1. Creating foraging-friendly cities can strengthen people-biodiversity connections READ MORE
2. How New Forest Diversion Rules Deal a Body Blow to the Forest Rights Act READ MORE

1. The worth of liberty in the eyes of the law READ MORE
2. Despite structural inequality, small acts of kindness have value READ MORE
3. The end of sorrow READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. CPWD faces cyber attacks, reiterates guidelines to employees READ MORE
2. BRICS media groups look to boost synergy amid new challenges READ MORE
3. Re-wilding red pandas: Darjeeling zoo attempts country’s first augmentation of endangered mammal in the wild READ MORE
4. Trade transactions with Lanka may be settled outside ACU: RBI READ MORE
5. Sustainable use of wild species can meet needs of billions: IPBES 9 report READ MORE
6. Explained | Altering green laws READ MORE
7. Jaishankar meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bali, calls for early resolution of LAC row READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Girls in Uttarakhand aspire to live freely READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The worth of liberty in the eyes of the law READ MORE
2. What India’s Presidents have brought to the table READ MORE
3. The Self and the Collective in the Politics of Defection READ MORE
4. Demolish and Punish: Bulldozer-led demolitions are emerging as a new form of extralegal punishments in India. READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Let’s go all out to end poverty READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. From BRICS to G-20, clear China policy needed READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The road to productivity: Investing in roads reduces travel time, increases economic output and helps upgrade human development READ MORE
2. As GST compensation ends, state governments need to be provided certainty of revenues READ MORE
3. A testing time for the economy READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Creating foraging-friendly cities can strengthen people-biodiversity connections READ MORE
2. How New Forest Diversion Rules Deal a Body Blow to the Forest Rights Act READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Why India’s flood and cyclone warning systems don’t always succeed in saving lives and property READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The worth of liberty in the eyes of the law READ MORE
2. Despite structural inequality, small acts of kindness have value READ MORE
3. The end of sorrow READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Why don’t India’s flood and cyclone warning systems succeed in saving lives and property? How flood and cyclone warning systems can be improves to minimize the loss of lives and property?
2. ‘Investing in roads reduces travel time, increases economic output and helps upgrade human development’. Commend ton the statement in the light of recent government’s emphasis on express ways developments in India.
3. ‘Our society is unequal and no amount of do-gooding will bring about any significant structural change. But that does not mean that one doesn’t do small acts which can bring a little joy’. Substantiate the statement with the help of real life examples.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• There is no glory in battle worth the blood it costs.
• The interests of law enforcement trump the little worth that the right to privacy is supposed to have.
• Investing in roads reduces travel time, increases economic output and helps upgrade human development.
• If the government decides to step-up tax devolution to the states in the near term, it may reduce the size of state borrowings in the second quarter and embolden states to ringfence their capital spending.
• To end poverty, the Government must shift the stress to labour-intensive projects; also, all the benefits of economic growth should percolate down to the target groups.
• Surging world food prices, which reached their highest levels on record this year, are contributing to the rapid rise in LIC inflation.
• A fundamental feature of modern jurisprudence is theidea that punishments ought to be commensurate with the magnitude of the crime and that criminality is conditioned by societal circumstances.
• A justice system that does not honour the normative values represented by modern jurisprudence runs the risk of eroding its own public legitimacy and trust.
• Lack of impact-based forecasts, poor dissemination of information and lack of localised action plans plague the country’s early warning systems.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Privation anywhere is a challenge to prosperity everywhere.

50 WORD TALK

• New Delhi must be on the alert about China’s calculated cajolery on India’s stance on Ukraine, even as Beijing criticises the US, Quad, Japan and South Korea. By engaging with India and other BRICS countries and claiming to be the global power in the grouping, China intends to dictate terms to India and to retain the territory it has seized because it sees itself as having the economic and military vantage point over India.

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 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.

THE GEOGRAPHY: CLIMATOLOGY

EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE CLOUDBURSTS, AND WHY DO THEY OCCUR MORE IN PLACES LIKE AMARNATH

THE CONTEXT: In highly-localised rains in Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir caused flooding and led to the deaths of at least 16 people and injuries to more than 20 others. Those who died were at a camp near the cave, a site of pilgrimage. However, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) later said that a cloudburst may not have actually occurred.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is a cloudburst?

• A cloudburst refers to an extreme amount of rain that happens in a short period, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, and this has a precise definition. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines it as unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm (or 10 cm) per hour over a geographical region of approximately 20 to 30 square km. Significant amounts of rainfall such as this can result in floods.
• Basically, all instances of cloudbursts involve heavy rain in a short period, but all instances of heavy rain in a short period are not cloudbursts if they do not fit this criterion.

What can be the impact of a Cloudburst?

• A cloudburst can have a devastating impact triggering flash floods. These floods can cause the uprooting of trees and movement of boulders and other debris. On its way down, the water gathers speed and force and can sweep aside structures in the way. Cloudbursts can also cause landslides in hilly areas while in the plains, it can lead to rapid flooding.

Why do cloudbursts occur in hilly areas like Amarnath?

• Experts have said it is difficult to predict when exactly a cloudburst will occur, and there is little definitive data on the exact number of cloudbursts that occur in India. Due to their definition dealing with a very small area, it is difficult to accurately predict and identify cloudbursts immediately. However, they are more likely to occur in mountainous zones mainly because of terrain and elevation.
• This is because, in hilly areas, sometimes saturated clouds ready to condense into rain cannot produce rain, due to the upward movement of the very warm current of air. Instead of falling downwards, raindrops are carried upwards by the air current. New drops are formed and existing raindrops increase in size. After a point, the raindrops become too heavy for the cloud to hold on to, and they drop down together in a quick flash.
• A study published in 2020 examined the meteorological factors behind the cloudburst over the Kedarnath region, where a cloudburst aided the devastating 2013 floods. It found that during a cloudburst, the relative humidity and cloud cover was at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds. “It is expected that because of this situation a high amount of clouds may get condensed at a very rapid rate and result in a cloudburst”.

THE HEALTH ISSUES

EXPLAINED: IMPACT OF DIABETES MEDICINE SITAGLIPTIN GOING OUT OF PATENT

THE CONTEXT: According to industry experts, with the diabetes medicine sitagliptin going out of patent, many pharmaceutical companies have jumped on the chance to market generic versions of the drug–a move likely to bring down the price of the medicine by at least a third, With sitagliptin not prone to causing low blood sugar episodes and being backed by robust data, doctors believe many diabetics might switch over to it if it becomes cheaper.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is sitagliptin and how does it work?

Sitagliptin is a blood sugar-lowering drug. It was first in the category called gliptins, where a protein called DPP-4 is restrained by it, and this impacts the metabolic system so that the pancreas is prompted to increase insulin secretion and regulate sugar in the blood. Another medicine from the same category developed by the pharmaceutical company Novartis, called Vildagliptin, also went off patent late last year, resulting in a subsequent price drop.

Does it have any benefit over other categories of oral drugs?

• It was the drug of choice for treating type-2 diabetes where the body cannot regulate the blood sugar levels because it either does not produce enough insulin or resists its impact. It was toppled by a new class of drugs called SGLT-2 inhibitors, also known as gliflozins, which prevent the re-absorption of glucose from the blood when it is filtered by the kidneys, thereby reducing the blood glucose levels.
• It was the blockbuster drug for diabetes till another type of drug came and overshadowed it. A new category of drugs, called SGLT-2 inhibitors, came in some years ago and it had a better effect on the heart and hence, is now used more frequently.
• The second thing that happened was teneligliptin (a drug from the same category) became available at a very low price. That is why the sitagliptin market was eaten up by the SGLT-2 inhibitors and teneligliptin”.
• “Another benefit is that it has almost no side effects. Some have a problem with hypoglycaemia (sugar level dropping too low), metformin has a major problem with gastro-intestinal side-effects, the new SGLT-2 inhibitors have a problem as far as urinary infections are concerned”.

VALUE ADDITION:

Diabetes Prevalence in India

• There are about 1.3 billion people in India — roughly four times the population of the United States. However, 72.9 million people in India had diabetes as of 2017, which rose from 40.9 million in 2007.
• Most of this increase is in cases of type 2 diabetes, which is caused by insulin resistance and the pancreas slowly losing the ability to make insulin. A complex set of factors can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, including:
• genes
• environment
• lifestyle
• Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that results from your body attacking beta cells in the pancreas that makes insulin.
• Type 1 diabetes has increased by about 3 to 5 percent Trusted Source each year in India, according to 2015 research. Research from 2016 found that type 2 diabetes increased by an average of almost 8 percent per year in urban areas in Tamil Nadu, India since 2006.
• These numbers are expected to rise, too. It’s estimated that there will be 134 million people living with diabetes in India by 2045.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

EXPLAINED: WHAT IS CAATSA, THE US LAW TO SANCTION TRANSACTIONS WITH RUSSIA, AND HOW IS INDIA IMPACTED?

THE CONTEXT: Recently, US Democratic Representative said the US government must not impose sanctions on India under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for its purchase of S-400 missile weapons system from Russia.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In the past, other American lawmakers have demanded India should not be sanctioned. In April 2021, Republican Senator, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote that if the Joe Biden administration imposes sanctions on India, it would undermine their relations and also affect the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), the strategic security grouping of the US, Japan, Australia, and India that is billed as a network of democracies in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The Biden administration has not yet issued a clear statement on whether India might be subjected to sanctions under CAATSA, even as India began receiving the weapons from Russia in late 2021.

What is the CAATSA, and could it apply to India?

COUNTERING AMERICA’S ADVERSARIES THROUGH SANCTIONS ACT (CAATSA)

• CAATSA is a law that came into effect in the US in 2017, meant to punish countries having deep engagements with Russia, North Korea, and Iran using economic sanctions. It said countries having a “significant transaction” with Russian intelligence and military agents will be subject to at least five kinds of sanctions.
• Ordinary transactions will not invite sanctions, and the decision of who has sanctions imposed on them comes down to the interpretation of “significant transaction”. This is one of the various waivers or exemptions mentioned, such as the transaction not affecting US strategic interests, not endangering the alliances it is a part of, etc.
• Section 231 of the law notifies 39 Russian entities, including all the major defence companies like Rosoboronexport, Sukhoi Aviation, Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, transactions with whom could invite sanctions. Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation JSC, who have made the S-400 system, are in this list.
• India has purchased the S-400 Triumf missile systems, which have advanced capabilities to judge the distance from a target and launch a surface-to-air missile attack. Five such systems were bought by India in 2018 for US$ 5.5 billion and in November last year, their delivery began. They were deployed in Punjab.
• However, the application of CAATSA is not limited to the S-400 and may include other joint ventures for manufacturing or developing weapons in the future, or any other kinds of major deals with Russia.

Why did the US enact a law like CAATSA?

• The US flagged issues of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 Presidential elections, and its role in the Syrian war as some of the reasons for punishing engagement with it. Former US President Donald Trump, who was accused of “colluding” with Russia in the elections and during whose term it came into effect, called the Act “seriously flawed”.
• EU countries such as France and Germany that had even more significant ties with Russia for oil and gas supply before the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022, had also criticised CAATSA.
• In 2020, Turkey was sanctioned for its purchase of the S-400 system.

So why has India not faced CAATSA sanctions yet?

• The US has never categorically stated whether CAATSA would apply to India. In March 2022, it was reported that President Biden was yet to decide on the matter.
• With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the US hardening its stance against Russia, India has continued its neutrality and not joined any of the sanctions against Russia imposed by Western countries. India has mentioned the need for the S-400 missiles for its border defence several times in the past.

VALUE ADDITION:

ABOUT S-400

• India had bought five units of the system in 2018 and had made the first tranche of the payment, $800 million, a year later.
• The S-400 is among the most advanced air-defence systems in the world, with a range of around 400 km. It is capable of protecting its air defence bubble against rockets, missiles, cruise missiles and even aircraft.
• The system is already available with China, which has deployed it along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh amid the 18-month military standoff.

Significance of S-400

• The S-400 is considered the most advanced air-defence system worldwide. The missile is capable of protecting its air defence bubble against missiles, rockets, cruise missiles and aircraft. This system is available with China, which was deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, amid a military standoff with India.

About S-400 Triumf

• S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. It was developed by Almaz Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering in the 1990s, as an upgrade to the S-300 family.
• The first battalion of the newest surface-to-air missile systems assumed duty on August 6, 2007. China was the first foreign buyer of the missile, in 2014.
• Since then, countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Belarus and India have all acquired or expressed interest in the system. S-400 missile systems are organized across the 30K6E administration system. It is having a range of 400kms.

EXPLAINED: WHY SRI LANKA’S ECONOMY COLLAPSED, AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ISLAND NATION?

THE CONTEXT: Amid the economic crisis, both PM Wickremesinghe and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign amid mounting pressure from protesters who stormed both their residences and set fire to one of them.

