1. Guru can show you the straight path to happiness READ MORE
2. To confront or adjust READ MORE
3. Testing boundaries of national tolerance READ MORE

1. Explained: As India strengthens its climate targets, a look at the progress so far, what’s new READ MORE
2. Tonga volcano spews enough water to fill 58,000 pools into stratosphere, likely to add to global warming READ MORE

1. Reaping the demographic dividend: India needs to invest in quality school and higher education as well as healthcare READ MORE
2. Stop women from quitting workforce READ MORE

1. Why the President of India is also Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces READ MORE
2. Sober liquor policy: Delhi shows why all states need smart alcohol regulation and 100% private retail trade READ MORE
3. A draconian Act READ MORE
4. Fortify the justice system to ensure bail is the norm READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Centre increases Fair and Remunerative Price on sugarcane READ MORE
2. India to host UNSC members for special meeting on counter-terrorism in Oct READ MORE
3. Services sector growth slipped to four-month low in July: S&P Global PMI READ MORE
4. Supreme Court calls for a panel to look into freebies issue READ MORE
5. Govt gives nod to stronger climate targets for 2030 READ MORE
6. SC collegium decides: Freeze on new postings until next CJI takes over READ MORE
7. Artisanal gold mining in South Africa is out of control. Mistakes that got it here READ MORE
8. PM to inaugurate projects under Shrimad Rajchandra Mission READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Colonialism infected religion too READ MORE
2. The paradox of secularism READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Why the President of India is also Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces READ MORE
2. Sober liquor policy: Delhi shows why all states need smart alcohol regulation and 100% private retail trade READ MORE
3. A draconian Act READ MORE
4. Fortify the justice system to ensure bail is the norm READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Reaping the demographic dividend: India needs to invest in quality school and higher education as well as healthcare READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Bring back the dhow route: Revitalising regional trade networks will help maintain peace and stability in the Indian Ocean READ MORE
2. Why US-China tensions may lead to strategic instability READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Trade worries: The burgeoning trade deficit is set to swell the current account deficit READ MORE
2. Stop women from quitting workforce READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Explained: As India strengthens its climate targets, a look at the progress so far, what’s new READ MORE
2. Tonga volcano spews enough water to fill 58,000 pools into stratosphere, likely to add to global warming READ MORE

SECURITY

1. No compromise on security READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Guru can show you the straight path to happiness READ MORE
2. To confront or adjust READ MORE
3. Testing boundaries of national tolerance READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. How far do you agree with this view that the provisions of PMLA are against the concept of natural justice? Analyse your view.
2. ‘While designing the Constitution, the framers were both following certain British traditions while simultaneously trying to break with them’. Examine.
3. ‘Making a new law much like a Bail Act is desirable, but there is an immediate need for effective regulation on fixing accountability’. Analyse the statement in the light of the recent debate on the new bail law.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• While designing the Constitution, the framers were both following certain British traditions while simultaneously trying to break with them.
• India needs to invest in quality school, higher education, and healthcare.
• India must seize the moment and not be incremental in its approach. Given the will it can initiate and see through a transformation that will stun the world, even more than China’s has so far.
• Revitalising regional trade networks will be for the advantage of not only the port city economies in distress but also to maintain peace and stability in the Indian Ocean.
• Manufacturers and retailers need a stable and transparent policy like any other industry, which will have a positive spin-off on agriculture, a key raw material supplier. We need a sober regulatory system and 100% private retail for alcohol.
• Labour force participation of Indian women is dropping precariously and urgent policy actions are needed to address this.
• Making a new law much like a Bail Act is desirable, but there is an immediate need for effective regulation on fixing accountability. No new law for bail will be effective if our system has little inclination to fix accountability.

ESSAY TOPIC

• A change of heart changes everything.

50 WORD TALK

• The pointer to future economic prosperity is ‘Make in India’. The Indian armed forces are a prominent stakeholder in its success. The numbers related to equipment and wherewithal of the services are huge. The making of military equipment gives a push to the industry. It also builds up a dual-use ecosystem of many smaller items, which in turn, boosts entrepreneurship and generates employment.

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 303]

THE CONTEXT: Recently, in an article published in the journal, Earth’s Future, researchers from several universities found that the soot emissions from rocket launches are far more effective at warming the atmosphere compared to other sources.

In this article, we analyse the scope of Space tourism, its impact on climate and the ozone layer, and where India stands along with private players.

WHAT IS SPACE TOURISM

• Space tourism is the concept of tourists flying into space primarily for sheer enjoyment. In other words, space tourism can be defined as: “A vision of having an affordable space transportation system for as many people as possible going to space as space tourists”. A “space tourist” is a person who travels to and experiences space for adventure and recreation.

THE SPACE TOURISM INDUSTRY: PRESENT SCENARIO

• In the 20th century, the Soviet Union and the United States were engaged in an intense competition to attain complete domination of spaceflight technologies. Today, it is private companies that are taking part in their very own commercial space race, initiated with Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson’s journeys to space in July 2021.
• It is another niche segment of the aviation industry that seeks to give tourists the ability to become astronauts and experience space travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes. The aim is to make space more accessible to those people who are not astronauts and want to travel to space for non-scientific reasons.
• Less than a year after Bezos and Branson’s escapades, The New York Times reports that global space tourism has been thriving, with various companies offering bookings for zero-pressure balloon trips for short flights, astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights.
• Entrepreneurs are hungry to seize unrealized profits, and a new space race, sometimes referred to as the “Private Space Race”, because it takes place primarily amongst private sector organizations and initiatives, has commenced. More highly publicized efforts to bravely pursue the space tourism industry include undertakings by well-known entrepreneurs such as Virgin Atlantic, Jeff Bezos-Blue Origin (CEO, Amazon), and Elon Musk (Space X).

WHAT IS THE NEW STUDY?

• Researchers from University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in their new study claim that the burgeoning space tourism industry can have a far bigger cost on the environment.
• From $350 million in 2019, the industry is forecasted to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040. With companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin launching commercial space flights, space tourism has become, at least theoretically, a possibility for enthusiasts. Tickets remain tremendously expensive, however, with tickets for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic beginning from a whopping $450,000. These were then incorporated into a 3D model to examine the possible impact on the climate and the protective stratospheric ozone layer.
• They calculated their findings by compiling an inventory of the chemicals from all the 109 rocket launches and re-entries into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2019.
• The number of rocket flights today is rather small when compared to the sheer size of the aircraft industry.
• While in 2020, there were only 114 orbital launches in the world, more than 100,000 flights travel each day, as reported by The Guardian.

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE ROCKET FUEL?

• There are actually two kinds of fuel used in rockets. The fuel can be divided into liquid fuel and solid fuel.
• With solid fuel, there must be both fuel and an oxidizer to make a solid-fuel rocket go. An oxidizer is a chemical that is needed to make the fuel burn. Since space has no atmosphere, rockets have to carry both their own fuel and their own oxidizers. The most common fuel in solid fuel rockets is aluminium.In order to make the aluminium burn, these solid-fuel rockets use ammonium perchlorate as the oxidizer, or to make the aluminium burn. In order to work together, the aluminium and the ammonium perchlorate are held together by another compound called a binder. When mixed all together, the fuel has a slightly rubbery consistency. This rubbery substance is then packaged into a casing. As the fuel burns, the heat and energy cause the inside of the rocket to heat up. Water vapours and gasses then shoot out of the rocket, causing the rocket to be thrust, or pushed, upwards into the sky.
• The main engines are more likely to be propelled by liquid fuel. Liquid fuel engines are composed of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen is the fuel and the liquid oxygen is the oxidizer. These, the oxidizer helps the fuel burn. The hydrogen needs to be in liquid form, not gas form, in order to have a smaller tank on the rocket. Gasses are lightweight, so it would take a larger tank to hold hydrogen gas than it would be to hold liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen and oxygen are released into an engine where they begin to combine to make water. Just like solid fuel, water vapour creates energy and steam. The steam is released to make the rocket go upwards.
• To get a rocket from the ground into space, rockets need both solid fuel and liquid fuel.

 THE GREEN FACTOR:

• Unlike other sources of pollution, the study finds that environmental damage caused by rockets is far greater, as they emit gaseous and solid chemicals directly into the upper atmosphere.
• Space tourism’s current growth trends also indicate a potential for the depletion of the ozone layer above the Arctic. This is because the pollutants from rocket fuel and heating caused by spacecraft returning to Earth, along with the debris caused by the flights are especially harmful to the ozone layer.
• What is of great concern is the black carbon(BC) soot that is emitted by rockets directly into the atmosphere. These soot particles have a far larger impact on the climate than all other sources of soot combined, as BC particles are almost 500 times more efficient at retaining heat.
• The low figure of rocket launches, compared to the large-scale air pollutant emissions caused by the massive aircraft industry, is at times invoked to downplay the environmental damage caused by rockets.
• “Soot particles from rocket launches have a much larger climate effect than aircraft and other Earth-bound sources, so there doesn’t need to be as many rocket launches as international flights to have a similar impact. What we really need now is a discussion amongst experts on the best strategy for regulating this rapidly growing industry”.
• The team of researchers showed that within only 3 years of additional space tourism launches, the rate of warming due to the released soot would more than double.
• This is because of the use of kerosene by SpaceX launches and hybrid synthetic rubber fuels by Virgin Galactic.

Undermining Montreal Protocol

• While the loss of ozone from current rocket launches is “small”, the researchers argue that in the likelihood of weekly or daily space tourism rocket launches, the recovery of the ozone layer caused by the Montreal Protocol could be undermined.
• “The only part of the atmosphere showing strong ozone recovery post-Montreal Protocol is the upper stratosphere, and that is exactly where the impact of rocket emissions will hit hardest. We weren’t expecting to see ozone changes of this magnitude, threatening the progress of ozone recovery”.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE:

What is the Montreal Protocol?

