1. Quixplained: Why is there a coal crisis in India, and what impact will it have? READ MORE
2. A Nobel for crystallizing the climate change crisis READ MORE
3. Don’t just blame big-ticket projects for the destruction of the Himalayas READ MORE
4. Forest onslaught since Independence in India READ MORE

1. Recognising altruism: Good Samaritans can help reduce accident deaths, but road safety needs more work READ MORE
2. Tech-tonic shift needed: Demystifying system, FB whistleblower seeks stronger laws READ MORE
3. Why PM-CARES Is a ‘Government Fund’ and Well Within RTI Purview READ MORE

1. Simple truth: Selfishness repels, love attracts READ MORE
2. Don’t Be Judgemental READ MORE

1. Covid-19 and mobility: A behavioural perspective READ MORE
2. Inadequate social protection for children READ MORE
3. Learning disabilities: Schooling in India remains subpar READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Two scientists share Chemistry Nobel for developing tool for building molecules READ MORE
2. Explained: What is deep brain stimulation? READ MORE
3. Explained: Why has Moody’s upgraded India’s sovereign rating outlook? READ MORE
4. World Health Organization recommends first anti-malarial vaccine READ MORE
5. Textile industry welcomes PM MITRA scheme READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

GEOGRAPHY

1. Quixplained: Why is there a coal crisis in India, and what impact will it have? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Recognising altruism: Good Samaritans can help reduce accident deaths, but road safety needs more work READ MORE
2. Tech-tonic shift needed: Demystifying system, FB whistleblower seeks stronger laws READ MORE
3. Why PM-CARES Is a ‘Government Fund’ and Well Within RTI Purview READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Inadequate social protection for children READ MORE
2. Learning disabilities: Schooling in India remains subpar READ MORE

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A strategy for India in a world that is adrift: The country’s path to power will be affected by the geopolitical and economic centres of gravity now shifting to Asia READ MORE
2. Trade multilateralism at risk: The World Trade Organization is facing an existential crisis READ MORE
3. Russia and India are not allies. But they are close partners READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Why India needs an urbanisation policy READ MORE
2. Will NMP give infra investments a boost? READ MORE
3. Stable economic outlook: India still needs careful policy management READ MORE
4. To expand India’s strategic autonomy, we need to get back to high growth economy fast READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. A Nobel for crystallizing the climate change crisis READ MORE
2. Don’t just blame big-ticket projects for the destruction of the Himalayas READ MORE
3. Forest onslaught since Independence in India READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Simple Truth: Selfishness Repels, Love Attracts READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The uncertainty and changing geopolitical environment in the present world order clearly pose considerable challenges to Indian policy but also throw up certain opportunities. Discuss.
2. Institutional multilateralism would be the ideal antidote to unilateralism and economic nationalism. Comment in the light of challenges face by WTO.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Authority does not come from the loudest voice, but the wisest.
• The country’s path to power will be affected by the geopolitical and economic centres of gravity now shifting to Asia.
• Achieving a reduction in mortality on India’s largely lawless roads warrants determined action on several factors, beginning with scientific road design and standards, and zero tolerance enforcement.
• A policy is needed to guide the planning and management of cities towards enabling India’s growth ambitions and also giving its residents a good quality of life, in a sustainable manner.
• The success of the National Monetisation Pipeline will hinge on optimal structuring and timely implementation.
• Forests prevent soil erosion and reduce the effects of climate change. However, in spite of our reliance on forests, we are still destroying them.
• There is a dire need for global social protection reforms for children in order to mitigate child labour, abuse and exploitation across the world.
• A higher and stable tax-to-GDP ratio will not only enable the government to spend more on capacity creation but also improve India’s fiscal profile. This would surely be ratings positive.
• India needs to integrate with the global economy. But first, it must become the engine of growth for the entire sub-continent.

50- WORD TALK

• Pandora Papers show how the rich and famous, as also the notorious, many of whom are already under investigation in their home countries, set up complex multi-layer structures to take advantage of easy tax laws and tight secrecy rules. The trusts, many of which are genuine, have been set up with the aim of hiding the real identity of their owners so as to shield the assets from creditors and law enforcers.
• Worried by the harmful impact on young users, voices calling for FB to thwart its plans to launch the Instagram version for kids are already rightly gaining ground. Lawmakers across the planet are perked up to the need for strengthening regulatory mechanisms in the field of technology. The tech giants must simultaneously check their greed-induced moral bankruptcy. Moral upgradation is the key to a caring and responsible system.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. Indian cities among places with highest rise in exposure to extreme heat: Study READ MORE  
2. Waste management: Push the 4R principle READ MORE
3. Why plastic piling in oceans post COVID-19 needs urgent attention READ MORE

1. The Met on the mat READ MORE
2. NIRF ranking does not give full picture of higher education in India READ MORE
3. Explained: The anti-defection law, and how it has often failed to discourage defection READ MORE
4. On Digital Health ID, proceed with caution READ MORE
5. “Sub Judice” Not a Ground to Curtail the Right to Protest a Parliamentary Law READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. FIFTH EDITION OF JAPAN-INDIA BILATERAL MARITIME EXERCISE ‘JIMEX’ READ MORE
2. Nobel physics prize goes to 3 for climate discoveries READ MORE
3. Explained | Facebook’s virtual disappearing act READ MORE
4. Reserve Bank of India grants a licence to NARCL under Sarfaesi Act READ MORE
5. Health benefits package under Ayushman Bharat revised READ MORE
6. What Joe Biden told new Japan PM on the dispute with China over Senkaku islands READ MORE

Main Exam 

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The Met on the mat READ MORE
2. NIRF ranking does not give full picture of higher education in India READ MORE
3. Explained: The anti-defection law, and how it has often failed to discourage defection READ MORE
4. On Digital Health ID, proceed with caution READ MORE
5. “Sub Judice” Not a Ground to Curtail the Right to Protest a Parliamentary Law READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Covid-19 and mobility: A behavioural perspective READ MORE