THE EXPLANATION:

Sri Lankans are skipping meals as they endure shortages and lining up for hours to try to buy scarce fuel. It’s a harsh reality for a country whose economy had been growing quickly, with a growing and comfortable middle class, until the latest crisis deepened.

How serious is this crisis?

• The government owes $51 billion and is unable to make interest payments on its loans, let alone put a dent in the amount borrowed. Tourism, an important engine of economic growth, has sputtered because of the pandemic and concerns about safety after terror attacks in 2019. And its currency has collapsed by 80 per cent, making imports more expensive and worsening inflation that is already out of control, with food costs rising 57 per cent.
• The result is a country hurtling towards bankruptcy, with hardly any money to import gasoline, milk, cooking gas and toilet paper.
• Political corruption is also a problem; not only did it play a role in the country squandering its wealth, but it also complicates any financial rescue for Sri Lanka.

How is it affecting real people?

• Tropical Sri Lanka normally is not lacking for food, but people are going hungry. The UN World Food Program says nearly nine of 10 families are skipping meals or otherwise skimping to stretch out their food, while 3 million are receiving emergency humanitarian aid.
• Doctors have resorted to social media to try to get critical supplies of equipment and medicine. Growing numbers of Sri Lankans are seeking passports to go overseas in search of work. Government workers have been given an extra day off for three months to allow them time to grow their own food.
• In short, people are suffering and desperate for things to improve.

What is the government doing about the crisis?

• So far Sri Lanka has been muddling through, mainly supported by $4 billion in credit lines from India. An Indian delegation came to the capital, Colombo, in June for talks on more assistance, but Wickremesinghe warned against expecting India to keep Sri Lanka afloat for long.
• Sri Lanka has also sought more help from China. Other governments like the US, Japan and Australia have provided a few hundred million dollars in support.
• Earlier in June, the United Nations launched a worldwide public appeal for assistance. So far, projected funding barely scratches the surface of the $6 billion the country needs to stay afloat over the next six months.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

SUSTAINABLE USE OF WILD SPECIES CAN MEET NEEDS OF BILLIONS: IPBES 9 REPORT

THE CONTEXT: A report released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has stated that about 50,000 wild species globally can meet the needs of billions of people.

THE EXPLANATION:

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

• The report was released, after delegates from 140 countries came together to discuss and reach an outcome on the sustainable use of wildlife. The report is the first of its kind and has been conceived after a period of four years.
• With about 50,000 wild species used through different practices, including more than 10,000 wild species harvested directly for human food, rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use, with lack of complementary alternatives often forcing them to further exploit wild species already at risk.
• “One out of five source their food from wild plants, algae and fungi, while 2.4 billion depend on firewood for cooking and around 90 per cent of the 120 million population pursuing fisheries rely on small-scale fishing,”
• The use of wild species defines identities and livelihoods and also holds cultural significance, according to the report. Certain species have cultural importance as they offer multiple benefits that define tangible and intangible features of people’s cultural heritage.
• Helping indigenous and local communities maintain their ability to use wild species sustainably and protecting their cultural practices associated with them would ensure their survival. The use of wild species is also a source of culturally meaningful employment for such communities and they have engaged in the trade of wild species and materials since millennia.

The report noted that indigenous people and local communities used local knowledge, practices and spirituality for the sustainable use of wild species. They respected nature and only took what they needed. This ensured that healthy populations of wild species were maintained.

• The assessment shortlisted five categories of practices used for wild species — fishing, gathering, logging, terrestrial animal harvesting which includes hunting and non-extractive practices such as observing.
• The report examined specific uses for each category regarding food, materials, medical benefits, energy, recreational and ceremonial purposes and decorations over the past two decades.
• It indicated the increasing use of wild species but added that its sustained use has been varied.
• Fromentin cited an example of fisheries. “Recent global estimates confirm that about 34 per cent of marine wild fish stocks are overfished and 66 per cent are fished within biologically sustainable levels. But within this global picture, there are significant local and contextual variations”.
• Countries with robust fisheries management had seen stocks increasing in abundance. “The Atlantic bluefin tuna population, for instance, has been rebuilt and is now fished within sustainable levels”.
• The report also presented concerns of effective regulations without which the unsustainable use and trade would increase, leading to population collapse. It also cited illegal use and illegal trade in wild species which is estimated to be about $199 billion (Rs 150,000,000 lakh).
• The report further found that characteristics like integration of diverse value systems, equitable distribution of costs and benefits, changes in cultural norms and social values and effective institutions and governance systems would facilitate the sustainable use of wild species in future.
• It stressed that the sustainable use of wild species needed “constant negotiation and adaptive management” along with a common understanding of “sustainable use”.

EXPLAINED: HEALTHY STOCK IN RESERVOIRS

THE CONTEXT: According to Central Water Commission, despite a poor pre-monsoon season, especially during March and April (2022) when the all-India rainfall was 32% short of normal, reservoirs in the country have accumulated reasonably healthy stock overall in July so far. This is because surplus rainfall during the northeast monsoon of 2021 kept stocks replenished through the summer of 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors the water status of 143 reservoirs. As on July 7, the collective stock was 53.649 billion cubic metres (BCM), compared to 56.253 BCM at the same time last year. In other words, the present stock amounts to 95% of the live storage available this time last year. And in half these reservoirs, the water stock is higher than it was in July last year (2021).

Region by region

• Ten dams in the Northern Region — in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan — have 24% of their total live storage capacity, or 4.79 BCM. At this time last year, the stock was 18%. For comparison, the ten-year average is 33% of the live storage capacity in these 10 reservoirs.
• In the 21 reservoirs of the Eastern Region (Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland and Bihar), whose total live storage capacity is 20.09 BCM, the available live storage on July 7 was 3.66 BCM (18%) — less than in July 2021 (32%) and less than the ten-year average (24%).
• In the Western Region (Gujarat and Maharashtra), which have 46 reservoirs monitored by the CWC, the current storage is at 26% of total live capacity (9.36 BCM available out of 36.41 BCM total capacity), which is less than the 29% of July 2021.
• In the Central Region (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh), the 26 reservoirs together have 14.57 BCM or 30% of the total live storage capacity, which is higher than in July 2021 and the ten-year average of 26%.
• The Southern Region (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) has 40 reservoirs. Their combined stock is 40% of their total live storage capacity, compared to 41% in July last year, but much higher than the ten-year average of 23%.
• With the southwest monsoon in the active phase since June 30, and widespread rainfall forecast during the next five days over most regions of the country, reservoir stocks are set to get further replenished. In the last one week itself, many dams in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra have seen their stocks rise significantly.
• Southwest monsoon rainfall has been below normal so far from East Uttar Pradesh (–48%), Gangetic West Bengal (–46%), Jharkhand (–43%), Kerala (–35%), Madhya Maharashtra (–24%), Odisha (–22%), Gujarat (–21%). Good rain spells will need to continue to make up for deficit stocks in dams along some of these states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On the other hand, larger states like Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, as well as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Nagaland, have better stocks than last year.

VALUE ADDITION:

Significance of Dams

• Source of Clean Energy: Dams are the sources of clean power. Many countries have embraced dams as a way to reduce reliance on expensive fossil fuels.
• Irrigation: Dams and waterways store and provide water for irrigation so farmers can use the water for growing crops.
  • In areas where water and rain are not abundant (like the desert), irrigation canals from rivers and dams are used to carry water.
• Prevent Flooding: Dams, if planned well, help in preventing floods. They catch extra water so that it doesn’t run wild downstream.
• Source of Drinking Water: Since the water stored in dams is freshwater, it can also be used as drinking water.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

1. Consider the following statements about Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA):
2. CAATSA meant to punish countries having deep engagements with Russia, North Korea, and Iran using economic sanctions.
3. India has purchased the S-400 Triumf missile systems, However, the application of CAATSA is not limited to the S-400.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 9^TH JULY 2022

ANSWER: B

EXPLANATION:

What is a derecho?

• A derecho, according to the US’s National Weather Service is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm” that is associated with a “band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms”. The name comes from the Spanish word ‘la derecha’ which means ‘straight’. Straight-line storms are those in which thunderstorm winds have no rotation unlike a tornado. These storms travel hundreds of miles and cover a vast area.
• Being a warm-weather phenomenon, a derecho generally – not always – occurs during summertime beginning in May, with most hitting in June and July. However, they are a rare occurrence as compared to other storm systems like tornadoes or hurricanes.
• For a storm to be classified as a derecho it must have wind gusts of at least 93 km per hour; a wind damage swath extends more than 400 km. According to University of Oklahama’s School of Meteorology, the time gap between successive wind damage events should not be more than three hours.

THE GEOGRAPHY: CLIMATOLOGY

WHAT IS A DERECHO, A STORM THAT TURNED THE SKY GREEN IN THE US?

• THE CONTEXT: Recently, the States of Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois in the US were hit by a storm system called a derecho.
• THE EXPLANATION:
• As the storm rolled in, winds gusting at around 140 km per hour, snapped power lines and knocked down trees. As the storm hit, it turned the skies green, with even many experienced storm chasers claiming to have never witnessed such atmospheric optics.

What is a derecho?

• A derecho, according to the US’s National Weather Service is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm” that is associated with a “band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms”. The name comes from the Spanish word ‘la derecha’ which means ‘straight’. Straight-line storms are those in which thunderstorm winds have no rotation unlike a tornado. These storms travel hundreds of miles and cover a vast area.
• Being a warm-weather phenomenon, a derecho generally – not always – occurs during summertime beginning May, with most hitting in June and July. However, they are a rare occurrence as compared to other storm systems like tornadoes or hurricanes.
• For a storm to be classified as a derecho it must have wind gusts of at least 93 km per hour; wind damage swath extending more than 400 km. According to University of Oklahama’s School of Meteorology, the time gap between successive wind damage events should not be more than three hours.
• Why did the sky turn green during the derecho that hit US recently?
• Severe thunderstorms result in a ‘green sky’ due to light interacting with the huge amount of water they hold. A report in the Washington Post said that it is believed that the big raindrops and hail scatter away all but the blue wavelengths due to which primarily blue light penetrates below the storm cloud. This blue then combines with the red-yellow of the afternoon or the evening sun to produce green, the report said.
• Are there different types of derechos?
• They fall into three categories – progressive, serial and hybrid. A progressive derecho is associated with a short line of thunderstorms that may travel for hundreds of miles along a relatively narrow path. It is a summer phenomenon.
• A serial derecho, on the other hand, has an extensive squall line – wide and long – sweeping across a large area. It usually occurs during spring or fall.
• Hybrid ones have the features of both progressive and serial derechos.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

SUB-CATEGORISATION OF OBCS: GOVT EXTENDS TERM AGAIN WITHOUT PANEL ASKING FOR IT

• THE CONTEXT:The Union Cabinet gave the 13th extension to the Justice Rohini Commission, giving it time until January 31, 2023, to submit its report.
• THE EXPLANATION:
• The commission was set up on October 2, 2017 under Article 340 of the Constitution. It was tasked with sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and equitable distribution of benefits reserved for them. Its initial deadline to submit its report was 12 weeks — by January 2, 2018.

What is sub-categorisation of OBC?

• Under the central government, OBCs are granted 27% reservation in jobs and education.
• A debate arose due to the perception that only a few affluent communities among the Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of this 27% reservation.
• The argument for sub-categorisation — or creating categories within OBCs for reservation — is that it would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.
• To examine this, the Rohini Commission was constituted in 2017. At that time, it was given 12 weeks to submit its report, but has been given several extensions since.
• Before the Rohini Commission was set up, the Centre had granted constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

About Rohini commission

• The mandate of Rohini commission includes examining the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in the OBCs.
• The commission was also mandated to work out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters in a scientific approach for their sub-categorisation.
• The commission’s mandate is also to take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes or communities or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central List of Other Backward Classes and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
• Its initial deadline to submit its report was 12 weeks — by January 2, 2018.

Findings of the report so far

• In 2018, the Commission analysed the data of 3 lakh central job given under OBC quota over the preceding five years and OBC admissions to collveges over the preceding three years.
• The findings were: 97% of all jobs and educational seats have gone to just 25% of all sub-castes classified as OBCs;
• 95% of these jobs and seats have gone to 10 OBC communities;
• 37% of the total OBC communities—983 OBC communities—have zero representation in jobs and educational institutions;
• 994 OBC sub-castes have a total representation of only 2.68% in recruitment and admissions.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

THE SDG REPORT 2022

• THE CONTEXT: Recently, the United Nations released the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 provides a global overview of progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, using the latest available data and estimates.
• THE EXPLANATION:
• According to the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are in danger of slipping away from reach and along with them years of progress on eradicating poverty, hunger and ignorance.
• All 17 SDGs, set at the UN General Assembly in 2015, are in jeopardy due to the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in the number of conflicts across the world.
• The “cascading and intersecting” issues impact the environment, food and nutrition, health, peace and security as well as education, according to a UN statement on the report.
• Greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise 14 per cent over a decade, the statement noted, antithetical to the Paris Agreement plan — a 2025 peak followed by a 43 per cent decline by 2030 and Net 2050. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions shot up 6 per cent, taking down gains due to the COVID-19.

