Ethics Through Current Developments (13-11-2021)

  1. Newspapers and media crucial to protecting democratic ethos of the nation: Vice President READ MORE   
  2. Make your life simple READ MORE



Today’s Important Articles for Geography (13-11-2021)

  1. COP26: A Mixed Bag of promises and pledges READ MORE
  2. COP26: The vulnerable States Call Climate Loss and Damage



Today’s Important Articles for Sociology (13-11-2021)

  1. Should India be wary of a radical B’desh? READ MORE
  2. Can Inclusivity be Built Into Global Education Programmes? READ MORE



Today’s Important Articles for Pub Ad (13-11-2021)

  1. Reviving the Debate on Indian Secularism in the Age of Religious Nationalism READ MORE
  2. How China Is Addressing Education Inequality READ MORE
  3. Does the Court Tame the Government? READ MORE



WSDP Bulletin (13-11-2021)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

  1. COVID-19 pandemic generated eight million tonnes of plastic waste: Study READ MORE
  2. RBI Opens Government Bond Markets to Retail Investors READ MORE
  3. Egypt to host COP27 international climate conference in 2022 -ministry READ MORE
  4. US allows automatic job authorisation for spouses of H1-B visa holders READ MORE
  5. Punjab Assembly Adopts Resolution Against Centre’s Farm Laws READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

  1. The enduring relevance of Nehru’s legacy READ MORE
  2. Should India be wary of a radical B’desh? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

  1. Reviving the Debate on Indian Secularism in the Age of Religious Nationalism READ MORE
  2. How China Is Addressing Education Inequality READ MORE
  3. Does the Court Tame the Government? READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

  1. Can Inclusivity be Built Into Global Education Programmes? READ MORE

 

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

  1. NAM at 60 marks an age of Indian alignment: The ideological moorings of India’s non-alignment faded along with Jawaharlal Nehru’s idealism READ MORE
  2. Afghanistan: The path ahead READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

  1. Global Supply chains should not only be based only on cost but also on trust – Shri Piyush Goyal READ MORE
  2. Trade deficit with China has lessons for India READ MORE
  3. What Keeps Society At Large From Making Employment Truly Inclusive? READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

  1. COP26: A Mixed Bag of promises and pledges READ MORE
  2. COP26: The vulnerable States Call Climate Loss and Damage Deal ‘Bare Minimum’ READ MORE
  3. Climate: The Global Commons READ MORE

SECURITY

  1. Resolve BSF issue: Matters of national security should not be allowed to fester READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

  1. Newspapers and media crucial to protecting democratic ethos of the nation: Vice President READ MORE   
  2. Make your life simple READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

  1. ‘Global Supply chains should not only be based only on cost but also on trust’. Comment.
  2. ‘The presidency of G-20 is an opportunity for India to take the centre stage at world’s most powerful club’. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

  • Newspapers and media are crucial to protecting the democratic ethos of the nation.
  • No two things differ more than abstract and actual poverty.
  • That each day, Indians govern themselves in a pluralist democracy is testimony to his deeds and words.
  • Most of the digital platforms have been operating in India without being required by the regulators to invest in the safety of their users from illegal, obscene and harmful materials.
  • India will now have to build on the foundation laid by the conference and push the Taliban to form an inclusive government.
  • True happiness is the spontaneous feeling of joy that comes from knowing you are doing the right thing and leading a divine life.
  • Drug money played an important role in the Taliban’s rise to power and some of its leaders have been personally on the take.
  • All secular forces of the region, primarily India, must rally behind a beleaguered Bangladesh and help it fight the alien agenda.
  • The failure of the secularism project is also the failure of the democratic project.
  • Across the world, those in power have used education to maintain the status quo. A panel of domain experts discuss how this long-standing practice can be challenged and how inclusive empowerment through education can be fostered.
  • The ‘double reduction’ policy of minimising the financial burden on parents and children can be seen as the government’s affirmation that the minds and health of students and families come before the pockets of investors and billionaires.
  • The Court needs to devise more effective ways to make the government accountable to citizens’ rights.