• It is officially known as the Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer treaty.
• It was signed on Sept. 16, 1987, in Montreal by 25 nations; 197 nations are now parties to the accord.
• It sets a limit on the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and other related substances that release chlorine or bromine to the ozone layer of the atmosphere.
• The ozone-depleting potential, or ODP, of any substance, is measured concerning an equal mass of CCl3F, or CFC-11, which is assigned a value of 1.0. Most other CFCs have ODPs that range from about 0.5 to about 1.3.
• It is essential to know that hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are being used as transitional replacements for CFCs in refrigeration, have ODPs that are generally less than 0.5. Also, hydrofluorocarbons, which are also replacing CFCs as refrigerants, have ODPs of zero. The concern is that they are greenhouse gases.
• India, a Party to the Montreal Protocol since June 1992, has been successfully implementing the Montreal Protocol

 ADVANTAGES OF SPACE TOURISM

• Boost the economy: Space tourism will increase commercial activity in the time of the poor state of the world economy.
• Generate Employment: Space tourism will give employment to thousands of people. Manufacturing new and better spacecraft will give employment to many skilled people.
• Draw Investors: It will renew interest in space exploration. This will draw more investors for more financial backing to support more innovations in the industry.
• Technological advancement: With more competition from private sector participation and technological advancement, there is a possibility in future that identify any potential hazards or threats that pose dangerous to our planet.
• New resources exploration: It also, helps to find new minerals and other precious materials in space and other planets.

DISADVANTAGES OF SPACE TOURISM

• Exposure to Sun’s Radiation: Space travel technology at the nascent stage can make entering space a dangerous venture. Space travellers are likely to get exposed to harmful radiation from the sun.
• Health: Spending long hours in zero gravity conditions can be dangerous for the person’s cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. If people accidentally get exposed to high-energy ionizing cosmic rays, it may lead to cancer.
• Exposure to harmful organisms: We may unwittingly introduce some harmful microorganisms from space into the atmosphere of Earth.
• Poor Regulation: Lack of proper regulation and inadequate safety protocols can make space travel extremely dangerous.
• Commercialization: Companies engaged in this form of travel may fail to stick to safety measures in a spree to gather more customers.
• Waste of Resources: Experimentation and unsuccessful ventures may cause an unnecessary waste of resources.

Developing space programs and spacecraft need a lot of money. That money can be utilized for the alleviation of poverty.

• Inequity: Space tourism is meant for the super-rich only. For example, a single 2 ½ hour flight ticket in Virgin Galactic’s upcoming spaceship costs $ 250,000.
• Not environment friendly: Several natural resources are wasted in flying the fuel-guzzling rockets. It pollutes the atmosphere as well. Thus, the space program is harmful to our environment.
• Not a panacea: It is great to imagine people walking on the surface of Mars. It would not be wise to consider that escape to space will help in escaping the problems of earth. There is nowhere in the solar system where we can find the environment as congenial as that available on earth.

 WHERE INDIA STANDS AT SPACE TOURISM?

• ISRO is centrally funded, and its annual budget is between Rs 14-15,000 crore and most of this is used in building rockets and satellites, these drops in the ocean. The size of the space economy in India is small.
• To increase the scale of the sector, it is imperative for private players to enter the market. There have always been private players in the sector, but this has been entirely in the manufacture of parts and sub-systems.
• This can in turn really boost defence systems and manufacturing. ISRO began the process and BHEL will form a consortium of various companies to manufacture a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV rocket) and ISRO will fund the first vehicle, which will be for training purposes.

 THE WAY FORWARD:

At this point in time, it is still too early to paint a comprehensive picture of the state of space tourism in India. In practice, any effort to put together a business plan for the conduct of space tourism in India will be faced with a variety of roadblocks

• Strong legislation for Space Tourism: For the purpose of initiating of space tourism in India, a law is required. The law would deal with several subjects’ viz. compulsory registration of spacecraft, nationality, marking, the fitness of spacecraft, airworthiness/space worthiness, medical standards, licensing of space crew and safety precaution for launching etc.
• Availability of Appropriate Space Vehicles: By definition, a vehicle that can be used in the conduct of space tourism is one that can safely transport passengers to an altitude higher than 100 km above the surface of the Earth. This is believed to be the altitude at which space begins, meaning that the passengers can experience weightlessness. Currently, the global space tourism industry is at the preliminary stage of developing different kinds of vehicles capable of transporting human passengers into sub-orbit.
• Estimating the Cost of Suborbital Flights and Financial Planning: The design, development, testing, evaluation and production of five spaceships and two mother ships is estimated to cost around USD 350 million (Coppinger Rob, 2009) Virgin Galactic has signed a production agreement with Mojave Aerospace Ventures to use the Mojave spaceport for twenty years at a total cost of USD 27.5 million (Space Future Consulting, 2008).

THE CONCLUSION: It has been seen that there is a presence of demand for space tourism all over the world. Once space tourism does become mainstream, it will also positively impact many socioeconomic factors on Earth: creating jobs, educating citizens about space and fostering a new solar-based energy infrastructure. The sweet escape to the stars can eventually awaken us to the awe-inspiring potential of space exploration while also giving us a better appreciation of home. As for as India is concerned, the need of the hour in connection to space tourism is to enact appropriate national space laws and regulations which encourage and assist this new industry. Particularly, to attract private investments into the sector, the government should provide tax benefits and subsidies for research and development at least during the initial stages.  The growth of space tourism would enable to generate employment and also enhance India‟s global credibility as a high-tech, fast-developing nation in the long run.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. What do you mean by Space tourism?Is growing space tourism posing a risk to the climate?

1. Discuss the Environmental challenges involved in the rocket launches and space debris.

THE INDIAN HISTORY

1.PINGALI VENKAYYA: THE DESIGNER OF INDIAN NATIONAL TRICOLOUR

THE CONTEXT: To mark the birth anniversary of Venkayya on August 2, the Central government has decided to release a special commemorative postage stamp on that day.

THE EXPLANATION:

• As India marks 75 years of Independence, the Tricolour represents the sovereignty and freedom, and each colour (saffron, white and green) points at courage, truth and peace, and faith and chivalry.
• And this Tricolour was planted by freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya. On his 126th birth anniversary, the culture ministry has organised ‘Tiranga Utsav’, and a special commemorative postage stamp honouring Venkayya will be released.

WHO IS PINGALI VENKAYYA?

Venkayya was born on August 2, 1876 at Bhatlapenumarru, near present-day Machilipatnam town in Andhra Pradesh. He completed his high school in Madras and went to Cambridge University and acquired knowledge in geology, agriculture, education and languages.

JOURNEY OF FLAG

Venkayya designed several models of national flag, starting from the one designed in 1921, which was approved by Mahatma Gandhi at a Congress meeting in Vijayawada. This version had two stripes (green and red) and Gandhian ‘charkha’ at the Centre. A white stripe was added on top at Gandhi’s suggestion, which became the original Tricolour.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2.LIST OF OUTCOMES: OFFICIAL VISIT OF PRESIDENT OF MALDIVES TO INDIA

THE CONTEXT: Indian Prime Minister stated that India will extend an additional $100 million line of credit to the Maldives. Following bilateral talks between PM and President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, India and Maldives signed six pacts to facilitate cooperation in capacity building, cyber security, housing, disaster management, and infrastructure.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In his remarks, Mr. Solih referred to India as the “highest priority” of the Maldives and said, “Maldives-India relation, goes beyond diplomacy. Our values, our cultures and our histories are intertwined, making it a traditional relationship. Our centuries-old relationship is grown with political trust, economic cooperation and coherent strategic policies between our two countries.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS OF THE MEETING:

A.Groundbreaking/Review of Projects

1. Pouring of first concrete of the Greater Male Connectivity Project- an USD 500 Mn India funded project- marking the commencement of permanent works.
2. Review of the progress on the construction of 4,000 social housing units in Hulhumale being funded under Exim Bank of India Buyer’s credit finance of USD 227 Mn.
3. Overview of India Maldives development cooperation including Addu roads and reclamation, water and sanitation in 34 islands and Friday Mosque restoration projects.

Β.Agreements/MoUs Exchanged

1. MoU on Capacity Building & Training of Members of Local Councils & Women Development Committee of Maldives between NIRDPR, India and Local Government Authority, Maldives.
2. MoU on Collaboration in potential fishing zone forecast capacity building and data sharing and marine scientific research between INCOIS, India and Ministry of Fisheries, Maldives.
3. MoU for Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security between CERT-India and NCIT, Maldives.
4. MoU for cooperation in the field of disaster management between NDMA, India and NDMA, Maldives.
5. Agreement between EXIM Bank, India and Ministry of Finance, Maldives for USD 41 Mn Buyer’s Credit Financing of Police Infrastructure in Maldives.
6. Letter of Intent between Exim Bank of India and Ministry of Finance, Maldives on Buyer’s Credit funding approval of USD 119 Mn for additional 2,000 social housing units to be constructed in Hulhumale. C

C.Announcements

1. Extension of USD 100 Mn new Line of Credit to finance infrastructure projects in Maldives.
2. Approval for award of EPC contract for the USD 128 Mn Hanimadhoo Airport Development project under Line of Credit.
3. Approval of DPR and commencement of tendering process of the USD 324 Mn Gulhifahlu Port development project under Line of Credit.
4. Approval of Feasibility Report and financial closure for the USD 30 Mn Cancer Hospital project under Line of Credit.
5. USD 119 Mn Buyer’s Credit financing by Exim Bank of India for additional 2,000 social housing units in Hulhumale.
6. Facilitation of duty free tuna exports to India from Maldives.
7. Supply of a replacement ship for the earlier provided ship-CGS Huravee -to Maldives National Defence Force.
8. Supply of the second Landing Craft Assault (LCA) to Maldives National Defence Force.
9. Gifting of 24 utility vehicles to Maldives National Defence Force.

India-Maldives Relations:

• India was first among countries, that recognised the Independent Maldives in 1965. India was also the first among countries to establish diplomatic relations with Maldives. Both the countries share linguistic, ethnic, cultural, religious and commercial ties. Maldives started its full-fledged High Commission in New Delhi in November 2004.
• Maldives has extended its support to India, consistently, at multilateral for a like United nations, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC. India has actively aided Maldives. After the 2004 tsunami in Maldives, India was the first country send relief and aid to the Maldives.

Significance of Maldives for India:

Maldives acts as a Toll Gate for India in Indian Ocean. Maldives is situated at the southern and northern parts of island chain. It includes two important Sea Lanes of Communication, which are significant for the flow of maritime trade between Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz. Around 50% of external trade of India and 80% of India’s energy imports transit through SLOCs in Arabian Sea.