• The pandemic itself has emerged as one of the biggest threats to several SDGs, the statement said pointing at 15 million “excess deaths” directly or indirectly due to the novel coronavirus by 2021.
• Economic shocks due to the worldwide health emergency pushed 93 million into poverty in 2020 alone, undoing “more than four years” work at alleviating poverty. It also affected education and healthcare services for millions. Immunisation, for example, has dropped for the first time in a decade even as deaths from malaria and TB have risen.
• The pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have already led to lowering of global economic growth projections by 0.9 percentage point, the statement highlighted, flagging the conflict for harming in more ways than one:
• Raising food and fuel prices
• Hampering global supplies and trade
• Roiling financial markets
• The report also flagged threats to food security and aids, rising unemployment (especially among women) and increases in child labour as well as child marriages. The burden was greater on least developed countries and vulnerable population groups.

Sustainable Development Goals – Background

• In September 2000, the United Nations-mandated that all of its members adhere to a Millennium Development Goal, which consisted of a set of eight time-bound goals that were to be met within a fifteen-year period. The eight targets of the Millennium Development Goals were as follows:
•      To make extreme poverty and hunger a thing of the past.
•      To make primary education universal
•      To advance gender equality and women’s empowerment
•      To lower the infant mortality rate
•      To improve the health of mothers
•      HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases are being combated.
•      To ensure long-term environmental viability
•      Creating a global development partnership
• In 2015, the UN received a final report confirming the beneficial impact of the Millennium Development Goal on the eight parameters as well as the maternal mortality rate. Once the MDG’s 15-year target was met, the responsibility for development was transferred to the Sustainable Development Goal’s 17 targets.

THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AND POLICIES

CHHATTISGARH GETS CENTRE’S NOD FOR WORLD BANK FUNDED SCHOOL PROJECT

• THE CONTEXT:The Chhattisgarh Government has received an in-principle nod from the Centre to go ahead with a $300 million (approximately ₹2,100 crore) school education project the State is negotiating with the World Bank.
• THE EXPLANATION:
• The proposal, discussions on which started in April 2022 and then it was sent to the Centre after the State Finance Department cleared it. If it goes through, the initiative will allow the Chhattisgarh Government to borrow $300 million over a period of five years at significantly lower than market rates, and repay it over a period of 20 years.
• An in-principle nod means that the Centre has no objection to the State borrowing money from an external financial institution such as the World Bank. This is not the final approval, but it paves the way for the State to proceed with subsequent discussions. Similarly, the World Bank has also approved in-principle that it’s willing to fund the project.
• “This will be followed by a World Bank team’s visit to Chhattisgarh. The team is scheduled to arrive later this month (July 2022). Then the state Govt will prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) with the Centre and the World Bank, which will be put up before the World Bank Board and the Centre for a final approval.
• The World Bank has been associated with India’s school education system since 1994, according to sources. One of its more recent projects, inked in 2021, is the $500 million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian States. That list, however, does not include Chhattisgarh.

Why states need centre’s permission while borrowing? Is it mandatory for all states?

• Article 293(3) of the Constitution requires states to obtain the Centre’s consent in order to borrow in case the state is indebted to the Centre over a previous loan.
• This consent can also be granted subject to certain conditions by virtue of Article 293(4).
• In practice, the Centre has been exercising this power in accordance with the recommendations of the Finance Commission.
• Every single state is currently indebted to the Centre and thus, all of them require the Centre’s consent in order to borrow.
• Does the Centre have unfettered power to impose conditions under this provision?
• Neither does the provision itself offer any guidance on this, nor is there any judicial precedent that one could rely on.
• Interestingly, even though this question formed part of the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission, it was not addressed in its interim report.
• So, when can the centre impose conditions?
• The Centre can impose conditions only when it gives consent for state borrowing, and it can only give such consent when the state is indebted to the Centre.
• Why are such restrictions necessary?
• One possible purpose behind conferring this power upon the Centre was to protect its interests in the capacity of a creditor.
• A broader purpose of ensuring macroeconomic stability is also discernible, since state indebtedness negatively affects the fiscal health of the nation as a whole.

CENTRE TO PROMOTE DRAGON FRUIT CULTIVATION IN 50,000 HECTARES

• THE CONTEXT: The Gujarat Government recently renamed dragon fruit as kamlam (lotus) and announced an incentive for farmers who cultivate it. The Haryana Government also provides a grant for farmers who are ready to plant this exotic fruit variety.
• THE EXPLANATION:
• The Centre feels that considering the cost effectiveness and global demand for the fruit due to its nutritional values, its cultivation can be expanded in India. At present, this exotic fruit is cultivated in 3,000 hectares; the plan is to increase cultivation to 50,000 hectares in five years.
• According to the Central Govt, the demand for the fruit is high in domestic and global markets because of its nutritional values. “Fifty thousand hectares in five years is an achievable target. The demand for the fruit will remain. Prices for farmers will also be good. The benefit is that this fruit can be cultivated in degraded and rainfed land”.
• Also, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, the fruit plant doesn’t need much water and can be cultivated on dry land. When it comes to cost, the dragon fruit is now sold at a price of ₹400 per kg and the effort is to make it available to consumers for ₹100 per kg. “The cost of cultivation is initially high. But the plant doesn’t need productive land; it gives maximum production from non-productive, less fertile area. This is beneficial for a lot of farmers.
• The Centre plans to come up with an annual action plan to motivate more State governments. At the moment, Mizoram tops among the States that cultivate this fruit, which is indigenous to Mexico and is now produced mainly in Vietnam. The export of the fruit has made a huge contribution to Vietnam’s GDP. “All the States in India except cold areas are suitable for dragon fruit plants. Market demand so high as production is less”.
• According to sources, India is now importing about 15,491 tonnes of dragon fruits and has potential to match the production of China, where cultivation of the fruit takes place in 40,000 hectares, and Vietnam, which grows the fruit in 60,000 hectares. “The initial investment high. But it gives fast returns within a year. The red and pink varieties of the fruit give better yield”.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

DRAGON FRUIT (A) KAMLAM (LOTUS)

• It is scientifically referred to as Hylocereusundatus,
• Production of ‘dragon fruit’ commenced in India in early 1990s and it was grown as home gardens.
• Due to high export value, the exotic ‘dragon fruit’ has become increasingly popular in recent years in the country and it has been taken up for cultivation by farmers in different states.
• Three main varieties of dragon fruit: white flesh with pink skin, red flesh with pink skin, and white flesh with yellow skin.
• However, the red and white flesh is in demand among the consumers.
• Indian States that grow Dragon fruit: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Major Dragon fruit growing countries: Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, the USA and Vietnam
• These countries are the major competitors for Indian Dragon Fruit.
• Growth requirements and benefits:
• It requires less water
• It can be grown in various kinds of soils.
• The fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• It can help in repairing the cell damage caused by oxidative stress and reduce inflammation,
• It can also improve the digestive system.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

ONE WORD A DAY – CO-LOCATION

• THE CONTEXT:Market regulator SEBI has penalised 18 entities, including the National Stock Exchange (NSE), its former managing director Chitra Ramkrishna and group president Ravi Varanasi, in the ‘dark fibre’ case.
• THE EXPLANATION:

What is co-location?

• Co-location is typically associated with a facility where a third party can lease a rack/server space along with other computer hardware.
• A co-location facility provides infrastructure such as power supply, bandwidth, and cooling for setting up servers and storage of data.

What is dark fibre?

• The dark fibre or unlit fibre, with respect to network connectivity, refers to an already laid but unused or passive optical fibre, which is not connected to active electronics/equipment and does not have other data flowing through it and is available for use in fibre-optic communication.

What is the dark fibre case?

• The case relates to the alleged differential access given to certain broking firms in the form of ‘dark fibre’ at NSE, to connect across the colocation facilities before other members.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q.The term “Derecho” recently seen in the news related to

•    a)It is latest nuclear weapon made in Russia.
•    b)It is a Straight-line storms.
•    c)It is a new mineral found in Luhansk, Ukraine.
•    d)It isa method for suppressing the people during protest.

ANSWER FOR 7^TH JULY 2022

ANSWER: B

EXPLANATION:

Funded by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology. 

What is TiHAN?

• Funded by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology at a budget of Rs 130 crore, the “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” is a multidisciplinary initiative, which aims at making India a global player in the futuristic and next-generation “Smart Mobility” technology.
• The multi-departmental initiative includes researchers from electrical, computer science, mechanical and aerospace, civil, mathematics, and design at IIT-H. There is also collaboration and support from reputed institutions and industry.
• The focus will be on solving various challenges hindering the real-time adoption of unmanned autonomous vehicles for both terrestrial and aerial applications.
• It will facilitate research grounds to investigate the functioning of unmanned and connected vehicles in a controlled environment by replicating different situations.
• It should be noted that there is no such testbed facility in India to evaluate the autonomous navigation of vehicles.
• TiHAN aims to fill this gap by developing a fully functional and exemplary testbed facility dedicated to connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs).

THE CONTEXT:In a diverse country like India, financial inclusion is a critical part of the development process. The state of financial inclusion has improved considerably over time. However, financial inclusion hasn’t reached the poorest of the poor and there exist many bottlenecks and challenges which need immediate attention and the recent pandemic has raised the concerns related to financial inclusion. This article explains the progress made so far and what more can be done in the arena of financial inclusion.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION:
Financial inclusion means that individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs – transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance – delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.
• Financial inclusion has been identified as an enabler for 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• The G20 committed to advancing financial inclusion worldwide and reaffirmed its commitment to implement the  G20 High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion.
• The World Bank Group considers financial inclusion a key enabler to reducing extreme poverty and boosting            shared prosperity.

“Financial inclusion may be defined as the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low-income groups at an affordable cost.” The Committee on Financial Inclusion
Chairman: Dr. C. Rangarajan.
“Financial Inclusion, broadly defined, refers to universal access to a wide range of financial services at a reasonable cost. These include not only banking products but also other financial services such as insurance and equity products.” The Committee on Financial Sector Reforms Chairman: Dr Raghuram G. Rajan.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION INITIATIVES

JAN DHAN-AADHAR-MOBILE (JAM) TRINITY
• The combination of Aadhaar, PMJDY and an increase in mobile communication has transformed how citizens access government services.
• According to estimates in August 2021, the total number of Jan Dhan scheme beneficiaries was more than 430 million.
• Aadhaar has significantly altered the concept of individual identity, resulting not only in a secure and easily verifiable system but also in an easy-to-obtain system that will aid in the financial inclusion process.
• The government has also launched a number of flagship schemes to promote financial inclusion and provide financial security in order to empower the country’s poor and unbanked citizens.
• PAHAL (Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh) or the Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) scheme is a well targeted system of subsidy delivery to LPG consumers aimed at rationalizing subsidies, based on an approach to cut subsidy leakages, but not subsidies themselves. SAHAJ Scheme is also a component under PAHAL which enables people to apply for LPG connections online.
• With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of lockdown and social distancing norms, DBT emerged as a boon in providing succour and relief to millions of citizens whose livelihood was impacted. At present it disburses benefit for 420 schemes under 56 ministries.
• The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, the Stand-Up India Scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the Atal Pension Yojana are also among them.
FINANCIAL SERVICES EXPANSION IN RURAL AND SEMI-URBAN AREAS
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and NABARD have launched initiatives to promote rural financial inclusion.
• These include the establishment of bank branches in remote regions.
• Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) are being issued.
• Self-help groups (SHGs) are linked with banks.
• Increasing the number of ATMs.
• Business correspondent model of banking.
DIGITAL PAYMENTS PROMOTION (DIGITAL FINANCIAL INCLUSION)
• In comparison to the past, digital payments have become more secure thanks to NPCI’s strengthening of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
• The Aadhar-enabled payment system (AEPS) allows an Aadhar-enabled bank account (AEBA) to be used at any location and at any time through the use of micro ATMs.
• The payment system has become more accessible as a result of offline transaction-enabling platforms such as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), which allows users to use mobile banking services without the need for an internet connection, even on a basic mobile handset.
IMPROVING FINANCIAL LITERACY
• The Reserve Bank of India has launched a project called “Project Financial Literacy.”
• The project’s goal is to disseminate information about the central bank and general banking concepts to a variety of target groups, including school and college children, women, the rural and urban poor, military personnel, and senior citizens.
• ‘Pocket Money’ is the flagship programme of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) aimed at increasing financial literacy among school students.
• The goal is to teach students about the value of money and the importance of saving, investing, and financial planning.