50- WORD TALK

  • India opening the government bond market to retail investors is a milestone for expanding bond markets. It gives the government another avenue to borrow from and investors another safe option, even if not very lucrative. Full bond market integration and separation of debt management functions from RBI should follow soon.

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.



LESSONS FROM COVID 19: INDIA NEEDS STATE SPECIFIC DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLAN

INTRODUCTION:

The spike in recent years in extreme calamities, topped by the Covid outbreak, spotlights the urgency of better disaster preparedness in Indian states and the Centre. Health pandemics like Covid and climate hazards like the Uttarakhand floods or Delhi heat waves have differing origins, but they spotlight common gaps in readiness. With extreme health and climate disasters set to continue, these events must be seen as regular occurrences rather than one-off acts of nature. Ranked by HSBC as the most vulnerable to climate change among 67 nations, India needs to make a paradigm shift to prioritize preparedness and not just recovery. This preparedness plan must be tailor-made to the unique requirements of the states.

WHAT IS A DISASTER?

  • As per the Disaster Management Act, 2005 disaster is defined as “A catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of property, or damage to, or degradation of the environment and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.”
  • The United Nations defines a disaster as “the occurrence of sudden or major misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric and normal functioning of the society or community”.
  • A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins

UNDERSTANDING DISASTER MANAGEMENT

  • As per Disaster Management Act, 2005, “disaster management” means a continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing measures to deal with disasters.
  • In other words, Disaster Management is the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
  • Disaster management includes administrative decisions and operational activities that involve Prevention · Mitigation · Preparedness · Response · Recovery · Rehabilitation
  • Key Phases of Disaster Management There are three key phases of activity within disaster management:
  1. Pre – Disaster: Before a disaster to reduce the potential for human, material or environmental losses caused by hazards and to ensure that these losses are minimized when the disaster actually strikes.
  2. During Disaster: It is to ensure that the needs and provisions of victims are met to alleviate and minimize suffering.
  3. Post Disaster: After a disaster to achieve rapid and durable recovery which does not reproduce the original vulnerable conditions.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: CONCEPT

  • The focus of this write up is on the necessity of state-specific Pre-disaster preparedness/readiness plans.
  • Hitherto, the approach towards coping with the effects of natural disasters has been post-disaster management, limited to problems such as law and order, evacuation and warnings, communications, search and rescue, fire-fighting, medical and psychiatric assistance, provision of relief and sheltering, etc
  • It is not possible to do away with the devastation of natural hazards completely. However, experience has shown that destruction from natural hazards can be minimised by a well-functioning warning system, combined with preparedness on the part of the vulnerable community.
  • Warning systems and preparedness measures reduce/ modify the scale of disasters
  • It is becoming increasingly evident now that a relatively smaller investment in disaster preparedness can save thousands of lives and vital economic assets, as well as reduce the cost of overall relief assistance.
  • This preparedness process embraces measures that enable governments, communities and individuals to respond rapidly to disaster situations to cope with them effectively.
  • Preparedness includes, for example, the formulation of viable emergency plans, the development of warning systems, the maintenance of inventories, public awareness and education and the training of personnel.
  • It may also embrace search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for areas that may be „at-risk‟ from a recurring disaster.
  • All preparedness planning needs to be supported by appropriate rules and regulations with a clear allocation of responsibilities and budgetary provisions.
  • According to Sendai Framework (2015-2030), one of the priorities of action is enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response.

BENEFITS OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS: CASE STUDY FROM STATES

S. NO         STATE         MEASURES TAKEN
1 KERALA ·         Kerala stands out for its handling of recent catastrophes.

·         Despite high levels of recorded infection rates, Kerala has a 0.3% death rate from Covid, the same as Singapore’s, which has the world’s lowest death rate.

