14 July DNA BY JJ SIR

14 JULY
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THE HINDU ANALYSIS by J K JANGID sir
Gender Gap Index
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)
NASA’s Webb Telescope & the first look at the universe
Push for wider use of genomics in all countries
I2U2 can become a regional feature like Quad: Sullivan

India ranks 135 out of 146 in Gender Gap Index
Country is worst performer in the world in

‘health and survival’ sub-index: report
India ranks 135 out of 146 in Gender Gap Index - 1
We connect communities of leaders
around global issues through high-
level meetings, research, initiatives
and digital networks
• India ranks 135 among a total of 146

countries in the Global Gender Gap Index,
2022, released by the World Economic
Forum on Wednesday.
• The country is the worst performer in the
world in the “health and survival” sub-
index in which it is ranked 146.
• The Global Gender Report, 2022, which

includes the index, says it will now take
132 years to reach gender parity, with the
gap reducing only by four years since 2021
and the gender gap closed by 68.1%.
• But this does not compensate for the
generational loss between 2020 and 2021
as the trends leading up to 2020 showed
that the gender gap was set to close within
100 years.
• India ranks poorly among its neighbours

and is behind Bangladesh (71), Nepal (96),
Sri Lanka (110), Maldives (117) and Bhutan
(126). Only the performance of Iran (143),
Pakistan (145) and Afghanistan (146) was
worse than India in South Asia.
• In 2021, India ranked 140 out of 156
nations.
• The Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks

gender parity across four key dimensions
or sub-indices —
• economic participation and opportunity,
educational attainment, health and
survival, and political empowerment.
• It measures scores on a 0-to-100 scale,
which can be interpreted as the distance
covered towards parity or the percentage
of the gender gap that has been closed.
Other scores
• India ranks 146 in health and survival, 143
in economic participation and opportunity,
107 in educational attainment and 48 in
political empowerment.
• The report notes that India’s score of 0.629
was its seventh-highest score in the past 16
years.
• India also “recovered” ground since 2021 in

economic participation and opportunity,
though the report goes on to add that the
labour force participation shrunk for both
men (by -9.5 percentage points) and
women (-3 percentage points).
What is FCRA, the law related to NGO

funding?
• The MHA has deleted some data from the
FCRA website after which the list of those
whose licences have been cancelled is no
longer available.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has

removed some crucial data from the
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act
(FCRA) website.
• The information removed includes the
annual returns of NGOs and a list of NGOs
whose licences have been cancelled.
• The FCRA website used to maintain

detailed data on NGOs granted licences;
NGOs granted prior permission for
receiving foreign contribution;
• NGOs whose licences have been cancelled,
and the ones whose licences are deemed
to have expired.
• It also had the annual returns of NGOs.
• However, now the website only has overall
data on these indices.
• The registrations of about 5,900 NGOs had

ceased to be active after December 31,
2021,
• owing to either the NGOs not applying for
renewal before the due date, or the MHA
refusing their renewal for alleged violation
of the FCRA.
• On December 25 last year, the MHA had

refused to renew the FCRA registration of
Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity,
based on “adverse inputs”.
• The registration was, however, restored on
January 6, and Missionaries of Charity’s
FCRA certificate was made valid until the
end of 2026.
What is the FCRA?

• The FCRA was enacted during the
Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions
that foreign powers were interfering in
India’s affairs by pumping money into the
country through independent
organisations.
• These concerns were, in fact, even older —
they had been expressed in Parliament as
early as in 1969.
• The law sought to regulate foreign

donations to individuals and associations
so that they functioned “in a manner
consistent with the values of a sovereign
democratic republic”.
• An amended FCRA was enacted under the
UPA government in 2010 to “consolidate
the law” on utilisation of foreign funds,
and “to prohibit” their use for “any
activities detrimental to national interest”.
• Broadly, the FCRA requires every person or

NGO seeking to receive foreign donations
to be
(i) registered under the Act,
(ii) to open a bank account for the receipt of
the foreign funds in State Bank of India,
Delhi, and
(iii) to utilise those funds only for the
purpose for which they have been received
and as stipulated in the Act.
• They are also required to file annual

returns, and they must not transfer the
funds to another NGO.
• The Act prohibits the receipt of foreign
funds by candidates for elections,
journalists or newspaper and media
broadcast companies, judges and
government servants, members of
legislature and political parties or their
office-bearers, and organisations of a
political nature.
How is FCRA registration granted?

• NGOs that want to receive foreign funds
must apply online in a prescribed format
with the required documentation.
• FCRA registrations are granted to
individuals or associations that have
definite cultural, economic, educational,
religious, and social programmes.
• Following the application by the NGO, the

MHA makes inquiries through the
Intelligence Bureau into the antecedents of
the applicant, and accordingly processes
the application.
For how long is approval granted?