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Why India needs a refugee law READ MORE
2. As China redesigns its tech strategy, Quad’s tech cooperation must succeed READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. RBI microfinance proposals that are anti-poor READ MORE
2. How to make public debt sustainable READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Indian cities among places with highest rise in exposure to extreme heat: Study READ MORE  
2. Waste management: Push the 4R principle READ MORE
3. Why plastic piling in oceans post COVID-19 needs urgent attention READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Indo-US remarks point to joint terror fight READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Simple truth: Selfishness repels, love attracts READ MORE
2. Don’t Be Judgemental READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘A sustainable refugee policy is a necessary step to intelligently manage population movements and ensure transparency and predictability in our administrative actions’. Analyse the statement in light of recent developments.
2. NIRF ranking does not give the full picture of higher education in India and it should be reformed according to a global standards. Examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• NIRF is based on limited parameters and seems to be committing the same sin that the global rankings systems were once accused of — a one-size-fits-all approach.
• A sustainable refugee policy is a necessary step to intelligently manage population movements and ensure transparency and predictability in our administrative actions.
• Government must weigh all pros and cons, learn from the experiences of other countries to ensure that a good policy does not die due to poor implementation.
• The Supreme Court of India on October 4 said it would decide whether the right to protest was an absolute right and whether a party before it, having already invoked a legal remedy, could still protest against a matter which is sub-judice.
• Robust expenditure planning, privatising loss-making PSUs, reducing dependence on fossil fuels are among steps that will help.
• There needs to be more clarity from the Supreme Court on people’s right to protest.

50- WORD TALK

• There’s a lot of talk about air pollution in Indian cities, but almost none on noise. Now, minister Nitin Gadkari is complicating this cacophony by asking us to add Indian music as car horns. What’s next? Blowing shankh or playing patriotic songs? Focus on cutting down honking, not cultural signaling.
• It’s one year since journalist Siddique Kappan was jailed and the keys thrown away. The Supreme Court took six months to hear habeas corpus petition for his release. This delay allowed the prosecution to build a case against Kappan with a 5000-page chargesheet of exaggerated claims, rendering the hearing infructuous.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. PRODUCTIVITY LINKED BONUS TO RAILWAY EMPLOYEES

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet approved the Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for the financial year 2020-21 for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees (excluding RPF/RPSF personnel).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The financial implication of payment of 78 days’ PLB to railway employees has been estimated to be Rs.1984.73 crore.
• The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB to the eligible non-gazetted railway employees is Rs.7000/- p.m. The maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs. 17,951 for 78 days.
• About 11.56 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees are likely to benefit from the decision.
• Payment of PLB to eligible railway employees is made each year before the Dusshera/ Puja holidays. The decision of the Cabinet shall be implemented before the holidays for this year as background.
• Railways were the first departmental undertaking of the Government of India wherein the concept of PLB was introduced in the year 1979-80.
• The main consideration at that time was the important role of the Railways as an infrastructural support in the economy’s performance as a whole. In the overall context of Railway working, it was considered desirable to introduce the concept of PLB as against the concept of Bonus on the lines of ‘The Payment of Bonus Act -1965’.
• Even though the Payment of Bonus Act does not apply to the Railways, yet the broad principles contained in that Act were kept in view for the purpose of determining the “Wage/Pay Ceiling”, definition of ‘Salary’/’Wage’, etc.
• The PLB Scheme for the Railways came into force from the year 1979-80 and was evolved in consultation with the two recognized Federations, namely, All India Railwaymen’s Federation and National Federation of Indian Railwaymen and with the approval of the Cabinet. The scheme envisages a review every three years.

SOURCE: PIB

2. PM MITRA PARKS

THE CONTEXT:   The Government has approved the setting up of 7 PM MITRA parks as announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22.

THE EXPLANATION: 

• PM MITRA is inspired by the 5F vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. The ‘5F’ Formula encompasses – Farm to fibre, fibre to the factory, factory to fashion, fashion to foreign.
• This integrated vision will help to further the growth of the textile sector in the economy. No competing nation has a complete textile ecosystem like ours, and India is strong in all five Fs.
• The 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) will be set up at Greenfield / Brownfield sites located in different willing States.
• The PM MITRA parks will have the following:
• Core Infrastructure: Incubation Centre & Plug & Play facility, Developed Factory Sites, Roads, Power, Water and Waste Water system, Common Processing House & CETP and other related facilities, e.g. Design Centre, Testing Centres etc.
• Support Infrastructure: Workers’ hostels & housing, logistics park, warehousing, medical, training & skill development facilities
• PM MITRA will develop 50% Area for pure Manufacturing Activity, 20%area for utilities, and 10% of the area for commercial development. A schematic representation of the PM MITRA is illustrated below:

SOURCE: PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

3. INDIA’S NEWEST TIGER RESERVE

THE CONTEXT: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved the Chhattisgarh government’s proposal to declare the combined areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve.

THE EXPLANATION: 

• The new Reserve is located in the northern part of the state, bordering Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. This will be the fourth Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh, after the Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar, and Indravati Reserves.
• The proposal was considered by the 11th Technical Committee of the NTCA on September 1, and approval was granted a month later under Section 38V (1) of The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (“Tiger Conservation Plan: The State Government shall, on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority, notify an area as a tiger reserve.”)
• The Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary was identified as part of the Sarguja Jashpur Elephant Reserve in 2011.
• The Guru Ghasidas National Park used to be part of the Sanjay National Park in undivided Madhya Pradesh. Both were identified as reserve forests and had been in line to be notified as Tiger Reserve since 2011.
• Guru Ghasidas National Park was the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah in the country.
• Originally part of the Sanjay Dubri National Park, Guru Ghasidas Park was created as a separate entity in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja region after the formation of the state in 2001.
• Wildlife experts and activists believe that turning Guru Ghasidas into a Tiger Reserve is essential because it connects Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and provides a corridor for tigers to move between the Bandhavgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserves.
• Bhoramdeo, on the other hand, connects the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh with the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and, experts say, the decision to create a Tiger Reserve at Guru Ghasidas National Park should not affect attempts to notify Bhoramdeo as a Tiger Reserve too.