·         Early detection, swift isolation and speedy contact tracing have been responsible.

·         The use of frugal innovative methods as platforms for decision-making has been effective, as has been Kerala’s oxygen management, direct procurement of vaccines and a policy of zero vaccine wastage.

·         The state has effectively used the E-ESanjeevani telemedicine portal, offering psycho-social support for the sick.

·         The needs of frontline workers, the elderly living alone and of migrant labourers—challenges in other Indian states too—have been a priority for Kerala’s government.

 

2 ODISHA

·         Odisha has a great community outreach system through which people are being reached on time.

·          It now has a network of 450 cyclone shelters and there is a robust mechanism for the maintenance of the cyclone shelters—each cyclone shelter has a maintenance committee where youth have been involved and trained for search and rescue, first aid medical attention, and for providing cyclone warnings.

·         Through a network of these shelters and committees and training, the state has involved the entire community; it is now fairly easy to disseminate warnings and move people into safe cyclone shelters.

·          The state’s disaster management systems are monitored twice each year, given the propensity of natural disasters in the state.

·         This is not the first time that a poor state like Odisha has managed to successfully evacuate millions of people during a natural disaster; it also did so during Cyclone Phailin in 2013.

·         Odisha has managed to create a sense of community during such disasters that other states can also emulate.

·         This disaster readiness was evident when Cyclone Fani hit Odisha in May 2021.

·         The Odisha government showed a high degree of preparedness and effectively managed to evacuate about 1.2 million people based on these predictions.

·         The government of Odisha successfully managed to minimize the loss of life; this itself was not a small exercise and required tremendous effort.

WHY INDIA NEEDS STATE-SPECIFIC DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS?

S.NO REASON EXPLANATION
1 LEGAL REQUIREMENT According to Section 23 of the DMA Act, there shall be a plan for disaster management for every State called as State Disaster Management Plan
2 SPECIFIC VULNERABILITIES Vulnerability is the inability to resist a hazard or to respond when a disaster has occurred. For instance, people who live on plains are more vulnerable to floods than people who live higher up. The vulnerability of states and the different parts of the State vary to different forms of disasters. For instance, coastal areas are vulnerable to cyclones while mountain regions to landslides.
3 ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP The administrative arrangements in the states differ on multiple counts. For instance, the number of departments, the human, physical, financial resources available, their roles and responsibilities etc vary considerably. Thus a specific disaster preparedness plans can account for these diverse factors.
4 DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT AND REDUCTION

 

India has a Protocol for Disaster Risk Assessment and Reduction, based on composite methods of states and the experience of the National Disaster Management Authority in disaster management. But a vast gap remains from the parts of states in implementing vital investments in infrastructure, education and health needed for disaster mitigation.
5 SUCCESS STORIES

 

The Kerala and Odisha success stories provide a strong and compelling case for tailor-made state disaster preparedness plans to be formulated by other states.
6 COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP In Gorakhpur, local communities are using nature-based solutions to build resilience against frequent floods. Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group has come up with climate-resilient methods for vulnerable communities. For example, farmers switched from mono-cropping to rotating multiple crops to improve soil health and drainage. Several adopted organic practices, which reduce harmful run-off in nearby rivers. A weather advisory group helps farmers use a text message-based early warning system to schedule irrigation and harvesting.

 

7 CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES Climate change can increase disaster risk in a variety of ways – by altering the frequency and intensity of hazard events, affecting vulnerability to hazards, and changing exposure patterns. Climate change is already modifying the frequency and intensity of many weather-related hazards as well as steadily increasing the vulnerability and eroding the resilience of exposed populations that depend on arable land, access to water, and stable mean temperatures and rainfall. States face unique challenges of climate change-related disasters
8 CAPACITY BUILDING

The resource endowments of states in India vary considerably. For instance, State investments in health differ enormously. Kerala’s per capita public health expenditure, for example, is about twice that of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Thus, states’ preparedness plans can provide for a streamlined strategy for acquisition, organisation, training and coordination of all relevant stakeholders.

