and
transcends beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem.
5. Trans-disciplinary research goes beyond the mere production of knowledge and

extends to the practical use of the knowledge outside academic endeavour.
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STRIDE Objectives:
1. To identify young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote

innovation and support trans-disciplinary research for India’s developing economy and
national development.
2. To fund multi-institutional network high-impact research projects in humanities and

human sciences.
STRIDE components:
i. Component-1: Identify young talents with research and innovation aptitude in

universities and colleges. The Scheme will provide the required research capacity with a
grant up to Rs. 1 crore.
ii. Component-2: Collaborations between universities, government, voluntary

organizations and industries is encouraged under this scheme. This component is open to
all disciplines for a grant up to Rs. 50 lakhs to 1 crore.
iii. Component-3
a. It will fund high impact research projects in the identified thrust areas in humanities
and human sciences through a national network of eminent scientists from leading
institutions.
b. Disciplines eligible for funding under this component include Philosophy, History,
Archaeology, Anthropology, Psychology, Liberal Arts, Linguistics, Indian Languages and
Culture, Indian Knowledge Systems, Law, Education, Journalism, Mass Communication,
Commerce, Management, Environment and Sustainable Development.
c. Grant available for this component is up to Rs. 1 crore for one HEI and up to Rs. 5
crores for the multi-institutional network. UGC is also proposing to provide a grant of Rs
2 lakh for developing proposals.
Source: PIB
Geography
Assam Floods
1. Assam is in facing another flood, with 57 lakh people displaced, all 33 districts
affected, and 36 people killed besides hundreds of animals.
2. This is the first wave of floods this monsoon, and flood control experts expect at least
two more.
Why are floods so destructive in Assam?
1. The incessant monsoon rainfall and other natural and man-made factors are the main
reasons.
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2. The nature of the river Brahmaputra is a major factor. It is dynamic and unstable.
3. Its basin spreads over four countries: China, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan, with
diverse environments.
4. The Brahmaputra features among the world’s top five rivers in terms of discharge and
the sediment it brings.
How do these characteristics of the river relate to flooding?
1. The vast amount of sediment comes from Tibet, where the river originates. Tibet
region is cold, arid and lacks plantation. Glaciers melt, soil erodes and all of it results in a
highly sedimented river.
2. By the time the river enters Assam — a state comprising primarily floodplains
surrounded by hills on all sides — it deposits vast amounts of this silt, leading to erosion
and floods.
3. The river comes from a high slope to a flat plain, its velocity decreases suddenly, and
this results in the river unloading the sediment. The river’s channels are inadequate to
handle sediments, leading to floods.
4. The region is also an earthquake-prone zone, so the river has not been able to acquire
a stable character.
5. Besides these natural factors, the man-made factors— habitation, deforestation,

population growth in catchment areas (including in China), also lead to higher
sedimentation. For example, the sediment deposition itself creates temporary sandbars
or river islands.
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6. It is common for people to settle in such places, which restricts the space the river has
to flow. When rainfall is heavy, it combines with all these factors and leads to destructive
floods. This happens very frequently.
What are the measures taken by the government?
1. The Brahmaputra Board had suggested that dams and reservoirs be built to mitigate
floods.
2. The objective of this suggestion is to regulate the release of floodwaters, which

sometimes can be beyond the capacity of the channels downstream.
3. Dam-building plans have been opposed by the locals and environmentalists on

grounds of displacement and destruction of ecology, preventing the plans from moving
forward.
4. A proposed multipurpose dam in the region was scrapped because of objections by the
Arunachal government due to submergence concerns, which included a few small towns.
5. Therefore the government has been building embankments on the river as the only
measure.
6. Embankments were proposed only as an interim measure for short-term mitigation, so

the government did not spend on high specifications. So, they are not strong enough and
are regularly breached.
7. The government also considered dredging and making the river deeper, but the
experts have advised against this because the Brahmaputra sediment yield is among the
highest in the world.
Where lies the solution?
1. For a sustainable solution, there needs to be a basin-wide approach to the problem,

such as an integrated basin management system.
2. It needs to bring in all the basin-sharing countries on board and take measures in
catchment areas. For that, interstate relationships, political cooperation and the role of
the government are important.
2. “Flood-plain” zoning can be adopted as done in the US. Depending on the vulnerability
of the area, it is divided into categories, and accordingly, certain activities, such as
farming, building a house etc, are banned in those regions.
Nuclear and Ocean Energy