SOURCE: IE

INDIAN ECONOMY

4. COAL SHORTAGE 

THE CONTEXT: India’s thermal power plants face a severe coal shortage, with coal stocks coming down to an average of four days of fuel across an increasing number of thermal stations. Union Power Minister has said that while the supply crunch has not yet led to any power cuts in the country, the coal supply situation is likely to be “uncomfortable” for up to six months.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The average level of coal stocks at an increasing number of India’s thermal power plants have come down to four days’ worth of stock compared to the government recommendation that thermal power plants hold 14 days’ worth of coal stock.
• India’s coal-fired thermal power plants account for 208.8 GW, or 54 per cent of India’s 388 GW installed generation capacity.
• As the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with supply issues, a sharp uptick in power demand has led to the current coal shortage.
• Coal-fired thermal power plants have also supplied a higher proportion of the increase in demand leading to the share of thermal power in India’s power mix increasing to 66.4% from 61.9% in 2019.
• The government has connected an additional 28.2 million households, and these households are buying lights, fans and television sets, leading to an increase in power demand.
• The trend for higher daily demand continues with total demand for power in the country hitting 174 GW on October 4, up 15 GW from the same day in 2020.
• Other key reasons for the supply crunch include lower than normal stock accumulation by thermal power plants in the April-June period and continuous rainfall in coal-bearing areas in August and September, leading to lower production and fewer despatches of coal from coal mines.
• A consistent move to lower imports coupled with high international prices of coal has also led to plants cutting imports.
• An inter-ministerial team, including representatives of the Power and Railway Ministries, Coal India Ltd, the Central Electricity Authority and Power System Operation Corporation, monitors the supply of coal to thermal power plants.
• The government is pressing thermal plants with captive coal mines to boost their coal output to meet more of their demand. It is also prioritizing coal supplies for thermal power plants with low stock levels.
• The Power Ministry is also trying to increase the coal supply by expediting the start of production from several mines that already have all requisite clearances in place.

SOURCE: IE

5. MOODY UPGRADED INDIA’S SOVEREIGN RATING OUTLOOK

THE CONTEXT:  Asserting that India’s downside risks from negative feedback between the real economy and financial system are receding, rating agency Moody’s changed India’s sovereign rating outlook from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’, while affirming the country’s foreign-currency and local-currency long-term issuer ratings at Baa3.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Last year, Moody’s downgraded India’s sovereign rating from ‘Baa2’ to ‘Baa3’, the lowest investment grade, saying there will be challenges in implementing policies to mitigate risks of a sustained period of low growth and deteriorating fiscal position. The outlook on the rating was kept negative.

WHAT LED TO AN UPGRADE IN THE RATING AGENCY’S OUTLOOK?

• Banks and non-bank financial institutions pose a much lesser risk to the sovereign with higher capital cushions and greater liquidity than Moody’s previously anticipated.
• While risks stemming from a high debt burden and weak debt affordability remain, Moody’s expects that the economic environment will allow for a gradual reduction of the general government fiscal deficit over the next few years, preventing further deterioration of the sovereign credit profile.

WHAT IS MOODY’S ASSESSMENT OF GROWTH?

• Following a profound contraction of 7.3 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 2021, India’s real GDP is expected to surpass 2019 levels this fiscal year, rebounding to a growth rate of 9.3 per cent, followed by 7.9 per cent in fiscal 2022.
• Looking ahead, Moody’s expects real GDP growth to average around 6 per cent over the medium term.
• Some analysts argued that Moody’s had underestimated India’s potential of natural GDP expansion in the medium term, as there are enough levers for higher growth.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE UPGRADE?

• Since overseas borrowing costs are tied to a country’s rating and the agencies’ outlook on the nation, an upgrade usually helps lower borrowing costs for the government and the corporate sector.
• With chances of default receding and improvement in overall debt serviceability, foreign investors take comfort in subscribing to government and corporate bonds at lower rates.

SOURCE: IE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

THE CONTEXT:  Physicians at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have successfully treated a patient with severe depression by recognizing and tapping into the brain circuits linked with depressive brain patterns.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The work, which represents a landmark in the use of neuroscience to treat psychiatric disorders, has been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
• The doctors used an existing technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS), customizing it for this patient’s case. DBS is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted into certain brain areas.
• These electrodes, or leads, generate electrical impulses that control abnormal brain activity.
• Conditions that are traditionally treated using DBS include dystonia, epilepsy, essential tumour, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Parkinson’s disease. In treating depression, however, previous clinical trials with DBS have shown limited success because most devices can only deliver constant electrical stimulation to one area of the brain, UCSF noted in a press release.
• During this treatment, UCSF physicians customized a new DBS device, stimulating the brain whenever it recognized the depressive pattern.
• Additionally, the team of physicians had also found a neural biomarker that indicated the onset of symptoms. Using the customized DBS device, they stimulated a different area of the brain, which in turn created immediate therapy for the brain.

SOURCE: IE

7. NOBEL PRIZE 2021 IN CHEMISTRY

THE CONTEXT: German Benjamin List and Scottish-born David MacMillan won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to develop asymmetric organocatalysis, a “new and ingenious tool for molecule building”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Organic catalysts can be used to drive multitudes of chemical reactions. Researchers can now more efficiently construct anything from new pharmaceuticals to molecules that can capture light in solar cells using these reactions.
• These catalysts were both environmentally friendly and cheap to produce.

SOURCE: IE

8. WHO RECOMMENDS THE FIRST ANTI-MALARIAL VACCINE

THE CONTEXT:  In a historic move, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the first anti-malarial vaccine, as mankind enters a key turning point in a battle waged relentlessly over decades between man and mosquito, the vector.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It was recommending the widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission
• It is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.
• The development comes when the WHO and its partners have reported stagnation in progress against the disease that kills more than 2,60,000 African children under the age of five annually.
• Malaria remains a primary cause of childhood illness and death in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the WHO.