 3.UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION

THE CONTEXT: Recently the two BSF personnel who were part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), were among five people killed during a protest in an eastern town near the border with Uganda.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A total 175 Indian peacekeepers have so far died while serving with the United Nations. India has lost more peacekeepers than any other UN Member State.
• Since 1948, UN Peacekeepers have undertaken 71 Field Missions. There are approximately 81,820 personnel serving on 13 peace operations led by UNDPO, in four continents currently. This represents a nine-fold increase since 1999.
• A total of 119 countries have contributed military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping. Currently, 72,930 of those serving are troops and military observers, and about 8,890 are police personnel.
• India has a long history of service in UN Peacekeeping, having contributed more personnel than any other country. To date, more than 2,53,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN Peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948.
• Currently, there are around 5,500 troops and police from India who have been deployed to UN Peacekeeping missions, the fifth highest amongst troop-contributing countries.
• India has also provided, and continues to provide, eminent Force Commanders for UN Missions. India is the fifth largest troop contributor (TCC) with 5,323 personnel deployed in 8 out of 13 active UN Peacekeeping Missions, of which 166 are police personnel.
• India’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping began with its participation in the UN operation in Korea in the 1950s, where India’s mediatory role in resolving the stalemate over prisoners of war in Korea led to the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War. India chaired the five-member Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, while the Indian Custodian Force supervised the process of interviews and repatriation that followed.
• The UN entrusted the Indian armed forces with subsequent peace missions in the Middle East, Cyprus, and the Congo (since 1971, Zaire).
• India also served as Chair of the three international commissions for supervision and control for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos established by the 1954 Geneva Accords on Indochina.

VALUE ADDITION:

United Nation Peacekeeping Mission:

• United Nations Peacekeeping was created in 1948.
• They are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets
• Purpose: It provides security, political, and peacebuilding support to countries under conflicts. It helps countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
• Principles: They are guided by three basic principles:

1. Consent of the parties
2. Impartiality
3. Non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate.

• Authorised by: Every peacekeeping mission is authorized by the UN Security Council.
• Peacekeeping forces: Member states contribute their manpower for Peacekeeping forces on a voluntary basis.
• Funding: The financial resources of UN Peacekeeping operations are the collective responsibility of UN Member States. Every Member State is legally obligated to pay their respective share for peacekeeping.
• The UN Peacekeeping Force won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

India and the UN Peacekeeping forces:

• India is consistently among the top troop-contributing nations to the UN. At present, 5,528 personnel of India are serving in eight countries. It is currently the fifth-largest
• India’s contribution to the regular budget is 0.83% and 0.16% of the peacekeeping budget.

 THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4.HELLFIRE R9X MISSILE

THE CONTEXT: The US military used its ‘secret weapon’ — the Hellfire R9X missile – to kill Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on the balcony of a safehouse in Kabul on July 31.

THE EXPLANATION:

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, had helped coordinate the September 11, 2001, attacks that had killed nearly 3,000 people.

What is the Hellfire R9X missile?

• Better known in military circles as the AGM-114 R9X, the Hellfire R9X is a US-origin missile known to cause minimum collateral damage while engaging individual targets.
• Also known as the ‘Ninja Missile’, this weapon does not carry a warhead and instead deploys razor-sharp blades at the terminal stage of its attack trajectory. This helps it to break through even thick steel sheets and cut down the target using the kinetic energy of its propulsion without causing any damage to the persons in the general vicinity or to the structure of the building.

The blades pop out of the missile and cut down the intended target without causing the massive damage to the surroundings which would be the case with a missile carrying an explosive warhead.

Where has the Hellfire missile been used on previous occasions?

• In 2017, the ‘Ninja Missile’ was reportedly used to kill the then No. 2 leader of Al Qaeda, Abu Khayr Al Masri, in Syria. It was also used against other targets in Syria at around the same time. The damage caused to the vehicles which carried the targets, particularly the shredded roofs of cars, gave the first clues that a normal warhead was not used on the missile and that it had sharp blades. It has also been used against Taliban targets in Afghanistan in 2020 and again in 2022.

What is known about the other Hellfire missile variants?

• Hellfire is actually an acronym for Heliborne, Laser, Fire and Forget Missile and it was developed in the US initially to target tanks from the Apache AH-64 attack helicopters. Later, the usage of these missiles spread to several other variants of helicopters and also ground and sea-based systems and drones.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN NEWS

5.REVISION SERIES: MISSION AMRIT SAROVAR

On 24th April 2022, Prime minister launched a mission to conserve water for the future which is known as Amrit Sarovar Mission. For celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Amrit Sarovar aims to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of India. Under this mission, 50,000 water bodies of size of about an Acre will be created.

Amrit Sarovar Mission: Governing Bodies

The government has approached six ministries and departments which are mentioned below.

• Department of Rural Development
• Department of land resources
• Department of Drinking water resources
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Ministry of Forest
• Environment and Climate change department.

The other institutions that were engaged with the mission are the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) as a technical partner.

The mission refocuses on various other missions like Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, XV Finance Commission Grants, PMKSY sub-schemes such as Watershed Development Component, and Har Khet Ko Pani. Also, the mission aims to increase the mobilisation of citizen and non-government resources for supplementing these efforts.

Amrit Sarovar Mission: Objectives

The government and secretary of all states have requested to complete the construction of the Amrit Sarovar as planned by the government of India. The government has ensured that there will be the use of technology in the construction of Amrit Sarovar. The states are requested to form the water structure for user’s association and impart required training for better development of the Amrit Sarovar. Till now, 12,241 sites are finalised for the construction of Amrit Sarovar out of which work has been started for 4,856 Amrit Sarovar.

Amrit Sarovar: Mission

1. The mission is aimed it be completed by 15th August 2023.
2. 50,000 Amrit Sarovar to be constructed all over the country.
3. Every Amrit Sarovar will be approximate 1 acre with 10,000 cubic meters of water holding capacity.
4. The focal point of the mission is people’s participation.
5. The local freedom fighters, their family members, Martyr’s family members, Padma Shri Awardees and citizens of the local areas are the sites where Amrit Sarovar is to be constructed and they will be engaged in all stages of construction.
6. On every Amrit Sarovar, Flag hosting will be done every Independence Day, 15 August.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6.ONE WORD A DAY – ASTROBEE

THE CONTEXT: Recently for the first time ever, two Astrobee robots have begun working independently on the International Space Station, side by side with humans.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Astrobee?

Astrobee is NASA’s new free-flying robotic system.

• According to NASA, “it will help astronauts reduce the time they spend on routine duties, leaving them more time to focus on the things that only humans can do.
• Working autonomously or via remote control by astronauts, flight controllers or researchers on the ground, the robots are designed to complete tasks such as taking inventory, documenting experiments conducted by astronauts with their built-in cameras or working together to move cargo throughout the station.”
• Astrobee also consists of a system that serves as a research platform that can be outfitted and programmed to conduct microgravity experiments. Thus, it will help to learn more about how robotics can benefit astronauts in space.

What are Honey, Queen and Bumble?

• The three free-flying robots are named Honey, Queen, and Bumble. The robots are shaped like cubes 12.5 inches wide.
• The Astrobee system consists of three cube-shaped robots, some software and a docking charging station used for recharging. They are about 32 centimetres wide.
• The three robots propel themselves using electric fans that allow them to fly through the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.
• They “look around” and navigate their surroundings using cameras and sensors.
• All of the robots are equipped with a perching arm that allows them to grasp handrails to either conserve energy or grab and hold items.
• When they are running low on charge, they can automatically return to their docking station to begin recharging.

What else you should know about Astrobee?

The Astrobee robots are built on the knowledge acquired from operating SPHERES (Synchronised Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite) robots which have been operating on the International Space Station for over a decade. Once fully commissioned, the Astrobee system will take over for SPHERES as the space station’s robotic test facility.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q.Consider the following statements with respect to UN peace keeping mission:

1. UN peace keeping comprises of civilian, police and military personnel.
2. In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN Peacekeeping Mission.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) only 1

b) only 2

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

 ANSWER FOR THE PRACTICE QUESTION

ANSWER: C

EXPLANATION:

• UN peacekeepers come from all walks of life, with diverse cultural backgrounds and from an ever-growing number of Member States.
• Peacekeepers are civilian, military and police personnel all working together. The roles and responsibilities of peacekeepers are evolving as peacekeeping mandates become more complex and multidimensional.
• In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission. The Formed Police Unit in Liberia provided 24-hour guard duty and conducted night patrols.
• Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction motor uses the vehicle’s momentum to recover energy that would otherwise be lost to the brake discs as heat.
• Regenerative braking turns kinetic energy into electricity by reversing the process that drives the car forward.
• In electric cars, the drivetrain is powered by a battery pack that powers a motor (or motors), creating torque–rotational force–on the wheels.
• With regenerative braking, the energy from your spinning wheels is used to reverse the direction of electricity – from the electric motor(s) to the battery. All you have to do is remove your foot from the accelerator or, in some cases, press the brake pedal to activate regenerative braking. The electric motor not only acts as an electric generator, but it also helps slow your car down because energy is consumed by the wheels as they rotate the shaft in the electric motor.

