1

CONTENTS
POLITY & GOVERNANCE 3
ARMED FORCE TRIBUNALS
NOTIFICATION OF RULES FOR J&K
NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS (NDC) – TRANSPORT INITIATIVE FOR ASIA
(TIA)
A SINGLE VOTERS LIST
SUPREME COURT DECISION ON UGC
REVIEW PETITION
SUB CATEGORISATION OF OBCs
QUESTION HOUR AND ZERO HOUR
DRAFT DATA EMPOWERMENT AND PROTECTION ARCHITECTURE
EXTENSION OF TENURE OF STANDING COMMITTEES
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR PAROLE AND FURLOUGH
BUSINESS REFORM ACTION PLAN (BRAP) RANKING OF STATES
SAROD PORT
KESAVANANDA BHARATI
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORT ON STARTUPS
UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT, 1967

SCHEMES, BILL & ACTS 19

LABOR REFORM CODE BILLS 2020
FARM BILLS 2020
BANKING REGULATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020
UDAN 4.0
NATIONAL MISSION FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION
MISSION KARAMYOGI
J&K OFFICIAL LANGUAGE BILL 2020
PRADHAN MANTRI BHARTIYA JANAUSHADHI PARIYOJANA
PRADHAN MANTRI MATASAYA SAMPADA YOJANA
O-SMART SCHEME

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 34
ISRAEL, UAE AND BAHRAIN SIGN ABRAHAM ACCORD
G4 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING
INDIA-VIETNAM MEETING
BRICS INNOVATION BASE
INDIA PULLS OUT OF KAVAKAZ-2020
SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE INITIATIVE
WORLD SOLAR TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT
FIVE-POINTS TO DE-ESCALATE THE LAC STANDOFF
HYBRID DATA WARFARE BY CHINA
JAPAN’S NEW PRIME MINISTER YOSHIHIDE SUGA
DJIBOUTI CODE OF CONDUCT
BRICS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORS MEET
GILGIT-BALTISTAN TO BECOME A FULL-FLEDGED PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN
BASIC EXCHANGE AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (BECA)

SOCIAL JUSTICE & DEVELOPMENT 52

COVID-19 INFECTION IN PVTGs
CAG REPORT ON SCHOOL TOILETS
UN PRINCIPLES WITH PWD
NCRB DATA ON SUICIDE
INDIRA GANDHI PEACE PRIZE
YANOMAMI TRIBE
NATIONAL STATISTICAL SURVEY ON EDUCATIONAL DIVIDE
STATE OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN INDIA
KIRAN HELPLINE

2 I Articulate
YuWaah PLATFORM
HINDI DIWAS
CABINET APPROVES ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW AIIMS IN BIHAR
ETHICAL CODE FOR ELECTRONIC MEDIA
FREE GADGETS AND INTERNET PACKAGE FOR EWS SCHOOL STUDENTS
PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA (PMGSY)

ECONOMY 66
MSP RAISED FOR RABI CROPS
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER BODY (MSB) TO MONITOR NET NEUTRALITY
NHAI PLANS TO MONETISE ITS HIGHWAYS THROUGH INvITs
EXPORT PREPAREDNESS INDEX
CONTINGENCY FUND OF CENTRAL BANK
GDP CONTRACTION
SPECIAL MARKET OPERATION BY RBI
DEVELOPMENT BANK FOR INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
ADJUSTED GROSS REVENUE
ACT OF GOD
START-UP VILLAGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMME
GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX
FinCEN AND FIU-IND

ENVIRONMENT & DISASTER MANAGEMENT 80

PHYTOPLANKTON BIOMASS IN BAY OF BENGAL
WORLD LOST 68% VERTEBRATES IN 1970-2016: WWF
EIGHT INDIAN BEACHES RECOMMENDED FOR BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION
NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAM
STUBBLE BURNING
CONTROLLING DENGUE USING BACTERIA
AFRICAN BAOBAB TREE
SIGNIFICANCE OF DEAD CORAL REEF
HURRICANE NANA
PROJECT DOLPHIN
BAMBOO CLUSTER
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR CLEAN AND BLUE SKY
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS ON EIA 2020
TYPHOON MAYSAK AND TYPHOON HAISHEN
CLIMATESMART CITIES ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
WORLD BAMBOO DAY
ARSENIC AFFECTED HABITATIONS IN INDIA UP BY 145% IN THE LAST 5 YEARS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 97

EARLY GALAXY DETECTED BY ASTROSAT
INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE
FINDING OF CHANDRAYAAN 1
GRAPHENE MASKS
GIANT RADIO GALAXIES
METHANE HYDRATES IN KRISHNA-GODAVARI BASIN
DISCOVERY OF PHOSPHINE GAS ON VENUS
VAISHWIK BHARATIYA VAIGYANIK (VAIBHAV) SUMMIT

INTERNAL SECURITY & DEFENCE 104

ADMINISTRATION OF ASSAM RIFLES
VIKAS BATTALION
ABHYAS HIGH-SPEED EXPENDABLE AERIAL TARGET
EXERCISE INDRA

Polity & Governance | 3

VIP SECURITY IN INDIA
ADMINISTRATION OF ASSAM RIFLES

DIVERSITY, 
ART & CULTURE 110

WARLI PAINTING
KERALA PALIKALI
WORLD URDU CONFERENCE
MAHATMA AYYANKALI
INSCRIPTION FROM RENATI CHOLA ERA
SHREE NARAYAN GURU
MOPLAH UPRISING
ROGAN ART

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS 116

1 I Articulate
Polity & Governance | 2
3 I Articulate 3
ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL
Why in News?
The Delhi-based head bench of the Armed Forces
Tribunal has initiated hearing of matters of regional
benches through video conferencing.
Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT)
It is a military tribunal in India established in 2009
under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007.
Composition
• The Judicial Members are retired High Court
Judges and Administrative Members are retired
Members of the Armed Forces who have held the
rank of Major General/ equivalent or above for a
period of three years or more. Judge Advocate
General (JAG) who has held the appointment for at
least one year is also entitled to be appointed as the
Administrative Member.
• Other than the head Bench in New Delhi, AFT has
Regional Benches at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata,
Guwahati, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, and Jaipur.
Each Bench comprises a Judicial Member and an
Administrative Member.
Powers and Functions of AFT
• It has the power for the adjudication or trial by
AFT of disputes and complaints concerning the
commission, appointments, enrolments, and
conditions of service in respect of persons subject
to the Army Act, 1950, The Navy Act, 1957, and the
Air Force Act, 1950.
Exceptions of AFT
• Paramilitary forces including the Assam
Rifles and Coast Guard are excluded from the
tribunal’s adjudication.
• Appeals against the decision of the AFT can be
taken only in Supreme Court. High Courts are not
allowed to entertain such appeals.
Tribunals
• Tribunals can be defined as judgement seats
or courts of justice or board or committee
formed to adjudicate on claims of a
particular kind.
Tribunals in India
• Tribunals were added in the Constitution by
42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976
as Part XIV-A, which has only two articles
viz. 323-A and 323-B.
• Article 323-A deals with Administrative
Tribunals whereas article 323-B deals with
tribunals for other matters.
Types of Tribunals in India
• Administrative Tribunals
• Using the powers given by the Article
323A of the Constitution, Parliament
passed Administrative Tribunals Act
1985 to establish the Administrative
tribunals in India.
• The act has made provisions for the
Central Administrative Tribunal for
the Centre and a State Administrative
Tribunal for a particular State.
• In addition, the Act also provides
for the establishment of Joint
Administrative Tribunals to hear cases
from more than one State.
• National Green Tribunal
• It was formed in 2010 for effective and
expeditious disposal of cases that are
related to protection and conservation
of the environment, forests and other
natural resources.
• Water Disputes Tribunal
• The Parliament has enacted Inter-State
River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956
have formed various Water Disputes
Tribunal for adjudication of disputes
relating to waters of inter-State rivers
and river valleys.
• Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT)
• Established in 1941, the ITAT deals with
appeals under the direct taxes acts.
• The orders passed by this tribunal are
final and an appeal lies to the High Court
only if a substantial question of law arises
for determination.
NOTIFICATION OF RULES FOR J&K
Why in News?
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the
rules of the Transaction of Business of the Government
of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The rules
were issued under Section 55 of the Jammu and
Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
Overviewof the rules issued
• Role and powers of Lieutenant Governor (LG)
• The Lieutenant Governor (LG) shall make rules
on the advice of the Council of Ministers for the
allocation of business to the Ministers.
• In case of a difference of opinion between the
LG and a minister concerning any matter, the
former shall endeavour by discussion within
two weeks from the date of such disagreement
to settle any point on which the difference of
opinion has arisen.
• In case no such decision is received within
15 days from the date of such reference, the
LG’s decision shall be deemed to have been
accepted by the council of ministers.
• Police, Public order, All India Services, and
Anti-corruption will fall under the executive
functions of the LG.
Polity & Governance | 4
• Proposals or matters which affect or are likely to NATIONALLY DETERMINED
affect the peace and tranquillity of the UT or the CONTRIBUTIONS (NDC) – TRANSPORT
interest of any minority community, the Scheduled
Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Backward
INITIATIVE FOR ASIA (TIA)
Classes shall essentially be submitted to the LG
Why in News?
through the Chief Secretary, under intimation to the
NITI Aayog has launched Nationally Determined
Chief Minister, before issuing any orders.
Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia(TIA)
India Component.
Role of Council of Ministers, led by the Chief Minister
• The council (of ministers) shall be collectively
What is NDC-TIA?
responsible for all the executive orders issued by
• It is a joint program, supported by the
any department in the name of the LG and contracts
International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the
made in the name of the president in connection
German Ministry for the Environment, Nature
with the administration of the Union Territory,
Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
• They will handle service matters of non-All India Services
• NITI Aayog will be the implementing partner.
officers, proposal to impose a new tax, land revenue, sale
• It aims to promote a comprehensive approach to
grant or lease of government property, reconstituting
decarbonize transport in India, Vietnam, and China.
departments or offices, and draft legislation.
• NDC-TIA subordinate in making sectoral
• Any matter which is likely to bring the Government
contributions to the achievement of the NDCs of
of the Union territory into controversy with the
the Paris Agreement.
Central Government or with any State Government,
• The NDC-TIA program has a duration of 4 years.
shall, as soon as possible, be brought to the notice
of the LG and the Chief Minister by the secretary
The NDC–TIA India Component will focus on:
concerned through the Chief Secretary.
• Strengthening Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and
transport modelling capacities.
Role of the Central Government
• Providing technical support and solutions for GHG
• The Lieutenant Governor shall make a prior
emission reduction measures.
reference to the Central government concerning
• Financing climate actions in transportation.
several of the following proposals:
• Offering policy recommendations on electric
• Which influences the relations of the Centre
vehicle (EV) demand and supply policies etc.
with any state government, the Supreme Court
of India, or any other high court.
Need for NDC-TIA for India
• Proposals for the appointment of Chief
• India has a massive and diverse transport sector
Secretary and Director General of Police.
that caters to the needs of billions of people.
• Important cases which affect or are likely to affect
• It has the world’s second-largest road network,
the peace and tranquillity of the Union Territory.
which contributes to maximum GHG emissions
• Those cases which affect the interests of any
through all means of transportation.
minority community, Scheduled Castes or the
• With increasing urbanization, the number of sales
Backward Classes.
of vehicles is increasing rapidly.
• It is projected that the total number of vehicles will
Role of the President
be doubled by 2030.
• In case of difference of opinion between the Lieutenant
Governor and the Council concerning any matter,
Benefits of NDC-TIA
the Lieutenant Governor shall refer it to the Central
• The program will help to promote electric
Government for the decision of the President and shall
mobility in India.
act according to the decision of the President.
• It will also support the development of policies
• The LG of J&K has been empowered to pass
and regulations to promote electric vehicle
directions in such situations that action taken by
charging infrastructure.
the Council of Ministers will be suspended for as
long as it takes the President of India to decide on
Way Forward
the cases referred to her.
• As a regional initiative, NDC- TIA
disseminates appropriate knowledge in
Asia via existing platforms. By linking with
Background regional stakeholders and other Asian
• Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a countries, it contributes to promoting a
special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu comprehensive approach to decarbonizing
and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, transport. At the global level, the program
2019. A separate Bill - the Jammu and Kashmir will contribute its experience to the (United
Reorganisation Bill 2019 - was introduced to Nations Framework Convention on Climate
bifurcate the State into two separate union Change) UNFCCC process.
territories of Jammu and Kashmir (with
legislature), and Ladakh (without legislature).

5 I Articulate

Paris Agreement
• The Paris Agreement is an agreement within
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, dealing with greenhouse-
gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and
finance, signed in 2016.
• The Paris Agreement builds upon the
Convention and for the first time brings all
nations into a common cause to undertake
ambitious efforts to combat climate change
and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support
to assist developing countries to do so.
• The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put
forward their best efforts through nationally
determined contributions (NDCs) and to
strengthen these efforts in the years ahead.
Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
• Nationally determined contributions (NDCs)
are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and
the achievement of these long-term goals.
NDCs embody efforts by each country to
reduce national emissions and adapt to the
impacts of climate change.
• The Paris Agreement requests each country
to outline and communicate their post-2020
climate actions, known as their NDCs.
Source- PIB
A SINGLE VOTERS’ LIST
Why in News?
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) held a meeting
with representatives of the Election Commission and
the Law Ministry to discuss the possibility of having a
common electoral roll for elections to the panchayat,
municipality, state assembly, and the Lok Sabha.
What is the Electoral Roll?
The electoral roll is a list of persons who are eligible
to vote in a particular electoral district and who are
registered to vote if required in a particular jurisdiction.
An electoral roll has a number of functions, especially to
streamline voting on election day.
How does the electoral roll work in the state?
• Each State Election Commissions (SEC) is governed
by a separate state Act. Some states use Indian
voter’s roll prepared by the Election Commission
for the local body elections and revision of rolls for
municipality and panchayat elections.
• While some states have their own electoral rolls and
do not adopt EC’s role for local body polls like those
of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Assam,
Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland, and the Union Territory of
Jammu and Kashmir.
Why is there a focus on a common electoral roll for
election by the Union Government?
• Previous attempts- The pitch for a single voters list
is not new. The Law Commission recommended it
in its 255th report in 2015. The Election Commission
too adopted a similar stance in 1999 and 2004.
• Present in election manifesto- The common
electoral roll, simultaneous election to the Lok
Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, were the
promises made by the BJP in its manifesto for the
Lok Sabha elections last
• Reducing the expenditure- The government has
pitched a common electoral roll and simultaneous
elections as a way to save an enormous amount of
effort and expenditure.
• Eliminating the duplication of efforts-
Preparation of a separate voters list causes
duplication of essentially the same task between
two different agencies, thereby duplicating the
effort and the expenditure.
How can it be implemented?
• Amendment to article 243K and 243ZA- A
constitutional amendment to Articles 243K and
243ZA which give the power of superintendence,
direction, and control of preparation of electoral
rolls and the conduct of local body elections to
the State Election Commission (SECs) and the
amendment would make it mandatory to have a
single electoral roll for all elections in the country.
• Adjusting state laws- Persuading the state
governments to adjust their respective laws and
adopt the Election Commission’s (EC) voters list for
municipal and panchayat polls.
Challenges in implementation
• Mismatch of boundaries- The boundaries of the
EC’s polling station may not necessarily match
that of the wards.
• The change would require a massive consensus-
building exercise.
Way Forward
• The mature approach and coordination call for the
option of states adopting EC’s voter list.
• EC’s voters’ list has to be made in a way to fit the
SEC’s wards which is a long task but can be done by
the use of technology.
• Proper implementation process and a roadmap to
conduct elections.
Polity & Governance | 6
 Election Commission Of India
• It is a permanent Constitutional Body
established in accordance with the
Constitution on 25th January 1950.
• According to Article 324 of the Indian
Constitution, the Election Commission of
India has superintendence, direction, and
control of the entire process for conduct
of elections to Parliament and Legislature
(state legislative assembly & state legislative
council) of every State and the offices of
President and Vice-President of India.
• Composition
• The election commission shall consist
of the Chief Election Commissioner
and a such number of other election
commissioners, if any, as the president
may from time to time fix.
• The appointment of the chief
election commissioner and other
election commissioners shall be
made by the president.
• When any other election commissioner
is so appointed the chief election
commissioner shall act as the chairman of
the election commission.
• The president may also appoint
after consultation with the election
commission such regional commissioners
as he may consider necessary to assist the
election commission.
• The conditions of service and tenure of
office of the election commissioners and
the regional commissioners shall be such
as the President may by rule determine.
• Tenure of the Chief Election Commissioner
of India
• The Chief Election Commissioner and
other election commissioners hold office
for 6 years or till they attain the age of 65
years, whichever is earlier.
• Functions of the Election Commission
• Election Commission of India
superintendents, direct and control the
entire process of conducting elections to
Parliament and Legislature of every State
and the offices of President and Vice-
President of India.
• It determines the territorial area of the
electoral constituencies in accordance
with the Delimitation Commission Act.
• The most important function of the
commission is to decide the election
schedules for the conduct of periodic and
timely elections.
• It prepares electoral roll and issues an
Electronic Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
• It decides the location polling stations,
assignment of voters to the polling
stations, location of counting centres.
• It grants recognition to political parties &
allots election symbols to them.
7 I Articulate
• It issues the Model Code of Conduct
in the election for political parties and
candidates.
Simultaneous Election
• It is defined as structuring the Indian
election cycle in a manner that elections
to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies are
synchronized together.
Background
• Simultaneous elections are not new to India.
• They were the norm until 1967. But following
the dissolution of some Legislative Assemblies
in 1968 and 1969 and that of the Lok Sabha in
December 1970, elections to State Assemblies
and Parliament have been held separately.
• The idea of reverting to simultaneous polls was
mooted in the annual report of the Election
Commission in 1983. The Law Commission’s
Report also referred to it in 1999.
Advantages of Simultaneous Elections
• Reduction in the massive expenditure
incurred for the conduct of separate
elections every year.
• More focus on governance by the ruling
party despite election preparedness for state
assemblies and Lok Sabha.
• A limited disruption in the normal life of
people because frequent elections lead to
disruption of normal public life and impact the
functioning of essential services disruption
can be minimized to a certain predetermined
period if elections are held simultaneously.
• Simultaneous elections would reduce crucial
manpower which is often deployed for
prolonged periods on election duties.
• Peace in society- In frequent elections,
there is a surge in communalism, casteism,
corruption, and crony capitalism.
Simultaneous elections will reduce such
incidents and will ensure prevailed peace in
society maintaining social fabric.
Challenges to Simultaneous Elections
• Impact on voters’ behaviour- Not all voters
are highly educated to know who to vote
for. They may get confused and may not
know whether they are voting for candidates
contesting assembly or parliament elections.
• Against multi-party democracy- India is a
multi-party democracy where elections are
held for State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha
separately; the voters are better placed to
express their voting choices keeping in mind
the two different governments in which they
would be elected by exercising their franchise.
• Diminished Accountability- Having to face

the electorate more than once every 5 years
enhances the accountability of politicians and
keeps them on their toes.
• Lack of manpower- There is a dearth of
enough security and administrative officials to
conduct simultaneous free and fair elections
throughout the country in one go. Also, it will
require more manpower on a single day to
ensure free and fair elections.
• Election Issues- Election at the state level
and national level are often fought on different
sets of issues whereas, in simultaneous
elections, voters may end up privileging one
set over the other in ways they might not have
done otherwise.
SUPREME COURT DECISION ON
UGC GUIDELINES ON CONDUCT OF
EXAMINATIONS
Why in News?
The Supreme Court ruled that the states are
empowered under the Disaster Management Act, 2005
(DM Act) to override University Grants Commission
(UGC) exam guidelines in order to protect human lives
amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
What was the Issue?
• On 6 July UGC issued guidelines to conduct exams
in pandemic based on the recommendations of the
R.C. Kuhad Expert Committee.
• It presented three modes of examination – pen and
paper, online and blended (both physical and online).
• A “special chance” was also given to students
unable to take the exams.
• Following this, a batch of petitions was filed in
the court against the direction to hold exams as
per the UGC guidelines.
• The petitioners also contended that the revised
guidelines violate Article 14 on two counts — by
fixing a date for the completion of exams for the
entire country irrespective of the situation in
different parts and discriminating between final and
first/second-year students.
The judgment of the Supreme Court
• In case of a disaster, the priority of all
authorities under the DM Act is to immediately
combat the disaster and contain it to save
human life. Saving the life of human beings is
given paramount importance.
• Court held that the powers of the States under
the Disaster Management Act do not extend to
promoting students on the sole basis of their
internal assessment without taking exams.
• If any State found it impossible to conduct
the exams by the deadline given by UGC and
wanted to postpone them, it could apply to the
UGC, which would consider the request and
decide at the earliest.
• States and universities cannot dismiss UGC
guidelines as being merely advisory. They were
necessary for the determination of standards in
institutions of higher education and were obligatory
for universities.
• The court rejected the argument of violation
of Article 14 of the Constitution on the ground
that one date has been fixed irrespective of the
conditions prevailing in individual States. The
date for completion of the examination was fixed
throughout the country to maintain uniformity in
the academic calendar.
The relevance of the Disaster Management Act in this
pandemic
Provisions of the DM Act give power to States and
district authorities to frame their own rules on the basis
of broad guidelines issued by the Home Ministry.
• The legal basis of the DM Act is Entry 23,
Concurrent List of the Constitution “Social security
and social insurance” and Entry 29, Concurrent
List “Prevention of the extension from one State
to another of infectious or contagious diseases or
pests affecting men, animals or plants,” can also be
used for specific lawmaking.
Disaster Management Act, 2005
The stated object and purpose of the DM
Act is to manage disasters, including the
reparation of mitigation strategies, capacity-
building, and more.
It came into force in India in January 2006.
Some important features of the Act
• It ensures effective implementation and
monitoring of disaster management plans.
• It provides a three-tier structural system to
manage at national, state, and district levels.
• The Act calls for the establishment of the
National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA), with the Prime Minister of India
as chairperson.
• All-State Governments are mandated to
establish a State Disaster Management
Authority (SDMA).
How does DMA empower the governments?
• DMA authorizes the Prime Minister to take
decisions to deal with the pandemic, including
deciding on relief for victims and special
measures for the needy.
• The state chief minister may also invoke
special powers under the law for dealing with
the pandemic.
• It gives the same power to the PM and
CMs except in the case of Delhi, where the
Lieutenant-Governor has these powers.
Polity & Governance | 8

University Grants Commission (UGC)
It came into existence on 28th December 1953
but became a statutory organization of the
Government of India by the UGC Act, 1956, under
the Ministry of Education.
The UGC`s mandate includes:
• To promote and coordinate university
education.
• To determine and maintain standards of
teaching and research in universities.
• Framing regulations on minimum
standards of education.
• Monitoring developments in the field of
collegiate and university education; disbursing
grants to the universities and colleges.
• It also works as an advisor to the Central
and State governments on the measures
necessary for the improvement of the
university and up-gradation of various
academic courses.
Way Forward
• Performance and academic achievement of
students in university examinations contribute to
merit, lifelong credibility, wider global acceptability,
and better prospects to the student.
• The digital divide that exists in the country must be
taken into account and needed to bridge the gap
while going for the online conduct of examinations.
• The government should come up with a proper
plan for the appointments of final year students
who have not been able to appear for the
examination and come out with policies to defer
the requirement of degree certificates for job
appointments.
REVIEW PETITION
Why in News?
The Supreme Court has imposed a Re 1 fine on
activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan after holding him
guilty of criminal contempt of court for two tweets
against the apex court.
More on news
• The apex court on August 14 held Prashant Bhushan
guilty of criminal contempt for his two derogatory
tweets against the judiciary, saying they cannot be
said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the
judiciary made in the public interest.
• On August 25, the court had reserved its ruling after
numerous arguments as Bhushan refused to apologize.
• Bhushan has agreed to pay the fine but has said that
he will file a review petition against the conviction.
Review Petition
• According to Article 137 of the Constitution, the
Supreme Court has the power to review any of its
judgments or orders.
9 I Articulate
• The Court has the power to review its rulings to
correct a “patent error” and not “minor mistakes of
inconsequential import”.
• A review is by no means an appeal in disguise this
means the Court is allowed not to take fresh stock
of the case but to correct grave errors that have
resulted in the miscarriage of justice.
• As per the Civil Procedure Rules, a person aggrieved
by a ruling can seek a review. This implies that it is
not necessary that only parties to a case can seek a
review of the judgment.
• A Review Petition has to be filed within 30 days
of the date of judgment or order. In exceptional
cases, the court can condone the delay in filing
the review petition.
• Review petitions are ordinarily entertained without
oral arguments by lawyers. Thus, it is heard “through
circulation” by the judges in their chambers.
However, in exceptional cases like death penalty
cases, the court allows an oral hearing.
• Review petitions are also heard by the same
combination of judges who delivered the original
judgment that is sought to be reviewed.
Grounds for Considering Review Petition
The Court does not entertain every review petition
filed. The Supreme Court has laid down three grounds
for seeking a review of a verdict it has delivered.
• On the discovery of new and important matter or
evidence which, after the exercise of due diligence,
was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or
could not be produced before the court.
• Mistake or error apparent on the face of the record.
• Any other sufficient reason that is analogous to the
other two grounds.
Option after Review Petition Fails
• In the Roopa Hurra v Ashok Hurra’s case (2002),
the Court came with the concept of a curative
petition, which can be heard after a review
petition is dismissed.
• A curative petition is also entertained on very
narrow grounds like a review petition and is
generally not granted an oral hearing.
Curative Petition
• It was first evolved by the Supreme Court of
India in Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra
and another case (2002) on the question of
whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any
relief against the final judgment/order of the
Supreme Court, even after the dismissal of a
review petition.
• It is supported by Article 137 of the Indian
Constitution. It provides that in the matter
of laws and rules made under Article 145, the
Supreme Court has the power to review any
judgment pronounced (or order made) by it.
• It can be entertained if the petitioner
establishes that there was a violation of

the principles of natural justice and that
he was not heard by the court before
passing an order.
• A curative petition must be first passed to
a Bench senior-most judges if a majority of
the judges conclude that the matter needs
hearing should it be listed before the same
Bench.
SUB-CATEGORIZATION OF OBCs
Why in News?
A commission headed by Justice (Retd.) G Rohini
has been examining the sub-categorization of Other
Backward Classes (OBCs) for almost three years now.
What is the sub-categorization of OBCs?
• The Central List of OBCs consists of over 2,600
communities.
• Sub-categorisation of the OBCs means the creation
of categories within OBCs for reservation.
• OBCs are granted a 27% reservation in jobs and
education under the central government.
Need for Reconsideration of a sub-category of OBC
• It has been seen that only a few affluent
communities among the listed ones have secured a
major part of the 27% reservation.
• According to the 2018 data analysis of 1.3 lakh
central jobs and admissions to central higher
education institutions given under OBC quota.
24.95% of these jobs and seats have gone to just 10
OBC communities.
• 97% of all jobs and educational seats have gone to
just 25% of all sub-castes classified as OBCs.
• This gives rise to the sub-categorization of OBCs
so that would ensure equitable distribution of
representation among all OBC communities.
Who is examining sub-categorization?
• The Commission to examine the Sub-categorisation
of OBCs took charge on October 11, 2017.
• It is headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief
Justice G Rohini.
• Initially constituted with a tenure of 12 weeks
ending January 3, 2018, it was granted an
extension recently.
• The current tenure of the Commission ends on
January 31, 2021.
• Its budget is being drawn from the National
Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
Commission’s Terms of References
• To examine the uneven distribution of
reservation benefits among different castes in
the central OBC list.
• To work out the mechanism, criteria, norms,
and parameters in a scientific approach for sub-
categorization within such OBCs.
• To take up the exercise of identifying the respective
castes/communities/sub-castes/synonyms for
comprehensive data coverage.
• To study and recommend the correction of any
repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies, and errors
of spelling or transcription.
National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)
• It is a constitutional body under the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment. 102nd
Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provides
constitutional status to NCB by inserting
Articles 338 B and 342 A.
• The Commission comprises of five members
including a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson
and three other Members appointed by the
President by warrant under his hand and seal
• This Commission was formed as an initiative
for investigating the conditions and
difficulties of the socially and educationally
backward classes and thus making
appropriate recommendations.
QUESTION HOUR AND ZERO HOUR
Why in News?
The Lok Sabha Secretariat officially released the
schedule for the monsoon Parliament session with
Question Hour being dropped. Zero Hour will also be
restricted in both Houses.
Question Hour
• Definition- The first hour of every parliamentary
sitting is slotted for the Question Hour. However,
in 2014 the Question Hour was shifted in the Rajya
Sabha from 11 am to 12 noon.
• During this one hour, Members of
Parliament (MPs) ask questions to ministers
and hold them accountable for the
functioning of their ministries.
• The questions can also be asked to the private
members (MPs who are not ministers).
• Regulation- It is regulated according to parliamentary
rules. The presiding officers of both Houses (Rajya
Sabha and Lok Sabha) are the final authority with
respect to the conduct of Question Hour.
• Kinds of Questions- There are three types of
questions asked.
• Starred question (distinguished by an asterisk)-
this requires an oral answer and hence
supplementary questions can follow.
• Unstarred question- this requires a written
answer and hence, supplementary questions
cannot follow.
• A short notice question is one that is asked
by giving a notice of fewer than ten days. It is
answered orally.
• Frequency- Question Hour in both Houses is held
on all days of the session. But there are two days
when an exception is made.
• When the President addresses MPs from both
Houses.
Polity & Governance | 10
 • On the day the Finance Minister presents
the Budget.
Zero Hour
• While Question Hour is strictly regulated, Zero Hour
is an Indian innovation. The phrase does not find
mention in the rules of procedure.
• The concept of Zero Hour started organically in the
first decade of the Indian Parliament when MPs
felt the need for raising important constituency
and national issues.
• During the initial days, Parliament used to break for
lunch at 1 pm.
• Therefore, the opportunity for MPs to raise national
issues without an advance notice became available
at 12 pm and could last for an hour until the House
adjourned for lunch.
• This led to the hour being popularly referred to as
Zero Hour and the issues being raised during this
time as Zero Hour submissions.
• Its importance can be gauged from the support it
receives from citizens, media, MPs, and presiding
officers despite not being part of the rulebook.
Criteria for questions
• Parliamentary rules provide guidelines on the kind
of questions that can be asked by MPs.
• Questions have to be limited to 150 words. They
have to be precise and not too general.
• The question should also be related to an area of
responsibility of the GoI.
• Questions should not seek information
about matters that are secret or are under
adjudication before courts.
• It is the presiding officers of the two Houses who
finally decide whether a question raised by an MP
will be admitted for answering by the government.
Impact
• Over the last 70 years, MPs have successfully
used the parliamentary device of ‘Question Hour’
to shine a light on government functioning. Their
questions have exposed financial irregularities
and brought data and information regarding
government functioning to the public domain.
• Suspension of the Question Hour would mean that
the Opposition would lose the right to question the
government. Also, the Ministers are not liable to
reply to the issues raised during the Zero Hour.
• This would mean that the MPs would not be able
to hold the government accountable for its action.
This will go against the spirit of parliamentary
democracy.
Way Forward
• World over, the legislative bodies have
continued to function with new sets of ‘dos
and don’ts. Some ‘dos and don’ts’’ can be
introduced in the Parliament.
• Admit the Starred Question, reply to it in a set of
prepositions and allow the Member concerned to
the table in writing the permitted number of follow
up questions also to be answered in writing the
following day.
11 I Articulate
• This can be supplemented, on occasions, by using
a Motion to develop a consensus ‘on matters of
general public interest’.
• The test of a functioning democracy is its ability
to face crises and seek correctives premised
on institutions of democracy. Executive
accountability upfront cannot be allowed to
become a thing of the past.
DRAFT DATA EMPOWERMENT AND
PROTECTION ARCHITECTURE
Why in News?
The NITI Aayog has released a draft Data Empowerment
and Protection Architecture (DEPA) which aims to
promote greater user control on data sharing.
Objective of DEPA
• To empower individuals with control over their
personal data, by operationalizing a regulatory,
institutional, and technology design for secure data
sharing. The data consent given under it will be free,
informed, specific, clear, and revocable.
Features of DEPA
• User Consent Managers- DEPA’s Institutional
Architecture will involve the creation of new
market players known as User Consent Managers.
These Consent Managers will also work to protect
data rights.
• Open APIs- Open Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) enable the seamless and
encrypted flow of data between data providers and
data users through a consent manager.
• RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, and the Ministry of
Finance will implement this model.
Advantages
• Opening up an API-based data-sharing
framework would bring significant innovation by
new fintech entities.
• DEPA will provide individuals and small businesses
with the practical means to access, control, and
selectively share personal data that they have
stored across multiple institutional datasets and
maximize the benefits of data sharing for individual
empowerment.
• DEPA will enable better personal financial
management services, wealth management,
or different types of lending, insurance, and
investment use cases and products that one may
not be able to foresee today.
EXTENSION OF TENURE OF STANDING
COMMITTEES
Why in News?
Rajya Sabha Secretariat is considering changing the
rules to govern Departmentally-Related Standing
Committees’ (DRSC) tenure from one to two years
so that the panels have enough time to work on the
subjects selected by them.
Departmentally-Related Standing Committees’ (DRSC)
• Need for the change
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many panels
have not been able to complete reports on the
subjects they were working on. For example,
the Information Technology panel could not
complete deliberations on “Safeguarding
citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of
social/online news media platforms including
special emphasis on women security in
the digital space”, for which it summoned
Facebook recently.
• Consideration
• To extend the term of the panels for a year.
• To form new committees with a fixed tenure
of two years.
• New Draft Guidelines
• Rajya Sabha secretariat prepared new draft
guidelines for its standing committees. The
guidelines are still under review by the Lok
Sabha Speaker. This may include:
• A minimum of 15 days’ notice and
confirmation by one-third of the members
before holding a panel meeting.
• The nomination of members based on their
qualifications, interests, and occupations.
• At least 50% attendance while collecting
evidence and adopting reports.
• Evolution
• On the recommendation of the Rules
Committee of the Lok Sabha, 17 DRSCs were set
up in the Parliament in 1993.
• In 2004, seven more such committees were set
up, thus increasing their number from 17 to 24.
• Members
• Each standing committee consists of 31
members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from
Rajya Sabha).
• The members of the Lok Sabha are nominated
by the Speaker, just as the members of the
Rajya Sabha are nominated by the Chairman
from amongst its members
• A minister is not eligible to be nominated as
a member of any of the standing committees.
In case a member, after his nomination to any
of the standing committees, is appointed a
minister, he then ceases to be a member of
the committee.
• Tenure
• The term of office of each standing committee
is one year from the date of its constitution.
• Role
• It ensures more accountability of the Executive
(i.e., the Council of Ministers) to the Parliament.
Through Committees, Parliament exercises its
control and influence over administration and
keeps vigilance over the executive.
• The Committees aid and assist the Legislature
in discharging its duties and regulating its
functions effectively, expeditiously, and
efficiently. They assist the Parliament in
thoroughly and systematically scrutinizing the
matters which could not be discussed on the
floor at length.
• It provides the expertise on a matter which is
referred to them.
Parliamentary Committees
• The Constitution of India makes a mention
of these committees at different places,
but without making any specific provisions
regarding their composition, tenure,
functions, etc.
• A good deal of Parliamentary business is
transacted in the committees. Both Houses
of Parliament have a similar committee
structure, with a few exceptions.
• Their appointment, terms of office, functions,
and procedure of conducting business are
also more or less similar and are regulated
as per rules made by the two Houses under
Article 118(1) of the Constitution.
• Broadly, Parliamentary Committees are of
two kinds – Standing Committees and Ad
hoc Committees.
• The former are elected or appointed every
year or periodically and their work goes on,
more or less, continuously.
• The latter are appointed on an ad hoc basis as
the need arises and they cease to exist as soon
as they complete the task assigned to them.
Significance of the Standing Committee System
• Detailed scrutiny and upholding government
accountability- Standing committees
increase the ability of parliament to scrutinize
government policies and make it accountable
through an informed debate in the legislature.
• Work in a non-partisan manner- Committee
meetings are ‘close doors’ and members are
not bound by the party whips, which allow
them the latitude for a more meaningful
exchange of views.
• Engagement with relevant stakeholders- The
committee regularly seeks feedback from
citizens and experts on subjects it examines,
for example, the RBI governor was summoned
by the Finance Committee on the subject of
demonstration.
• Work as a bridge- They act as a link between
parliament and people on the one hand, and
between the administration and parliament
on other hand.
• Financial Prudence- The system ensures
economy and efficiency in public expenditure,
as the ministries/ departments would not be
more careful in formulating their demands.
Way Forward
• The sittings of Parliament are steadily declining
over the years. In such a scenario, a major part of
parliamentary work is done by DRSCs. A longer
tenure will help in the completion of tasks and
deliberations assigned to them.
Polity & Governance | 12
• There is a need for several other parliamentary
reforms. It has been seen that the majority of the
bills were passed by the Parliament through a
voice vote, without much debating and without
referring them to the parliamentary committees.
For example, RTI Amendment Act (2019), UAPA
Amendment Act (2019).
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR PAROLE AND
FURLOUGH
Why in News?
The Ministry of Home Affairs has revised guidelines on
parole, furlough and premature release of prisoners and
asked the states all the states and union territories to
review the guidelines in this regard.
Since prisons are the State subject in the Constitution,
the Prisons Act of each state government defines the
rules under which parole is granted in that state.
What are the revised guidelines?
• The terrorists, people involved in heinous
crimes, riots, dacoity or those involved in
smuggling of drugs should not be eligible for
release on parole or furlough as it could have an
adverse impact on society.
• MHA suggested new guidelines should include that
parole and furlough may not be granted as a matter
of routine and may be decided by a committee of
officers and behavioural experts keeping in view all
relevant factors, especially for inmates sentenced
for sexual offences, serious crimes such as murder,
child abduction and violence.
• Inclusion of an expert psychologist/ criminologist/
correctional administration expert as a member of
the sentence review board and in the committee
which decides grant of parole and furlough to
inmates and obtains their opinion before such
temporary release.
• Imprisonment besides being a mode of punishment
also aims at protecting the society from criminal
activities, therefore release on parole is not an
absolute right but a concession.
• A balance is, therefore, considered essential
between ensuring the rights of inmates and
protecting society from further harm.
Parole
• Parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with the
suspension of the sentence.
• The release is conditional, usually subject to
behaviour, and requires periodic reporting to the
authorities for a set period of time.
• Parole is considered a reformative process.
• Parole may be denied to a prisoner even when
he makes out a sufficient cause if the competent
authority is satisfied that releasing the convict
would not be in the interest of society.
• Parole is often not granted to convicts
sentenced to death, or to those who, in the
opinion of jail authorities, are likely to flee when
released from prison.
13 I Articulate
Furlough
• Furlough is given in cases of long-term
imprisonment.
• The period of furlough granted to a prisoner is
treated as remission of his sentence.
• Furlough is given in cases of long-term
imprisonment.
• The period of furlough granted to a prisoner is
treated as remission of his sentence.
Way Forward
It is important for state authorities to review their
guidelines to ensure that the facility and concession
are given to inmates, by way of parole, furlough and
premature release, etc. to provide them relief and
rehabilitation, is not abused and misused by them and
their advantage does not turn into disadvantage and
nuisance for the society at large.
BUSINESS REFORM ACTION PLAN (BRAP)
RANKING OF STATES
Why in News?
4th edition of the Business Reform Action Plan
(BRAP) ranking of states announced recently by the
Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal
Trade (DPIIT).
Highlights
• The five-ten states under State Reform Action Plan
2019 are Andhra Pradesh Uttar Pradesh, Telangana,
Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
• Ranking of States is based on the
implementation of the Business Reform Action
Plan started in the year 2015.
• One “major change” in the current rankings is
the government’s decision to link the state’s
performance “exclusively” to user feedback.
Significance of Ranking
• The ranking of States is based on the
implementation of the Business Reform Action Plan
started in the year 2015.
• One “major change” in the current rankings is
the government’s decision to link the state’s
performance “exclusively” to user feedback.
• The move is aimed at triggering competition among
states to attract investments and improve the
business climate.
• Most states see their performance as a key factor
in helping companies select their investment
destination.
Why are the states ranked on BRAP Implementation?
The larger objective of attracting investments and
increasing the Ease of Doing Business in each state was
sought to be achieved by introducing an element of
healthy competition through a system of ranking states
based on their performance in the implementation of
the Business Reform Action Plan.
What more can be done
• Single window clearance- All the departments
involved from granting permission to the
 deployment of infrastructure should come on
a single platform for protecting stakeholders to
unnecessary delay.
• Hand-holding parameters- Providing support to
the low performing states in the form of easing
norms and incentives to boost their local trade and
manufacturing units.
• Fast Litigation- Pending cases in the judiciary
exhaust the will of the investors. Giving more
teeth to NCLT and setting up of an Arbitration and
Mediation body will release the burden from the
court as well as relief to stakeholders.
• Foster greater federalism- States should be
allowed to engage both cooperatively and
competitively with the central government and
with each other.
• Skill Development/ Re-skilling- Skill formation
and continuous upgrade both for labour and
entrepreneurs in every state.
Business Reform Action Plan(BRAP)
• The ranking of states based on the
implementation of the Business Reform
Action Plan started in the year 2015. To date,
State Rankings
• have been released for the years 2015, 2016,
and 2017-18.
Who Conducts the exercise?
• The Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade(DPIIT) conducts the
exercise for all States and Union Territories
under the BRAP.
Parameters
• It includes 180 reform points covering 12
business regulatory areas such as Access to
Information, Single Window System, Labour,
Environment among others.
SAROD PORT
Why in News?
The Ministry of State for Shipping launched ‘SAROD-
Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes -
Ports) through a virtual ceremony.
SAROD PORTS
• They are established under the Societies
Registration Act, 1860.
• SAROD-Port designed on the similar provision
available in Highway Sector in the form of SAROD-
Roads constituted by NHAI.
Objectives
• Affordable and timely resolution of disputes in
fair manner
• Enrichment of Dispute Resolution
Mechanism with the panel of technical
experts as arbitrators.
• How will it function
• It will advise and assist in settlement of
disputes through arbitrations in the maritime
sector, including ports and shipping sector in
Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including
private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours.
• It will also cover disputes between granting
authority and Licensee/Concessionaire /
Contractor and also disputes between
Licensee/Concessionaire and their contractors
arising out of and during the course of
execution of various contracts.
• Benefits
• It will act as a game changer by becoming
the pivotal mechanism of ummeed (hope),
vishwas(trust) and nyaya (justice) in the Port
sector of India.
• Saving a huge amount of legal expenditure
and time by resolving the disputes in a fair
and just manner.
• SAROD-Ports will inspire confidence in the
private players and will ensure the right kind of
environment for our partners.
• It will promote ease of doing business in the
maritime sector because of the fast, timely,
cost effective and robust dispute resolution
mechanism.
KESAVANANDA BHARATI
Why in News?
Kesavananda Bharati, the 79-year old Kerala-based seer
and the person who lent his name to the crucial ‘basic
doctrine’ judgment of the Supreme Court of India, has
died due to age-related ailments.
A brief background:
• Ever since the adoption of the Constitution, there
has been a tussle between the executive and the
judiciary regarding the extent of amendments that
can be made to the Constitution.
• In the early years of Independence, the Supreme
Court conceded absolute powers to the Parliament
in amending the Constitution, as was seen in the
verdicts in Shankari Prasad (1951) and Sajjan Singh
(1965) by concluding that-
• The term “law” in Article 13 of the Constitution
must not be taken to mean amendments to the
Constitution under Article 368, but only rules
and regulations made in exercise of ordinary
legislative power.
• The Constitution kept being amended to suit
the interests of the ruling dispensation, but
subsequently, the Supreme Court in Golaknath
(1967) held that Parliament’s amending power could
not touch fundamental rights, and this power would
be only with a Constituent Assembly, saying that-
• The term “law” in Article 13 of the
Constitution does in fact include any and all
amendments made under Article 368, and
therefore, if an amendment “takes away or
abridges” a Fundamental Right conferred by
Part III, it will be put to judicial scrutiny and
can be declared void.
Polity & Governance | 14
• Then, in the verdict in Kesavananda Bharati (1973),
the ‘basic structure’ doctrine was evolved by the
Supreme Court, which has since been expanded to
include within its ambit a host of ideals.
Who was Kesavananda Bharati?
• Kesavananda Bharati was the head seer of the Edneer
Mutt in Kasaragod district of Kerala since 1961.
• He challenged the Kerala land reform legislation
in 1970 while petitioning against the removal of
the Right to Property from the list of fundamental
rights in the landmark case of Kesavananda Bharati
Sripadagalvaru and Ors v State of Kerala.
The judgment in Kesavananda Bharati case:
• On April 24, 1973, the 13-member Constitutional
Bench in the case ruled by a 7-6 verdict that the
Parliament should be restrained from altering the
‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
• The court did not define the ‘basic structure’ but
listed some principles — federalism, secularism,
democracy — as being its part.
• Since then, the court has been adding new
features to this concept.
• However, despite the ruling that Parliament
cannot breach fundamental rights, the court
upheld the amendment that removed the
fundamental right to property.
• Technically, Kesavananda Bharati lost the case. But
as many legal scholars point out, the government
did not win either.
The Doctrine of ‘Basic Structure’:
• History: The origins of the basic structure
doctrine are found in the German
Constitution which, after the Nazi regime, was
amended to protect some basic laws from
majoritarianism and dictatorship.
• Meaning: In India, the doctrine states
that the constituent power of Parliament
under Article 368 does not enable it
to alter the ‘basic structure’ (or ‘basic
features’) of the Constitution. This means
that the Parliament cannot abridge or
take away a Fundamental Right that
forms a part of the ‘basic structure’ of the
Constitution.
• Inclusions: Since the Kesavananda Bharati
case, the ‘basic structure’ doctrine has been
interpreted to include many ideas such as-
• Supremacy of the Constitution
• Rule of Law
• Independence of the judiciary
• Doctrine of separation of powers
• Federalism
• Secularism
• Sovereign Democratic Republic
• Parliamentary system of government
• Principle of free and fair elections
• Welfare state
15 I Articulate
• Applicability: The doctrine of basic structure
in India has been applied to many landmark
cases by the Supreme Court, such as
• Minerva Mills case
• Waman Rao case
• S.R. Bommai case
• Kihoto Hollohan case (popularly known as
the Defection case)
• I.R. Coelho case (popularly known as the IX
Schedule case)
Way Forward
• Critics of the basic structure doctrine have called it
undemocratic since it means that unelected judges
can strike down a constitutional amendment.
• On the other hand, its proponents have hailed the
concept as a safety valve against majoritarianism
and authoritarianism.
• In the Kesavananda Bharati case, the Supreme
Court not only redefined the relationship between
the judiciary, executive, and legislature, it also set
limits — constitutional dismemberment is not
allowed in the name of the amendment.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORT ON
STARTUPS
Why in News?
A report related to startups has been tabled by the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance recently.
Recommendations of the Report
• Capital going into India’s unicorns comes mainly
from foreign sources such as the US and China.
This dependence should be reduced so that India
becomes self-reliant.
• Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI) should play a pivotal role in
disbursing more funds to help startups
and unicorns scale up.
• SIDBI Fund-of-Funds vehicle should be
expanded and fully operationalized/utilized to
play an anchor investment role.
• A fund-of-funds also known as a multi-manager
investment—is a pooled investment fund that
invests in other types of funds.
• Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax should be
abolished for all investments in startups that are
made through collective investment vehicles for at
least two years.
• Currently, the LTCG earned by foreign investors
in private companies attracts taxation at a
concessional rate of 10%, as compared to the
domestic investments being taxed at 20% with
an enhanced surcharge of 37%.
• Collective Investment Vehicles (CIVs) are a
group of pooled accounts held by a bank or
trust company. They include angel funds,
alternative investment funds, and investment
limited liability partnerships.
• The issuance of hybrid securities, which bear
characteristics of both debt and equity under
the FDI route, should be allowed, as it provides a
flexible investment framework.
• Pricing guidelines prescribed under various
laws and regulations by SEBI, Income Tax Act,
Companies Act, FEMA should be made more
consistent to provide a simple and coherent
framework.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
should allow Venture Capital (VC) funds to invest in
non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and help
enhance their capital base.
What is considered to be a ‘Startup’?
As per the latest definition given by the
Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), an entity is a startup
• Till up to 10 years from its incorporation/
registration date,
• If the entity’s turnover for any of the financial
year since its incorporation has not exceeded
₹100 crore, and
• If it is working towards innovation, development, or
improvement of products or services or processes.
Startup India Initiative
• Startup India is a flagship initiative of the
Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry.
• The Startup India scheme is based majorly on
three pillars
• Providing funding support and incentives
to the various startups of the country.
• Providing Industry-Academia Partnership
and Incubation.
• Simplification and Handholding.
• It is the flagship initiative that aims to build a
strong ecosystem to promote innovation and
startups in the country in the following ways
• self-certification under labor and
environmental laws,
• tax exemption for three years,
• startup patent application and intellectual
property rights (IPR) protection, and
• relaxation in public procurement norms.

