TOP 5 TAKKAR NEWS OF THE DAY (11th AUGUST 2023)

1. NAVIGATION WITH INDIAN CONSTELLATION (NavIC)

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Department of Space (DoS) told the Parliamentary Committee of Science and Technology that NavIC will soon be integrated into Aadhaar enrolment devices.

EXPLANATION:

• The department of space has facilitated successful conduction of field trials, and is providing technical expertise in the finalisation of procurement specification of the devices.
• Currently the Aadhaar enrolment kits that are used to collect and verify personal details are linked to GPS.
• Apart from that the Centre has been pushing cell phone makers in India to make their instruments compatible with NavIC, a process that will involve hardware alterations.
• The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) was already utilising NavIC as an alert dissemination system for major natural disasters like landslides, earthquakes, floods, and avalanches.
• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System (INCOIS) relies on it to broadcast cyclones, high waves, and tsunamis alert messages to fishermen venturing into the deep sea.

What is Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) ?

• NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• NavIC was originally approved in 2006 at a cost of $174 million. It was expected to be completed by late 2011, but only became operational in 2018.
• NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km (930 miles) from its boundaries.
• Currently, NavIC’s use is limited. It is being used in public vehicle tracking in India, for providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity, and for tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
• To meet the positioning, navigation and timing requirements of the nation, ISRO has established a regional navigation satellite system called Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).
• NavIC was erstwhile known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
• NavIC offers two services: Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users. These two services are provided in both L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S band (2498.028 MHz).
• NavIC coverage area includes India and a region up to 1500 km beyond Indian boundary. NavIC signals are designed to provide user position accuracy better than 20m and timing accuracy better than 50ns.
• NavIC SPS signals are interoperable with the other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals namely GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou.

Few applications:

• Transportation (terrestrial, aerial and marine)
• Location based services
• Personal mobility
• Resource monitoring
• Surveying and geodesy
• Scientific research
• Time dissemination and synchronisation
• Safety-of-life alert dissemination

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/indian-gps-navic-to-link-to-aadhaar-enrolment-devices/article67181022.ece

2. THE MALABAR EXERCISE

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that India, Japan, United States, and Australia will hold the Malabar Navy Drill off the coast of Sydney from 11 August to 21 August.

EXPLANATION:

• The Indian Navy’s indigenous frontline warships INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata along with ships and aircraft from the US Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, and the Royal Australian Navy will participate in the exercise.
• This year marks the 27th edition of MALABAR which is being hosted by Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
• According to the ministry, Malabar 2023 is scheduled to be conducted in two phases.

1. The Harbour Phase involves wide-ranging activities such as cross-deck visits, professional exchanges, sports fixtures and several interactions for planning and conduct of the Sea Phase.
2. The sea phase will include various complex and high intensity exercises in all three domains of warfare, encompassing anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine exercises including live weapon firing drills.

• The exercise provides an opportunity to the Indian Navy to enhance and demonstrate interoperability and also gain from the best practices in maritime security operations from its partner nations.
• INS Sahyadri is the third ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-17 class multi-role stealth frigates .
• INS Kolkata is the first ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-15A class destroyers.
• Both ships have been built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai and are fitted with state-of-the-art array of weapons and sensors to detect and neutralise threats in surface, air and underwater domains.

Exercise Malabar:

• Exercise Malabar is a naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners.
• The annual Malabar exercises includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through maritime interdiction operations, anti-submarine warfare, and anti–air warfare operations among others.
• Over the years, the exercise has been conducted in the Philippine Sea, off the coast of Japan, the Persian Gulf, in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It is taken care by the Asian and the North American Commands.
• The exercise started in 1992 along the Malabar Coast as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States.
• It was expanded in 2007 with the participation of Japan, Singapore and Australia. Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.
• Australia participated in the exercise again in 2020, marking the second time that the Quad will be jointly participating in a military exercise. The aim of the exercise includes increasing interoperability between the naval forces.
• The duration of the exercise has ranged from 1 to 11 sea-days. The complexity and sophistication of the exercise has increased over the years. Exercises have on-shore and at-sea stages. The average participation by India increased from 8 ships to just over 9 from 2002 to 2014

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-japan-us-australia-to-hold-first-malabar-naval-exercise-off-australia-11691672444951.html

3. THE BELEN DECLARATION

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) signed the Belem Declaration in the Brazilian city of Belem.