RECENT EXPERIENCES WITH FINANCIAL INCLUSION

INCREASED ACCESS TO BANKS
• According to the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusion Database or Global Findex report (2017), 80% of Indian adults have a bank account against the 53% estimated in 2014.
• The Findex 2017 report also estimates that 77% of Indian women have bank accounts, against 43% in 2014.
MULTIPLIER EFFECT
• These initiatives have brought about major changes to increase the last-mile connectivity of financial services to its people.
• By providing access to financial resources to underprivileged and marginalised sections of society, financial inclusion has the potential to reduce poverty, and create jobs, among others.
ENHANCING ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF CITIZENRY
• Earlier, private institutions did not engage with the poor as customers on a significant scale.
• This has now changed, and there has been active participation of the private players (payment banks like Paytm, airtel money and Jio money), as they have also realised that bringing the poor into the financial net is beneficial to their business models as well.
INTEGRATION OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
• The convergence of the JAM trinity with the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme has largely been successful.
• Due to this, there has been a significant improvement in terms of targeted and accurate payments.
• It has also helped in weeding out duplication of entries and bringing down the reliance on cash mode of payments.

CHALLENGES TO FINANCIAL INCLUSION

DIGITAL DIVIDE
The following are the most common barriers to the adoption of digital technology that could promote financial inclusion:
• Inadequate availability of appropriate financial products.
• The inability of stakeholders to use digital services due to a lack of skills.
• Problems with infrastructure.
• Low-income customers who cannot afford the technology needed to access digital services.
IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
• The Jan Dhan scheme resulted in the creation of a large number of dormant accounts that never saw any banking transactions.
• All such activities impose costs on the institutions, and thus, massive operational costs proved to be detrimental to the overall goal.
• To avoid these unintended consequences, it is critical that all stakeholders participate in such programmes with proper intent and not just for the sake of participating.
ACCESS TO BANK ACCOUNTS IS NOT UNIVERSAL
• Since bank accounts provide access to all financial services it is imperative for every citizen to have a bank account.
• However, according to a World Bank report, approximately 190 million adults in India do not have a bank account, making India the world’s second-largest unbanked population after China.
• The financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) is composed by the Reserve bank of India based on multiple parameters to reflect the broadening and deepening of financial inclusion in the country. The FI Index is published annually in July for the financial year ending previous March. The annual FI-Index for the period ending March 2021 is 53.9 as against 43.4 for the period ending March 2017. ( Look for FI-Index in July 2022)
INFORMAL AND CASH-DOMINATED ECONOMY
• India has a heavily dominated cash economy, which makes digital payment adoption difficult.
• Furthermore, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that approximately 81 per cent of all employed people in India work in the informal sector.
• The combination of a huge informal sector along with a high dependence on cash mode of transaction poses an impediment to digital financial inclusion.
INADEQUATE CREDIT PENETRATION
• The lack of information available to formal creditors to determine creditworthiness is one of the main constraints in providing credit to low-income households and informal businesses. As a result, the cost of credit is high.
• As a result, the number of loan accounts per 1,000 adults in India was 154 in 2016. This is quite low when compared to comparable economies such as the BRICS nations.
GENDER INEQUALITY IN FINANCIAL INCLUSION
• According to the 2017 Global Findex database, 83 per cent of males over the age of 15 in India had a financial institution account in 2017, compared to 77 per cent of females.
• This is due to socioeconomic factors such as men having greater availability of mobile handsets and internet data facilities than women.

TECHNOLOGY AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION

AADHAAR AND THE INDIA STACK ARCHITECTURE

• It has addressed the issue of de-duplicated identity. While there are concerns about privacy, the issue of connectivity in remote areas, about exclusion and false rejections, it is to be accepted that there is a widespread perception and acceptability that this is a good identity document.

ADDRESSING THE INFORMATION ASYMMETRY

• Over a period of time, the transactions of the poor have been captured both in the books as well as in the books of Self Help Groups the Microfinance Institutions, thereby giving a transaction trail. This transaction trail can be seen as a proxy for future cash flows for a banker to take a call on the loans. With the need to upload the credit data to the four credit bureaus and the initiative of a public credit registry, the issue of information asymmetry is addressed by the use of active data capture specific to the loan activities.

INTEROPERABILITY

• .The computerisation of banks, interoperability between banks and a solid payments and settlements backbone provided by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has made contactless remittances as well as small ticket cashless transactions possible.
• .The rollout of technology for payments through mobile using QR code and making interoperability free for the clients has given a ubiquitous digital push.

• WHETHER THE PANDEMIC BOOSTED FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN INDIA?

 YES 

• The spread of digital financial services during the pandemic is welcome news. Digital financial systems help alleviate poverty by increasing the speed, security, and transparency of transactions. They create space for development of sustainable financial products that can cater to low-income and vulnerable groups by removing barriers such as lack of identification, formal income, and geographical distance.
• The lockdown and social distancing imposed by the authorities to contain the spread of the virus have led to a significant increase in the value and number of online transactions. The pandemic has revolutionize digital financial services. Advances in digital money, online banking, and fintech services have significantly impacted small businesses and low-income households. The ability of digital financial services to increase financial inclusion and thus economic growth is a potential boon.

  NO

• In times of crisis, when the sources of income are restricted, the poor households were vulnerable to approach unscrupulous moneylenders for their financial needs. To tackle the crisis, these households are likely to adopt unfavorable survival mechanisms such as liquidation of assets, a decline in nutritious food consumption, and abortion of healthcare services.
•  Amid the crisis, the unavailability of adequate financial services may exacerbate their economic hardships. The inaccessibility of financial services to the poor and informal sector workers has lead these households into a poverty trap.

THE ANALYSIS:
1. Financial inclusion is an important keystone of the socio-economic development of a country as well as a significant enabler of poverty alleviation & boosting prosperity. Bringing every citizen under the formal banking system, encouraging digital payments and making financial services easily accessible and affordable for people across the country are some key aspects of financial inclusion.
2. According to SBI Research report on Financial Access Survey, India has stolen a march in financial inclusion with the initiation of PMJDY accounts since 2014, enabled by a robust digital infrastructure, careful recalibration of bank branches and use of the Banking Correspondent model.
3. Though the pandemic has been hard on most of the population it has provided a significant boost to digital banking and financial inclusion but still there a long road ahead.

THE WAY FORWARD:
1. While India has made great strides in the journey toward financial inclusion, recently with the advent of digital payment systems, there are notable digital divide and financial literacy concerns in the country. The most common barriers such as lack of skills among the stakeholders to use digital services, infrastructural issues, teething problems between various systems, and low-income consumers’ inability to afford the technology required to access digital services shall be addressed.
2. In terms of advancing financial literacy, the government’s ongoing efforts under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) (which aims to train one person per household i.e., 6 crore persons in rural areas on digital literacy) were suffering from a paucity of funds. Against this backdrop, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT submitted its report on the review of the National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) in March 2022, with a host of recommendations. Such recommendations shall be discussed and debated to have a better policy and implementation.
3. Leveraging JAM Trinity: Technology should be used to improve the assessment of creditworthiness for households and informal businesses. With the adoption of appropriate technology a new data-sharing framework (using Jan Dhan and Aadhaar platforms), to enable easier access to credit shall be framed.
4. Need for Data Protection Regime: In addition to greater digitization, there is also a need to strengthen cyber security and data protection regime in the country.
5. Leveraging Differentiated Banks: Differentiated Banks like Payment banks and small finance banks can be leveraged to scale up payments systems in underserved areas.
6. Promoting USSD for Rural Areas: Payments through the USSD channel should be promoted (by reimbursing the charges incurred in the USSD process), as they have an advantage over the internet in that it can also cover a large proportion of non-smartphone users. In India, USSD can be particularly useful in rural areas where some segments still do not have reliable access to the internet.

THE CONCLUSION:Being able to have access to a transaction account is the first step toward broader financial inclusion since a transaction account allows people to store money, and send and receive payments. A transaction account serves as a gateway to other financial services, which is why ensuring that people nationwide can have access to a transaction account continues to be an area of focus. For the success of financial inclusion in India, there has to be a multidimensional approach through which existing digital platforms, infrastructure, human resources, and policy frameworks are strengthened and new technological innovations should be promoted. If adequate measures are taken to tide over the existing problems, financial inclusion has the potential to amplify the benefits of economic growth to the poor.

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1. Discuss various challenges of financial inclusion for the Indian economy. Also mention steps taken by the Indian government toward financial inclusion.
2. Even after 70 years of independence, a large section of the Indian population still remains unbanked. This malaise has led to a generation of financial instability and pauperism among the lower-income group. Suggest measures to expand the financial inclusion net in India.
3. While India has made great strides in the journey towards financial inclusion recently with the advent of digital payment systems, there is notable digital divide and financial literacy concerns in the country. Critically analyse.

1. Poverty continues to be an anathema READ MORE
2. ANGER MANAGEMENT LEADS TO DIVINITY READ MORE

1. Single-use plastics ban: A big leap towards a better planet READ MORE
2. No more excuses READ MORE  

1. Poverty continues to be an anathema READ MORE
2. A community and a health issue of concern READ MORE

1. Regulating doctors READ MORE
2. Indian think tanks are growing in big numbers under Modi. But impact, influence questionable READ MORE
3. Inconsistency in the Judiciary: A Tale of Two Judgments READ MORE
4. Draft Amendment to the IT Rules 2021 Smacks of Censorship READ MORE
5. Our Insolvency and Bankruptcy laws need to focus more on the Resolution Applicant READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Centre to promote dragon fruit cultivation in 50,000 hectares READ MORE
2. Chhattisgarh gets Centre’s nod for World Bank funded school project READ MORE
3. Monsoon temperatures now higher than in summer, says CSE report READ MORE
4. SDGs as good as gone unless the world takes URGENT action READ MORE
5. Himalayan wolf a major livestock predator, though not by choice: Study READ MORE
6. Explained: What is a derecho, a storm that turned the sky green in the US? READ MORE
7. Jaishankar meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bali, calls for early resolution of LAC row READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Poverty continues to be an anathema READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Regulating doctors READ MORE
2. Indian think tanks are growing in big numbers under Modi. But impact, influence questionable READ MORE
3. Inconsistency in the Judiciary: A Tale of Two Judgments READ MORE
4. Draft Amendment to the IT Rules 2021 Smacks of Censorship READ MORE
5. Our Insolvency and Bankruptcy laws need to focus more on the Resolution Applicant READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. A community and a health issue of concern READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Ending the Ukraine war in an imperfect world: But the problem now is that the conflict is being cast in binaries, making compromise difficult READ MORE
2. BRICS has no place for anti-West agenda. India must not let China hijack it READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The welfare of the urban poor cannot be an afterthought in economic growth plans READ MORE
2. Are we headed for an external sector crisis? READ MORE
3. Defending the rupee: Market adjustment should not be delayed for long READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Single-use plastics ban: A big leap towards a better planet READ MORE
2. No more excuses READ MORE  

TECHNOLOGY

1. Cyber upgrade READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Policies and People | Don’t blame only the monsoons for landslides READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Poverty continues to be an anathema READ MORE
2. ANGER MANAGEMENT LEADS TO DIVINITY READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘The problems faced by resolution applicants are not because of the legislation, but because of the lack of judicial administration and prudence’. Discuss the statement.
2. ‘The Rules establishing the Union Government as the final arbiter in complaints against content on social media goes against the ethos of our Constitution’. Examine the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The mental illnesses and challenges that India’s LGBTQIA++ people face need comprehensive and long-term solutions.
• People are never so completely and enthusiastically evil as when they act out of religious conviction.
• India needs stronger enforcement of copyright and IP laws to reduce piracy and counterfeiting.
• To tackle the rising menace of copyright infringement, the government has been taking a serious approach to dispel India’s tarnished image and provide better protection to its artists and entrepreneurs.
• IP laws aren’t of importance just to legal experts, but also to all those actively involved in creation or facilitation of services – be it artists, musicians, filmmakers, or software developers.
• Promoting a good IPR-protective system will not just boost the spirit of creativity and innovation, but also help the nation shine on the global platform.
• The Rules establishing the Union Government as the final arbiter in complaints against content on social media and OTT platforms directly or indirectly goes against the ethos of our Constitution.
• Any attempt to convert BRICS into a soft power tool and strategise to make it a security and foreign policy group will weaken its trade aspects.
• BRICS is essentially a trade forum that seeks to derive maximum common benefit for member countries. But any attempt to convert it into a soft power tool and strategise to make it a security and foreign policy group will weaken its trade aspects and defeat its very founding purposes.
• Privation anywhere is a challenge to prosperity everywhere. As the worst form of deprivation human beings suffer from, it leads to untold miseries
• The plastic ban is a significant step towards building a sustainable planet we can proudly hand over to the next generation. We can eliminate SUPs from our daily lives with everyone’s participation and combined efforts.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Privation anywhere is a challenge to prosperity everywhere.