 

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS IN STATE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS?

The problem areas in preparedness are organisational and planning related issues, like inadequate policy direction, outdated plans and over-concentration on recovery and response activities, which leads to low preparedness.

Lack of resources or resource organisations and unclear allocation of these resources is also likely to create gaps or overlaps in the preparedness arrangements.

Other problems like inadequate coordination and lack of cooperation at the policymaking and implementation level, public awareness and suitable training for the disaster managers usually contribute significantly to poor disaster preparedness activities. The problems in state disaster preparedness are summarized below

 

1

              FRAGILE INSTITUTIONS

Disaster Management Act 2005, provides for institutional mechanisms like State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs).  However, in many cases, these institutions are not active and operational except for a few exceptions.

Recently, In its performance audit report on the disaster management mechanism in the country, submitted to Parliament, CAG had highlighted that the Uttarakhand disaster management authority (SDMA), constituted in 2007, had not formulated any rules, regulations, policies or guidelines for disaster management in the state.

One of the major reasons why the Uttarakhand government was unable to contain the scale of the devastation that has taken place in the state because of flash floods was its lack of preparedness to deal with such disasters.

The Second wave of the Corona pandemic saw a near-total collapse of health systems in the States. The total lack of disaster preparedness despite warnings has proved very costly in terms of human lives.

 

2 POOR  COMPLIANCE OF POLICIES Even though the Disaster Management Act 2005 stipulated the setting up of the Disaster Response Fund and the Disaster Mitigation Fund at national, state and district levels, only the National and State Disaster Response Funds have become operational till now.

·         The increasing frequency and damage to property, assets and infrastructure caused by recurring disasters makes it imperative that the provisions of the Disaster Management Act 2005 are enforced in letter and spirit

3 HAZARD RISK AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS Identifying the characteristics, frequency and potential severity of the hazards a community faces are crucial. Also, it is vital to Identify the particular geographical areas and communities that are most susceptible and vulnerable to those hazards and to anticipate how they might be affected. Every state’s hazard risk and vulnerability profile is unique.

 

4 PREPAREDNESS PLANNING ·         Disaster preparedness planning involves identifying organisational resources, determining roles and responsibilities, developing policies and procedures and planning preparedness activities aimed at ensuring timely disaster preparation and effective emergency response. However, the preparedness planning of the states, wherever they exist, have been largely affected by adhocism, duplication and overlapping of roles, and poor policy coherence.
5 COORDINATION  Coordination between various levels of governments, agencies and departments, civil defence,  fire brigades, health departments and clinics, international agencies, NGOs and others etc are very important. The poor state of coordination has been visible when the oxygen crisis in the National Capital lead to the death of scores of Covid positive patients for want of a timely supply of oxygen. A visibly angry Supreme Court had to intervene to remedy the situation by setting up a National Task Force on medical oxygen allocation.
6 PUBLIC EDUCATION, TRAINING AND REHEARSALS. Public education campaigns, training of response teams and rehearsals of emergency response scenarios must be an integral part of the state’s disaster preparedness. Hardly any concrete steps are being taken by the states to mainstream this aspect in its governance process. An example to be emulated is that of Kerala. In order to assess the preparedness of the district in mitigating the impact of monsoon-related calamities, the district administration conducted a mock drill in line with the action plan of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

It  tested  the efficiency of the rescue operations and relief activities in case of a major landslide in the high ranges and the consequent rush of floodwaters

7 COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Local populations in disaster-stricken areas are the first to respond to a disaster.

They also have a keen awareness of the unique challenges of the area in terms of vulnerability etc.

They are usually involved in search and rescue activities as well as in providing emergency treatment and relief to their families, friends and neighbours. Thus, making the community a vital part of disaster preparedness rather than seeing them as ‘victims of the disaster who must be helped” should be on the agenda of disaster readiness planning.