• Once granted, FCRA registration is valid for
five years. NGOs are expected to apply for
renewal within six months of the date of
expiry of registration.
• In case of failure to apply for renewal, the
registration is deemed to have expired, and
the NGO is no longer entitled to receive
foreign funds or utilise its existing funds
without permission from the ministry.
On what basis is approval cancelled?

• The government reserves the right to
cancel the FCRA registration of any NGO if
it finds it to be in violation of the Act.
• Registration can be cancelled if an inquiry
finds a false statement in the application; if
the NGO is found to have violated any of
the terms and conditions of the certificate
or renewal; if it has not been engaged in
any reasonable activity in its chosen field
for the benefit of society for two
consecutive years; or if it has become
defunct.
Which NGOs have been accused of violating

FCRA provisions?
• Several international and well-known
NGOs such as Compassion International,
Greenpeace India, Sabrang Trust, Lawyers’
Collective, Amnesty International, and Ford
Foundation have come under the
government’s scanner for alleged
violations of FCRA.
• Most have been accused of financial
irregularities or “political activity” for
cancellation of their registration.
• Amnesty was forced to shut its operation in
India in 2020 following investigations
launched by the Enforcement Directorate
in 2018 into its financial dealings.
• Amnesty called the government action
“witch-hunt of human-right activists…and a
crackdown on dissent”.
Has the FCRA been used to target certain
NGOs?
• Until 2011, there were more than 40,000
NGOs registered under FCRA in India.
• That number now stands at 16,000.
• Over the past few years, the government
has faced allegations of targeting NGOs.
• Over the past seven years, the Narendra
Modi government has cancelled the
registration of more than 16,700 NGOs.
• Over 10,000 of these cancellations were
carried out in 2015.
• The previous UPA government had cracked
down on NGOs following protests against
the Kudankulam nuclear power project in
Tamil Nadu.
• In 2012, the Manmohan Singh government
cancelled the registration of almost 4,000
NGOs — up from just four the previous
year.
• It was under the UPA government that

Greenpeace India first came under the
scanner.
• Also, Amnesty International, which was
first granted FCRA registration in 2000, was
not allowed renewal of its registration by
the UPA government
NASA’s Webb Telescope and the first look at the universe from 13 billion years ago
• President Joe Biden and NASA released

the clearest-ever image of our young
Universe, dating to the time soon after the
Big Bang.
• The United States space research agency

NASA said in a release on Monday (July 11)
that its James Webb Space Telescope
(JWST) has produced the deepest and
sharpest infrared image of the distant
universe that has ever been seen,
heralding a major event in astronomy.
• The JWST is the largest and most powerful
telescope ever built.
• Thousands of galaxies — including

the faintest objects ever observed
in the infrared — have appeared in
Webb’s view for the first time, all
captured in a relatively small area.
• “This slice of the vast universe
covers a patch of sky
approximately the size of a grain of
sand held at arm’s length by
someone on the ground,” the
release said.
• US President Joe Biden unveiled the image

at the White House, and said:
• “This is the oldest documented light in the
history of the universe from 13 billion —
let me say that again, 13 billion — years
ago…
• We can see possibilities no one has ever
seen before… “We can go places no one
has ever gone before.”
• The image released is billed as a “preview”,

and the other set of images will be
released at 10.30 am Tuesday, Eastern Time
(ET) or at 8 pm Tuesday, Indian Standard
Time (IST) on NASA’s website
(http://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages)
and social media accounts. Here’s what has
been found so far.
What can be seen in the image?

• Calling it “Webb’s First Deep Field”, NASA
said the image shows galaxies that were
once invisible to us. The image shows
shining objects packed together in hues of
blue and orange.
• Swirling, faraway galaxies — similar to
how the Milky Way looks — are also
visible.
• “Light travels at 186,000 miles per second.

And that light that you are seeing on one of
those little specks has been travelling for
over 13 billion years,” NASA administrator
Bill Nelson said of the image, the BBC
reported.
• “And by the way, we’re going back further, because

this is just the first image.
• They’re going back about 13 and a half billion
years. And since we know the Universe is 13.8
billion years old, you’re going back almost to the
beginning,” he added.
• Taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam),
the image was made by combining various images
at different wavelengths.
• The image shows the galaxy cluster called SMACS
0723, as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
• The combined mass of the galaxy

cluster acts as a gravitational lens,
magnifying much more distant
galaxies behind it.
• This will help researchers in learning
more about the galaxies’ masses,
ages, histories, and compositions, as
Webb seeks out the earliest galaxies
in the universe.
What is NASA’s James Webb Telescope?