50 WORD TALK

• AltNews’ Mohammed Zubair and Zee’s Rohit Ranjan are in SC today for bail. We hope SC says yes to both. We wish SC would firmly remind lower courts of the principle that bail is the rule, jail exception. Much personal liberty is lost until even resourceful people can reach SC.
• Three years after his Brexit-powered election landslide, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s being evicted from office by an economic crisis that’s eviscerating living standards. To avert shipwreck, Britain needs to cut the fiscal deficit and rebuild European trade. Conservative Party leaders must toss populist ideological baggage overboard, not just the captain.

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 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.

[WpProQuiz 272]

THE CONTEXT: The ‘State of Inequality in India’ report has been compiled by the Institute for Competitiveness and released by Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) chairperson Bibek Debroy on 18^th May 2022. The report demonstrates the wide gap between the top and bottom earners which is getting wider and further states that income deprivation can increase the probability of descent into poverty. This article explains the findings and suggestions of the report.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS TO ADDRESS INEQUALITY IN INDIA The PREAMBLE itself mentions Justice social, economic and political; equality of status and opportunity which becomes the basis for various provisions in the Constitution to address the challenges of Inequality in India. Some of the provisions are Provisions under Part III ( Fundamental Rights) provide for equality before the law, of employment, prohibits discrimination, and other rights for children, women and other minority and underprivileged sections of the society. Provisions under Part IV (DPSPs), especially A.38 envisage the responsibility of the state to secure a social order for the promotion of the welfare of the people. Article 39. Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State. – The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing- (a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood; (b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good; (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment;

Institute for Competitiveness, India is the Indian subsidiary of the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness of the Harvard Business School.

• ABOUT THE REPORT:
• 1. The report compiles information on inequities across sectors of health, education, household characteristics and the labour market. Inequities in these sectors make the population more vulnerable and trigger a descent into multidimensional poverty.
• 2. The report stretches the narrative on inequality by presenting a comprehensive analysis that shapes the ecosystem of various deprivations in the country, which directly impacts the well-being of the population and overall growth.
• PARTS OF THE REPORT
•  The report consists of two parts – Economic Facets and Socio-Economic Manifestations which looks at five key areas that influence the nature and experience of inequality.
• FIVE KEY AREAS
•  These are income distribution, labour market dynamics, health, education and household characteristics.
• SOURCE OF DATA FOR THE REPORT
• The report is based on the data derived from various rounds of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) and United Information System for Education Plus.

 KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT

• WEALTH CONCENTRATION
• Urban areas have a 44.4% wealth concentration in the highest quintile (20%) compared to a meagre 7.1% concentration in rural areas.
• UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
•  India’s unemployment rate is 4.8% (2019-20), and the worker population ratio is 46.8%.
• In 2019-20, among different employment categories, the highest percentage was self-employed workers (45.78%), followed by regular salaried workers (33.5%) and casual workers (20.71%).
• The share of self-employed workers also happens to be the highest in the lowest income categories.
• The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) has risen from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 53.5% in 2019-20.
• HEALTH
• The results of NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) have shown that 58.6% of women received antenatal check-ups in the first trimester in 2015-16, which increased to 70% by 2019-21.
• 78% of women received postnatal care from a doctor or auxiliary nurse within two days of delivery, and 79.1% of children received postnatal care within two days of delivery.
• However, nutritional deprivation in terms of overweight, underweight, and prevalence of anaemia (especially in children, adolescent girls and pregnant women) remains areas of huge concern requiring urgent attention.
• Additionally, low health coverage, leading to high out-of-pocket expenditure, directly affects poverty incidences.
• HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
• In the area of health infrastructure, there has been a considerable improvement in increasing the infrastructural capacity with a targeted focus on rural areas.
• From 1,72,608 total health centres in India in 2005, total health centres in 2020 stood at 1,85,505.
• States and Union Territories like Rajasthan, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh have significantly increased health centres (comprising Sub-Centres, Primary Health Centres, and Community Health Centres) between 2005 and 2020.
• HOUSEHOLD CONDITIONS
• By 2019-20, 95% of schools would have functional toilet facilities on the school premises (95.9% functional boy’s toilets and 96.9% functional girl’s toilets).
• 80.16% of schools have functional electricity connections with States and Union Territories like Goa, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry have achieved universal (100%) coverage of functional electricity connections.
• According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), 97% of households have electricity access, 70% have improved access to sanitation, and 96% have access to safe drinking water.
• EDUCATION
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio has also increased between 2018-19 and 2019-20 at the primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary.

 MAJOR SUGGESTIONS BY THE REPORT

• UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME (UBI) SCHEME
• The report has suggested that the Government should launch a guaranteed employment programme for the urban unemployed and roll out a universal basic income (UBI) scheme to reduce income gaps.
• RAISE MINIMUM INCOME
•  The report also recommended steps to raise minimum income to make vulnerable sections able to save and to set aside an asset with the idea of using it sometime in the future when it is needed.
• LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION
• Looking at the difference between the labour force participation rate in rural and urban areas, we can understand that the urban equivalent of schemes like MGNREGS that are demand-based and offer guaranteed employment should be introduced so that the surplus labour is rehabilitated.
• EXPENDITURE TOWARD SOCIAL SERVICES
• The Government must allocate more percentage of the expenditure towards social services and the social sector to make the most vulnerable population resilient to sudden shocks and stop their descent into poverty.
• MAPPING THE POVERTY
• The most important aspect of measuring poverty in a multi-dimensional context requires mapping the mobility in and out of poverty.
• PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (PLFS)
• The results of the three rounds of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) noted that in the three years excepting for very marginal changes, the top 1 per cent of the population held 6-7 per cent of the total income earned, while the top 10 per cent held a third.
•  The report shows a relatively better picture of the country’s income pyramid than in the World Inequality Report (WIR) 2022
• ·         According to the WIR, India stood as a poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite.
• ·         In 2021, the top 10% of the population had 57% of the total national income and the top 1% held 22%.
• ·         The bottom half of the population held just 13% of the national income in 2021.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REPORT

IMPLICATIONS OF RISING INEQUALITY

• LOWER INVESTMENT LEVELS
• Marginal propensity to save is high in upper-income levels while marginal propensity to consume is more at the lower levels. One cannot spend beyond a limit.
• The surplus goes into savings, which, in turn, get transformed into increased investments for the economy through financial intermediaries.
• HIGHER VULNERABILITIES TO EXTREME EVENTS
• Poor people have little to no savings or wealth which makes it very difficult for them to survive in extreme situations like pandemics, Disasters etc.
• UNDERMINES DIGNITY
• People with fewer resources have to work day and night, an off day may deprive them of a full meal for that day.
• They starve for food, clothing and other basic things which undermines their right to a dignified life under Article 21.
• HAMPERS PROGRESS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS
• Lack of access to income and wealth hampers the ability of the poor to access the levers (like education) that enable upward mobility.
• Children born in poor families remain trapped in poverty, perpetually.
• HIGH CRIME RATES
•  A study published in the journal ‘Nature’ showed that more unequal societies tend to have higher crime.
• Inequitable distribution of wealth leads to lower social trust.

THE CHALLENGES IN ADDRESSING INEQUALITY

• VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY
• Poor health, education and skill set lead to low productivity and unemployment/underemployment, fewer savings keeping the vulnerable sections in the Poverty Trap perpetually.
• LOW FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE
• Female LFPR still remains low. The Report notes that India’s FLFPR has increased from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 30% in 2019-20 (although PLFS survey has put this figure to 22.8% for 2019-20).
• Lack of Education, Early Marriage, household responsibilities etc. force women to opt-out of jobs which reduces their income.
• POOR COVERAGE OF SCHEMES
• A worrisome 85.9% of people from rural areas and 80% from urban areas are not covered under health schemes. The coverage is inadequate in other social sector schemes as well.
• HEATH LACUNAE
• Nutritional deprivation in terms of overweight, underweight, and prevalence of anaemia (especially in children, adolescent girls and pregnant women) remains areas of huge concern requiring urgent attention, as per the report.
• Additionally, low health coverage, leading to high out-of-pocket expenditure, directly affects poverty incidences.
• GLOBAL UNCERTAINTIES
• The continuation of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have pushed the inflation levels in the country thereby creating more problems for the poor.
• A recent World Bank estimate shows that 1% increase in the food price will push 10 million people into extreme poverty.
• NO DATA TO MEASURE INCOME INEQUALITY
•  In India, we lack comprehensive data for measuring income inequality.
• The closest was NCAER data many years ago (2018).
• VERY OLD AND OUTDATED DATA
• The last comprehensive NSS data on consumption and expenditure is for 2011-12.
• NO EXACT POVERTY FIGURES
• In the absence of data on consumption expenditure, a clear articulation of the poverty line and also of poverty numbers is not possible.
• All kinds of extrapolation are done on the basis of 2011-12 data, on the basis of the assumed Tendulkar poverty line.
• The pandemic then led to a decline in national income in 2020-21
• Given the increased pace of formalisation of the economy during the last two years, many analysts reckon the income gap may have widened since 2019-20.

STEPS TAKEN TO REDUCE INEQUALITY

• PROGRESSIVE TAXATION
• A progressive tax is one where the average tax burden increases with income. High-income families pay a disproportionate share of the tax burden, while low- and middle-income taxpayers shoulder a relatively small tax burden.
• FINANCIAL INCLUSION
• Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile Trinity (or JAM Trinity): It focuses on mobile numbers, Aadhar Card and post office accounts as alternative financial delivery mechanisms to ensure that benefits reach the poor households seamlessly.
• AYUSHMAN BHARAT
• It focuses on providing care through Health Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) covering child and maternal health services, non-communicable diseases, and free drugs and diagnostic services.
• SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
• It is an Integrated Scheme for School Education. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
• MGNREGA
• It guarantees work to every rural household with an aim to enhance the livelihood security of people.
• PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI (PM-KISAN)
• To supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of each crop cycle.
• To protect them from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in farming activities.
• PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN ANN YOJANA (PMGKAY)
• The scheme aimed at providing each person who is covered under the National Food Security Act 2013 with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised food grain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
• INITIATIVES FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: The flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme was launched in 2015 to provide short-term training, skilling through ITIs and under the apprenticeship scheme. Since 2015, the government has trained over 10 million youth under this scheme.
• SANKALP and STRIVE: The SANKALP programme which focuses on the district-level skilling ecosystem and the STRIVE project which aims to improve the performance of ITIs are other significant skilling interventions.
• THE ANALYSIS OF THE REPORT:
• The timing of the report and some of its recommendations are also crucial — for instance, one of its key recommendations call for introducing UBI. This is not a novel idea.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had decided not to release the results of the all-India Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) during 2017-2018, citing “data quality issues”, the report shall be made public.
• The State of Inequality in India Report concedes that while earnings have risen over the years, the benefits of that growth have largely remained concentrated and this has marginalised the poor further. We have made some progress in the past but still miles to go
• THE WAY FORWARD:
• The government should raise the minimum wage rate, especially in the unorganized sector wherein people get very less social security benefits. Assurance of minimum wage can be done by proper implementation of MGNREGA and the introduction of a similar scheme in urban areas.
• The debate on Universal Basic Income has been going on for quite some time. The Government can now shift to action mode and take steps for a speedy rollout.
• There should be a higher allocation of money towards social services. India requires 6% of GDP in education and 2.5% of GDP in Health to ensure equitable development.
• There should be a greater focus on digitization and JAM usage in order to reduce inclusion and exclusion errors in schemes.
• THE CONCLUSION: B.R. Ambedkar had issued a grim warning in 1949 that if we continue to deny social and economic inequality for long, we could “blow up the structure of political democracy”. It is time to act on his advice for socio-economic equality. The findings of the inequality report clearly indicate that while there has been some improvement in the employment and income parameters in the recent pre-COVID-19 years, the benefit has been largely restricted to the dominant groups at the expense of the disadvantaged groups who have been marginalised and deprived of the gains.
• Mains Practice Questions:
• 1. Is inequality getting worse in India, and what does it mean for the poor in the country? Justify your opinion and suggest measures to reduce the inequalities.
• 2. While earnings have risen over the years, the benefits of that growth have largely remained concentrated and this has marginalised the poor further. Critically analyse and suggest measures to further the socio-economic equality.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. WHY DOES RAJYA SABHA HAVE ‘NOMINATED’ MPS, AND WHO GETS NOMINATED?

THE CONTEXT:The government on nominated musician Ilaiyaraaja, track-and-field icon PT Usha, Telugu screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad, and philanthropist and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade to Rajya Sabha. The four new entrants to Rajya Sabha belong to four southern states, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

THE EXPLANATION:

Ilaiyaraaja, Usha, Prasad, and Heggade will serve until July 2028. The Upper House of Parliament now has nine nominated members — the other five being lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, dancer Sonal Mansingh, politician Ram Shakal, author and columnist Rakesh Sinha, and former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. Three nominated positions are currently vacant.

What does the Constitution say about nominated members?