1. Colonialism infected religion too READ MORE
2. The paradox of secularism READ MORE

1. Indian cheetah, from abundance to extinction READ MORE
2. The US now calls water scarcity a national security issue: An expert explains how serious it can be READ MORE

1. TEACH RAMAYANA FOR ETHICS, AND MORAL VALUES READ MORE
2. Don’t forget, you are not your shadow READ MORE
3. Do not fear parting ways READ MORE

1. Money laundering is a serious issue. But SC verdict on PMLA is problematic READ MORE
2. Efficacy of RTI Act is threatened by opacity, opposition from bureaucracy and lawmakers READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Remembering Pingali Venkayya, the architect of India’s national flag READ MORE
2. Lok Sabha passes Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021. What it means. READ MORE
3. Trade deficit soars past $31 billion in July READ MORE
4. China threatens major military exercises around Taiwan over Pelosi visit READ MORE
5. ‘Will launch targeted military operations’: China says after Pelosi lands in Taiwan READ MORE
6. ‘Nearly 7,400 Sq Km of India’s Forest Land Under Encroachment’: Centre READ MORE
7. Himalayan birds at higher risk of losing unique traits: Study READ MORE
8. PM Modi meets Maldives President Solih, ink six pacts to broad-base ties READ MORE
9. MGNREGA: Demand for jobs under rural employment scheme doubled in seven years, Centre data shows READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Colonialism infected religion too READ MORE
2. The paradox of secularism READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Money laundering is a serious issue. But SC verdict on PMLA is problematic READ MORE
2. Efficacy of RTI Act is threatened by opacity, opposition from bureaucracy and lawmakers READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Preventing scourge of child trafficking READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. US-China rivalry not the same as US-Soviet. What India needs to watch out READ MORE
2. Stalemate in India’s relations with China READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Making sense of the ‘freebies’ issue: Most welfare schemes contribute to improving human development outcomes, also resulting in higher growth READ MORE
2. A translation revolution for an inclusive, prosperous India READ MORE
3. Expand GST base, reduce the compliance burden READ MORE
4. Costs of delayed justice: The link with economic growth can’t be ignored READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Indian cheetah, from abundance to extinction READ MORE
2. US now calls water scarcity a national security issue: An expert explains how serious it can be READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. TEACH RAMAYANA FOR ETHICS, AND MORAL VALUES READ MORE
2. Don’t forget, you are not your shadow READ MORE
3. Do not fear parting ways READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Globalization was once for large multinational corporations, but digital platforms have enabled small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world to participate in global trade’. In the light of the statement, analyze the opportunities for India’s gig economy.
2. The age of digital globalization is characterized by large imbalances and digital divides. In the light of the statement, critically analyse the recent steps taken by the Government of India to narrow the digital divide.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it’s momentary.
• The acquisition of a vessel on a permanent basis is a logical next step to the passage of the Bill as also the revamp of the quite old Maitri research station.
• Most welfare schemes contribute to improving human development outcomes, also resulting in higher growth.
• Undermining the importance of these interventions of the Government by calling them ‘freebies’ exposes the elitism in our society, where the poor are seen as being unproductive and dependent on charity.
• A translation revolution is blurring aesthetic, linguistic and political borders. This will raise inclusiveness, prosperity and soft power.
• Increasing the quantity, quality, and speed of technologies and people that translate our languages are India’s infrastructure for inclusiveness, prosperity, and soft power.
• It is imperative to ensure freedom of the press and democratic institutions, punish errant officials and maintain complete autonomy of the information commissions, in the interest of the people and the nation at large.
• Globalization was once for large multinational corporations, but digital platforms have enabled small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world to participate in global trade.
• India is poised to leapfrog into an era of digital globalization with more than half a billion internet users and a plethora of inhouse platforms, applications and digital services.
• Religion provided a strong though not often discussed justification for colonialism.
• Strict laws are urgently required to stop child trafficking as new methods of illegal trade challenge the existing system.
• Raising the morality quotient has become a major concern today. It has become an important attribute of managerial quality gaining precedence over intelligence quotient.
• Duty, sacrifice, integrity, values and righteousness is reflected in the behaviour of all leading characters.

50 WORD TALK

• The Delhi excise policy mess reflects poorly on the AAP government. All businesses need a stable and predictable policy environment. Dramatic U-turns are unfair to businessmen who make investments and workers whose livelihoods depend on them. Pity Delhiites who have to go back to buying their booze from government dumps.

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 302]

THE CONTEXT: Ever since the first vaccine was developed in 1796 to treat smallpox, several different methods have been created to develop successful vaccines. Today, those methods, known as vaccine technologies, are more advanced and use the latest technology to help protect the world from preventable diseases. Depending on the pathogen (a bacteria or virus) that is being targeted, different vaccine technologies are used to generate an effective vaccine. Just like there are multiple ways to develop a vaccine, they can also take on multiple forms—from needle injections and nasal sprays to oral doses, a more recent innovation. In total, there are six different vaccine technology platforms, each with its own benefits, and examples.

VACCINE

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. Vaccines are like a training course for the immune system. They prepare the body to fight disease without exposing it to disease symptoms.

How a vaccine works – a general overview:

• When viruses or bacteria (germs) invade our body, they attack and multiply. This invasion is called an infection, and the infection is what causes illness.
• The first time the body encounters a germ, it can take several days for the immune system to make and use all the tools it needs to fight the infection.
• After the infection has been eradicated, the immune system keeps a few “memory cells” that remember what it learned about how to protect against that disease.
• If the body encounters the same virus or bacteria again, it will produce antibodies to attack the germ more quickly and efficiently.

TYPES OF VACCINES

LIVE-ATTENUATED VACCINES 

• Live-attenuated vaccines contain live pathogens from either bacteria or a virus that have been “attenuated,” or weakened. Live-attenuated vaccines are produced by selecting strains of a bacteria or virus that still produce a robust enough immune response but that does not cause disease.
• Attenuated viruses were one of the earliest methods of eliciting protective immune responses.
• “Vaccinia, the first-ever vaccine which protects against smallpox, is actually where we get the term ‘vaccination’ from.”
• Benefits: Because these types of vaccines contain a live pathogen, the immune system reacts very well to them and it will typically remember the pathogen for a very long time. Additional doses, or booster shots, are not always needed.
• Examples: Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

INACTIVATED VACCINES

• Inactivated vaccines take a live pathogen and inactivate or kill it. When the vaccine is then introduced to a human through a shot, for example, the inactivated pathogen is strong enough to create an immune response, however, is incapable of causing disease. Multiple doses are often needed in order to build up immunity and offer full protection.
• Benefits: Inactivated vaccines can be mass-produced and are relatively inexpensive to make.
• Examples: Polio vaccine, influenza vaccine

SUBUNIT VACCINES 

• Subunit vaccines are made from a piece of a pathogen, not the whole organism, so they do not contain any live pathogens. Some important subunit vaccines are polysaccharide vaccines, conjugate vaccines, and protein-based vaccines.
• Polysaccharide vaccines target an immune response to pathogenic bacteria that are encased in a layer of sugar. This means they help you make protective responses against the surface of the bacteria, allowing your body to kill the bacteria. These do not work and therefore are not used for children under the age of 2 years.
• Conjugate vaccines are the same in that they have a polysaccharide component, but that sugar is stuck to a protein so your immune system will respond to the sugar on the bacteria better. They also help your body remember the bacteria better, so if you get infected in the future, the immune response will be better. Importantly, these vaccines do work in children under 2 years of age.
• Protein-based vaccines allow you to make a protective response against a protein on the surface of a virus, against a protein on the surface of a bacteria, or against a secreted toxin. In this case, the immune response is against the protein components of the bacteria or virus, not the sugar coat. Certain proteins on the surface of bacteria or viruses help the pathogen cause disease, so inducing an immune response against them can help the body fight against the infection or the effects of the toxin.
• Subunit vaccines can be made one of two ways –  from the original pathogen or recombinantly. Recombinant vaccines use another organism to make the vaccine antigen.
• Benefits: Subunit vaccines only contain pieces of a pathogen, not the whole organism, so they cannot make you sick or cause infection. This makes them suitable for people who should not receive “live” vaccines, such as young children, older people, and immunocompromised people.
• Examples: Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine (conjugate), pneumococcal vaccine (polysaccharide or conjugate), shingles vaccine (recombinant protein), hepatitis B (recombinant protein), acellular pertussis, MenACWY (conjugate).

TOXOID VACCINES

• Toxoid vaccines use inactivated toxins to target the toxic activity created by the bacteria, rather than targeting the bacteria itself. The goal of toxoid vaccines is to give people a way to neutralize those toxins with antibodies through vaccination.
• Benefits: Toxoid vaccines are especially good at preventing certain toxin-mediated diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. Booster shots are typically recommended every 10 years or so.
• Examples: Tetanus vaccine, diphtheria vaccine

VIRAL VECTOR VACCINES

• Viral vector vaccines use a harmless virus to deliver to the host cells the genetic code of the antigen you want the immune system to fight. They are basically a gene delivery system. In doing so, information about the antigen is delivered, which triggers the body’s immune response.
• Benefits: Viral vector vaccines usually trigger a strong immune response. Typically, only one dose of the shot is needed to develop immunity. Boosters may be needed to maintain immunity.
• Examples: Ebola vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine (AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson)

MESSENGER RNA (MRNA) VACCINES 

• One of the newest and most exciting areas in vaccine technology is the use of mRNA vaccines. Unlike conventional vaccines—which can take many months or even years to cultivate—mRNA vaccines can be developed quickly using the pathogen’s genetic code. mRNA is likely to be at least one of the waves of the future for vaccines.
• When an mRNA vaccine is delivered, the RNA material teaches our body how to make a specific type of protein that is unique to the virus but does not make the person sick. The protein triggers an immune response, which includes the generation of antibodies that recognize the protein. That way, if a person is ever exposed to that virus in the future, the body would have the tools (antibodies) to fight against it.
• Benefits: It is a very powerful technique to be able to create a lot of a vaccine fast. The benefit is that the technology is very adaptable. We can potentially go in and change the mRNA in the formulation to target a new antigen and can make a lot of high-quality vaccine material relatively quickly.
• Examples: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

mRNA VACCINE AND CONVENTIONAL VACCINE

CONVENTIONAL VACCINE

PRODUCTION TIME

• Most vaccines against viral diseases are made from viruses grown in chicken eggs or mammalian cells.
• The process of collecting the viruses, adapting them to grow in the lab, and shipping them around the world can take months and is complex.
• For newly emerging viruses like SARS-CoV-2, for which a new vaccine is needed as quickly as possible, these steps may slow down development.

BIOSAFETY

• Growing large quantities of viruses to make each batch of vaccines creates potential hazards.

IMMUNE RESPONSE 

• The antigen (a piece of the virus) is injected into the body. Upon recognizing the antigen, the immune system produces specific antibodies in preparation for the next time the body encounters the pathogen.

FLEXIBILITY

• Each new vaccine requires a bespoke production process, including complex purification and testing.