Parliamentary Committees

Committees that assist the Parliament in discharge of its duties are called Parliamentary Committees.
• The Constitution of India does not make any specific provisions regarding their composition, tenure,
functions, etc. but does mention them at different places.
• A parliamentary committee
• is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker/ Chairman
• works under the direction of the Speaker/ Chairman
• presents its report to the House or to the Speaker/ Chairman
• has a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha/ Rajya Sabha
• Broadly, the Parliamentary Committees are of two types
• Standing Committees: They are permanent and are constituted every year or periodically.
• Ad hoc Committees: They are temporary and cease to exist on completion of the task assigned to them.

Types of Committees Categories Sub-Categories

Standing Committees Financial Committees Public Accounts Committee,

Estimates Committee,
Committee on Public
Undertakings

Departmental Standing Contains a total of 24 sub-

Committees categories

Committees to Inquire Committee on Petitions,

Committee of Privilege,
Ethics Committee

16 I Articulate Polity & Governance | 16

 Committees to Scrutinise and Committee on Government
Control Assurances,
Committee on Subordinate
Legislation,
Committee on Papers Laid on
the Table,
Committee on Welfare of SCs
and STs,
Committee on Empowerment
of Women,
Joint Committee on Offices of
Profit

Committees Relating to the Business Advisory Committee,

Day-to-Day Business of the Committee on Private
House Members’ Bills and Resolutions,
Rules Committee,
Committee on Absence of
Members from Sittings of the
House

House-Keeping Committees or General Purposes Committee,

Service Committees House Committee,
Library Committee,
Joint Committee on Salaries
and Allowances of Members

Ad Hoc Committees Inquiry Committees -

Advisory Committees -

Way Forward “terrorist act” to the list of offenses.

The measures mentioned in the parliamentary
committee report will help accelerate the Indian
startup ecosystem and allow them to meet the goal
of startups contributing 20% of India’s $5 trillion
GDP by 2025.
UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION)
ACT, 1967
Why in news?
Recently, various journalists, student leaders, activists,
and environmentalists have been booked under UAPA.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
• The UAPA is primarily an anti-terror law – aimed
at “more effective prevention of certain unlawful
activities of individuals and associations and for
dealing with terrorist activities”.
• It is an upgrade on the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act TADA (lapsed in
1995) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act POTA
(repealed in 2004).
• UAPA aims at the effective prevention of unlawful
activities and associations in India.
• Earlier, “unlawful” activities referred to
actions related only to secession and cession
of territory. The 2004 amendment added a
• Additionally, if the central government deems
an activity as unlawful, then it may declare it so
by way of an Official Gazette.
• Under UAPA, both Indian and foreign nationals can
be charged.
• It will apply to the offenders in the same
manner, even if the crime is committed on
foreign land, outside India.
• Under UAPA, the investigating agency can file a
charge sheet in a maximum of 180 days after the
arrests, and the duration can be extended further
after intimating the court.
• The highest punishments under UAPA are the death
penalty and life imprisonment.
• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment
Act, 2019 made changes to designate individuals as
terrorists on certain grounds:
• The Act empowered the Director-General of
National Investigation Agency (NIA) to approve
the seizure or attachment of property when the
case is investigated by the said agency.
• The Act empowered the officers of the NIA, of
the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate
cases of terrorism in addition to those
conducted by the DSP or ACP or above rank
officer in the state.

17 I Articulate
Arguments in favor of UAPA
• It is aimed at the effective prevention of unlawful
activities and associations in India.
• Its main objective is to make powers available for
dealing with activities directed against the integrity
and sovereignty of India.
• National security is of paramount importance,
since all other rights of an individual flow from
the Constitution of India and him being an
ordinary citizen.

Arguments against the use of UAPA

• It allows the central government to name an
individual as a terrorist if it “believes” without
any formal judicial process, which is against the
principles of natural justice.
• Poor police investigation, weak prosecution, and
procedural lapses often lead to very few convictions
under the UAPA. But while the trial drags on, those
accused remain incarcerated for years.
• The Act poses threat to different viewpoints and
is an infringement of the fundamental rights of an
individual, especially Article 19 and Article 21.

Way Forward
• The law should be used appropriately, and speedy
justice to the perpetrators as well as the victims
will go a long way in setting the right precedent for
others in the society.

Polity & Governance | 18

19 I Articulate Polity & Governance | 19
LABOR REFORM CODE BILLS 2020
Why in News?
Recently, the Lok Sabha cleared new versions of three
labor codes —
• Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020
• Code on Social Security Bill, 2020 and
• Occupational Safety, Health, and Working
Conditions Code Bill, 2020.
Key provisions of the Bills
The Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020
Efforts made by the Government for quickly resolving
disputes of the workers include:
• For Migrant Workers:
• Creation of a helpline for migrant workers for
the redressal of their problems.
• Creation of a national database of migrant workers.
• Equality for women:
• Women to be permitted to work in every
sector at night.
• The provision for their security made by the
employer has to be ensured, and consent of
the woman has to be taken before she works
at night.
• Social Security:
• Creation of “Social Security Fund” for 40
Crore unorganized workers along with GIG and
platform workers, which will help Universal
Social Security coverage.
• In the event of the death or injury to a worker
due to an accident at his workplace, at least
50% share of the penalty to be given, in addition
to Employee Compensation.
• Occupational Safety & Health Code to now cover
workers from the IT and Service Sectors also.
• Provision for the accumulation of one day leave for
every 20 days worked when work has been done for
180 days, instead of 240 days.
• Right to strike: a 14-day notice period to be
furnished before strikes, so that within this period
an amicable agreement can be reached.
The Social Security Code Bill, 2020
• For unorganized sector workers:
• Proposes to create a National Social Security
Board for formulating suitable schemes
for unorganized workers, gig workers, and
platform workers.
• Proposes to create a National Database for
Unorganised Sector Workers, registration
of the workers be done on the basis of Self
Certification through an online portal.
• Formulation of various schemes for providing
comprehensive social security to workers in the
unorganized sector, and creation of a “Social
Security Fund” to implement these schemes.
• Work to bring newer forms of employment
created with the changing technology like
“platform worker or gig worker” under the ambit
of social security.
• The facility of Employees’ State Insurance
Corporation of India (ESIC) to be provided in 740
districts, from the current 566 districts.
• The facility of Employees’ Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO) to be applicable on all
establishments having at least 20 workers.
• Provision for gratuity to be made for Fixed Term
Employee and no minimum service period
condition for the same.
The Occupational Safety, Health, and Working
Conditions Code Bill, 2020
• For migrant workers:
• Defines an inter-state migrant worker as a
worker who comes from one state and obtains
employment in another state and earns up to
₹18,000 a month, as opposed to the present
definition of only contractual employment.
• Subsumes the Inter-State Migrant Workmen
(Regulation of Employment and Conditions
of Service) Act, 1979, which has been in
news during the recent migrant workers
crisis due to COVID-19.
• Drops the earlier provision for temporary
accommodation for workers near the worksites,
and proposes a ‘journey allowance’ — a lump sum
amount of fare to be paid by the employer for to
and fro journey of the worker to his/her native place
from the place of his/her employment.
• Proposes Cine Workers to be designated as Audio
Visual Workers so that more and more workers get
covered under the OSH code. Earlier, this security
was given to artists working in films only.
‘Right to Strike’ in India
• Strikes occur when management and the
union disagree on certain contracts or
their interpretations or the manner of
handling certain tasks.
• In India, the right to protest is a fundamental right
under Article 19 of the Constitution of India.
• But the right to strike is not a fundamental
right but a legal right and with this right
statutory restriction is attached in the
Industrial Dispute Act, 1947.
Fixed Term Employment
• Fixed-term employment is a contract in which
a company or an enterprise hires an employee
for a specific period of time.
• It provides the workers with the same
statutory benefits which are available to
a permanent worker, while providing the
employers with the flexibility to hire-and-
fire as is there in case of contract-based
temporary employment.
• In India, fixed-term employment was formally
introduced in the apparel manufacturing
sector in 2016, and has since been expanded
to all sectors.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 20
Objections Surrounding the Bills
• There are fears that increasing the layoff threshold
will lead to rampant hiring and firing, tantamount to
the ‘demolition of employment security’ in India.
• Making it difficult for the workers to hold strikes under
the Industrial Relations Code, impinges upon the
legal ‘right to strike’ of the workers and significantly
reduces their collective bargaining powers.
• Subsuming the Working Journalists Act, 1958,
under the Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and
Working Conditions could result in rampant hiring
and firing and amount to suppression of journalistic
freedom/ freedom of the press.
• The pre-legislative consultation policy, of putting
all Bills in the public domain for 30 days for
comments, was not followed in the introduction
of these three Bills.
• No consideration has been made for
unemployment protection for unorganized
workers, who are the most vulnerable in the
current times of recession and crisis.
Proposed Benefits of the Bills
• According to the World Bank, with less restrictive
laws regarding hiring and firing of employees, India
could approximately add on an annual basis “2.8
million more good quality formal sector jobs”.
• Once enacted, the codes will give flexibility to firms
in opening and closing units, reduce trade union
influence in companies, and pave way for state-level
labor reforms (labor is a concurrent list subject).
• This will also expand the social security net for a
segment of the informal workers, especially the gig
and platform workers.
Way Forward
While the three Bills aim at accelerating labor
reforms and improving the ease of doing business,
all stakeholders’ consultations must be taken into
consideration before turning them into Acts.

Codification of Labour Laws

• As many as 44 labor laws have been categorized and subsumed into four codes
• Code on Wages
• Code on Industrial Relations
• Code on Social Security
• Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions
• The Code on Wages Act, 2019 was passed last year, while the rest three are in Lok Sabha currently.
• Codification removes the multiplicity of definitions and authorities leading to ease of compliances
without compromising wage security and social security of workers.
• Simplification of labor laws will enhance the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings of India and attract more
foreign direct investment (FDI), which in turn will assist India towards its goal of becoming a $5 trillion
economy by 2024.

Name of the Code Laws subsumed within the Code

Code on Wages 1. The Payment of Wages Act, 1936

2. The Minimum Wages Act, 1948
3. The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
4. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

Code on Industrial Relations 1. The Trade Unions Act, 1926

2. The Industrial Employment (Standing orders)
Act, 1946
3. The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

Code on Social Security 1. The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923

2. The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948
3. The Employees Provident Fund and
Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
4. The Employment Exchanges (Compulsory
Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959
5. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
6. The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
7. The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981
8. The Building and Other Construction Workers
Welfare Cess Act, 1996
9. The Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008

21 I Articulate
 Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and
Working Conditions
FARM BILLS 2020
Why in news?
Recently, three Bills aimed at transformation of
agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income
have been introduced–
1. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce
(Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
2. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection)
Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services
Bill, 2020
3. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Detailed Analysis of the Farm Bills
1. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce
(Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
Aims and Objectives of the Bill
This Bill seeks to
• provide farmers with alternative platforms to sell
their produce, that will remain outside the APMC
market yards / mandis, and
• facilitate remunerative prices through competitive
alternative trading channels to promote efficient,
transparent, and barrier-free inter-state and intra-
state trade and commerce of farmers’ produce
outside the markets
Background
Farmers in India have suffered from various restrictions
on marketing their produce.
• There have been restrictions on farmers regarding
selling their agri-produce outside the notified
APMC mandis.
1. The Factories Act, 1948
2. The Plantations Labour Act, 1951
3. The Mines Act, 1952
4. The Working Journalists and other Newspaper
Employees (Conditions of Service) and
Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955
5. The Working Journalists (Fixation of Rates of
Wages) Act, 1958
6. The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
7. The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of
Employment) Act, 1966
8. The Contract Labour (Regulation and
Abolition) Act, 1970
9. The Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions
of Service) Act, 1976
10. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation
of Employment and Conditions of Service)
Act, 1979
11. The Cine-Workers and Cinema Theatre
Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981
12. The Dock Workers (Safety, Health and
Welfare) Act, 1986
13. The Building and Other Construction Workers
(Regulation of Employment and Conditions of
Service) Act, 1996
• The farmers have also been restricted to sell the
produce only to registered licensees of the state
governments.
• There have been barriers in the free flow of
agriculture produce among different states, owing
to the prevalence of various APMC legislations
enacted by different state governments.
Benefits of the new Bill
This Bill is a historic-step in unlocking the vastly
regulated agricultural markets in the country.
• It will open more choices for farmers, reduce
marketing costs for the farmers and help them in
getting better prices.
• It will also help farmers from regions with surplus
produce in getting better prices, and consumers
from regions with shortages in getting lower prices.
• The APMCs will not stop functioning, but will now
have to compete with these alternate platforms
since farmers now will have a choice.
Issues with the new Bill
• The Bill prohibits the state governments from
levying any market fee, cess or levy outside the
designated APMC areas. This is being seen as
an attack on healthy center-state relations by
financially weakening the states and making them
more dependent on the centre.
• Farmers fear that the APMCs could become
irrelevant and then they will have to face difficulties
in price discovery for their produce.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 22

Agricultural Produce Market Committee
(APMC)
• Agricultural Produce Market Committee
(APMC) is a system operating under the state
governments that has market yards (mandis)
in the market area, set up in various places
within the states, which regulate the notified
agricultural produce and livestock.
• All food produce is brought to the APMC
mandis, and sales are made through auction.
• APMCs play an important role in price
discovery, which is essential for agricultural
trade and production choices for farmers.
Problems faced by farmers in the existing APMC
structure
• Cartelization and Price manipulation:
Farmers are required to sell their
commodities in local APMC mandis,
where intermediaries often manipulate
prices, thereby making the APMC
markets monopsonistic (too many sellers
and one buyer).
• Middlemen: In most APMCs, farmers and buyers
have to route all purchases through commission
agents (called arhatiyas) or middlemen.
• Conflict of Interest: APMC plays the
dual role of being a regulator as well as
a market. Its members and chairperson
are nominated/ elected out of the agents
operating in the market.
The Standing Committee on Agriculture (2018-
19) had noted that most farmers lack access to
government procurement facilities and APMC
markets. It also suggested that small rural
markets could emerge as a viable alternative for
agricultural marketing, if they are provided with
adequate infrastructure facilities. This is the
direction in which the new Farm Bills aim to head
towards - designing alternatives for the APMC
markets.
2. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection)
Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services
Bill, 2020
Aims and Objectives of the Bill
This Bill seeks to
• provide for a national framework on farming
agreements that protects and empowers farmers
to engage with agri-business firms, processors,
wholesalers, exporters or large retailers, at a
mutually agreed remunerative price framework, in a
fair and transparent manner, and
• create a framework for ‘Contract Farming’ through
an agreement between a farmer and a buyer, prior
to the production or rearing of any farm produce.
Background
• Agriculture in India is characterized by
fragmentation due to smaller land-holding sizes
23 I Articulate
• It also has certain weaknesses such as over-
dependence on weather, production uncertainties,
and market unpredictability.
This has made agriculture as a profession risky and
inefficient with respect to both input and output
management.
Benefits of the new Bill
• This Bill will transfer the risk of market
unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor of
Contract Farming, reducing the cost of marketing,
and improving farmers’ income.
• Farmers will engage in direct marketing, thereby
eliminating intermediaries, resulting in full
realization of price.
• Farmers have been provided adequate protection
under the Bill. An effective, three-level dispute
settlement mechanism- Conciliation Board, Sub-
Divisional Magistrate, and Appellate Authority, has
been provided for, with clear timelines for redressal
of any issues that might arise.
Issues with the new Bill
• With no APMC in sight, farmers might feel
exploited at the hands of private entities, due to
not having the required knowledge of fair price
for their produce.
• Farmers will not be able to obtain financial security
through minimum support price (MSP) in case of
Contract Farming.
Contract Farming
• Contract farming can be defined as
agricultural production carried out
according to an agreement between a buyer
and farmers, which establishes conditions
for the production and marketing of a farm
product or products.
• It allows farmers to plan investment decisions,
with assured income in the form of an
enforceable contract.
Contract farming in India needed an enabling
framework to boost backward linkages with
the food processing industry, which has been
provided under the recent Farm Bill.
3. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill,
2020
Aims and Objectives of the Bill
This Bill seeks to
• remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds,
edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of
essential commodities,
• harness economies of scale and attract private
sector/ foreign direct investment into agriculture
sector by giving private investors the freedom to
produce, hold, move, distribute and supply the
agricultural commodities, and
• remove fears from the private investors regarding
excessive regulatory interference in their business
operations
Background
While India has become surplus in most agri-
commodities, farmers have been unable to get
better prices.
• There has been a disincentive for development of
infrastructure such as cold storage, warehouses,
processing and export, due to certain provisions of
the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
• Because of this, farmers suffer huge losses
whenever there are bumper harvests, especially of
perishable commodities.
Benefits of the new Bill
• The Bill will help drive up investment in cold storages
and modernization of the food supply chain.
• It will help both farmers and consumers while
bringing in price stability.
• It will create a competitive market environment and
also prevent wastage of agri-produce that happens
due to lack of storage facilities.
Issues with the new Bill
• In a liberal trade environment where a farmer’s
produce can be purchased by any private entity
outside of APMC, it becomes essential for the
government to keep a tab on private stocks, or else
the manipulative stockpiling of produce would still
be as prevalent as ever - only the actors would have
changed from middlemen to private entities.
• The Bill seems to give an upper hand to the private
entities, without allaying fear of the farmers.
Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955
• The Essential Commodities Act (ECA) has
been used by the government to regulate
the production, supply and distribution of
a whole host of commodities it declares
‘essential’, in order to make them available to
consumers at fair prices.
• It gives consumers protection against
irrational spikes in prices of essential
commodities.
Problems faced by farmers in the existing Act
• Blanket stock limits on commodities under
the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) neither
brings down prices nor reduces price volatility.
• In the long term, the Act disincentivises
development of storage infrastructure,
thereby leading to increased volatility in prices
following production/ consumption shocks —
the opposite of what it is intended for.
Voices in favor of repealing the Essential
Commodities Act, 1955
• Entry 33 in the concurrent list of the
Constitution of India limits the power of
states in agriculture and empowers the
Centre by stating that both the state and the
Union government can legislate regarding
production, trade, supply and distribution
of a range of foodstuffs and agricultural raw
materials.
• The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-state
Relations had pointed out that the Centre
had used Entry 33 to enact the Essential
Commodities Act, 1955. It also mentioned that
this Act had disproportionately empowered
the Centre in the management of agriculture
(which is otherwise a State List subject).
• Economic Survey 2020 recommended
repealing this “anachronistic” Act, saying
that it had acted against the interests of
the farmers and thwarted the creation of
integrated value chains across the country.
What are farmers protesting against the three new
Farm Bills?
• Farmers are apprehensive that allowing the ‘trade
zones’ to come up outside the APMC market area,
and the free market philosophy supported by these
Bills, could undermine the Minimum Support Price
(MSP) system, and make farmers vulnerable to the
free market forces.
• Agriculture reforms were long overdue, but the
manner in which the three legislations have been
passed - earlier as Ordinances - and now hastily
without proper consultation, adds to the mistrust
among various stakeholders, including farmers.
• Entry 14 of the state list in the seventh schedule of
the Indian constitution, mentions the “Agriculture,
including agricultural education and research,
protection against pests and prevention of plant
disease”. But many leaders believe the Farm Bills
being pushed by the Union government are an
attack on the rights of states regarding agriculture.
• ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’ slogan is being
considered by some as an open declaration of the
centralising objective of these agricultural reforms
by the Union government.
• Prohibiting the state governments from levying
any market fee outside APMC areas - as is
mentioned in The Farmers’ Produce Trade and
Commerce Bill - amounts to an assault on the
federal structure of the country.
• Fears persist regarding crony-capitalism and the
entire agriculture activity in India eventually getting
controlled by a handful of industrial houses.
What agricultural reforms do the three Farm Bills aim
to bring?
The three new Farm Bills, once passed, could be
expected to achieve the following-
• Farmers will be able to enter into agreements with
food processors to grow processable varieties
and sell them at assured prices. They will not
be restricted as to whom and where they sell
their produce. They will also be able to enter into
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 24
 agreements with farm service providers and
essentially control their financial situation.
• This will also give ‘Farming as a Service’ (FaaS) a
huge fillip.
• Several agri-tech startups have begun operating in
this space, utilising technologies such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI) to provide crop intelligence as well
as grade and assay produce.
Enabling technological interventions in Indian
agriculture has the potential to transform this
sector, based on the strong foundations these
Farm Bills enable.
Simultaneous reforms are being undertaken to assist
and enhance these three Farm Bills, such as the
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
• The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) aims
to facilitate the development of farmgate
infrastructure, that includes collection centres and
pre-processing facilities amongst others.
• Funds for the development of the animal
husbandry and fisheries sector have also
been launched to diversify the sources of
farmer income.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
• AIF is a new, pan-India, central sector
scheme, that aims to provide a medium-
to-long term debt financing facility for
investment in viable projects, for post-
harvest management infrastructure
and community farming assets, through
interest subvention and financial support.
• The duration of the scheme is from FY2020 to
FY2029 (10 years).
• Under the scheme, an amount of one lakh
crore rupees will be provided by banks and
financial institutions as loans to Primary
Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Farmer
Producers Organizations (FPOs), Self Help
Group (SHG), farmers, agri-entrepreneurs,
and startups.
Way Forward
The three Farm Bills introduce a host of new
concepts and practices, which will go a long way
for inclusive growth of farmers and agriculture
sector in India.
• As mentioned by the National Commission on
Farmers, more emphasis needs to be put on
empowering the distressed farmers through
State Farmers Commissions via a piecemeal
approach, rather than the Union government
centralizing and controlling the entire farm
activity in India.
25 I Articulate
Minimum Support Price (MSP)
• Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of
market intervention by the Government of
India to insure agricultural producers against
any sharp fall in farm prices.
• Recommendations are made by the
Commission for Agricultural Costs and
Prices (CACP).
• Prices are announced at the beginning of
the sowing season for certain crops, and in
case the market price for the commodity
falls below the announced minimum price,
government agencies purchase the entire
quantity offered by the farmers at the
announced minimum price.
• Currently, the MSP is announced for 22
mandated crops (including cereals, pulses,
oilseeds, raw cotton, raw jute) and fair and
remunerative price (FRP) is announced for
sugarcane.
There are apprehensions among farmers
regarding the MSP being taken away, since the
new Farm Bills do not make mention of the
provision of MSP explicitly.
BANKING REGULATION (AMENDMENT)
BILL, 2020
Why in News?
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to bring the
cooperative banks under the supervision of the Reserve
Bank of India, has been passed by the Lok Sabha.
• The Bill will replace the Banking Regulation
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.
• The ordinance was brought in to bring 1,482 urban
and 58 multi-state cooperative banks under the
supervision of the central bank.
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020
• Urban cooperative banks and multi-state
cooperative banks will be brought under the RBI’s
supervision process applicable to commercial banks.
• RBI will be able to initiate a scheme for
reconstruction or amalgamation of a bank without
placing it under moratorium.
• However, if the RBI imposes a moratorium on a
bank, the lender can not grant any loans or make
investments in any credit instruments during
the moratorium tenure.
• The cooperative banks will be allowed to issue
equity, preference, or special shares on face
value or at a premium to its members, or to
any other person residing within their area of
operations. The banks may also issue unsecured
debentures or bonds or similar securities with
maturity of ten or more years to such persons.
However, prior approval from RBI is mandatory
for such issuance.
• RBI may supersede the board of directors of a
multi-state cooperative bank for up to five years
under certain conditions. These conditions include
cases where it is in the public interest for RBI to
supersede the Board, and to protect depositors.
• The changes will not affect the existing powers
of the state registrars of cooperative societies
under state laws.
Exclusions
The Banking Regulation Amendment Bill, 2020 will not
apply to
• Primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), and
• Cooperative societies whose principal business is
long term financing for agricultural development.
Cooperative banks
• Cooperative banks are registered under
the Cooperative Societies Act, 1912. They
are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India
under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and
Banking Laws (Application to Cooperative
Societies) Act, 1965.
• They serve an important role in the Indian
economy, especially in rural areas. In urban
areas, they mainly serve the small industry
and self-employed workers.
Reasons for the recent failures of cooperative
banks in India
• Small capital base: For example, urban
cooperative banks can start with a capital base
of only ₹25 lakh, compared to ₹100 crore for small
finance banks.
• Vested political interests: This includes the
appointment of political lackeys as senior bank
officials and sanction of fraudulent loans which are
later written off.
How to improve the condition of cooperative banks?
• RBI should be given complete powers to implement
resolution techniques such as winding-up and
liquidating banks, without involving other regulators
under the cooperative societies’ laws.
• Urban cooperative banks should be encouraged to
convert into small finance banks if they fulfill the
central bank’s criteria.
Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)
• A Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)
is a basic unit and the smallest co-operative
credit institutions in India.
• It works at the grassroots level (gram
panchayat and village level).
• More than half of the members of PACS
are persons of small means—small farmers,
agricultural laborers, and rural artisans and
about 25% of them belong to scheduled
castes and tribes.
Way Forward
Gross NPAs of cooperative banks have increased
to over 10 percent as of March 2020, from 7 percent
in March 2019. Hence, it had become imperative to
improve the condition of cooperative banking in India,
which is being successfully done one step at a time by
the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
UDAN 4.0: REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY
SCHEME
Why in News?
The Civil Aviation Ministry has approved 78 new routes
under the 4th round of the Regional Connectivity
Scheme UDAN.
Development under UDAN-4
• The 4th round of UDAN was launched in December
2019 with a special focus on North-Eastern Regions,
Hilly States, and Islands
• Under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopters and
seaplanes has also been incorporated.
• It is in line with the Act East Policy of the Central
Government.
• The airports that had already been developed
by AAI are given higher priority for the award of
VGF(Viability Gap Funding) under the Scheme.
Viability Gap Funding (VGF)
• Viability Gap Funding (VGF) signifies a grant,
one-time or deferred, provided to support
infrastructure projects that are economically
justified but fall short of financial viability.
• This scheme entails making the routes
financially viable, without insisting on the
financial viability of the regional airports,
by lowering the cost of flight operations
and through financial support in the form
of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). VGF will be
available to flight operators on specific routes
for the first 3 years of operation.
UDAN Initiative
• Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as
a regional connectivity scheme under the Ministry
of Civil Aviation in 2016.
• It is an innovative scheme to develop the regional
aviation market.
• It aims to create affordable yet economically viable
and profitable flights on regional routes so that
flying becomes affordable to the common man even
in small towns.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 26
• The scheme envisages providing connectivity to
un-served and underserved airports of the country
through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
The scheme is operational for a period of 10 years.
• Under-served airports are those which do
not have more than one flight a day, while
unserved airports are those where there are
no operations.
Objectives of UDAN
• To make travel affordable and accessible to all.
• It aims to boost inclusive national economic
development by the development of air
transport infrastructure in all regions and the
creation of job growth.
• Ensuring connectivity to the under-served areas
in the country by the revival of existing airports
and airstrips
• Ministry aims to operationalize around 1000 routes
and develop more than 100 airports in the next five
years. The Ministry aims to achieve this by focusing
on operationalizing routes in the priority areas.
Previous Phases of UDAN
• UDAN 1.0
• Under this phase, 5 airline companies were
awarded 128 flight routes to 70 airports
(including 36 newly made operational airports.
• UDAN 2.0
• In 2018, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced
73 underserved and unserved airports.
• For the first time, helipads were also connected
under phase 2 of the UDAN scheme.
• UDAN 3.0
• Key Features of UDAN 3 included:
• Inclusion of Tourism Routes under UDAN 3 in
coordination with the Ministry of Tourism.
• Inclusion of Seaplanes for connecting
Water Aerodromes.
• Bringing in a number of routes in the North-East
Region under the ambit of UDAN.
Achievements of UDAN
• Three rounds of UDAN have already been
undertaken and so far close to 50 lakh passengers
have travelled in UDAN flights covering airports in
19 States and 2 UTs.
• The Scheme has been able to fulfil the vision of
Hon’ble Prime Minister and keep up the motto of
“Sab Uden, Sab Juden”
• The Civil Aviation Ministry has operationalized 274
UDAN routes that have connected 45 airports and
three heliports.
Challenges of UDAN
• Lack of adequate Infrastructure
• Lack of instrument landing systems (ILS)
leads to flight cancellations and the repeated
cancellations make it difficult to build traffic on
the route on a sustained basis.
• Inclement weather conditions make it difficult
for flights to land on the airports located on
mountainous terrains on most days.
27 I Articulate
• Unplanned Traffic route
• Unplanned Traffic routes further result in
inaccurate network design which ultimately
results in a flight delay.
• Under Capacity
• India’s metro airports are largely choked and
they have already run out of capacity in terms
of landing and parking slots. Passenger traffic
in these airports continues to gallop at nearly
18-20% every year.
• Time slots
• Finding convenient time slots for every route
has become an administrative challenge.
This is because the number of runways is not
increasing in high traffic airports and the airport
capacity lags passenger traffic growth.
• Disconnectedness
• New regional airlines have faced a major
challenge in connecting the metro airports to
the new Udan routes since they don’t have pre-
existing slots in them.
Way Forward
• To generate steady, predictable traffic, a hub and
spoke design should be followed by connecting
the large metro airports to the new Udan routes, as
opposed to a point-to-point service.
• The existing airlines should respond by ordering
aircraft that could almost double the existing
aircraft capacity in another three years.
Nai Udaan Scheme
• Objectives
• To provide financial support to the
minority candidates clearing Prelims
conducted by Union Public Service
Commission, Staff Selection Commission,
and State Public Service Commissions.
• To adequately equip them to compete
for appointment to Civil Services in the
Union and the State Governments and
to increase the representation of the
minority in the Civil Services.
• To increase the representation of the
minority in the Civil Services and Group A
and B services.
• Features
• This is a Central Sector Scheme
• Every year up to 2000 candidates will be
given financial support under the scheme
throughout the country on fulfilling
the eligibility criteria till the budgetary
allocation is exhausted.
• Financial support will be availed by
candidates for one time only.
• The selection of the candidates will be
based on a first-come-first-serve basis.
• The distribution of slots for different
minorities is based on the data of
Census, 2011.

