[WpProQuiz 26]

INDIAN ECONOMY

1. GOVT ANNOUNCES RATES FOR RODTEP SCHEME FOR EXPORTERS; TO COVER 8,555 ITEMS

THE CONTEXT: To boost exports, the government on Aug 17 announced rates of tax refunds under the export promotion scheme RoDTEP for 8,555 products, such as marine goods, yarn, dairy items.

Analysis:

• The government has set aside Rs 12,454 crore for refunds under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme for the current fiscal
• Under the RoDTEP, various central and state duties, taxes, and levies imposed on input products, among others, would be refunded to exporters.
• Rs 19,400 crore would be available for 2021-22 for both the RoDTEP and the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL).
• The RoSCTL scheme was announced for the export of garments and apparels.
• However, three sectors of steel, chemicals and pharmaceuticals would not get the benefit of RoDTEP as they have “done well without” incentives.
• The tax refund rates range from 0.5 per cent to 4.3 per cent for various sectors.
• The rebate under the scheme would not be available in respect of duties and taxes already exempted or remitted or credited
• RoDTEP support will be available to eligible exporters at a notified rate as a percentage of Freight On Board (FOB) value. Rebates on certain export products will also be subject to value cap per unit of the exported product.
• According to the guidelines, certain categories which would not avail the benefits include export goods which are subject to minimum export price, restricted and prohibited items, deemed exports, supplies of goods manufactured by domestic tariff area units to SEZs, and products manufactured or exported by units situated in special economic zones.
• Although, the Scheme’s nodal ministry is Min of Commerce and Industry, the Customs department will implement the scheme

Reference: Indian express

2. FINANCIAL INCLUSION INDEX (FI-INDEX) BY RBI

THE CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced the financial inclusion index (FI-Index) to capture the extent of financial inclusion in the country.

Analysis:

• The annual FI-Index for the period ending March 2021 is 53.9 as against 43.4 for the period ending March 2017.
• The FI-Index has been conceptualized as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal, and the pension sector in consultation with government and respective sectoral regulators
• The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 indicates full financial inclusion.
• The FI-Index comprises three broad parameters, including access, usage and quality with each of these consisting of various dimensions computed on the basis of on several indicators.
• The index is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services, and quality of services, comprising 97 indicators in all.
• A unique feature is the quality parameter, which captures the quality aspect of financial inclusion as reflected by financial literacy, consumer protection, and inequalities and deficiencies in services.
• The FI-Index, which will be published in July every year, has been constructed without any ‘base year’ and as such it reflects cumulative efforts of all stakeholders over the years towards financial inclusion.

Reference: Live mint

3. OIL BONDS AND REDUCTION OF TAXES ON PETROL

THE CONTEXT: The Centre has argued that it cannot reduce taxes on petrol and diesel as it has to bear the burden of payments in lieu of oil bonds issued by the previous UPA government to subsidise fuel prices.

Analysis

• Before fuel prices were deregulated, petrol and diesel as well as cooking gas and kerosene were sold at subsidised rates during UPA rule.
• Instead of paying direct subsidy to oil marketing companies from the Budget, the UPA government issued oil bonds totalling Rs 1.34 lakh crore to the state-fuel retailers in a bid to contain the fiscal deficit.
• Citing the need to repay interest and principal components on these bonds, the Centre has now argued that it needs higher excise duty to help its finances.
• The NDA government too has used a similar strategy to inject capital into state-owned banks and other institutions by issuing recapitalisation bonds worth Rs 3.1 lakh crore, which will come up for redemption between 2028 and 2035.

WHY WERE OIL PRICES DEREGULATED, AND HOW HAS IT IMPACTED CONSUMERS?

• Fuel price decontrol has been a step-by-step exercise, with the government freeing up prices of aviation turbine fuel in 2002, petrol in 2010, and diesel in 2014.
• Prior to that, the government would intervene in fixing the price at which retailers were to sell diesel or petrol.
• This led to under-recoveries for oil marketing companies, which the government had to compensate for.
• The prices were deregulated to make them market-linked, unburden the government from subsidising prices, and allow consumers to benefit from lower rates when global crude oil prices tumble.
• While oil price deregulation was meant to be linked to global crude prices, Indian consumers have not benefited from a fall in global prices as the central as well as state governments impose fresh taxes and levies to raise extra revenues.
• This forces the consumer to either pay what she’s already paying, or even more
• Price decontrol essentially offers fuel retailers such as Indian Oil, HPCL or BPCL the freedom to fix prices based on calculations of their own cost and profits.
• However, the key beneficiary in this policy reform of price decontrol is the government.

HOW MUCH TAXES/DUTIES HAS THE GOVERNMENT COLLECTED?

• The Centre’s revenue from taxes on crude oil and petroleum products jumped 45.6% in 2020- 21 to Rs 4.18 lakh crore.
• Excise duty on petroleum products jumped over 74% year-on-year to Rs 3.45 lakh crore in 2020-21, according to government data.
• The Centre’s share in taxes on petroleum products has progressively increased from Rs 2.73 lakh crore in 2016-17 to Rs 2.87 lakh crore in 2019-20.
• On the other hand, the share of states in taxes on crude oil and petroleum products decreased 1.6% to Rs 2.17 lakh crore in 2020-21 from Rs 2.20 lakh crore in 2019-20.
• The Centre and a number of states have significantly increased duties on petrol and diesel as a way to boost revenues in view of the Covid-induced restrictions that curtailed economic activity.
• State and central levies account for about 55.4% of the retail price of petrol and 50% of the price of diesel in Delhi. Central levies alone account for about 32.3% of the retail price of petrol and 35.4% of the pump price of diesel in Delhi.
• The Centre hiked the excise duty on petrol to Rs 32.98 per litre in May 2020 from Rs 19.98 per litre, and on diesel to Rs 31.83 from Rs 15.83.
• Fuel prices have increased steadily over the last one year.
• The country has already seen a 21.7% increase in the prices of petrol and diesel since the beginning of the year.
• Petrol is currently retailing at Rs 101.8 per litre in Delhi and diesel at Rs 89.87 per litre.
• The price of petrol has been increased 39 times and decreased once in 2021-22, while that of diesel has been increased 36 times and decreased twice.
• In 2020-21, the price of petrol was hiked 76 times and decreased 10 times and that of diesel increased 73 times and decreased 24 times.

TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE THE OIL BONDS BEEN SERVICED BY THE GOVERNMENT?

• The interest on oil bonds paid in the last seven years totalled Rs 70,195.72 crore.
• Of the Rs 1.34 lakh crore worth of oil bonds, only Rs 3,500 crore principal has been paid and the remaining Rs 1.3 lakh crore is due for repayment between this fiscal and 2025-26.
• The government has to repay Rs 10,000 crore in the current fiscal year, another Rs 31,150 crore in 2023-24, Rs 52,860 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 36,913 crore in 2025-26.
• But this is less than a tenth of the excise duty on petroleum products at Rs 3.45 lakh crore, a majority of which accrues to the Centre.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT’S BOND STRATEGY FOR BANKS?

• In October 2017, then Finance Minister had announced that recapitalisation bonds would be issued as a one-time measure to inject equity into PSU banks that were stressed by bad loans.
• This instrument does not impact the fiscal deficit, with only interest payment being reflected in deficit calculations.
• Initially, the government had indicated that a total of Rs 1.35 lakh crore worth of recap bonds would be issued, but this later became routine and a convenient practice.
• The government so far has issued recapitalisation bonds to public sector banks and EXIM Bank, IDBI Bank and IIFCL worth Rs 3.1 lakh crore, as per Budget document

NOTE: STUDENTS NEED TO REMEMBER ONLY MACRO TRENDS, GRANULAR DATA GIVEN TO PROVIDE CONTEXT.

Reference: Indian express

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

4. IMPACT OF DELAY IN CENSUS 2021

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed the Lok Sabha that Census 2021 has been postponed indefinitely.

Analysis:

• The decennial exercise came to a halt due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Apart from being used to demarcate constituencies, the Census data is also vital to the administration, and planning of key welfare schemes could be affected by the delay.

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE OF THE CENSUS AND HOW IS IT BEING DELAYED?

• The Centre’s intent to conduct Census 2021 was notified in the Gazette of India on March 28, 2019.
• The exercise was to have been conducted in two phases, with the housing Census from April to September 2020 and population enumeration from February 9, 2021, but did not take place due to the spread of COVID-19.
• In March 2021, the Home Ministry gave a Parliamentary panel a tentative alternative timeline.
• The fieldwork for the first phase, which would provide data on housing conditions, household amenities and assets possessed by households, is expected during 2021-22.
• While the fieldwork to count the population and provide data on demography, religion, Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/ST), language, literacy and education, economic activity, migration and fertility would be done in 2023-24.