Transport and storage temperature

• Various vaccines have different temperature requirements, and generally can be stored in common refrigerators.

mRNA VACCINE

PRODUCTION TIME

• The RNA (which encodes an antigen of the infectious agent) is made from a DNA template in the lab.
• The DNA can be synthesized from an electronic sequence that can be sent across the world in an instant by computer. Currently, it takes about a week to generate an experimental batch of an RNA vaccine.

BIOSAFETY

• No virus is needed to make a batch of an RNA vaccine.
• Only small quantities of viruses are used for gene sequencing and vaccine testing.

IMMUNE RESPONSE 

• The RNA is injected into the body and enters cells, where it provides instructions to produce antigens. The cell then presents the antigens to the immune system, prompting T-cell and antibody responses that can fight the disease.

FLEXIBILITY

• It is anticipated that the production process for RNA vaccines may be scaled and standardized; potentially enabling the replacement of the sequence encoding the target protein of interest for a new vaccine, with minimal changes to the vaccine production process.

Transport and storage temperature

• Requires sub-zero temperature which makes them hard to transport and make available at all places. Generally -20 to -70 degree celsius.

ADMINISTRATION OF VACCINES

ORAL VACCINE (PO)

The oral vaccine is administered through drops to the mouth. Rotavirus vaccine (RV1 [Rotarix], RV5 [RotaTeq]) is the only routinely recommended vaccine administered orally only. Rotavirus vaccine should never be injected. Though Polio vaccine is given in two ways: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth.

INTRANASAL ROUTE (NAS) 

The intranasal vaccine is administered into each nostril using a manufacturer-filled nasal sprayer. Live, attenuated influenza (LAIV [FluMist]) vaccine is administered by the intranasal route.

SUBCUTANEOUS ROUTE (SUB CUT)

Subcutaneous injections are administered into the fatty tissue found below the dermis and above muscle tissue.

INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)

Intramuscular injections are administered into the muscle through the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The recommended site is based on age.  Use the correct needle length and gauge based on the age, weight, and gender of the recipient.

Previous Year Questions:

Q1.UPSC CES PRE – 2022

In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements:

1. The Serum Institute of India produced a COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using an mRNA platform.
2. Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector-based platform.
3. COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen-based vaccine.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2.UPSC CDS 1 – APRIL 2022

Consider the following pair of vaccines and category/type:

1. Covaxin – Inactivated pathogen based vaccine.
2. Covishield – mRNA vaccine.
3. Sputnik V – Viral vector based vaccine.

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

 Mains Practice Question:

1. Explain the various technologies used for making vaccines.
2. Write a note mRNA vaccine and how it scores over the conventional vaccines.
   

   COVID VACCINES APPROVED FOR USE IN INDIA

   	VACCINE	COMPANY	TYPE	ADMINISTRATION TYPE
   1.	Corbevax	Biological E Ltd	Protein Subunit	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   2.	COVOVAX	Serum Institute of India	Protein Subunit	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   3.	ZyCov-D	Zydus Cadila	DNA	WORLD’S FIRST NEEDLE-FREE PLASMID DNA VACCINE.
   4.	GEMCOVAC	Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited	RNA	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   5.	Spikevax	Moderna	RNA	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   6.	Sputnik Light	Gamaleya	Non Replicating Viral Vector	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   7.	Sputnik V	Gamaleya	Non Replicating Viral Vector	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   8.	Ad26.COV2.S	Johnson & Johnson	Non Replicating Viral Vector	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   9.	Vaxzevria	Oxford/AstraZeneca	Non Replicating Viral Vector	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   10.	Covishield (Oxford/ AstraZeneca formulation)	Serum Institute of India	Non Replicating Viral Vector	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)
   11.	Covaxin	Bharat Biotech	Inactivated	INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE (IM)

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1.7 NEW DISTRICTS IN WEST BENGAL — HOW AND WHY ARE DISTRICTS CREATED OR ABOLISHED IN INDIA?

THE CONTEXT: The West Bengal cabinet has approved the creation of seven new districts in the state. It will take the number of districts in West Bengal to 30 from the existing 23.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The Chief Minister told a press conference that a new Sundarban district will be carved out of South 24-Parganas district; two new districts will be created out of North 24-Parganas district — Ichhamati in Bongaon subdivision and a yet unnamed district in Basirhat; Ranaghat, a city and municipality in Nadia district, will become the fourth new district; a new district of Bishnupur will be carved out of the existing Bankura district; and two new districts of Baharampur and Jangipur will be created out of Murshidabad district.

Why have these districts been created?
• States keep creating new districts from time to time. The idea everywhere is, generally, that smaller units would make governance easier and would benefit the people by bringing the government and the administration closer to them, and making them more accessible. Sometimes, the decision to create a new district is driven by local demands.
• As per Census 2011 figures, almost 4 million people lived in each of West Bengal’s 23 districts on average — among the highest in the country.

Who decides on creating or scrapping districts, or changing their boundaries?
• This power lies with the state governments, who can pass a law in the Assembly or simply issue an order and notify it in the gazette. The Centre does not have a say in the matter.
• The central government does play a role, however, when a change of name of a district or railway station is contemplated. The request of the state government in this regard is sent to several central government departments before a no-objection certificate is issued.

Have Indian states been creating a lot of new districts?
• The number of districts around the country has been going up steadily over the years. The 2001 Census recorded 593 districts, which went up to 640 in 2011. India currently has more than 775 districts.
• Uttar Pradesh has the most districts (75) in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh (52). Goa, by contrast, has only 2 districts. However, the number of districts in a state is not always a function of the area of the state, or of its population.
• West Bengal, for example, has 42 Lok Sabha MPs but only 30 districts even after the addition of the 7 new districts, and Andhra Pradesh, even after the recent doubling of the number of districts to 26, has only one more district than the number of Lok Sabha seats. Tamil Nadu, which has 39 MPs in Lok Sabha — after only Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal — has one fewer district.
• In general, the largest districts in India by area cover sparsely populated areas — for example, Kachchh in Gujarat, and Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Barmer, and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

THE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

2.EXPLAINED: WHAT THE LAW SAYS ON PROTECTING CHILDREN AGAINST CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

THE CONTEXT: Recently, three private school teachers in Pune have been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act over allegedly thrashing three Class 10 students, and threatening to grade them poorly in internal assessments. A look at the legal provisions that bar corporal punishment, and who has the responsibility to protect children against abuse.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is corporal punishment?
By definition, corporal punishment means punishment that is physical in nature. While there is no statutory definition of ‘corporal punishment’ targeting children in the Indian law, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’ under Section 17(1) and makes it a punishable offence under Section 17(2).
• According to the Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), physical punishment is understood as any action that causes pain, hurt/injury and discomfort to a child, however light.
• Examples include hitting, kicking, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling the hair, boxing ears, smacking, slapping, spanking, hitting with any implement (cane, stick, shoe, chalk, dusters, belt, whip), giving electric shock and so on.
• It includes making children assume an uncomfortable position (standing on bench, standing against the wall in a chair-like position, standing with school bag on head, holding ears through legs, kneeling, forced ingestion of anything, detention in the classroom, library, toilet or any closed space in the school.

What are provisions under the law against such punishment?
• Section 17 of the Right to Education Act, 2009, imposes an absolute bar on corporal punishment. It prohibits physical punishment and mental harassment to children and prescribes disciplinary action to be taken against the guilty person in accordance with the service rules applicable to such person.
• Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act prescribes punishment for cruelty to children.
o Whenever a child is assaulted, abused, exposed or neglected in a manner to cause physical or mental suffering by any person employed by or managing an organisation, which is entrusted with the care and protection of the child, the punishment would be rigorous imprisonment upto five years and fine up to Rs 5 lakh.
o If the child is physically incapacitated or develops a mental illness or is rendered mentally unfit to perform regular tasks or has risk to life or limb, then imprisonment may extend upto ten years.
• Section 23 of the JJ Act, 2000 states: “Whoever, having the actual charge of, or control over, a juvenile or the child, assaults, abandons, exposes or wilfully neglects the juvenile or causes or procures him to be assaulted, abandoned, exposed or neglected in a manner likely to cause such juvenile or the child unnecessary mental or physical suffering shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or fine, or with both.”
o While Section 23 is likely to be applied most often to personnel in childcare institutions regulated by the JJ Act, it arguably applies to cruelty by anyone in a position of authority over a child, which would include parents, guardians, teachers and employers.
• Meanwhile, the RTE Act does not preclude the application of other legislation that relates to the violations of the rights of the child, for example, booking the offenses under the IPC and the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989.

What do NCPCR guidelines say about eliminating corporal punishment?
• The NCPCR guidelines for eliminating corporal punishment against children require every school to develop a mechanism and frame clear cut protocols to address grievances of students.
• Drop boxes are to be placed where the aggrieved person may drop his complaint and anonymity is to be maintained to protect privacy.
• Every school has to constitute a ‘Corporal Punishment Monitoring Cell’ consisting of two teachers, two parents, one doctor, one lawyer (nominated by DLSA), counsellor, an independent child rights activist of that area and two senior students from that school. This CPMC shall look into complaints of corporal punishments.

3.EXPLAINED: 30K KG OF DRUGS DESTROYED BY NCB – WHAT RULES GOVERN DISPOSAL OF SEIZED NARCOTICS?

THE CONTEXT: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on July 30 2022 destroyed 30,000 kg of seized drugs at four locations – Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Guwahati — in the virtual presence of Union Home Minister. The narcotic substances were destroyed under a drug disposal campaign that began June 1 as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is the law that allows the destruction of seized drugs?
• Section 52-A of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 allows probe agencies to destroy seized substances after collecting required samples. Officials concerned must make a detailed inventory of the substance to be destroyed.
• “A five-member committee comprising the area SSP, director/superintendent or the representative of the area NCB, a local magistrate and two others linked to law enforcement and legal fraternity is constituted. The substance is then destroyed in an incinerator or burnt completely leaving behind not any trace of the substance,” according to the MHA official.

What is the exact procedure that is followed?
• The agency first obtains permission from a local court to dispose of the seized narcotic substances. These substances are then taken to the designated place of destruction under a strict vigil. The presiding officer tallies the inventory made at the storeroom with that material brought to the spot. The entire process is videographed, photographed.
• Then one by one, all the packets/gunny bags of the substance/s are put in the incinerator. As per rules, committee members cannot leave the place until the seized drugs have been completely destroyed.