Source- AAI
NATIONAL MISSION FOR FINANCIAL
INCLUSION
Why in News?
The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) –
National Mission for Financial Inclusion completes six
years of successful implementation.
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) Scheme
• Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is
National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure
access to financial services, namely, Banking/
Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit,
Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
• It was announced by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra
Modi in his Independence Day address on 15th
August 2014 and was launched on 28th August.
• Financial Inclusion may be defined as the
process of ensuring access to financial
services and timely and adequate credit
where needed by vulnerable groups such as
weaker sections and low-income groups at an
affordable cost.
• It is important as it provides an avenue to the
poor for bringing their savings into the formal
financial system, an avenue to remit money
to their families in villages besides taking
them out of the clutches of the usurious
money lenders.
Achievements under PMJDY
• PMJDY Accounts
• Total Number of PMJDY Accounts (as on 19th
August 2020): 40.35 Crore; Rural PMJDY accounts:
63.6%, Women PMJDY accounts: 55.2%
• During the first year of the scheme 17.90 crores,
PMJDY accounts were opened and a continued
increase can be seen.
• Operative PMJDY Accounts
• Out of a total of 40.35 crore PMJDY accounts,
34.81 crores (86.3%) are operative.
• A PMJDY account is treated as inoperative if
there are no customer induced transactions in
the account for over a period of two years.
• Deposits under PMJDY accounts
• Total deposit balances under PMJDY Accounts
stand at ₹1.31 lakh crore.
• Deposits have increased about 5.7 times
with an increase in accounts 2.3 times
between 2015 to 2020.
• Rupay Card issued to PMJDY account holders
• Total RuPay cards issued to PMJDY account
holders: 29.75 Crore
• Jan Dhan Darshak App
• A mobile application was launched to provide
a citizen-centric platform for locating banking
touchpoints such as bank branches, ATMs, Bank
Mitras, Post Offices, etc.
• It is also being used for identifying villages that
are not served by banking touchpoints within
5 km. The efforts have resulted in a significant
decrease in the number of such villages.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP)
for PMJDY women beneficiaries
• An amount of ₹500/- per month for three
months (April’ 20 to June’ 20), was credited to
the accounts of women account holders under
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).
• Towards ensuring smooth DBT transactions
• As informed by banks, about 8 crore PMJDY
account holders receive Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT) from the Government under
various schemes.
• The important approach adopted in PMJDY based
on past experience
• Extension of PMJDY with New features: From
28th August 2018, the Government extended
PMJDY with some modifications:
• Focus shifted from ‘Every Household’ to
Every Unbanked Adult’
• RuPay Card Insurance: Free accidental
insurance cover on RuPay cards increased
from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh for PMJDY accounts
opened after 28.8.2018.
• Enhancement in overdraft facilities: OD
limit doubled from ₹5,000/- to ₹10,000/-;
OD up to ₹2,000/- (without conditions).
Increase in upper age limit for OD from 60
to 65 years.
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
Scheme
• Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to
ensure access to financial services, namely,
Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts,
Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an
affordable manner.
• It was launched on 28th August 2014.
Objectives
• Ensure access to financial products & services
at an affordable cost.
• Financial Inclusion.
• Use of technology to lower cost & widen reach.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 28

Basic tenets of the scheme
• Banking the unbanked – Opening of basic savings
bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal
paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening
in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges.
• Securing the unsecured – Issuance of
Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals
& payments at merchant locations, with free
accident insurance coverage of ₹2 lakh
• Funding the unfunded – Other financial
products like micro-insurance, overdraft for
consumption, micro-pension &micro-credit.
Key Features
The scheme was launched based upon the
following 6 pillars:
• Universal access to banking services – Branch and BC
• Basic savings bank accounts with an overdraft
facility of ₹10,000/- to every household.
• Financial Literacy Program: To Promote
savings, use of ATMs, getting ready for credit,
availing insurance, and pensions, using basic
mobile phones for banking.
• Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund to provide
banks with some guarantee against defaults.
• Insurance: Accident cover up to ₹1,00,000 and
life cover of ₹30,000 on the account opened
between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015.
• Pension scheme for the Unorganized sector.
Way Forward
• Ensuring coverage of PMJDY account holders
under micro insurance schemes.
• Eligible PMJDY accountholders will be sought to be
covered under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha
Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
• Promotion of digital payments including RuPay
debit card usage amongst PMJDY account holders
through the creation of acceptance infrastructure
across India can be taken into account.
• Improving the access of PMJDY account holders to
Micro-credit and micro-investment.
• More focus on financial literacy and digital literacy
for the common man.
Source-Pib
29 I Articulate
MISSION KARMYOGI
Why in News?
The Union Cabinet has approved MissionKarmayogi,
the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity
Building (NPCSCB).
Aim & Objective
• To build a future-ready civil service with the
right attitude, skills, and knowledge, aligned to
the vision of New India.
• It aims to prepare Indian civil servants for the
future by making them more creative, constructive,
imaginative, proactive, innovative, progressive,
professional, energetic, transparent, and
technology-enabled.
• A comprehensive reform of the capacity building
apparatus at the individual, institutional, and
process levels for efficient public service delivery.
Need for this reform
• At present bureaucracy is facing challenges like- Rule
orientation, political interference, inefficiency with
promotions, and generalist and specialist conflict.
• To change the status quo of civil services and bring
about the long-pending civil services reforms.
Features
• Technically Equipped- The capacity building will be
delivered through iGOT Karmayogi digital platform,
which will act as a launchpad for the NPCSCB.
• Shift from Rules to Roles regime- It will support
a transition from “rules-based to roles-based”
Human Resource Management (HRM) so that work
allocations can be done by matching an official’s
competencies to the requirements of the post.
• Integrated Initiative- Eventually, service
matters like confirmation after probation period,
deployment, work assignments, and notification
of vacancies will all be integrated into the
proposed framework.
Administrative Structure
• Human Resource Council headedby the Prime
Minister and which will also include state Chief
Ministers, Union Cabinet ministers, and experts.
• Cabinet Secretary Coordination Unit- which
will constitute by selecting secretaries and cadre
controlling authorities.
• Capacity Building Commission which will include
experts in related fields and global professionals.
It will prepare and monitor annual capacity
building plans and audit human resources
available in the government.
• Special Purpose Vehicle- A fully owned Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which will govern the iGOT-
Karmayogi platform.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Framework- An
appropriate monitoring and evaluation framework
will also be put in place for performance
evaluation of all users of the iGOT-Karmayogi
platform so as to generate a dashboard view of
Key Performance Indicators.
Conclusion
• To serve the need of the hour and the nation
adequately, the National Programme for Civil
Services Capacity Building will bring a shift in
human resource management from ‘rules-based’ to
a ‘rules-based’ approach.
• This shall put great emphasis on the role of ‘on-site
learning’ while complementing the ‘off-site learning’
methodology. Linking training and development
of competencies of civil servants will be targeted
through Mission Karmayogi.
Special Purpose Vehicle of Mission Karmayogi
• It will be set up under Section 8 of the
Companies Act, 2013.
• The SPV will be a “not-for-profit” company
and will own and manage the iGOT-Karmayogi
platform.
• The SPV will create and operationalize the
content, market place, and manage key
business services of the iGOT-Karmayogi
platform, relating to content validation,
independent proctored assessments, and
telemetry data availability.
• The SPV will own all Intellectual Property
Rights on behalf of the Government of India.
iGOT Karmayogi Platform
• iGOT-Karmayogi platform brings the scale and
state-of-the-art infrastructure to augment the
capacities of over two crore officials in India.
• The platform is expected to evolve into a
vibrant and world-class market place for
content which carefully curated and vetted
digital e-learning material will be made
available. Besides capacity building, service
matters like confirmation after probation
period, deployment, work assignment
and notification of vacancies etc. would
eventually be integrated with the proposed
competency framework.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR OFFICIAL
LANGUAGES BILL 2020
Why in News?
The Union Cabinet has approved the Jammu and
Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 to be introduced in
the monsoon session of Parliament.
Key Highlights of Bill
• The Bill will include Kashmiri, Dogri, and Hindi
as official languages in the newly-created Union
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• At present time only English and Urdu are the
official languages and Kashmiri is recognized as a
regional language.
• in the former State, which was bifurcated on 5th August
2019, with Ladakh becoming a separate Union Territory.
• In 1889, Dogra ruler Pratap Singh adopted Urdu as
the official language of the princely kingdom of J&K,
which was further carried by J&K’s constituent
assembly while adopting the state constitution.
• Dogri along with Bodo, Maithili, and Santhali
was added to the scheduled languages
under the Eighth Schedule by the 92nd
Amendment Act of 2003, which consists of
the following 22 languages:
• Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada,
Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri,
Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit,
Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali,
Maithili and Dogri.
• Of these languages, 14 were initially included
in the Constitution.
• The Sindhi language was added by the 21st
Amendment Act of 1967.
• Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali were included
by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992.
Significance
• Inclusion of Dogri, Hindi, and Kashmiri as official
languages in Jammu and Kashmir would be a
fulfilment of a long-pending public demand of the
region and also will keep the spirit of equality which
was ushered in after August 5, 2019.
What is the constitution provision for inclusion of
language?
• The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India
lists the official languages of the Republic of India.
Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the
official languages in Articles 343 to 351.
• The Constitutional provisions relating to the
Eighth Schedule occur in article 344(1) and 351 of
the Constitution.
• Article 344(1)- it provides for the constitution of an
official language Commission by the President, which
shall consist of a Chairman and such other members
representing the different languages specified in the
Eighth Schedule to make recommendations to the
President for the progressive use of Hindi for official
purposes of the Union.
• Article 351- It provides for enriching the Hindi
language by assimilating in it the forms, style, and
expressions used in the languages specified in the
Eighth Schedule so that it may serve as a medium
of expression for all the elements of the composite
culture of India.
• Article 345- Official language or languages of a State
subject to the provisions of Article 346 and 347.
• It would thus appear that the Eighth Schedule was
intended to promote the progressive use of Hindi and
for the enrichment and promotion of that language.
• Languages under the Eighth schedule: As Per
Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution,
the eighth schedule includes the recognition of the
following 22 languages.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 30

Source- Jagran Josh
PRADHAN MANTRI BHARTIYA
JANAUSHADHI PARIYOJNA (PMBJP)
Why in News?
8 immunity-boosting products launched under Pradhan
Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) for
sale through Janaushadhi Kendras across the country.
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
(PMBJP)
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi
Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a campaign launched by
the Department of Pharmaceuticals in 2008 to
provide quality medicines at affordable prices
to the masses.
• Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the
implementation agency for PMBJP.
Vision
• To bring down the healthcare budget of every
citizen of India through providing Quality generic
Medicines at Affordable Prices.
Objective
• To ensure regular availability of quality
medicines at affordable prices for all,
particularly the poor and disadvantaged,
through exclusive outlets “Jan Aushadhi
Medical Store”, so as to reduce out of pocket
expenses in healthcare.
Implementation
• PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic
drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are
equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive
branded drugs.
Benefits
• It also intends to extend the coverage of
quality generic medicines so as to reduce the
expenditure on medicines and thereby redefine
the unit cost of treatment per person.
• It will create awareness about generic
medicines through education and publicity
so that quality is not synonymous with an
only high price.
31 I Articulate
Bureau Of Pharma PSUs Of India
• BPPI has been established under
the Department of Pharmaceuticals,
Government of India, with the support of
all the Pharma CPSUs.
• It seeks to coordinate procurement, supply,
and marketing of generic drugs through the
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.
• In April 2010, BPPI got registered as an
independent society under the Societies
Registration Act, 1860 as a separate legal entity.
PRADHAN MANTRI MATSYA SAMPADA
YOJANA
Why in News?
Prime Minister has launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya
Sampada Yojana. He also launched several other
initiatives in the Fisheries and Animal Husbandry sectors.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
It is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable
development of fisheries sector in the country a part of
the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• Objectives
• To address critical gaps in fish production
and productivity, quality, technology, post-
harvest infrastructure and management,
modernization.
• Strengthening the value chain, traceability,
establishing a robust fisheries management
framework and fishers’ welfare.
• Focus on Cluster or Area-based Approaches
and creation of Fisheries clusters through
backward and forward linkages.
• Generation of employment activities such as
seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation. Its
target is to generate an additional 55 lakhs direct
and indirect gainful employment opportunities
in the fisheries sector and allied activities.
• Consolidate the achievements of the blue
revolution and bring new initiatives like fishing
vessel insurance, support for new/up-gradation
of fishing vessels/boats, integrated aqua parks,
e-trading/marketing, etc.
• Implementation
• It will be implemented in the form of umbrella
scheme with two separate components
• Central Sector Scheme: The project cost
will be borne by the Central government.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme: All the sub-
components/activities will be implemented
by the States/UTs and the cost will be
shared between Centre and State.
• Targets to achieve under this scheme
• Enhancing and boosting fish production by an
additional 70 lakh tonne and increase fisheries
export earnings to ₹1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
 • Doubling the incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
• Reductionin post-harvest losses from 20-25%
to about 10%.
Other initiatives launched for Animal Husbandry
• Semen Station
• It is established with state of the art facilities,
which has been established under Rashtriya
Gokul Mission.
• This is one of the largest semen stations in the
government sector with production capacity of
50 lakh semen doses per annum.
• This Semen Station will also give
new dimension to development and
conservation of indigenous breeds of
Bihar and meet demand of semen doses of
eastern and north eastern States.
• Inauguration of IVF laboratories
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) labs are crucial for
propagating elite animals of indigenous breeds
and thereby enhancing milk production and
productivity manifold.
• Use of Sex sorted semen in Artificial
Insemination (AI)
• Through use of sex sorted semen in AI , only
female calves can be produced (with more than
90% accuracy). This will help double the growth
rate of milk production in the country.
• Launch of demonstration of IVF technology at
farmer’s doorstep
• This will propagate the technology for
multiplication of high yielding animals at a
faster rate as through use of technology they
can give birth to 20 calves in a year.
• e-Gopala App
• e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed
improvement marketplace and information
portal for direct use of farmers.
• It will manage livestock including buying and
selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms
(semen, embryos, etc.).
• It will guide farmers for animal nutrition
and treatment of animals using appropriate
ayurvedic medicine.
• It will send alerts and inform farmers about
various government schemes and campaigns
in the area.
O-SMART SCHEME
• The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Earth
Sciences and Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsha
Vardhan recently said in the Rajya Sabha that the
Indian tsunami early warning Centre is currently
serving 25 Indian ocean countries under the
O-SMART scheme of the Ministry of earth sciences
The objectives of O-SMART Scheme:
• To generate and regularly update information on
Marine Living Resources and their relationship with
the physical environment in the Indian Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ).
• To periodically monitor levels of seawater
pollutants for health assessment of coastal waters
of India, to develop shoreline change maps for
assessment of coastal erosion due to natural and
anthropogenic activities.
• To develop a wide range of state-of-the-art ocean
observation systems for the acquisition of real-time
data from the seas around India.
• To generate and disseminate a suite of user-
oriented ocean information, advisories, warnings,
data and data products for the benefit of society.
• To develop high-resolution models for ocean
forecast and reanalysis system
• To develop algorithms for validation of satellite
data for coastal research and to monitor changes
in the coastal research.
• Acquisition of 2 Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs)
as replacement of 2 old CRVs for coastal pollution
monitoring, testing of various underwater
components and technology demonstration.
• To develop technologies to tap the marine
bioresources.
• To develop technologies generating freshwater and
energy from the ocean.
• To develop underwater vehicles and technologies.
• Establishment of Ballast water treatment facility.
• To support operation and maintenance of 5
Research vessels for ocean survey/monitoring/
technology demonstration programmes
• Establishment of state of the art seafront
facility to cater to the testing and sea trial
activities of ocean technology.
• To carry out exploration of Polymetallic Nodules
(MPN) from a water depth of 5500 m in the site of
75000 sq.km allotted to India by United Nations
in Central Indian Ocean Basin, to carry out
investigations of gas hydrates.
• Exploration of polymetallic sulphides near
Rodrigues Triple junction in 10000 sq. km of
area allotted to India in International waters by
International Seabed Authority/UN.
• Submission of India’s claim over continental shelf
extending beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone
supported by scientific data, and Topographic
survey of EEZ of India.
Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC)
• ITEWC was established at Indian National
Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS), Hyderabad.
• It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of
Earth Sciences.
• It provides Tsunami warning services to
over 25 Indian ocean countries under
the intergovernmental oceanographic
commission of UNESCO.
• It also coordinates with coastal States/UTs
to implement Tsunami Ready Programme,
introduced by UNESCO, at community level.
Schemes, Acts & Bills | 32
33 I Articulate
International Developments | 34
ISRAEL, UAE AND BAHRAIN SIGN
ABRAHAM ACCORD
Why in News?
Recently, the US, the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel signed the
Abraham Accord to double the number of Arab states
that enjoy normal relations with Israel.
The agreement is called the “Abraham Accord” after the
father of monotheistic religions founded in the Middle
East – Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Background:
• It is the first Arab-Israeli Peace deal in 26 years.
• Before this there were the only two peace deals
between Israel and the Arab States in more than a
quarter of a century.
• Egypt was the first Arab State to sign a peace deal
with Israel in 1979.
• Jordan became the second State to sign a peace
pact in 1994.
About Abraham Accord:
• As per the agreements, the UAE and Bahrain will
establish embassies and exchange ambassadors.
• They will cooperate and work together with Israel
across a range of sectors, including tourism, trade,
healthcare and security.
• The Abraham Accords also open the door for
Muslims around the world to visit the historic sites
in Israel and to peacefully pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in
Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.
Source:mapsofworld.com
Why Arab states are enhancing their engagement
with Israel?
• Iran Factor: As per the Political Pundits, what
motivated UAE and Bahrain the most to come
to a deal with Israel is their concern about Iran’s
rising influence in the region and development of
ballistic missiles.
• Economic Diversification: The economies of Arab
countries are fuelled by Oil exports. Any fluctuation
in the oil price puts the whole economy at risk. In
order to avert the risk the Arab countries are looking
35 I Articulate
forward to diversify their income by investing in
technology driven sectors. Israel being the leader
in technology in West Asia will be of great help to
Arab countries.
• Rising Extremism: The rising extremism in the
West Asia spearheaded by the rise of Islamic
State, compels the Arab nations to increase its
ties with Israel in order to counter such threats
more effectively.
Significance of the Deal for the USA ans Israel
• For USA:
• The deal with help the US in seamlessly
accessing the valuable oil reserves possessed
by Arab States of Persian Gulf.
• It will help the US to deal with terrorism more
effectively by establishing better coordination
among the stakeholder states.
• It will help the US to deal with Iran more
effectively and pressurise it to give halt to its
nuclear weapon programme.
• For Israel:
• It will help Israel to deepen its economic and
strategic ties in the Gulf. Also the deal might
bring the other Arab countries closer to Israel.
Why India Welcomes the Abraham Accord?
• Paving the Way for Trilateral Cooperation:
India considers West Asia as its extended
neighbourhood. Its ties with UAE were elevated
to the level of strategic partnership. India is UAE’s
largest trading partner which in turn is a major
source of India’s energy security.
Similarly Israel’s ties with India is continuously
deepening and encompass numerous fields
including defence, S&T, academia, etc.
The Abraham Accord opens the doors for trilateral
cooperation in a number of fields in which all three
countries can come together to synergize their
resources and strengths.
• Promoting Defence Ties: All three countries —
India, Israel and the UAE — face many similar
challenges in the areas of defence and security,
such as cross-border threats and long coastlines.
A receding US footprint in the region — such as the
withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan and Iraq
— necessitates regional countries to develop their
own security architecture.
• Counterterrorism and the Fight Against
Radicalism: All three countries have been victims
of religiously motivated radicalism and international
terrorism. Therefore, it is imperative that all three
countries join hands to cooperate, collaborate and
mount effective countermeasures to these threats.
Arab-Israeli Conflict: The History
Arab-Israeli wars, series of military conflicts
between Israeli and various Arab forces, most
notably in 1948–49, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and
2006.
1948–49: Israel’s War Of Independence And The normal diplomatic relations.
Palestinian Nakbah:
• On the eve of the British forces’ May 15, 1948, 1982: Lebanon War
withdrawal, Israel declared independence. The • The increased tensions between Israelis and
next day, Arab forces from Egypt, Transjordan Palestinians resulted in the Israeli bombing
(Jordan),Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon occupied the of Beirut and southern Lebanon, where the
areas in southern and eastern Palestine not Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) had
apportioned to the Jews by the UN partition of a number of strongholds. The following day
Palestine and then captured east Jerusalem. Israel invaded Lebanon.
• The Israelis fought back and successfully • Israeli Army withdrew completely from
repulsed repeated Arab attacks. Lebanon only in 1985.
• By early 1949 the Israelis had managed to
occupy all of the Negev up to the former Egypt- 2006: Second Lebanon War
Palestine frontier, except for the Gaza Strip. • In July 2006 Hezbollah launched an operation
• Between February and July 1949, as a result of against Israel in an attempt to pressure the
separate armistice agreements between Israel country into releasing Lebanese prisoners,
and each of the Arab states, a temporary frontier killing a number of Israeli soldiers in the
was fixed between Israel and its neighbours. process and capturing two.
• Israel launched an offensive into southern
1956: Suez Crisis: Lebanon to recover the captured soldiers.
• In 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel The war lasted 34 days but left more than
Nasser, nationalised the Suez canal, a vital one thousand Lebanese dead and about one
waterway connecting Europe and Asia that was million others displaced.
largely owned by French and British concerns.
• France and Britain responded by striking a
deal with Israel—whose ships were barred
from using the canal and whose southern
port of Elat had been blockaded by Egypt—
wherein Israel would invade Egypt; France and
Britain would then intervene, ostensibly as
peacemakers, and take control of the canal.
• October 1956 Israel invaded Egypt’s Sinai
peninsula. In five days the Israeli army
captured Gaza, Rafaḥ, and Al-Arish—taking
thousands of prisoners—and occupied most
of the peninsula east of the Suez Canal.

1967: Six-Day War

• Arab and Israeli forces clashed for the third
time June 5–10, 1967, in what came to be
called the Six-Day War
• The Israeli victory on the ground was also
overwhelming. Israeli units drove back Syrian forces
from the Golan Heights, took control of the Gaza
Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and drove
Jordanian forces from the West bank. Importantly,
the Israelis were left in sole control of Jerusalem.

1973: Yom Kippur War

• Israel was attacked by Egypt across the Suez
Canal and by Syria on the Golan Heights. The
Arab armies showed greater aggressiveness
and fighting ability than in the previous wars,
and the Israeli forces suffered heavy casualties.
The Israeli army, however, reversed early losses
and pushed its way into Syrian territory.
• On March 26, 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace
treaty formally ending the state of war that had
existed between the two countries for 30 years
• As the result of this treaty, Israel returned
the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and, in
return, Egypt recognised Israel’s right to exist.
Source: Britannica
The two countries subsequently established

International Developments | 36
G4 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING
Why in News?
• Recently the Foreign Ministers from the Group
of 4 — India, Brazil, Japan and Germany — a
group that is seeking permanent membership of
the UN Security Council (UNSC), met virtually
to further their objective.
• Participated in G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting that
called for a decisive push for UNSC reforms.
• The G4 will work with “other reform-minded
countries and groups” to start text-based
negotiations (TBN) without delay and seek
“concrete outcomes” during the 75th session of the
UN General Assembly, which has just begun and
lasts until next September
• The move is in line with India’s position on the
reforms of the UN, including the expansion of the
permanent and non-permanent membership of the
Security Council, its main decision-making organ.
G4 Nations and their Objectives
• G-4 is a group of four countries i.e. Brazil, Germany,
India and Japan which support each other’s bids
for permanent seats on the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC)
• G4 campaigns for U.N. Reforms, including more
representation for developing countries, both in the
permanent and non-permanent categories, in the UNSC
• G4 countries make their claim for a permanent seat
at UNSC on the basis of their growing economic and
political influence, which has grown significantly in
the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to
the permanent members (P5).
Countries in support of UNSC Reform advocated by G4
• France supports the inclusion of G4 and an African
representative as a permanent member with no
objection to the veto power being extended to new
permanent members.
• UK supports G4 as new members but without
veto power.
Countries opposing UNSC Reform advocated by G4
• An informal “coffee club” or Uniting for Consensus
Group has opposed UNSC reforms.
• Coffee Club is a group of nations which counter
the bids for permanent seats by G4 countries.
• Most members of the club are middle-sized states
who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing
permanent seats in the UN Security Council.
• While Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany’s
bid for UNSC’s permanent membership, Pakistan
is opposed to India’s bid. Similarly, Argentina is
against Brazil’s bid and Australia opposes Japan’s.
UNSC Reform
Why does the UNSC need Reform?
• Veto power to P-5 provides them with the
ultimate weapon to stop the functioning of
the UN against their National Interest.
37 I Articulate
• None of UNSC decisions goes without
criticism because P-5 represent geopolitical
realities of 1945. Perception of lack of
legitimacy because of limited representation
for others.
• Lack of Transparency and Accountability in
UNSC functioning.
• Poor coordination between UNSC and UNGA.
INDIA AND UNSC
On what basis India proposed itself to be the
most eligible candidate?
• Its role in strengthening UN
• Its contribution towards world peace
through initiatives like the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM).
• No other civilization has a cosmopolitan
outlook like India.
• India is constitutionally committed to
strengthening International Law and Peace.
• India is the undisputed leader of the
Third world countries, as reflected by
its leadership role in the Non-Aligned
Movement and G-77 grouping.
What are the Roadblocks for India in getting a
Permanent Seat at the UNSC?
• China, which has veto power in the UNSC
being one of its five permanent members, has
been stonewalling India’s efforts to become a
permanent member.
• Though India is a bright spot in the
global economy and its macroeconomic
fundamentals are stable, yet it shows poor
performance in many socio-economic
indicators like the Human Development Index.
• India is not a signatory of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
• The Coffee Club has brought Uniting for
Consensus Resolution which suggests that
any amendment for expansion of membership
will be done by consensus in UNGA.
17th INDIA-VIETNAM JOINT COMMISSION
MEETING
Why in News?
The 17th meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commission
on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological
Cooperation was held.
Highlights
• Development in Bilateral relations- Both sides
reviewed the recent developments in India-
Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
and discussed the future trajectory of their wide-
ranging engagement.
• Combined steps to counter pandemic- Both
countries exchanged their views on regional and
international issues of mutual interest, especially in
 the context of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
• Economic and education engagement- The
Ministry of External Affairs has reaffirmed India’s
development and capacity building assistance to
Vietnam through initiatives such as Quick Impact
Projects(QIP), PhD fellowships, as well as projects
in water resource management in Vietnam’s
Mekong Delta region, SDGs, digital connectivity and
heritage conservation.
• Cooperation at Multilateral and Regional
Forums- Both sides agreed to coordinate closely
at multilateral forums, including at the UN Security
Council, where both India and Vietnam will serve
concurrently as non-permanent members in 2021.
• Indo-Pacific region- India and Vietnam agreed to
enhance their bilateral cooperation in line with
India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the
ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific to achieve shared
security, prosperity and growth for all in the region.
Significance of relations between India and Vietnam
India-Vietnam relations have been exceptionally
friendly and cordial since their foundations were laid
by founding fathers of the two countries - President
Ho Chi Minh and President Rajendra Prasad and Prime
Minister Nehru.
• Institutionalized mechanisms for bilateral
exchanges
• There is an annual Security Dialogue at Defence
Secretary Level and a Joint Committee on
Science and Technology that meets periodically.
• Regular meetings between the leaderships of
the two sides have taken place on the sidelines
of multilateral summit meetings.
• Economic and Commercial Relations
• India’s relations with Vietnam are marked
by growing economic and commercial
engagement. India is now among the top ten
trading partners of Vietnam.
• Main items of imports from Vietnam are
mobile phones & accessories, computers
and electronics hardware, machinery and
equipments, chemicals, rubber, ordinary metals,
wood and wooden products.
• Defence Cooperation
• Defence cooperation has emerged as a
significant pillar of our strategic partnership
with Vietnam. After the signing of the MoU
on Defence Cooperation by the two Defence
Ministers in November 2009, the relations have
grown from strength to strength. Indian ships
regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.
• Science and Technology
• It is an important area of bilateral cooperation.
• The MoUs/Agreements signed during Prime
Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam last year
on Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for
Peaceful Purposes, IT Cooperation, Cyber
Security and the Framework Agreement signed
in December on Uses of Atomic Energy for
Peaceful Purposes show the importance our
two countries attach to this area.
• Information Technology is an area with strong
growth potential. Many Indian companies
have established their presence in Vietnam for
various IT solution and services in the area of
banking, telecom, cyber security etc.
• Assistance and Capacity Building
• Since 1976, India has offered several Lines of
Credit (LoCs) to Vietnam over the years on
concessional terms and conditions.
• India has also agreed to consider earmarking
an amount of up to USD 100 million under the
Buyer’s Credit of the National Export Insurance
Account(BC-NEIA) for use by Vietnam.
• Scholarships
• Vietnam has been a large recipient of training
programmes under Indian Technical and
Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
• Presently, 150 ITEC slots are being offered to
Vietnam every year along with 16 scholarships
under the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme
(GCSS), 14 scholarships under the Educational
Exchange Programme (EEP) and 10 scholarships
under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation
Scholarship Scheme (MGCSS).
Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative
• IPOI was launched by the Prime Minister of India
at the East Asia Summit in November 2019.
• It focuses on seven central pillars conceived
around Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology,
Maritime Resources, Capacity Building and
Resource Sharing, Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management, Science, Technology
and Academic Cooperation, and Trade
Connectivity and Maritime Transport.
Importance of Vietnam for India
• Vietnam is an important element of India’s Act East
Policy, which aims to re-invigorate its historical ties
with countries in Southeast and East Asia. In 2014
the former “Look East Policy” was rechristened the
“Act East Policy.”
• Vietnam is important for India from
the connectivity angle there are ample
opportunities for closer connectivity between
India and Vietnam via Myanmar and existing
transit routes in Cambodia and Laos. The
trilateral India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral
highway will allow Indian goods to reach
Southeast Asia with ease and vice versa. In the
future, the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral
highway could link up with already existing
roads like the one linking Thailand with the
Vietnamese port of Da Nang.
• India’s growing economy needs energy resources
and Vietnam has rich hydrocarbon reserves.
India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) has been searching for oil in
disputed waters of Vietnam.
International Developments | 38
India’s Importance for Vietnam
• India could be a bulwark against the dominance
of any single country in the region. Vietnam has a
long-festering territorial dispute with Beijing in the
South China Sea, which has worsened since 2014.
So enhancing trade and strategic relations to India
can counter the influence of China.
• India has additionally conducted capacity-building
programs for Vietnamese defense personnel.
Besides, there are numerous opportunities to
increase trade between the two countries. Indian
companies can infuse much needed capital and
technology into the Vietnamese market to bring it
to par with its East Asian counterparts.
• There is the strong cultural aspect to the
relationship, with Buddhism seeping into Vietnam
from the land of its birth in India. Vietnam has a
large number of Buddhists and many of them come
to visit Buddhist holy shrines in India.
What are the common area of cooperation between
both countries
There are a number of other areas where
India and Vietnam can share their
experiences and benefit through mutual
cooperation. In light of the fact that
Vietnam is very rich in mineral resources, a number of
sectors where Indian companies can invest in Vietnam
might be identified.
• Oil and gas
• Vietnam has 600 million barrels of proven oil
reserves. While it is a major oil producer in
Southeast Asia.
• Due to lack of technical know-how of exploration
and there is a lack of refineries. In both these
areas, Indian companies can be major players. Till
date, only ONGC Videsh and ESSAR Group have
invested in Vietnam. Here, India can enter into
joint ventures with an added benefit of getting
natural gas supply from Vietnam.
• Pharmaceuticals
• Vietnam imports a major portion of its
pharmaceutical needs.
• The demand for drugs is growing, with the
availability of an additional amount of income
to be spent on health needs.
• The Indian company, Ranbaxy, has invested in
Vietnam. But the
• scope for further investment in this sector
is very wide.
• India being a major player in Asia in
the pharmaceuticals sector, can help
Vietnam strengthen the pharmaceutical
industry in Vietnam.
• Steel
• The boom in the real estate sector is driving the
demand for steel in Vietnam.
• Despite being rich in natural resources, Vietnam
imports crude steel. The proposed investment
of TATA in the Vietnamese steel sector has
shown the potential of indo-Vietnamese
cooperation in this sector.
• So the rich Indian experience in the steel sector
can be valuable for Vietnam.
39 I Articulate
• Knowledge-based Industries
• India is a world leader in knowledge-based
industries. Vietnam being a new entrant in this
field can benefit from the Indian experience.
• Vietnam has invited Indian companies to invest
in the educational sector. With the growth of
the economy, the demand for human resource
is continuously increasing in Vietnam and this
provides an opportunity for India to explore the
human resource development sector.
• Agricultural techniques, research and
biotechnology
• India and Vietnam produce a large number of
agricultural products which are common to
both the countries.
• India can learn some novel agricultural
techniques to increase productivity. Especially
India can learn from Vietnamese in marine
products and rice cultivation.
• Vietnamese firms have shown interest in
learning the techniques of soya cultivation and
making various soya-based products. India
being a major producer of soya products can
help Vietnam in this direction. At the same time,
both the countries can cooperate to undertake
further research in the agricultural sector.
The benefits of newer technologies like bio-
technology can be jointly harnessed to increase
agricultural productivity and improve the living
standards of farmers.
Way Forward
• In an age when geopolitics in the region is in a state
of flux, it pays for both Vietnam and India to stand
by each other. Just as China has been wading into
India’s neighborhood, there is no reason why India
should shy away from doing the same in China’s
extended neighborhood. With its soft power and
lately hard power in full flow in Vietnam, New Delhi
has a first-mover advantage in that country, which
it must be careful not to squander.
• Despite the fact that India is an economic
powerhouse and Vietnam, Asia’s fastest-growing
economy, bilateral trade and investment are far
below the level of actual potential. Here, both
the countries can think of a bilateral forum for
knowledge-based industries along similar lines, with
a more focused approach.
• “Vietnam-India Trade Promotion Programme,
which calls for the participation of all sectors and
branches and is phased out in various stages suitable
with human and financial capacities of both the
countries”7 will be of immense help to expand the
commercial relations between the two countries.
• The knowledge in both countries concerning the
available economic opportunities on the one hand, and
• attractive tourist destinations on the other,
is minimal. So, a mechanism for information
dissemination will be of great value. In this
direction, an increase in bilateral visits, involving
key economic players can be a fruitful step.
• Both the countries need to understand their
strengths and opportunities in their bilateral
economic relations and act accordingly. In a short
 period of time, it will be impossible for Vietnam
to bridge the trade balance, which is currently
in India’s favour. Vietnam’s attention therefore,
must be focused on attracting investment from
India, which Vietnam needs, to fuel its growing
economy. At the same time, India in its endeavor
to become a global economic player, needs to
strengthen its economic relations with Vietnam
through increased interaction with physical,
commercial, investment, and trade linkages to
venture into the larger Asia-Pacific.
BRICS INNOVATION BASE
Why in News?
China has proposed the creation of a BRICS innovation
base in China to take forward 5G and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) cooperation among the five countries of
BRICS i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Aim- To take forward 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
cooperation among the five countries.
Key Highlights
• China urged fellow nations, including India, to boost
cooperation in areas including 5G and Artificial
Intelligence. This is in the backdrop of rising USA-
China tensions over technology and security with
respect to Chinese company Huawei.
• Russia has agreed to work with China on 5G and with
Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, which
has been largely banned by the United States.
• In South Africa, Huawei is providing services to
three of its telecom operators in the roll-out of
their 5G networks.
• Brazil has allowed participation of Huawei
in 5G trials. More than a third of Brazil’s 4G
network operators use Huawei equipment. Brazil
maintains that Huawei has a capacity above its
international competitors.
India’s Concern
• This move could pose a conundrum before India
who is having issues with China in recent times
but other countries seem willing to allow China’s
participation in their 5G networks.
• India is unlikely to allow Chinese participation in
the roll-out of its national 5G network, particularly
in the wake of recent moves to tighten investment
from China and to ban 59 Chinese apps, citing
national security concerns.
• A high-level committee on 5G is opposed to
including Chinese vendors including Huawei in
the 5G trials.
• Indian intelligence assessments have also
expressed concerns about the possible direct
or indirect links of several Chinese companies,
including Huawei, with the Chinese military.
• India has made clear that a return to normalcy
cannot be possible while tensions along the Line of
Actual Control remain unresolved.
What underlying technologies make up 5G?
• 5G is based on OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-
division multiplexing), a method of modulating
a digital signal across several different
channels to reduce interference.
• 5G also uses wider bandwidth technologies
such as sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
The previous generations of mobile networks are
1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G.
• First-generation – 1G
• The 1G network was first introduced in
Japan in 1979.
• First generation mobile networks were
reliant upon analog radio systems which
meant that users could only make phone
calls, they couldn’t send or receive text
messages.
• Second-generation – 2G
• 2G network was introduced in 1991.
• In 2G mobile network ran on digital signal
which vastly improved its security but
also its capacity.
• On 2G, users could send SMS and MMS
messages.
• Third generation – 3G
• In comparison to 2G, 3G was much faster
and could transmit greater amounts of
data. This means that users could video
call, share files, surf the internet, watch
TV online and play online games on their
mobiles for the first time.
• Fourth-generation – 4G LTE
• It’s five times faster than the 3G
network – and can in theory provide
speeds of up to 100Mbps.
• Under 4G, users can experience better
latency (less buffering), higher voice
quality, easy access to instant messaging
services and social media, quality
streaming and make faster downloads.
• Fifth-generation- 5G
• The 5G network is yet to be released but is
widely anticipated by the mobile industry.
• Many experts claim that the network will
change not just how we use our mobiles, but
how we connect our devices to the internet.
• The improved speed and capacity of the
network will signal new IoT trends, such as
connected cars, smart cities and IoT in the
home and office.
1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all led to 5G, which is designed
to provide more connectivity than was ever
available before.
Way Forward
• India cannot afford to sever all its economic links
with the world’s second-largest economy, even in
the digital space. However, through initiatives like
International Developments | 40
 Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan,
India can try to replace Chinese technology with
domestic ones.
• The ongoing trade war between China and the USA
has also created a dilemma for India. India is a party
to many trades and diplomatic engagements with
China like RCEP, Russia-India-China Grouping,
BRICS, etc. It also cannot afford to cut off the trade
relations with the USA, therefore, India should seek
a middle path for balancing its strategic interests
between the USA and the Russia-China axis,
maintaining its historical Non-Aligned position.
• Further, there is a need to boost up its economic
relations with other countries
INDIA PULLS OUT OF KAVKAZ 2020
Why in News?
Due to the ongoing military confrontation with China
along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, India
has decided to withdraw from multilateral war exercise
KAVKAZ 2020 which is scheduled in Russia.
More on news
• In this exercise, along with the members of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO),
Mongolia, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Belarus, Turkey,
Armenia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, and
Turkmenistan are set to take part.
Possible reasons for withdrawal of India
• Presence of Pakistan- India-Pakistan relations
since the very beginning are marked belligerently
and with mutual suspicion. This is often best
manifested by the frequency of wars both
countries have fought. Due to the deterioration of
the relationship between the two countries, the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) is also losing its significance.
• Participation of Turkey’s troops- In contemporary
times, relations between India and Turkey have been
strained due to Turkey’s religious mutuality with
Pakistan. Until recently, Turkey was a vocal advocate
of Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir dispute.
Turkey was also one of the few opponents to India’s
inclusion into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
• The participation of the Georgianbreakaway of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the exercise has only
been recognized by Russia and a few other countries,
whereas India has not recognized any of them.
KAVKAZ 2020
• The word Kavkaz is derived as a modern variant
of Caucasus or Caucasia, a region between
the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and mainly
occupied by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and
southwestern Russia.
• The exercise is aimed at assessing the ability
of the armed forces to ensure military security
in Russia’s southwest, where serious terrorist
threats persist, and preparing for the strategic
command-staff drills.
• This tri-service exercise is part of a four-year
exercise cycle of the Russian army.
41 I Articulate
India-Russia Military Diplomacy
• India’s military diplomacy with Russia, through a
series of joint military exercises, started in 2003
with the first edition of Exercise Indra which is a
bilateral naval exercise.
• Participation of India in Russia’s TSENTR 2019
exercise: It is part of the annual series of large scale
exercises that form part of the Russian Armed
Forces’ annual training cycle. It aims at evolving
drills of the participating armies in the fight against
international terrorism by ensuring military security
in the strategic Central Asian region.
• How will the withdrawal of India from KAVKAZ
impact Russia
• The relationship between India and Russia is
independent of the Russia-China and Russia-
Pakistan relations.
• Mainly this exercise is one of Russia’s rotational
exercises through the four main Russian operational
strategic commands. Russia holds a major military
exercise every year at one of it’s four military
Commands i.e Vostok (East), Zapad (West), TSENTR
(Centre), and Kavkaz (South). So, the presence of
India is not strategically important.
Way Forward
• Russia has been India’s one of the oldest and
reliable partners in defence. India should extend its
relations to Russia along with the defence, energy,
and strategic mineral sectors.
• There are many previous instances where the quiet
diplomacy of Russia has helped ease down the
standoff between India and China. The coming SCO
meet can also be seen as an important strategic
platform for easing tensions between India-China
boundary conflict.
Quiet Diplomacy
It is also known as the “softly softly”
approach. Quiet diplomacy is the attempt
to influence the behaviour of another state
through secret negotiations or by refraining
from taking a specific action.
SAARC
• The South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional
intergovernmental organization and
geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its
member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka.
• It was established in 1985
• The Headquarters and Secretariat of the
Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.