SOURCE: TH

MISCELLANEOUS

9. HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX

THE CONTEXT: India’s rank has slipped by six places from last year to 90 on the Henley Passport Index, which lists the world’s most travel-friendly passports.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Prepared by Henley and Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, the Henley Passport Index claims to be the “original ranking of all the world’s passports”. The index covers 227 destinations and 199 passports.
• The Henley Passport Index comes when countries are easing travel rules for international visitors after almost two years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The index ranks countries’ passports according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa. The rankings are based on the analysis of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.
• Japan and Singapore stood at the top of this year’s list, with their passports holders allowed to travel visa-free to 192 countries, while South Korea and Germany share the second position. For the third consecutive year, Japan has secured the top position. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen are among the least powerful.
• India, which held the 84th rank last year, fell to the 90th position, with its passport holders allowed to travel visa-free to 58 countries. India shares the rank with Tajikistan and Burkina Faso.

SOURCE: IE

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTION

Which of the following can notify an area as a tiger reserve?

a) Local Authority

b) State Government

c) National Board for Wild Life

d) National Tiger Conservation Authority

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 6, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER  TO RELEVANT ARTICLE)

ANSWER: C)

Explanation

1. Senkaku islands – East China Sea
2. Paracel islands – South China Sea
3. Diego Garcia – Indian Ocean

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. SVAMITVA SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: PM will interact with the beneficiaries of the SVAMITVA scheme in Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister will also distribute e-property cards to 1,71,000 beneficiaries under the scheme on the occasion.

ABOUT SVAMITVA SCHEME

• SVAMITVA is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj that aims to provide property rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas.
• The scheme will pave the way for using the property as a financial asset by villagers for taking loans and other financial benefits, like in urban areas.
• It aims to demarcate inhabited lands in rural areas through the latest surveying drone technology. The scheme has also provided a boost to the ecosystem of drone manufacturing in the country.

SOURCE: PIB

2. BUDDHIST TOURISM

THE CONTEXT: To tap the potential of Buddhist tourism, the Ministry of Tourism has organised a Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference scheduled to be held from 04th October – 08th October 2021. 

THE EXPLANATION:

• The FAM tour will cover the visit of prominent Buddhist sites and conferences at Bodhgaya and Varanasi. The event is likely to be attended by around 125 delegates including tour operators, hoteliers, media and officials of the Ministry of Tourism & State Governments.
• Ministry has taken a four-fold development strategy that focuses on improving the connectivity via air, rail, and roads, enhancing the tourism infrastructure and dependent services, streamlining branding and promotion and showcasing the culture and heritage.
• Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 5 projects worth Rs325.53 crore have been sanctioned for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and those sanctioned projects are under different stages of implementation.
• While works of Rs 44.19 crore on three projects have been sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme; in Varanasi, two projects including a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park, Sarnath, are worth costing Rs 9.5 crores for the development of Buddhist structures have been completed.
• India Tourism Offices in overseas markets regularly participate in a number of travel and tourism fairs as well as exhibitions wherein India’s Buddhist Sites are promoted.
• Ministry of Tourism organises Buddhist Conclave every alternate year with the objective of promoting India as a Buddhist Destination and major markets around the globe. The upcoming International Buddhist Conclave is scheduled from 17th to 21st November 2021.
• Ministry has undertaken multiple projects under branding and promotion that is currently in the pipeline including a live virtual exhibition at the national museum, web portal, annual events calendar, social media marketing, campaigns in key source markets like Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.
• The Ministry has also worked on projects for capacity building that include Linguistic Tourist Facilitator training in Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese languages. 525 people have been trained in these languages between 2018 to 2020, and 600 more will be trained between 2020 and 2023.

INDIA AS ‘THE LAND OF BUDDHA’

• Buddhism originated in ancient India more than 2500 years ago and spread through much of Asia.
• With close to 500 million followers, Buddhists represent 7% of the world’s total population.
• The holy sites follow Buddha’s life cycle with the most important ones being Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini (Nepal), Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment also known as Dharmachakrapravartana, Kushinagar which Buddha chose for his final departure or Mahaparinirvana, Nalanda which was one of the world’s first residential universities and an epicentre for learning, Rajgir where Buddha spent several months meditating and preaching at Gridhra Kuta (Hill of the Vultures), Sravasti where he taught many of his Suttas (sermons), and Vaishali where Buddha delivered his last sermon, to name a few.
• In the State of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Ministry plans to cover and further develop the following Buddhist sites, namely, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Kaushambi, Sankisa, and Kapilavastu.
• These sites currently receive approximately 6% of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals with Sarnath and Bodh Gaya leading the pack.

SOURCE: PIB

3. HEALTH BENEFIT PACKAGE UNDER AYUSHMAN BHARAT REVISED

THE CONTEXT:   The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), has revised the Health Benefits Package (HBP) Master under the scheme.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In the revised version of the Health Benefits Package (HBP 2.2), rates of some packages have been increased by 20% to 400% under the PM-JAY. Rates of around 400 procedures have been revised and one new additional medical management package related to black fungus has also been added.
• The HBP 2.2 is expected to be rolled out from November this year.
• HBP 2.2 would enable the empanelled hospitals to provide better services to the beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.

AYUSHMAN BHARAT

• Ayushman Bharat, a flagship scheme of Government of India, was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• This initiative has been designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its underlining commitment, which is to “leave no one behind.”
• Ayushman Bharat is an attempt to move from a sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service.
• Ayushman Bharat adopts a continuum of care approach, comprising of two inter-related components:

1. Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs): Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs): In February 2018, the Government of India announced the creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) by transforming the existing Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres.
2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY):
   • PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
   • It provides a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization across public and private empanelled hospitals in India.
   • Over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable entitled families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) are eligible for these benefits.
   • PM-JAY provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service, (hospital).
   • PM-JAY envisions to help mitigate catastrophic expenditure on medical treatment which pushes nearly 6crore Indians into poverty each year.
   • It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post-hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
   • There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
   • All pre-existing conditions are covered from day one.
   • Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
   • Services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.
   • Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the private hospitals.