HOW WILL THE DELAY AFFECT THE PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM?

• The National Food Security Act, 2013, says that 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population — adding up to 67% of the country’s total population — are entitled to receive subsidised food grains from the government under the targeted public distribution system (PDS).
• Under the 2011 Census, India’s population was about 121 crores, hence PDS covered approximately 80 crore people.
• However, economists have pointed out that population growth over the last decade means that if the 67% ratio is applied to 2020’s projected population of 137 crores, PDS coverage should have increased to around 92 crore people.
• The current delay in Census data would continue to deprive more than 10 crore people of subsidised food entitlements, with the biggest gaps in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with 2.8 crore and 1.8 crore projected exclusions respectively.
• In March, 2021 the centre had said that any revision could only be considered once Census data was available.
• Meanwhile, NITI Aayog has proposed a reduction in NFSA coverage to curb the food subsidy budget.

WHAT OTHER WELFARE SCHEMES COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE DELAY?

• Census data have been initially used to estimate the coverage of the National Social Assistance Programme,
• NSAP provides basic pension to 3.09 crore widows, disabled and elderly people below the poverty line.
• But the Centre had announced its intent to shift to the Socio-Economic Caste Census data of 2011 instead to determine beneficiaries of the scheme.
• According to SECC data, coverage should double to six crore people although the Centre has failed to allocate a sufficient budget for any such expansion.
• Most other Central schemes, from health insurance to housing entitlements, use SECC data to estimate their beneficiary coverage, although it is also outdated by almost a decade.
• Census data may not be used to calculate the beneficiaries of most schemes, but it is critical to policy planning, budgeting and administration.

HOW ABOUT CENSUS DATA ON MIGRATION?

• The migrant workers plight during Covid 19 raised questions about their numbers, causes and patterns of migration, which could not be answered using outdated 2011 Census data.
• The Census measures migration by counting those whose current residence is different from their place of birth, which would give the overall number of migrants.
• By asking for the last place of residence and the reasons for moving allows an understanding of movements and trends over the last decade when compared with previous Census data.
• Given that the data is available at the village and block level, and includes analysis of the age, education level and socio-economic status of migrants, it allows for a granular, high-resolution understanding.
• Apart from the One Nation, One Ration card scheme which now allows for portability of food subsidy entitlements, the migration data is actually not used too much in broader economic policy and planning
• One of the problems is the huge lag in migration data. For example, the data on migration from the 2011 Census were only released in 2019, so it’s outdated by the time it came out
• The new Census is likely to capture the extent of the observed movement in migration trends towards smaller two-tier towns apart from the large metropolitan centres.
• It could help answer questions of what kind of healthcare and social services are most needed for migrants and where Census data on the reasons for migration — whether economic or otherwise — could also help assess the impact of schemes such as MGNREGA on preventing distress migration

Reference: The Hindu

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

5. A THIRD OF INDIA’S COASTLINE UNDERWENT EROSION IN 28 YEARS, BENGAL WORST AFFECTED

THE CONTEXT: As much as 32 per cent of India’s coastline underwent sea erosion and 27 per cent of it expanded between 1990 and 2018, according to a recent technical report by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.

ANALYSIS:

• The West Bengal coastline has been particularly vulnerable: 60 per cent of the coastline underwent erosion during the period, followed by Puducherry (56 per cent); Kerala (41 per cent); and others
• Odisha coast expanded by 51 per cent
• This was followed by the coast of Andhra Pradesh, which expanded 48 per cent; Karnataka (26 per cent);
• The country’s coastline is 6,631.53 kilometres long: 2,135.65 kilometres was subject to varying degrees of erosion and 1,760.06 km expanded during this period.
• Nearly 2,700 km of the coastline is stable.
• As many as 98 coastal pockets of the country have been facing sea erosion. Tamil Nadu has 26 coastal areas vulnerable to sea erosion, followed by West Bengal (16); Kerala (12);and others
• Some stretches of India’s shoreline are subject to varying degrees of erosion due to natural causes or anthropogenic activities.
• The coastal erosion does impact coastal communities residing in the erosion prone areas, including fishermen communities.

ABOUT NCCR

• The NCCR is an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences
• It monitors shoreline changes along the Indian coast.
• It has carried out a national shoreline change assessment mapping for Indian coast along nine coastal states and two Union territories (UT) to provide information for coastal management strategy

Reference: Down to earth

6.ODISHA PLANS ‘ODYSSEY’ TO WILD CATTLE ISLAND

THE CONTEXT: The Odisha Forest and Environment Department is set to begin ‘Island Odyssey’ and ‘Hirakud Cruise’ ecotourism packages for tourists to islands inside the reservoir when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Analysis:

• ‘Cattle island’, one of three islands in the Hirakud reservoir
• It has been selected as a sight-seeing destination.
• When large numbers of people were displaced from their villages when the Hirakud dam was constructed on the Mahanadi river in 1950s, villagers could not take their cattle with them.
• They left their cattle behind in deserted villages.
• As the area started to submerge following the dam’s construction, the cattle moved up to Bhujapahad, an elevated place in the Jharsuguda district.
• Subsequently named ‘Cattle island’, the piece of land is surrounded by a vast sheet of water.
• The cattle show wild characteristics. They are not ferocious, but shy. If a person comes near, the animals just run away.

Reference: The Hindu

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. INDIA ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY  E- VISA FOR AFGHANS

THE CONTEXT: India on August 17 announced that it will issue an emergency e-visa to Afghan nationals

Analysis:

• All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’ online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.
• The announcement came two days after the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan.
• Since Indian missions in Afghanistan are shut, the visa can be applied online and applications will be examined and processed in New Delhi.
• The visa will initially be valid for six months,
• Security issues will be looked into while processing the applications and granting the visa to Afghan nationals
• All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the travel document

Reference: The Hindu

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

8.GLOBAL GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION COMMUNITY SENSITIZED ABOUT UNWGIC  TO BE ORGANIZED IN INDIA 

THE CONTEXT: The second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) will be organized by India in October next year.

Analysis:

ABOUT UNWGIC

• The United Nation Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) organizes the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) every four years
• The objective is to enhance international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management and capacities.
• The first UNWGIC was organized by China in October 2018.
• The second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) will be held in Hyderabad.
• The theme of the Congress will be “Geo-enabling the Global Village”

Reference: PIB

Q 1. Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) is launched recently. Consider the following statements about it:
1. It is launched by Ministry of finance.
2. The index will be released in the month of July every year.
3. Financial inclusion will be measured in a single value ranging between 0 and 100.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 only
d) 1, 2 and

Q.2 ‘Cattle Island” recently seen in the news is located near the vicinity of which of the following river?
a) Mahananda
b) Godavari
c) Mahanadi
d) d) None of the above.

ANSWER FOR AUGUST 17, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER RELEVANT ARTICLE)
Q.1 Answer D. Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are part of Golden Crescent infamous for illegal drug production and trafficking. Iraq is not part of it.
Q.2 Answer D. The Project BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought) is an initiative of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The project aims to boost the income of the tribal people and solve environmental concerns such as land desertification and land degradation by creating bamboo-based green patches in drylands.

[WpProQuiz 25]

INDIAN ECONOMY

1. PROJECT BOLD OF KVIC GETS ARMY SUPPORT IN LEH

THE CONTEXT: The Project BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has received Indian Army’s support in Leh

Analysis:

• On August 15, Army planted 20 bamboo saplings at its compound in Leh.
• This is the first ever attempt to grow bamboo trees in the high Himalayan terrains with the objective of preventing land degradation and developing green cover.
• In continuation with this effort, 1000 bamboo saplings will be planted at village Chuchot in Leh on 18th August.
• These bamboo plants will be ready for harvest in 3 years.
• While this will create sustainable income for the local tribal population; it will also contribute to environment and land protection.

ABOUT KVIC

KVIC is a statutory body set under KVIC Act 1956 with the following objectives:
• The social objective of providing employment.
• The economic objective of producing saleable articles.
• The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor and building up of a strong rural community spirit.

Major schemes under KVIC:

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a credit-linked subsidy programme launched by Ministry of MSME in 2008-09 for creation of employment in both rural and urban area of the country.
• SFURTI is a Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries Ministry of MSME has launched this scheme in the year 2005 with the view to promote Cluster development. KVIC is the nodal Agency for promotion of Cluster development for Khadi as well as for village industries Products.

Reference: PIB

2.ESIC NOTIFIES RELIEF SCHEME FOR COVID-HIT

THE CONTEXT: The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation has notified a relief scheme for the dependents of ESI insured persons in case of their death due to COVID-19 that would give a minimum of 1,800 a month.