• The telescope has been in the works for
years. NASA led its development with the
European Space Agency (ESA) and the
Canadian Space Agency.
• It was launched aboard a rocket on
December 25, 2021, and is currently at a
point in space known as the Sun-Earth L2
Lagrange point, approximately 1.5 million
km beyond Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
• Lagrange Point 2 is one of the five points in the

orbital plane of the Earth-Sun system.
• Named after Italian-French mathematician
Josephy-Louis Lagrange, the points are in any
revolving two-body system like Earth and Sun,
marking where the gravitational forces of the
two large bodies cancel each other out.
• Objects placed at these positions are relatively

stable and require minimal external energy or
fuel to keep themselves there, and so many
instruments are positioned here.
• L2 is a position directly behind Earth in the line
joining the Sun and the Earth.
• It would be shielded from the Sun by the Earth
as it goes around the Sun, in sync with the Earth.
What is the mission of the James Webb

Space Telescope?
• NASA says the James Webb Space
Telescope will be “a giant leap forward in
our quest to understand the Universe and
our origins”, as it will examine every phase
of cosmic history: from the Big Bang to the
formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to
the evolution of our own Solar System.
• The science goals for the Webb can be grouped into

four themes.
• The first is to look back around 13.5 billion years to
see the first stars and galaxies forming out of the
darkness of the early universe.
• Second, to compare the faintest, earliest galaxies to
today’s grand spirals and understand how galaxies
assemble over billions of years.
• Third, to see where stars and planetary systems are
being born.
• And fourth, to observe the atmospheres of

extrasolar planets (beyond our solar
system), and perhaps find the building
blocks of life elsewhere in the universe.
• The telescope will also study objects within
our own Solar System.
• The JWST will be able to see right through

and into massive clouds of dust that are
opaque to earlier generation visible-light
observatories like the Hubble Telescope.
• Another difference is that the Webb is
equipped with cameras and other
instruments sensitive to infrared or “heat”
radiation, and the Hubble is not.
• The expansion of the universe causes the

light that would normally be in
wavelengths that are visible to be shifted
to longer infrared wavelengths, normally
invisible to human eyes, The New York
Times said in a report.
• WHO report calls for plugging gaps in

financing, infrastructure
• The World Health Organization’s Science

Council, in its first report, has called for
accelerating access to genomics across the
world.
• The report argues that it is not justifiable
ethically or scientifically for countries with
lesser resources to gain access to such
technologies long after the rich countries
do.
• The field of genomics tries to use human

genetic material to study and research
cures and treatments for medical
conditions, and is used in a wide range of
applications in animal sciences, and
agriculture.
Expanding access
• After the WHO constituted the Science
Council of experts in April 2021 to provide
guidance on the science and research
strategy of the organisation, it identified
genomics as the focus of its first report.
• The report calls for expanding access

to genomic technologies, particularly
in low- and middle-income nations,
by addressing shortfalls in financing,
laboratory infrastructure, materials,
and highly trained personnel.
• Noting that the costs of setting up
genomic technoloagies are definitely
heading south, making them all that
more affordable, it is essential to
lower them further, it said.
• Harold Varmus, a Nobel Laureate and

former Director of the U.S. National
Institutes of Health, who also chairs the
Science Council said:
• “It is already clear that genomics can make
enormous contributions to human health,
from surveying populations for infectious
agents,
• such as the virus that causes COVID-19, to
predicting and treating a wide variety of
diseases, such as cancers and
developmental disorders.”
• WHO Chief Scientist Soumya

Swaminathan said: “Genomic
technologies are driving some of
the most ground-breaking research
happening today.
• Yet the benefits of these tools will
not be fully realised unless they are
deployed worldwide.
• Only through equity can science
reach its full potential impact and
improve health for everyone,
everywhere.”
• The report also makes a series of

recommendations addressing four themes
•— advocacy, implementation,
collaboration, and associated ethical, legal
and social issues
• — to promote wider use of genomics.
What is I2U2 that is holding its first-ever
leader’s summit today?
• ‘India one of the most strategically

consequential countries’
• I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE, and
the US, and was also referred to as the
‘West Asian Quad’ by Ahmed Albanna,
Ambassador of the UAE to India.
• The U.S. believes that ‘I2U2’, a group

comprising India, Israel, the U.S., and the
UAE, can become “a feature” of the West
Asian region, just like the Quad is for the
Indo-Pacific.
• This idea was articulated by U.S. National
Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on board Air
Force One, en route to Israel with U.S.
President Joe Biden.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will

participate in the first-ever I2U2 Virtual
Summit along with the heads of state of
Israel, the UAE, and the US on Thursday
(July 14), according to a press release by
the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• The grouping was first mentioned in

October last year by a senior US official,
who said the meeting will take place during
US President Joe Biden’s ongoing trip to
the Middle East from July 13 to July 16.
What does I2U2 stand for?