SOURCE: TH

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

4. NOBEL PHYSICS PRIZE GOES TO 3 FOR CLIMATE DISCOVERIES

THE CONTEXT: The Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to scientists from Japan, Germany and Italy.

SOURCE: TH

INDIAN ECONOMY

5. RBI GRANTS LICENCE TO NARCL UNDER SARFAESI ACT

THE CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted the National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL), which is seeking to turn around bad loans worth Rs 2 trillion, the licence to register as an asset reconstruction company (ARC).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The approval to the entity has been accorded under Section 3 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act 2002.
• Section 3 of the SARFAESI Act states that an entity cannot start the business of securitisation or asset reconstruction without obtaining a certificate of registration, and should have funds of at least Rs 2 crore or an amount not exceeding 15 per cent of the total financial assets acquired or to be acquired by the ARC.
• State-owned lenders State Bank of India (SBI), Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Indian Bank have picked up over 12 per cent stake each in NARCL. SBI, Union Bank of India and Indian Bank have picked up 13.27 per cent stake each in NARCL, while PNB has bought 12.06 per cent.
• The NARCL has been incorporated under the Companies Act, and public sector banks will hold 51 per cent in the bad bank. The remaining will be held by private banks and financial institutions.
• About 16 public and private sector banks have put in Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in the bad bank. That will be utilised by it to pay 15 per cent cash to the lenders while purchasing their bad loans. The remaining 85 per cent will be paid through security receipts guaranteed by the government.
• The newly formed NARCL expects to recover between Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 64,000 crore through the resolution of bad loans worth Rs 2 trillion.

SOURCE: BS

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. FACEBOOK, WHATSAPP AND INSTAGRAM OUTAGE

THE CONTEXT:  Facebook Inc.’s services suffered a massive outage on Monday for as long as six hours. It kept several users from accessing the company’s core platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger apps. It also disrupted businesses around the world that rely on the social network’s tools and services.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Networking experts are pointing to an update to Border-Gateway Protocol (BGP) as a possible cause for the outage.
• To understand why this happened, one needs to know that the Internet is simply a network of networks. And all of these networks are bound together by Border-Gateway Protocol (BGP).
• BGP lets one network know it is available to the others. Facebook is one such network, and it advertises its presence to other networks. This enables Internet service providers across the world to route web traffic to different networks via the BGP process.
• In the case of Facebook, an update to the BGP removed its online properties from being available to the world’s computers. This means the social network’s Domain Name System (DNS) was not accessible to other networks, and the Internet.
• Web infrastructure firm Cloudflare keeps track of BGP updates and announcements on a global scale. They have an overall view of how the Internet is connected and where the web traffic flows from. And any time a change is made to a network’s BGP, be it an announcement or withdrawal, a message is sent to a router informing the update.
• They noticed that the routes were withdrawn, sending Facebook’s DNS servers offline. And the withdrawals meant Facebook and its websites were effectively out of sight from world’s computers.
• This happened because DNS is like a translation service for IP addresses. And when a DNS resolver fails to translate a domain name into an IP address, people won’t be able to access that specific website. As a direct consequence, the webpage won’t load.
• As a work-around in such cases, a DNS resolver usually checks whether it has something in its cache and uses it to establish contact. And if that doesn’t work, it tries to get a connection with the domain nameservers, one hosted by the network itself (Facebook in this case).
• Both these mechanisms failed in Facebook’s case as the social network stopped announcing its routes through BGP, making it impossible for everyone’s DNS resolvers to connect to Facebook’s nameservers.

SOURCE: TH

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. JIMEX

THE CONTEXT: The fifth edition of India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise, JIMEX, between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), will be held in the Arabian Sea from 06 to 08 October 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• JIMEX series of exercises commenced in January 2012 with a special focus on maritime security cooperation. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in September 2020.
• JIMEX-21 aims to develop a common understanding of operational procedures and enhance inter-operability through the conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, across the entire spectrum of maritime operations.
• Multi-faceted tactical exercises involving weapon firings, cross-deck helicopter operations and complex surface, anti-submarine and air warfare drills will consolidate coordination developed by the two navies.
• Naval cooperation between India and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over years. JIMEX-21 will further enhance the cooperation and mutual confidence between the two navies and fortify the long-standing bond of friendship between the two countries

SOURCE:  PIB

8. MITRA SHAKTI

THE CONTEXT: The 8^th edition of India-Sri Lanka bilateral joint exercise Mitra Shakti commenced today at the Combat Training School, Ampara in Sri Lanka.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The two-week-long exercise is being conducted from 04 to 15 October 2021.
• The Indian Army contingent comprising of 120 personnel of Infantry Battalion Group and a similar strength from a Battalion of the Sri Lankan Army is participating in the bilateral exercise. Over the next few days, troops will train, share and rehearse tactical drills to undertake joint counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban/rural environment under United Nations mandate.
• Senior military observers and dignitaries of the Indian and the Sri Lankan Armies will be witnessing the validation phase of the exercise. The exercise provides an ideal platform for both contingents to share their operational experience and expertise while also being instrumental in broadening the inter-operability and cooperation between the Armies of India and Sri Lanka.

SOURCE:  PIB

9. BIDEN PROMISED TO DEFEND DISPUTED ISLANDS: KISHIDA

THE CONTEXT: New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that he received a “strong” message from President Joe Biden about the United States’ commitment to defending the disputed East China Sea islets, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.