Which agency is authorised to carry out such an exercise?
• Every law enforcement agency competent to seize drugs is authorised to destroy them after taking prior permission of the area magistrate. These include state police forces, the CBI and the NCB among others.
• For instance, On June 20 2022, Chandigarh Police, along with NCB sleuths, had jointly destroyed 102.260 kg heroin, 0.495 gm charas, 0.250 kg poppy-husks, 16.6 kg cannabis, 48 injections of Buprenorphine and Pheniramine Maleate, 904 tablets of tramadol in Mohali.

What is the need to destroy seized drugs?
• The hazardous nature of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, their vulnerability to theft, substitution, constraints of proper storage space are among the reasons that make agencies destroy them.
• “Also, there have been instances when seized narcotics were pilfered from the storeroom. To prevent such instances, authorities try to destroy seized drugs immediately after collecting the required samples out of the seized substances.
VALUE ADDITION:
India and Drug Abuse
• According to a report by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), India is one of the major hubs of illicit drug trade ranging from age-old cannabis to newer prescription drugs like tramadol, and designer drugs like methamphetamine.
• The money from the drug trade is used to finance terrorism, human trafficking, illegal businesses etc.
• India lies in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world, the Golden Crescent in the west and the Golden Triangle in the east which makes it a viable hub of the illicit drug trade.
• Golden Triangle: It includes the regions of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand and is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.
• Golden Crescent: It includes Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan and is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.

Legal Provisions in India and World
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act)
• It outlaws the recreational use of cannabis.
• Under the Act, the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, and use of cannabis is a punishable offence.
• The NDPS Act, however, does not apply to the leaves and seeds of cannabis plants.
• In case the CBD is extracted from the leaves of the cannabis, then technically it is not illegal.
• CBD oil manufactured under a licence issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
• It is vested with the power to charge individuals in cases related to the illegal use and supply of narcotics.
• India is a signatory to various international drug-related UN conventions and the responsibility of implementation of the provision of these international conventions also lies with NCB.

The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
• It is the central policy-making body for the UN drug control system, which meets on an annual basis
• The Vienna-based CND was founded in 1946.
• It is to decide on the scope of control of substances by placing them in the schedules of global drug control conventions.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

4.WHO WERE THE RAZAKARS, ACCUSED OF HORRIFIC CRIMES DURING THE 1971 BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR?

THE CONTEXT: Six members of ‘Razakar Bahini’, a locally recruited paramilitary force that collaborated with the Pakistan army during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, were sentenced to death for ‘crimes against humanity’ by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on July 28 recently.
THE EXPLANATION:
• In 2010, almost 40 years after its violent struggle for independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh established its International Crimes Tribunal in order to administer justice to those accused of committing war crimes against its people.

Who were the Razakars?
• The Razakars were an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army during the 1971 Bangladesh War. Composed of mostly pro-Pakistani Bengalis and Biharis from Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), the approximate 50,000 Razakars assisted the army in raids against the local population and were accused of committing horrific atrocities.
• Razakar literally means ‘volunteer’ or ‘helper’ in Persian and Urdu, but has come to mean ‘collaborator’ and is associated with betrayal in Bangladesh. According to the anthropologist, it is used as an abuse.
• Razakars mostly consisted of Urdu-speaking Bihari Muslims and religious parties that opposed the separation of East and West Pakistan, like Jamaat-e-Islami, Al Badr and Al Shams. Ethnic Bihars who had moved to Bangladesh after the partition in 1947 were in particular denounced as foreigners and collaborators by other locals.

Fate after the Liberation War
After Bangladesh achieved independence in December 1971, the newly formed government very quickly banned organisations that collaborated with Pakistani state forces, such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, and many of its influential leaders escaped to Pakistan.
Road to justice
In March 2010, the government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina established Bangladesh’s three-member International Crimes Tribunal to investigate and administer justice to those suspected of being involved in torture and killings during the country’s struggle for independence. The ruling Awami League had pledged to prosecute war criminals of 1971 and had won a landslide victory in the 2008 general election.
VALUE ADDITION:
About 1971 the Bangladesh Liberation War (OPERATION JACKPOT)
• The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was the first war between the countries that did not involve fighting over the Kashmir region.
• At this time, the Dominion of Pakistan was divided into West Pakistan and East Pakistan (initially East Bengal). These two regions were separated by the larger nation of India.
• Fought under the leadership of then-prime minister Indira Gandhi and chief of army staff (COAS), General Sam Manekshaw, the war ended in less than two weeks with a decisive victory for India, and resulted in the creation of Bangladesh, which was then known as East Pakistan.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

5.THE TECHNOLOGY POWERING HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

THE CONTEXT: In recent months, automakers Maruti Suzuki, Toyota and Honda have launched hybrid electric vehicles in India, offering car buyers more choices in the nascent electric vehicle market.
THE EXPLANATION:
These new hybrid electric vehicles from different automakers, are relying on hybrid technology and its advantages over conventional internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles to change car buyers’ minds.
What is a hybrid vehicle?
Commonly called hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), a hybrid car is simply one that relies on two different power sources for motion. The two different power sources are typically petrol and electricity and diesel and electricity.
There are three main types of hybrid vehicle; full hybrids, mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
• A full hybrid (FHEV) can run on just the combustion engine (i.e. diesel/petrol), the electric engine (i.e. power from batteries), or a combination. The Honda City HEV is an example of this. A full hybrid is not plugged in to recharge; the battery is recharged by running the combustion engine.
• A mild hybrid has an electric motor and combustion engine which always work together. An example of this is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza (Soon to be made available). Mild hybrids cannot run in just electric or just combustion engine mode; the engines/motors always work in parallel.
• Plug-in hybrids usually have greater electric-only ranges than full hybrids. Plug-In hybrids essentially serve as a half-way point between full hybrid vehicles and fully electric vehicles. One of the requirements of plug-in-hybrids is bigger battery pack.

What is regenerative braking and how does it work?
• Regenerative braking is a mechanism found on most hybrid and full-electric vehicles. It captures the kinetic energy from braking and converts it into the electrical power that charges the vehicle’s high voltage battery.
• Regenerative braking also slows the car down, which assists the use of traditional brakes.
• In a conventional braking system, a car slows down due to friction between the brake pads and rotors. But this system is highly inefficient when it comes to conserving energy. Nearly all of the kinetic energy propelling your car forward is lost as heat when you apply the brakes. That’s a lot of wasted energy!
• Regenerative braking solves this problem by recapturing upwards of 70% of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost during braking. The amount of energy recovered depends on your car model and driving behaviour.

How does regenerative braking provide electricity?
• Regenerative braking turns kinetic energy into electricity by reversing the process that drives the car forward.
• In electric cars, the drivetrain is powered by a battery pack that powers a motor (or motors), creating torque–rotational force–on the wheels.
• With regenerative braking, the energy from your spinning wheels is used to reverse the direction of electricity – from the electric motor(s) to the battery. All you have to do is remove your foot from the accelerator or, in some cases, press the brake pedal to activate regenerative braking. The electric motor not only acts as an electric generator, but it also helps slow your car down because energy is consumed by the wheels as they rotate the shaft in the electric motor.

Advantages of regenerative braking
• Brake pads & rotors may last longer
• Extended range possibilities for electric vehicles
• Better fuel efficiency for hybrids

Disadvantages of a regenerative braking system
• May be less effective at lower speeds
• Brake pedal may feel different
• Potentially less stopping power

Government Measures
• Government has approved Phase-II of FAME Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years commencing from 1st April 2019. Out of total budgetary support, about 86 percent of fund has been allocated for Demand Incentive so as to create demand for xEVs in the country.
• This phase aims to generate demand by way of supporting 7000 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars (including Strong Hybrid) and 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers. However, depending upon off-take of different category of xEVs, these numbers may vary as the provision has been made for inter as well as intra segment wise fungibility.

6.NEW E-WASTE RULES THREATEN JOBS, COLLECTION NETWORK

THE CONTEXT: A proposed framework by the Centre for regulating e-waste in India has upset a key link of India’s electronic waste collection system and threatens the livelihood of thousands of people.
THE EXPLANATION:
• Electronic waste, or electronic goods that are past their productive life and old parts, is largely handled by India’s vast informal sector.
• Spent goods are dismantled and viable working parts refurbished, with the rest making their way into chemical dismantling units. Many of these units are run out of unregulated sweatshops that employ child labour and hazardous extraction techniques. This electronic detritus contaminates soil and aggravates plastic pollution.
• To address all of this, the Environment Ministry brought the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016, which introduced a system of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compelling makers of electronic goods to ensure a proportion of the goods they sold every year was recycled.
• They are expected to maintain records annually demonstrating this. Most companies however did not maintain an in-house unit in charge of recycling and this gave rise to a network of government-registered companies, called producer responsibility organisations (PRO) which acted as an intermediary between manufacturers of electronic goods and formal recycling units and were technologically equipped to recycle end-of-life electronic goods safely and efficiently.

Certified proof
• The PROs typically bid for contracts from companies and arrange for specified quantities of goods to be recycled and provide companies certified proof of recycling that they then maintain as part of their records. Several PROs work on consumer awareness and enable a supply chain for recycled goods.
• As of March, 2022 the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has registered 74 PROs and 468 authorised dismantlers, which have a collective recycling capacity of about 1.3 million tonnes.
• The Ministry estimated 7.7 lakh tonnes of e-waste to have been generated in 2018-19 and around one million tonnes in 2019-20 of which only a fifth (about 22% in both years) has been confirmed to be “dismantled and recycled”.

‘Improve accountability’
• According to sources, new rules would improve accountability because it would rely on an electronic management system that would track the material that went in for recycling with the output claimed by a recycler when they claimed GST (Goods and Services Tax) input credit.
• “Currently, the entire system is not remunerative for recyclers, which actually do the job of recycling. This current system incentivises them to invest in a dependable supply chain that will collect and recycle waste”.
• “The current system managed by PRO isn’t always reliable as there have been several instances of double-counting (where the same articles recycled once for one company are credited into the account for multiple companies). Also, the CPCB was still testing such a system though it wouldn’t automatically solve the problem of routing all electronic waste from informal channels to formal channels.