• I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE,
and the US, and was also referred to as
the ‘West Asian Quad’ by Ahmed
Albanna, Ambassador of the UAE to
India.
• Back in October 2021, a meeting of the
foreign ministers of the four countries
had taken place when External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar was visiting
Israel.
• At that time, the grouping was called
the ‘International Forum for Economic
Cooperation’.
What is the aim of I2U2 grouping?

• Its stated aim is to discuss “common
areas of mutual interest, to strengthen
the economic partnership in trade and
investment in our respective regions and
beyond”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is

scheduled to meet virtually with Mr.
Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid
and UAE President Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday.
• “And we think I2U2 can become a
feature of the broader region, just as the
Quad has become a central pillar of the
Indo-Pacific strategy of the United
States,”
• Mr. Sullivan told the travelling press as
per a transcript released by the White
House.
• His remarks were made in response to a

question on what the objective was in
bringing India “into so many issues” such
as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework,
the Quad and I2U2.
• I2U2, which was launched last autumn, has
been called the “West Asian Quad” by
some commentators.
• Mr. Sullivan said India was one of the most

“strategically consequential countries” in
the Indo-Pacific and therefore “should”
play a central role in U.S. strategy.
• India also had a long-standing relationship
with the Gulf countries and Israel, he said,
adding that the U.S. was looking forward to
Mr. Modi’s participation in the I2U2
summit.
• India and the West Asian countries in I2U2

could come together and work on agricultural
technology, an example of Mr. Biden’s vision for
West Asia, according to Mr. Sullivan.
• He said Mr. Biden had a vision for a globally
integrated West Asian region, one that is not
• “just focused on issues that have been top of
mind for American foreign policymakers over
the last 20 years — terrorism and wars”.
• Mr. Sullivan said there would be a

“significant” announcement around food
security and agricultural technology from
the I2U2 meeting, as this was an area
where there was a current crisis that the
four countries could come together to
address.
Russian oil
• With regard to price caps for Russian oil,
the U.S. is engaging not just with the EU
and the U.K. but also “key consuming
countries” and others, including India and
China, Mr. Sullivan said.
• The U.S. was being “transparent, direct,
and straightforward with the major
consuming countries”
• about reducing Russian revenues while

minimising economic disruptions globally,
in the countries concerned, and the U.S.,
Mr. Sullivan said.
• He indicated that the discussions were
unlikely to conclude in days.
• The G7 group of the world’s advanced
economies had agreed to explore the issue
of oil caps when it met last month in
Germany.

14 July DNA BY JJ SIR

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14 JULY

Gender Gap Index

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)

NASA’s Webb Telescope & the first look at the universe

Push for wider use of genomics in all countries

I2U2 can become a regional feature like Quad: Sullivan

Country is worst performer in the world in

• India ranks 135 among a total of 146

• The Global Gender Report, 2022, which

• India ranks poorly among its neighbours

• The Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks

• India also “recovered” ground since 2021 in

What is FCRA, the law related to NGO

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has

• The FCRA website used to maintain

• The registrations of about 5,900 NGOs had

• On December 25 last year, the MHA had

What is the FCRA?

• The law sought to regulate foreign

• Broadly, the FCRA requires every person or

• They are also required to file annual

How is FCRA registration granted?

• Following the application by the NGO, the

For how long is approval granted?

On what basis is approval cancelled?

Which NGOs have been accused of violating

• It was under the UPA government that

• President Joe Biden and NASA released

• The United States space research agency

• Thousands of galaxies — including

• US President Joe Biden unveiled the image

• The image released is billed as a “preview”,

What can be seen in the image?

• “Light travels at 186,000 miles per second.

• “And by the way, we’re going back further, because

• The combined mass of the galaxy

What is NASA’s James Webb Telescope?

• Lagrange Point 2 is one of the five points in the

• Objects placed at these positions are relatively

What is the mission of the James Webb

• The science goals for the Webb can be grouped into

• And fourth, to observe the atmospheres of

• The JWST will be able to see right through

• The expansion of the universe causes the

• WHO report calls for plugging gaps in

• The World Health Organization’s Science

• The field of genomics tries to use human

• The report calls for expanding access

• Harold Varmus, a Nobel Laureate and

• WHO Chief Scientist Soumya

• The report also makes a series of

• ‘India one of the most strategically

• The U.S. believes that ‘I2U2’, a group

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will

• The grouping was first mentioned in

What does I2U2 stand for?

What is the aim of I2U2 grouping?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is

• His remarks were made in response to a

• Mr. Sullivan said India was one of the most

• India and the West Asian countries in I2U2

• Mr. Sullivan said there would be a

• about reducing Russian revenues while