• Article 80 of the Constitution (“Composition of the Council of States”) says “The Council of States shall consist of (a) twelve members to be nominated by the President in accordance with the provisions of clause (3); and (b) not more than two hundred and thirty-eight representatives of the States and of the Union territories.”
• Clause 3 of the article layer down the qualifications for the appointment: “The members to be nominated by the President…shall consist of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as the following, namely:—
o Literature, science, art and social service.”
• Since Rajya Sabha was constituted in 1952, a total 142 individuals have been nominated as its members. The list includes scholars, jurists, educationists, historians, scientists, litterateurs, journalists, engineers, economists, administrators, artistes, sportspersons, social workers, and politicians, mostly with loyalty to the government of the day.
What is the role of nominated members?
• Nominated members of Rajya Sabha enjoy all the powers and privileges to which the elected MPs are entitled. They can take part in the proceedings of the House in the normal manner, even though there has been criticism that several nominated members have poor attendance and do not appear to show much interest in legislative work.
• In this context, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actor Rekha, and businesswoman Anu Aga have faced criticism in recent years.
• Nominated members are not allowed to vote in the election of the President.They do have the right to vote in the election of the Vice-President, however.
ADD TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Why are members nominated to the Rajya Sabha?
• Pitching for a provision in the Constitution to allow eminent persons to be nominated to the Council of States, N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, who was part of the Constitution Drafting Committee, said: “We also give an opportunity, perhaps, to seasoned people who may not be in the thickest of the political fray, but who might be willing to participate in the debate with an amount of learning and importance which we do not ordinarily associate with the House of the People (Lok Sabha).”
• The first list of 12 Presidential nominees perfectly represented this sentiment: Zakir Hussain, who later became the President of India; historians Kalidas Nag and Radha Kumud Mookerji; the eminent Hindi poet Maithilisharan Gupt; Gandhian author Kakasaheb Kalelkar; scientist Satyendranath Bose; social worker N R Malkani; danseuse Rukmini Devi Arundale; Gandhian scholar J M Kumarappa; jurist Alladi Krishnaswami; actor Prithviraj Kapoor; and medical scientist Major General S SSokhey.

2. EXPLAINED: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE DEMAND FOR ‘DRAVIDA NADU’, ITS EVOLUTION

THE CONTEXT:A recent controversial statement by the MP in Tamil Nadu triggered criticism for demanding “Dravida Nadu”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• E V Ramasamy ‘Periyar’ (1879-1973) had started the Self Respect Movement to “redeem the identity and self-respect” of Tamils. He envisaged an independent Dravida homeland of Dravida Nadu, comprising Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada speakers, and launched a political party, Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), to pursue this goal.
  C N Annadurai (1909-1969) was the last Chief Minister of Madras state, and the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He founded the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) after breaking with Periyar which ultimately chose to go slow on the demand for an independent Dravida Nadu and instead worked for greater autonomy for Tamil Nadu and better cooperation among the southern states.
  The demand for Dravida Nadu
  • The movement for a separate Dravida country has passed through several stages and meanings. The early 20th century agitations against the colonial government of Madras state (of which, along with Tamil Nadu, portions of modern-day Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala were part) often included expressions of regional aspirations.
  • The South Indian Liberal Federation, popularly known as Justice Party, which was founded in 1917 by Sir Pitti Theagaraya Chetty, Dr T M Nair, and Dr C Natesa Mudaliar, was the first to raise the flag of anti-Brahminism, and oppose the caste system that put Brahmins at the top of the social hierarchy.
  • At the time, the presence of Brahmins in the Madras government was disproportionately higher than their population in the state, and the Justice Party demanded opportunities for those lower in the caste hierarchy.
  • Periyar, the founder of the Self-Respect Movement (1925), was both anti-caste and anti-religion. He advocated major social reforms, including equality for women in society, and supporting birth control for women for their health and well-being. He also opposed the domination of Hindi and emphasised the distinct cultural identity of the Tamil nation.
  Legal Picture for such Statement:
  • To control such secessionist threats, through the 16th Amendment, the words “the sovereignty and integrity of India” were added to Article 19(2) of the Constitution. After this amendment, raising such secessionist threats became unconstitutional and illegal.
  • Article 19 of the Indian Constitution ensures freedom of speech and expression but to curb such secessionist threats, a restriction was added through the 16th amendment, as inserted in Article 19 (2), “Nothing…..shall affect the operation of any existing law, or prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred…..In the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.”
  • The 16th amendment, also called the anti-secession bill, banned secessionist advocacy and was a clear warning to secessionists like Anna who had to suspend the demand for a separate country.
  • Also, as explained by the Supreme Court of India and many legal experts, calling for “freedom of a state/UT” verbally is not a crime until it is followed by violence and related action on the ground.
  The 16th amendment Act of 1963:
  The Sixteenth Amendment Act of 1963 has two provisions as follows:
  1. Empowered the state to impose further restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech and expression, to assemble peacefully and to form associations in the interests of sovereignty and integrity of India.
  2. Included sovereignty and integrity in the forms of oaths or affirmations to be subscribed by contestants to the legislatures, members of the legislatures, ministers, judges and CAG of India.

3. THE GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2022

THE CONTEXT:The European Intelligence Unit (EUI) recently released the Global Liveability Index 2022. It ranked 173 cities on the basis of their liveability or living conditions, which was determined by five factors — stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
THE EXPLANATION:

About the Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU)
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) was created in 1946. It is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence.
• For the first time, included five Indian cities; Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore.
• All five scored poorly, ranked between 140 and 146. Delhi was ranked the best at 140, followed by Mumbai at 141, Chennai and Ahmedabad at 142 and 143 respectively. Bangalore scored the least out of the five Indian cities, ranking 146th with a score of 54.4 out of 100. This came as a shocker after the silicon valley of India topped the ‘Ease of Living Index 2020’, which was released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The city received a score of 46.4, out of 100, in infrastructure. This score is the lowest among all Indian cities. Pakistan’s largest city Karachi was one of the five least livable cities in the world in the index, but it has still scored better than the IT capital of India in terms of infrastructure. The Silicon Valley of India scored equal to Lagos in Nigeria, the third-least livable city in the world, in terms of infrastructure.
• The infrastructure score is based on the quality of roads, public transportation system, international links, energy provision, telecommunications, water, and availability of good quality housing.
• When ranking, out of the five factors, the EUI attaches the highest weightage to stability and culture and environment, which account for 25% each. It is followed by healthcare and infrastructure with 20% each and education with 10%.
• The most livable city according to the index is Vienna. Western European cities along with a few Canadian cities dominate the top ten ranks. The Syrian capital, Damascus is the least livable city in the world.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. RESTORING BANNI GRASSLANDS, GUJARAT BATTLES INVASIVE TREE SPECIES

THE CONTEXT:Recently, Gujarat forest department said that they will restore 10,000 hectares of the Banni grasslands in the coming year, and every year in the coming decade.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The state plans on restoring at least 76,000 hectares of this 2,497 sq km grassland which is a high-biodiversity area — it has already restored 10,000 hectares over the past couple of years.
• The Banni grassland was also flagged by Prime Minister, in his keynote speech at the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought last year, as part of India’s endeavour to reach the target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• The grasslands of Gujarat constitute about 4.33 per cent (8,490 sq km) of the total geographical area, distributed in eight districts and three different climatic regions — Kutch, Saurashtra and central Gujarat. A majority of grasslands in Gujarat (41 per cent) are found in the Kutch district. Banni grassland was declared a Protected Forest in 1955, under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Variety of Species
Besides having 40 species of grass and 99 species of flowering plants, Banni is also home to the Indian wolf, jackal, Indian fox, desert fox, desert cat, caracal, hyena, chinkara, Nilgai, wild boar, Indian hare, common monitor lizard — and the cheetah before it became extinct.Banni also has 273 bird species and in years of good rainfall, is home to thousands of migratory birds.
Invasive Alien Species
• On analysis of the data over last four decades, it was found that in the year 1989, the area was dominated with grasslands covering 54.57 per cent of the area followed by saline areas devoid of vegetation or sparsely distributed vegetation covering 27.30 per cent and Prosopis Juliflora, an alien invasive species, covering only 15.72 per cent of the area.
• The Land Use Land Cover (LULC) assessment of the grassland over a 10 years interval revealed that grassland areas over the period gradually reduced while in the same period Prosopis Juliflora dominant area increased encroached to more than 30 per cent.
• Therefore, within a gap of 20 years, the Prosopis Juliflora dominant areas doubled in Banni,” stated the project proposal of the Gujarat forest department.
• According to Environmentalists “The grasslands have native trees like Acacia nilotica, Salvadora persica and Capparis decidua which are protected under Section 26 in the Indian Forest Act, 1927. These have been destroyed to grow fodder.
• Banni has sensitive soil ecology where the sweet soil rests on salinity only 2 to 3 metres below the ground and any disturbance of the soil brings up salinity destroying the rich productivity of the land”.

VALUE ADDITION:
What is Invasive Alien species?
• Invasive alien species are plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health.
• In particular, they impact adversely upon biodiversity, including decline or elimination of native species – through competition, predation, or transmission of pathogens – and the disruption of local ecosystems and ecosystem functions.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. TO STEM RUPEE SLIDE, BOOST FOREX INFLOWS, RBI EASES FPI, NRI DEPOSIT NORMS

THE CONTEXT:The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a series of measures, including relaxation in foreign investment in debt, external commercial borrowings, and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) deposits to prevent the slide in the rupee and shore up foreign exchange reserves.
THE EXPLANATION:
• With the rupee depreciating 4.1 per cent to 79.30 against the US dollar in the current financial year till, FPIs (foreign portfolio investors) pulling out Rs 2.32 lakh crore in six months, and $50 billion being shaved off forex reserves over the last nine months (2022), the measures are expected to further diversify and expand the sources of forex funding, mitigate volatility, and dampen global spillovers.
• The RBI said it has been closely and continuously monitoring the liquidity conditions in the forex market and has stepped in as needed in all segments to alleviate dollar tightness with the objective of ensuring orderly market functioning.
• While India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at US$ 593.3 billion on June 24, 2022, the new measures are expected to boost inflows as nearly a third of India’s external debt of $ 621 billion will be due for maturity in the coming months.
• In a significant move, RBI has allowed banks temporarily to raise fresh Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank i.e., FCNR(B) and Non-Resident External (NRE) deposits without reference to the current regulations on interest rates, with effect from July 7. This relaxation too will be available till October 31, 2022.
• The RBI decided to increase the limit under the automatic route for external commercial borrowing (ECB) from $ 750 million or its equivalent per financial year to $ 1.5 billion. The all-in cost ceiling under the ECB framework is also being raised by 100 basis points, subject to the borrower being of investment grade rating.
• In another measure, the RBI has decided that category one banks can utiliseoverseas foreign currency borrowing (OFCBs) forlending in foreign currency to entities for a wider set of end-use purposes, subject to the negative list set out for external commercial borrowings (ECBs). The measure is expected to facilitate foreign currency borrowing by a larger set of borrowers who may find it difficult to directly access overseas markets.
VALUE ADDITION:
EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL BORROWING (ECB):
• It is a commercial loan raised by an eligible resident entity from recognised non-resident entities.
• These foreign sources could be:
1. Commercial bank loans
2. Buyers’ credit and suppliers’ credit
3. Securitised instruments such as Floating Rate Notes and Fixed Rate Bonds etc.
4. Credit from official export credit agencies and commercial borrowings from the private sector window of Multilateral Financial Institutions.
• Commercial borrowings account for the largest component of India’s external debt.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. ONE WORD A DAY- TIHAN

THE CONTEXT:Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology inaugurated first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art “Autonomous Navigation” facility to develop unmanned ground and aerial vehicles in the IIT Hyderabad campus- “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” or TiHAN.
THE EXPLANATION:
It is seen as one of the steps toward India’s vision of ‘Atmanibhar Bharat’, ‘Skill India’ and ‘Digital India’.
What is TiHAN?
• Funded by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology at a budget of Rs 130 crore, the “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” is a multidisciplinary initiative, which aims at making India a global player in the futuristic and next-generation “Smart Mobility” technology.
• The multi-departmental initiative includes researchers from electrical, computer science, mechanical and aerospace, civil, mathematics, and design at IIT-H. There is also collaboration and support from reputed institutions and industry.
• The focus will be on solving various challenges hindering the real-time adoption of unmanned autonomous vehicles for both terrestrial and aerial applications.
• It will facilitate research grounds to investigate the functioning of unmanned and connected vehicles in a controlled environment by replicating different situations.
• It should be noted that there is no such testbed facility in India to evaluate the autonomous navigation of vehicles.
• TiHAN aims to fill this gap by developing a fully functional and exemplary testbed facility dedicated to connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs).

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Which of the following statements is incorrect with respect to TiHAN?
a) It is the state-of-the-art facility at IIT-Hyderabad.
b) It is funded by Ministry of Education in collaboration with reputed institutions and industry.
c) It is a body scanning mechanism developed by IIT Madras
d) It is term seen in news related to automation navigation.