VALUE ADDITION:
India specific:
• There are 312 authorised recyclers of e-waste in India, with the capacity for treating approximately 800 kilotonnes annually.
• About 90 per cent of the country’s e-waste is recycled in the informal sector.
• India’s first e-waste clinic for segregating, processing and disposal of waste from household and commercial units has been set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. Against this, the e-waste dismantling capacity has not been increased from 7.82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18.

Concerns:
• Toxicity: E-waste consists of toxic elements such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Polybrominated biphenyls and Polybrominated diphenyl.
• Effects on Humans: Some of the major health effects include serious illnesses such as lung cancer, respiratory problems, bronchitis, brain damages, etc. due to inhalation of toxic fumes, exposure to heavy metals and alike.
• Effects on Environment: E-waste is an environmental hazard causing groundwater pollution, acidification of soil and contamination of groundwater and air pollution due to the burning of plastic and other remnants.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements with respect to the regenerative braking system:
1. Regenerative braking turns kinetic energy into electricity by reversing the process that drives the car forward.
2. In regenerative braking system the electric motor functioning as an electric generator.

Which among the above statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR THE PRACTICE QUESTION

ANSWER: C
EXPLANATION:
• Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction motor uses the vehicle’s momentum to recover energy that would otherwise be lost to the brake discs as heat.
• Regenerative braking turns kinetic energy into electricity by reversing the process that drives the car forward.
• In electric cars, the drivetrain is powered by a battery pack that powers a motor (or motors), creating torque–rotational force–on the wheels.
• With regenerative braking, the energy from your spinning wheels is used to reverse the direction of electricity – from the electric motor(s) to the battery. All you have to do is remove your foot from the accelerator or, in some cases, press the brake pedal to activate regenerative braking. The electric motor not only acts as an electric generator, but it also helps slow your car down because energy is consumed by the wheels as they rotate the shaft in the electric motor.

1. May all creatures everywhere be happy READ MORE
2. The legacy of JRD continues READ MORE

1. What will Supreme Court judgement on Aravalli mean for forest conservation? READ MORE
2. Monsoon 2022: Driest July on record for east and North East India READ MORE
3. More harm than good: New study scans global treaties on environment, rights READ MORE

1. Tackling inequality takes social reform READ MORE
2. Evolving digital education in rural India: The role of society, government and supply chain READ MORE

1. Reengineering India’s consciousness: India’s democracy has been successfully hacked and progressive forces need hard course-correction in any fightback READ MORE
2. D Sivanandhan writes: The powerful and ubiquitous ED READ MORE
3. Why the suspension of MPs may need to be reconsidered READ MORE
4. Rights and duties: Fix institutional gaps for credible justice delivery READ MORE
5. Modi govt takes IAS promotions to next level—Additional, Joint Secretary now come closer READ MORE
6. What the Court Can Do to Really Implement the Fundamental Right to Shelter READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. West Bengal to get seven new districts; total now 30 READ MORE
2. Explained: 3 reasons why GST collections continue to surge READ MORE
3. Manufacturing growth hits 8-month high in July: S&P PMI READ MORE
4. Comment | Har Ghar Tiranga — taking the National Flag into homes READ MORE
5. Explained | AlphaFold: A tour de force in science READ MORE
6. Kharif 2022: Area under paddy dips by 13% as July ends READ MORE
7. Explained | Earth’s record of shortest rotation and its impact READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Tackling inequality takes social reform READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Reengineering India’s consciousness: India’s democracy has been successfully hacked and progressive forces need hard course-correction in any fightback READ MORE
2. D Sivanandhan writes: The powerful and ubiquitous ED READ MORE
3. Why the suspension of MPs may need to be reconsidered READ MORE
4. Rights and duties: Fix institutional gaps for credible justice delivery READ MORE
5. Modi govt takes IAS promotions to next level—Additional, Joint Secretary now come closer READ MORE
6. What the Court Can Do to Really Implement the Fundamental Right to Shelter READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Evolving digital education in rural India: The role of society, government and supply chain READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. US-China rivalry not the same as US-Soviet. What India needs to watch out READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Government’s own ‘gig workers’: Outsourcing jobs to contractors is far more inefficient than fixed term contracts READ MORE
2. Using a rupee route to get around a dominating dollar READ MORE
3. RBI does not need to really hit the panic button now READ MORE
4. How shifting policies propelled our economy READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. What will Supreme Court judgement on Aravalli mean for forest conservation? READ MORE
2. Monsoon 2022: Driest July on record for east and North East India READ MORE
3. More harm than good: New study scans global treaties on environment, rights READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. May all creatures everywhere be happy READ MORE
2. The legacy of JRD continues READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘India’s ‘wheat waiver’ stand in WTO will dilute its core agenda of pushing for a permanent solution to public stockholding for food security’. Critically examine.
2. How far do you agree with this view that Indian policymaking in international affairs are facing moral indecisiveness, diplomatic reticence and ideological confusion and this is making a shift in foreign policy from non-alignment to multi-alignment? Analyse your view.
3. ‘Monetary policy cannot bring food inflation under control thus, curbing inflation requires streamlining value chains’. Justify.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A good half of the art of living is resilience.
• India’s democracy has been successfully hacked and progressive forces need hard course-correction in any fightback.
• As we seek to regulate the “gig economy”, it may be time for the government to take some concrete measures for its own “gig workers”.
• India could take advantage of geopolitical developments to promote trade and gain better status for the rupee.
• If the Government is serious in taking forward its stated position of creating higher education access to certain sections, it should dispassionately study the advantages and the disadvantages.
• It is quite clear that the central agencies are now going to be the big brothers of investigations, while state and city police forces function in their shadows with limited powers and jurisdictions.
• By recognising the right to shelter as a conditional social right rather than a systemic one, the Delhi high court narrowed its jurisdiction in the matter, limiting its ability to provide substantial benefits to slum dwellers.
• In addition to direct Chinese military pressure in both the Himalayas and in the seas, New Delhi will have to worry about a possible Chinese hegemony over Asia.
• If India is the mother of democracy, it becomes an obligation to ensure that conditions are created for the smooth functioning of Parliament.

50 WORD TALK

• The Delhi excise policy mess reflects poorly on the AAP government. All businesses need a stable and predictable policy environment. Dramatic U-turns are unfair to businessmen who make investments and workers whose livelihoods depend on them. Pity Delhiites who have to go back to buying their booze from government dumps.

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 301]

THE CONTEXT: The WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference was held in Geneva from 12-17 June 2022. After days of protracted negotiations, the WTO agreed to a series of deals. This article analyses the outcomes of the ministerial conference in detail.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MEETING

WTO REFORMS

•  Members reaffirmed the WTO’s founding principles and committed to an inclusive and open process to reform all of the organization’s operations, from deliberation to negotiation to monitoring.
• Notably, they pledged to make efforts to ensure that by 2024, all members would have access to a well-functioning dispute resolution system.

GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

• Members decided that any export restrictions should not apply to food purchased for humanitarian purposes by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
• WTO released a statement on the value of trade in ensuring global food security and pledging to refrain from food export bans due to global food shortages and rising prices brought on by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
• Also, to ensure domestic food security needs, countries would be permitted to impose restrictions on food supplies.

E-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS

• In 1998, when the internet was still fairly new, WTO members initially agreed to refrain from levying customs duties on electronic transmissions. Since then, the moratorium has been repeatedly extended.
• However, all participants agreed to extend the long-standing ban on customs duties for transmissions of e-commerce until the following Ministerial Conference or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first.

COVID-19 VACCINE PRODUCTION

• In order to facilitate easier domestic production of Covid-19 vaccines, WTO members agreed to temporarily waive intellectual property patents on those products without the consent of the patent holder for a period of five years.

CURTAILING HARMFUL FISHING SUBSIDIES

• To better protect global fish stocks, the WTO approved a multilateral agreement that would stop “harmful” subsidies on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing for the next four years.
•  Member states have been negotiating the prohibition of subsidies that encourage overfishing since 2001.
• The current agreement, which establishes new trading rules, is the second multilateral agreement in WTO’s history.

ANALYZING THE INDIAN POSITION

FISH SUBSIDY

• It was able to ensure that developing economies receive exemptions from fishing subsidies within their exclusive economic zone.
• Within their exclusive economic zones of the sea, developing nations like India are given a two-year exemption.
• Additionally, it limits fishing in overfished stocks while providing poorer nations with a two-year reprieve.
• India’s proposal for a 25 year transition period for developing economies was not agreed upon. But it was able to ensure that subsidies were retained for small scale artisanal fishing.

IPR WAIVER

• The current deal is a scaled-back version of the initial proposal made by South Africa and India in 2020. They had sought more extensive waivers of intellectual property for vaccines, treatments, and tests.
• The waiver is limited to vaccines in the final agreement.
• For developing nations like India, the exclusion of therapeutics and diagnostics has been a huge letdown.

ISSUE OF AGRICULTURE

• Little progress was also made on important agricultural issues that India and other developing nations have fiercely debated.
• It has been seeking to allow government-to-government sales of food grains kept in public stockholding programmes such as for the public distribution system.
• On the grounds that the sale of grains with subsidies could skew global food prices, the proposal was rejected.

PUBLIC STOCK HOLDING ISSUE

• The requirement for a long-term solution on public stockholding for food security is another ongoing issue where a decision has been repeatedly put off over the years.
• A permanent solution has been pushed back until the next ministerial conference, which will put it off for another two years.

ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS

• India has requested that the World Trade Organization (WTO) reconsider the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on Electronic Transactions (ET), which include digitally traded services.
• Broadly, ETs consist of online deliveries such as music, e-books, films, software and video games. They differ from other cross-border e-commerce since they are ordered online but not delivered physically. 
• India argued that developing countries faced the brunt of the financial consequences of such a moratorium.
• India said that from 2017-2020, developing countries lost a potential tariff revenue of around $50 billion on imports from only 49 digital products.
• However, finally, all members decided to extend the moratorium on customs duties.

THE GENEVA PACKAGE

WTO wrapped up the Ministerial Conference’s twelfth outing (MC12), securing agreements on relaxing patent regulations to achieve global vaccine equity, ensuring food security, according to subsidies to the fisheries sector and continuing moratoriums relevant to e-commerce, among others. Together they constitute the “Geneva Package.”