SOURCE: TH

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. Senkaku islands – South China Sea
2. Paracel islands – East China Sea
3. Diego Garcia – Indian Ocean

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 1, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER TO  RELEVANT ARTICLE)

1. ANSWER: A

Explanation:

• The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”

1. Is there a biological dimension to generosity? READ MORE
2. Don’t Be Judgemental READ MORE

1. Schools for student mental health support READ MORE
2. The dynamics of cooperation, power, and inequality in a group-structured society READ MORE

1. Science over smog towers: Proven solutions rooted in science, not unproven technological fixes, will reduce air pollution READ MORE
2. moots easier clearance for forest land use READ MORE
3. The biofuels route to carbon neutrality READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. S. scientists David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian get Medicine Nobel for the discovery of temperature, touch receptors READ MORE
2. ICMR’s drone-based vaccine delivery model launched READ MORE
3. A tiny plant that can ‘digest’ low-density plastic sheets READ MORE
4. Chhattisgarh launches project to generate electricity from cow dung READ MORE
5. Elephant electrocution deaths: Odisha gives Rs 445 cr to power DISCOMS to prevent live wire snare READ MORE
6. Covid antiviral pill can halve risk of hospitalisation READ MORE
7. All you wanted to know about swing pricing READ MORE

Main Exam 

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The digital health ID as a democratic tool READ MORE
2. CMs violate IAS seniority rules too often with the pick-and-choose game for chief secretaries READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Schools for student mental health support READ MORE
2. The dynamics of cooperation, power, and inequality in a group-structured society READ MORE

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. An alphabet soup New Delhi needs to sift through: India needs to reconsider the plethora of alliances it is in and rationalise them after a reality check READ MORE
2. The Quad and the Next Cold War: ‘Containing’ China is Quad’s focus, like ‘containing’ USSR was NATO’s READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The problem of plenty: Procurement alone will not address farm woes READ MORE
2. India needs high-frequency data for jobs policy, labour ministry’s new survey a good step READ MORE
3. Public stockholding initiative at WTO READ MORE
4. Dirty money: The Pandora Papers underline the need for a stringent global anti-tax abuse network READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Science over smog towers: Proven solutions rooted in science, not unproven technological fixes, will reduce air pollution READ MORE
2. moots easier clearance for forest land use READ MORE
3. The biofuels route to carbon neutrality READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Indo-US remarks point to joint terror fight READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Is there a biological dimension to generosity? READ MORE
2. Don’t Be Judgemental READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Collective bargaining is the strength of group diplomacy but it cannot be effective without commitment to a common cause. Discuss with suitable examples.
2. In the light of the recent developments, discuss the need for the creation of a global institute to address the issue of tax abuse.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Politics is what we do, what we create, what we work and hope for and by what we dare to imagine.
• India needs to reconsider the plethora of alliances it is in and rationalise them after a reality check.
• India is witnessing a rising democratic demand for clean air. But this cannot be met by unproven technological fixes. Instead, we must vigorously pursue solutions that are rooted in science to bring back blue skies.
• Delhi should take a hard look at the emerging challenges to the current space order and its interests on the moon, and develop strategies to pursue them through a national lunar mission.
• Generous behaviour is known to increase happiness, and there is, therefore, the likelihood that the giver would like to repeat the experience, by giving more or by giving repeatedly.
• The newly formed Quad arrangement should also, down the line, include the counter-terror element as some of our neighbours, such as Pakistan, are opting to invest in low-cost terror assets to achieve their strategic goals in the region.
• What is required is a global anti-tax abuse network to take shape under a world body like the United Nations. It will not end the abuse but will try to institutionalise an international oversight mechanism to monitor the travel of dirty wealth. There is enough evidence of tax abuse.
• As a powerful socializing agent, schools play a crucial role in the transformation of cognitive, linguistic and psychosocial competencies and creating happy, healthy and harmonious schools for the mental health wellness of kids. Schools have an unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of young people and the authorities should recognize this strength of schools as a change-maker in the young world.

50- WORD TALK

• Digital health mission requires robust health IT infrastructure to be laid, block by block has ambitious plans to expand insurance-based healthcare unfold alongside. The Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission is, thus, a central pillar of the ruling dispensation’s plans to expand and cement a stronger role for private players and insurance companies in the country’s healthcare landscape, which need not entirely be to the detriment of Indian healthcare.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. 78% RAJYA SABHA MPS ON AN AVERAGE ATTEND SITTINGS

THE CONTEXT:The first ever quantitative analysis of the attendance of Rajya Sabha (RS) MPs has revealed that, on an average, 78% of the members were always present in the House.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The analysis was done on the directions of RS Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu.
• Attendance details of members over the last seven sessions held during 2019 and till the last Monsoon session of 2021, a total of 138 sittings, were analysed.
• AIADMK MP S.R. Balasubramaniam has attended all the 138 sittings that were studied by the RS team from 2019 to 2021.
• BJP MP from Andhra Pradesh T.G. Venkatesh and TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh K. Ravindrakumar also had high attendance records.
• The data also revealed that there were less than 2% of members who had never attended the proceedings in the 138 sittings due to illness and other reasons for which leave has been granted. The highest daily attendance of 82.57% was reported during the monsoon session.
• The analysis also found that the COVID-19 pandemic did not drastically impact the attendance. Nearly 100 MPs attended the first session after the pandemic hit.
• They had to observe COVID-19 protocols that imposed several restrictions, including on seating arrangements, in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha chambers.

SOURCE : PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

2.GOVERNMENT MOOTS EASIER CLEARANCE FOR FOREST LAND USE

THE CONTEXT:The government has proposed absolving agencies involved in national security projects and border infrastructure projects from obtaining prior forest clearance from the Centre as part of amendments to the existing Forest Conservation Act (FCA). The FCA that first came in 1980 and was amended in 1988, requires such permission.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The proposed amendment is part of a larger rationalising of existing forest laws, the government has said. The document is open to public discussion for 15 days after which it could be readied for Cabinet and Parliamentary approval.
• There is also a plan to exempt land acquired before 1980 — before the FCA came into effect — by public sector bodies such as the Railways.
• As of today a landholding agency (Rail, NHAI, PWD, etc) is required to take approval under the Act as well as pay stipulated compensatory levies such as Net Present Value (NPV), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), etc. for use of such land which was originally been acquired for non-forest purposes.
• The Environment Ministry also proposes adding a clause to make punishments under the modified Act punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to one year and make it cognisable and non-bailable.
• They also propose provisions for penal compensation to make good for the damages already done to trees in forest land.
• The document also proposes removing zoos, safaris, Forest Training infrastructures from the definition of “non-forestry” activities.
• The current definition restricts the way money collected as part of compensatory cess can be spent towards forest conservation purposes.