Analysis:

• The scheme would cover the families of the insured who had been registered on the ESIC portal for at least three months before being diagnosed with COVID-19 and had been in employment on the date of diagnosis.
• In case of death due to COVID-19, the spouse, son up to 25 years of age, unmarried daughter and widowed mother of the insured would be eligible for the relief.
• The scheme, which would be effective for two years from March 24, 2020, would provide for 90% of the average daily wages of the insured to be paid to dependents.

ABOUT ESIC

• ESIC is a statutory body set up under the ESIC Act 1948
• It administers the Employees State Insurance Scheme.
• ESI is a multidimensional social security scheme for the workers of India.
• It provides medical care to self & family, cash benefit in certain contingencies and maternity benefit to female workers
• The ESI scheme is applicable to all factories and other establishments as defined in the Act with 10 or more persons employed in such establishment
• Beneficiaries, whose monthly wage does not exceed Rs 21,000 are covered under the scheme.

Reference: The Hindu

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. CENTRE MUST CONNECT ALL STATES TO FOOD SCHEME FOR ROBUST PDS: PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE

THE CONTEXT: Only 23 states have implemented the Decentralized Procurement Scheme (DCP) so far — 15 to procure rice and eight to procure wheat — despite the scheme being in place for 23 years according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer affairs and Public Distribution

Analysis:

• Under the scheme, introduced in 1997-98, food grains are procured and distributed by state governments.
• The states procure, store and issue food grains under targeted public distribution system and other welfare schemes of the Government of India.
• The scheme can help strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) by allowing states to distribute their produce to locals. This allows people to buy food grains according to their preferences.

KEY OBSERVATIONS OF THE REPORT

• The scheme is not yet mandatory for states, but the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution should encourage them to implement it.
• The scheme will not only help reduce the cost of distribution, but also aid distribution of grains on minimum support price
• The Centre should help states implement the system by delivering basic services within a dedicated time frame.
• The scheme also reduces the PDS transportation costs. The food grains that remain unutilised with the state governments are procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for its central pool.
• The amount spent by state governments on the purchase, collection and distribution of food grains is reimbursed by the Indian government under this scheme. The value of the surplus stock that is given to FCI is adjusted in the states’ accounts.
• A majority of states exclusively buy wheat and paddy through the DCP system. Punjab is the only state that pays for the grains through arhtiyas (middlemen). The rest make payments electronically.
• The committee has requested that the central government speak with state governments to make them better understand the challenges associated with the scheme and try to resolve them.
• The committee wanted to know if the government was conducting a review of the DCP plan.
• The NITI Aayog has formed an evaluation advisory committee to assess the scheme’s operation.

Reference: Down to earth

4. ELECTRICITY AMENDMENT BILL 2021: WHY ARE STATES LIKE WEST BENGAL OPPOSING IT?

THE CONTEXT: The central government is facing opposition to the Electricity Amendment Bill 2021 even before it is introduced in Parliament.

Analysis:

KEY CHANGES PROPOSED IN THE BILL

• The Amendment is bringing in provisions to de-license power distribution allowing private sector players to enter the sector and compete with state-owned power distribution companies (discoms).
• The move would allow consumers to choose between power distribution companies.
• Finance Minister had announced in the union budget that the government would bring a framework to allow consumers to choose between power distribution companies.
• Power distribution in most of the country is currently controlled by state-owned distribution companies with some cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad being exceptions where private players operate power distribution.
• Discoms are however struggling with high levels of losses and debt.
• The government has brought out a number of schemes to restructure the outstanding debts of discoms while incentivising them to reduce losses.
• However, such schemes have only brought short term financial space for discoms which have tended to continue to accumulate losses and debts post restructuring schemes such as the UDAY scheme launched by the government in 2015.

WHAT IS ARE THE OBJECTIONS TO DELICENSING OF POWER DISTRIBUTION?

• States have highlighted concerns that allowing the entry of private players could lead to “cherry-picking”, with private players providing power to only commercial and industrial consumers and not residential and agricultural consumers.
• Tariffs for power currently vary widely in India with commercial and industrial players cross subside the power consumption of rural residential consumers and agricultural consumers by paying far higher tariffs.
• The amendment would lead to “a concentration of private, profit-focussed utility players in the lucrative urban-industrial segments while poor and rural consumers would be left to be tended by public sector discoms.
• Experts say that there is the possibility that the move could lead to cherry picking by the private sector, especially till the time the tariff structure builds in cross subsidies.
• According to minutes of a meeting held between the Power Ministry and state governments, Union Power Minister R K Singh assured states that the minimum area to be covered by private sector competitors would be defined in a manner to include an urban rural mix, a universal service obligation, and elements of cross-subsidy in the ceiling tariff.

WHAT ARE OTHER KEY CONCERNS?

• Other key concerns that states have raised are higher penalties for failure to meet Renewable energy Purchase Obligations (RPOs)
• And the requirement that Regional Load Dispatch Centres and State Load Dispatch Centres follow instructions by the National Load Dispatch Centre.
• Mamata Banerjee said in her letter to the PM that the proposed amendment “strikes at the roots of federalism”.
• States have also thus far failed to meet earlier RPOs and had also requested a rationalisation of penalties for not meeting RPO requirements.
• National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) is constituted as per a 2005, Ministry of Power (MOP) and is the apex body to ensure integrated operation of the national power system.

Reference: Indian express

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

5. ONLY 9 POLLUTION CONTROL BODIES SHARE DETAILS OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ONLINE: CSE TRANSPARENCY INDEX

THE CONTEXT: Pollution control bodies of most Indian states shared no or partial information on public hearings of development projects online, a new study found.

Analysis:

• There are 34 state pollution control boards (SPCB) and pollution control committees (PCC) in the country that make pollution information public on websites. Of them, those in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Andaman & Nicobar, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu and Uttar Pradesh did not share any detail of public hearings, according to the report.
• The study was conducted the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit that ranked all the state pollution control panels based on transparency in several parameters.
• Websites of sixteen SPCBs and PCCs provided incomplete information. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand provided executive summaries and minutes of meetings, but not the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports, the paper mentioned.
• Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim shared executive summaries and draft EIA reports, but not minutes of public hearings, according to the report.
• Himachal Pradesh shared minutes of meeting and draft EIA report but didn’t specify the date of the next public hearing.
• Haryana, Jharkhand and Tripura shared meeting minutes only of projects for which public hearings are over. Assam pollution control board has shared just the list of public hearings conducted and no other detail on their website, the researchers wrote in the report.
• Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have a common pollution control body and the one in Lakshadweep does not have a website.
• Only Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa and Mizoram have put out all the necessary information on public hearings on their websites.
• Public hearing is a mandatory step in the process of getting an environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for projects under Category ‘A’ in the Schedule.
• Projects that fall under Category B are cleared by the state government or the state-level environment impact assessment authority.
• The interaction between locals and government officials as well as proponents of upcoming project brings transparency in the environmental clearance system

NOTE: STUDENTS NEED NOT REMEMBER THE GRANULAR DATA. THEY ARE GIVEN TO PROVIDE CONTEXT.

Reference: Down to earth

6. WHY HAITI IS PRONE TO DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKES?

THE CONTEXT: Earthquakes have been wreaking havoc in Haiti since at least the 18th century and the powerful quake on 14 August has killed hundreds and injured thousands. Analysis

WHAT MAKES HAITI PRONE TO EARTHQUAKES?

• The Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates that move.
• And Haiti sits near the intersection of two of them — the North American plate and the Caribbean plate.
• Multiple fault lines between those plates cut through or near the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic.
• Hispaniola sits in a place where plates transition from smashing together to sliding past one another
• The magnitude 7.2 earthquake likely occurred along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone, which cuts across Haiti’s southwestern Tiburon Peninsula.
• It’s the same fault zone along which the devastating 2010 earthquake occurred.
• And it’s likely the source of three other big earthquakes in Haiti between 1751 and 1860, two of which destroyed Port-au-Prince.

WHY CAN EARTHQUAKES IN HAITI BE SO DEVASTATING?

• It’s a combination of factors that include a seismically active area, a high population density of 11 million people and buildings that are often designed to withstand hurricanes — not earthquakes.
• Typical concrete and cinder block buildings can survive strong winds but are vulnerable to damage or collapse when the ground shakes. Poor building practices can also play a role.
• The 2010 quake hit closer to densely populated Port-au-Prince and caused widespread destruction.
• Haiti’s government put the death toll at more than 300,000, while a report commissioned by the US government placed it between 46,000 and 85,000.
• Before the quake, Haiti was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake as well as Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Its president was assassinated in July, sending the country into political chaos.