Source- Kavkaztrans
PROPOSAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE
INITIATIVE
Why in News?
India, Japan, and Australia have begun discussions on
launching a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
(SCRI) to reduce dependency on China, necessitated by
Beijing’s aggressive political and military behaviour.
Supply Chain Resilience
• In the context of international trade, supply chain
resilience is an approach that helps a country to
ensure that it has diversified its supply risk across
a clutch of supplying nations instead of being
dependent on just one or a few.
• Importance: In unanticipated events -whether
natural, such as volcanic eruptions, tsunamis,
earthquakes, or even a pandemic; or manmade,
such as an armed conflict in a region — that
disrupt supplies from a particular country or even
intentional halts to trade, could adversely impact
economic activity in the destination country.
Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI)
• The initiative aims to reduce the dependency on a
single nation (at present China).
• SCRI is a direct response to individual
companies and economies concerned about
Chinese political behaviour and the disruption
that could lead to the supply chain.
• The initiative, first proposed by Japan with India
and Australia as partners, potentially see other
Asian and Pacific Rim nations later.
Objectives of SCRI
• To attract foreign direct investment to turn the
Indo-Pacific into an “economic powerhouse”.
• To build a mutually complementary relationship
among partner countries.
• To work out a plan to build on the existential supply
chain network. Japan and India, for example, have
an India-Japan competitiveness partnership dealing
with locating the Japanese companies in India.
Need for supply chain resilience:
• A substitute to Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP)- The trilateral
strategic dialogue under SCRI that will include
other Asian and Pacific Rim nations later, is seen in
the backdrop of India pulling out of the RCEP that
Japan helped stitch together.
• The impact of COVID-19 pandemic- The COVID-19
has brought into sharp focus that when assembly
lines are heavily dependent on supplies from one
country, the impact on importing nations could be
crippling. This can be as a result when source stops
production for involuntary reasons, or even as a
conscious measure of economic coercion.
• Impair economic activity- For example,
according to a report Japan’s imports from China
fell by half in February, a period when the latter
was battling the peak of the virus impact. Japan
is heavily reliant on international trade both for
markets for its exports and for supplies of a range
of primary goods from oil to iron ore.
• Signs of de-globalization- The U.S.-China trade
tensions have caused alarm in Japanese trade
circles and if the world’s two largest economies
do not resolve their differences, it could threaten
globalization as a whole and have a major impact
on Japan. As a result, the Japanese government
recently earmarked a $2.2 billion stimulus package
to incentivize its companies to move their
manufacturing out of China.
• This was a nudge to the diversification of risk
(and not a protectionist move), where those
manufacturing lines could be relocated out of China
to other third countries.
What is driving the trilateral SCRI initiative?
• India-Japan economic ties- Japan is the fourth-
largest investor in India with cumulative foreign
direct investments touching $33.5 billion in the
2000-2020 period.
• Imports from Japan into India- Almost 1,400
Japanese companies operating in India, is a clear
reflection that the two countries enjoy long-
standing and deepening trade relationships.
• Quadrilateral Security Dialogue- Australia, Japan,
and India are already part of another informal
grouping - the Quad - which includes the U.S.
• Deteriorating China-Australia ties- Though China
has been Australia’s largest trading partner and
counts for 32.6% of Australia’s exports, with iron
ore, coal, and gas dominating the products, the
relations including trade ties between the two have
been deteriorating. This was more clearly visible
after Australia pushed for an inquiry into the origins
of the coronavirus.
How will it impact India?
• Insurance against the deteriorating India-China
relations- Following the border tensions, partners
such as Japan, Australia can offer alternative
supply chains.
• A step towards diversification- In the context of
international trade, supply chain resilience is an approach
that helps a country to ensure that it has diversified its
supply risk across a clutch of supplying nations.
• Security against unanticipated events- Whether
natural or manmade, that disrupt supplies from a
International Developments | 42
 particular country or even intentional halts to trade,
could adversely impact economic activity in the
destination country. Sectors impacted by supply
chain issues arising out of the pandemic include
pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, electronics,
shipping, chemicals, and textiles.
Way Forward for India
• India needs to enhance self-reliance against China
so that it could build resilience into the economy’s
supply networks. Economic measures are of real
value in this regard.
• Focusing on ease of doing business and skill
building because India appears an attractive option
for potential investors both as a market and as a
manufacturing base.
• Relaxing tax norms which will help in attracting
investments from China and other attractive
locations like Vietnam and the Philippines.
• Government should prepare a roadmap to boost
manufacturing competitiveness and increase its
share in world trade.
• There is a need to sort out long-pending legislation
that aims to address the structural bottlenecks (in
4Ls: Land, Labour, Law, Liquidity) that continue to
hinder domestic competitiveness.
WORLD SOLAR TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT
The first-ever World Solar Technology Summit was
organised by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a
virtual platform.
Aim and Objectives
• It aims to bring together key stakeholders,
scientists, technology developers, researchers
and innovators to present and discuss the recent
highlights of solar technologies, cost-wise;
technology-wise, technology transfers, challenges
and concerns in the field.
• To showcase to member countries the state of the art
and next-generation solar technologies worldwide.
• To provide an opportunity to decision-makers and
stakeholders to meet, and discuss their own priorities
and strategic agenda towards a larger integration.
International Solar Alliance
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a
treaty-based international intergovernmental
organization.
• ISA was jointly launched by India and France
in the presence of Secretary General of the UN
during CoP21.
• The Paris Declaration establishes ISA as an
alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar
energy among its Member Countries.
• The major objectives of the organization
include deployment of 1000 GW of solar
capacity and mobilization of US$ 1000 billion
of investment in solar energy sector by 2030.
43 I Articulate
• ISA intends to bring together member
countries to aggregate demand and realise
economies of scale, resulting in reduction
of costs of solar applications, facilitating
deployment of existing solar technologies
at scale, and promoting collaborative solar
R&D and capacity.
• Presently the ISA Framework Agreement has
been signed by 86 countries, with 68 having
also deposited instruments of ratification.
• The ISA is headquartered at Gurugram in
Haryana, India.
Initiatives taken by government to promote solar energy
• Infrastructural Development- The target of installing
100 GW of solar energy capacity by December 2022
was announced by the minister last year. Solar
projects commissioned up to the same period shall
be exempted from Inter State Transmission System
(ISTS) charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar
power. 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has also
been permitted under the automatic route. Recently
a 750 megawatt (MW) solar project has been
inaugurated in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
• Solar Charkha Mission- It aims to ensure
inclusive growth by generation of employment,
especially for women and youth, and sustainable
development through solar charkha clusters in
rural areas. It seeks to boost rural economies
and help in arresting migration from rural to
urban areas. It also aims to leverage low-cost,
innovative technologies, and processes to provide
sustenance for the target groups.
• Green Energy Corridor-The Green Energy Corridor
project has been put in place to support the grid
integration of large scale solar and other renewable
energy capacity addition. Stakeholders are being
notified about the quality standards guidelines for
deploying solar photovoltaic systems/devices.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan
Mahabhiyan Yojana (PM-KUSUM)- It is a 1.4
lakh-crore scheme for promoting decentralised
solar power production of up to 28,250 MW
to help farmers. The scheme will open a stable
and continuous source of income to the rural
landowners for a period of 25 years by utilisation of
their dry/uncultivable land.
• One Sun One World One Grid project (OSOWOG)-
It is an ambitious solar energy project that aims
at creating a global cooperation for sharing
infrastructure and benefits of solar energy by making
use of common resources. It is a counter project
to tackle China’s One Belt One Road initiative that
happens to challenge India’s sovereignty.
FIVE-POINTS TO DE-ESCALATE THE LAC
STANDOFF
Why in News?
A five-point course of action was recently agreed upon
by India and China.
• The Recent India-China conflict
• Tensions between India and China have flared up
since the June 15, 2020 clash in Galwan Valley,
when 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of
Chinese soldiers were killed.
• This was the first confirmed use of firearms on the
LAC by troops in more than four decades.
• A series of clashes broke out at the Pangong Tso lake.
Pangong Tso
• Pangong Tso is a 135 km long, endorheic
(landlocked) lake in the shape of a boomerang.
• The barren mountains on the Pangong
Tso’s northern bank, called the Chang
Chenmo, jut forward in major spurs which
are known as ‘fingers’.
• India claims that the LAC is coterminous with
Finger 8, but it physically controls area only up
to Finger 4.
• Chinese border posts are at Finger 8, while it
believes that the LAC passes through Finger 2.
The Five-Point Plan
The recently agreed-upon five-point plan includes
• following the consensus to not allow differences to
become disputes
• disengaging quickly to ease tensions
• abiding by the existing India-China border protocols
and avoiding escalatory action
• continuing the dialogue between the Special
Representatives of two countries, as well as the
other mechanisms, and
• working towards new confidence-building
measures (CBMs).
Reasons for the recent conflict
• New road infrastructure being built by India along
the Shyok River to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) - the
most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in
Ladakh, which seems to have infuriated Beijing.
• China’s adamance in saying that the Galwan valley
region is Chinese territory.
• China’s assertiveness with its neighbors and its
tactic of salami-slicing.
• India’s redrawal of maps after the revocation of
Article 370, which included Aksai Chin - an area
claimed by India but controlled by China - in its
union territory of Ladakh.
• China’s apprehensions over India’s growing
capabilities of recapturing Pakistan-administered
Kashmir - where Beijing has invested heavily in the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as part of
its Belt and Road Initiative.
• Export related tensions between the two countries
due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• India’s growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean
region and the South China Sea (SCS) region.
• India’s ban on a host of Chinese apps.
Line of Actual Control (LAC)
• The LAC is the demarcation that separates
Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-
controlled territory.
• India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long,
while the Chinese consider it to be only
around 2,000 km.
• It is divided into three sectors:
• the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh
and Sikkim,
• the middle sector in Uttarakhand and
Himachal Pradesh, and
• thewestern sector in Ladakh.
• The line is the least controversial in the
middle sector.
Image source: BBC
Difference between LoC and LAC
• The LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line
negotiated by the UN after the India-Pakistan War.
• It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the
Shimla Agreement between the two countries.
• The LoC is delineated on a map signed by DGMOs
of both armies and has the international sanctity of
a legal agreement.
• The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept – it is
not agreed upon by the two countries, neither
delineated on a map nor demarcated on the ground.
Way Forward
It is important that both the nuclear-armed
countries of India and China disengage their
militaries and solve the standoff through high-level
talks and multi-track diplomacy.
HYBRID DATA WARFARE BY CHINA
Why in News?
According to a latest report, more than 10000 people in
India are being actively monitored under a surveillance
program run by Zhenhua Data Information Technology
Co, a Shenzhen-based technology company with links
to the Chinese government.
International Developments | 44

What is Hybrid Data Warfare?
• Hybrid Data Warfare refers to the use of
unconventional methods such as Big Data
analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as
part of a multi-domain warfighting approach,
without having to engage in overt hostilities.
• Through targeted cyberattacks,
disinformation campaigns, and espionage,
hybrid warfare seeks to incite social discord,
disrupt economic activities, undermine
institutions, and discredit political leadership
and the intelligentsia.
China’s history with Hybrid Data Warfare
• In early 1999, China’s People’s Liberation Army
(PLA) devised a strategy for hybrid warfare called
‘unlimited warfare’ under which violence was
to move from the military to political leaders,
economies, and technology.
• Under Hybrid Data Warfare, China tries to increase
social animosity in its target country, disrupting
economic activity and hollowing out institutions,
tarnishing political leadership, and its potential.
• Apart from the recent report indicating China’s use
of Hybrid Data Warfare on India, it has also used the
technique in Hong Kong, particularly to quell the
pro-democracy protests.
• China’s strategy is to defeat the enemy
through information pollution, image
management, and propaganda.
Legal aspects of Hybrid Data Warfare
• Information Technology Rules, 2011, under the IT
Act, 2000, defines personal data as “any information
regarding a natural person, which either directly or
indirectly, in combination with other information
available or likely to be available… is capable of
identifying such person.”
• However, it does not include information available
freely or accessible in the public domain, so there
is no existing legislation in Indiathat can stop such
activity per se, therefore the legal recourse for
India is not very clear.
• Even then, a third party (such as Zhenhua) scraping
the personal information and geo-location
of prominent personalities of a country from
social media sites and sharing it with its rival
country’s intelligence is illegal in many advanced
jurisdictions.
Way Forward
• Many nations are increasingly making use of the
otherwise seemingly innocuous information
available in the public domain to carry out social
engineering and thought-influence maneuvers in
the target country.
• Given India’s rise in strategic importance, China’s
latest Hybrid Data Warfare tactic appears to be an
attempt to gauge India’s most critical narratives and
to influence the same too.
45 I Articulate
JAPAN’S NEW PRIME MINISTER
YOSHIHIDE SUGA
Why in News?
Japan has elected Yoshihide Suga as the new prime
minister after Shinzo Abe resigned because of ill health.
India-Japan relations in recent times
• Financial axis
• Japan is the third-largest source of FDI in India
after Mauritius and Singapore.
• In the FY 2018-2019, Japan’s FDI in India was
about $2,965 million and it rolled up to $3,225
million in the FY 2019-20.
• Japan has invested in the Delhi-Mumbai
Industrial Corridor and is also backing the
Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train service.
• Currency Swap Agreement: India and Japan
signed a currency swap agreement for US $75 bn,
in 2018. The swap involved the US Dollar, besides
Japanese Yen and Indian Rupee, and helped
India pacify the depreciating trend of rupee.
• Diplomatic front
• In 2014, India and Japan upgraded their
relationship to ‘Special Strategic and
Global Partnership’.
• ‘Two plus two’ defense and foreign
ministerial dialogue between India and
Japan, which is India’s second such two plus
two dialogue after the US.
• Japan-America-India (JAI) Trilateral Meeting on
the sidelines of G20 Summit 2019.
• Defense ties
• India and Japan defense forces organize a
series of bilateral exercises namely JIMEX,
SHINYUU Maitri, and Dharma Guardian.
• The two nations are also looking to allow their
respective naval forces to use each other’s facilities.
• Cultural ties
• Sai no Sato in Kakegawa, Japan is being
developed as a temple on the lines of
Akshardham and Swaminarayan Temple to
promote Indian culture, under the Sri Sathya Sai
Sanathana Samskruti Project.
• Science and Exploration
• The first-ever India-Japan Space Dialogue was
held in 2019 and focused on Surveillance and
Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) of the
waters in the East China Sea, the South China
Sea, and the Indian Ocean.
• A joint lunar mission called Lunar Polar
Exploration (LPE) will be launched jointly by
India and Japan. Japanese space agency JAXA
would be building the overall landing module
and the rover, while ISRO would develop the
lander system.
• Commonality of objectives
• Both India and Japan have border issues and
hegemonic issues with China, which develops
a natural affinity and amiability between the
two countries.
 Malabar Exercise
• Exercise Malabar is a trilateral naval exercise
involving the US, Japan, and India as
permanent partners.
• It originally began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise
between India and the United States, Japan
became a permanent partner later in 2015.
• It includes diverse activities ranging from
fighter combat operations from aircraft
carriers, through Maritime Interdiction
Operations Exercises.
The ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ or Quad
• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
(also known as QSD, Quad) is an informal
strategic forum between the US, Japan,
Australia, and India.
• It is maintained by semi-regular summits,
information exchanges, and military drills
between member countries.
• The diplomatic and military arrangement is
often viewed as a response to China’s rising
economic and military power.
Way Forward
Building on the “Confluence of the Two Seas” concept
of Indo-Pacific that has now become one of the main
pillars of India-Japan ties, the two countries should
continue building their bilateral relationship on areas
such as connectivity, sustainable development, disaster
relief, maritime security, and unfettered mobility.
Currency Swap Agreement
• It is an agreement or contract between
countries, to exchange currencies (of the
two countries or any hard currency), with
predetermined terms and conditions.
• Objectives:
• Primary: To avoid turbulence and other
risks in the foreign exchange market and
exchange rate.
• Additional: Promotion of bilateral trade,
Maintaining the value of foreign exchange
reserves with the central bank, and
Ensuring financial stability.
• It is always desirable for a developing country
like India to reach a currency swap agreement
with countries like the US, UK, EU, and Japan
whose currencies are hard currencies (used in
international trade as a medium of exchange).
• Examples of some hard currencies:
US Dollar, Euro, Great Britain Pound
Sterling, Japanese Yen
DJIBOUTI CODE OF CONDUCT
Why in News?
Recently, India joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/
Jeddah Amendment as an Observer.
Djibouti Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of
Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western
Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, also referred to as
the Djibouti Code of Conduct, was adopted in 2009.
• Members: The code has been signed by 20
countries including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Madagascar, Maldives, Seychelles, Somalia, the
United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Comoros,
Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan and the
United Arab Emirates.
• Observers: India, Japan, Norway, the UK and the US.
• Objectives: The signatories to the Code have
agreed to cooperate, in a manner consistent with
international law, in
• the investigation, arrest and prosecution of
persons who are reasonably suspected of
having committed acts of piracy and armed
robbery against ships
• the interdiction and seizure of suspect ships
and property on board such ships
• the rescue of ships, persons and property
subject to piracy and armed robbery
• the facilitation of proper care, treatment
and repatriation of seafarers, fishermen,
other shipboard personnel and passengers
subject to such acts
• the conduct of shared operations – both
among signatory States and with navies
from countries outside the region – such
as nominating law enforcement or other
authorized officials to embark on patrol ships
or aircraft of another signatory.
• Pillars: The Code provides a framework for
communication, coordination and cooperation
under its four thematic broad pillars
International Developments | 46
 • Delivering national and regional training
• Enhancing national legislation
• Information sharing and maritime domain
awareness
• Building counter-piracy capabilities
Image source: https://www.crimario.eu
Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct
• The Djibouti Code of Conduct has been
instrumental in repressing piracy and armed
robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean
and the Gulf of Aden.
• The Jeddah Amendment was made to significantly
broaden its scope to cover other illicit maritime
activities, including
• illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
• arms trafficking
• trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic
substances
• illegal trade in wildlife
• crude oil theft
• human trafficking and smuggling, and
• illegal dumping of toxic waste.
• The Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of
Conduct recognizes the important role of the “blue
economy” including shipping, seafaring, fisheries and
tourism in supporting sustainable economic growth,
food security, employment, prosperity and stability.
the renaming of Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific
illustrates the significance of India in the region in
terms of politics and economics.
• Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue): India, Japan,
and the US have come together to ensure a “free, open
and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region in an informal
grouping called Quad. It is also seen as a rebalancing
exercise to contain the aggressively-expanding China.
• MILAN multilateral naval exercise: Hosted by the
Indian Navy under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar
Command, in which more than 40 countries including
the US, Russia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Bangladesh, South Korea, the UK, Australia,
Vietnam, Myanmar, Iran, Sri Lanka, Thailand participate.
• Mission SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in
the Region): The mission works in the Indian Ocean
region, aiming to seek
• a climate of trust and transparency
• respect for international maritime rules and
norms by all countries,
• sensitivity to each other’s interests
• peaceful resolution of maritime issues, and
• increase in maritime cooperation.
• Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean
Region (IFC-IOR): An initiative of the Indian
Navy, the IFC-IOR acts as a dedicated center for
undertaking collation, fusion and dissemination of
the data being exchanged with all partners, while
addressing the twin requirements of situational
awareness and law enforcement.
Way Forward
• While China is way ahead of India in its economic
prowess and infrastructure offerings, it is often seen
as a bully resorting to measures like salami-slicing
and debt-trap diplomacy to get the beneficiary
states to submit to its wishes.
• India, on the other hand, possesses the soft power of a
democracy sensitive to the needs of the local population.
• India must make good use of this scenario and work
together with all stakeholders in the Djibouti Code
of Conduct to advance peace and stability in the
western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden region.

Djibouti Code of Conduct Trust Fund Blue Economy

Blue Economy is the sustainable use of ocean
• The Djibouti Code of Conduct Trust Fund is a resources for economic growth, improved
multi-donor, voluntary fund. livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health
• Financial contributions may be made by of the ocean ecosystem.
the Member States of the United Nations or
IMO, organizations, institutions, or private
individuals.
• Utilisation of the fund is done to support
counter-piracy capacity building.

India’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region

• Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific: Given that it
contains the world’s most crucial sea routes,
the world’s most populous nations fueling
high energy demands on its rims and a stretch Image source: World Bank
encapsulating the finest global commons,

47 I Articulate
BRICS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORS
BRICS
MEET
• The term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)
Why in news?
was coined by Jim O’Neill, the then chairman
Recently, BRICS’ 10th meeting of the NSAs was
of Goldman Sachs in 2001.
attended by senior security officials from India,
• The first BRIC summit took place in the
China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa, via virtual
year 2009 in Russia. In 2010, South Africa
conferencing.
became the latest nation to formally join the
association making it BRICS.
Outcomes of the meeting
• BRICS is an association of five major emerging
• BRICS’ counter-terrorism strategy was
national economies: Brazil, Russia, India,
discussed, that will be adopted at the upcoming
China, and South Africa.
BRICS Summit
• Afghanistan, Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico
• The draft strategy reflects fundamental
and Turkey have expressed strong interest in
aspects of the BRICS states, such as respect
full membership of the BRICS, while Egypt,
for sovereignty and non-interference in
Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Syria and most recently
internal affairs, adherence to international
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Greece have also
law and recognition of the UN’s central role in
expressed interest in joining BRICS.
security matters.
• BRICS represents over 3.6 billion people, or
• Views were exchanged on combating terrorism
about half of the world population, and has a
and extremism besides deliberating on global
combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.
and regional security issues.
• An agreement was reached on further expanding
the dialogue on security issues, and providing
for closer coordination among law enforcement
agencies of the member nations.
• Information and Communications Security
was discussed, and the need to adopt common
approaches were highlighted.
• The meet expressed concern over tensions in Iran,
Syria, and Venezuela.
• Deployment of weapons in space by the US and
the use of outer space for military operations was
criticized by Russia.
• Creation of new mechanisms in the field of
countering epidemiological threats and conduction
of expert consultations on biosafety in the BRICS
format were proposed. New Development Bank (NDB)
• Cooperation in the field of biological
security, and WHO’s coordinating role in • Formerly referred to as the BRICS Development
pandemic was discussed. Bank, it is a multilateral development bank
• The five countries agreed to work on deepening operated by the BRICS states.
coordination at key international organizations and • Headquarters for the New Development Bank
forums, especially the UN. is in Shanghai, China.
• The Fortaleza Declaration of the 2014
Significance of the meeting for India BRICS Summit stressed that the NDB will
• The meeting was hosted by Russia, the strengthen cooperation among BRICS and
current chair of BRICS. Russia has been will supplement the efforts of multilateral
engaging in quiet diplomacy to defuse Sino- and regional financial institutions for global
Indian tensions. development thus contributing to sustainable
• BRICS-SCO-RIC platforms under Russia’s and balanced growth.
presidency have provided opportunities for India • Key areas of operation of the NDB are:
and China to engage. • Economic development among BRICS
• The platform acted as a CBM (confidence- member countries
building measure) amid LAC tensions between • Urban infrastructure development
India and China. • Sustainable agriculture development and
• BRICS states agreed on cooperating within irrigation
the framework of building a multi-polar • Transport infrastructure
system based on justice and equality. India • Clean energy
has always been in favor of a multi-polar
world as opposed to uni or bipolar one. BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)
• It is found that emerging economies that
experienced rapid economic liberalization

International Developments | 48
 went through increased economic volatility,
bringing an uncertain macroeconomic
environment.
• BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement
(CRA) is a framework for protecting against
global liquidity pressures.
• Global liquidity pressures include currency
issues where members’ national currencies
are being adversely affected by global
financial pressures.

The CRA is generally seen as a competitor to

the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and
along with the New Development Bank is
viewed as an example of increasing South- Image source: Indian Express
South cooperation.

Way Forward
Rules-based order and safeguarding territorial
sovereignty must be hallmarks of international
relations. India must diplomatically maintain amicable
relations with BRICS emerging economies for peace
and progress, especially with China in light of the recent
events at the LAC.
India’s objections
• India has said the Government of Pakistan or its
judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally
and forcibly occupied by it.
• India completely rejects such actions and continued
attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied
areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• India has maintained that Pakistan should immediately
vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

GILGIT-BALTISTAN TO BECOME A FULL-

FLEDGED PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN Gilgit-Baltistan

Why in News? • Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the

Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan’s
status to that of a full-fledged province. The move is
likely backed by China, with geopolitical and economic
interests at the core.
Pakistan’s plan
• Elevation of Gilgit-Baltistan to the
status of a full-f ledged province with all
constitutional rights.
• Adequate representation of Gilgit-Baltistan on
all constitutional bodies, including the Pakistan
National Assembly and the Senate.
• Work on the Moqpondass Special Economic Zone
to soon begin under the China Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC).
Northern Areas, is a region administered by
Pakistan as an administrative territory.
• It constitutes the northern portion of the
larger Kashmir region which has been the
subject of a dispute between India and
Pakistan since 1947.
• It borders China in the North, Afghanistan
in the west, Tajikistan in the northwest, and
Kashmir in the southeast.
• It has a regional assembly and an elected
Chief Minister.
• Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the “eight-
thousanders” and more than fifty peaks above
7,000 meters (23,000 ft).
• Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside
the polar regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

• CPEC is the flagship project of Beijing’s

ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• It connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s
Balochistan with Kashgar in China’s
Xinjiang province.
• Other Developments by China in Pakistan-
occupied Kashmir under CPEC:
• Diamer-Bhasha Dam.
• Kohala hydropower Project.
• Azad Pattan Hydel Power Project.
• Karot hydropower project.

49 I Articulate
 History of Gilgit-Baltistan
1846: The British sold the Gilgit-Baltistan region,
along with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir, to the
Dogra ruler of Jammu, Gulab Singh, after defeating
the Sikh army, but retained control over the area
through a lease extracted from the Maharaja.
1935: This lease was last renewed in.
1947: Maharaja Hari Singh signed the ‘Instrument
of Accession’ on 26 October, 1947. By executing
this document under the provisions of the Indian
Independence Act 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh
agreed to accede to India.
1999: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that the
people of Gilgit-Baltistan are Pakistani citizens
and directed the federal government to start
appropriate administrative and legislative measures.
2009: The Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and
Self-Governance Order was introduced, whereby
the Northern Areas were renamed as Gilgit-
Baltistan and the region was given province-like
status but without representation in Parliament.
Currently, Pakistan has four provinces
namely Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Punjab, and Sindh.
Gilgit-Baltistan has functioned as a “provincial
autonomous region” since 2009.
2015: A committee constituted by the federal
government proposed giving Gilgit-Baltistan the
status of a province.
2018: A new order was introduced which
transferred all powers of the Gilgit-Baltistan
council to its assembly.
Why will Gilgit-Baltistan’s elevation to a province be
an uphill task for Pakistan?
• Gilgit-Baltistan is part of J&K and any such move
would seriously damage Pakistan’s Kashmir case.
Two UN resolutions of August 13, 1948, and January
5, 1949, established a link between Gilgit-Baltistan
and the Kashmir issue.
• Making the region its fifth province would thus
violate the Karachi Agreement — perhaps the only
instrument that provides doubtful legal authority to
Pakistan’s administration of Gilgit-Baltistan.
• Any such move would also be violative of the 1963
Pak-China Boundary Agreement that calls for the
sovereign authority to reopen negotiations with
China “after the settlement of the Kashmir dispute
between Pakistan and India” and of the 1972 Simla
Agreement that mentions that “neither side shall
unilaterally alter the situation”.
BASIC EXCHANGE AND COOPERATION
AGREEMENT (BECA)
Why in News?
India and the US may ink the Basic Exchange and
Cooperation Agreement (BECA) during a virtual “2+2”
foreign and defense ministers/secretaries’ dialogue in
October 2020.
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for
Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA)
• BECA will enable the US to share advanced
satellite and topographical data with India,
which will enable India to get pinpoint
military accuracy of automated hardware
systems, long-range navigation systems, and
missile-targeting.
• BECA is an important precursor to India
acquiring armed unmanned aerial vehicles
such as the Predator-B from the US.
• BECA is the last of the four “foundational”
agreements that underpin deepening
defense cooperation between the two
countries, the others being
• General Security of Military Information
Agreement (GSOMIA)
• Logistics Exchange Memorandum of
Agreement (LEMOA), and
• Communications, Compatibility and
Security Arrangement (COMCASA).
• A country needs to sign these pacts to obtain
cutting-edge weapons and communications
systems from the US.
Issues in the inking of agreements such as BECA
• India has had certain reservations in view of its
national security, which the US has now agreed to
address by modifying the draft.
• India’s appetite for Russian weapon systems
remains a sticking point in the signing of any
agreements between India and the US. Russia’s
S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft weapon systems are to
arrive in India in 2021.
• The classified texts of these agreements often
fuel suspicion among the opposition/ civil society
regarding India’s sovereignty and independent
foreign policy.
Recently concluded landmark agreements between
India and the US
• Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to the GSOMIA
• Inked in 2019, it provides a framework for the
exchange and protection of classified military
information between the US and Indian defense
industries, not just between the government
authorities of the two countries but also
between private parties.
• It enables greater industry-to-industry
collaboration for co-production and co-
development in the defense sector, in line with
India’s objective of promoting Make in India in
the defense sector.
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
• US announced its commitment to being the
founding member of the CDRI, which was
launched in September 2019.
• US participation in CDRI is a significant
development for the organization since the
US has considerable expertise in the area of
International Developments | 50
 disaster-resilient structures, which will be
beneficial to the organization and its members. services required by them.
• Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)
• DTTI Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the General Security of Military Information
identification and development of cooperative Agreement (GSOMIA)
projects under DTTI has been completed.
• This will enable expedited decision making and • Inked in 2002.
set forth implementation guidelines for DTTI • It allows the exchange of classified military
projects, enhancing process predictability of information regarding the US and Indian
DTTI project proposals. defense industries between the government
• The proposed Industry-to-Industry authorities.
Framework under DTTI will bring the two
countries closer in cooperation.
• Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative
• The initiative was announced by the Indian Prime
Minister at the 2019 East Asia Summit (EAS).
• The US has expressed interest in further
expanding cooperation on Ocean issues,
through the bilateral India-US Oceans Dialogue.
• Tiger Triumph Exercise
• It is the first US-India military exercise to
include all three of India’s military services —
Army, Navy and Air Force — and it represents
the latest milestone in an increasingly
important bilateral military partnership.
• It was first held in November 2019 as a
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR) Exercise to develop synergies between
the tri-services of both countries.

Way Forward for India-US bilateral relations

• India and the United States have come close in
recent years, seeking ways to counter-balance
China’s spreading influence across Asia, especially
in Pakistan, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
• The US has emerged as India’s second-largest
arms supplier, closing deals worth $15 billion in
the last 10 years.
• The two countries have been working together for
India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
• India was designated as a “major defense partner”
in 2016 by the US.
• Signing of the last of the four agreements will
ensure that the two forces can work together
seamlessly – in order to deter Chinese adventurism.

Communications, Compatibility and Security

Arrangement (COMCASA)

• Inked in 2018.
• It allows the US to transfer communication
equipment to India which facilitates
secure transmission of data and real-time
information between the armed forces of the
two countries.

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement

(LEMOA)
• Inked in 2016.
• It allows Indian and US defense forces to
use each other’s facilities and establish
procedures of easier access to supplies and

51 I Articulate
Social Justice & Development
Economy | 52
COVID-19 INFECTION IN PVTGs
Why in News?
• Six members of two Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups (Bondas and Didiayis) in Odisha contracted
Covid-19.
• The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has
sought a report from the state government and has
termed it a “matter of grave concern”.
What is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group?
• In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive
Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, who are
less developed among the tribal groups.
• In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs
as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• Criteria for Classification: PVTG are classified by
the GOI on the basis of their
• Relative physical isolation
• Stagnant or declining population
• Low levels of literacy.
• Pre-agricultural stage of economy, such as
hunting, food gathering, shifting cultivation and
terrace cultivation.
• Among the 75 listed PVTG’s the highest number are
found in Odisha.
Why is PVTG Members Contracting COVID, a Matter
of Grave Concern?
• The health status of PVTGs is low due to multiple
factors like poverty, illiteracy, lack of safe drinking
water, poor sanitary conditions, difficult terrain,
malnutrition, poor access to maternal and child
health care services, superstition, nonavailability of
adequate health care services and deforestation.
• The diseases like upper respiratory problem and
malaria, gastrointestinal disorders like acute diarrhoea
and intestinal protozoa, micronutrient deficiency, and
skin infection are common among them.
• The tribes’ remote habitats also lack the required
minimum administrative set-up and infrastructure.
• They maintain a community life and if one person
is infected, the infection is likely to spread, which is
why this calls for special attention.
Scheme for PVTGs
• The Scheme for Development of Primitive
Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), came into
effect from April 1, 2008
• The Scheme defines PVTGs as the most
vulnerable among the Scheduled Tribes and
the Scheme, therefore, seeks to prioritise their
protection and development.
• It identifies 75 PVTGs.
• The Scheme seeks to adopt a holistic
approach to the socio-economic development
of PVTGs and gives state governments
flexibility in planning.
• Activities supported under the scheme
include housing, land distribution, land
development, agricultural development, cattle
53 I Articulate
development, construction of link roads,
installation of non-conventional sources of
energy, social security, etc.
• Each state and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands’ administration, is required to prepare
a long term Conservation-cum-Development
(CCD) plan, valid for a period of five years for
each PVTG within its territory, outlining the
initiatives it will undertake, financial planning
for the same and the agencies charged with
the responsibility of undertaking the same.
• The CCD Plan is approved by an Expert
Committee, appointed by the Ministry of
Tribal Affairs.
• The Scheme is then funded entirely by the
Central government.
CAG REPORT ON SCHOOL TOILETS
Why in News?
Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(CAG) has flagged irregularities in the construction of
toilets in schools by Central Public Sector Enterprises
(CPSEs) in an audit report tabled before Parliament.
The CAG audit conducted a physical survey of a sample
of 2,695 toilets built by CPSEs in 15 States.
Issues Reported
• The survey revealed that 30 percent of the toilets
were not in use.
• 72 per cent did not have running water
• 55 per cent did not have handwashing facilities.
• 30 per cent had no soap or disinfectants.
• Out of the 1,967 coeducational schools surveyed, 99
schools had no functional toilets while 436 had only
one functional toilet, meaning that the objective of
providing separate toilets for boys and girls was not
fulfilled in 27% of the schools.
Significance
The report assumes significance at a time when
schools are inching towards reopening amid the
Covid-19 pandemic, with handwashing being a big
part of preventive medical advice against the spread
of the infection.
Background
• The Prime Minister announced on August 15, 2014,
that all schools should have separate toilets for
boys and girls within a year.
• The PM called upon the corporate sector to give
priority to this national endeavour as part of their
Corporate Social Responsibility.
• To achieve the objective of separate toilets for
boys and girls within a year, the Ministry of Human
Resources Development launched (September
1, 2014) Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan. 53 CPSEs
participated in this project and constructed
1,40,997 toilets.

Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan
• The Programme was launched in 2014 by
the then Ministry of Human Resource
Development (now Ministry of Education).
• The aim was to provide separate toilets for
girls and boys in all Government schools
within one year upto 15th August 2015 under
the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan’s aim is to meet the
Right to Education Act’s mandate that all schools
must have separate toilets for boys and girls.
• The programme norms require the CPSEs
to build toilets with running water and
handwashing facilities.
• It also requires CPSEs to maintain the toilets
for three to five years while charging the
annual expenses to their Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) budgets.
Importance of Toilets in Schools
• Disease prevention: According to WHO, 88%
of diarrhoeal disease is caused by unsafe water
supply, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene.
Many schools serve communities that have a high
prevalence of diseases related to inadequate water
supply, sanitation and hygiene (particularly lack of
handwashing), and where child malnutrition and
other underlying health problems are common.
Thus the prevalence of water supply, sanitation and
hygiene measures in schools are pivotal in creating
a disease-free environment for the children and
community at large.
• Gender Balance: Girls are particularly vulnerable
to dropping out of school, partly because many
are reluctant to continue their education when
toilets and washing facilities are not private,
not safe or simply not available. When schools
have appropriate, gender-separated facilities, an
obstacle to attendance is removed.
• Agent of Change: Having a clean school fosters a
child’s pride in his or her school and community.
It enables every child to become an agent of
change for improving water, sanitation and
hygiene practices in their families and within their
community
• Fosters equality of opportunity: Children with
disabilities are also vulnerable to dropping out of
school. Accessible school facilities are a key to
school attendance for children with disabilities and
thus helps in providing equality of opportunity.
UN PRINCIPLES FOR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES
Why in News?
The United Nations has outlined a set of 10
principles for implementation of its first-ever
guidelines on access to social justice for people with
disabilities.
Highlights of the Guidelines
The guidelines outline a set of 10 principles
and detail the steps for implementation. The 10
principles are:
• Principle 1- All persons with disabilities have the
legal capacity and, therefore, no one shall be denied
access to justice based on disability.
• Principle 2: Facilities and services must be
universally accessible to ensure equal access
to justice without discrimination of persons
with disabilities.
• Principle 3: PWDS including children with
disabilities, have the right to appropriate procedural
accommodations.
• Principle 4: PWDS has the right to access
legal notices and information in a timely
and accessible manner on an equal basis
with others.
• Principle 5: PWDS are entitled to all substantive
and procedural safeguards recognized in
international law on an equal basis with
others, and States must provide the necessary
accommodations to guarantee due process.
• Principle 6: PWDS has the right to free or affordable
legal assistance.
• Principle 7: PWDS has the right to participate
in the administration of justice on an equal
basis with others.
• Principle 8: PWDS has the right to report
complaints and initiate legal proceedings
concerning human rights violations and crimes,
have their complaints investigated, and be afforded
effective remedies.
• Principle 9: Effective and robust monitoring
mechanisms play a critical role in supporting access
to justice for persons with disabilities.
• Principle 10: All those working in the justice
system must be provided with awareness-raising
and training programs addressing the rights of
persons with disabilities, in particular in the
context of access to justice.
Definition of a person with a disability
• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, which was adopted in 2007,
defines persons with disabilities as those “who
have long-term physical, mental, intellectual
or sensory impairments which in interaction
with various barriers may hinder their full and
effective participation in society on an equal
basis with others”.
How many people are disabled in India?
• As per statistics maintained by the UN, in
India 2.4 per cent of males are disabled and
two per cent of females from all age groups
are disabled.
• Disabilities include psychological impairment,
intellectual impairment, speaking, multiple
impairments, hearing, seeing among others.
Social Justice & Development | 54