EXPLANATION:

• Leaders from the eight countries across the Amazon, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, failed to agree on the goal to protect the rainforest at the ongoing Amazon Summit organised by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
• Scientists have warned for long that if the combined deforestation and degradation of the Amazon crosses a 20-25 per cent threshold, the forest could reach an irreversible tipping point that may result in the dieback of the entire ecosystem.
• The leaders focused on “initiating a dialogue” on the sustainability of mining and fossil fuel-related activities and there was no commitment to stop oil drilling in the region.
• The failure of consensus on protected areas could have implications on the overall goals and targets set under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework set in December 2022.
• Under this, member countries had agreed to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030. The greater role of biodiversity rich countries, such as those in the Amazon region, was emphasised during the negotiations.
• The Belem Declaration released during the Amazon Summit recognises Indigenous knowledge as a condition for biodiversity conservation and calls for ensuring full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making and public policy formulation processes.
• The representatives at the Summit recognised that there is a need for multiple forest economy solutions to counter the trend of agricultural commodities as the dominant economic model in the region.

The Belen Declaration:

• The presidents of the Amazon countries released the Belém Declaration, a document that unifies the shared objectives of the eight signatory nations under the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACTO), focusing on the region’s collective agenda.
• The declaration, signed during the first day of the Amazon Summit, outlines the consensus points of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
• It draws upon contributions from civil society highlighted during the Seminar on Sustainable Development of the Amazon, which took place in May in Brasília, and from federal government agencies.
• The Belém document contains 113 cross-cutting objectives and principles, committed to by the signatory countries. ACTO will play a central role in implementing the new Amazon cooperation agenda.
• The responsibility fell upon the Brazilian government, acting as the host of the Summit, to put forth an initial draft, subsequently subjected to analysis and refinement by the other participating nations.

Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO):

• The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is an intergovernmental organization formed by the eight Amazonian countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, which signed the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT), becoming the only socio-environmental block in Latin America.
• The Amazon Cooperation Treaty was drafted and signed on July 3, 1978. ACTO has four official languages: Dutch, English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
• ACTO, with a broad vision of the South-South cooperation process, works in different dimensions within the framework of the implementation of the ACT.
• The countries of ACTO, believing that progressive improvement of Amazonian life hinges on the management of the Amazon basin, have created many programs and established agreements to sustain biodiversity and promote conservation and resource management in the Amazon.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/forests/belem-declaration-amazon-countries-fail-to-agree-on-protection-goals-91095

4. THE CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER AND OTHER ELECTION COMMISSIONERS (APPOINTMENT, CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND TERM OF OFFICE) BILL, 2023

TAG:  GS 2: GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Union government introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to govern the appointments of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.

EXPLANATION:

• The Bill aims to constitute a selection committee for the appointment of the election commissioners consisting of the prime minister (as chairperson), the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union cabinet minister nominated by the prime minister.
• This does away with the arrangement put in place by a Supreme Court judgment delivered in March, which had formed a selection committee consisting of the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India, till the Parliament comes up with a law.
• The Supreme Court had directed to form this committee to shield the Election Commission from executive influence.
• Before this judgment, the appointments to the commission were made at the sole discretion of the Centre.
• However, the bill, by replacing the chief justice with a nominee of the prime minister, brings the matter of selecting the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners back within the Centre’s control.

What the bill lays out on election commissioner appointments

• According the procedure prescribed by the bill, a search committee consisting of three bureaucrats from the Union government will prepare a list of five persons for the consideration of the selection committee. The election commissioners will be appointed from the names in this list.
• The bill provides the following qualifications for appointment as chief election commissioner or election commissioner:

1. Currently holding or has previously held a post equivalent to the rank of Union Secretary
2. A person of integrity
3. Possessing knowledge of and experience in management and conduct of elections.

• There are no objective criteria laid down to determine how the second and third qualifications can be met, leaving them to the subjective view of the search committee.
• With regard to the constitution of the selection committee, the bill clarifies that if there is no recognised leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (as is the case in the current Lok Sabha), the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha shall be deemed the member of the selection committee as leader of Opposition.
• The bill states that the appointment of election commissioners shall be valid irrespective of any vacancy or deficit in the constitution of the selection committee.
• This could mean that, for instance, even if the post of leader of opposition in the selection committee is not filled or the nominated member in the committee is not a Union Cabinet member, the appointments it makes would stand.
• The selection committee can also consider for appointment names outside those recommended by the search committee.