Reference: Indian express

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. AGENCIES PREPARE FOR SHARP RISE IN DRUG TRAFFICKING

THE CONTEXT: The anti-drug law enforcement agencies are suspecting a steep surge in cross- border
trafficking of heroin and crystal methamphetamine with the rapid Taliban takeover in
Afghanistan.

Analysis:

• Drugs have been a major source of revenue for the Taliban.
• With the collapse of Afghanistan’s economy, the Taliban will rely heavily on drug money to maintain control over their cadres.
• According to the latest World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan reported a 37% increase in the extent of land used for illicit cultivation of opium poppy during 2020 compared with the previous year.
• Heroin is manufactured from opium. Country accounted for 85% of global opium production last year.
• Afghanistan is also turning out to be a major source for methamphetamine.
• In Iran, the proportion of Afghan-origin methamphetamine seizure increased from less than 10% in 2015 to over 90% in 2019.
• The drug is prepared using ephedrine extracted from Ephedra plants.

Reference: The Hindu

8. COVID COVID-19:  MORE THAN 28,000 CHILDREN DIED OF CANCER IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA IN 2020

THE CONTEXT: More than 28,000 children died from cancer in sub-Saharan Africa amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Analysis:
• COVID-19 affected treatment of children with cancer as they need to travel a lot every month for up to two-three years
• Travel restrictions meant that many failed to reach hospital on time
• A significant backlog in screening and treatment for COVID-19 likely led to delayed diagnoses and treatment and a significant increase in the number of avoidable cancer deaths, according to Cancer Control 2020 Survey.
• There was limited infrastructure, scarce cancer care centres and only a few established satellite cancer treatment centres in Ethiopia.
• In Kenya, cancer facilities were open only for a few hours every day. It disrupted care for patients who needed to travel to urban areas for treatment.
• In Nigeria, the pandemic made a significant impact on cancer care: Access to care was disrupted, cost for treatment and care rose and cancer screening activities were suspended
• Cancer survival rate among children in Africa is around 20 per cent; it is over 80 per cent in high-income countries.
• A review of cancer clinical trials in Africa found that only 20 of 54 African countries surveyed hosted clinical trials for children with cancer.
• A majority of such trials were carried out only in four African countries: Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Kenya.
• In 2018, the WHO announced Global Initiative for Childhood Cancers, which aims to achieve a survival rate of 60 per cent among children with cancer. It aims to reduce suffering from cancer for all children by 2030.

Reference: Down to earth

Q 1. Which of the following country is not part of ‘Golden Crescent’ group of countries associated with illegal drugs production trade?
a) Pakistan
b) Afghanistan
c) Iran
d) Iraq
Q.2 Project BOLD recently seen in the news is ?
a) A policing initiative for strengthening women security in the national capital
b) An environmental protection initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
c) An Indian Army initiative to train college students in self defence
a) d) None of the above.

ANSWER FOR AUGUST 15&16, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER RELEVANT ARTICLE)
Answer: C

Explanation: Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary is actually a Bird Sanctuary located near the Jhajjar district in Haryana. Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhvana Wetland are located in Gujrat. Sultanpur National park is in Haryana.

[WpProQuiz 24]

INDIAN HISTORY

1. SUBHADRA KUMARI CHAUHAN

THE CONTEXT: Google paid a tribute to activist and author Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s 117th birth anniversary with a creative doodle. With the doodle, the New Zealand-based guest artist, Prabha Mallya, hopes people find the courage to follow their dreams. The doodle shows Chauhan holding a pen – surrounded by several notes, the queen of Jhansi and people taking part in a protest.

ABOUT SUBHADRA KUMARI CHAUHAN

• Subhadra Kumari authored a number of works in Hindi poetry, with Jhansi ki Rani being her most famous composition. The poem, which describes the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai, is one of the most recited and sung poems in Hindi literature.
• Chauhan’s poetry and prose primarily centered on the hardships that Indian women overcame, such as gender and caste discrimination. Her poetry remained uniquely underscored by her resolute nationalism.
• Subhadra Kumari was born on August 16, 1904 in a Rajpur family of Nihalpur village in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. She studied initially in the Crosthwaite Girls’ School in Prayagraj and passed the middle-school exam in 1919.
• She married Thakur Laxman Singh Chauhan of Khandwa in 1919 at the age of 16 and had 5 children with him. Then she moved to Jabalpur.
• Subhadra and her husband joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921.
• She was the first woman Satyagrahi to court arrest in Nagpur and was jailed twice for her involvement in protests against British rule in 1923 and 1942.
• She was a member of the legislative assembly of the state (erstwhile Central Provinces).
• She died in 1948 in a car accident in Seoni, MP, on her way back to Jabalpur from Nagpur, where she had gone to attend an assembly session.

Reference: Indian express

2.14TH AUGUST WILL BE OBSERVED AS PARTITION HORRORS REMEMBRANCE DAY

THE CONTEXT: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has said that in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.

Reference: PIB

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. PM MODI’S SPEECH FROM RED FORT ON 75TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

THE CONTEXT: Addressing the nation from the Red Fort in the national capital on India’s 75th Independence Day Prime Minister laid out the plan for the next 25 years before the nation.

THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM PM INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH

• On Farmers: It is high time when the country needs to apply scientific research and suggestions to the agriculture sector to provide food security to the nation and to increase food production. The country must increase the collective power of small farmers and make them the nation’s pride.
• New e-commerce platform: The government will develop an e-commerce platform for the products made by women self-help groups (SHGs) in villages. More than eight crore women in the villages who are associated with them. These women make various products and now the government will prepare an e-commerce platform for their products to get a big market in the country and abroad.
• ‘Amrit Kaal’: “‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayaas’ is very important for the achievement of all our goals.The next 25 years were ‘Amrit Kaal’ for India and its citizens and it would be the priority of the government to ensure that essential services reach the last person seamlessly. The purpose of Amrit Kaal is to better the lives of citizens, lessen the development divide between villages and cities, reduce government interference in people’s lives, and have the latest technology so that we are not behind any country in the world
• Fortified rice to poor by 2024: The government will fortify the rice distributed to the poor via different schemes such as Midday Meal in a bid to address the problem of malnutrition. Malnutrition and lack of micro-nutrients are affecting the growth of poor children. Looking at this, it has been decided to fortify the rice given to the poor via different government schemes.
• Infrastructure plan ‘Gati Shakti’: India will launch a 100 trillion rupee ($1.35 trillion) national infrastructure plan that will help generate jobs and boost the economy. The programme will be called “Gati Shakti” and will help boost productivity of industries.
• Reservation ensured: Reservation is being ensured for Dalits, STs, backwards and general category poor. The hand-holding of deprived communities is necessary. We have to bridge the gap between lives in villages and cities.
• New history of connectivity being written in northeast: A new history of connectivity is being written in the northeast, and announced that the work to connect the state capitals in the region with rail services will be completed soon. Multiple parts of the country — whether its east, northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh including the entire Himalayan region, the coastal belt or the tribal region — will become a big base for India’s development in the future.
• PM Modi lauds scientists: It is the result of the strength of our industrialists and scientists, that today India does not need to depend on any other nation for COVID-19 vaccines.
• Energy independent: PM sets a target of becoming ‘energy independent’ by 2047 through a mix of electric mobility, gas-based economy, doping ethanol in petrol and making the country a hub for hydrogen production. India spends over ₹12 lakh crore on energy imports every year. For India to progress, for Atmanirbhar Bharat, energy independence is the call of the hour.India has to take a pledge that it will be energy independent by the year we celebrate 100th year of Independence.
• Sainik schools now open for girls also: all Sainik Schools in the country will now be open for girls also. At present, 33 Sainik schools are operating in the country. Two-and-a-half years ago, the maiden experiment of admitting a girl in Sainik schools was carried out in Mizoram.

Reference: Live Mint

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

4. FOUR MORE SITES OF INDIA ADDED TO RAMSAR LIST

THE CONTEXT: Four more wetlands from India get recognition from the Ramsar Secretariat as Ramsar sites. These sites are Thol and Wadhwana from Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana.

ANALYSIS:

• With this, the numbers of Ramsar sites in India are 46 and the surface area covered by these sites is now 1,083,322 hectares. While Haryana gets its first Ramsar sites, Gujarat gets three more after Nalsarovar which was declared in 2012.
• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest wetland in Haryana is a human-made freshwater wetland. Over 250 bird species use the sanctuary throughout the year as a resting and roosting site. The site supports more than ten globally threatened species including the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, and Black-bellied Tern.
• Sultanpur National Park from Haryana supports more than 220 species of resident, winter migratory and local migratory waterbirds at critical stages of their life cycles. More than ten of these are globally threatened, including the critically endangered sociable lapwing, and the endangered Egyptian Vulture, Saker Falcon, Pallas’s Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.
• Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary from Gujarat lies on the Central Asian Flyway and more than 320 bird species can be found here. The wetland supports more 30 threatened water bird species, such as the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture and Sociable Lapwing, and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, Common Pochard and Lesser White-fronted Goose.
• Wadhvana Wetland from Gujarat is internationally important for its birdlife as it provides wintering ground to migratory waterbirds, including over 80 species that migrate on the Central Asian Flyway. They include some threatened or near-threatened species such as the endangered Pallas’s fish-Eagle, the vulnerable Common Pochard, and the near-threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Grey-headed Fish-eagle and Ferruginous Duck.