SOURCE:TH

3.THE PROTOCOL ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO THE ANTARCTIC TREATY

THE CONTEXT: The Madrid Protocol, which confirms its commitment to preserve Antarctic environmental and dependent ecosystems, has now been signed and implemented for 30 years.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India is committed to the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems, and the designation of Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science. India also reaffirms its commitment to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and at this moment claims to:

1. 1. Implement all Decisions, Resolutions and Measures adopted at ATCM in the Indian Antarctic programme effectively.
   2. Use green alternate energy system in both the Indian Antarctic research stations; Maitri and Bharati like solar panels and wind energy generators so compromising use of fossil fuel gradually and make station efficient with alternate green energy.
   3. Reduce carbon footprints by using vehicles and machinery only when required at the most.
   4. Use shared supply ship to deliver human resources, materials and machines to Antarctica.
   5. Control the introduction of non-native species into Antarctica by any means or through vector transfer.

ABOUT THE ANTARCTIC TREATY

• India signed the Antarctic Treaty on 19th August 1983 and soon thereafter received consultative status on 12th September 1983.
• The Madrid Protocol was signed by India which came into force on 14th January, 1998. India is one of the 29 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.
• India is also a member of Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programme (COMNAP) and Scientific Committee of Antarctica Research (SCAR).
• India has two active research stations; Maitri (commissioned in 1989) at Schirmacher Hills, and Bharati (commissioned in 2012) at Larsemann Hills in Antarctica. India has successfully launched 40 annual scientific expeditions to Antarctica till date. With Himadri station in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Arctic, India now belongs to the elite group of nations that have multiple research stations within the Polar Regions.
• The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991 and entered into force in 1998.
• It designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”.

SOURCE: PIB

INDIAN ECONOMY

4.SWING PRICING

THE CONTEXT: SEBI introduced a new swing pricing framework for debt mutual funds to protect retail investors in times of massive redemptions.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Under swing pricing, an AMC adjusts or ‘swings’ by a certain percentage the net asset value (NAV) of any MF scheme facing redemption pressure.
• Once swing pricing is enforced, all investors exiting or entering the scheme can transact only at the adjusted NAV — which is lower than the usual NAV.
• The purpose of swing pricing is to pass on the cost of redemptions — in the form of a lower NAV — to those selling their scheme units. Incoming investors who are countering the outflow, benefit from a lower entry NAV.
• Open-end mutual funds, which promise to allow investors to cash out their units on demand usually have systems in place to ensure they can smoothly handle small and phased-out redemptions.
• In normal times, an AMC can meet redemption requests. However, when there are bunched-up redemptions and the fund too is unable to liquidate its holdings to meet them, then the fund may be forced to resort to distress sales of its holdings.
• The most obvious costs — trading costs, the price impact of executing large trades and cost of borrowing to meet redemptions — all eat into scheme returns.
• Better quality and more liquid securities tend to get sold first, leaving investors who have stayed with the scheme with lower returns and a poorer quality portfolio. Swing pricing attempts to resolve this inequity.

SOURCE:TH

5.CASES PERTAINING TO ‘PANDORA PAPERS’ TO BE INVESTIGATED

THE CONTEXT:  The Government has directed that, investigations in cases of Pandora Papers leaks appearing in the media will be monitored through the Multi Agency Group, headed by the Chairman, CBDT, having representatives from CBDT, ED, RBI & FIU.

THE EXPLANATION:

• On 3rd October, 2021, the International Consortium of International Journalists (ICIJ) has come out with what is claimed to be a 2.94 terabyte data trove that exposes the offshore secrets of wealthy elites from more than 200 countries and territories.
• The investigation is based on a leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers that give professional services to wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to incorporate shell companies, trusts, foundations and other entities in low or no-tax jurisdictions.
• The Government has taken note of these developments. The relevant investigative agencies would undertake investigation in these cases and appropriate action would be taken in such cases as per law.
• With a view to ensure effective investigation in these cases, the Government will also proactively engage with foreign jurisdictions for obtaining information in respect of relevant taxpayers/entities.
• The Government of India is also part of an Inter-Governmental Group that ensures collaboration and experience sharing to effectively address tax risks associated with such leaks.
• It may be noted that following earlier similar such leaks in the form of ICIJ, HSBC, Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, the Government has already enacted the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 with an aim to curb black money, or undisclosed foreign assets and income by imposing suitable tax and penalty on such income. Undisclosed credits of Rs. 20,352 crore approximately (status as on 15.09.2021) have been detected in the investigations carried out in the Panama and Paradise Papers.
• Names of only a few Indians (legal entities as well as individuals) have appeared so far in the media. Even the ICIJ website (icij.org) has not yet released the names and other particulars of all the entities.
• The website of ICIJ suggests that information will be released in phases and structured data connected to the Pandora Papers investigation will be released only in the days to come on its Offshore Leaks Database.

SOURCE:PIB

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PHYSIOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:  David Julius, ArdemPatapoutian share the Nobel Prize for physiology.David Julius and ArdemPatapoutian focused their work on the field of somatosensation that is the ability of specialised organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel.

THE EXPLANATION:

SOURCE: TH

7. DRONE-BASED VACCINE DELIVERY

THE CONTEXT:   Health Minister launched the ICMR’s drone response and outreach in the north-east (iDrone).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The delivery model is aimed at ensuring that life-saving vaccines reach everyone.
• This is for the first time that a ‘Make in India’ drone has been used in South Asia to transport COVID vaccine over an aerial distance of 15 km in 12-15 minutes from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the primary health centre.
• Launching initiative which would facilitate vaccine delivery to tough and hard-to-reach terrains, Health Minister said incorporating such technologies into national programmes would help deliver other vaccines and medical supplies too as quickly as possible.