Indian Efforts for Persons with Disability
Constitutional Provisions
• Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State
Policy (DPSP) states that the State shall make
effective provision for securing the right to
work, to education, and to public assistance in
cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, and
disablement, within the limits of its economic
capacity and development.
• Seventh Schedule- The subject of ‘relief of the
disabled and unemployable’ is specified in the state
list of the Seventh Schedule of the constitution.
Legislation for Disabled - Right of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2016
• The Act replaces the Persons with Disabilities
(Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights
and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It fulfills the
obligations to the United National Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory.
• “Person with a disability” means a person
with long term physical, mental, intellectual,
or sensory impairments which, in interaction
with barriers, hinders his full and effective
participation in society equally with others.
• Under this Act persons with “benchmark
disabilities” are defined as those certified
to have at least 40 per cent of the
disabilities specified above.
• The types of disabilities have been increased
from 7 to 21. The Act added mental illness, autism,
spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions,
speech and language disability, thalassemia,
haemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple
disabilities including deaf-blindness, acid attack
victims, and Parkinson’s disease which were
largely ignored in earlier Act. In addition, the
Government has been authorized to notify any
other category of specified disability.
• It increases the quantum of reservation for
people suffering from disabilities from 3% to
4% in government jobs and from 3% to 5% in
higher education institutes.
• Every child with benchmark disability
between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall
have the right to free education.
Accessible India Campaign (Creation of
Accessible Environment for PwDs)
• A nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving
universal accessibility that will enable
persons with disabilities to gain access for
equal opportunity and live independently
and participate fully in all aspects of life in an
inclusive society.
• The campaign targets enhancing the
accessibility of the built environment,
transport system, and Information &
communication ecosystem.
55 I Articulate
NCRB DATA ON SUICIDE
Why in News?
The report shows that the number of suicide cases
and accidental deaths registered an increase across
the country last year from the 2018 figures. According
to the data, more than 1.39 lakh people committed
suicide in the country.
National Crime Record Bureau
• The National Crime Records Bureau( NCRB)
is an Indian government agency responsible
for collecting and analyzing crime data
as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
and Special and Local Laws (SLL). NCRB is
headquartered in New Delhi.
• It is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), Government of India.
• NCRB was set-up in 1986 to function as
a repository of information on crime and
criminals so as to assist the investigators in
linking crime to the perpetrators based on the
recommendations of the Tandon Committee,
National Police Commission (1977-1981), and
the MHA’s Taskforce (1985).
• Subsequently, NCRB was entrusted with the
responsibility for monitoring, coordinating,
and implementing the Crime and Criminal
Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project.
Highlights of report
• Data on Suicide
• 10,281 farmers, cultivators, and farm labourers
committed suicide in 2019, only 68 less
than the number of farmers who committed
suicide in 2018.
• Farmers comprise 7.4% of all people who died
due to suicide in India.
• Between 2018 and 2019, the number of people
dying in suicides is 3.4%.
• The highest proportion of suicide victims
(23.3 percent) were educated up to
matriculation while only 3.7 per cents were
graduates and above.
State-wise performance
• All states in southern India beginning from
Maharashtra have suicide rates higher than the
national average.
• Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya
Pradesh, and Karnataka accounting for almost 50%
of all suicides.
• The all-India rate of suicides is 10.4, the rate of
suicides in Kerala is 24.3, Telangana 20.6, Tamil Nadu
17.8, and Karnataka 17.1.
• Maharashtra’s is 15.4, Goa 16.8, and Andhra Pradesh 12.4.
• Bihar has the lowest suicide rate in the country
among states. UP recorded a suicide rate of 2.4 and
Jharkhand 4.4.
Major causes of Suicide
• Family problems and poorer background
• One in every three who died of suicide in 2019
took the step due to family Problems and
poorer backgrounds accounting for 32.4%.
• Illness
• Being ill, and substance abuse were the other major
known causes (together accounting for 23%).
• Bankruptcy or indebtedness
• Bankruptcy or indebtedness, unemployment,
and poverty led to at least 11,500 suicides,
about 8.2% of all such fatalities.
• Poorer backgrounds
• Suicides among daily wage earners were higher,
about 32,500. They comprised 23% of those who
died due to suicide.
• A majority of those committing suicide, however,
were from poorer backgrounds.
How Suicides can be prevented
• There is an urgent need to develop a national plan
for suicide prevention in India.
• Some of the most common methods of suicide
include consuming pesticide, hanging, and self-
immolation. An effective way to reduce rates of
suicide is to reduce access to these substances
and means.
• A more genuine political will and interest to address
the prevalence of suicide.
• A need for responsible media reporting on suicide
data for example politicization of farmer suicides
has led to glazing over of all the other demographies
and women, who committed more suicide than
farmers do not get much attention.
INDIRA GANDHI PEACE PRIZE
Why in News?
Sir David Attenborough, a renowned naturalist and
broadcaster has been conferred with Indira Gandhi
Peace Prize for 2019 at a virtual ceremony.
David Attenborough
• Sir David is an English broadcaster and natural
historian.
• He is best known for writing and presenting,
in conjunction with the BBC Natural History
Unit, the nine natural history documentary
series forming the Life collection that together
constitute a comprehensive survey of animal
and plant life on Earth.
• He has worked to make aware about the necessity
to preserve and protect biodiversity of the planet, to
live in a sustainable and harmonious way with all life.
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
• The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize which is named after
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is a prestigious
prize awarded annually by the Indira Gandhi
Memorial Trust since 1986.
• It consists of a monetary award of ₹25 lakh along
with a citation
• The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize is given to individuals
or organizations who are working towards ensuring
international peace and development, ensuring that
scientific discoveries are used to further the scope
of freedom and better humanity, and creating new
international economic order.
Some notable past winners of the Indira Gandhi
Peace Prize
• 1989- UNICEF
• 1990- Sam Nujoma (First President of Namibia)
• 1997- Jimmy Carter (39th President of the
United States)
• 1998- Muhammad Yunus (Founder of Grameen Bank)
• 1999- MS Swaminathan (1999) (Indian
Agricultural Scientist)
• 2013- Angel Merkel (Chancellor of Germany)
• 2014- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
• 2015- UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHRC)
YANOMAMI TRIBE
Why in News?
To counter Illegal gold mining on their land Yanomami
tribe has launched a global campaign to expel 20,000
gold miners amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Yanomami Tribe
• The Yanomami are the largest relatively
isolated tribe in South America. They live in the
rainforests and mountains of northern Brazil and
southern Venezuela.
• Like most tribes on the continent, they probably
migrated across the Bering Straits between Asia
and America some 15,000 years ago, making their
way slowly down to South America. Today their total
population stands at around 38,000.
• The Yanomami live in large, circular, communal
houses called yanos or shabonos. The central area is
used for activities such as rituals, feasts and games.
• Xirianá is their common language.
• A Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa who
secured the land rights of the Yanomami people
Social Justice & Development | 56
 was awarded the Right Livelihood Award-2019, also
known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize.
What are their latest threats to their tribe?
• Thousands of gold-miners are now working illegally
on Yanomami land, transmitting deadly diseases
like malaria and measles and polluting the rivers,
fish and forest with mercury.
• Some Yanomami living in communities near
mining hotspots have dangerously high levels
of mercury in their bodies.
• Cattle ranchers are invading and deforesting the
eastern fringe of their land.
• Yanomami health is suffering and critical medical
care is not reaching them, especially in Venezuela.
• The Brazilian congress is currently debating a bill
which, if approved, will permit large-scale mining in
indigenous territories. This will be extremely harmful
to the Yanomami and other remote tribes in Brazil.
NATIONAL STATISTICAL SURVEY ON
DIGITAL EDUCATION DIVIDE
Why in News?
A recent report on the latest National Statistical
Organisation (NSO) survey shows just how stark is the
digital divide across States, cities and villages, and
income groups.
Reference of the survey
The survey on household social consumption related to
education was part of the NSO’s 75th round, conducted
from July 2017 to June 2018.
Key Findings of survey
• Access to the digital devices
• Across India, only one in ten households
have a computer — whether a desktop,
laptop or tablet.
• Almost a quarter of all homes have Internet
facilities, accessed via a fixed or mobile network
using any device, including smartphones.
• Urban and Rural Gap
• A large fraction of Internet-enabled homes
are located in cities, where 42% have Internet
access. In rural India, however, only 15% are
connected to the internet.
• Regional Inequality
• The national capital has the highest Internet
access, with 55% of homes having such facilities.
• Himachal Pradesh and Kerala are the only
other States where more than half of all
households have Internet.
• On the other end of the spectrum is Odisha,
where only one in ten homes have Internet.
• There are ten other States with less than 20%
Internet penetration, including States with
software hubs such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Inequality within states
• Kerala shows the least inequality. More than
39% of the poorest rural homes have the
Internet, in comparison to 67% of the richest
urban homes.
• Himachal Pradesh also fares well, with 40% of
57 I Articulate
the lowest rural quintile having Internet.
• Assam shows the most stark inequality, with
almost 80% of the richest urban homes having
the Internet access denied to 94% of those in
the poorest rural homes in the State.
• Economic Disparity
• The biggest divide is by economic status, which
the NSO marks by dividing the population into
five equal groups, or quintiles, based on their
usual monthly per capita expenditure.
• Even in Odisha, almost 63% of homes in the top
urban quintile have Internet facilities.
• In the poorest quintile of rural Odisha, however,
that figure drops to an abysmal 2.4%.
Step taken by government to renovate and innovate
digital education system
• The Centre has directed State Education
Departments to map the online access available to all
their students in order to adequately plan curriculum
and teaching methods that can reach such students.
• Shifting focus on digital platforms, television and radio
to deliver lessons because television and radio are
almost accessible to everyone during this pandemic.
• PM eVidya- Its objective is to promote digital
education in the country and make e- learning
feasible for students and teachers, through this
program teachers will get multimode access to
digital education.
• DIKSHA Platform- It is a customizable platform
which is currently being used by teachers
across the nation for all the standards to help
the students learn several concepts. The
portal is accessible in many languages for easy
understandability of the user.
• SHAGUN Portal- The primary aim of the SHAGUN
initiative is to facilitate both teachers and students
with a platform where they can interact, however
through digital medium for further learning.
• e-Pathshala- It is a digital repository made available
by NCERT to make sure that the students do not
miss out on any important concept to be taught
in the class. E-Pathshala is also available in several
languages like the other digital platforms.
• SWAYAMPortal- This portal is useful for the students
from class 9th to 12th and also for the aspirants seeking
undergraduate and post-graduate level degree,
SWAYAM facilities study material at one destination.
Students can access study material in the form of
Video lectures, reading material, self-assessment
tests, online discussions and doubt sessions.
• New Education Policy 2020- It is equipped with
an advanced and innovative approach which will
help not only students but it will also enhance the
pedagogical relation with them.
Way Forward
• To expand the horizon of digital literacy there is a
need for a uniform connectivity of the internet and
access to digital devices.
• There is a need for collaboration of government and
private entities to pitch into short-term and long-
term futures of the children in this digital divide so
that the academics of students don’t get affected.
STATE OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN INDIA
REPORT
Why in News?
The State of the Young Child in India report has been
released by Mobile Creches, a non-governmental
organization (NGO). It includes “the Young Child
Outcomes Index (YCOI)” and “the Young Child
Environment Index (YCEI)”.
Young Child Outcomes Index
It measures health, nutrition, and cognitive growth
with the help of indicators such as infant mortality
rate, stunting, and net attendance at the primary
school level.
• Key Findings
• Kerala, Goa, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, and Mizoram
are among the top five states for the well-being
of children.
• Assam, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,
Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and
Bihar have scores below the country’s average.
• The overall India score is 0.585 on a scale of 0-1.
Young Child Environment Index
Its objective is to understand the policy and
environment enablers that influence a child’s well-being.
It uses five policy enablers that influence child well-being
outcomes, including poverty alleviation, strengthening
primary health care, improving education levels, safe
water supply, and promotion of gender equity.
• Key Findings
• Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Punjab, and Himachal
Pradesh have secured the top five positions.
• The eight states with a below-average score on
the YCOI have also performed poorly on this one.
• The overall India score is 0.672.
What report says about the expenses?
• India spent ₹1,723 per child in 2018–2019 towards
child nutrition, healthcare, education, and other
necessary protection services which is insufficient
and fails to reach the entire eligible population.
• The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Women
and Child Development has increased on a yearly
basis however all the additional funds have been
allocated towards nutrition delivery under the
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
• The report calls for an increase in public
spending on children.
Way Forward
• The need of the hour is the effective
implementation of the existing schemes like
ICDS and National Nutrition Mission (Poshan
Abhiyan) through proper coordination among
various ministries.
• Phased manner implementation of the schemes
which ensure high-quality early childhood care and
education across the country like Mid Day Meal
Scheme, Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana
(IGMSY), National Nutrition policy 1993, etc.
• For a country, poor early childhood
development could mean economic loss.
The importance of this aspect of national
development needs to be understood and
effective steps should be taken to ensure that
all children have a healthy start to their lives.
Source- Hindustan times
KIRAN: MENTAL HEALTH REHABILITATION
HELPLINE
Why in News?
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
Minister has launched a 24×7 toll-free mental health
rehabilitation helpline ‘KIRAN’ (1800-599-0019) Monday.
Features
• It is developed by the Department of Empowerment
of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), which aims to
provide the first line of counselling in response to
the increasing mental health issues among people
due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It will offer mental health rehabilitation services
such as early screening, first-aid, psychological
support, distress management, promoting positive
behaviour and mental well-being, and psychological
crisis management.
• It will also provide first stage counselling, advice and
also refer patients with severe illnesses to counsellors,
with a special focus on persons with disabilities.
• It will be available in 13 languages and more than 1000
people volunteer as psychologists and psychiatrists.
• It is being coordinated by the National Institute for the
Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities
(NIEPMD), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and National
Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR),
Sehore (Madhya Pradesh). Both institutions are under
the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Helpline operators had been sensitised not to ask
the caller for name or any identification details.
Need
• Uncertainties due to Covid-19 pandemic- Counsellors
and psychiatrists have noted that anxiety-related
mental health problems, such as obsessive-
compulsive (OCD) and panic disorders, have witnessed
a 20-25 per cent rise since the pandemic began.
Social Justice & Development | 58
• Mental Illness- There was a shortage of qualified
mental health professionals while 10.6% of adults
and 7.3% of adolescents faced mental illness,
according to a NIMHANS survey in 2015-2016.
Greater prevalence is amongst persons living in
Urban Metros.
• Suicide was the leading cause of death in India in
2016 for those aged 15–39 years; 71.2% of the suicide
deaths among women and 57.7% among men were
in this age group.
• As per WHO global health report 2019, out of
every four persons, one person will have some
mental problem at a given point of time in their
lives. Mental illness is among the leading causes of
disability and ill- health in the world.
Way Forward
• Mental health needs to be a priority, from
immediate crisis intervention and helplines to
focusing on preventive mental health and reducing
stigma around help seeking.
• It’s time the government advocates for mental
health outcomes, strives for early identification
and treatment, and uses the digital transformation
(National Digital Health Mission) to provide mental
health care to all.
• Spending on mental health care needs to be
increased. India has spent only 0.05% of its health
budget annually on mental health over the last few
years, much lower than even the average spending
of low-income countries, which comes to about
0.5% of their healthcare budgets.
Initiative taken by government for mental health
• National Mental Health Programme (NMHP)
• The Government of India has launched
the National Mental Health Programme
(NMHP) in 1982, keeping in view the
heavy burden of mental illness in the
community, and the absolute inadequacy
of mental health care infrastructure in the
country to deal with it.
• NMHPP has 3 components
• Treatment of Mentally ill
• Rehabilitation
• Prevention and promotion of positive
mental health.
• Aim
• Prevention and treatment of mental
and neurological disorders and their
associated disabilities.
• Use of mental health technology to
improve general health services.
• Application of mental health
principles in total national
development to improve quality of life.
• Objectives
• To ensure availability and accessibility
of minimum mental health care
for all in the foreseeable future,
59 I Articulate
particularly to the most vulnerable
and underprivileged sections of
population.
• To encourage application of mental
health knowledge in general health
care and in social development.
• To promote community participation
in the mental health services
development and to stimulate efforts
towards self-help in the community.
• Mental HealthCare Act 2017
• It guarantees every affected person
access to mental healthcare and
treatment from services run or funded by
the government.
• It has significantly reduced the scope for
the use of Section 309 IPC and made the
attempt to commit suicide punishable
only as an exception.
YuWaah PLATFORM
Why in News?
Government has launched YuWaah – a multi-stakeholder
platform to make young people career ready.
About YuWaah Platform
• It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs &
Sports and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
• YuWaah, also known as Generation Unlimited (GenU),
is a global multi-stakeholder platform in India.
Objectives
• Support young people by providing
entrepreneurship classes (online and offline) with
successful entrepreneurs and experts, towards
establishing an entrepreneurial mindset among
young people.
• Upskilling young people on 21st-century skills, life
skills, digital skills through online and offline channels
and supporting them through self-learning, for their
productive lives and the future of work.
• Create linkages with aspirational economic
opportunities to connect young people with
employment opportunities, including building pathways
to connect them with jobs or self-employment. For this,
innovative solutions and technology platforms will be
engaged to maximize the scale and reach.
• Providing career guidance support to young people
through career portal as well as through job-
readiness and self-exploration sessions to make
young people career-ready.
HINDI DIWAS
Why in News?
Hindi Diwas was observed across India on 14th
September. On this day in 1949, the constituent
assembly adopted Hindi, written in Devanagari script,
as one of the official languages of the Union of India.
Note: World Hindi Day (Vishwa Hindi Diwas) is celebrated
on January 10. It marks the anniversary of the first 'World
Hindi Conference' which was held in 1975.
Constitutional articles relating to the Hindi language
• Article 343(1) declares that the official language of
the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.
• Article 351 states it shall be the duty of the Union
to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to
develop it so that it may serve as a medium of
expression for all the elements of the composite
culture of India and to secure its enrichment.
Internationalisation of Hindi
• Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world
(based on the number of first-language speakers) after
Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and English.
• It has 341 million speakers worldwide (around 4.429
percent of the global population).
• Apart from India, Hindi is also spoken in Nepal,
Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Fiji and
Mauritius. Hindi and Nepalese share the same
script - Devanagari.
• India has been making efforts for the promotion of
Hindi as one of the official languages of the United
Nations and its propagation worldwide. Indian
Government’s effort led to the creation of the Hindi
Twitter account of the UN in 2018.
Hindi in India
• Apart from being an official language of the Union,
Hindi is also one of the 22 languages of the Eighth
Schedule of the Constitution of India.
• As per the 2011 Census, more than 52 crores, or
43.63% of the total 121 crore Indians speak Hindi.
Way Forward
An ‘anti-Hindi imposition’ sentiment has been garnering
momentum sometime lately.
Days of other scheduled languages can also be
observed by the Centre across the country, to instill a
sense of 'unity in diversity' and to make the speakers of
other languages feel not left out.
Languages in the Eighth Schedule of the
Constitution of India
Assamese
Bengali
Bodo
Dogri
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Kashmiri
Konkani
Maithili
Malayalam
Manipuri
Marathi
Nepali
Odia
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Santhali
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu
CABINET APPROVES ESTABLISHMENT OF
NEW AIIMS IN BIHAR
Why in news?
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of an
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at
Darbhanga in Bihar, under the Pradhan Mantri
Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
• The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
are a group of autonomous government public
medical colleges of higher education.
• These institutes have been declared by an
Act of Parliament as Institutes of National
Importance.
• AIIMS New Delhi, the forerunner institute, was
established in 1956.
Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana
(PMSSY)
• Aim: The scheme, announced in 2003, aims at
correcting the imbalances in the availability of
affordable healthcare facilities in the country
in general, and augmenting facilities for
quality medical education in the underserved
states in particular.
• Components: The scheme has two
components
• setting up of new AIIMS, and
• upgradation of selected Government
Medical College Institutions (GMCIs).
• Ministry: It is a Central Sector Scheme
implemented by the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare.
• Funding: The project cost for the construction
of new AIIMS is fully funded by the Central
government, whereas the upgradation of each
medical college institution is shared by the
Center and the state.
Way Forward
Setting up of new AIIMS would not only
transform health education and training but also
address the shortfall of healthcare professionals
in the region.
Social Justice & Development | 60
ETHICAL CODE FOR ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Why in news?
Recently, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA)
has asked the Supreme Court to include its ethical
code in the Programme Code of the Cable Television
Networks Rules, 1994.
What is the issue?
• A plea was filed in the Supreme Court to stop the
telecast of a program on Sudarshan TV containing
objectionable content against the Muslim entries
into the civil services.
• The court agreed that the content of the program
was an affront to the dignity of the community, and
injuncted the television channel from continuing its
broadcast of the said series.
• The court remarked that the NBA was “toothless”
and its penalties were hardly a deterrence for
the channels, noting that the Court was willing
to use its power under Article 142 (which gives
extraordinary power to the apex court under the
Constitution) to strengthen the NBA.
• The Supreme Court then asked the NBA to suggest
measures to strengthen its own self-regulatory
mechanism to prevent or penalize airing of communal
or derogatory content in the electronic media.
The NBA's response
In an attempt to suggest measures to strengthen its own
self-regulatory mechanism, the NBA requested that
• The NBA's code of ethics should be given
statutory recognition by making it a part of
the Programme Code of the Cable Television
Networks Rules, 1994, so that these codes
become binding on all news channels. All news
channels, whether they are NBA members or not,
will then have to follow the Programme Code
containing the proposed amendments.
• the News Broadcasters Services Authority (NBSA)
should be granted recognition as an “independent
self-regulatory mechanism” to receive and deal with
complaints, which in turn would strengthen News
Broadcasting Standards Regulations
• the orders passed by the NBSA should be made
binding and enforceable on the channels, and
penalties should be made stringent
News Broadcasters Association (NBA)
• The NBA, formed in 2008, is an organization
based in New Delhi that represents the private
television news & current affairs broadcasters.
• The NBA presently has 26 leading
news and current affairs broadcasters
(comprising 70 news and current affairs
channels) as its members.
News Broadcasters Services Authority (NBSA)
• The NBSA administers the 'Codes of
Ethics & Broadcasting Standards', which
61 I Articulate
has been voluntarily drawn by the News
Broadcasters Association (NBA) for its
member broadcasters to demonstrate their
commitment to responsible broadcasting and
to self regulate themselves.
• The objective of NBSA is to lay down and
foster high standards, ethics, and practices
in news broadcasting, including entertaining
and deciding complaints against or in respect
of broadcasters in so far as these relate to the
content of any broadcast.
News Broadcasters Federation (NBF)
• The NBF, formed in 2019, is a congregation of
both national and regional broadcasters and
functions parallel to the existing NBA.
• It brings together more than 50 news channels
on one platform, representing broadcasters
from multiple languages from across the
country and not just New Delhi.
The Scenario of News Regulation in India
• India has about 385 regular news channels
that are registered or licensed by the central
government under the Uplinking and Downlinking
Policy Guidelines.
• News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and News
Broadcasters Federation (NBF) are both non-
statutory, voluntary bodies, and their membership
is also voluntary, which means that they do not
cover all broadcasters.
• Both these associations also have their own self-
regulatory mechanisms, but if that is sufficient or
not is a debatable issue.
Issues Afflicting the Scenario of News Regulation
• Regulatory issues:
• Hate speech, inflammatory speech, fear-
mongering
• Fake news, unverified news, sensationalism
• Sting operations, which have ambiguity over
their legal status in India.
• Overemphasis on TRP ratings, which often
leads to more focus on theatrics and less
on actual news
• Media trials of sub-judice cases
• Technical issues:
• Shortage of spectrum
• Allocation of bandwidth to each broadcaster
Way Forward
• Balancing between journalist freedom and
responsible journalism is a field that needs to be
trodden upon cautiously. NBA's self-regulatory
mechanisms must be strengthened and expanded
to be applicable to the non-members as well
while ensuring the freedom of news broadcasters.
Peddlers of hate speech should be stopped from
selling hatred.
 What is hate speech?
• Hate speech is any kind of communication
that attacks or uses discriminatory language
with reference to a person or a group based
on who they are, based on their religion, caste,
ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent,
gender, or any other identity factor.
• There is no international legal definition of
hate speech, and the characterization of what
is ‘hateful’ is controversial and disputed.
FREE GADGETS AND INTERNET PACKAGE
FOR EWS SCHOOL STUDENTS
Why in News?
The Delhi High Court has directed both private and
government schools to provide gadgets and an Internet
package to poor students for online classes.
Key Points of the Ruling
• If a school decides to voluntarily provide
synchronous, face-to-face, real-time, online
education as a method of teaching, they will
have to ensure that the students belonging
to the economically weaker section (EWS) or
disadvantaged group (DG) category also have
access and are able to avail the same.
• The court clarified that the cost of such gadgets -
digital equipment as well as Internet package - are
not a part of tuition fee and have to be provided
free of cost to the EWS/DG students by private
unaided schools and government schools.
• The private unaided schools shall be entitled to
claim reimbursement of reasonable cost from the
state for procuring the same under the Right to
Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• The bench also directed the constitution
of a three-member committee to expedite
and streamline the process of identifying
and supplying the gadgets to poor and
disadvantaged students.
• The committee shall also frame standard
operating procedures (SOPs) for identifying the
standard of the equipment and Internet package
to be supplied to the poor and disadvantaged
students, so as to ensure uniformity in the
gadgets and Internet package being used by
these students.
Constitutional Provisions related to the Case
• Segregation in education is a denial of equal
protection of the laws under Article 14 of the
Constitution.
• Article 14 of the Constitution of India provides
for equality before the law or equal protection
of the laws within the territory of India.
• It is also violative of the Right to Education (RTE)
Act, 2009.
Right to Education Act
• The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009,
lays down the material foundation for
creating equal opportunities for everyone
in order to reach the ultimate goal of socio-
economic justice.
• According to the RTE Act, private unaided
institutions and special category schools shall
provide free and compulsory education to at
least 25% of children belonging to the EWS/
DG category admitted to class I or pre-primary
classes. They will be reimbursed by the
government for this.
• Not providing the required equipment to the
EWS/DG students is a violation of the RTE
Act provision, since Section 12(1)(c) of RTE
requires private unaided schools to provide
free and compulsory elementary education to
25 percent EWS/DG students which means
"education sans financial barrier".
Significance of the Judgment
• Because of the economic impact of the COVID-19
pandemic, there could be a tendency amongst
the underprivileged children to abandon
education for work. This likely fallout needs to be
immediately addressed, and the recent Delhi HC
judgment does exactly that.
• Good quality education translates into better
employment avenues. By ensuring that EWS students
are admitted to private schools we can strive to achieve
socio-economic equality in a near realizable future.
Issues with the Judgment
• The distinction between fee-paying and EWS
students is wafer-thin in many small private schools
(popularly called budget private schools). In this
light, the Delhi HC order seems too narrow in scope
and ignorant towards the fee-paying, non-EWS
studentswho still can’t afford the gadgets/data packs.
• This is no small problem, given there are,
as per the National Independent Schools
Alliance (NISA), about 41,000 such students
in such schools in the national capital.
• Burdening the schools with procurement and
distribution of gadgets, and servicing data costs,
against uncertain reimbursement by the state (the
reasonable costs rider) could prove back-breaking
for the small schools that are already dealing with
low fee realizations in the pandemic.
• A recent study found that 1,000 schools—most
of them with an annual fee under 50,000—were
up for sale following the pandemic hitting
their finances. At such a time, the state needs
to facilitate schools and students rather than
passing on the responsibility to the schools.
Way Forward
• The Delhi HC ruling is aimed at narrowing the
COVID-19 pandemic-induced digital divide.
According to the NSSO report on Education, only
Social Justice & Development | 62
 about 4% of rural households and 23% of urban
households possess computers and 24% of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
households in the country have Internet access.
Hence, it is of paramount importance to make • Aim: To provide all-weather connectivity
gadgets and Internet packages available to students to unconnected Habitations of designated
on a need-based approach. Failure to do so would population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+
be tantamount to “digital apartheid”. in north-east, hill, tribal and desert areas
as per 2001 Census), as part of a poverty
reduction strategy.
• Implementation:Ministry of Rural
Government initiatives in the Online
Development along with state governments is
Education Sector
responsible for the implementation of various
• PM eVidya program: In order to promote
phases of PMGSY.
digital education in the country and make
• Complimentary schemes:Mukhya Mantri
e-learning feasible for students and teachers,
Gram Sadak Yojana run by various state
the PM eVidya program has been launched.
governments are the schemes that
These efforts have proved beneficial to a
complement PMGSY.
sizable chunk of the school-going population.
• Phases of the scheme:
• VidyaDaan: It is conceptualized as a common
• Phase I was launched in December 2000
national program for individuals & organizations
as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme,
across the country to donate/contribute
to provide single all-weather road
e-learning resources for school education to
connectivity to eligible unconnected
ensure continuity of quality learning.
habitation of designated population size.
• Smart India Hackathon: It is a nationwide
Also, upgrading of the existing roads was
initiative to provide students a platform to
to be taken up.
solve some of the pressing problems, and thus
• Phase II was approved in May 2013. While
inculcate a culture of product innovation and
the ongoing PMGSY - I continued, under
a mindset of problem-solving.
PMGSY - II, the roads already built for
• DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge
village connectivity were to be upgraded
Sharing) platform: As a part of PM eVidya
to enhance rural infrastructure.
announced under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat
• Road Connectivity Project for Left
program, DIKSHA is the ‘one nation; one digital
Wing Extremism affected Areas
platform’ for school education in India.
was launched in the year 2016 as a
• SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning
separate vertical under PMGSY to
for Young Aspiring Minds): It is the National
provide all-weather road connectivity
Online Education Platform of India, launched
in 44 districts (35 worst LWE affected
by the Ministry of Human Resource
districts and 09 adjoining districts),
Development to provide one integrated
which are critical from security and
platform and portal for online courses.
communication point of view.
• SWAYAM Prabha: To support and reach
• Phase III was approved in 2019. It involves
those who do not have access to the Internet,
the consolidation of Through Routes and
SWAYAM Prabha is a group of DTH channels
Major Rural Links connecting habitations
devoted to telecasting of high-quality
to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs),
educational programs on a 24X7 basis using
Higher Secondary Schools, and Hospitals.
the GSAT-15 satellite.
The funds would be shared in the ratio of
• New Education Policy: The National
60:40 between the Centre and State for
Education Policy, 2020 aims at making India a
all States except for the North Eastern and
global knowledge superpower by introducing
Himalayan States (for which it was 90:10).
several changes from the school to college
level in the Indian education system with
special emphasis on digital education. Coding
will be taught from Class 6 onwards, keeping What is Habitation?
in view the rapidly growing importance of • The unit under PMGSY is a Habitation and not a
Information and Communications Technology Revenue village or a Panchayat.
(ICT) in the service sector of our economies. • A Habitation is a cluster of population, living in
an area, the location of which does not change
over time.
• An Unconnected Habitation (mentioned in the
PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA
scheme) is one with a population of designated size
(PMGSY) located at a distance of at least 500 meters or more
(1.5 km of path distance in case of Hills) from an all-
Why in News? weather road or a connected Habitation.
Recently, the Union Minister of Rural Development provided
information on the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Rajya Sabha.

63 I Articulate
 Concepts Related to Road Infrastructure in India:

• Indian Roads Congress (IRC)

• Set up in 1934, IRC is the apex body of
highway engineers in the country.
• The rural roads constructed under the
PMGSY are in accordance with the provision
of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC).
• Central Road Fund (CRF)
• Central Road Fund (CRF) is a non-lapsable
fund created under Central Road Fund Act
2000. It is procured out of the out of cess/
tax imposed by the Union Government on
the consumption of Petrol and Diesel.
• CRF amount is distributed amongst four
Ministries
• Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (for funding National
Highways)
• Ministry of Rural Development (for
funding PMGSY)
• Ministry of Railways (for funding
railway bridges that have connected
with roads) and
• Ministry of Shipping (for the
development of National Waterways
• Online Management, Monitoring and
Accounting System (OMMAS)
• Online Management, Monitoring and
Accounting System (OMMAS) geospatial
information system (GIS) has been
developed to identify targets and monitor
progress under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana.
• It is developed by the e-governance
department of the Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing
(C-DAC) and is one of the biggest
databases in India.
• The system manages and monitors all the
phases of road development right from its
proposal mode to road completion.
• The OMMAS also has a separate module
to track the expenses made on each road.

Challenges to road infrastructure in India

• Lack of dedicated funds for infrastructure development
• Limited involvement of the Panchayati Raj Institutions
• Inadequate contracting and execution capacity
• Limited working season and difficult terrain
particularly in the Hill States
• Scarcity of the construction materials in many areas
• Security concerns particularly in Left Wing
Extremism (LWE) areas

Way Forward
Rural roads are recognized as catalysts to rural
development and a significant element of poverty
alleviation initiatives. Under the PMGSY, to date,
5,50,528 km of road length has been constructed and
89% of all eligible habitations have been connected,
and the scheme is continuing successfully.

Social Justice & Development | 64

65 I Articulate
Economy | 66
MSP RAISED FOR RABI CROPS
Why In News?
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi has approved the increase in the Minimum
Support Prices (MSPs) for all mandated Rabi crops
for the marketing season 2021-22.
More on the News
• The increase in MSP for Rabi Crops for marketing
season 2021-22 is in line with the principle of fixing
the MSPs at a level of at least 1.5 times of the
All-India weighted average Cost of Production as
announced in Union Budget 2018-19.
• Among the several Rabi crops whose MSP was
increased, the wheat MSP has seen an increase of
just 2.6 per cent — the lowest increase in 11 years.
The MSPs for the other crops — barley, gram, lentil
(Masur), rapeseed and mustard, and safflower — too
have seen a lower hike compared to last year.
What is the Minimum Support Price?
• Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the minimum
price set by the government for certain agricultural
products, at which the products would directly be
bought from the farmers.
• MSP is announced by the Government at the
beginning of the sowing season.
• They are recommended by the Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and approved
by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
How does the government fix the MSPs of crops
before every planting season?
• The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices
(CACP) in the Ministry of Agriculture recommends
MSPs for 23 crops.
• These include 14 grown during the Kharif/post-
monsoon season (see table) and six in rabi/
winter (wheat, barley, chana, Masur, mustard and
safflower), apart from sugarcane, jute and copra.
Cropping Seasons in India
Cropping Seasons Crops
Kharif Rice, maize, jowar, bajra,
tur, moong, urad, cotton,
jute, groundnut, soybean
etc
Rabi Wheat, barley, peas,
gram, mustard etc
67 I Articulate
• The CACP is supposed to consider various factors
while recommending the MSP for a commodity,
including the cost of cultivation.
• Apart from the ‘Production Cost’, the CACP takes
into account the supply and demand situation for
the commodity; market price trends (domestic
and global) and parity vis-à-vis other crops; and
implications for consumers (inflation), environment
(soil and water use) and terms of trade between
agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.
How is the Production Cost calculated?
• The CACP projects three kinds of production
cost for every crop both at the state and all—India
average level. These three production costs include:
• A2: It covers all paid-out costs directly incurred
by the farmer in cash and king on seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, hired labour, leased-in
land, fuel, irrigation etc.
• A2+FL: It includes A2 plus an imputed value of
unpaid family labour.
• C2: It is a more comprehensive cost that factors
in rental and interest forgone on owned land
and fixed capital assets, on top of A2+FL.
• The CACP estimates the production costs for a
season and recommends the MSPs by applying the
1.5-times formula i.e the MSP of a crop is equal to
1.5 times the production cost.
Crops Covered Under MSP
• Cereals: Paddy, wheat, Jowar, Barley, Bajra,
Ragi, Maize
• Pulses: Arhar/tur, Gram, Moong, Lentil, Urad
• Oil Seeds: Groundnut, Rapeseed/Mustard,
Soybean, Toria, Sesamum, Sunflower seed,
Safflower seed, Niger seed
• Raw cotton
• Raw jute
• Copra
• De-husked coconut
• Sugarcane (fair and remunerative price)
• Virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco
Month States
Sown: June-July Assam, West Bengal,
Harvested: coastal regions of
September-October Odisha, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Maharashtra
Sown: October- Punjab, Haryana,
December Himachal Pradesh,
Harvested: April-June Jammu and Kashmir,
Uttarakhand and Uttar
Pradesh
 Zaid Seasonal fruits, Sown and harvested: Most of the northern
vegetables, fodder crops March-July and northwestern
etc. (between Rabi and states
Kharif)

MULTI-STAKEHOLDER BODY (MSB) TO Case in Favour of the Net Neutrality

MONITOR NET NEUTRALITY • Promotes Innovation: Net Neutrality promotes
innovation. keeps the barriers to entry for new
websites and internet applications low. Net
Why in News?
Neutrality is a big reason there has been so much
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
innovation on the internet over the last two decades.
recently recommended the creation of a multi-
• Promotes Equality: It provides a level playing
stakeholder body (MSB) to ensure that Internet access
field to all the big and small companies in the
providers adhere to the provisions of net neutrality.
Information Technology (IT) sector and does not let
a handful of companies control the internet.
More on News
• Promotes Freedom of Speech: By ensuring that
• Role and Purpose: The role of the MSB shall
all people and websites have equal access to each
be to provide advice and support to DoT
other, regardless of their ability to pay, it fosters the
in the monitoring and enforcement of net
principle of freedom of speech.
neutrality principles.
The MSB may also be required to investigate
Case Against the Net Neutrality
complaints regarding the violation of net neutrality.
• By requiring networks to treat all traffic the
• Stakeholders: The MSB, which could include
same could discourage beneficial innovation by
telecom service providers, Internet service
network owners.
providers, content providers, researchers,
• Regulations by the government to encourage net
academic and technical community, civil society
neutrality could discourage investment in network
organisations, and the government, should be set
infrastructure.
up as a non-profit entity.
• Some network neutrality opponents worry that
it will be too difficult to craft clear and effective
What is Net Neutrality?
network neutrality rules as the internet is complex
Net Neutrality is a concept where content and
and changes quickly.
application providers get equal treatment by
telecom operators. There is access to all websites,
nothing is blocked, and the speed of access is not NHAI PLANS TO MONETISE ITS HIGHWAYS
differentiated. THROUGH INvITs

This means when the customers pay an Internet Why in News?

Service Provider (ISP) for a data plan, they should be Recently, the National Highways Authority of India
able to access all content online(news, social media, (NHAI) has decided to use Infrastructure Investment
videos, games, etc.) at the same broadband speed Trust(s) (INvIT) as a vehicle for mobilising funds for
which they had opted for. constructing road infrastructure.

What are InvITs?

• Infrastructure investment trusts are institutions
similar to mutual funds, which pool investment
from various categories of investors and invest
them into completed and revenue-generating
infrastructure projects, thereby creating returns
for the investors.
• INvITs are regulated by the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) (Infrastructure Investment
Trusts) Regulations, 2014.
• NHAI’s InvIT will be a Trust established by
NHAI under the Indian Trust Act, 1882 and SEBI
regulations. The InvIT Trust will be formed
with the objective of investing primarily in
infrastructure projects.

Source: webwewant.org

Economy | 68
Structure of InVITs:
• Structured like mutual funds, they have a trustee,
sponsor(s), investment manager and project manager.
• While the trustee (certified by Sebi) has the
responsibility of inspecting the performance of an
InvIT, sponsor(s) are promoters of the company that
set up the InvIT.
• The investment manager is entrusted with the task
of supervising the assets and investments of the
InvIT and the project manager is responsible for the
execution of the project.
Why does NHAI need funds and how will it benefit the
economy?
• At a time when private sector investment in the
economy has declined, fund-raising by NHAI and
spending on infrastructure will not only provide a
fillip to the economy but will also crowd-in private
sector investment.
• NHAI’s InvIT is a way for the government to tap
alternative sources of financing to boost public
spending in the roads and infrastructure sector.
• Also, in October 2017, the Centre had launched
Bharatmala Pariyojana, its flagship highway
development programme, for development
of 24,800 km of roads at a total investment of
₹5,35,000 crore.
• In order to complete the projects, NHAI needs
adequate funds and one of the options is to
monetise the completed and operational NH assets
and offer attractive schemes to private players to
invest in the construction of National Highways.
EXPORT PREPAREDNESS INDEX (EPI)
Why in News?
NITI Aayog in partnership with the Institute of
Competitiveness released the Export Preparedness
Index (EPI) 2020 it is the first report to examine export
preparedness and performance of Indian states.
Aim- To identify challenges and opportunities, enhance
the effectiveness of government policies, and encourage
a facilitative regulatory framework for export.
The index ranked states on four pillars
• Policy- A comprehensive trade policy provides a
strategic direction for exports and imports.
• Business Ecosystem- An efficient business
ecosystem can help states attract investments and
create an enabling infrastructure for individuals to
initiate start-ups.
• Export Ecosystem- This pillar aims to assess the
business environment, which is specific to exports.
• Export Performance- This is the only output-based
pillar and examines the reach of export footprints of
States and Union Territories.
• Sub-pillars: The index also took into
consideration 11 sub-pillars - export promotion
policy; institutional framework; business
environment; infrastructure; transport
connectivity; access to finance; export
infrastructure; trade support; R&D infrastructure;
export diversification; and growth orientation.
69 I Articulate
Features
• The EPI is a data-driven effort to identify the core
areas crucial for export promotion at the sub-
national level (states and union territories).
Benefit
• The Index would be a helpful guide for the state
governments to benchmark regional performance
with respect to export promotion and thus deliver
key policy insights on how to improve and enhance
the exports.
Performance
• Gujarat has topped the overall EPI 2020 followed by
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
• Among the landlocked states, Rajasthan has topped
the index, followed by Telangana and Haryana.
• Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand topped
the index, followed by Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.
• Across Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best.
Challenges
• Intra- and inter-regional disparities in export
infrastructure.
• Poor trade support and growth orientation
among states.
• Poor R&D infrastructure to promote complex and
unique exports.
How can India boost its export?
• Joint development of export infrastructure.
• Creating state-level engagements for economic
diplomacy.
• Revamped designs and standards for local
products.
• Harness the innovating tendencies to provide new
use cases for such products, with adequate support
from the Centre.
Way Forward
• The Indian economy holds immense potential to
become a strong exporter on the world stage. To
realize this potential, it is crucial that India turns
to its states and union territories and makes them
active participants in the country’s export efforts.
• There should be more emphasis on key strategies
like the development of export infrastructure,
strengthening industry-academia linkages, and
creating state-level engagements for economic
diplomacy to address the challenges in exports.
• The private sector can also play an important role in
export promotion.
• An increase in exports can help India to achieve
the target of making India a developed economy by
focusing on ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’. The exports can
also help generate employment in India.
• Indian states should also focus on other
key components in order to improve export
competitiveness like skilling of labour
force, attracting investment and utilizing
the potential of every state like tourism,
celebration of festivals etc.
CONTINGENCY FUND (CF) OF THE
CENTRAL BANK
Why in News?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has retained a
whopping amount of ₹73,615 crore within the RBI by
transferring it to the Contingency Fund (CF) of the
central bank. As a result, the CF has swelled to a new
high of ₹264,034 crore.
What is the Contingency Fund (CF)?
• It is one of the risk provision accounts of RBI
specifically meant for meeting unexpected and
unforeseen contingencies. This amount is retained
within the RBI.
• This includes depreciation in the value of securities,
risks arising out of monetary/exchange rate policy
operations, systemic risks, and any risk arising on
account of the special responsibilities enjoined
upon the Reserve Bank.
The central bank has the following main risk provision
accounts:
• Contingency Fund,
• Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA),
• Investment Revaluation Account Foreign
Securities (IRA-FS) and
• Investment Revaluation Account-Rupee
Securities (IRA-RS)
What’s the CGRA account?
The Currency and Gold Revaluation Account
(CGRA) is maintained by the Reserve Bank to
take care of currency risk, interest rate risk, and
movement in gold prices. Unreal sized gains
or losses on the valuation of foreign currency
assets (FCA) and gold are not taken to the
income account but instead accounted for in the
CGRA. CGRA provides a buffer against exchange
rate/ gold price fluctuations. It can come under
pressure if there is an appreciation of the rupee
vis-à-vis major currencies or a fall in the price of gold.
What are IRA-FS and IRA-RS accounts?
The unrealized gains or losses on revaluation
in foreign dated securities are recorded in
the Investment Revaluation Account Foreign
Securities (IRA-FS). Similarly, the unrealized
gains or losses on revaluation is accounted
for in Investment Revaluation Account-Rupee
Securities (IRA-RS).
Not to be confused with Contingency Fund of India
• The Contingency Fund of India is established by the
parliament by the Contingency Fund of India Act
1950, under Article 267 of the Indian Constitution.
It is held by the Finance Secretary (Department of
Economic Affairs) on behalf of the President of India
and it can be operated by executive action.
• The Contingency Fund of India exists for disasters
and related unforeseen expenditures.
• Approval of the Parliament of India for such
expenditure and for withdrawal of an equivalent
amount from the Consolidated Fund is
subsequently obtained to ensure that the corpus of
the Contingency Fund remains intact.
What did the government get as surplus this year?
• As per Section 47 of the RBI Act, profits or surplus
of the RBI are to be transferred to the government,
after making various contingency provisions, public
policy mandate of the RBI, including financial
stability considerations.
• The RBI’s transfer this year is as per the economic capital
framework (ECF) adopted by the RBI board last year.
• The Central Board of the RBI recently approved
the transfer of ₹57,128 crore as surplus – or
dividend — to the Ce, central government for the
accounting year 2019-20, sharply lower by 67.5
percent from ₹1.76 lakh crore that was paid to the
government last year.
Arguments against the surplus transfer
• The government has long held the view that going
by global benchmarks, the RBI’s reserves are far in
excess of prudential requirements.
• Former RBI governors Y.V. Reddy and D. Subbarao
had publicly opposed such transfers, as did former
deputy governor Viral Acharya, who argued such a
move could be “catastrophic”.
• Former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian
had suggested that these funds be utilized to provide
capital to government-owned banks.
• The central bank, on its part, has traditionally
preferred to be more cautious and build its reserves
– keeping in mind potential threats from financial
shocks, and the need to ensure financial stability
and provide confidence to the markets.
• From the central bank’s perspective, bigger
reserves on its balance sheet are crucial to
maintaining its autonomy.
Arguments supporting surplus transfer
• The transfer of money from RBI to the Government
has been going on for years. It is not the first time
that the apex bank has transferred its surplus
money to the Government of India.
• The RBI reserves the right over the surplus money
made by it; however, the Government thinks the
other way round.
• As per the Government, RBI reserves are filled with
way more money than it requires.
• This dilemma has always been an issue of conflict
between the Central Government and the RBI.
• This friction was seen in December 2018, which
forced the then RBI Governor Urjit Patel to resign.
Way Forward
• The government cannot stop or slow down
spending – the economy is already losing steam
with exports, private consumption, and private
sector investment slowing down.
• If the government spending also goes down, it will
hit an already beleaguered economy.
Economy | 70
• With the economy slowing down and the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) not kicking in the expected • It gives a sector-
buoyancy, the shortfall may even be higher. specific picture like
• The infusion of additional funds, thus, will help what is the growth
the government to substantially overcome this in an area, industry
shortfall and achieve the fiscal deficit target or sector of an
without having to axe allocations to the social economy.
sector and poverty alleviation.
• It needs the money and the RBI is living up to its
role as the lender of last resort – except that this is Key Highlights
not a loan, and the government is not a bank, which • Sector-wise data
needs a lender of last resort. • Construction, manufacturing, trade, hotels,
and other services and mining were the
worst-hit sectors except agriculture showed
positive growth.
• Factors of declined GDP
• Reduction in consumption has fallen by
27%. It is the biggest engine that drives the
Indian economy.
• Decline in Investment by private sector
businesses has fallen by 47%. It is the second-
biggest engine.
• The government’s expenditure went up by
16% but this was nowhere near enough to
compensate for the loss of demand in other
sectors (engines) of the economy.
• Implications
• On Jobs- Sectors which created a large
fraction of jobs are the worst hit by this
GDP CONTRACTED BY 23.9% IN FIRST slowdown in the economy. (e.g. construction,
manufacturing, etc.)
QUARTER • On Informal Sector- The actual impact of crisis
is expected to be on the small-scale sector and
Why in News?
informal sector.
National Statistical Office (NSO) data, showed India’s
• On Banks- The bulging defaults in the banking
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth contracted by
sector after the moratorium ends will add to the
23.9% in the first (April-June) quarter of 2020 compared
banking sector woes, impacting bank lending.
to the same period (April-June) in 2019.
• On Economy- With GDP contracting by more
than what most observers expected, it is now
More about news
believed that the full-year GDP could also worsen.
• It is the sharpest contraction since India started
reporting quarterly data in 1996.
What are the possible solutions?
• Gross Value Added (GVA) growth rate also
• Injection of money by the government in the
declined by 22.8% in the first quarter of this
economy- Only when the government spends
financial year.
more either by building roads and bridges and
paying salaries or by directly handing out money
can revive the economy in the short to medium
GDP GVA term. Failing to spend adequately enough then the
• It gives the • It is a measure economy will take a long time to recover.
economic of total output • Higher Productivity through Privatisation-
output from the and income in Privatisation of 30 or so of the largest state-owned
consumers’ side. the economy. It enterprises to potentially double their productivity.
• It is the sum of provides the rupee • Improvement in Infrastructure: India needs to
private consumption, value for the amount unlock supply inland markets to reduce land costs
gross investment of goods and by 20-25%, enable efficient power distribution to
in the economy, services produced reduce commercial and industrial tariffs by 20-
government in an economy 25%; and improve the ease and reduce the cost of
investment, after deducting the doing business.
government cost of inputs and • Efficient Financing: Streamlining fiscal
spending and raw materials that resources can deliver USD 2.4 trillion in
net foreign trade have gone into the investment while boosting entrepreneurship by
(difference between production of those lowering the cost of capital for enterprises by
exports and imports). goods and services. about 3.5 percentage points.