ROLE OF WETLANDS

• Wetlands provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation. They are, in fact, are a major source of water and our main supply of freshwater comes from an array of wetlands which help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater.
• The aim of the Ramsar list is “to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits”.

Reference: PIB

5. TRIFED TO MAKE AVAILABLE ECO FRIENDLY PANKHAS

THE CONTEXT: In TRIFED to make available eco-friendly Pankhas for eminent dignitaries and guests who will attend the Independence Day Celebrations at the Red Fort.

ANALYSIS:

• These pankhas are eco-friendly and have been made out of natural, organic materials.
• The Tribes India pankhas are also available for sale in TRIBES India retail outlets across the country and also on its e-commerce platform (www.tribesindia.com)
• Atmanirbhar Bharat is a mission that TRIFED continues to strive towards as a part of its continued endeavor to support and sustain tribal incomes and livelihoods.
• In a small contribution to recognize the craftsmanship of the tribal artisans and provide a fillip to their livelihoods, TRIFED is collaborating with the Ministry of Defence once again to make available handmade pankhas for eminent dignitaries and guests who will attend the Independence Day function . This is the fourth year of this collaboration.
• Sourced from artisans across the country from states such as Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Jharkhand, these pankhas are eco-friendly and have been made out of natural, organic materials.
• As a memorabilia, these pankhas help revive memories of the past when these were an integral part of Indian households and offered comfort in the scorching heat

Reference: PIB

6. 6,808 DEATHS DUE TO HYDRO METEOROLOGICAL CALAMITIES IN 3 YEARS

THE CONTEXT: Nearly 6,800 people lost their lives in the country over the past three years due to hydro meteorological calamities such as flash floods, landslides and cyclones and West Bengal has recorded the highest deaths among all States, The details were provided by the Home Ministry.

ANALYSIS:

• As per the reply, the country recorded 6,808 deaths (2,400 in 2018-19, 2,422 in 2019-20 and 1,986 in 2020-21). West Bengal recorded 964 deaths (383 in 2018-19, 227 in 2019-20 and 354 in 2020-21), which amounts to 14% of deaths due to hydro meteorological calamities.
• According to the Ministry, hydro meteorological calamities/ hazards include flash floods, cloudburst and landslides. During the monsoon period (April-October mainly; in Western Ghat terrains from April to December, including the phase of the northeast monsoon), incidents occur in almost all landslide-prone areas.In most cases, these are triggered by extreme rainfall events or cloudbursts. These types of fatal landslide events are common almost every year, mainly in the Himalayan States, in the Western Ghats, and Konkan areas.
• Other than West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh recorded 833 deaths, followed by Kerala 708 in the same period. In both the States, the spike in the casualties has been caused by floods. For instance, Kerala recorded 455 deaths in 2018-19 due to 2018 floods. Madhya Pradesh recorded 674 deaths in 2019-20 caused by floods.
• What the figures tell us about West Bengal is that for the three consecutive years the deaths due to natural calamities are high. The reason could be the geography of the State where there are both mountains and coastline. The State is susceptible to both landslides, cyclones and floods.
• Among the other States which recorded high causalties due to hydro meteorological calamities are Maharashtra — 571 deaths — in the same period. Assam, a State that faces regular floods, has recorded 303 deaths, Tamil Nadu 201 casualties and the coastal State of Odisha, 145 deaths in the same period.
• In terms of funds released by the Centre under State Disaster Response Funds, highest funds were allocated to Maharashtra, ₹1,288.80 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh ₹773.20 crore and Madya Pradesh ₹728 crore. For West Bengal, the funds released by the Centre under State Disaster Response Funds was ₹404.40 crore

Reference: The Hindu

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. THE TALIBAN’S RAPID ADVANCE ACROSS AFGHANISTAN

THE CONTEXT: Taliban insurgents now control all of Afghanistan’s major cities apart from Kabul, after making rapid advances against local forces who are largely fending for themselves as foreign troops withdraw. Talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government on a political understanding that could lead to a peace deal, backed by the United States and its allies, have failed to make significant progress.

SOME OF THE MAJOR MILESTONES IN THE ISLAMIST MILITANT MOVEMENT’S ADVANCE IN RECENT MONTHS
April 14 – President Joe Biden announces U.S. troops will withdraw from Afghanistan starting on May 1 and ending on Sept.11, bringing America’s longest war to a close. It was an extension of the previous withdrawal deadline of May 1 agreed between the United States and the Taliban.
May 4 – Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces.
May 11 – The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country.

June 7 – Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces.
June 22 – Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts.
July 2 – American troops quietly pull out of their main military base in Afghanistan – Bagram Air Base, an hour’s drive from Kabul. It effectively ends U.S. involvement in the war.
July 5 – The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August.
July 21 – Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country’s districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance.
July 25 – The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks.
July 26 – The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009.
Aug. 6 – Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north.
Aug. 13 – Four more provincial capitals fall in a day,including Kandahar, the country’s second city and spiritual home of the Taliban. In the west, another key city, Herat, is overrun and veteran commander Mohammad Ismail Khan, one of the leading fighters against the Taliban, is captured.
Aug. 14 – The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps.
Aug. 15 – The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul.

Reference: The Hindu

Q 1. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?

Wetlands                                                                                              Region

1. Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary                                                           Rajasthan

2. Sultanpur National Park                                                                      Haryana

3. Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary                                                          Maharashtra

4. Wadhvana Wetland                                                                              Gujarat
Select the correct answer using code given below:
a) 1, 2 and 3 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 4 only
d) 1, 2 , 3 and 4

ANSWER FOR AUGUST 13, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER RELEVANT ARTICLE)
Answer: d)
Explanation:

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched ‘SonChiraiya’ – (A brand and logo)- for marketing of urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products. While launching the brand and logo, he said that helping women to become financially empowered and live a dignified life is one of the priority areas of the Government.
• This initiative will certainly prove as a step towards increased visibility and global access for the products made by urban SHG women. Ministry expects to link many more such SHG members, with variety of professionally packaged, hand-crafted ethnic products, reaching the doorsteps of the customers globally.

Q2. ANSWER: b)
Explanation:

• Government released “IndiGau’, India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like, Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.
• This indigenous chip was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.  It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.

[WpProQuiz 22]

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. MOHUA LAUNCHES ONE BRAND – ‘SONCHIRAIYA’ – FOR URBAN SHG PRODUCTS

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched ‘SonChiraiya’ – (A brand and logo)- for marketing of urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products. While launching the brand and logo, he said that helping women to become financially empowered and live a dignified life is one of the priority areas of the Government.

ANALYSIS:

• This initiative will certainly prove as a step towards increased visibility and global access for the products made by urban SHG women. Ministry expects to link many more such SHG members, with variety of professionally packaged, hand-crafted ethnic products, reaching the doorsteps of the customers globally. ABOUT DAY-NULM
• DAY-NULM, under the aegis of MoHUA, has focussed on equipping the urban poor women with adequate skills and opportunities, and to enable them to promote sustainable micro enterprises.
• It mobilises women from urban poor households into SHGs and their federations to create a support system for these women.
• Over 5.7 lakh SHGs have been formed across various States/ UTs with almost 60 lakh members. Many of these SHGs are engaged in livelihood activities, producing goods such as handicrafts, textiles, toys, eatables and so on.
• These were being sold primarily in local neighbourhood markets and often faced barriers in achieving visibility and wide market access. To overcome these challenges, Ministry entered into Memorundum of Understandings (MoUs) with leading e-Commerce Portals viz. Amazon and Flipkart, with an underlying narrative of women empowerment.
• Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this partnership has successfully onboarded on the e-Commerce Portal over 2,000 products of nearly 5,000 SHG members across 25 States/ UTs.
• Innovative methods of online trainings for SHGs have been ensured to enable them to smoothly operate on e-portals. Live demonstrations for account registration, pricing, packaging, re-branding and so on were also organised in collaboration with the e-portals and State Urban Livelihoods Missions.