ANSWER FOR 6TH JULY 2022

ANSWER: A
EXPLANATION:
Nairobi Flies:
• Usually flies do not bite, but if disturbed while sitting on anyone’s skin, they release a potent acidic substance that causes burns.
• This substance is called pederin, and can cause irritation if it comes in contact with the skin, leading to lesions or unusual marks or colouring on the skin. The skin begins to heal in a week or two, but some secondary infections can occur, especially if the victim scratches the irritated skin.

1. The West must realise India’s climate policy choices are complex READ MORE
2. Water Scarcity: EU Countries Forced to Restrict Drinking Water Access READ MORE

1. Across democracies, supreme courts’ legitimacy, autonomy are under question READ MORE
2. Find common ground for police reforms READ MORE
3. Who regulates online speech? READ MORE
4. EDUCATORS TO DISCUSS NEP IMPLEMENTATION READ MORE
5. Media at Crossroads READ MORE
6. Reproductive Justice: Constitutional Issues Plaguing ART and Surrogacy Laws in India READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. P T Usha and Ilaiyaraaja among four nominated to Rajya Sabha READ MORE
2. Need MSP till markets get competitive, but should not be given through procurement: Niti Aayog member READ MORE
3. Gotabaya turns to Putin for urgent fuel supplies for Sri Lanka READ MORE
4. To stem Rupee slide, boost forex inflows, RBI eases FPI, NRI deposit norms READ MORE
5. Explained: What are critical minerals, the centerpiece of a new India-Australia collaboration? READ MORE
6. Explained: Why Twitter has moved court against govt’s content-blocking orders READ MORE
7. Sub-categorisation of OBCs: Govt extends term again without panel asking for it READ MORE
8. Global Liveability Index 2022: Here is why Bangalore was ranked ‘least liveable’ city in India READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Unity and diversity: Our obsession with diversity misses the point READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Across democracies, supreme courts’ legitimacy, autonomy are under question READ MORE
2. Find common ground for police reforms READ MORE
3. Who regulates online speech? READ MORE
4. EDUCATORS TO DISCUSS NEP IMPLEMENTATION READ MORE
5. Media at Crossroads READ MORE
6. Reproductive Justice: Constitutional Issues Plaguing ART and Surrogacy Laws in India READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The way to control tuberculosis READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Words from Bandung to relive in Bali and Delhi: With the Ukraine war shaping the future world order, it is time India brings a balanced outlook to its strategic policy READ MORE
2. India-EU- global dynamics: Recent progress in the alliance opens up prospects of a customised partnership and mutual growth READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Labour reforms will hurt employment READ MORE
2. How to address the inflation challenge READ MORE
3. Taking stock of five years of GST READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. The West must realise India’s climate policy choices are complex READ MORE
2. Water Scarcity: EU Countries Forced to Restrict Drinking Water Access READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Ill-prepared for monsoon: Cities, states need to prioritise disaster management READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. 5 ways in which we can experience constant contentment READ MORE
2. SEEKING NEUTRALITY, AND DETACHMENT IN THE WORLD READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘With the Ukraine war shaping the future world order, it is time India brings a balanced outlook to its strategic policy’. In light of the statement, discuss how India can balance different power blocs?
2. Critically analyse the impacts of reverse migration, as seen during the recent pandemic, on Rural as well as Urban economies.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars.
• With the Ukraine war shaping the future world order, it is time India brings a balanced outlook to its strategic policy.
• Rather than tax on exports to EU as proposed in CBAM, India and EU can cooperate better by investing in cleaner and greener technologies in India and helping in cleaning up production in India. Such a partnership will ensure that both India and the EU have their agendas of economic growth and sustainability fulfilled, a win-win situation for both entities.
• The primary responsibility of supreme courts is to serve as checks against executive over-reach, and make sure that the state maintains the crucial distinction between the rule of law and rule by law.
• Across democracies worldwide, this masquerade of “rule by law” posing as “rule of law” has grown and needs to be consistently exposed. There is no room for complacency.
• Labour laws’ deregulation has worsened labour productivity and incomes, thereby hurting economic growth.
• As Twitter takes the Centre to court for its orders to remove tweets and disable user accounts, India must strike a balance between rights and restrictions.
• At its apogee, print media had immense power to mould public opinion, champion worthy causes and shine an unforgiving light on corruption.

50 WORD TALK

• Section 69A of Information Technology Act allows government to block digital content, but the power should be used only in the rarest cases, after careful consideration. Twitter’s entitled to move the courts if it believes the government’s issuing arbitrary take-down orders. Social media should be accountable — but so should government.
• Indians aren’t generous tippers. So upmarket restaurants, hotels levy a service charge to pad salaries of lowly-paid waiters. Now, why should a government consumer authority protect well-heeled customers from service charge? What about the mysterious ‘convenience fee’ other businesses charge? Eating out is a choice. Regulating that business is anti-market.

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 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.

[WpProQuiz 270]

THE CONTEXT:Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is an economic initiative launched by United States President Joe Biden on May 23, 2022. It marks the beginning of a new phase of economic cooperation and integration in the region juxtaposed against China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) led by it. This article explains the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and its significance and challenges in detail.

WHAT IS THE IPEF?

• The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) aims to reassert U.S. economic engagement and provide a U.S.-led alternative to China’s economic statecraft in the region.
• The 12 countries other than the U.S. are India, Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (Taiwan is not part of it).
• Among 12, Seven are ASEAN Countries. In Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have not joined the group.
• It aims to strengthen economic partnerships among participating countries to enhance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
• They together account for 40% of the world’s GDP.
• U.S. officials have emphasized that IPEF is not a free trade agreement but one that will offer flexibility.

The negotiations will be along four main pillars:

FEATURES OF THE INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK

• The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will be spearheading the trade pillar, while the others (I.e., supply chain resilience, clean energy and decarbonization, and taxes and anti-corruption measures) will fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
• On the trade front, the endeavour is to establish “high-standard, inclusive, free, and fair-trade commitments” to fuel economic activity and investments benefitting both workers and consumers. What stands out, however, is U.S.’s willingness to extend cooperation for enhancing the digital economy and trade.
• Digital trade incorporates not just the purchase and sale of goods online but also data flows that enable the operation of global value chains and services, like smart manufacturing, platforms and applications. The idea here is to overcome downstream costs for businesses as well as upscale the ability to utilize data processing and analysis and enhance cybersecurity outside their geographies.
• As for supply chain resilience, the framework aspires to secure access to key raw and processed materials, semiconductors, critical minerals and clean energy tech, particularly for crisis response measures and ensuring business continuity. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, in a press briefing, explained how workers at auto-manufacturing plants in Michigan experienced massive furloughs when semiconductor packaging operations were closed in Malaysia because of a COVID outbreak.
• In line with the Paris Agreement, the clean energy, decarbonization and infrastructure pillar would provide technical assistance and help mobilize finance, including concessional finance, to improve competitiveness and enhance connectivity by supporting countries in the development of sustainable and durable infrastructure for adopting renewable energy.
• Renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels; however, its high start-up costs when compared to using existing infrastructure stave off its adoption by the mainstream. Public policy analysts at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggest that regional partners would like the U.S. to help close the gap through climate financing and expertise sharing.
• Lastly, the pillar on tax and anti-corruption is aimed at promoting fair competition by enforcing the robust tax, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery regimes in line with existing multilateral obligations, standards and agreements to curb tax evasion and corruption in the region.

SIGNIFICANCE OF INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK (IPEF)

• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) aims to strengthen economic partnerships among participating countries to enhance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitivenessin the Indo-Pacific region.
• The IPEF was launched with a dozen initial partners who together represent 40% of the world GDP.
• It is a declaration of a collective desire to make the Indo-Pacific region an engine of global economic growth.
• China not being a member gives the group a distinct geopolitical flavour since all its members share worries about China’s muscular nationalism and expansionist ambitions.
• India’s joining of IPEF is a strong statement of commitment to Indo-Pacific goals and to broadening regional economic cooperation, particularly after it walked out of the 15-nation RCEP.
• The Indo-Pacific covers half the population of the world and more than 60% of the global GDP, and the nations who will join this framework in the future are signing up to work toward an economic vision that will deliver for all people.

WHAT IS THE IPEF, IF NOT A TRADE DEAL?

• It is not a traditional trade pact and does not reduce tariffs or grant better access to the American market. Those features would have been a clear draw for many Asian nations, which are comparing how the new deal stacks up against other trade agreements such as the TPP’s successor, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership minted over the past few years.
• IPEF is designed as a tool to strengthen U.S. economic cooperation with Asian partners and assist the U.S. in re-engagement with the region since the Trump Administration withdrew from Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017.
• It provides for the participation of members in “pillars” that include setting standards on trade in digital goods and services, obtaining commitments to ease bottlenecks in critical supply chains and enabling the transition to clean energy.

CHALLENGES WITH IPEF

• UNCERTAINTY · It is set to be based on a presidential executive order and could be discarded by the coming U.S. administrations as it is not a senate-ratified treaty.
• QUESTIONABLE PROCESS. Unlike traditional FTAs, the IPEF does not subscribe to the single undertaking principle, where all items on the agenda are negotiated simultaneously, with countries expected to sign the final agreement in its entirety or withdraw.Rather, the IPEF employs an ‘à la carte’ approach in which countries would launch separate negotiations under the four pillars.
• ·A country would be required to sign up for all components within a pillar, but participation in all pillars is optional. This indicates that negotiations on various pillars will be handled at variable speeds with different groups of countries.
• · The outcome would be a matrix, with some countries making commitments in all areas and others making in only a few. Commitments might also vary, from sharing information to binding obligations.
• NOT A FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. U.S. officials have made it clear that IPEF is not a Free Trade Agreement, nor will it discuss tariff reductions or increasing market access, raising questions about its utility.
• The four pillars also lend themselves to some confusion, drawing into question whether there is enough common ground among the 13 countries (that are part of very different economic arrangements) to set standards together or be open to issues that vary for each country.
• MORE UNILATERAL AND NOT CONSENSUS-BASED. Unlike traditional trade blocks where the agreements are the results of arduous negotiations by the members, the IPEF is driven primarily by the USA.
• ISSUE OF TAXATION. Tax provisions are another element of the IPEF that could pose problems. There is a tendency to take taxation as a sovereign function and therefore not subject it to negotiation.
• CREDIBILITY OF IPEF. Given that the U.S.’s previous initiatives (the Blue Dot Network and the Build Back Better World (B3W) Initiative) have made little headway in changing the region’s infrastructural needs, the IPEF faces a credibility challenge.

THE WAY FORWARD

1. Robust institutionalization: It should be a senate-ratified treaty so that it could see a level of certainty by the member states before they could invest their diplomatic capital.
2. Need for the uniform procedure: Consistent procedure is needed to make the process simpler and easier to reduce complexity.
3. Provisions for market access and reduced tariff: The developing countries would largely stand to not gain much from the arrangement if it would not have provisions pertaining to market access and lower tariffs.
4. Need of a permanent Secretariat: An organisation or secretariat needs to drive and oversee the arrangement which houses representatives from all the member states, in the absence of which, the arrangement would lose its relevance.
5. Need to resolve taxation Issue: India should initiate an internal review of its tax administration, involving experts and the Department of Revenue to come up with suitable changes.This would add to India’s attractiveness as a trading partner and as a destination for investment, especially in new supply chains.
6. Multilateral Arrangement: The unilateral character of the arrangement should be tweaked to give way to more plural and multilateral arrangement and a consensus-based approach should be followed.

THE CONCLUSION:Although IPEF was launched with the intention to counter China, it is still thin on details. The initiative needs more clarity and a concrete plan for economic engagement among its members. For its part, India has been focusing on bilateral free trade agreements instead of multilateral ones, as is evident from the recently concluded agreements with the UAE and Australia. Similar agreements with the U.K. and the E.U. are expected. IPEF needs to create the confidence that multilateral economic cooperation could also benefit India. For IPEF to succeed, it is important to assist India in reducing its economic dependence on China and set in motion supply chain diversification at the earliest.

QUESTION FOR MAINS EXAMINATION

1. Discuss the significance of recently launched Indo pacific economic framework for India?
2. For India, Indo – Pacific Economic Framework offers a significant opportunity as it is neither part of the RCEP nor the CPTPP. Examine.

THE HEALTH ISSUES

1. EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE NAIROBI FLIES, WHICH ARE CAUSING DISEASE IN SIKKIM?

THE CONTEXT: According to the state health officials, around 100 students of an engineering college in East Sikkim have reported skin infections after coming in contact with Nairobi flies.

THE EXPLANATION:

What are Nairobi flies?

• Nairobi flies, also called Kenyan flies or dragon bugs, are small, beetle-like insects that belong to two species, Paederuseximius and Paederussabaeus. They are orange and black in colour, and thrive in areas with high rainfall, as has been witnessed in Sikkim in the past few weeks.
• Like most insects, the beetles are attracted by bright light.