The Election Commission of India (ECI)

• It is a constitutional body. It was established by the Constitution of India to conduct and regulate elections in the country.
• Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, direction, and control of elections to parliament, state legislatures, the office of the president of India, and the office of vice-president of India shall be vested in the election commission.
• Thus, the Election Commission is an all-India body in the sense that it is common to both the Central government and the state governments.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country.
• The Election Commission operates under the authority of Constitution per Article 324, and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act.
• The commission has the powers under the Constitution, to act in an appropriate manner when the enacted laws make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of an election. It is a permanent constitutional body.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/s-y-quraishi-on-the-collegium-bill-how-to-make-election-commission-credible-8886727/

5. CAG AUDITS EXPOSES LAPSE IN PMJAY

TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE CONTEXT: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has revealed significant discrepancies in the registration and validation of beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY).

EXPLANATION

• The CAG report has highlighted issues including beneficiary validation errors, shortcomings in claim handling, lapses by state health authorities , and more.
• As per the NHA database, 24.42 crore beneficiaries have been registered for the scheme till date and Rs 67,456.21 crore has been spent on their hospital admissions.
• The CAG assessment included the time period of September 2018 to March 2021 – part of which coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The auditor test checked 964 hospitals in 161 districts of all 28 states and Union territories (UTs). Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal have opted out of this scheme.

Findings:

• The auditors found large scale corruption in insurance claims settlement. It reported that not enough validation was done by the SHAs before releasing the claims to the hospitals which were empanelled under the scheme.
• It noted that in 2.25 lakh cases, the date of the ‘surgery’ done was shown to be later than the date of discharge.
• Of all such cases, more than 1.79 lakh were found in Maharashtra for which the claimed amount was over Rs 300 crore.
• Lakhs of claims continued to be made against some who had been shown as ‘deceased’ in the database.
• As far as caution against bogus 11.04 lakh beneficiaries is concerned, the NHA generated many alerts to the SHAs. The SHAs could investigate only 7.07 lakh cards. The highest number of such fraud claims were made in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh.

One unique ID: Several beneficiaries

• One of the biggest instances of graft in the implementation of this scheme was found in registration and identification of beneficiaries.
• The scheme stipulates that a unique PMJAY ID should be issued to beneficiaries once verification is complete.
• The audit discovered that 1.57 unique IDs appeared more than once in the database. In other words, all these IDs were duplicated. In such circumstances, possibility of presence of ineligible beneficiaries in the Beneficiary Identification System [BIS] database cannot be ruled out.
• Besides Aadhaar numbers, the system also utilises the phone numbers of beneficiaries. The audit brought to light that there were large numbers of beneficiaries registered against the same or invalid mobile number.

Irregulation related to Aadhaar:

• According to the audit report not all is well with Aadhaar identification either. Two registrations each were found to be made against 18 Aadhaar cards. On the other hand, in Tamil Nadu, 4,761 registrations were made against seven Aadhaar numbers, the audit found.
• All public facilities with capability of providing inpatient services (community health centre-level and above) are deemed empanelled. As such, a little over 15,000 public and 12,000 private healthcare facilities are part of this scheme.
• There were deficiencies such as medical equipment being out of order, lack of basic infrastructure such as IPD Beds, Operation Theatres, ICU care with ventilator support systems, Pharmacy, Dialysis Unit, Blood banks, Round-the clock Ambulance Services etc.

Missing hospitals

• The existence of hospitals in the empanelled list did not necessarily translate into even their existence in the scheme.
• In Andhra Pradesh, for example, out of 1,421 empanelled Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), half of them submitted zero claims thus indicating they were not providing PMJAY services at all. While, another 81 of them submitted only 0-5 claims. Such examples were found in other states as well.
• There is a strong need to invest in public hospitals to improve and upgrade the quality of the existing health facilities in accordance with prescribed criteria [of the PMJAY scheme.
• What also limits the implementation of the scheme is the number of EHCPs empanelled vis-a-vis the number of beneficiaries. For example, in Bihar, 100% eligible people have been registered under the scheme. But there are only 1.8 EHCPs per lakh population – as against 26.6 in Goa.

Note: For further details of AB-PMJAY scheme, please refer to DNA of 9^th August, 2023.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/politics/policy/mint-explainer-cag-audit-exposes-lapses-in-pmjay-what-are-these-11691662333628.html

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