Reference: PIB

2. OPERATION BLUE FREEDOM – LAND WORLD RECORD AT SIACHEN GLACIER

THE CONTEXT: Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to Flag-Off ‘Operation Blue Freedom – Land World Record at Siachen Glacier ‘Trained by a team of Armed Forces veterans, the selected people with disabilities will undertake an expedition to Siachen.

ANALYSIS:

• People with disabilities from across the country will undertake an expedition till Siachen Glacier to create a new World Record for the largest team of people with disabilities to reach the world’s highest battlefield.
• Recently, The Government of India has permitted a team of people with disabilities to scale Siachen Glacier. The team of people with disabilities trained by ‘Team CLAW’ a team of Armed Forces veterans.
• The selected people with disabilities from across the country will undertake an expedition till Kumar Post (Siachen Glacier) to create a new World Record for the largest team of people with disabilities to reach the world’s highest battlefield.
• The successful execution of this pioneering expedition, ‘Operation Blue Freedom’, shall firmly place India on the global stage as a leader in empowering Divyangjan and set a benchmark for other nations to emulate.
• It will powerfully portray the skill and heart of India’s Armed Forces not only on the Battlefield but off it as well.

Reference: PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

3. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT RULES, 2021

THE CONTEXT: Government notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, prohibiting identified single use plastic items by 2022.

ANALYSIS:

• The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022:-

1. ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;
2. plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, stirrers.

• In order to stop littering due to light weight plastic carry bags, with effect from 30th September, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy-five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022. This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.
• The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase out of identified single use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility of the Producer, importer and Brand owner (PIBO), as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• For effective implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility, the Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility being brought out have been given legal force through Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
• The waste management infrastructure in the States/UTs is being strengthened through the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• The States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• The State /UT Governments and concerned Central Ministries/Departments have also been requested to develop a comprehensive action plan for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and its implementation in a time bound manner.
• To encourage innovation in development of alternatives to identified single use plastic items and digital solutions to plastic waste management, the India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021, has been organized for students of Higher Educational Institutions and start-ups recognized under Start-up India Initiative.

Reference: PIB

4. BIHAR PLANS GPS TRACKERS FOR ENDANGERED GREATER ADJUTANT STORKS

THE CONTEXT: In a first, Bihar has decided to tag endangered greater adjutant storks (Leptoptilos dubius), locally known as ‘Garuda’, with GPS trackers to monitor their movement as a part of efforts to conserve them.

ANALYSIS:

• Bhagalpur’s Kadwa Diara floodplains area is the third-most popular breeding centre for the greater adjutant stork in the world after Assam and Cambodia.
• In recent years, several surveys have found that their population has been slowly increasing.
• The greater adjutant is one of the most threatened stork species of the world and is widely considered to be a rare bird.
• Red List 2004 of threatened species and listed under Schedule IV of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Reference: Down to Earth

5. INDIGAU: INDIA’S FIRST CATTLE GENOMIC CHIP

THE CONTEXT: Government released “IndiGau’, India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like, Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.

ANALYSIS:

• This indigenous chip was developed by the concerted efforts of scientists of National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NAIB), Hyderabad, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology.
• It has 11,496 markers (SNPs) more than that placed on 777K Illumina chip of US & UK breeds.

Reference: PIB

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. BHARAT BIOTECH’S BBV154INTRANASAL VACCINE GETS NOD FOR PHASE 2/3 TRIALS

THE CONTEXT: Bharat Biotech’s BBV154 intranasal vaccine has become the first of its kind to receive the regulatory approval for phase 2/3 trials.
ANALYSIS:

• BBV154 is an intranasal replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus SARS-CoV-2 vectored vaccine. The company has in-licensed technology from Washington University in St. Louis, USA
• The development of the vaccine was supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

Reference: The Hindu

Q 1. ‘Son Chiraiya’ is a brand and logo for marketing of products by?

a) Minority groups

b) Prisoners

c) Primitive Tribal groups

d) Self-Help Groups

Q2. Recently in news, the term “IndiGau ” is related to ?

a) New Scheme to cows
b) Cattle Genomic Chip

c) Growth Hormone to improve productivity

d) Indigenous cattle breed

ANSWER FOR AUGUST 13, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER RELEVANT ARTICLE)
Answer: c)
Explanation:
1. ‘AL– Mohed AL–Hindi’ – Saudi Arabia
2. ‘Zayed Talwar’ – UAE
3. ‘Varuna’ – France

Q2. ANSWER: c)
Explanation:

• Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital Indore has been declared as India’s first ‘water plus’ city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.
• Indore carried out a survey and halted 7,000 outfalls of grey water that went in rivers, drains. We completed all criteria to gain this achievement.
• Moreover, 30 per cent of the city’s sewage water was recycled and reused. This recycled water was used by people in their gardens and some construction sites.
• Seven sewerage treatment plants were constructed in the city and about 110 million litres per day (MLD) treated water from them is being used.

ART AND CULTURE

1. RAMAPPA TEMPLE: A MARVEL IN BLACK BASALT

THE CONTEXT: It was inscribed recently as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

ANALYSIS:

• It is located in the state of Telangana and also known as the Rudreshwara (Lord Siva) temple.
• Outside the temple, there is an inscription in Telugu that describes Racherla Senapati Rudrayya, a general of the Kakatiya rulers of Warangal, who commissioned the lake and the temple, which took 40 years for completion in the 13th century.
• The Kakatiyas, after breaking free from Chalukyan overlordship, ruled much of central India, up to the eastern seaboard, between the 12th and 14th centuries.

ARCHITECTURE

• In contrast to the softer sandstone used for in the temples of Khajuraho, or the carvings of chlorite, laterite and khonda- rite in the Sun Temple in Konark, Ramappa’s sculptures are carved of black basalt, one of the hardest stones to work with.
• The temple is neither named after the presiding deity, Rudreshwara, nor the general who commissioned the project, but after the sculptor who built it.
• The temple rests on a foundation that uses sandbox technology, with red sandstone and black basalt used to construct the main temple, and light bricks used for the gopuram or cupola.
• Dance guru Nataraja Ramakrishna used the dance poses carved in this temple to revive PeriniSivatandavam, a Kakatiya-era warrior dance form performed by men.

REFERENCE: The Hindu

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

2. DETAILS OF THE MONSOON SESSION

THE CONTEXT: Despite highest disruption since 2014, the no. of bills passed per day during this session in Rajya Sabha was the 2nd highest since 2014 (i.e. 1.1 bills per day passed). The time lost due to interruptions / an adjournment (till Aug 11) was 76 Hours 26 Minutes and the highest average time per day lost due to interruptions / adjournments since the 231st session of Rajya Sabha in 201 was 4 Hours 30 Minutes.

DETAILS OF THE MONSOON SESSION
1. The Monsoon Session, 2021 of Parliament which commenced on Monday, 19th July, 2021 has been adjourned sine die on the 11th of August, 202 The Session provided 17 sittings spread over a period of 24 days.

2. The Session, which was originally scheduled to have 19 sittings from 19th July till 13 August, 2021, was curtailed due to continuous disruptions in both the Houses and completion of essential government business.
3. During the Session, 22 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament which includes two appropriation Bills relating to the Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2021-22 and the Demands for Excess Grants for 2017-2018 which were passed by Lok Sabha, transmitted to Rajya Sabha and are deemed to have been passed under Article 109(5).
4. Four Bills replacing the Ordinances, namely, the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2021 and the Essential Defence Services Ordinance, 2021 which were promulgated by the President before Monsoon Session, were considered and passed by the Houses.
5. Some important Bills, passed by Houses of Parliament are as under: –

A. ECONOMIC SECTOR/EASE OF DOING BUSINESS MEASURES

• The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 provide that no tax demand shall be raised in future on the basis of the said retrospective amendment for any indirect transfer of Indian assets if the transaction was undertaken before 28th May, 2012.
• The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 provides for greater private participation in the public sector insurance companies and to enhance insurance penetration and social protection and better secure the interests of policy holders and contribute to faster growth of the economy.
• The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 enables easy and time-bound access by depositors to their own money, even when there are restrictions on banks. It is proposed to provide that even if a bank is temporarily unable to fulfil its obligations due to restrictions such as moratorium imposed on it, depositors can access their deposits to the extent of deposit insurance cover through interim payments by the Corporation.
• The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021 converts certain offences into civil defaults and changes the nature of punishment for these offences. It also defines small LLP, provides for appointment of certain adjudicating officers, and establishment of special courts.
• The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to help micro, small and medium enterprises significantly, by providing added avenues for getting credit facility, especially through Trade Receivables Discounting System. Increase in the availability of working capital may lead to growth in the business of the micro, small and medium enterprises sector and also boost employment in the country.