SOURCE: TH

8. ELECTRICITY FROM COW DUNG

THE CONTEXT:After the implementation of the scheme to purchase cow dung at Rs 2 per kg, Chhattisgarh is now moving towards generating electricity from cow dung. Chief Minister launched the power generation project on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

THE EXPLANATION:              

• In every village of Chhattisgarh, a unit to generate electricity from cow dung will be installed in Gauthan (place where cattle are kept).
• The cow dung procured from the farmers under the GodhanNyayYojana would be used to generate electricity. This will not only benefit the environment but will also benefit the women of self-help groups doing dung procurement work.
• In the first phase of the project, units of power generation from cow dung have been installed at Rakhi in Bemetara district, Sikola in Durg and Bancharoda in Raipur district.
• Bio gas plants, scrubbers and gensets have been set up in Gauthans to generate electricity from cow dung.
• Biogas will be produced by adding cow dung and water in the biogas tank, due to which methane gas will be available in 50 per cent quantity, from which electricity will be generated by running the genset

SOURCE : IE

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

9. JAPAN’S NEW PRIME MINISTER AND THE LONG SHADOW OF ABENOMICS

THE CONTEXT: Fumio Kishida’s task now is to prove he is the right choice to guide the Japanese economy out of the short-term Covid-19 crisis and to prepare it for the longer-term challenges ahead.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Unsurprisingly, Japan’s economy has been hit hard by the pandemic. Japan finally ended a COVID-19 state of emergency that had been in place since April, allowing various businesses to fully reopen again.
• The bigger question for Kishida relates to fiscal stimulus in the longer term and specifically, his attitude to so-called Abenomics, the brand of policy associated with the former Prime Minister Abe.
• Kishida made it clear during the leadership contest that he would stick to the three main planks of Abenomics, namely: an aggressive monetary policy; a flexible fiscal policy; and a growth strategy which includes structural reforms.
• Japan’s policy of massive fiscal stimulus over the past decade does appear to have largely worked. The country has added around 5 million jobs since Abe took over in December 2012 while growth has become much healthier, following almost 20 years of moribund GDP figures. Corporate profits and share prices have also surged.
• Kishida has stressed the importance of fiscal discipline though. Back in 2018, he said that the Bank of Japan’s monetary easing policy “cannot last forever.”
• He has also distanced himself from some elements of Abenomics, in particular the idea that booming corporate profits will eventually benefit ordinary households. He has spoken disparagingly of “neoliberalism” and has talked up a new style of Japanese capitalism.
• Kishida has plenty of other longer-term economic challenges which will require immediate attention.
• Despite the country’s reputation as a leader in digital infrastructure, Japan has struggled to bring government services away from paperwork and offices and onto the online world. According to a recent OECD survey, Japan ranks last in terms of providing digital services. The shortcomings were shown up during the pandemic, when aid was slow to reach the needy due to bureaucracy.
• Kishida must also grapple with other major socioeconomic questions. Japan has the world’s oldest population, putting huge pressure on the country’s taxpayers. It also has a serious gender inequality problem. The World Economic Forum says Japan’s gender gap is “the largest among advanced economies.”
• Then there is climate change and the green transition. Kishida’s predecessor, Suga, announced in his first address to parliament in September 2020 that Japan would achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He also later declared that Japan would cut emissions in 2030 by 46% from 2013 levels.
• That in itself was a departure from Abe, who did not focus much on climate change. Kishida has spoken of Japan’s need to back nuclear power as a clean energy source, and to invest in renewables. Whether or not he will maintain Suga’s targets, though, remains to be seen.

SOURCE :  IE

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q.1) 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded for?

a) Discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch

b) Discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation

c) Discovery of hepatitis c virus

d) Work on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 1, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER  TO RELEVANT ARTICLE)

Q1. ANSWER: D

Explanation:

• Jal Jeevan Mission is being implemented as a decentralized, demand-driven and community-managed programme with Gram Panchayats and/ or its sub-committees, i.e. Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSC)/ PaniSamitis playing a key role in planning, implementation, management, operation and maintenance of in-village water supply systems, thereby providing clean tap water to every household on regular and long-term basis.
• Statement 1 is correct: The PaniSamitis/ VWSCs function as a legal entity as envisaged in the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution.
• Statement 2 is correct: It consists of 10-15 members with at least 50% women members and proportionate representation from weaker sections.
• Statement 3 is correct: VWSC prepared a one-time Village Action Plan (VAP), co-terminus with 15th Finance Commission period by dovetailing different resources at village level, which is to be approved in a Gram Sabha. VAP comprises of 4 key components of drinking water source augmentation, drinking water supply system, grey water treatment and its reuse, and regular operation and maintenance of in-village water supply system.

Q2. Answer: C

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Nano Urea (Liquid) contains nanoscale nitrogen particles which have more surface area (10,000 times over 1 mm Urea prill) and number of particles (55,000 nitrogen particles over 1 mm Urea prill).which makes it more impactful. In comparison to Urea the uptake efficiency of Nano Urea is more than 80 %.
• Statement 2 is correct: India has become the first country in the world to start commercial production of Nano Urea.  Not only has Nano Urea been produced on a large scale today, but farmers are adopting it on a large scale since the very beginning.

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1. Why do Delhi roads get flooded every monsoon? READ MORE
2. Analysing India’s Climate Change Policy READ MORE
3. Marine heatwaves during winter could have dire impacts on New Zealand fisheries and herald more summer storms READ MORE

1. Stain on steel frame: Apex court should issue directions to rid India of menace READ MORE
2. Challenges aplenty for digital health mission READ MORE
3. Digital health ID concerns: The idea is good but govt must address privacy issues READ MORE
4. Straying from Constitutional Values: India’s Democracy is at a Crossroads READ MORE