Nuclear Energy in India
1. India’s 6,780 MW of nuclear power plants contributed to less than 3% of the country’s
electricity generation, which will come down as other sources will generate more.
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2. India refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was a setback for producing
nuclear energy.
3. In the 1950s, Dr Homi Bhabha proposed the Three Staged Programme for the
development of nuclear energy.
Three Staged programme
1. The ‘three-stage nuclear programme’, aims to utilize the inexhaustible Thorium

resources.
2. The first stage is based on ‘pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR), which use
scarce Uranium to produce Plutonium.
3. The second stage aims to set up several ‘fast breeder reactors (FBRs).
4. These FBRs would use a mixture of Plutonium and the reprocessed ‘spent Uranium
from the first stage, to produce energy and more Plutonium, because the Uranium would
transmute into Plutonium.
5. The reactor would also convert some of the Thorium into Uranium-233, which can also
be used to produce energy.
6. After 3-4 decades of operation, the FBRs would have produced enough Plutonium for
use in the ‘third stage’.
7. In this stage, Uranium-233 would be used in specially designed reactors to produce

energy and convert more Thorium into Uranium-233, and it can keep adding Thorium
endlessly.
Current Scenario
1. Even after 70 years, India is still stuck in the first stage. For the second stage, fast
breeder reactors are required.
2. A Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 MW capacity, construction began in

2004, it is yet to come on stream.
3. The problem is about handling liquid Sodium, used as a coolant. If Sodium comes in
contact with water, it will explode; and the PFBR is being built on the humid coast of
Tamil Nadu.
4. So it will take another 30-40 years from now for the ‘Thorium cycle’ to become
functional.
5. The government has sanctioned another 9,000 MW of PHWR, but the work has not yet
begun.
6. These are the home-grown plants. The 2005 ‘Indo-U.S. nuclear deal’ set out plans for
more projects with imported reactors, but a 2010 Indian ‘nuclear liability’ legislation has
halted the plans.
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7. With all these issues, it is difficult to see India’s nuclear capacity going beyond 20,000
MW over the next two decades.
Future of Nuclear Energy
1. While Nuclear energy is clean, and can provide electricity 24x7 (base load), it is no
longer cheap as the production cost is rising.
2. Nuclear plants can provide the ‘base load’ which means they give a steady stream of
electricity, like coal or gas plants. Wind and solar power plants produce energy much
cheaper, but their power supply is irregular.
3. Gas is not available in India and coal has global warming concerns, nuclear is
sometimes regarded as the saviour, but there are other better options.
Ocean energy
1. There are several sources of energy in the seas.
a. Surface Attenuator: On the motion of the waters, or ocean swells, a flat surface is
placed, with a mechanical arm attached to it, and it becomes a pump that can be used to
drive water or compressed air through a turbine to produce electricity.
b. Tidal Energy: Here tides are tapped, which flow during one part of the day and ebb in
another. Electricity can be generated by channelling the tide and place a series of
turbines in its path.
c. Ocean Current energy: Here turbines are kept on the seabed at places where there is
a current — a river within the sea.
d. Wave Energy: Here waves dash against pistons in a pipe, so as to compress air at the
other end. Seawater is dense and heavy when it moves it can punch hard and, it never
stops moving.
2. All these methods have been tried in pilot plants in several parts of the world such as
Brazil, Denmark, U.K., Korea.
3. There are only two commercial plants in the world - in France and Korea.
Way Forward
1. India’s Gujarat State Power Corporation had a tie-up with U.K.’s Atlantic Resources for
a 50 MW tidal project in the Gulf of Kutch, but the project was given up after it was
discovered that it could sell the electricity only at ₹13 a kWhr.
2. But when technology improves and installations are scaled the cost would come down.
3. Ocean energy would need to be incentivised through subsidies by diverting subsidies

extended to solar and wind.
Source: The Hindu
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Heat Waves
1. Recently, Europe went through a heatwave with highest temperature records, which
resulted in the death of people and fire outbreak.
2. Same patterns were also observed in India, Pakistan, parts of the Middle East and
Australia.
What is a heatwave?
1. Classifying a heatwave varies from country to country because what is seen as

extremely hot in one place may seem within the normal range in another.
2. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued guidelines in classifying heath