B. TRANSPORT SECTOR REFORMS

• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021provides for the development, maintenance and management of aids to navigation in India; for training and certification of operator of aids to navigation, development of its historical, educational and cultural value; to ensure compliance with the obligation under the maritime treaties and international instruments to which India is a party.
• The Inland Vessels Bill, 2021promotes economical and safe transportation and trade through inland waters, to bring uniformity in application of law relating to inland waterways and navigation within the country, to provide for safety of navigation, protection of life and cargo, and prevention of pollution that may be caused by the use or navigation of inland vessels, to ensure transparency and accountability of administration of inland water transportation, to strengthen procedures governing the inland vessels, their construction, survey, registration, manning, navigation.
• The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes to amend the definition of “major airport” so as extend its scope to determine the tariff for a group of airports also, which will encourage development of smaller airports.

C. EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

• The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021 declares certain institutions of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management to be the institutions of national importance and to provide for instructions and research in food technology, entrepreneurship and management.
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021seeks to amend the Central Universities Act,2009 inter alia to provide for the establishment of a University in the name of “Sindhu Central University” in the Union territory of Ladakh.

D. SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORMS

• The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021seeks to adequately clarify that the State Government and Union territories are empowered to prepare and maintain their own State List/ Union territory List of socially and educationally backward classes.
• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021provides that instead of the court, the district magistrate (including additional district magistrate) will issue such adoption orders.The Bill adds that serious offences will also include offences for which maximum punishment is imprisonment of more than seven years, and minimum punishment is not prescribed or is less than seven years.
• The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.
  6. In the Rajya Sabha, two Short Duration Discussions under Rule 176 were held on “the management of COVID-19 pandemic, implementation of vaccination policy and challenges of the likely third wave” and on “the agricultural problems and solutions” (remained inconclusive)
  7. Further, One Bill namely “The Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2021” and one old pending Bill namely “The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2012” were withdrawn in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.

REFERENCE: PIB

3. THE DELHI GOVERNMENT’S ‘FACELESS’ TRANSPORT INITIATIVE

THE CONTEXT: The Delhi government has launched an ambitious “faceless” transport initiative.

ANALYSIS:

• The “faceless services” scheme seeks to eliminate any scope of corruption by ending the need for people to visit the RTOs.
• The guidelines developed by the Delhi government say that Aadhaar-based verification will be relied upon in dispensing the services online. A separate provision for those not having or willing to share their Aadhaar details has also been kept.
• The verification of the documents will be done automatically as the application developed by the government will draw details from the central Aadhaar database.
• There will be separate provisions for making payments and making digital signatures. In case of learner’s license, e-licenses will be issued instantly after taking the test online.
• A person can also dial 1076 and avail the doorstep services facility of the Delhi government as part of which a representative will come and help them with the application process.
• The two services for which a person will have to visit the RTO are the driving test for getting a licence and vehicle fitness certificates. Driving tests in Delhi are carried out at 13 fully automated centres.
• The delivery of documents be it licences or permits, will be done through speed post

REFERENCE: IE

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

4. INDIA ACHIEVES 100 GW MILESTONE OF INSTALLED RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY

THE CONTEXT: The total installed renewable energy capacity in India, excluding large hydro, has crossed the mile-stone of 100 GW. Today India stands at 4th position in the world in terms of installed RE capacity, 5th in solar and 4th in wind in terms of installed capacity.

ANALYSIS:

• While 100 GW has been installed, 50 GW is under installation and 27 GW is under tendering. India has also enhanced its ambition to install 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.If large hydro is included the installed RE capacity increases to 146 GW.
• The achievement of installed RE capacity of 100 GW is an important milestone in India’s journey towards its target of 450 GW by 2030.

REFERENCE: PIB

5. COMMON SURVEY TO COUNT INDIA’S ELEPHANT AND TIGER POPULATIONS

THE CONTEXT: On World Elephant Day (August 12th), Government declared that from December, India will move to a system that will count tigers and elephants as part of a common survey. The tiger survey is usually held once in four years and elephants are counted once in five years.
ANALYSIS:

• At present, the tiger survey is usually held once in four years and elephants are counted once in five years.
• Tiger census: Since 2006, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, which is affiliated to the Environment Ministry, has a standardised protocol in place that States then use to estimate tiger numbers.
• Based on sightings in camera traps and indirect estimation methods, tiger numbers are computed. According to the most recent 2018-19 survey, there were 2,997 tigers in India.
• Elephant census: Wildlife scientist at the WII, largely relies on States directly counting the number of elephants. In recent years, techniques such as analysing dung samples have also been deployed to estimate birth rates and population trends in elephants. According to the last count in 2017, there were 29,964 elephants in India.
• Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. This has been done as most of the range states except India, have lost their viable elephant populations due to loss of habitats & poaching etc.
• The current population estimates indicate that there are about 50,000 -60000 Asian elephants in the world. More than 60 % of the population is held in India.
• Indian Elephant has also been listed in the Appendix I of the Convention of the Migratory species in the recently concluded Conference of Parties of CMS 13 at Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat in February 2020.
• World Elephant Day is being celebrated to bring attention of various stakeholders to support various conservation policies to help elephants, including improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, providing better treatment for captive elephants and reintroducing some captive elephants into sanctuaries.
• Elephant is the Natural Heritage Animal of India and India also celebrates this day to spread awareness towards conservation of the species.

REFERNECE:THE HINDU AND PIB

6. INDORE BECOMES INDIA’S FIRST ‘WATER PLUS’ CITY

THE CONTEXT: Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital Indore has been declared as India’s first ‘water plus’ city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.

ANALYSIS:

• Indore carried out a survey and halted 7,000 outfalls of grey water that went in rivers, drains. We completed all criteria to gain this achievement.
• Moreover, 30 per cent of the city’s sewage water was recycled and reused. This recycled water was used by people in their gardens and some construction sites.
• Seven sewerage treatment plants were constructed in the city and about 110 million litres per day (MLD) treated water from them is being used.
• According to the guidelines of Water Plus Protocol, 147 special types of urinals were constructed in the city. Besides, the work of cleaning ponds, wells and all water bodies has also been done.
• Besides getting the ‘water plus’ tag, Indore has been named as India’s cleanest city for the fourth time in a row.

REFERENCE:INDIA TODAY

7. INDIA SET TO IMPORT 15 LAKH TONNES OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOYAMEAL

THE CONTEXT: India is all set to import 15 lakh tonnes of genetically modified (GM) soyameal after the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) gave their nod to it. This would be the first time that India would import GM soya meal in view of the demand by the poultry industry

ANALYSIS:

• Since soya de-oiled and crushed cake does not contain any living modified organism, ministry has no objection to the import of soya cake or meal from the environmental angle. Hence, import of soya de-oiled cake of meal will not be subjected to the Schedule of 1 of GEAC import policy approval as it is a non-living organism.
• Soyameal is the protein rich solid left after the oil is expelled from the seed and is used as a raw material for poultry feed.
• Earlier, only import of soya oil was allowed because oil/fat technically contains no genetic matter. However, this is the first time that the decks have been cleared for import of soyameal.

REFERENCE: IE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

8. GSLV-F10 FAILS TO PUT EOS-3 SATELLITE INTO ORBIT

THE CONTEXT: India’s attempt to place a geoimaging satellite (GISAT-1) with its GSLV-F10-EOS-3 mission did not succeed. The GSLV-F10 rocket of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota with the purpose of launching the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-3 into space, failed in its mission due to a ‘performance anomaly’.

ANALYSIS:

• According to the ISRO, GSLV-F10 launch took place at 05.43 IST as scheduled. Performance of the first and second stages was normal. However, cryogenic upper stage ignition did not happen due to a technical anomaly.
• The ISRO has confirmed that this mission could not be accomplished as planned. This failure is all the more surprising because the rocket launches since 2017 have been successful, and this breaks a long run of successful launches.
• EOS-3 was the first state-of-art agile Earth Observation Satellite which would have been placed in a Geo-Synchronous orbit around the Earth. While the first and second stage separations worked out fine, and nearly 12 minutes before the separation of the EOS-3, the mission failed.
• The objectives of EOS-3 were to provide real-time imaging of large areas of the Earth; to monitor natural disasters from its position in the sky; to provide warnings for natural disasters, observe cyclones, cloudbursts, thunderclouds etc.
• The GSLV Mark II is the largest launch vehicle built by India until now. These satellites can weigh up to 2,500 kg and are first launched into transfer orbits that have a distance from Earth of 170 km at closest approach and about 35,975 km at furthest approach which is close to the height of the geosynchronous orbit. From this transfer orbit, the satellite gets set free into a geosynchronous orbit.