How are humans affected by them?

• Usually, the insects attack pests that consume crops and are beneficial for humans — but at times, they come in contact with humans directly are cause harm. Health officials say these flies do not bite, but if disturbed while sitting on anyone’s skin, they release a potent acidic substance that causes burns.
• This substance is called pederin, and can cause irritation if it comes in contact with the skin, leading to lesions or unusual marks or colouring on the skin. The skin begins to heal in a week or two, but some secondary infections can occur, especially if the victim scratches the irritated skin.

Have there been outbreaks of the disease?

• Major outbreaks have happened in Kenya and other parts of eastern Africa. In 1998, unusually heavy rain caused a large number of insects to come into the region, reported the Associated Press.
• Outside Africa, outbreaks have happened in India, Japan, Israel, and Paraguay in the past.

What is the way to protect oneself against Nairobi flies?

• Sleeping under mosquito nets can help. If a fly lands on a person, it should be gently brushed off, and should not be disturbed or touched to reduce the chances of it releasing pederin.

THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

2. EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE CRITICAL MINERALS, THE CENTERPIECE OF A NEW INDIA-AUSTRALIA COLLABORATION?

THE CONTEXT: Recently, India and Australia decided to strengthen their partnership in the field of projects and supply chains for critical minerals.

THE EXPLANATION:

As part of his six-day tour of Australia, Union Coal and Mines Minister met his counterpart, Resources and Northern Australia Minister Madeleine King, after which Australia confirmed that it would “commit A$5.8 million to the three-year India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership”.

“Australia has the resources to help India fulfil its ambitions to lower emissions and meet growing demand for critical minerals to help India’s space and defence industries, and the manufacture of solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles.

What are critical minerals?

• Critical minerals are elements that are the building blocks of essential modern-day technologies and are at risk of supply chain disruptions.
• These minerals are now used everywhere from making mobile phones, computers to batteries, electric vehicles and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines. Based on their individual needs and strategic considerations, different countries create their own lists.
• However, such lists mostly include graphite, lithium and cobalt, which are used for making EV batteries; rare earths that are used for making magnets and silicon which is a key mineral for making computer chips and solar panels. Aerospace, communications and defence industries also rely on several such minerals as they are used in manufacturing fighter jets, drones, radio sets and other critical equipment.

Why is this resource critical?

• As countries around the world scale up their transition towards clean energy and digital economy, these critical resources are key to the ecosystem that fuels this change. Any supply shock can severely imperil the economy and strategic autonomy of a country over-dependent on others to procure critical minerals.
• But these supply risks exist due to rare availability, growing demand and complex processing value chain. Many times, the complex supply chain can be disrupted by hostile regimes, or due to politically unstable regions.

What is the China ‘threat’?

• According to the 2019 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries report, China is the world’s largest producer of 16 critical minerals.
• China, according to a report on the role of critical minerals by the International Energy Agency, is “responsible for some 70% and 60% of global production of cobalt and rare earth elements, respectively, in 2019. The level of concentration is even higher for processing operations, where China has a strong presence across the board. China’s share of refining is around 35% for nickel, 50-70% for lithium and cobalt, and nearly 90% for rare earth elements.”
• It also controls cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from where 70% of this mineral is sourced.

VALUE ADDITION:

India and Australia co-operate in various multilateral forums:

• Australia supports India’s candidature in an expanded UN Security Council.
• Both India and Australia are members of the G-20, Commonwealth, IOR-ARC, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development, and have participated in the East Asia Summits.
• Both countries have also been cooperating as members of the Five Interested Parties (FIP) in the WTO context.
• Australia is an important player in APEC and supports India’s membership in the organization.
• In 2008, Australia became an Observer in SAARC.

India-Australia Defence cooperation

• IFC-IOR: The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram.
• Strategic Dialogue:In June 2020, Australia and India decided to upgrade their Secretaries 2+2 dialogue (Defence and Foreign Affairs) to the Ministerial level.
• Exercise Malabar: Australia participated in the MALABAR naval exercise in October 2020, joining India, the United States, and Japan.
• AUSINDEX: Engagement between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy has advanced significantly through the key bilateral exercise, AUSINDEX.
• Pitch Black: For the first time, the Indian Air Force participated in Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin in 2018.

3. THE STATUS OF CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE IN SOUTH ASIA

THE CONTEXT:Recently concluded summit of G-7 leaders in Germany, U.S. President and his allies unveiled their $600 billion plan called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Intelligence which is being seen as a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

THE EXPLANATION:

What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative?

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, expressed his vision to build a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, to break the “bottleneck” in Asian connectivity. This vision led to the birth of the BRI.

The initiative envisioned a Chinese-led investment of over $1 trillion in partner countries by 2025. More than 60 countries have now joined BRI agreements with China, with infrastructure projects under the initiative being planned or under construction in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

To finance BRI projects, China offers huge loans at commercial interest rates that countries have to pay within a fixed number of years. The west has accused China of debt-trapping by extending “predatory loans” that force countries to cede key assets to China.

However, research indicates that low and middle-income countries are often the ones to approach China after not being able to secure loans from elsewhere.

In recent years, the BRI seems to have experienced a slowing down as annual Chinese lending to countries under the initiative slimmed from its peak of $125 billion in 2015 to around $50 to 55 billion in 2021.

What have been the BRI’s investments in Pakistan?

• On his 2015 visit to Pakistan, Mr. Xi and then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif unveiled the BRI’s flagship project and its biggest one in a single country — the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Over time, China pledged $62 billion in low-interest loans and financing from Chinese state-owned banks and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), up from an initial $46 billion pledge. The CPEC envisioned multiple projects involving energy, transport and communication systems.
• At the centre of the CPEC was the $700 million development of the city of Gwadar into a smart port city that would become the “Singapore of Pakistan”. Gwadar is strategically important as it is an hour’s drive from Iran and less than 320 km from Oman. According to the master plan for Gwadar’s development under BRI, approved in 2020, it would increase the city’s GDP to $30 billion by 2050 and create over a million jobs. However, multiple reports have shown that shipping activities at the Gwadar Port is almost negligible so far, with only some trade to Afghanistan.

What about Sri Lanka?

• In Sri Lanka, multiple infrastructure projects that were being financed by China came under the fold of the BRI after it was launched in 2013.
• The island nation in the last couple of years has witnessed competition between India and China in port terminal and energy projects. In 2021, Colombo ejected India and Japan out of a deal to develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo port and got China to take up the project. It then awarded the project for the Western Side of the Terminal to the Adani Group.

Are there projects in Afghanistan?

• Afghanistan has not comprehensively been brought into the BRI, despite a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) being signed with China in 2016. China had promised investments worth $100 million in Afghanistan which is small in comparison to what it shelled out in other South Asian countries. The projects have not materialised so far and uncertainties have deepened after the Taliban takeover last year (2022).

How have projects from India and China progressed in Maldives?

• Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Maldives comprises two hundred islands, and both India and China have strategic interests there. One of the most prominent BRI projects undertaken in the Maldives is the two km long China-Maldives Friendship Bridge — a $200 million four lane bridge.
• Most of China’s investment in the Maldives happened under former President Abdullah Yameen, seen as pro-China. Over the years, opposition protests grew against the large borrowing from China and Mr. Yameen was defeated in 2018. The Maldives’ current regime of President Ibrahim Solih has tried to distance itself from the BRI, focusing more on its ‘India First’ policy. India has also in recent years sought greater ties with the Maldives under ruling Prime Minister ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

What about Bangladesh?

• Bangladesh, which joined the BRI in 2016, has been promised the second-highest investment (about $40 billion) in South Asia after Pakistan. Multiple studies, including research by the Council on Foreign Relations, show that Bangladesh has been able to benefit from the BRI while maintaining diplomatic and strategic ties with both India and China.
• It has managed to not upset India by getting India to build infrastructure projects similar to BRI in the country. In 2016, when the Chinese government promised Dhaka BRI investment worth around $40 billion, India followed up in 2017 by extending a $5 billion line of credit and economic assistance.
• BRI projects include China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridges, special economic zones, the $689.35 million-Karnaphuli River tunnel project, upgradation of the Chittagong port, and a rail line between the port and China’s Yunnan province. However, multiple projects have been delayed owing to the slow release of funds by China.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. THE THREE NEW ‘EXOTIC’ SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLES DISCOVERED AT CERN

THE CONTEXT:The Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment — which is investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter by studying a type of particle called the “beauty quark”, or “b quark” has observed three never-before-seen particles.

THE EXPLANATION:

Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment

• The Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment specializes in investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter.
• Instead of surrounding the entire collision point with an enclosed detector as do ATLAS and CMS, the LHCb experiment uses a series of subdetectors to detect mainly forward particles those thrown forwards by the collision in one direction.
• The first subdetector is mounted close to the collision point, with the others following one behind the other over a length of 20 metres.
• The LHCb experiment is situated at one of the four points around CERN’s Large Hadron Collider where beams of protons are smashed together, producing an array of different particles.

How does it work?

• The aim of the LHCb experiment is to record the decay of particles containing b and anti-b quarks, collectively known as ‘B mesons’.
• Rather than flying out in all directions, B mesons formed by the colliding proton beams (and the particles they decay into) stay close to the line of the beam pipe, and this is reflected in the design of the detector.

New Finding:

• The three “exotic” additions, a new kind of “pentaquark” and the first-ever pair of “tetraquarks”, to the growing list of new hadrons found at the LHC will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together into these composite particles.
• The first kind was observed in an analysis of “decays” of negatively charged B mesons.
• It is a pentaquark made up of a charm quark and a charm antiquark, and an up, a down, and a strange quark.
• It is the first pentaquark found to contain a strange quark.
• The second kind is a doubly electrically charged tetraquark.
• It is an open-charm tetraquark composed of a charm quark, a strange antiquark, and an up quark and a down antiquark.
• It was spotted together with its neutral counterpart in a joint analysis of decays of positively charged and neutral B mesons.

What are quarks?

• Quarks are elementary particles that come in six “flavours”: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom.
• They usually combine in groups of twos and threes to form hadrons such as the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei.
• But they can also combine into four-quark and five-quark particles, called tetraquarks and pentaquarks.
• These exotic hadrons were predicted by theorists about six decades ago, around the same time as conventional hadrons but they have been observed by LHCb and other experiments only in the past 20 years.

VALUE ADDITION:

About CERN:

• CERN began in the 1950s as the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
• Today it is also known as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics.
• It is one of the world’s most prestigious research centres.
• Its business is fundamental physics—finding out what makes our Universe work, where it came from and where it is going.
• At CERN, some of the world’s biggest and most complex machines are used to study nature’s tiniest building blocks, the fundamental particles.
• By colliding these minute particles of matter physicists unravel the basic laws of nature.
• The organisation is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory, where scientists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the Universe using the most sophisticated scientific instruments and advanced computing systems.
• Presently CERN has 22 member states, four associate member states, and the observer status is given to four states and three International Organisations.
• India is an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. WHAT IS THE FIELDS MEDAL, SO-CALLED ‘MATHEMATICS NOBEL’ AWARDED TO UKRAINIAN PROFESSOR AND THREE OTHERS?

THE CONTEXT:Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska, chair of Number Theory at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, was named as one of four recipients of the 2022 Fields Medal, an honour that is often described the Nobel Prize in mathematics.

 THE EXPLANATION:

• The Fields Medal is awarded by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organisation that aims to promote international cooperation in mathematics.
• The IMU recognised Viazovska’s work on the sphere-packing problem in 8 and 24 dimensions, EPFL said in an announcement. Previously, the problem had been solved for only three dimensions or fewer.
• Viazovska, 37, is only the second female Fields Medalist, after the Iranian Maryam Mirzakhani in 2014.

Fields Medal

• The Fields Medal is awarded every four years to one or more mathematicians under the age of 40 in recognition of “outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement”.
• The winners are announced at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), which was supposed to be held in Russia this year but was moved to Helsinki.
• The honour carries a physical medal of 14K gold, 63.5 mm in diameter and weighing 169 g, and with a unit price of approximately 5,500 Canadian dollars, according to the IMU website. There is also a cash award of CAD 15,000.

Indian-origin winners

• Among the more than 60 mathematicians who have been awarded the Fields Medal since 1936, there are two of Indian origin — Akshay Venkatesh of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, who won in 2018, the last time the honour was announced, and Manjul Bhargava of the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University, in 2014.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q.The term “Pederin” recently seen in the news, related to

a) A substance released by insects which cause irritation.

b) A Critical mineral recently found in Australia, which helps in the production of Lithium.

c) A new dwarf planet discovered by James Web telescope.

d) A chemical substance found in toiletries which causes cancer.

ANSWER FOR 5^TH JULY 2022

ANSWER: A

EXPLANATION:

• Alluri Sitarama Raju led the militant movement of tribal peasants in Andhra Pradesh.

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