waves which listed several factors to be considered such threshold for variables in
temperature and human perspective of extremes.
Classification in India
1. India Meteorological Department (IMD) considers a heatwave when the maximum

temperature crosses 40°C in the plains and 30°C in the hills.
2. Where the normal maximum is 40°C or less, the heatwave departure from normal is
5°C to 6°C and the severe heatwave departure is 7°C or more.
3. Where the normal maximum is more than 40°C, the heatwave departure from normal
is 4°C to 5°C while the severe heatwave departure is 6°C or more.
4. In places where the maximum temperature reaches 45°C or more, the IMD declares a
heatwave irrespective of the normal.
Why it is happening?
1. The heatwave in Europe is a result of warm air masses from Africa.
2. More events are expected to follow during this northern hemisphere summer.
3. Climate change is cited as a reason for these trends.
4. As per WMO, the heatwave is consistent with climate scenarios. It predicts more
frequent, drawn out and intense heat events as greenhouse gas concentrations lead to a
rise in global temperatures.
5. Apart from heat waves, various climate models have predicted alternating periods of
prolonged droughts and heavy flooding in some areas.
How it affects Health?
1. The heat poses a risk to people’s health, agriculture and the environment.
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2. It is a departure from normal (what people are used to) makes heat waves dangerous.
A reading of 35°C, which many people in India would be able to cope with, can make
people severely ill in Germany.
3. Babies and older people are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are not as
well able to regulate their own temperatures as those of young adults.
4. High temperatures can cause exhaustion, heat stroke, organ failure, and breathing
problems.
5. Population living in urban areas are more vulnerable because heatwave traps them in
heat islands as steel, concrete, and asphalt structures absorb heat.
History
Jaipur gets World Heritage Site tag

1. Jaipur, known for its grid plan-based architecture and buildings of pink facades
recently entered the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was among the seven
sites worldwide to have made it to the list.
World Heritage Committee
1. The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committee at the UNESCO’s 43rd
session at Baku, Azerbaijan.
2. The committee, comprising representatives of 21 State Parties to the World Heritage

Convention, examined city’s nomination.
3. The International Council on Monuments and Sites had inspected the city in 2018.
4. It considered the architecture of streets with colonnades, which intersect the centre,
creating large public squares called Chaupar.
4. The uniform facades of markets, residences and temples in the main streets had also
impressed the council.
About Jaipur
1. The fortified city was founded in 1727 by the Kachwaha Rajput ruler of Amber, Sawai
Jai Singh II.
2. The city was established on the plains and built according to a grid plan interpreted in
the light of Vedic architecture.
3. The city’s urban planning shows an intermingling of ideas from ancient Hindu, modern
Mughal and western cultures.
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Other Sites
1. The six other cultural sites added to the list are the
a. Dilmun Dilmun burial mounds (Bahrain).
b. The Budj Bim cultural landscape (Australia).
c. The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu (China).
d. The Ombilin coal mining site of Sawahlunto (Indonesia).
e. The Mozu Furuichi Kofun group of ancient mounded tombs (Japan).
f. The Plains of Jars containing the megalithic jar sites in Xiengkhouang (Lao People’s
Democratic Republic).
Natural Sites added in the list
1. Iran’s Hyrcanian forests and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow
Sea Bohai, Gulf of China, was added to the World Heritage List, praising the regions for
their remarkable biodiversity.
2. The German city of Augsburg was also granted World Heritage status for its over 800-
year-old water management system boasting an aqueduct, water towers, ornate
fountains, canals and hundreds of bridges.
3. Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, Europe’s largest with a landscape of “fire and ice,”
also found a place in the list.
Source: The Hindu
Pothamala Menhirs
a) Recently new Menhirs were sighted in the Pothamala Hills, Kerala. Menhirs are tall
upright stone of a kind erected in prehistoric times.
b) These are perhaps the largest-ever recorded in Kerala.
c) This discovery has thrown light on the possible existence of a major prehistoric
necropolis. Necropolis is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments.
d) Menhirs were planted in a specific geometrical pattern on a cluster of hills. Most of

these structures were oriented in the east-west direction.
Source: The Hindu
JATAN software
a) It is a virtual Museum software developed by Human Centres Design and Computing
Group, C-DAC, Pune as per the agreement with the Ministry of Culture.
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b) Software is used for creating the digital collections in various museums and archival
tools that are used for managing the National Portal and Digital Repository for Indian
Museums.
c) Implementation of the software ensures the development of Digital Accession Register

for all the antiquities in these museums which could then be regularly updated.
d) It also ensure that a uniform pattern of collections management is followed in the

museums under the Ministry.
About C-DAC
a) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is the premier R&D

organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
b) It carries out research and development activities in Information and Technology,