WHAT MUST BE DONE?

  • In dealing with covid, local efforts have also played a critical role, be it citizens’ responses in such cities as Delhi, Guwahati and Jaipur, or those of gram panchayats in rural areas.
  • But across the country, covid has revealed glaring gaps in health systems, and, in many instances, poor governance and often a lack of trust in governments.
  • In Australia, following its deadly bushfires of 2018 and 2019, Insurance Australia Group recommended that government funding prioritize risk reduction, lessening the need for spending on disaster recovery. To aid in better preparedness, the Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index now assesses the risk profiles and resilience of communities faced with bushfires.
  • In a similar vein, an audit of how the central and state governments have handled covid will offer valuable lessons that can guide them to upgrade hospitals, increase medical inventories and create/update crisis response plans, for example.
  • Every state should conduct a ‘stress test’ of how well it can cope in the event of even more frequent and intense calamities. These results should be published transparently
  • In India, it would pay to establish inter-state pooling of technical capabilities, supplies and staff power to manage deficits and gaps.
  • The overarching lesson for the Indian states and the Centre is to make more and better investments in health, education and social safety nets.
  • Local initiatives will continue to aid disaster preparedness, but governments must act in anticipation of emerging calamities rather than scramble to respond after they strike.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCe: SINGAPORE

Bloomberg ranks Singapore highest in Covid resilience, based on fatality rates, test rates and vaccination rates. Drawing on its experience with Sars and Influenza A, the Singapore government has prioritized disaster preparedness in its investments. One indication of this priority is that the government has built up digital infrastructure and engineering capabilities that can be deployed before, during and after calamities strike. For example, tools for contact tracing, like SafeEntry and Trace Together, are enabling Singapore to respond swiftly to the spread of Covid. A suite of digital tools is helping disseminate information and enabling government agencies to better coordinate and manage the crisis.

 THE WAY FORWARD

  • Section 10 and 11 of the DM Act 2005 provides for a national plan to be formulated under the direction of the NDMA to deal with   However, the Central Government and the NDMA has not formulated it despite the ravages of the pandemic. This has set a poor example for states’ covid/disaster preparedness. Leadership role by the Union can nudge and inspire the states to be proactive in disaster readiness.
  • The Fifteenth Finance Commission in its first report covering the financial year 2020-21 has recommended 10 per cent of the SDRF allocation for Preparedness and Capacity-building. The states must utilise this fund for conceiving and operationalizing and upgrading the whole gamut of disaster readiness.
  • The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, in its report on “Crisis Management”, made a strong pitch for the enhanced role of local self-governments in the entire disaster management cycle with a special focus on the pre-disaster stage and preparedness. States must empower and build local bodies capacities in this regard.
  • Excessive focus on the Post-disaster cycle that relies on relief, recovery, reconstruction etc have led to neglect of disaster preparedness. It is imperative for states to concentrate on equal measures and evaluate the preparedness at all governmental and non-governmental (schools, hospitals, businesses, NGOs etc) for the purpose of responding to any threatening disaster situation or disaster and give directions, where necessary, for enhancing such preparedness.

CONCLUSION: Disaster Preparedness” means the state of readiness to deal with a threatening disaster situation or disaster and its effects. It deals with measures to be taken for preparedness and capacity building to effectively respond to any threatening disaster situations or disaster. India’s unique geo-climatic vulnerabilities and poor socio-economic infrastructural base have made it quite vulnerable to disasters. The Covid pandemic has exposed the countries’ lack of preparedness for meeting the challenges. Although almost all states bore the brunt of the Virus, some better-prepared states could come out stronger. For instance, while Uttar Pradesh and Delhi reeled under oxygen shortage, Kerala was well prepared. This and other evidence makes a strong case for state-specific disaster preparedness plans which can be a game-changer in India’s disaster management strategy.