71 I Articulate
SPECIAL OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS
BY RBI
Why in News?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced several
measures to ensure orderly market conditions and
smooth financial conditions.
Significance of measures
• These measures include two more tranches of
special Open Market Operations (OMOs) in bonds
and a hike in the Held-To-Maturity (HTM) limit
under the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) for banks.
• These measures are expected to cool the rising
bond yields and assuage liquidity pressures that
could arise due to advance tax outflows.
Measures were taken by RBI
• This move of RBI has been termed as ‘Operation Twist’.
• OMOs: RBI will conduct additional special open
market operations for an aggregate amount of
₹20,000 crore.
• Term Repo Operations: RBI will also conduct
term repo operations for an aggregate amount of
₹1,00,000 crore at the prevailing repo rate in the
middle of September to ease liquidity pressures on
the market.
• Increase in HTM limit: RBI raised the limit on bonds
held-to-maturity (HTM) to 22% from 19.5% of Net
Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL). This means
banks will have room to buy more bonds without
bothering about short-term fluctuations in yields.
Operation Twist is the name given to a US Federal
Reserve monetary policy operation, which
involves the purchase and sale of government
securities to boost the economy by bringing down
long-term interest rates.
• OMOs are the market operations conducted
by the RBI by way of sale and purchase
of G-Secs to and from the market with
an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity
conditions in the market on a durable basis.
• Repo Rate: It is the rate at which RBI lends
money to commercial banks.
• Government Securities (G-Sec): It is a
tradable instrument issued by the central
government or state governments.
• Short term G-secs (with original maturities
of less than one year) are called Treasury Bills.
Long term G-secs (with original maturities of
more than one year) or long term are called
Government Bonds or Dated Securities.
Treasury Bills are not issued by State
Governments while Government Bonds or
Dated securities are issues both by State and
Central Governments.
• Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL): It
is the difference between the sum of demand
and time liabilities (deposits) of a bank (with
the public or the other bank) and the deposits
in the form of assets held by the other banks.
• Statutory Liquidity Ratio or SLR is the
minimum percentage of deposits that a
commercial bank has to maintain in the form
of liquid cash, gold,d, or other securities. It is
basically the reserve requirement that banks
are expected to keep before offering credit to
customers. The SLR is fixed by the RBI and is a
form of control over the credit growth in India.
Impact of measures taken by RBI
• It involves buying and selling government securities
simultaneously in order to bring down long-term
interest rates and bolster short-term rates.
• As the central bank buys long-term securities
(bonds), their demand rises which in turn pushes
up their prices.
• As the bond yield comes down with an increase in
prices. Yield is the return an investor gets on his
(bond) holding/investment.
• The interest rate in an economy is determined by
yield. Thus, lower long-term interest rates mean
people can avail of long-term loans (such as buying
houses, cars, or financing projects) at lower rates.
• This also results in a dip in the expected returns
from long-term savings which tilts the balance
from saving towards spending. Hence, cheaper
retail loans can help encourage consumption
spending which is the largest GDP component in
the economy.
BenefitsFixed-income investors with higher exposure
to long term debt will benefit from easing the yield of
long-term bonds.
• Consumers/borrowers will also profit from ‘Operation
Twist’ as the retail loans will now get cheaper.
• Cheaper retail loans mean a boost in consumption
and spending in the economy which in turn will
revive growth.
Way Forward
• Moratorium on repayment of debt announced by
RBI beginning 1st Marc, 2020 to help businesses
and individuals tide over the financial problems on
account of disruption in normal business activities
ended on 31st August 2020.
• This will adversely affect the small businesses that
are facing financial issues due to the Covid-19
pandemic and lockdown.
• Recently, RBI announced the use of the Dynamic
Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model
to provide an assessment of the likely impact of
Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown on the
Indian economy.
• Coupled with the recently announced GDP
contraction by 23.9%, the end of the six-month
moratorium will adversely impact the market.
Tackling the financial health of the country hit by
Economy | 72
 Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), bank frauds, and
economic setbacks by Covid-19, as mentioned
in the Annual report of RBI, will need a whole
set of monetary reforms. Conducting market
operations as required through a variety of
instruments is one of them.
DEVELOPMENT BANK FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
Why in News?
The government is working on a strategy to give a fresh
lease of life to development finance institutions (DFIs)
for funding infrastructure projects.
• Feature of proposed DFI:
• It will be used to finance both social and
economic infrastructure projects identified
under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP).
• In April 2020, the Government released the
final report on NIP for 2019-25, NIP will enable
a forward outlook on infrastructure projects
which will create jobs, improve ease of living, and
provide equitable access to infrastructure for all.
• Role of government in DFI
• Promoted by government
• Restricted its shareholding to 49% by giving
private-sector character.
Hurdles in Infrastructure Funding
• Funding Gap- Due to rising non-performing assets
banks are unable to provide long-term finance to
infrastructure projects which are declining asset
quality in the infrastructure sector.
• Mismatch of Asset/Liability Management In India,
a large fraction of lenders borrow funds with
maturity under 5 years because of the absence of
a deep bond market to borrow from. As a result,
they lend to a project with a maturity of, say 20
years, with funds of 2-year maturity. This leads to a
mismatch in the maturities of assets and liabilities
for the lender.
Way Forward
• If India has to grow 8-10% continuously, credit growth
for infrastructure must be 12-14%. Since infrastructure
projects require long-term funds and given the scale
of investment required, a large DFI is a good idea.
• As compared with banks, a DFI provides long-term
finance for social and economic infrastructure.
However, DFIs involve higher risk than what the
ordinary financial system may be willing to bear.
Development Finance Institutions (DFI)
• Development Financial Institution (DFI) is an
institution that provides long-term finance for
development.
• A DFI provides financing for development
activities at less than strictly commercial
terms. It delivers this through technical
assistance grants, structured loans, different
73 I Articulate
types of guarantees and credit enhancement
and sometimes even equity.
• DFIs are different from commercial banks that
mobilize short- to medium-term deposits and
lend for similar maturities to avoid a maturity
mismatch-a potential cause for a bank’s
liquidity and solvency.
Status of DFIs in India
• Post-independence, the institutional
framework for development banking began-
IFCI (1948), IDBI (1964), IIBI (1972), NABARD and
EXIM Bank (1982), SIDBI (1990), etc.
• Presently, DFIs are sector-specific, such as
Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd (REC) for the
power sector, National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (NABARD) for the
agriculture sector, and Indian Railway Finance
Corp. to fund rail infrastructure among others
National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)
It is estimated that India would need to spend
$4.5 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to sustain
its growth rate. The endeavour of the National
Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), is to make this
happen in an efficient manner.
What are key benefits of National Infrastructure
Pipeline (NIP)
• Economy- Well-planned NIP will enable more
infra projects, grow businesses, create jobs,
improve ease of living, and provide equitable
access to infrastructure for all, making
growth more inclusive.
• Government- Well-developed infrastructure
enhances level of economic activity, creates
additional fiscal space by improving the
revenue base of the government, and
ensures quality of expenditure focused in
productive areas.
• Developers- Provides better view of project
supply, provides time to be better prepared
for project bidding, reduces aggressive bids/
failure in project delivery, ensures enhanced
access to sources of finance as result of
increased investor confidence.
• Banks/financial institutions (F1s)/investors-
Builds investor confidence as identified projects
are likely to be better prepared, exposures
less likely to suffer stress given active project
monitoring, thereby less likelihood of NPAs.
ADJUSTED GROSS REVENUE (AGR)
Why in News?
The Supreme Court has allowed telecom companies to
stagger their payments of the adjusted gross revenue
(AGR) related dues over the next 10 years.

Adjusted Gross Revenue
• Telecom operators are required to pay the
licence fee and spectrum charges in the form
of ‘revenue share’ to the Centre. The revenue
amount used to calculate this revenue share is
termed as the AGR.
• According to the Department of
Telecommunications, the calculations should
incorporate all revenues earned by a telecom
company – including from non-telecom sources
such as deposit interests and sale of assets.
What’s the issue?
• The dispute between the telecom companies and
the government has been mainly on the definition
of AGR. The two sides were locked in a legal battle
over the definition of AGR for more than a decade.
While the government says that AGR includes all
revenues from both telecom as well as non-telecom
services, the operators suggest that it should
include only the revenue from core services.
• In October 2019 the court had concluded that the
private telecom sector had taken enough of the
Centre’s liberalized mode of payment by revenue
sharing regime.
• After that, the government had proposed in court
a 20-year “formula” for telcos to make staggered
payments of the dues. But, the court observed that
the period of 20 years fixed for payment is excessive.
• Even after part payment, the dues still run to
₹1.43 lakh crore.
Directions Issued by Court:
• The telecom operators would make the payment
of 10% of the total dues as demanded by the
Department of Telecom by 31st March 2021.
• The yearly instalments would commence from 1st
April 2021 up to 31st March 2031. The instalments
would be paid by 31st March every year.
• In case of default in making payment of annual
instalments, interest would be levied as per the
agreement along with penalty and interest on
penalty automatically without reference to the court.
• Besides, it would be punishable for
contempt of court.
• Compliance with the court order should be
reported by the telcos and the telecom department
every year on 7th April.
• The sale of the spectrum by telcos facing insolvency
proceedings shall be decided by the National
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Timeline
• In the year 1994 telecom sector was nationalised
under National Telecom Policy after which licenses
were issued to companies in return for a license fee.
• In the year 1999, the government came up with the
revenue sharing fee model under which mobile
telephone operators were required to share a
percentage of their AGR with the government as annual
license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC).
• Due to the unclear definition of AGR, the matter has
been under litigation for several years.
• In 2005, the Cellular Operators Association of India
(COAI) challenged the government’s definition for
AGR calculation.
• In 2015, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and
Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) stayed the case in
favour of telecom companies and said that AGR
includes all receipts except capital receipts and
revenue from non-core sources such as rent, profit
on the sale of fixed assets, dividend, interest and
miscellaneous income.
• 2019- Overruling the TDSAT decision the Supreme
Court upheld the definition of AGR as stipulated
by the DoT in October 2019. The Court rejected a
20-year payment timeline proposed by the central
government and supported by telecom companies.
Instead, it has given 10 years to repay the AGR dues.
Way Forward
• A new and updated infrastructural policy is needed
to enhance the growth of the telecom sector,
improve the quality of service, and resource
generation for telecom companies.
• Enhanced accessibility of the broadband services
will enable the digital empowerment of India, hence
adequate steps must be taken by the government
to strengthen the overall telecom sector.
Image source-Business insider
ACT OF GOD
Why in News?
Amid disruptions caused by Covid-19, the Finance
Minister has referred to an Act of God while
businesses are looking at a legal provision, force
majeure, to cut losses.
Evoking “Act of God”
• The force majeure or “Act of God” clause has its
origins in the Napoleonic Code.
• The finance ministry had issued an office
memorandum inviting attention to the force
majeure clause (FMC) in the 2017 Manual
for Procurement of Goods issued by the
Department of Expenditure.
• It clarified that the pandemic should be considered
a case of natural calamity and FMC may be invoked,
wherever considered appropriate.
Economy | 74
“Force Majeure”
• “Force majeure” refers to a clause that is included
in contracts to remove liability for natural and
unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the
expected course of events and restrict participants
from fulfilling obligations.
• Force majeure clauses excuse companies
(or other parties to a contract) from meeting
certain obligations when events beyond their
control interfere with their ability to hold up
their end of the bargain.
• If invoked, the clauses can relieve companies from
commitments, temporarily or permanently, without
being in breach of their agreement.
Basic difference
• An “Act of God” includes only natural occurring
events, whereas force majeure includes both
naturally occurring events and events due to
human intervention.
• However, both concepts have the same
consequences in law.
• For example, a shipping contract would have a
force majeure clause that could cover natural
disasters like a tsunami.
• War, riots, natural disasters or acts of God,
strikes, the introduction of new government
policy imposing an embargo, boycotts,
outbreak of epidemics, etc are generally listed
as force majeure.
• A force majeure clause is negotiated by parties and
is not invoked just by expressing that an unforeseen
event has occurred.
What situations legally qualify for use of force majeure?
• War, riots, natural disasters or acts of God, strikes,
the introduction of new government policy
imposing an embargo, boycotts, outbreak of
epidemics, and such situations are generally listed.
• If an event is not described, then it is interpreted
in a way that it falls in the same category of events
that are described.
• An FMC is negotiated by parties, and events that
could potentially hamper the performance of the
contract are catalogued.
• It is not invoked just by expressing that an
unforeseen event has occurred.
• In case a contract does not have a force majeure
clause, some protections in common law can be
invoked by parties e.g.the Indian Contract Act, 1872
provides that a contract becomes void if it becomes
impossible due to an event after the contract was
signed that the party could not prevent.
What happens when a force majeure clause is
triggered?
• If a party to a contract believes that the other
party has invoked the force majeure clause in an
unjustified situation, it can move the court seeking
the performance of the contract.
• Courts read the wording of the clause closely to
allocate risks between the parties. Court rulings
have established that force majeure cannot be
invoked when the performance of the contract
75 I Articulate
has become difficult, but only when it has become
impossible and looks into whether the party
arguing the impossibility of performance has tried
all other avenues to fulfil its liabilities before
invoking force majeure.
• Vaguely indicating that the pandemic failed the
contract would face a legal challenge. The court
would look into specifics like whether a lockdown
imposed to contain the pandemic locally prevented
the performance of the contract.
• The court would also look into how unforeseen
the cited circumstance is when catalogued in the
contract specifications. Global contracts signed
after the initial outbreak in Wuhan could fail
scrutiny if the contracts do not take into account
viral pandemics.
Judicial interventions regarding FMC
• In a 2017 case, the Supreme Court cited a 1961
House of Lords decision that ruled that the closure
of the Suez Canal, although unforeseen, had not
rendered a contract to ship goods from Africa
impossible since a longer route around the Cape of
Good Hope existed.
• Singapore enacted the Covid-19 (Temporary
Measures) Act in April to provide relief to
businesses that could not perform their contractual
obligations due to the pandemic.
• The Paris Commercial Court in July ruled that the
pandemic could be equated to a force majeure event.
• Recently, the Bombay High Court did not accept
the force majeure argument in a case where the
petitioner argued that COVID-19-related lockdowns
had frustrated a contract for the supply of steel.
Examples of force majeure event globally
• China’s Supreme People’s Court had
recognized the 2002 SARS outbreak as a force
majeure event.
• Singapore enacted the Covid-19 (Temporary
Measures) Act in April to provide relief to
businesses that could not perform their
contractual obligations due to the pandemic.
• The Paris Commercial Court in July ruled that
the pandemic could be equated to a force
majeure event.
START-UP VILLAGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PROGRAMME (SVEP)
Why in News?
The SVEP is promoting enterprises in rural areas and
creating rural entrepreneurs during this pandemic.
Key Highlights
• SVEP has extended business support services
and capital infusion to 153 blocks of 23 states as
of August 2020.
• Around 2,000 trained cadre of Community
 Resource Person-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP)
are providing services to rural entrepreneurs and
as in August 2020, around 100,000 enterprises are
supported by them.
Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)
• It is a sub-scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-
NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, and has
been implemented since 2016.
• Partner-Entrepreneurship Development Institute
of India (EDII), Ahmedabad is the technical support
partner of SVEP.
• Aim
• It supports the rural poor to come out
of poverty by setting up enterprises and
providing support until the enterprises
stabilize.
• It also provides self-employment opportunities
with financial assistance and training in
business management and soft skills.
• Activities took under SVEP
• Activities under SVEP are organised to promote
rural enterprises with a few key areas.
• Developing a pool of Community Resource
Persons-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP) which
is local and supports entrepreneurs setting-up
rural enterprises.
• To promote the Block Resource Center (BRC), to
monitor and manage the community resource
persons, appraise SVEP loan applications, and
act as the repository of enterprise-related
information in the concerned block.
• Under SVEP local markets/rural haat
establish which motivates entrepreneurs to
take up demand-based production, advertise
their enterprise, and increase earning
opportunities.
Steps Taken to Fight Covid-19:
• Under the SVEP program women SHGs helped
in producing several quality products like masks,
protective gear kits, sanitizers, and cleaning
products across the country.
• Some of the women SHGs were involved in running
community kitchens and served cooked meals to
vulnerable community members.
• Market and haat organized at the local level to
save villagers from the financial crunch due to
pandemic.
• People organized a door to door campaign to
create awareness about COVID-19.
ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCE (EIR)
PROGRAMME
Why in News?
A brochure featuring Entrepreneurs in Residence
(EIR) under the National Initiative for Developing
and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) programme
was launched by the Department of Science and
Technology.
Department of Science and Technology
• It comes under the Ministry of Science and
Technology.
• It provides funding and also makes policies
and co-ordinates scientific work with
other countries.
• It empowers scientists and scientific
institutions and also works with a highly
distributed system permeating stakeholders
ranging from school college, Ph.D., Postdoc
students, young scientists, startups, and
NGOs working in Science and Technology.
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Programme
• Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Programme is one
of the programs introduced under NIDHI to inspire
the best talents to be entrepreneurs, to minimise the
risk involved in pursuing start-ups, and to partially
set off their opportunity costs of high paying jobs.
• The NIDHI-EIR programme provides tremendous
opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs to
expand their networks and get critical feedback
on their ventures in order to promote their
entrepreneurial career goals and aspirations.
The opportunities under the NIDHI-EIR program include
• Guidance from experienced, innovative, and highly
successful entrepreneurs on the business concept,
strategy, or venture, and insight into specific
industries or markets.
• Best practices for starting a business and
broadening the professional network.
• Co-working spaces for developing the idea into a
marketable product.
National Initiative for Developing and
Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) program
Umbrella program
• Department of Science and Technology
(DST) announced a National Initiative for
Developing and Harnessing Innovations
(NIDHI) is an umbrella program for nurturing
ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and
technology-driven) into successful startups.
Stakeholders
• The key stakeholders of NIDHI include various
departments and ministries of the central
government, state governments, academic,
and R & D institutions, mentors, financial
institutions, angel investors, venture capitalists,
industry champions, and private sectors.
Objectives
• To take forward the student innovations
program to the commercialization stage.
• To promote student startups.
• To accelerate the journey of ideas to prototype
by providing initial funding assistance.
Economy | 76
GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2020
Why in News?
The 2020 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII)
was released. The index is a leading reference for
measuring an economy’s innovation performance.
Theme- “Who Will Finance Innovation?”
It is timely given the human and global economic
damage wreaked by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Released By?
The GII is co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD,
and the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• WIPO is the global forum for intellectual
property (IP) services, policy, information and
cooperation. It is a self-funding agency of the
United Nations, with 193 member states.
• It was created in 1967 "to encourage creative
activity, to promote the protection of
intellectual property throughout the world".
• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• World Intellectual Property Day is being
celebrated on the 26th of April every year.
Intellectual Property
• Intellectual property (IP) is a category of
property that includes intangible creations of
the human intellect, and primarily encompasses
copyrights, patents, and trademarks.
• It also includes other types of rights, such as
trade secrets, publicity rights, moral rights,
and rights against unfair competition.
• Intellectual property rights are the rights
given to persons over the creations of
their minds. They usually give the creator
an exclusive right over the use of his/her
creation for a certain period of time.
graduates in science and engineering, and R&D-
intensive global companies.
• India increased the most in three pillars:
Institutions, business sophistication and
creative outputs.
• Under institutions, the country’s rank on
indicators, such as political and operational
stability, government effectiveness, and ease of
resolving insolvency improved remarkably.
• India also improved its place in both intellectual
property payments and research talent.
Factors responsible for India’s improvement:
• Role of startup and R&D organizations- The
consistent improvement in the global innovation
index rankings is owing to the immense knowledge
capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and the
amazing work is done by the public & private
research organization.
• Role of education institutions, bodies like
the Department of Science and Technology,
Department of Biotechnology, and Department of
Space have played a pivotal role in enriching the
national innovation ecosystem.
• Policy-led innovation to ensure optimization of
national efforts in this direction by bringing policy-
led innovation in different areas such as electric
vehicles, biotechnology, nanotechnology, space,
and alternative energy sources.
• India Innovation Index-The India Innovation Index,
which was released last year by Niti Aayog, has been
widely accepted as a major step in the direction of
decentralization of innovation across all states of
the country.

Highlights of the Index

• Global scenario
• The rankings show stability at the top but
a gradual “eastward shift in the locus of
innovation” as Asian economies like China,
India, the Philippines, and Vietnam have Source- TOI
advanced considerably in the innovation
ranking over the years.
FinCEN AND FIU-IND
• Top 5: Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK, and
the Netherlands lead the innovation ranking.
Why in News?
• Performance of India
Recently, over 2100 Suspicious Activity Reports
• India became the third most innovative
(SARs) by Indian citizens and firms were filed by
lower-middle-income economy in the world
banks with the United States Department of the
moving up four positions since last year.
Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
India jumped four places to rank in the 48th
(FinCEN).
position since 2019.
• India ranks in the top 15 in indicators such as
services exports, government online services,

77 I Articulate
 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
• The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
(FinCEN) is a bureau of the United States
Department of the Treasury that collects and
analyzes financial intelligence.
• It was set up in 1990 and is a leading global
regulator in the battle against international
money laundering, terrorist financing, and
other financial crimes.
The Issue in Detail
• A host of financial transactions performed by
Indian citizens and firms have been red-flagged
to the top US financial watchdog, the Treasury
Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement
Way Forward
Network (FinCEN), for possible money laundering,
• There have been earlier investigations as well, which
financial fraud, or drug dealing.
• These cross-country investigations were based on
suspicious activity reports (SARs) by compliance
• Such revelations not only signal a continuing laxity
officers in financial institutions, on transactions
that involve clients with high-risk profiles, or past
brushes with the law.
• Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
• The loopholes need to be fixed on a priority
• The suspicious activity reports (SARs) are
documents filed by financial institutions,
from banks to money exchanges and
security brokers, to the authorities to report
suspicious transactions.
• While they themselves are not an evidence
of illegality, the SARs nonetheless serve as
signals to alert regulators and authorities
regarding possible irregular activities.
Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND)
• In India, the Financial Intelligence Unit-India
(FIU-IND) performs the same functions as
FinCEN in the USA.
• It was set up in 2004, as the central national
agency responsible for receiving, processing,
analyzing, and disseminating information
relating to suspect financial transactions.
• FIU-IND is an independent body reporting
directly to the Economic Intelligence Council
(EIC) headed by the Finance Minister.
• The functions of FIU-IND are:
• Collection of Information: FIU-IND
acts as the central reception point for
receiving Cash Transaction reports (CTRs),
Non-Profit Organisation Transaction
Report(NTRs), Cross Border Wire Transfer
Reports (CBWTRs), Reports on Purchase
or Sale of Immovable Property (IPRs), and
Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs)
from various reporting entities.
• Analysis of Information: FIU-IND analyses
information to uncover patterns of
transactions suggesting suspicion of
money laundering and related crimes.
• Sharing of Information: FIU-IND shares
information/patterns with the national
intelligence/law enforcement agencies,
national regulatory authorities, and
foreign Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).
• Act as a Central Repository: FIU-IND
establishes and maintains a national
database on the basis of reports received
from reporting entities.
• Research and Analysis: FIU-IND monitors
and identifies strategic key areas on
money laundering trends, typologies, and
developments.
resulted in the Swiss Leaks in 2015, the Panama
Papers in 2016, and the Paradise Papers in 2017.
among the investigative agencies but also raise
questions over the entire regulatory apparatus in
India regarding financial crimes.
basis, and regular information exchange between
financial regulators needs to happen, to track
financial crimes.
Financial Intelligence (FININT)
• It is the concept of gathering information
about the financial affairs of entities of
interest, to understand their nature and
capabilities, and predict their intentions.
• One of the main purposes of financial
intelligence is to identify financial transactions
that may involve tax evasion, money
laundering, or some other criminal activity.
• Financial intelligence can be broken down into
two main areas, collection, and analysis.
• Collection is normally done by a
government agency, known as a Financial
Intelligence Unit (FIU). The agency collects
raw transactional information and
Suspicious activity reports (SAR).
• Analysis may consist of scrutinizing a large
volume of transactional data using data
mining or data-matching techniques to
identify persons potentially engaged in a
particular activity.
Major types of Financial Crimes
Tax Evasion: Tax evasion is an illegal activity
in which a person or entity deliberately avoids
paying a true tax liability through commission
of fraud. It includes both nonpayment and
Economy | 78
 underpayment of taxes.
Money Laundering: Money laundering is the
illegal process of making large amounts of money
generated by a criminal activity, such as drug
trafficking or terrorist funding, appear to have
come from a legitimate source.
Terrorist Financing: Terrorist financing is the illegal
process where the collection or the provision
of funds for terrorist purposes. As compared to
money laundering in which the funds are always
of illicit origin, the funds for terrorist financing can
stem from both legal and illicit sources.
Whitewashing of Black Money: Whitewashing is
an illegal activity of converting black money into
white (legitimate). It is done by various means,
such as investing in shell companies, showing the
income as agricultural income, etc.
Round Tripping: Round tripping is an illegal
activity where one company sells assets to
another party in order to generate sales, and later
buys back the assets. It is done to take advantage
of tax concessions provided in tax havens.
Market abuse and Insider Trading: Insider
trading is the buying or selling of a publicly traded
company's stock by someone who has non-
public, material information about that stock. It
amounts to abuse of the market, as the element of
impartiality is lost in the process.

79 I Articulate
80 I Articulate Environment & Disaster Management | 80
PHYTOPLANKTON BIOMASS IN BAY OF
BENGAL
Why in News?
Researchers have discovered a way to measure
the quantity of ‘chlorophyll-a’ in the Bay of Bengal
in real-time. Chlorophyll-a is a dominant pigment
found in phytoplankton cells and present in a few
areas of the ocean.
The research was carried out by a team of scientists
from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information
Services (INCOIS).
Findings of the Research:
• The study was based on in-situ and satellite data
spanning over the last 16 years. They observed a
significant increase of chlorophyll-a concentration
during pre-southwest monsoon seasons.
• As per the report, there were two peaks of
chlorophyll-a — the primary peak occurred during
the pre-southwest monsoon due to the recurrent
phytoplankton bloom in the coastal water and the
secondary peak occurred during the end of the
southwest monsoon, spreading to far offshore areas.
• Reason for the Peak: Along with increase
in phytoplankton, other reasons for peak in
chlorophyll-a may be physical forces such as
upwelling, wind-induced vertical mixing, convective
overturn and chemicals from various sources
including river runoff.
Phytoplanktons:
• Phytoplanktons are tiny microscopic plants
found in the ocean.
• They are important ecological indicators that
regulate life in ocean.
• They have chlorophyll to capture sunlight, and use
photosynthesis to turn it into chemical energy.
• They consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
• All phytoplankton photosynthesise, but some get
additional energy by consuming other organisms.
• Phytoplanktons contribute to more than half of the
oxygen that we breathe. That apart, they influence
our climate by absorbing human-induced carbon
dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas.
• They also serve as the foundation of the aquatic
food web
Chlorophyll
• Chlorophyll is a photosynthetic pigment found in
plants. It helps in the harvesting of solar energy
during photosynthesis which is converted to
chemical energy.
• There are five types of chlorophyll i.e a, b, c, d and
e. Chlorophyll a is universal while b, c, d and e are
specific.
• Chlorophyll b is found in higher plants,
pteridophytes, bryophytes, green algae and
charophytes.
• Chlorophyll c is found in brown algae and diatoms.
• Chlorophyll d is found in red algae.
• Chlorophyll e is found in algae belonging to Class
Xanthophyceae such as Vaucheria and Botrydium.
81 I Articulate
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS)
• INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in
1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• It is a unit of the Earth System Science
Organization (ESSO).
• ESSO- INCOIS is mandated to provide the best
possible ocean information and advisory services
to society, industry, government agencies and the
scientific community through sustained ocean
observations and constant improvements through
systematic and focussed research.
WORLD LOST 68% VERTEBRATES IN 1970-
2016: WWF
Why in News?
• As per the Living Planet Report, 2020 released
by international non-profit World Wide Fund for
Nature September 10, 2020, the population of
vertebrate species declined by around 68 per cent
between 1970 and 2016.
Other Findings of the Report
• As per the report, wildlife populations in freshwater
habitats suffered a decline of 84 per cent,
equivalent to four per cent per year.
• Megafauna — or bigger species in terms of size
— were more vulnerable because they were
subjected to intense anthropogenic threats and
overexploitation.
• Large fishes are also heavily impacted by dam
construction that blocks their migratory routes to
spawning and feeding grounds.
Factors Responsible for the Decline in population
• Land-use change and the use and trade of wildlife
— are believed to have increased the planet’s
vulnerability to pandemics, which in turn causes
the decline of vertebrates.
• Natural habitat loss, degradation and
deforestation driven by food production
processes are the other factors.
• Climate Change is one of the major factor leading
to the decline in the population. The impact of
climate change makes the environment unsuitable
for the survival of some species, pushing them
towards extinction.
• Climate change also causes invasion of species
into an environment. These invasive species
compete with the native species for food and
other resources, leading to the decline in the
population of native species.
World Wildlife Fund
• It is the world’s leading conservation organization
and works in more than 100 countries.
• It was established in 1961 and is headquartered at
Gland, Switzerland.
• Its mission is to conserve nature and reduce the
most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
• WWF collaborates at every level with people
around the world to develop and deliver innovative
solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and
 the places in which they live.
• The Living Planet Report, WWF’s flagship
publication released every two years, is a
comprehensive study of trends in global
biodiversity and the health of the planet.
Way Forward:
• The need of the hour is to make food production
and trade more efficient and ecologically
sustainable, reducing waste and favouring healthier
and more environmentally friendly diets.
• In the midst of a global pandemic, it is now more
important than ever to take unprecedented and
coordinated global action to halt and start to reverse
the loss of biodiversity and wildlife populations
across the globe by the end of the decade.
EIGHT INDIAN BEACHES RECOMMENDED
FOR BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION
Why in News?
On the eve of International Coastal Clean-Up Day,
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said eight
beaches of the country have been recommended for
the coveted 'Blue Flag' international eco-label, the Blue-
Flag Certification.
At the same event, the minister also launched
India’s own eco-label BEAMS (Beach Environment
& Aesthetics Management Services) under ICZM
(Integrated Coastal Zone Management) project.
The Eight Beaches are:
• Shivrajpur in Gujarat,
• Ghoghla in Daman & Diu,
• Kasarkod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka,
• Kappad in Kerala,
• Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh,
• Golden beach of Odisha and
• Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar.
Blue Flag Certification
• The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that
can be obtained by a beach, marina, or
sustainable boating tourism operator, and
serves as an eco-label.
• The certification is awarded by the
Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE), which sets
stringent environmental, educational, safety-
related and access-related criteria that
applicants must meet and maintain.
• The criteria are environmental, educational,
access and safety-related. There are a total
of 33 criteria.
• It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas
in FEE member countries.
• Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches;
Greece and France follow with 515 and
395, respectively.
• Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of
Odisha is not only India’s but also Asia’s first
beach to get the Blue Flag certification.
BEAMS (Beach Environment & Aesthetics
Management Services)
• Society of Integrated Coastal Management
(SICOM), MoEFCC have initiated this program
under its ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone
Management) project.
• Objectives of BEAMS program:
• Abate pollution in coastal waters.
• Promote sustainable development of
beach facilities
• Protect & conserve coastal ecosystems &
natural resources
• Strive and maintain high standards of
cleanliness
• Hygiene & safety for beachgoers in
accordance with coastal environment
& regulations.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project
is a World Bank-supported project that aims
to build national capacity for implementation
of a comprehensive coastal management
approach in the country.
• Components: Society of Integrated
Coastal Management (SICOM) would be
implementing the project at the national
level and state level.
• Till now three coastal states namely West
Bengal, Gujarat and Orissa have been selected
under the ICZM plan.
• The four main components of the plan include:
• National Coastal Zone Management
Programme
• ICZM-West Bengal
• ICZM-Orissa
• ICZM-Gujarat
Note: The National Coastal Zone Management
Programme includes mapping, delineation and
demarcation of the hazard lines, and delineation
of coastal sediment cells all along the mainland
coast of India.
ICZM approaches in Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal
will support capacity building of the state-level
agencies and institutions, including preparation of
an ICZM plan for the coastal sediment cell, regional
coastal process study, and pilot investments.
NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME
Why in News?
The National Green Tribunal (NGT)has slammed the
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over its
report on the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) which
proposes a 20-30% reduction of air pollution by 2024.
Environment & Disaster Management | 82
What’s the issue?
MoEF had recently informed the NGT that a committee
has concluded that 20-30% pollutant reduction
under the NCAP seems realistic. NGT disapproved
the report saying that the MoEF’s view was against
the constitutional mandate under Article 21 and also
against the statutory mandate.
NGT’s View:
• The enforcement of the ‘Sustainable Development’
principle and ‘Public Trust Doctrine’ require stern
measures to be adopted to give effect to the
mandate of international obligations related to
environmental quality, for which the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986 was enacted.
• It has said that the sovereign, or state, holds the
trust of people to manage the designated resources
for the benefit of the people.
• The Right to Clean Air stood recognized as part of
the Right to Life and failure to address air pollution
is a denial of the Right to Life under Article 21.
NGT' suggestions to MoEF
• NGT suggested reviewing and taking action
in terms of the shift to e-vehicles and CNG
vehicles, intensifying public transport systems,
mechanical cleaning of roads, enhancement of
public parking facilities, improvement in fuel
quality, and traffic management.
• It directed the state pollution control boards to
ensure the assessment and installation of the
requisite number of real-time online continuous
Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems within
six months.
• It also directed an expert team of the Central
Pollution Control Board to form a model for source
apportionment and carrying capacity assessment
within two months which may be replicated for all
the non-attainment cities.
Source Apportionment: It is the practice of
deriving information about pollution sources
and the amount they contribute to ambient air
pollution levels.
National Green Tribunal
• It is a specialized body set up under the
National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 for effective
and expeditious disposal of cases relating to
environmental protection and conservation of
forests and other natural resources.
• It draws inspiration from India’s
constitutional provision of Article 21, which
assures the citizens of India the right to a
healthy environment.
• The Tribunal shall not be bound by the
procedure laid down under the Code of
Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by
principles of natural justice.
83 I Articulate
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of
applications or appeals finally within 6 months
of filing the same.
• The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi
is the Principal place of sitting, and Bhopal,
Pune, Kolkata, and Chennai are the other four.
National Clean Air Programme
• It was launched by the Union Ministry
of Environment, Forests and Climate
Change in 2019.
• It is envisaged as a scheme to provide the
States and the Centre with a framework to
combat air pollution.
• It has a major goal of reducing the
concentration of coarse and fine particles
in the atmosphere by at least 20% by the
year 2024, with 2017 as the base year for
comparison.
Which cities will fall under this?
• Initially, 102 cities from 23 States and UTs
were chosen as non-attainment cities. With
the exception of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and
Bengaluru, most of those chosen are the tier
two cities.
• The cities were selected on the basis of the
ambient air quality data from the National
Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP)
of 2011 – 2015.
• Maharashtra had the maximum number of
cities chosen for the program.
Way Forward
• The violation of laid down air pollution levels
resulting in a large number of deaths and diseases
needed to be addressed expeditiously.
• Targeted time of reduction of pollution loads
needed to be reduced.
• Well-planned steps needed to be sternly
implemented on the ground level.
• Public awareness is the most essential step towards
the reduction of pollution. There is a need for an
awareness program workshop at every level and age
group to spread awareness.
STUBBLE BURNING
Why in News?
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control)
Authority (EPCA) on Tuesday wrote to the chief
secretaries of Punjab and Haryana stating that early
burning of crop residue was taking place and urged
them to address the issue urgently.
More on the News
According to a SAFAR (System of Air Quality and
Weather Forecasting and Research under the Central
government) estimate, based on harmonising the
INSAT-3, 3D and NASA satellite, the fire counts were
around 42 on September 21, 2020. Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control)
Authority (EPCA)
What is Stubble Burning?
• Stubble is basically the paddy crop residue. Stubble • EPCA is a Supreme Court-mandated
burning is the act of setting fire to crop residue to body constituted under section 3 of the
remove them from the field to sow the next crop. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• It is done to remove paddy crop residue from the • Mandate: It is mandated to protect and
field to sow wheat. improve the quality of the environment and
• It is a traditional practice in Punjab and Haryana prevent and control environmental pollution
and Western U.P. in the NCR. The body also enforces ‘Graded
• Stubble burning begins around October and Response Action Plan (GRAP)’ in NCR that
peaks in November. defines specific measures to tackle different
levels of air pollution throughout the year.
Harmful Effects of Stubble Burning • Composition: Besides the chairman, the
• Crop residue burning releases harmful pollutants EPCA has 14 members, some of whom are
like carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), the environment secretary of the National
oxides of sulphur (SOX), tonnes of particulate Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), chairperson
matter and black carbon. These directly of the New Delhi Municipal Council, transport
contribute to environmental pollution and are commissioner of the NCT, the commissioners
also responsible for the haze in Delhi and melting of various municipal corporations of Delhi and
of Himalayan glaciers professors at IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru
• The heat from burning paddy straw penetrates 1 University.
centimetre into the soil, elevating the temperature
to 33.8 to 42.2 degree Celsius. This kills the bacterial SAFAR
and fungal populations critical for fertile soil. • System of Air Quality and Weather
• Burning of crop residue causes damage to other Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) is a
microorganisms present in the upper layer of the state-of-the-art Air Quality and Weather
soil as well as its organic quality. Due to the loss of Forecast System.
‘friendly’ pests, the wrath of ‘enemy’ pests increases • It was introduced by the Ministry of Earth
and as a result, crops are more prone to disease. Sciences (MoES) to measure the air quality of
• It also reduces the solubility capacity of the upper a metropolitan city, by measuring the overall
layers of soil. pollution level and the location-specific air
• According to a report, one tonne stubble burning quality of the city.
leads to a loss of 5.5-kilogram nitrogen, 2.3 kg • It is developed indigenously by Indian
phosphorus, 25 kg potassium and more than 1 kg of Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and
sulfur — all soil nutrients, besides organic carbon. operationalized by India Meteorological
Department (IMD).
Solutions to the Problem of Stubble Burning
• Use of Agricultural machines like:
• Happy Seeder(used for sowing of the crop in
CONTROLLING DENGUE USING BACTERIA
standing stubble)
• Rotavator (used for land preparation and
Why in News?
incorporation of crop stubble in the soil)
A recent study suggests that the “Wolbachia method”
• Zero till seed drill (used for land
could be used to significantly reduce the incidence of
preparations directly sowing of seeds in the
dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, in populations
previous crop stubble)
where the illness is endemic.
• Baler (used for the collection of straw and
making bales of the paddy stubble)
More about News
• Paddy Straw Chopper (cutting of paddy stubble
• Scientists from the World Mosquito Program
for easily mixing with the soil)
(WMP) of Monash University in Australia and
• Reaper Binder (used for harvesting paddy
Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia tested this
stubble and making into bundles)
method in a 27-month trial in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
• The incentive to the farmers for not burning
• The World Mosquito Program is an Australia-
residue: This can be done by:
based not-for-profit initiative that exists to
• Transferring money through Direct Benefit
protect the global community from mosquito-
Transfer (DBT) to the farmers who are not
borne diseases.
burning the residue.
• They found that using the Wolbachia method
• Buying crop residue from the farmers and
reduced the occurrence of dengue in the treated
converting them Into Animal Feed, Manure,
population by 77%.
Cardboard, etc