Electronics and associated areas.
c) It was set up in 1988 to build supercomputers and develop other advanced systems.
d) It is headquartered at Pune, Maharashtra.
Source: PIB
Scheme of Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of

India (SPPEL)
Government of India has initiated a Scheme known as ‘Protection and Preservation of
Endangered Languages of India’.
About the scheme
a) The scheme was instituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2013.
b) The sole objective of the Scheme is to document and archive the country’s languages
that have become endangered or likely to be endangered in the near future.
c) The scheme is monitored by Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) located in

Mysuru, Karnataka.
d) The CIIL has collaborated with various universities and institutes across India for this
mission.
e) Under this Scheme, CIIL works on protection, preservation, and documentation of all
the mother languages of India spoken by less than 10,000 speakers.
f) These languages are identified as ‘Endangered languages’ because they are on the
verge of extinction.
g) Presently, 117 languages have been listed for the documentation.
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h) According to the criteria adopted by the UNESCO, a language becomes extinct when
nobody speaks or remembers the language. It has categorized languages on basis of
endangerment as follows:-
(i) Vulnerable
(ii) Definitely Endangered
(iii) Severely Endangered
(iv) Critically Endangered
Source: The Hindu
Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative

In Budget 2019-20, the government has announced that 17 “Iconic Tourist Sites” in the
country would be developed by the government.
Which are the Sites?
1. Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh
2. Ajanta & Ellora in Maharashtra
3. Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar in Delhi
4. Colva in Goa
5. Amer Fort in Rajasthan
6. Somnath and Dholavira in Gujarat
7. Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh
9. Hampi in Karnataka
10. Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu
11. Kaziranga in Assam
12. Kumarakom in Kerala
13. The Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar
What is the vision and aim of the initiative?
1. To develop these sites into world-class tourist destinations and to serve as a model for
other tourism sites.
2. The overall development from the tourism point of view in and around these sites —
which includes roads and infrastructure, hotels and lodges, connectivity and access.
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3. Therefore several ministries, from Railways to Civil Aviation, will be involved, while the
Tourism Ministry will be the nodal agency.
4. The sites will be in line with international standards with interventions in and around
the monuments such as elements of universal accessibility, green technology, and
enhanced security for tourists.
5. The initiative is aimed at enhancing India’s soft power.
Who will fund the initiative?
1. The Tourism Ministry has been allocated Rs 1,378 crore for the development of
tourism infrastructure.
2. This is only marginally more than the allocations in 2017-18 (Rs 1,151 crore) and
2018-19 (Rs 1,330 crore).
How the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme is performing?
1. Many of these monuments were opened up for adoption in 2017 under the Ministry of
Tourism’s Adopt a Heritage Scheme.
2. The Red Fort was adopted by the Dalmia Group, while the Qutub Minar and the Ajanta
Caves were adopted by Yatra Online.
3. The momentum of the scheme has slowed down since, and only 11 MoUs have been
signed so far.
Ethics
Individual Honesty
1. Honesty is essential for personal, social, economic and national development. Yet, we
see how people, companies and national governments cheat for self-interest.
2. In this context recently, an experiment was conducted by the economists and

management scholars called ‘Civic Honesty around the globe” in 40 countries including
India.
3. The field experiments were conducted to examine whether people act more
dishonestly when they have a greater economic incentive to do so and found the
opposite to be true.
The Experiment
1. Volunteers would drop a wallet in public places, some wallets have money and some
without money along with and without keys and other things such as the address of the
owner.
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2. The volunteers watched the passers who found the wallet and what they did. The
results showed that in all of the 40 counties overwhelmingly people turned in wallets
more often wallet with money than without.
Key Findings of the experiment
1. Citizens were more likely to return wallets that contained relatively larger amounts of
money. This finding is robust across countries and institutions and holds even when
economic incentives for dishonesty are substantial.
2. Results are consistent with theoretical models that incorporate altruism and self-image
concerns and also suggest that non-pecuniary motivations directly interact with the
material benefits gained from dishonest behaviour.
3. When people stand to heavily profit from engaging in dishonest behaviour, the desire
to cheat increases but so do the psychological costs of viewing oneself as a thief- and
sometimes the latter will dominate the former.
4. The comparative analysis suggested that economically favourable geographical

conditions, inclusive political institutions, national education, and cultural values that
emphasize moral norms extending beyond one’s in-group are positively associated with
rates of civic honesty.
Indian cities
1. In India is that these experiments conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,

Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Kolkata.
2. The results in these cities matched those found elsewhere; notably similar results were
found in Thailand, Malaysia and China in Asia, and in Kenyan and South African cities.
3. It would be valuable to conduct wallet experiments in many parts across India ranging
from big cities to small towns, villages (poor and the not so poor) and tribal areas.
4. We may see how our results fit in with the general conclusion above with comparable
economic and social norms, ethical and belief systems.
Source: The Hindu
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July 2019

Monthly Current Affairs

Table of Contents Reform in Startup ecosystem ...................... 41

Central Welfare Database of Citizens ..... 27 Water Conservation........................................... 62

Maritime Anti-Corruption Network........... 28 Locust Control and Research scheme ..... 63

Economy ................................................ 29 Conservation of Great Indian Bustard ... 65

Wage Code Bill ...................................................... 29 Mediterranean sharks ...................................... 66

PM – KISAN Yojana............................................ 30 Orchids of India Survey .................................. 67

Reducing Fiscal Deficit..................................... 31 Blue Flag Challenge ........................................... 68

Project Utkarsh 2022........................................ 33 Gharial Conservation ........................................ 70

Electricity for Poor ............................................. 33 Thermal plants and Water conservation

National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)..... 36 Dragon tree species .......................................... 74

Plan Bee System .................................................. 36 Climate Change Study ...................................... 75

Global Labour Income Share and Namdapha Tiger Reserve ............................... 75

Next-Generation Sequencing (NSG) Education access for Children with

Polity & Governance

Maratha Quota Verdict

2. In the past, reservation on the basis of similar recommendations in favor of Jats,

Which are the issues involved?

The case involved several constitutional issues such as

1. Determination of Marathas as a backward class on the basis of quantifiable data.

2. The constitutional validity of the Act providing for their reservation.

5. Non-inclusion in the existing OBC category assuming Marathas are backward.

What do the commissions say?

1. The Mandal Commission, which listed 128 communities as backward, identified

2. Since 1995 Maharashtra government set up a number of commissions in which two

3. Later two commissions concluded that Marathas community is socially, educationally

How the breach of 50% ceiling is justifiable?

1. Dr. B R Ambedkar wanted the reservation to be confined to a minority of seats. But

3. SC on Indira Sawhney laid down that 50% ceiling can be relaxed if

b. Peculiar conditions and characteristics of the population need to be treated in a

Why HC approved the creation of a separate backward class?

Where it will impact?

Source: The Indian Express

J&K Reservation Bill

What is the Amendment?

2. This benefits the resident in Jammu, Samba and Kathua areas.

Article 370 and Presidential Order of 1954

1. Constitutional amendments were recommended by the State Administrative Council

4. The controversy is whether the Governor, in the absence of an elected government,

2. The replacement of an elected Sadr-i-Riyasat with the Centre-appointed Governor, the

Who shall decide the legality of the law?

Source: The Indian Express

1. Nagaland is setting up a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) a

2. Nagaland aims to complete the task of identifying and registering indigenous

4. Though Nagaland is considerably less populated than Assam, the complex

Source: The Hindu

Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)

d) However, there is no clear definition of who is an indigenous inhabitant. State has 16

a) It is the list of Indian citizens in Assam.

Source: The Hindu

2. It is highest in Tamil Nadu followed by Maharashtra and Kerala.

What are the reasons for suicide?

The reasons for suicide among the police are manifold.

Long Duty Hours

How it can be resolved?

1. An acute shortage of personnel in the police has to be of immediate concern.

Counseling for Police personnel

1. Senior officers need to identify personnel with deviant behaviour.

Source: The Hindu

2. Relatively younger professionals are engaged as advisers, consultants or officers on

6. Another category of professionals are working with private organizations focused on

Why there is an increase in demand?