Practice Questions:

  1. Critically analyse the need for state-specific disaster preparedness plans in the light of the Covid 19 pandemic.
  2. The problems of states’ disaster preparedness have been exposed by the recent occurrence of disasters in India including the Covid 19 pandemic. Discuss.

 

SOURCE:

1.       https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/each-state-needs-a-well-informed-action-plan-for-disaster-readiness-11621871973435.html

2.       https://nidm.gov.in/PDF/Disaster_about.pdf

3.       https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/disaster-management-plans-in-place-for-kottayam/article31836488.ece

4.        https://www.slideshare.net/brissomathewarackal/disaster-preparedness-brisso

5.       https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2019/06/14/odisha-fani-disaster-preparedness

 




DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (NOVEMBER 13, 2021)

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SURVEY 2021

THE CONTEXT: The National Achievement Survey 2021, was successfully conducted today across all 36 states and UTs of the country.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • The National Achievement Survey (NAS) is a process of gathering information in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences.
  • This process will ultimately culminate to improve the subsequent students’ learning and development, through systemic interventions.
  • The Achievement Survey was conducted in different mediums of instruction as available in the sampled schools.
  • NAS 2021 is the first achievement survey after the release of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP). The assessment would be used to benchmark students’ learning against criteria such as process skills and learning outcomes.
  • NAS 2021 will infuse the competency-based assessment system over the content and memory-based assessment as envisaged by NEP 2020.
  • The results of NAS 2021 will be prepared in the form of District Report Cards, State/UT reports and National reports.
  • NAS will enable States and the Union Territories to identify gaps in learning outcomes and take remedial steps.
  • It will also help in the capacity building for teachers and officials involved in the delivery of education in the country.
  • The result from the assessment would also provide a rich repository of evidence and data points furthering the scope of research and development.

SOURCE: PIB

 

2. SCHOOL DROPOUT WAS HIGH DUE TO COVID-19

THE CONTEXT: According to a new national sample survey by ICRIER and LIRNEAsia, a think tank focusing on digital policy, only 20% of school-age children in India had access to remote education during the pandemic, of whom only half participated in live online lessons,

THE EXPLANATION:

  • In fact, 38% of households said at least one child had dropped out of school completely due to COVID-19.
  • The survey found that although digital connectivity shot up 40% during the pandemic, low access to devices, poor signal and high costs prevented most children from reaping the benefits.
  • Among children aged 5-18 years, it was found that 80% of those who were enrolled in schools prior to the pandemic did not receive any educational services at all during school closure.
  • The situation was significantly worse among those from lower socio-economic classes, where the head of the household had lower education levels, and among rural households.
  • Among the 20% who received an education, only 55% had access to live online classes, while 68% had access to recorded audio or video lessons. Three-fourths of the students had work sent to them over a smartphone, usually via Whatsapp, and 61% via text messages.
  • Almost 70% had contact with their teachers via phone calls, while 58% had work delivered to their homes. About half the students were also instructed to listen to educational TV and radio programmes.
  • Of households with school-aged children, 64% had internet connections, but only 31% of those received remote education, often because of a lack of access to devices or a lack of larger screen devices. However, among those without internet connections, the situation was worse, with only 8% receiving remote education.
  • Respondents listed an insufficient number of devices, poor 3G/4G signal and high data cost as among the biggest hurdles. Even among those receiving remote education, a third of the households said that schools were not prepared to deliver online education.
  • Such challenges continued despite increasing digital connectivity. Over 13 crore people came online in 2020-21, pushing up the country’s total internet users to more than 47 crores. Of the 8 crores who came online in 2020, 43% said they were motivated by COVID-19 related reasons. Overall, internet usage has spiked from 19% of the population above 15 years in 2017 to 47% this year.
  • However, only 5% of households had laptops, while 4% had desktop computers. The vast majority relied on smartphones, which were available in 68% of households.