Environment & Disaster Management | 84

 Wolbachia • WHO estimates 39 crore dengue virus
• Wolbachia is a natural bacteria present infections per year, of which 9.6 crore show
in up to 60% of insect species, including symptoms.
some mosquitoes. • India registered over 1 lakh dengue cases in
• However, Wolbachia is not usually found in 2018 and over 1.5 lakh cases in 2019, according
the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary to the National Vector-Borne Disease Control
species responsible for transmitting human Programme (NVBDCP).
viruses such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, • NVBDCP is the central nodal agency for the
and yellow fever. prevention and control of six vectors bore
• Wolbachia is safe for humans, animals, and diseases i.e. Malaria, Dengue, Lymphatic
the environment. Filariasis, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis,
and Chikungunya in India. It works under the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Key Highlights of the study
• About
• The Aedes aegypti mosquito, that spreads
Dengue and other diseases such as
AFRICAN BAOBAB TREE
chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever cannot do
Why in News?
so when they are artificially infected with a
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports
bacterium, Wolbachia.
has found that the tree 'African Baobab' has 168
• The bacteria Wolbachia “inhibits” viral
chromosomes. Previous studies estimated that the tree
infection, that is, even if people encounter
has between 96 and 166 chromosomes. The study will
mosquito bite, they will not be infected. This
be useful in genetic conservation efforts.
happens because bacteria do not allow the
virus to replicate in the mosquito thereby
About African Baobab
minimizing its number within the mosquito.
• Its scientific name “Adansonia digitate”.
• Method
• Baobabs are deciduous trees ranging in height
• The scientists infected some mosquitoes
from 5 to 20 meters.
with Wolbachia and then released these in the
• Deciduous forest is vegetation composed
city where they bred with local mosquitoes
primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all
until nearly all mosquitoes in the area were
their leaves during one season.
carrying Wolbachia bacteria. This is called the
• The African baobab (Adansonia digitata) is one of
Population Replacement Strategy.
the nine species of baobab and is native to mainland
• Results
Africa. They are also found in African Savannah.
• At the end of 27 months, the researchers found
• It is the oldest Known Angiosperm Tree. Carbon-14
that the incidence of dengue was 77% lower in
dating places the age of a specimen of African
areas where Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes
baobab in Namibia at about 1,275 years.
had been released, as compared to areas
• It has the potential of absorbing and storing water
without such deployments.
during the rainy season in its large trunk stem and
• This method does not only block the
produces concentrated nutrient-filled fruits as well
Dengue Virus but also many other viruses
as provides food, water, and shelter for humans and
present in mosquitoes.
animals during the dry season when most plants
struggle for water to survive.
India's efforts
• Since 2005, 9 of the 13 oldest African baobab
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also
specimens and 5 of the 6 largest trees have died or
has been working on a similar project developing
suffered the collapse and death of their largest or
a strain of Aedes aegypti containing Wolbachia,
oldest stems, which may have been caused by the
known as Puducherry Strain.
effects of climate change.
• The strain was developed at the Vector Control
Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry in
collaboration with Monash University in Australia
Angiosperms

• Angiosperms are a taxonomic class of plants

Dengue
• Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease
caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus),
transmitted by several species of mosquito within
the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
• There are four strains from Type I-IV, of which
Type-II and IV are considered more severe.
in which the mature seed is surroundedby the
ovule (e.g. apple). This group is often referred
to as hardwoods.
• Angiosperms are trees that have broad
leaves that usually change colour and die
every autumn. Oaks, maples, and dogwoods
are examples of deciduous trees. Some
angiosperms that hold their leaves include

85 I Articulate

rhododendron, live oak, and sweetbay
magnolia.
• Gymnosperms are a taxonomic class that
includes plants whose seeds are not enclosed
in an ovule (like a pine cone). Gymnosperm
means ‘naked seed’. This group is often
referred to as softwoods.
• Gymnosperms usually have needles that
stay green throughout the year. Examples
are pines, cedars, spruces, and firs. Some
gymnosperms do drop their leaves - ginkgo,
dawn redwood, and bald cypress, etc.
Source- Ghanaweb
SIGNIFICANCE OF DEAD CORAL REEF
Why in News?
According to recent research by the University of
Queensland (UQ), Australia, more life can be supported
by dead coral remains than live corals.
Key Highlights of research
• Method: Formation of three-dimensional-printed
coral stacks called RUbble Biodiversity Samplers
(RUBS) to survey cryptic organisms.
• The 3D-printed coral mimicked surrounding
reef rubble and invited unwitting reef
organisms to be monitored.
• By sampling the RUBS’ structures over time,
the team was able to identify changes in the
cryptic population.
• Findings: The researchers found the missing link in
the coral reef food webs. This data fills important
knowledge gaps, such as how small cryptic animals
support coral reefs from the bottom of the food
chain, all the way up to bigger predators.
• This also helped to know the importance of
dead coral reef rubble to the ocean ecosystem.
• RUBS technology provides a new opportunity
for reef management, particularly for reef
education and awareness.
Coral Reefs
• They are large underwater structures
composed of the skeletons of colonial marine
invertebrates called coral.
• Coral creates a hard, durable exoskeleton that
protects their soft body from calcium carbonate
present in seawater. These exoskeleton remains of
millions of corals pile up with time to form coral reefs.
• Corals have a symbiotic relationship with
zooxanthellae algae who live inside the coral polyp's
body and provide the coral with food. Zooxanthellae
is responsible for the colour of corals.
• Death of Coral Reefs- Coral expel algae become
stressed due to any changes, including pollution or
global warming, and get bleached which means the
‘death’ of the coral reef.
• There have been increasing concerns about
fast-paced coral bleaching due to the emission
of greenhouse gases and climate change.
• A number of global initiatives are being taken to
address the issues, like the International Coral Reef
Initiative, the US Coral Reef Task Force, etc.
• In India, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI),
with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is
attempting a process to restore coral reefs using
“bio rock” or mineral accretion technology.
Way Forward
• The study can help in studying the oceanic
ecosystem more holistically labelled.
• The research is certainly a lesson that even dead
coral reefs need to be preserved in order to protect
the biodiversity that remains.
• The understanding of the foundational structure of
coral reefs might inform efforts to create artificial
reefs, which may be a short-term solution to the
dying coral reef problem.
Source- Down to Earth
Cryptic organisms
• These are organisms that are morphologically
indistinguishable (identical in appearance) but
are genetically distinct. Many species that are
classified as single species but are found to be
genetically different are called cryptic species.
• Examples of cryptic species include the
African elephant. A 2001 study found the
elephants were actually two genetically
distinct, non-interbreeding species, the
African bush elephant and the African
elephant.
HURRICANE NANA
Why in News?
Atlantic Hurricane Nana has made landfall on the coast
of Belize. Belize is located on the northeast coast of
Central America.
Environment & Disaster Management | 86
 Project Dolphin
• The Project will be on the lines of Project Tiger,
• Project Dolphin is expected to be implemented
Source- Wikipedia
Tropical Cyclone
• A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone,
which forms over tropical or subtropical waters.
• It is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has
organized thunderstorms but no fronts (a boundary
separating two air masses of different densities).
Speed of Winds
• Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface
winds of less than 39 miles per hour (mph) are
called tropical depressions. Those with higher than
39 miles per hour are called tropical storms.
• When a storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74
mph, it is called a hurricane.
Measurement of Wind Speed:
• The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5
rating, or category, based on a hurricane's maximum
sustained winds.
• The higher the category, the greater the hurricane's
potential for property damage.
Formation
• There needs to be warm ocean water and moist,
humid air in the region.
• When humid air is flowing upward at a zone of
low pressure over warm ocean water, the water is
released from the air as creating the clouds of the
storm.
Features
• It has a low-pressure centre and clouds spiralling
towards the eyewall surrounding the "eye", the
central part of the system where the weather is
normally calm and free of clouds.
• Its diameter is typically around 200 to 500 km but
can reach 1000 km.
• The winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern
Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern
Hemisphere.
• A tropical cyclone brings very violent winds,
torrential rain, high waves, and, in some cases, very
destructive storm surges and coastal flooding.
PROJECT DOLPHIN
Why in News?
The Prime Minister announced the government’s plan
to launch a Project Dolphin in his recent Independence
Day Speech.
87 I Articulate
which has shown a positive response in increasing
the population of tigers.
by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change.
Gangetic Dolphin
Biological Name: Platanista gangetica
Features
• These are blind creatures and use
ultrasonic sound waves to locate
theirprey.
Location
• It is found mainly in the Indian
subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-
Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-
Sangu river systems. It is also found in the
Ganga’s tributaries.
Population
• The Gangetic dolphin census suggests that
the Gangetic dolphin population in India could
be about 2,500-3,000.
• According to the Ministry of State for
Environment, Forest and Climate Change
there are about 1,272 dolphins in Uttar
Pradesh and 962 in Assam.
Status of Conservation
• In the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife
(Protection), Act 1972.
• Endangered by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Most endangered( Appendix I) of the
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES).
• Appendix II (migratory species that need
conservation and management or would
significantly benefit from international co-
operation) of the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS).
Conservation Efforts:
• In 1986 after the launch of the Ganga
Action Plan in 1985, the government
included Gangetic dolphins in the
First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife
(Protection) Act 1972.
• This was aimed at checking hunting and
providing conservation facilities such as
wildlife sanctuaries.
• To conserve them Vikramshila Ganges
Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar
under this Act.
Why is it important to save dolphins?
• The construction of dams and barrages and
increasing pollution has led to a decline in the
population of aquatic animals in the rivers in
general and of dolphins in particular.
• Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of
river ecosystems.
• As the Gangetic dolphin is at the top of the food chain,
protecting the species and its habitat will ensure the
healthy functioning of the aquatic ecosystem.
Conservation Plan
• The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges
River Dolphin 2010-2020, which “identified threats
to Gangetic Dolphins and impact of river traffic,
irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on
Dolphins populations”.
• The National Ganga River Basin Authority (replaced
by National Ganga Council) in 2009 and constituted
a Working Group under the Patna University
to prepare a Conservation Action Plan for the
Gangetic Dolphin in 2009.
• National Aquatic Animal: In 2009, during the
1st meeting of the National Ganga River Basin
Authority, the Gangetic river dolphin was declared
as the national aquatic animal.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga
celebrates 5th October as National Ganga
River Dolphin Day
Source- India Today
BAMBOO CLUSTER
Why in News?
Union Ministry for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural
Development has inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters
in nine States. It also released a logo for the National
Bamboo Mission.
More on news
• Those nine states include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura,
Uttarakhand and Karnataka with identifying each
of them for making different bamboo products to
cater to both domestic and international markets.
Various Steps taken by government to promote
Bamboo
• Amendment to Indian Forest Act 1927- The Indian
Forest Act 1927 was amended in the year 2017 to
remove bamboo for the category of trees, as a result
now anyone can undertake cultivation and business
in bamboo and its products. Import policy has also
been modified to ensure progress of the bamboo
industry in the country.
• Easing Import- Government has modified import
policy to ensure progress of the bamboo industry
in the country.
• Skilling of manforce- Bamboo has been an ancient
tradition in India and it is now being supported
with modern technology. Youth are also being given
training for the bamboo industry.
• Setting up of Common Facility Centres close
to the plantations which will reduce the cost of
transportation and increase local entrepreneurship,
moving to a zero-waste approach.
National Bamboo Mission
• In October 2006, the Government of India
(GOI) had launched the National Bamboo
Mission (NBM) on the basis of the National
Mission on Bamboo Technology and Trade
Development Report, 2003.
• The restructured NBM was launched in
2018-19 for the holistic development of the
complete value chain of the bamboo sector
and is being implemented in a hub (industry)
and spoke model.
• Objectives
• To address issues relating to the
development of the bamboo industry in
the country, provide a new impetus and
direction and enable the realisation of
India’s considerable potential in bamboo
production.
• Connecting farmers to markets so as to
enable farmer producers to get a ready
market for the bamboo grown and to
increase the supply of appropriate raw
material to the domestic industry.
• It also focuses on upgrading skills of
traditional bamboo craftsmen as per the
requirement of contemporary markets
with a tie-up with enterprises and
premier institutes.
Environment & Disaster Management | 88
Way Forward
• States especially north eastern states need
to take forward the objectives of the National
Bamboo Mission which would contribute to self
reliance farming
• India should aim to establish itself in global markets
for both engineered and handcrafted products by
increasing the exports even further.
• Encouraging people to use bamboo made
household products in place of plastics.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLEAN AIR FOR
BLUE SKIES
Why in News?
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change has organized a webinar on the first-ever
International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
What is International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies?
• In its 74th session, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted the resolution to hold an
International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7th
September starting from 2020.
• Aim
• Raise public awareness at all levels—individual,
community, corporate and government.
• Demonstrate the close link of air quality to
other environmental/developmental challenges
such as – most and foremost – climate change
and the global Sustainable Development Goals.
• Promote and facilitate solutions that improve
air quality by sharing actionable knowledge best
practices, innovations, and success stories.
• Bringing together diverse international actors
working on this topic to form a strategic alliance
to gain momentum for concerted national,
regional and international approaches for
effective air quality management.
• Various initiative taken by India to reduce Air
Pollution
• Air Quality Index- Indian government has
launched the Air Quality Index (AQI) monitoring
and today we are tracking the levels of Pollution
on eight parameters.
• National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)- A brochure
on Integrated Measures to Combat Air Pollution
under the has been launched in the webinar.
• The National Clean Air Programme is
a pollution control initiative that was
launched by the Ministry of Environment
with the intention to cut the concentration
of coarse (particulate matter of diameter
10 micrometer or less, or PM10) and fine
particles (particulate matter of diameter
2.5 micrometer or less, or PM2.5) by at least
20% in the next five years, with 2017 as the
base year for comparison.
• Migration to BS- VI quality of diesel and petrol
to reduce the air pollution through vehicles.
What more can be done?
• City Specific plan- Avoiding one size fits all
approach there is a need for city specific because
89 I Articulate
every city has different sources of pollution.
• Encouraging e-vehicles- adopting e-vehicles in
place of petrol, diesel vehicles will reduce the air
pollutants to an optimum level.
• Effective implementation and enforcement of
existing environment law.
• Adopting environmentally friendly lifestyles on
a daily basis like encouraging carpooling, taking
public transportation in place or car and bike.
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS ON EIA 2020
Why in News?
The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteurs have
raised several concerns about the draft Environment
Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2020, and have
asked the government how its provisions correspond
with India’s obligations under international law.
Special Rapporteurs are independent experts
working on behalf of the UN. They work on a
country or a thematic mandate specified by the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The three important issues raised by UN Special
Rapporteurs
• Exemption from public consultation some clauses of
draft notification includes exemption of several large
industries and projects from public consultation
— as part of the environmental impact assessment
process — such as chemical manufacturing and
petroleum products; building, construction, and area
development; inland waterways and expansion or
widening of national highways.
• EIA's concern- These exemptions are
unwarranted given the substantial environmental
and human rights negative impacts that can arise
from projects in these areas.
• Unclear definition of strategic consideration- The
draft notification does not require publication of
information or holding of public consultation for
projects labelled by the Central government as
‘involving strategic considerations’.
• EIA'sconcern- The draft does not provide
clarification regarding the criteria for
categorizing projects ‘strategic’ by
the Central Government and hence
could be open to excessively broad
interpretations.
• There is a clause on “post-facto clearance”.
These are for projects that have started without
obtaining the required environmental clearances or
permissions.
• EIA's concern- This practice contradicts
basic principles related to the
environmental rule of law.
• The group has sought the government's response
to how the provisions of the notification are
consonant with India’s obligations under
international law.
 • India is a party to the Rio declaration (also TYPHOON MAYSAK AND TYPHOON
known as the Earth Summit) adopted by the HAISHEN
United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED) in 1992, which Why in news?
articulated a catalogue of environmental Two typhoons - Haishen, the first super typhoon of the
principles including sustainable development, 2020 Pacific typhoon season, and Maysak, recently hit
precautionary principle, and EIA. Japan and the Korean Peninsula.
• India is also party to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) and United
Nations Framework on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), which contain a requirement
What are Tropical Cyclones?
to have a prior EIA in situations having a
significant threat to the environment.
• Tropical cyclones are storms that develop in
• Other contentious provisions in the draft
tropical oceans at least 5-30 degrees latitude
• Limiting public consultation hearings to
north or south of the equator.
a maximum of 40 days and reducing the
• The storm is a rapidly rotating intense low-
submission time of public response from
pressure storm system characterized by a
30 to 20 days for any application seeking
closed low-level atmospheric circulation,
environmental clearance.
strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of
• Extending the validity of the environment
thunderstorms that produce heavy rain or
clearances for mining projects and river
squalls.
valley projects.
• Depending on where it occurs, it is called by
different names-
Way Forward
• Tropical Cyclone: in the Indian Ocean region
• These clauses and exemptions are unjustified as
• Typhoon: in the China Sea and the
well as undefined and the general public must be
Pacific Ocean
consulted.
• Hurricane: in the West Indian islands in
• Reduced forest cover and consequent
the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean
closeness of wildlife and related virus
• Tornado: in the Guinea lands of West
reservoirs (zoonotic diseases) to humans,
Africa and the southern USA
and more polluted air impacting human
• Willy-willy: in north-western Australia
health highlight the need to preserve the
environment.
• The government should focus on ensuring
access to information as well as awareness
about the public hearing and its impact upon Formation of Tropical Cyclones
the whole EIA process.
• There should also be a Social Impact The conditions favorable for tropical cyclone
Assessment to achieve sustainable formation are
development in true sense. • Large sea surface with a temperature higher
• “Grow Now, Sustain Later” should not be the than 27° C
priority of policy, as the notion is dangerously tilted • Strong enough Coriolis force to create a
against the concept of sustainable development cyclonic vortex
and with the EIA. • Small variations in the vertical wind speed
• A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-
level-cyclonic circulation
• Upper divergence above the sea level system
• Under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,
India released its first EIA norms in 1994, setting
a legal framework for regulating activities that
access, utilize, and affect natural resources.
• Every development project has been required
to go through the EIA process for obtaining
prior environmental clearance ever since.
• The 1994 EIA notification was replaced with a
modified draft in 2006.
• Earlier this year, the government redrafted it to
incorporate the amendments and relevant court
orders issued since 2006, and to make the EIA
“process more transparent and expedient.” Image source: https://geography.name

Environment & Disaster Management | 90

Difference between Tropical and Temperate Cyclones
Tropical Cyclone
Latitudes 10 – 30 degrees N and S of the
equator
Formation They form only on seas
Season Seasonal, most in August-October
Size Limited to a small area, varying with
the strength of the cyclone
Lifespan Last less than a week
Naming and Classification of Typhoons:
• Intergovernmental organization 'Typhoon
Committee' names typhoons that are contributed
by its 14 member countries, which include South
Korean, Japan, USA, and China.
• Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and other
US meteorological organizations use the Saffir-
Simpson Scale to classify tropical storms.
Saffir-Simpson Scale:
• The Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating
based on a cyclone's sustained wind speed. This
scale estimates potential property damage.
• Cyclones reaching Category 3 and higher are
considered major cyclones because of their
potential for significant loss of life and damage.
• Category 1 and 2 storms are still dangerous,
however, and require preventative measures.
Climate Change and Tropical cyclones:
• Human-caused climate change has played a role in
shaping the global distribution of tropical cyclones
in the past 40 years.
• Rising sea levels due to global warming make for
higher storm surges, which reach larger inland
areas. Higher temperatures also lead to cyclones
forming much faster.
• In 2020, South Korea has endured one of its wettest
and longest monsoon seasons on record, stretching
to an unprecedented 54 days.
• All tropical countries around the world today
are facing the brunt of cyclones and other such
climate-change related phenomenon.
CLIMATESMART CITIES ASSESSMENT
FRAMEWORK
Why in News?
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has initiated
the “ClimateSMART Cities Assessment Framework”
(CSCAF) 2.0
91 I Articulate
Temperate Cyclone
35 – 65 degrees N and S of the equator
Can form on land as well as seas
Irregular, but fewer in summers and
more in winters
Cover a larger area, varying from region
to region
Generally last for 2-3 weeks
Objectives
The objectives of ClimateSMART Cities Assessment
Framework are
• to incentivize a holistic, climate responsive
development in the 100 Smart Cities under the
Smart City Mission,
• to provide a clear roadmap for the cities and in
effect, urban India as a whole, towards combating
climate change (mitigation and adaptation) while
planning their actions, including investments.
Indicators of the Framework
The ClimateSMART Cities Assessment Framework has
28 indicators across 5 sectors, namely-
• Energy and Green Buildings
• Urban Planning, Green Cover and, Biodiversity
• Mobility and Air Quality
• Water Management and
• Waste Management.
Implementing agencies
The following agencies support the MoHUA in
implementation of CSCAF-
• The Climate Centre for Cities under the National
Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)
• Fit India Mission, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports, and
• The India Program of the Institute for Transport
Development and Policy (ITDP).
How is the assessment exercise carried out?
• The Nodal Officer appointed at the Smart City
Limited fills the ClimateSmart Cities Assessment
Framework form.
• She/he may be supported by the Data Officer Smart
City ULB’s, development authorities, and other
agencies responsible for providing the required
data, as prescribed in the form.
Outcomes
• The framework touches upon the following issues
necessary for a climate-resilient smart city
• Status and Benchmarking
 • Capacity Building
• Cross Learning programs in sectors vulnerable to climate
• Creation of Awareness change, particularly agriculture, water
• Citizen Engagement resources, etc.
• An environment of KPI-driven spending • Joint collaborative R&D for such future
• Circular Economy technologies
• The exercise is also a part of the Ministry’s focus
on the quality of life. The focus is clearly on the
community, the neighborhood, and the citizen;
and tangible steps that can be taken towards
WORLD BAMBOO DAY
clear impacts.
Why in News?
World Bamboo Day was celebrated on 18th September.
Need for climate-smart cities
The theme for the year 2020 was 'Bamboo Now'.
• Cities inhabit 3% of the planet’s land but account
for 60-80% of all energy consumption, and 75% of
the planet’s carbon emission.
• India is projected to add 416 million urban
dwellers by 2050 and by 2030, India is expected World Bamboo Day
to be home to seven megacities with a population • It was officially established to be held every
of more than 10 million. year on September 18, by the World Bamboo
• To manage this unprecedented growth and to Organization in 2009.
improve the quality of life for urban citizens,
there is a clear requirement for frameworks World Bamboo Organization
such as the “ClimateSMART Cities Assessment • It is an international coordinating body
Framework” (CSCAF). for bamboo practitioners, dedicated to
promoting the use of bamboo and bamboo
products for the sake of the environment
and economy.
Initiatives taken by India to mitigate • It was set up at the 1992 International Bamboo
Climate Change Congress in Japan.

• National Action Plan for Climate Change

- a comprehensive action plan which
The global Bamboo scenario
outlines measures on climate-change
• Bamboo grows in the tropical, subtropical and
related adaptation and mitigation while
temperate regions of the world with uneven
simultaneously advancing development -
distribution based on annual precipitation, altitude,
which includes 8 missions
soil conditions, and temperature.
• National Solar Mission
• Around 80 percent of bamboo forests lie in Asia
• National Mission for Enhanced Energy
with India, China and Myanmar having 19.8 million
Efficiency
hectares of bamboo.
• National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
• National Water Mission
The scenario of Bamboo in India
• National Mission for Sustaining the
• India is the world’s second-largest cultivator of
Himalayan Ecosystem
bamboo after China, with 136 species and 23 genera
• National Mission for Green India
spread over 13.96 million hectares.
• National Mission for Sustainable
• There are around 125 bamboo species in India, both
Agriculture
native and exotic.
• National Mission on Strategic Knowledge
• The principal bamboo genera occurring in India
Platform for Climate Change
are Arundinaria, Bambusa, Chimonobambusa,
• Paris Climate Agreement 2015 - As per
Dendrocalamus, Dinochloa, and Gigantochloa.
the Intended Nationally Determined
• Top bamboo producing regions in India are in
Contributions (INDCs) submitted by India, it
the Northeast India- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,
has committed to the following targets
Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura,
• Reduction in the emissions intensity
and in Sikkim, West Bengal.
of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030
• India’s annual bamboo production is estimated
from 2005 level
at 3.23 million tonnes. Despite this, the country’s
• 40% of cumulative electric power installed
share in the global bamboo trade and commerce is
capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by
only 4 percent.
2030 with financial and technical help
from other countries and GCF
Initiatives for Bamboo cultivation in India
• Additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion
• Bamboo clusters were virtually inaugurated in
tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030
9 states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
• Enhancing investments in development
Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura,
Uttarakhand and Karnataka in 2020.

Environment & Disaster Management | 92

• The Indian Forest Act 1927 was amended in 2017 to
remove bamboo for the category of trees, because
of which cultivation and business in bamboo and
its products are now possible without the need of a
'felling' and 'transit' permission.
• SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of
Traditional Industries) was implemented by the
Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
(MSME) which boosts traditional industries and
bamboo artisans.
• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs): 10,000 new
FPOs to be formed in 5 years, which will provide a
range of assistance to farmers like imparting better
farm practices, collectivization of input purchases,
transportation, and linkage with markets.
• Import duty on raw bamboo items has been raised
by 25 percent, which will help the domestic bamboo
industries like furniture, handicrafts and incense
sticks making, to support the local craftsmen.
• Common Facility Centres are being set up close
to the plantations which will reduce the cost of
transportation and increase local entrepreneurship
• National Bamboo Mission (NBM) is being
implemented in a hub (industry) and spoke model.
National Bamboo Mission (NBM)
• National Bamboo Mission is a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme started in the year 2006-07
which was later subsumed under the Mission
for Integrated Development of Horticulture
(MIDH), for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16.
• Objectives of the scheme
• Enhance the yields with improved and
new varieties.
• In the potential areas, increase the
coverage area for bamboo.
• Promotion and marketing of bamboo and
handicrafts made of bamboo.
• Establish coordination and cooperation
among stakeholders for the development
of the bamboo sector.
• Promote, develop, and disseminate
technologies through a perfect blend
of modern scientific knowledge and
traditional wisdom.
• Generate employment opportunities for
skilled and unskilled laborers, especially
unemployed youths.
• Benefits of the scheme
• The scheme benefits the farmers, local
artisans, and associated people engaged
in the bamboo sector, inclusive of the
associated industries.
• The scheme proposes to bring about one
lakh hectares under plantation, thereby
benefiting close to one lakh farmers
directly, in terms of the plantation.
• The scheme helps in cutting down on
the import of bamboo products and in
enhancing the income of the farmers.
93 I Articulate
• It creates a complete value chain for the
growth of the bamboo sector.
Timeline
2006: NBM was brought under the Integrated
Horticulture Development Mission during the year
2014-15 and was continued till the year 2015-16.
2018: Restructured NBM was approved by the GOI.
The restructured NBM aims to support the
development of the entire value chain of the
bamboo sector starting from planting material,
plantation, creation of facilities for collection,
aggregation, processing marketing, micro,
small & medium enterprises, skill development
and brand building initiative in a cluster
approach mode.
2017: To facilitate the benefit-flow to the farmers,
bamboo outside forest areas has been excluded
from the definition of ‘tree’ by amending Section 2
(7) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Importance of Bamboo
• Versatility: Bamboo is a versatile crop. It can
be used in different ways including as food, a
substitute for wood, building and construction
material, for handicrafts and paper.
• Against COVID-19: Bamboo has been a key
ingredient in new antimicrobial soaps and hand
mists developed by Filipino scientists to fight the
novel coronavirus COVID-19.
• In Green India Mission: With its unique ability to
stitch and repair damaged soils, bamboo can be
ideal for rehabilitating degraded soil to facilitate
Green India Mission.
• The National Housing Scheme (PMAY) can utilize
bamboo as a construction material.
• For export-led growth: Bamboo grown in the
Northeast (66 percent of the total growing
bamboo stock in India) can be exported to
East Asian countries like Japan and Taiwan
for competitive prices with the government’s
support.
• As a nutraceutical:
• Nutraceuticals are products, which other
than nutrition are also used as medicine.
Bamboo shoots are one such example. They
are the edible sprouts of the perennial
grass of Bamboo.
• The present global market for bamboo shoots
is around $1,700 million. More than 3 million
tonnes of bamboo shoots are consumed
across the world annually.
• The protein content in fresh bamboo shoots,
considered as a nutraceutical, can range
between 1.49-4.04%.
• They also contain 17 amino acids, eight of which
are essential for the human body.
 Pharmaceuticals Nutraceuticals

Pharmaceuticals are a product of scientific research Nutraceuticals are found in nature and have been a
that supports their claims for health improvement. part of our healthy diet for ages.

Nutraceuticals are found in nature and have been a Nutraceuticals are generally not sanctioned by the
part of our healthy diet for ages. government.

Pharmaceuticals can cause side effects on the body Nutraceuticals are generally mild and do not cause
due to them being synthetically developed. side effects.

Pharmaceuticals have patent protection. Nutraceuticals usually do not have patent

protection.

Pharmaceuticals come in standardized doses and Nutraceuticals are non-standardized and are
can be obtained from any pharmacy around the generally sold at health and wellness centers.
world.

Way Forward
• ‘Atma Nirbhar Krishi’ (self-reliant farming) can be
achieved with the harmonization of the National
Bamboo Mission and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
• The northeastern region could become the 'New
Engine of New India' with bamboo as a useful fuel.
Therefore, bamboo should be focused upon and its
industry be developed holistically.
ARSENIC AFFECTED HABITATIONS IN
INDIA UP BY 145% IN THE LAST 5 YEARS
Why in News?
Arsenic affected habitations in India have increased in
the last five years, according to recent data shared in
the Parliament.
• However, in India, the permissible limit
in drinking water has recently been
revised from 0.05 mg per liter to 0.01 mg
per liter.
• The source of arsenic in India is geogenic as
well as anthropogenic.
• Geogenic: Arsenic ends up in the water
by the dissolution of arsenic-bearing
sediments and silts into groundwater
aquifers that are in contact with arsenic-
bearing strata.
• Anthropogenic: The chemical
industries, along with mining, contribute
to the anthropogenic causes of arsenic
in groundwater.

What does the data say?

• Arsenic affected habitations in India have increased
by 145% in number, in the last five years (2015-20).
• Most of the arsenic affected habitations lie in the
Ganga and Brahmaputra alluvial plains (Assam,
Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh).
• Assam had the highest share of such habitations
(1853) followed by West Bengal (1383).
• Fluoride affected habitations have significantly
come down from 12727 in 2015 to 5485 (as of
September 2020).
• Rajasthan had the highest number of such
habitations (2956) followed by Bihar (861).

Arsenic poisoning

• Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition that Image source: https://socialcops.com

occurs due to elevated levels of arsenic in the
body.
• According to the WHO’s guidelines for drinking
water quality (2011), the permissible limit of
Arsenic in groundwater is 0.01 mg per liter.

Environment & Disaster Management | 94

 a cooperative synthesis of efforts of all stakeholders,
Fluoride Toxicity administration along with the civil society in a time-
• Fluoride toxicity is a condition in which bound manner.
there are elevated levels of the fluoride ion
in the body.
• Although fluoride is safe for dental health,
excessive fluoride may lead to dental fluorosis
(tooth decay) or crippling skeletal fluorosis,
which is associated with bone deformities.
• According to the WHO's recommendation,
a level of fluoride from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/L
(milligrams per liter), depending on the
climate, is suitable for human exposure.
• In India, an estimated 60 million people have
been poisoned by groundwater contaminated
by excessive fluoride, which is often dissolved
from the granite rocks.

Initiatives for potable drinking water in India

• National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM)
under the National Rural Drinking Water Mission
(NRDWM) to provide safe drinking water to
27,544 rural habitats where arsenic and fluoride
contamination of groundwater is rampant.
• National Rural Drinking Water Mission
(NRDWM) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme
(CSS) aimed at improving the coverage of
adequate &safe drinking water to the rural
population of the country.
• Drinking water is a State subject, and through
the NRDWM, the government provides
technical & financial assistance to the states.
• Community Water Purification Plants (CWPP)
under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide robust
water systems in groundwater contaminated areas.
• Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe
and adequate drinking water through individual
household tap connections by 2024 to all
households in rural India.
• The program will also implement source
sustainability measures as mandatory
elements, such as recharge and reuse through
greywater management, water conservation,
rainwater harvesting.
• Small water enterprises such as water ATMs
and community purification plants can prove
to be an alternative solution to the safe
drinking water challenge.
• Safe Water Network, which is a nonprofit
organization co-founded in 2006 by actor and
philanthropist Paul Newman along with other civic
and business leaders, to help address the evidence
gap in off-grid water systems.
• Paani Foundation, which is a non-profit, non-
governmental organization co-founded by actor
Aamir Khan, to work in the area of drought
prevention and watershed management in the
state of Maharashtra, India.