 A CRITICAL COMMENT ON THE WTO MINISTERIAL OUTCOME

The WTO Ministerial Meeting was held after a gap of 2 years due to the Covid- 19 pandemic. Being consensus-based international organisation decision-making on the key issue has been very difficult in WTO. But it is the consensus-based decision-making that keeps apart the WTO from the IMF, World Bank or other international institutions. It was to the credit of the members that they could reach an agreement on the fisheries subsidy. Due to the opposition of the European Union and other rich countries, other important areas like drugs, diagnostics etc. were excluded from IPR Waiver. Also, the issues of agriculture especially the public stock holding program has been pushed further to be discussed in the next conference. Environmentalists also criticized the text of the fishing subsidy agreement calling it highly watered down and not meeting the demand for sustainable fisheries.

As far as  India is concerned the outcome of the conference has many positives while having some negative aspects. For instance, there has been no outcome on the public stockholding program and India’s proposal for exclusion of government to government purchase as also been rejected. On the positive side, India was able to balance its international commitments with respect to the World Food Programme and the domestic need for food security and the protection of the livelihood opportunity of small-scale fishermen.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• The WTO needs to focus on resolving the existing issues, especially in the context of the Doha Development Agenda before pushing new issues into the discussion table.
• Although the member countries agreed on the need for reforms in WTO, the content and nature of reforms have not been spelt out. It is necessary to develop a broad-based agenda on reforms and then carry out extensive deliberations to avoid a piecemeal approach.
• The G 33 needs to work in a coordinated manner and position itself as a pressure group to safeguard and promote the developing country’s interests in a transparent manner.
• The Dispute Resolution Body of WTO is the backbone of the rule-based world order which was kept dysfunctional thanks to the USA and others. WTO members need to take steps to make this body functional again.
• The IPR waiver related to Covid-19 drugs and treatment needs to fast-tracked as it is agreed by members that the issue will be reviewed after six months. A comprehensive waiver is necessary for developing the south from a public health perspective.
• India needs to actively strive to safeguard its core interests while balancing its credentials of a responsible rule-abiding nation.

 THE CONCLUSION: On the whole, when multilateralism is on the downslope WTO outcomes from the 12th ministerial conference opens up new possibilities and opportunities for rule-based world trade order. India has been partially successful in areas such as fisheries subsidies and vaccine patent waivers, but not so much in others such as food subsidies and e-commerce taxation. It is clear that at future ministerial meetings, India must stand firm on issues that are critical to the country’s long-term interests, particularly farmer livelihood issues.

Questions:

1. Critically analyze the outcomes of the WTO 12^th Ministerial Conference 2022.
2. The outcomes of the 12^th WTO Ministerial Conference have been a mixed bag for India. Comment
3. “The Geneva Package scores more in form, less in substance”. Examine

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CLARIFYING CONCEPTS: THE WTO TERMINOLOGIES

WTO AND THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE

• The only international body that deals with international trade regulations is the World Trade Organization. The 164 members of the WTO, which was established in 1995, govern it, and in accordance with its rules, all decisions are made by consensus and any member has veto power.
• Its objective is to advance free trade, which is accomplished through trade pacts that the member states negotiate and ratify. The WTO offers a forum for nations to discuss trade regulations and resolve business disagreements.
• The Ministerial Conference is the WTO’s top decision-making body and usually meets every two years.
• All members of the WTO are involved in the MC and they can take decisions on all matters covered under any multilateral trade agreements.

WHAT IS AoA?

• To reform the agriculture trade and to improve the predictability and security of importing and exporting countries, the World Trade Organization came up with the agriculture agreement. It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO on January 1, 1995. The three provisions/pillars that the agriculture agreement focuses on are –
• Market access — the use of trade restrictions, such as tariffs on imports
• Domestic support — the use of subsidies and other support programmes that directly stimulate production and distort trade
• Export competition — the use of export subsidies and other government support programmes that subsidize exports.

DOMESTIC SUPPORT

• There are basically two categories of domestic support — support with no, or minimal, distortive effect on trade on the one hand (often referred to as “Green Box” measures) and trade-distorting support on the other hand (often referred to as “Amber Box” measures).
• For example, government-provided agricultural research or training is considered to be of the former type, while government buying-in at a guaranteed price (“market price support”) falls into the latter category.
• Under the Agreement on Agriculture, all domestic support in favour of agricultural producers is subject to rules. The Green Box also provides for the use of direct payments to producers which are not linked to production decisions, i.e. although the farmer receives a payment from the government, this payment does not influence the type or volume of agricultural production (“decoupling”).
• The “Blue Box” exemption category covers any support measure that would normally be in the “Amber Box”, but which is placed in the “Blue Box” if the support also requires farmers to limit their production.
• All domestic support measures which do not correspond to the exceptional arrangements known as the “Green” and “Blue” boxes, are considered to distort production and trade and therefore fall into the “Amber Box” category.

DE MINIMIS LEVEL

• Minimal amounts of domestic support are allowed even though they distort trade — up to 5% of the value of production for developed countries, 10% for developing.
• All domestic support measures in favour of agricultural producers that do not fit into any of the above exempt categories are subject to reduction commitments. This domestic support category captures policies, such as market price support measures, direct production subsidies or input subsidies.
•  However, under the de minimis provisions of the agreement, there is no requirement to reduce such trade-distorting domestic support in any year in which the aggregate value of the product-specific support does not exceed 5 per cent of the total value of production of the agricultural product in question.
• In addition, non-product-specific support which is less than 5 per cent of the value of total agricultural production is also exempt from reduction. The 5 per cent threshold applies to developed countries whereas in the case of developing countries the de minimis ceiling is 10 per cent.

AGGREGATE MEASUREMENT OF SUPPORT

• The AMS represents trade-distorting domestic support and is referred to as the “amber box”. As per the WTO norms, the AMS can be given up to 10 % of a country’s agricultural GDP in the case of developing countries.
•  On the other hand, the limit is 5% for a developed economy. This limit is called de minimis level of support. It means that the AMS and the De Minimis Level are similar. Both relate to the Amber box.

SCM

• The Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (Subsidies Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) provides rules for the use of government subsidies and for the application of remedies to address subsidized trade that has harmful commercial effects.
• These remedies can be pursued through the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures, or through a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation which can be undertaken unilaterally by any WTO member government.
• Countervailing measures may be used against subsidies when imports of subsidized goods harm a competing domestic industry. They are used to offset the effect of the subsidy by, for example, imposing a countervailing duty (limited to the amount of the subsidy) on the import of subsidized goods or securing quid pro quo commitments from the subsidizing country (that it will abolish or restrict the subsidy, or that exporters will raise prices).
• Export subsidies which are in full conformity with the Agriculture Agreement are not prohibited by the SCM Agreement, although they remain countervailable. Domestic supports which are in full conformity with the Agriculture Agreement are not actionable multilaterally, although they also may be subject to countervailing duties.

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY(DSB)

• Settling disputes is the responsibility of the Dispute Settlement Body (the General Council in another guise), which consists of all WTO members. The Dispute Settlement Body has the sole authority to establish “panels” of experts to consider the case and to accept or reject the panels’ findings or the results of an appeal. It monitors the implementation of the rulings and recommendations and has the power to authorize retaliation when a country does not comply with a ruling.
• Under the Subsidies Agreement, if a WTO member government believes that a non-permissible subsidy is being granted or maintained by another member government, it can request consultations with that government under the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures..
• If no mutually agreeable solution is reached in initial consultations, the matter can be referred to the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), which consists of representatives of all WTO members.
•  The DSB establishes a panel, which reports its findings to the parties to the dispute within a time frame. If the panel finds that the measure in question is a prohibited subsidy, the subsidizing government must withdraw it without delay.
• But when the appeal is filed in the AB and not yet decided, the practice is that the member country does not withdraw the subsidy immediately. The recommendations of the Panel can only be rejected by the DSB on consensus among the members.

APPELLATE BODY

• The Appellate Body was established in 1995 under Article 17 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU). It is a standing body of seven persons that hears appeals from reports issued by panels in disputes brought by WTO Members. The Appellate Body can uphold, modify or reverse the legal findings and conclusions of a panel, and Appellate Body Reports are adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) unless all members decide not to do so. The Appellate Body has its seat in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Currently, the Appellate Body is unable to review appeals given its ongoing vacancies. The term of the last sitting Appellate Body member expired on 30 November 2020.

NAIROBI PACKAGE

• The Nairobi Ministerial conference was held in 2015 where WTO members decided to eliminate the export subsidies on agriculture and to make new rules on export measures that have a covalent effect. To implement this decision, the developed countries will remove all the subsidies on export immediately and developing countries will have a little longer period to eliminate the subsidies except for a few agricultural products.
• The decision was taken to give effect to the sustainable development goal of zero hunger and also help the farmers of the poor countries who face intense competition against the rich countries and the artificially boosted exports with the help of subsidies.
• Members also collectively agreed to engage in finding a permanent solution for developing countries to use the public stockholding programs for food security purposes. Negotiation on a special safeguard mechanism, which allows the developing countries to raise tariffs temporarily on agricultural products in cases of import surges or price falls, was also agreed upon by the ministers.

BALI PACKAGE 2013

• Members agreed to refrain from challenging the breach of domestic support commitments that resulted from developing countries’ public stockholding programs for food security if certain conditions were met by them. They also decided to negotiate towards a permanent solution for public stockholding for security purposes.
• A more transparent tariff rate quota administration was called for whereby the governments were not allowed to create trade barriers by how the quotas among importers are distributed.
• The list of general services includes more spending on land use, Land Reforms water management, and other poverty reduction programs which come under the green box(the Green box is domestic support which is allowed without any limit as it does not distort the trade) were to be expanded.
• A declaration on the reduction of all forms of export subsidies and enhancement of transparency and monitoring was made.
• The Bali package also provides for a peace clause that protects the food procurement programs of developing countries from the action of other WTO members if the developing country branches the subsidy ceiling as given.
•  In the financial year, 2018-19 India became the first WTO member country to invoke this clause. India stated that its rice production was $43.67 billion and it provided subsidies of $ 5 billion to the farmers, which is more than the de minimis level of 10%. To safeguard its domestic support policy the Indian government invoked the peace clause.