SOURCE:  TH

 

3. NOROVIRUS CASES SURFACE IN KERALA

THE CONTEXT: A Day after Norovirus cases were confirmed in Wayanad district, the Kerala Government has said people need to be vigilant about the very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

ABOUT NOROVIRUS

  • An animal-borne disease, Norovirus is a group of viruses that leads to gastrointestinal illness among people causing inflammation in the lining of the stomach and intestines.
  • The virus is contagious and can be spread through direct contact with infected people and it can significantly affect people from every age group including youngsters, adults, and the elderly.
  • The major symptoms of Norovirus include diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain followed by fever, headache, and body aches among others. Apart from this, frequent vomiting and diarrhoea can also lead to dehydration and other complications in people.
  • There is no specific medicine to treat people with norovirus illness. If you have norovirus illness, you should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against the Norovirus.

SOURCE: TH

 

INDIAN ECONOMY

4. THE TWO INITIATIVES OF THE RBI

THE CONTEXT: PM launched two customer-centric initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — the RBI Retail Direct Scheme and the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme. With this, India has opened the government bond market for retail investors.

RBI RETAIL DIRECT SCHEME

  • The scheme allows retail investors to buy and sell government securities (G-Sec) online, both in the primary and secondary markets. These small investors can now invest in G-Secs by opening a gilt securities account with the RBI. The account opened will be called Retail Direct Gilt (RDG) Account.
  • A retail investor can open the RDG account if they have the following — a Rupee savings bank account maintained in India, PAN card, any officially valid document such as Aadhaar, Voter ID for KYC purpose, a valid email ID and a registered mobile number.
  • Participation and allotment of securities will be as per the non-competitive scheme. Only one bid per security is permitted. On submission of the bid, the total amount payable will be displayed. Payment to the aggregator/receiving office can be made through using the net-banking or UPI facility from the linked bank account, whereby funds will be debited at the time of submission of bids on the portal.
  • Registered investors can access the secondary market transaction link on the online portal to buy or sell government securities through NDS-OM.

RBI INTEGRATED OMBUDSMAN SCHEME

  • This will help in improving the grievance redress mechanism for resolving customer complaints against RBI’s regulated entities.
  • The scheme is based on “One Nation-One Ombudsman” with one portal, one email, and one address for the customers to lodge their complaints.
  • There will be a single point of reference for customers to file their complaints, submit the documents, track status, and provide feedback.
  • There will be a multilingual toll-free number that will provide all relevant information on grievance redress and assistance for filing complaints. The redressal will continue to be cost-free for customers of banks and members of the public.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SCHEMES

  • The move comes at a time when rising inflation adds pressure on the RBI to lift rates.
  • Tighter monetary policy is likely to weaken the demand for bonds, making it challenging for the government to execute its near-record borrowing program.
  • Other emerging-market nations in Asia, like the Philippines, have also sought to raise funds from citizens to battle the pandemic.
  • Yields on India’s benchmark 10-year government bonds have risen in the past five months amid surging crude oil prices.

SOURCE: IE                                                                                                                                                                      

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

  1. NATIONAL INTERNET EXCHANGE OF INDIA 

THE CONTEXT:  National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has taken a new initiative by establishing out a customer-focused unit – “Customer-Care Unit,” which will facilitate the interaction of customers with all its business units. This team will support the customer queries (24×7) for all the operations.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • NIXI has three businesses, viz. — Internet Exchange, Dot IN Registry, and IRINN and all three units deal with their respective customers, supporting and managing their queries.
  • At times the same customer might be consuming services from two different units of NIXI and interact with two different teams.
  • To overcome this and make the experience seamless, NIXI has created this Customer-Care Unit — for an efficient response towards their customers.