Way Forward
Less than 50 percent of the population in India has
access to safely managed drinking water. The issue is
large scale and widespread, and can only be tackled by

95 I Articulate
Science & Technology | 96
97 I Articulate
EARLY GALAXY DETECTED BY ASTROSAT
Why in News?
India’s multi-wavelength orbiting telescope, AstroSat,
has detected light from a galaxy, called AUDFs01, in the
extreme-ultraviolet (UV) light. The galaxy is located in
the Hubble Extreme Deepfield, 9.3 billion light-years
away from Earth.
Key Highlights
• This is the first time that star-forming galaxies have
been observed in this extreme UV environment.
• The discovery was an international collaboration by
astronomers from India, Switzerland, France, the
USA, Japan, and the Netherlands.
• Earlier, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
attempted but not succeeded. AstroSat/UVIT was
able to achieve this because the background noise in
the UVIT detector is much less than the ones on HST.
• These observations lasted for more than 28 hours
in October 2016, but it took nearly two years since
then to carefully analyze the data to ascertain that
the emission is indeed from the galaxy.
Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (DXF)
• It is a portion of space that contains
approximately 5,500 galaxies, the oldest
of which are seen as they were 13.2 billion
years ago, recorded by the Hubble Space
Telescope for over 10 years.
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
• It is a space telescope that was launched into
Low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation.
• It is one of the largest and most versatile
space telescopes to date.
AstroSat
• It is India’s first multi-wavelength space
telescope, which has five telescopes
seeing through different wavelengths
simultaneously — visible, near UV, far UV,
soft X-ray, and hard X-ray.
• AstroSat is a 38-cm wide UltraViolet Imaging
Telescope (UVIT), which is capable of imaging
in far and near-ultraviolet bands over a wide
field of view.
• It was launched on 28 September 2015 by
ISRO into a near-Earth equatorial orbit.
• It is a multi-institute collaborative project,
involving IUCAA, ISRO, Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research (Mumbai), Indian
Institute of Astrophysics (Bengaluru),
and Physical Research Laboratory
(Ahmedabad), among others.
INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE
Why in News?
An international team of gravitational wave
astronomers from LIGO Scientific and Virgo
collaboration have discovered a first-of-its-kind
intermediate mass black hole formed by the
merger of two massive black holes that resulted in
gravitational waves.
LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory)
• It is a massive observatory for detecting
cosmic gravitational waves and for carrying
out experiments.
• Its objective is to use gravitational-wave
observations in astronomical studies.
• The project operates three gravitational-
wave (GW) detectors. Two are at Hanford,
Washington, north-western US, and one is at
Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern US.
• The proposed LIGO India project aims to
move one Advanced LIGO detector from
Hanford to India.
What is unique about this collision?
• One of the two-parent black holes was of an unusual
“intermediate-mass”, which challenges traditional
scientific knowledge. It is the first “intermediate-
mass” black hole ever observed.
• It lasted less than one-tenth of a second.
• It was calculated to have come from roughly 17
billion light-years away, a time when the universe
was about half its age.
• Out of the two, the larger black hole was of 85 solar
masses and the smaller black hole was of 66 solar
masses. Post-merger they created a new black hole
of about 142 solar masses and energy equivalent
to 8 solar masses was released in the form of
gravitational waves, leading to the strongest ever
wave detected by scientists so far.
• The latest discovery will help scientists and
astrophysicists understand the formation of
extremely large black holes such as the present one.
Suggested Reasons for Unusual Mass
• The researchers suggest that the larger 85-solar-
mass black hole was not the product of a collapsing
star but was itself the result of a previous merger.
Black Hole
• A black hole is a place in space where gravity
pulls so much that even light can not get out.
The gravity is so strong because matter has
been squeezed into a tiny space.
• The concept was theorized by Albert Einstein
Science & Technology | 98
 in 1915 and the term ‘black hole’ was coined
in the mid-1960s by American physicist John
Archibald Wheeler.
• All the black holes observed so far belong to
two categories:
• First ranges between a few solar
masses and tens of solar masses.
These are thought to form when
massive stars die.
• The second is of supermassive black
holes. These range from hundreds of
thousands to billions of times that of
the sun from the Solar system to which
Earth belongs.
• In April 2019, the scientists at the Event
Horizon Telescope Project released the first-
ever image of a Black Hole (more precisely, of
its shadow).
• Gravitational waves are created when two
black holes orbit each other and merge.
Gravitational Waves
• They are invisible ripples that form when a
star explodes in a supernova; when two big
stars orbit each other; and when two black
holes merge.
• Travel at the speed of light, gravitational
waves squeeze and stretch anything in
their path.
• Proposed by Albert Einstein in his General
Theory of Relativity over a century ago.
• It was only in 2015, however, that the first
gravitational wave was actually detected —
by LIGO.
COMPONENTS OF BLACK HOLE
Source- NASA
CHANDRAYAAN-1 FINDINGS
Why in News?
The latest images sent by Chandrayaan-1 suggest that
the moon may be rusting along the poles.
99 I Articulate
Chandrayaan-1
It is India's first Indian lunar probe under the
Chandrayaan program. It was launched by the
Indian Space Research Organisation in October
2008 and operated until August 2009.
What are the findings?
• Presence of Iron ore- Data from the Mineralogy
Mapper (M3), indicates the presence of hematite at
the lunar poles.
• The indication of this finding is that even though
the surface of the moon is known to have iron-
rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of
water and oxygen, which are the two elements
needed to interact with iron to create rust.
• This evidence also overlaps with the recent
study of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) which has found
evidence of greater quantities of metals such as
iron and titanium on the moon’s subsurface.
• Possible Reasons Behind Rusting at poles
• Oxygen present on earth- According to
scientists of NASA, earth’s oxygen could
be driving the formation of hematite.
Earth’s magnetotail (elongated region of the
magnetosphere of the earth) ferries oxygen
to the moon.
• Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the
moon's poles are home to water that scientists
are trying to decipher.
Chandrayaan-3
• It is expected to be launched in early 2021.
• It will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2
and will include a Lander and Rover similar
to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have
an orbiter.
• Planned to land on the South Pole of the
Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on 22nd
July in 2019. However, the lander Vikram
hard-landed on 7th September 2019, crashing
India's dream to become the first nation to
successfully touch down on the lunar surface
in its maiden attempt.
Way Forward
• The findings will reshape scientists’ knowledge
about the moon’s polar regions. It also suggests that
the Earth may have played an important role in the
evolution of the moon's surface.
• More data is needed to determine exactly how the
water is interacting with the rock.
• This finding will also help other global lunar
missions to shape their research and reach a
common conclusion.
GRAPHENE MASKS
Why in News?
Researchers from the City University of Hong Kong
have produced graphene masks with an anti-bacterial
efficiency which inactivate the coronavirus species.
Key Findings
• Graphene Mask and Coronaviruses
• Initial tests on two human coronavirus species
showed the graphene inactivated over 90% of
the virus in five minutes and almost 100 per
cent in 10 minutes under sunlight.
• The researchers are also planning to test this
mask on the Covid-19 virus.
• Test on Escherichia coli, a pathogen that causes
bacterial infection.
• The researchers created a laser-induced form
of graphene and tested it on E coli. It showed
antibacterial efficiency of about 82 percent.
Most of the E coli were dead after 8 hours.
Production of masks- Researchers stated in their
report that the graphene masks are easily produced at
low cost, and can help resolve the problems of sourcing
raw materials and disposing non-biodegradable masks.
Graphene
• Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting
of a single layer of atoms arranged in two-
dimensional honeycomb lattice.
• Graphene is the thinnest material known to
man at one atom thick, and also incredibly
strong - about 200 times stronger than steel.
• Graphene is an excellent conductor of heat
and electricity and has interesting light
absorption abilities.
• Its thin composition and high conductivity
means it can be used in applications ranging
from miniaturised electronics to biomedical
devices like computers, solar panels, batteries,
sensors and other devices.
GIANT RADIO GALAXIES
Why in News?
Researchers at the Inter-University Centre for
Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Leiden
University, Netherland have found the largest sample to
date of giant radio galaxies (GRGs).
Giant Radio Galaxies
• An active galaxy that emits large amounts of radio
wave jets, powered by the galaxy’s supermassive
black hole, is called a radio galaxy.
• The largest radio galaxies, spanning mega-parsec
scales, are called giant radio galaxies (GRGs).
Black Hole
• A region of spacetime having a gravitational
field so intense that no matter or radiation can
escape is known as a black hole.
• The boundary of the region from which no
escape is possible is called the event horizon.
• In a breakthrough moment, scientists
obtained the first-ever image of a black hole,
using Event Horizon Telescope observations
of the center of the galaxy M87 in 2019.
Supermassive Black Hole
• A supermassive black hole is the largest type of
black hole, with a mass on the order of millions
to billions of times the mass of the Sun.
• Observational evidence indicates that almost
every large galaxy has a supermassive black
hole at the galaxy's center.
• For example, at the center of our galaxy (the
Milky Way) lies a supermassive black hole
named Sagittarius A*.
Detection of GRGs
Radio telescopes such as the Giant Metrewave Radio
Telescope (GMRT) in India and International LOFAR
Telescope (ILT) in the Netherlands, have been assisting
the confirmation of the discovery of new GRGs.
Importance of studying GRGs
• The study of GRGs gives important clues to
unveiling the physics and phenomenology of the
'black hole accretion process'
• Black Hole Accretion Process is the process in
which massive black holes accrete mass and
efficiency, and produce jets.
• The length of the radio wave jet illustrates how
powerful and active the black hole is. It also
speaks volumes about the environment density
of the galaxy.
Hence, it is essential to study GRGs, to unveil the
secrets of the universe.
METHANE HYDRATES IN KRISHNA-
GODAVARI BASIN
Why in news?
• In a recent study, it has been found that the
methane hydrate deposits located in the Krishna-
Godavari (KG) basin are of biogenic origin.
• The study was conducted by researchers at the
Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science and
Technology.
Biogenic Methane
• Biogenic Methane is produced from the metabolic
activities of methanogens.
• Methanogens are microorganisms that produce
methane as a metabolic by-product in hypoxic (low
levels of oxygen) conditions.
Science & Technology | 100
 • The ARI team has documented a predominance
of genus Methanosarcina in the KG basin,
followed by a few other genera Methanoculleus,
Methanobacterium.
• Methanogenesis is the chemoautotrophic process
in which methanogens consume hydrogen (H2) and
release methane (Ch4) as a by-product.
Methane Hydrate
• Methane Hydrate is a solid compound in
which a large amount of methane is trapped
within a crystal structure of water, resembling
a solid similar to ice.
• It is formed when hydrogen-bonded water
and methane gas come in contact under high
pressure and low temperature.
Krishna river
Origin Jor village of Satara district,
Maharashtra
Tributaries Right bank: the Ghatprabha, the
Malaprabha and the Tungabhadra.
Left Bank: the Bhima, the Musi and
the Munneru.
States through which it Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and
passes Karnataka
Krishna-Godavari basin
• It is the extensive deltaic plain formed
by two large east coast rivers Krishna
and Godavari in Andhra Pradesh and the
adjoining areas of Bay of Bengal.
• The on-land part of the basin covers an
area of 15000 square kilometers and the
offshore part covers an area of 25,000
square kilometers.
• Krishna-Godavari basin is a proven
petroliferous basin with commercial
hydrocarbon accumulations, having
large deposits of natural gas and
methane hydrates.
101 I Articulate
• Some other names for methane hydrate are
methane clathrate, hydromethane, methane ice,
fire ice, natural gas hydrate, and gas hydrate.
Importance of Methane Hydrates
• Rich source of hydrocarbons: Methane hydrate
deposits are believed to be a larger hydrocarbon
resource than all of the world's oil, natural gas and
coal resources combined.
• It is estimated that one cubic meter of methane
hydrate contains 160-180 cubic meters of methane.
• Clean source of energy: Methane is a clean and
economical fuel.
• Climate change research: The ice-core methane hydrate
record is a primary source of data for global warming
research, along with oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Godavari river
Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district,
Maharashtra
Right Bank: Pravara, Mula, Manjra,
Peddavagu, Maner.
Left Bank: Dharna, Penganga,
Wainganga, Wardha, Pranahita
[conveying the combined waters
of Penganga, the Wardha and
Wainganga], Pench, Kanhan, Sabari,
Indravati
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Smaller areas in Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka and Union Territory of
Puducherry (Yanam)
Image source: National Data Repository, DGH, Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas
DISCOVERY OF PHOSPHINE GAS ON
VENUS
Why in News?
According to a recent research published in the journal
‘Nature Astronomy’, phosphine gas has been discovered
in the Venusian atmosphere, which indicates the
existence of life on the planet.
Phosphine
• Phosphine is a colorless, flammable, and a
very toxicgas that is also explosive at ambient
temperature.
• Phosphine is known to be produced only
through biological processes, and not
through any naturally occurring chemical
process on Earth.
• The gas has been discovered in the
atmosphere of Venus in a concentration of
approximately 20 parts per billion.
The Planet Venus
Venus is the second planet from the sun and Earth’s
closest planetary neighbor. It is called the sister planet
of Earth because of its structure similarities with Earth.
However, its temperature and atmosphere make Venus
entirely different from Earth.
• Temperature: Venus is the hottest planet in the
solar system, with surface temperatures reaching
a scorching 471 degrees Celsius, hot enough to
melt lead.
• Atmosphere: The Venusian atmosphere is thick
and densely filled with carbon dioxide, generating
a runaway greenhouse effect. This is why Venus
is even hotter than Mercury, even after being
second from the sun in terms of proximity, while
Mercury is the closest.
Timeline of the discovery of Phosphine on Venus:
• 2017: Phosphine was initially identified in Venusian
atmosphere, based on the observations from the
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii.
• 2019: A more focused search was conducted with
more precise observations using the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array facility in Chile.
• 2020: Scientists confirmed the presence of
Phosphine on Venus, and announced the possibility
of life in the atmosphere of Venus.
How the discovery of Phosphine implies the
possibility of life on Venus?
• Theoretically, Venus should be hostile to phosphine,
since there is enough oxygen available on it to react
with and destroy phosphine.
• But phosphine was discovered in significantly high
amounts (as compared to the previously assumed
quantities) in the Venusian atmosphere, implying
that any phosphine reacting with oxygen must be
getting swiftly replenished.
• Phosphine is known to occur only as a result of
biological processes and not through any naturally
occurring chemical processes, indicating that
something must be creating the gas as fast as it
is being destroyed - a possibility of existence of
life on Venus.
Way Forward
NASA is about to pick new planetary missions to fund
as part of its Discovery Program — an initiative to send
small robotic spacecraft to explore various parts of the
Solar System - and is very likely to send mission(s) to
Venus for a follow-up exploration on phosphine and the
existence of extraterrestrial life. Its findings could be
life-altering for the human race.
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT)
• JCMT is the largest single dish astronomical
telescope in the world situated in the science
reserve of Mauna Kea, Hawai`i.
• JCMT is operated by the East Asian
Observatory. Funding is provided by the
National Astronomical Observatory of
China, National Astronomical Observatory of
Japan, Korea Astronomy and Space Science
Institute, and the Academia Sinica Institute of
Astronomy and Astrophysics of Taiwan.
• It is designed specifically to operate in the
submillimetre wavelength region of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
• JCMT is used to study our solar system,
interstellar and circumstellar dust and gas,
evolved stars, and distant galaxies.
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
(ALMA)
• ALMA is an international astronomical
interferometer facility located in the
Atacama Desert of northern Chile,
which observes electromagnetic
radiation at millimeter and
submillimeter wavelengths.
• It is a partnership between the European
Southern Observatory (ESO), the National
Science Foundation (NSF) of the US, and
the National Institutes of Natural Sciences
(NINS) of Japan in collaboration with the
Republic of Chile.
• ALMA is used to study the first stars and
galaxies that emerged from the cosmic
dark ages billions of years ago, study the
processes of star and galaxy formation,
and allow scientists to carry out research
on the complex chemistry of the giant
cosmic clouds of gas and dust, of stars and
planetary systems.
Science & Technology | 102
VAISHWIK BHARATIYA VAIGYANIK
• VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research)
(VAIBHAV) SUMMIT
Faculty Scheme
• It is a scheme of the Department of
Why in News?
Science & Technology.
Vaibhav Summit is to be inaugurated on October 2, 2020.
• VAJRA is a dedicated program exclusively
for overseas scientists and academicians
VAIBHAV Summit
with emphasis on Non-resident Indians
• Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit
(NRI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)/
is a collaborative initiative by the Department of
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to work
Science & Technology and academic organizations
as adjunct/visiting faculty for a specific
of India, to create an ecosystem of knowledge and
period in Indian public funded academic
innovation in the country through global outreach.
and research institutions.
• The aim of the summit is to reflect in-depth on the
collaboration and cooperation instruments with
academia and scientists in India.
• Plan of the summit:
• The virtual summit will be inaugurated on Way Forward
October 2 in the virtual presence of registered • Today we are witnessing outstanding contributions
academia and researchers from across the world. being made by the Indian diaspora in the arena of
• This will be followed by online month-long global academics and research.
deliberation sessions starting from October 3 to • A framework for systematic and objective-driven
25, among researchers through webinar mode. collaboration between international academia with
• The concluding session is planned for Indian roots and our own national luminaries under
November 2, 2020. the VAIBHAV Summit will pave the way for the
country’s advancement in academics and scientific
Significance of the summit research.
• VAIBHAV will add a new dimension to Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM).
• The summit seeks active support and ideation
from Indian Diaspora for developing skills of
Indian aspirants in alignment with the New
Educational Policy.
• The summit seeks to strengthen the “Atma Nirbhar
Bharat” initiative for high-end research in science
and technology.

Other Government Initiatives for the Indian

Diaspora

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA).
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on
January 9 every year to mark the return
of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to
Ahmedabad on 9 January 1915.
• It aims to promote the unity of overseas
people with the government of India.
• The contribution of the Overseas Indian
community in the development of India is
celebrated in this festival.
• Know India Program (KIP)
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA).
• KIP is a three-week orientation program
for diaspora engagement which
familiarizes Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)
(18-30 years) with their Indian roots and
contemporary India.

103 I Articulate
Internal Security & Defence | 104
ADMINISTRATION OF ASSAM RIFLES
Why in News?
The Delhi High Court has granted 12 weeks to the Union
government to decide on whether to scrap or retain the
dual control structure for Assam Rifles.
What is the issue
• Presently, Assam Rifles has the dual control
structure according to which administrative control
of the Assam Rifles is with the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) and its operational control rests with
the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• This dual structure results in lack of operational
coordination and disparity in pay and perks of
Assam Rifles personnel.
• Assam Rifles Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association
filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking its
intervention in the matter.
What is Assam Rifles
• Assam Rifles is one of the six central armed
police forces (CAPFs) under the administrative
control of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is
the oldest paramilitary force of India.
• The force is the only central paramilitary force
(CPMF) in real sense as its operational duties
and regimentation are on the lines of the
Indian Army.
• It is tasked with the maintenance of law and
order in the North East along with the Indian
Army and also guards the Indo-Myanmar
border in the region.
What has been the contribution of Assam Rifles?
• Role after Indian Independence- The post-
Independence role of the Assam Rifles
continued to evolve, ranging from conventional
combat role during Sino-India War 1962,
operating in foreign land as part of the Indian
Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in
1987(Operation Pawan) to peacekeeping role in
the North-Eastern areas of India.
• It remains the most awarded paramilitary
force in both pre- and post-independent India.
During World War I, the force was awarded 76
gallantry medals, including seven Indian Order
of Merit awards and five Indian Distinguished
Service Medals, for its contribution in Europe
and the Middle East during the conflict.
SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE: VIKAS
BATTALION
Why in News?
There are reports that the Special Frontier Force (SFF)
had been instrumental in occupying some key heights
along the Line of Actual Control. The action was taken
to prevent any occupation by the Chinese troops.
105 I Articulate
Special Frontier Force (SFF)
• Formation
• SFF was established on 14th November 1962
in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 Sino-
India war.
• After the 1962 war, the Central Intelligence
agency (CIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB)
decided to train a 5,000-strong force of
Tibetans for possible missions against China.
• The CIA had been involved in a covert program
to train Tibetan guerrillas to fight the Chinese
forces in Tibet since the 1950s.
• The SFF units, therefore, function virtually
as any other Army unit in operational
areas despite having a separate charter
and history.
• The recruits initially consisted of Tibetan
refugees hailing from the Khampa
community (now it has a mixture of
Tibetans and Gorkhas).
• It was previously named Establishment-22 as it
was raised by Major General Sujan Singh Uban,
an Artillery officer who had commanded 22
Mountain Regiment.
• Operate under
• SFF falls under the purview of the Cabinet
Secretariat where it is headed by an Inspector
General who is an Army officer of the rank of
Major General.
• The SFF is not part of the Indian Army and
reports directly to the Prime Minister, through
the Directorate General of Security in the
Cabinet Secretariat.
• Link with Army
• The SFF units are not part of the Army but
they function under the operational control
of the Army.
• The units have their own rank structures which
have equivalent status with Army ranks.
• They have their own training establishment
where the recruits to SFF are imparted special
forces training.
Major operations and achievements
• There are several overt and covert operations
in which SFF units have taken part over the
years. They took part in operations of a highly
sensitive nature: ‘Operation Eagle’ (Chittagong
Hills in the 1971 Indo-Pak war), ‘Operation
Bluestar’ (Golden Temple in 1984) ‘Operation
Meghdoot’ (Siachen Glacier in 1984), and
‘Operation Vijay’ (Kargil, 1999).
• In 1971, the SFF operated in the Chittagong hill
tracts in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) to
neutralize Pakistan Army positions and help the
Indian Army advance ahead. The operation was
code-named ‘Operation Eagle’.
• The SFF unit is also known as Vikas Battalion,
and played a major role in occupying the key
height, thereby thwarting attempts by China
to change the status quo at the Line of Actual
Control (LAC).
 Line of Actual Control
• The LAC is the demarcation that separates
Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-
controlled territory. India considers the LAC to
be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider
it to be only around 2,000 km so it makes
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) a disputed
boundary between India and China.
• The LAC is divided into three sectors: The
western sector in Ladakh, the middle sector
in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and
the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh. The
Eastern sector is called the McMohan line.
Source- Eurasian times.
ABHYAS HIGH-SPEED EXPENDABLE
AERIAL TARGET
Why in News?
Successful flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed
Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was conducted by
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) from the Interim Test Range, Balasore in Odisha.
ABHYAS
• Abhyas is a High-speed Expendable Aerial
Target (HEAT) designed and developed by
Aeronautical Development Establishment
(ADE), DRDO.
• It is a drone (UAV) that will be used as a target
for various missile systems.
• The air vehicle is launched using twin
underslung booster.
• It is powered by a small gas turbine engine
and has Micro-electromechanical MEMS
based Inertial Navigation System (INS) for
navigation along with the Flight Control
Computer (FCC) for guidance and control.
• The vehicle is programmed for fully
autonomous flight.
• The check out of the air vehicle is done using
laptop based Ground Control Station (GCS).
Source: DRDO
INDRA 2020 TO BE HELD IN ANDAMAN SEA
Why in News?
India and Russia are scheduled to hold the bilateral
naval exercise, Indra 2020, in the Andaman Sea, close to
the strategic Strait of Malacca.
More in news
• The Strait of Malacca connects the Indian Ocean to
the South China Sea and is 900 km in length and is
also a prominent trade route between East Asia and
West Asia-Europe.
• IOR is under high operational alert by the
Indian Navy due to the ongoing standoff with
China in Ladakh.
Exercise INDRA?
• The series of INDRA exercises between India and
Russia began in 2003 and the first joint tri-service
exercise began in 2017.
• In July Indian Navy conducted a Passage Exercise
(PASSEX) with the USA Navy’s USS Nimitz carrier
strike group in the Andaman Sea.
How China is influencing the IOR region?
• Recently, India has withdrawn from the
Kavkaz-2020 multinational exercise in Russia due to
the restrictions posed by the pandemic. However,
the participation of Chinese troops in the same
exercise is apparently the main reason.
• Indian Navy is keeping a close watch on the
movement of Chinese naval ships in the IOR
because their presence in the IOR has gone up
considerably over the years in the name of Anti-
Piracy patrols.
• In 2017, China opened its first overseas military base
in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
• China is also expanding its draconian debt trap
policy to the neighbour of India to empower its
string of pearl theory.
Internal Security & Defence | 106

The String of Pearls is a geopolitical theory
on potential Chinese intentions in the Indian
Ocean region. It refers to the network of
Chinese military and commercial facilities
and relationships along its sea lines of
communication, which extend from the Chinese
mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa.
category security cover of armed central paramilitary
personnel to a bollywood actress.
• VIP Security
• This protection is informally called “VIP
security”, and it is generally given only to
someone who holds a position of consequence
either in the government or in civil society.
• Few individuals, by reason of positions they
hold in government, are automatically entitled
to security cover which include:
• The Prime Minister and his immediate family.
• The Home Minister.
• Officials such as the National Security Advisor.
• The level of security needed by any individual is
decided by the MHA, based on inputs received
from intelligence agencies which include the
Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and
Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Source- Wikipedia
What are the various levels of protection extended to
VIP SECURITY IN INDIA individuals?
There are broadly six categories of security
Why in News? cover: X, Y, Y-plus, Z, Z-plus, and SPG (Special
The Ministry of Home Affairs has accorded Y-plus Protection Group).

Security Category Level of Security

SPG(Special Protection The SPG is only for the PM and his immediate family, other protection
Group) categories can be provided to anyone about whom the Centre or state
governments have inputs of a threat.

X Category The X category on average entails just one gunman protecting the
individual. It is the most basic level of protection.

Y Category The Y category has one gunman for mobile security, and one (plus four on
rotation) for static security.

Y plus Category Y-plus has two gunmen (plus four on rotation) for mobile security, and one
(plus four on rotation) for residence security.

ZCategory The Z category has six gunmen for mobile security and two (plus 8) for
residence security.

Z plus Category The Z-plus protectees have 10 security personnel for mobile security, and
two (plus 8) for residence security.

Security cover mandated the National Security Guard (NSG),

• There are various kinds of security cover even
within these levels. These include security of
residence, mobile security, office security, and
inter-state security.
• Some may have a threat only when they travel, so
they are given an escort force.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to provide
security cover.
• Protectees get residence security from state police,
but mobile security from a Central Armed Police
Force (CAPF).

Forces involved in VIP security? Payment for protection

• For VIPs other than the PM, the government has • On Assessment by the Intelligence Agencies-

107 I Articulate
 Anyone to whom the government provides security
after assessment by intelligence agencies, gets the
protection for free.
• Private Individuals- Those who apply for the
security but their case is not having consequences
on the government and civil society, the
government can charge a private individual for their
security cover even after assessing a threat to them.

Internal Security & Defence | 108

109 I Articulate
110 I Articulate Diversity, 
Art & Culture | 110
WARLI PAINTINGS
Why in News?
National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) a PSU under the
Department of Fertilizers has displayed Maharashtra’s
famous Warli painting on the outer walls of its
Corporate Office in Noida.
Warlis Tribe
• They are spread across Thane, Nashik, and Dhule
districts of Maharashtra, Valsad district of Gujarat,
Karnataka, Goa, and the Union Territories of Dadra
& Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
• The Warlis speak an unwritten Varli language
which belongs to the southern zone of the Indo-
Aryan languages.
Features of Warli Painting
• In warli paintings, there is a very basic graphic
vocabulary like a circle, a triangle, and a square is
used in these rudimentary wall paintings which are
monosyllabic in nature.
• Maharashtra is known for its Warli folk paintings.
• Its roots may be traced to as early as the 10th
century A.D.
• They show a resemblance to those created in the
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.
• Scenes portraying hunting, fishing and farming,
festivals and dances, trees, and animals are used to
surround the central theme of the painting.
• Women are mainly engaged in the creation of
these paintings.
Image source- Pinterest.
Warlis Adivasi Revolt
• It began in Zari village, (Maharashtra) in 1945.
• Due to the oppressive policies and exploitation
by the landlords and money-lenders, nearly
5,000 indentured tribals gathered and refused
to work on landlords’ fields until they received
12 annas a day in wages.
• Their resistance sowed the first seeds of
111 I Articulate
rights-based movements among the region’s
indigenous communities.
• The involvement of the women was
supported by the Kisan Sabha leader,
Godavari Parulekar, also known as Godutai
(elder sister) by the Adivasis.
PULIKKALI FOLK ART OF KERALA
Why in News?
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, Pulikkali will be held online
in Kerala this year.
About Pulikkali
• Pulikkali (Puli means Leopard/Tiger and Kali means
Play in Malayalam) is a recreational street folk art
performed on the fourth day of Onam celebrations.
Performers paint their bodies like tigers and hunters.
• The folk art is mainly practiced in the Thrissur
district of Kerala.
• The main theme of this folk art is tiger hunting with
participants playing the role of tiger and hunter.
• Another key event that takes place during Onam
is the Aranmula Boat Race, the oldest riverboat
festival in Kerala.
Some Other Art Forms of Kerala
• Uttam Thullal- It is a Comedic dance and poetic
performance. It was introduced in the eighteenth century
by Kunchan Nambiar, one of the Prachina Kavithrayam. It
is accompanied by a mridangam or an idakka.
• Talamaddale- Tala-Maddale is an ancient form of
performance dialogue or debate performance in
Southern India in the Karavali and Malnad regions
of Karnataka and Kerala.
• Kalaripayattu- Kalaripayattu or Kalari, is an Indian
martial art and fighting style that originated in
Kerala. Kalaripayattu is held in high regard by
martial artists due to its long-standing history
within Indian martial arts.
• Kathakali- Kathakali is a major form of classical
Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but
one distinguished by the elaborately colourful
make-up, costumes, and face masks that the
traditionally male actor-dancers wear. Kathakali is a
Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking
southwestern region of India.
• Mohiniyattam- Mohiniyattam literally interpreted
as the dance of ‘Mohini’, the celestial enchantress
of Hindu mythology, is the classical solo dance
form of Kerala. The delicate body movements
and subtle facial expressions are more feminine
in nature and therefore are ideally suited for
performance by women.
• Mudiyettu- It is a traditional ritual theatre and
folk dance drama from Kerala that enacts the
mythological tale of a battle between the goddess
Kali and the demon Darika. The ritual is a part of the
Bhagavata or Bhadra Kali cult.
Image Sources- Wikipedia and Kerala Tourism.
WORLD URDU CONFERENCE 2020
Why in News?
The World Urdu Conference 2020 is being organized by
the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
(NCPUL) from 27th-28th August 2020.
Historical Background:
• Urdu developed and flourished in Delhi during the
period of Delhi Sultanate (12th - 16th century).
• Then during the period of the Mughal Empire in
Delhi (16th - 19th century), several court poets used
this language in their poetry and writings.
• Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) - one of the most
respectable poets of his time - composed couplets
in the Urdu, which was then called Hindavi.
Status in India:
• Urdu is mentioned in the Eighth Schedule to the
Constitution (Article 344(1) and Article 351).
• Urdu is also an official language in states like
Bihar, Kashmir, New Delhi, Telangana, UP, and
West Bengal.
National Council for Promotion of Urdu
Language (NCPUL)
• Itis an autonomous body under the Ministry of
Education.
• It was set up in 1996 in order to promote,
develop, and propagate the Urdu language.
• It is the principal coordinating and monitoring
authority for the promotion of Urdu language
and Urdu education.
Diversity, 
Art & Culture | 112
MAHATMA AYYANKALI
Why in News?
The Prime Minister of India paid tribute to social
reformer Mahatma Ayyankali on his 157th birth
anniversary.
Who is Mahatma Ayyankali?
Born in the Pulayar community of untouchable people
in Kerala. He was a social reformer who worked for the
advancement of deprived untouchable people in the
princely state of Travancore, British India. His efforts
influenced many changes that improved the social
well-being of those people, who are today often referred
to as Dalits. Mahatma Gandhi referred to him as
Pulaya King.
His contributions to Dalit developments:
• His efforts uplifted the social status of Dalits by
ensuring our freedom to walk on public roads,
and Dalit children were allowed to join schools.
Ayyankali's efforts influenced many changes that
improved the social wellbeing of the depressed class.
• Ayyankali in 1893 rode an ox-cart challenging the
‘ban’ on untouchables from accessing public roads
by caste-Hindus.
• He also led a rally to assert the rights of
‘untouchables’ at Balaramapuram. The walk
Ayyankali took came to be known as ‘walk for
freedom’ and the consequent riots as ‘Chaliyar riots’.
• Ayyankali became a state protester for Pulayar
rights. Because of the protests led through
Ayyankali, in 1907 a decree was issued to confess
students from the untouchable network to
government schools.
• Inspired by Sree Narayana Guru, a social reformer
from the Ezhava caste, Ayyankali started Sadhu
Jana Paripalana Sangham (association for the
protection of the poor) which later raised funds to
start their own schools.
Constitutional and Legal Provisions Against
Discrimination of Dalits
Social Safeguards
• Article 17 of the constitution abolishes the
practice of “untouchability” and punishes the
enforcement of any disability arising out of
the practice.
• Article 21 guarantees the right to life and
liberty. The Supreme Court has interpreted
this right to include the right to be free from
degrading and inhuman treatment, the right
to integrity and dignity of the person, and the
right to speedy justice.
Economic Safeguards
• Article 15(4) empowers the state to make any
special provisions for the advancement of any
socially and educationally backward classes
of citizens, or for scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes.
113 I Articulate
• Through Article 16(4), the state is empowered
to make “any provision for the reservation
of appointments or posts in favour of any
backward class of citizens which, in the
opinion of the State, is not adequately
represented in the services under the State”.
Political Safeguards
• Article 330 provides reservations for seats for
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the
Lok Sabha (the House of the People), while
Article 332 provides for reservations in the
state legislative assemblies.
• Article 338 establishes the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Directive Principles of State Policy
• Article 46 states that the State shall promote
with special care the educational and
economic interests of the weaker sections of
the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall
protect them from social injustice and forms
of exploitation
• The SC and the ST (Prevention of Atrocities)
Amendment Act, 2018 whichprohibits the
commission of offences against members of
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
and establishes special courts for the trial of
such offences and the rehabilitation of victims.
INSCRIPTION FROM RENATI CHOLA ERA
Why in News?
A rare inscription has been found from a remote village
of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh.
Key Highlights of Finding
• It was found engraved on a dolomite slab and shale.
• Dolomite is a sedimentary carbonate rock
composed mostly of calcium magnesium
carbonate.
• Shale or mudstone is a fine-grained sedimentary
rock that forms from the compaction of silt and
clay-size mineral particles.
• The inscription was written in archaic Telugu.
• It was assigned to the 8th Century A.D. when the
region was under the rule of the Chola Maharaja of
Renaud.
What does the inscription reveal?
• The last lines of the inscription are indicative of the
priority given to morality in those days.
• “It says the people who safeguard this inscription
for future generations will acquire the status
of conducting Aswamedha Yaga, and those
destroying it will incur sin equivalent to causing
death in Varanasi”.
Renati Cholas
• The earliest of this family was Nandivarman
(500 AD).
• Renan Cholas were the feudatories of the
Chola dynasty.
• These kings claimed that they belonged to Karikala
Chola's dynasty.
• Their territory extended over the whole of the
Cuddapah district and the adjoining areas of
Anantapur, Kurnool, and Chittoor districts.
• They had the unique honour of using the Telugu
language in their inscriptions belonging to the 7th
and 8th centuries.
Chola Dynasty
• The Cholas ruled the central and northern parts
of Tamil Nadu from the 8th-12th century AD.
• Their core area of the rule was the Kaveri delta,
later known as Cholamandalam. Their capital
was Uraiyur (near Tiruchirapalli town) and
Puhar or Kaviripattinam was an alternative
royal residence and chief port town.
• The Cholas maintained an efficient navy.
Features of Administration Chola empire
• Chola empire is known for its local
administration at districts, towns, and
villages level.
• Uttaramerur inscriptions tell much about the
Chola administration.
• Village autonomy was the most extraordinary
feature of the Chola administrative
system. Nadu was one of the important
administrative units of the Cholas. Nadus had
representative assemblies.
• The heads of the Nadus were called Natters.
• The council of Nadu was called Nattavai.
Developmental projects to preserve the
historical heritage of the Chola empire
• Project Digital Poompuhar- Launched by
the Department of Science and Technology
(DST) to recreate the Chola Dynasty port city
(Poompuhar) in Tamil Nadu.
• The consecration (Kumbhabhishekam)
ceremony was held at the Brihadisvara
Temple after 23 years in Thanjavur, Tamil
Nadu. The temple was built by Chola emperor
Raja Raja Chola I (985-1014 AD) between 1003
AD and 1010 AD.
Source- The Hindu
SREE NARAYANA GURU
Why in News?
On 2nd September Shree Narayan Guru's 164th birth
anniversary was observed.
Who was Sree Narayana Guru?
• He was a social reformer.
• He has been known for transforming the social
fabric of Kerala and changing the beliefs of Keralites
in ways unimaginable at that point in time.
• He was born into an Ezhava family in the time when
people from such communities faced much social
discrimination in the caste-ridden society of Kerala.
Social reform movements
• He promulgated the “One caste, one religion, one
God" message and rejected casteism and promoted
new values of spiritual freedom and social equality.
• He worked for the spiritual and social upliftment of
the downtrodden by their own efforts through the
establishment of temples and educational institutions.
• He denounced the superstitions that clouded the
fundamental Hindu cultural convention of caste.
• In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva
at Aruvippuram which was against the caste-
based restrictions of the time. In one temple at
Kalavancode, he kept mirrors instead of idols; this
symbolized his message that the divine was within
each individual.
• He contributed many important literary works, the
most influential being Atmopadesa Satakam which
he composed in 1897.
• In 1904, he chose Sivagiri in Varkala to pursue his
spiritual deeds.
• He also founded an Advaita Ashram in Kalady.
• He stressed the importance of education for all. He
taught Sanskrit and the Upanishads to students
from all castes including the ‘low caste’ students
who were not permitted to study the scriptures.
MOPLAH UPRISING
Why in News?
A three-member committee established by the Indian
Council of Historical Research (ICHR) to review the
entries in the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom
Struggle 1857-1947’.
Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle
1857-1947.
• The book contains an account of the martyrs
from India’s First War of Independence in 1857,
to India’s Independence in 1947.
• The project for its compilation was
commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to
ICHR to commemorate the 150th anniversary
of the uprising of 1857.
Diversity, 
Art & Culture | 114
Issue involved
• A review report submitted to the ICHR by one
of its members in 2016 had recommended the
delisting 387 names including victims of Wagon
Tragedy and Malabar/Moplah Rebellion leaders Ali
Musliyar and Variamkunnath Ahmad Haji from the
Dictionary of Martyrs.
• The report describes Haji as the “notorious Moplah
Riot leader” and a “hardcore criminal,” who “killed
innumerable innocent Hindu men, women, and
children during the 1921 Moplah Riot.
Malabar Rebellion or Moplah Uprising or Mapillah
Revolt (1921)
It was an armed revolt staged by the Mappila Muslims
of Kerala against the British authorities and their Hindu
allies in 1921. The six-month-long rebellion that led to
the loss of about 10,000 lives, out of which 2,339 were
rebels, is often perceived to be one of the first cases of
nationalist uprisings in Southern India. The year 2021
will mark the 100th year anniversary of the Malabar
rebellion of 1921.
• Reason
• The immediate trigger of the uprising was
the Non-Cooperation Movement launched
by the Congress in 1920 in tandem with the
Khilafat agitation.
• The anti-British sentiment fuelled by these
agitations found fertile ground among the
Muslim Mapillahs of south Malabar living in
economic misery which they blamed in large
part on British rule.
• The British had introduced new tenancy laws
that tremendously favoured the landlords
and instituted a far more exploitative system
than before.
• Communal Turn
• The fact that most of the landlords were
Namboodiri Brahmins while most of the
tenants were Mapillah Muslims compounded
the problem.
• The Nairs formed an intermediate grouping of
the well-off peasants with their own economic
and social grudges against the Namboodiri
landlords but largely unsympathetic to the
economic travails of the Mapillahs.
• Non-partisan analyses of the uprising make clear
that multiple factors contributed to the character
of the movement. These included economic
distress, anger against foreign rule, and the
tenancy laws it instituted, and religious zeal.
Indian Council of Historical Research(ICHR)
• ICHR is an autonomous organization, established
under Societies Registration Act,1860 in 1972.
• It is under the Ministry of Education.
Objectives
• To bring historians together for the exchange
115 I Articulate
of views and promote coordinated research in
history and ensure its dissemination.
• To give a national direction to objective and
scientific writing of history.
The Wagon Tragedy of 1921
• In this incident, at least 60 prisoners
suffocated to death in a close freight wagon.
• The prisoners had been taken into custody
following the Mappila Rebellion against the
British in various parts of Malappuram district.
• It is remembered as the Jalian Walla Bagh of
the South.
Khilafat Movement
• It was launched in India in 1919 and led by
Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
• The demand of the movement was the
control of the Turkish Caliphate or Khalifa
over Islamic sacred places in the erstwhile
Ottoman Empire.
• The movement was supported by the Indian
National Congress to align it to the Non-
Cooperation Movement to unite Hindus and
Muslims against the British rule.
ROGAN ART
Why in News?
A 300-year-old craft tradition that once flourished
in Gujarat’s Kutch region The Rogan art is facing an
unprecedented challenge due to pandemic.
Rogan Painting
• The word Rogan means “Oil” in Persian with origins
in Persia.
• It is an art of cloth printing practiced in the Kutch
District of Gujarat.
• In this craft, paint made from boiled oil and
vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a
metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting).
What are the problems faced by craftspersons
• Much of the craft depends on two factors —
temperature and weather. If it is the rainy season,
the dyes take time to dry and it becomes difficult
to transfer onto the fabric. In winter or summer, the
design may dry before it can be shifted to another
fabric. Another issue is getting the density of the
paste as this can affect the entire design.
• Recent pandemic has destroyed their peak season,
which includes the tourist season from January to
April and again from July to September.
• The craft workshops and tourism to village had
to be cancelled. The raw materials, which had
been sourced for this crucial period, are also
lying unused.
116 I Articulate Mains Sample Questions | 116
1. Examine the ‘doctrine of basic structure’. Discuss
its evolution and significance.
2. Japan and India are partners in peace, with
a common interest in and complementary
responsibility for promoting the security, stability
and prosperity of Asia. Elucidate.
3. Discuss the features of a Tropical Cyclone. In what
aspects is it different from Temperate Cyclones?
4. In the light of recent arrests made under the UAPA
law, compare and contrast the idea of ‘national
security’ vis a vis the Right to Protest in India.
5. Illustrate the significance of Indian diaspora in
building India's global image. What measures
were taken by the Indian government to assist the
distressed diaspora during the Covid-19 crisis?
6. Critically examine the Labor Reform Code Bills that
have been passed through the Lok Sabha.
7. In the light of recent investigative reports that
led to the discovery of FinCEN Files, what do you
understand by money laundering? What are some
ways in which the law-enforcement agencies can
check such financial crimes?
8. What is the significance of Parliamentary Standing
Committees in the functioning of a democracy?
9. Recent skirmishes between the Indian and the
Chinese soldiers at Galwan valley have once again
laid bare before the world the sensitivity of Sino-
Indian relations in an evolving world order. Critically
analyse.
10. People protesting against the celebration of Hindi
Diwas often demand the declaration of similar days
for other languages in the Eighth Schedule as well.
Analyse the possible fallouts of such a step.
11. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has deepened
socioeconomic fault lines in societies across
the world. What measures can be taken by the
administration to alleviate some of these problems?
12. The buzzword 'Hybrid Data Warfare' has been doing
rounds since reports of China using such tactics
against India surfaced. Explain the term 'Hybrid
Data Warfare' and its growing popularity in modern
warfare and peacetime operations.
13. What are some issues facing the startup ecosystem
in India? Critically analyse the efficacy of programs
under 'StartUp India' and 'StandUp India'.
14. Elaborate the initiatives that can ensure sustainable
growth of the fisheries sector in the country as well
as boost incomes of dairy farmers.
15. Discuss the key findings of Export Preparedness
Index 2020 while mentioning the challenges that
117 I Articulate
Indian exports face.
16. Discuss in detail the newly mooted Supply Chain
Resilience Initiative (SCRI) of Japan and its impact
on India.
17. Write a note on UN’s guidelines on access to social
justice for people with disabilities.
18. In view of the pandemic, Parliament has said no to
Question Hour and curtailed Zero Hour. Explain in
detail the importance of Question hour and Zero
hour.
19. Discuss the contributions of Sri Narayana Guru in
social reforms in India.
20. Analyse the relevance of simultaneous election in
India in coming times.
21. Illustrate the role of parliamentary committees.
22. Geopolitical importance of Vietnam should not be
limited to Act East policy. Discuss
23. Explained the Role Of Development Financial
Institutions In Infrastructure Development.
24. What is a review petition? How is it different from a
curative petition?
25. "India aspires to become a major player in digital
education but it has a long way to go." Critically
examine.
26. The world is heading towards a fourth industrial
revolution which will bring new challenges to
bureaucracy. How will mission Karmyogi build Civil
Servants of India future-ready?
27. What is Sub-categorization of Other Backward
Castes (OBSs)? Why are voices raised to reconsider
them?
28. What is NITI Aayog's draft data empowerment
and protection architecture? How will it secure
individuals data?
29. What is the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship
Programme (SVEP)? How will it open a new way for
employment generation in rural areas?
30. Discuss the issue of “tribunalisation” of courts in
India.
Shubham Utkarsh (B.Tech)

is the author/editor of Articulate. With his profound

experience in news analysis for UPSC CSE, he is
responsible for the selection, development and editing
of the articles pertinent to the magazine.

Disclaimer: All rights and liability in the content are

that of the Author/Editor. Unacademy disclaims any
and all liability with regard to the content. In case of any
claims or issues please contact the Author/Editor.

Mains Sample Questions | 118

119 I Articulate
Shubham Utkarsh (B.Tech)
is the author/editor of Articulate. With his profound experience in news analysis for UPSC CSE, he is responsible
for the selection, development and editing of the articles pertinent to the magazine.

Disclaimer: All rights and liability in the content are that of the Author/Editor. Unacademy disclaims any and all
liability with regard to the content. In case of any claims or issues please contact the Author/Editor.

Mains Sample Questions | 120