ABOUT NIXI

  • National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not-for-profit organization (section 8 of the Companies Act 2013) working since 2003 for spreading the internet infrastructure to the citizens of India through the following activities:
  • Internet Exchanges through which the internet data is exchanged amongst ISP’s, Data Centers, and CDNs.
  • IN Registry, managing, and operation of .IN country-code domain and .भारत IDN domain for India.
  • IRINN, managing and operating Internet protocol (IPv4/IPv6).

SOURCE: PIB

 

6. THE CRITICAL NOISE TREATMENT ALGORITHM

THE CONTEXT:  Indian astronomers have developed the critical noise treatment algorithm that can increase the accuracy of data from exoplanets by reducing the contamination by the Earth’s atmosphere and the disturbances due to instrumental effects and other factors.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • The understanding of the physical properties of exoplanets with extreme accuracy can help to explore the ones that could be like planet Earth and hence might be habitable.
  • For this purpose, a group of astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore has been using the ground-based optical telescopes available in India and the data obtained by the space telescope “Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite” or TESS.

SOURCE: PIB

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. INDO-THAI CORPAT

THE CONTEXT:  The 32nd edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 12 – 14 November 2021

THE EXPLANATION:

  • Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Tayanchon, a Khamrosin Class Anti-submarine Patrol Craft, along with Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies are participating in the CORPAT.
  • Towards reinforcing maritime links between the two countries and with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean safe and secure for international trade, the two navies have been undertaking CORPAT bi-annually since 2005 along their International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
  • CORPAT builds up understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitates the institution of measures to prevent and suppress unlawful activities like Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
  • It further helps enhance the operational synergy by exchange of information for the prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and for conduct of search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea.
  • As part of the Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with the countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security. This has been through bilateral and multilateral exercises, Coordinated Patrols, Joint EEZ Surveillance, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have especially enjoyed a close and friendly relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which have strengthened over the years.
  • The 32nd Indo-Thai CORPAT will contribute towards the Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship between India and Thailand.

SOURCE: PIB

MISCELLANEOUS

8. U.S. CLEARS WAY FOR SPOUSES OF H-1B VISA HOLDERS TO WORK

THE CONTEXT:  The Biden administration has agreed to provide automatic work authorisation permits to the spouses of H-1B visa holders, most of whom are Indian IT professionals.

THE EXPLANATION:

  • An H-4 visa is issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B visa holders.
  • The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
  • Types of Visa issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

TYPE OF VISA

FOR WHOM?

H-1B visas For skilled workers, who are often used by the tech industry
L visas For executives, managers and specialized workers being transferred within a company
H-2B For seasonal workers
H-4 visas Family members who would accompany workers on H-1B visas
J visas For cultural exchange, including interns, trainees, teachers, camp counsellors and people participating in a summer work travel program

SOURCE: TH

 

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1.  Which of the following pairs of visa types and their purpose is/are correctly matched?

  1. H-1B Visa – for skilled workers
  2. H-2B Visa – for seasonal workers
  3. J-1 Visa – for family members dependent on skilled workers

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2

c) 1 and 3

d) All of the above

ANSWER FOR NOVEMBER 12th, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Answer: B

Explanation:

  • From this year, the Karnataka government has decided to celebrate ‘Onake Obavva Jayanti’ on November 11 throughout the state.
  • Onake Obavva died fighting the troops of Hyder Ali, a ruler of the Mysore Kingdom and father of Tipu Sultan when he invaded the Chitradurga Fort, which was ruled by Madakari Nayaka in the 18th century. Chitradurga Fort, locally known as Elusuttina Kote, (the fort of seven circles in Kannada), is situated in Chitradurga, 200 km northwest of Bengaluru.
  • Obavva is considered to be the epitome of Kannada pride and celebrated along with other women warriors of Karnataka state like Abbakka Rani (first Tuluva Queen of Ullal in coastal Karnataka who fought the Portuguese), Keladi Chennamma (the queen of the Keladi Kingdom who is known for fighting against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb), and Kittur Chennamma (Queen of Kittur known for the 1824 revolt against the British East India Company).