REFERENCE:THE HINDU

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

9. ‘AL– MOHED AL–HINDI’ NAVAL EXERCISE

THE CONTEXT: The maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia named ‘AL– Mohed AL–Hindi’ got under way.

ANALYSIS:

• INS Kochi, the flagship destroyer of the Indian Western Naval Fleet, arrived at Port Al- Jubail on 9th August, for the “Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021” exercise.
• The warship sailed to Saudi Arabia after conducting the “Zayed Talwar” drill with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) off the coast of Abu Dhabi on 7th August 2021.
• Al-Mohed Al-Hindi comprises a number of shore and sea-based drills between the two navies.

REFERENCE: THE HINDU

10. KABUL OFFERS TALIBAN POWER-SHARING TO END VIOLENCE

THE CONTEXT: Kabul handed a proposal to Taliban negotiators in Qatar offering a power-sharing deal in return for an end to fighting. The Taliban had been given an offer about a “government of peace” without providing more specifics.

ANALYSIS:

• Authorities in Kabul have now effectively lost most of northern and western Afghanistan and are left holding a scattered archipelago of contested cities also dangerously at risk of falling to the Taliban.
• The conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when US-led forces began the final stage of a troop withdrawal due to end later this month following a 20-year occupation.
• The loss of Ghazni will likely pile more pressure on the country’s already overstretched airforce, needed to bolster Afghanistan’s dispersed security forces that have increasingly been cut off from reinforcements by road.
• In less than a week the insurgents have taken 10 provincial capitals and encircled the biggest city in the north, the traditional anti-Taliban bastion of Mazar-i-Sharif.
• Fighting was also raging in Kandahar and Lashkar Gar — pro-Taliban heartlands in the south — as well as Herat in the west.

REFERENCE: THE HINDU

Q 1. Which of the following pairs of Naval exercises of Indian Navy, are correctly matched?
1. ‘AL– Mohed AL–Hindi’ – Saudi Arabia
2. ‘Zayed Talwar’ – Oman
3. ‘Varuna’ – France
Select the correct answer using code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Which city has been declared as India’s first ‘water plus’ city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.

a) Hyderabad

b) Bhopal

c) Indore

d) Raipur

ANSWER FOR AUGUST 12, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS (REFER RELEVANT ARTICLE)
Answer: b)
Explanation:

• Refer to the given map

Q2. ANSWER: b)
Explanation:

• Quality of Life for Elderly Index was released by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness at the request of EAC-PM and it sheds light on an issue often not mentioned- problems faced by the elderly.

[WpProQuiz 21]

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. PARLIAMENT PASSED NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HOMOEOPATHY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

THE CONTEXT: Parliament passed National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Analysis:

• It amends the National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020.
• The 2020 Act replaced the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973. The 1973 Act set up the Central Council of Homeopathy for regulating homoeopathic education and practice. The 2020 Act replaced the Council with a national commission for regulating homoeopathic education and practice.
• The National Commission was constituted on July 5, 2021 to supersede the Central Council and on the same date the 1973 Act was repealed. The 2021 Bill specifies that all powers exercised and functions performed by the Board of Governors (as under the 1973 Act) will be deemed to have been done under the 2020 Act and will continue to remain in force.

Reference: PRS AND PIB

2. PARLIAMENT PASSED NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR INDIAN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

THE CONTEXT: Parliament passed National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Analysis:

• It amends the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020.
• The 2020 Act replaced the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970. The 1970 Act set up the Central Council of Indian Medicine to regulate the education and practice of the Indian Medicine system (includes Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy).
• The 2020 Act replaced the Council with a National Commission for regulating education and practice of the Indian medicine system. Since, the setting up of the National Commission was taking time; the 1970 Act was not repealed immediately with passage of the 2020 Act.
• The National Commission was constituted on June 11, 2021 to supersede the Central Council and on the same date the 1970 Act was repealed. The 2021 Bill specifies that all powers and functions of the Board of Governors (as under the 1970 Act) will be deemed to have been done under the 2020 Act and will continue to remain in force.

Reference: PIB AND PRS

3. 14 STATES SET TO REOPEN SCHOOLS FOR CLASSES X-XII

THE CONTEXT: At least 14 States and Union Territories have reopened or plan to reopen schools partially this month.

Analysis:

• Almost all States only plan to bring back older students despite the Indian Council of Medical Research’s recommendation to start with primary school students.
• Almost 50% of teachers across the country have been vaccinated.
• A parliamentary panel had noted that school closures have hurt the social fabric of families, led to an increase in child marriages and in children being pressed into work at home.
• The expected learning losses are likely to impact the cognitive capabilities of students. Warning that children’s nutrition and mental health have also been affected.
• Over 15 lakh schools across the country shut their doors in March 2020, and only a few reopened briefly before the second wave of the pandemic.
• More than 25 crore school children have been dependent on online or distance education since then, with many from poor or remote communities effectively losing more than a year of schooling.

Reference: The Hindu

4. BEGGARS REHABILITATION SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”, which includes sub-scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’.

Analysis:

• As per the Census of 2011 data available on the website of Registrar General of India, there are 4,13,670 beggars and vagrants in the Country.
• The focus of the scheme is on providing basic necessaries like food, shelter homes, medical facilities, counseling, rehabilitation, basic documentation, education, skill development and economic linkages of the persons found to be engaged in begging.
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has identified ten cities namely Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur and Patna for undertaking pilot projects on Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons engaged in the act of Begging, which provides for the whole range of services including awareness generation, identification, rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counseling, education, skill development and sustainable settlement of persons engaged in begging.

Reference: PIB

5. QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ELDERLY INDEX

THE CONTEXT: Quality of Life for Elderly Index was released by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness at the request of EAC-PM and it sheds light on an issue often not mentioned- problems faced by the elderly.

Analysis:

• The report identifies the regional patterns of ageing across Indian States and assesses the overall ageing situation in India. The report presents a deeper insight into how well India is doing to support the well-being of its ageing population.
• The Index framework includes four pillars: Financial Well-being, Social Well-being, Health System and Income Security, and eight sub-pillars: Economic Empowerment, Educational Attainment & Employment, Social Status, Physical Security, Basic Health, Psychological Wellbeing, Social Security and Enabling Environment.
• This index broadens the way we understand the needs and opportunities of the elderly population in India. It goes far beyond the adequacy of pensions and other forms of income support, which, though critical, often narrows policy thinking and debate about the needs of this age group.
• The index highlights that the best way to improve the lives of the current and future generations of older people is by investing in health, education and employment for young people today.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT

• The Health System pillar observes the highest national average, 66.97 at an all-India level, followed by 62.34 in Social Well-being. Financial Well-being observes a score of 44.7, which is lowered by the low performance of 21 States across the Education Attainment & Employment pillar, which showcases scope for improvement
• States have performed particularly worse in the Income Security pillar because over half of the States have a score below the national average, i.e., 33.03 in Income Security, which is the lowest across all pillars. These pillar-wise analyses help States assess the state of the elderly population and identify existing gaps that obstruct their growth
• Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are top-scoring regions in Aged and Relatively Aged States, respectively. Chandigarh and Mizoram are top-scoring regions in Union Territory and North-East States category.
• The Aged States refer to States with an elderly population of more than 5 million, whereas Relatively Aged States refer to States with an Elderly population of less than 5 million.

Reference: PIB

6.VRUKSHA BANDHAN PROJECT

THE CONTEXT: In a unique initiative Ministry of Tribal Affairs in partnership with The Art of Living Foundation, Aurangabad, Maharashtra launched Vrushka Bandhan Project where 1100 tribal women are creating Rakhis for Raksha Bandhan with seeds of indigenous trees, which is a unique contribution to increasing forest cover & combating climate change.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

• The project based on Gauadharit paramparagat kheti seeks to preserve and revive the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of tribal communities and protect them from the negative effects of chemical agriculture.
• Once used, the seeds can be sown in soil, thereby benefiting the environment and provide employment to tribal women associated with the project.

Reference: PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

7. KAZIRANGA GUARDS EQUIPPED WITH SATELLITE PHONES

THE CONTEXT: Kaziranga has become the first National Park in India to have been equipped with satellite phones.

Analysis:

• The satellite phones will be used in pockets of the park’s six ranges with no wireless or mobile connectivity.
• The satellite phones will give an edge to the forest personnel over the poachers and also during emergencies like flood.
• The public is barred from using satellite phones in India.

Reference: The Hindu

8. NASA’S NEW TOOL MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO SEE FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE

THE CONTEXT: NASA has created a visualization tool that makes data on future sea level rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) accessible to the public.

Analysis:

• The tool is easy to navigate: One needs to pull up the tool’s layers of maps, click anywhere on the global ocean and coastlines, and pick any decade between 2020 and 2150. The tool then pulls up comprehensive data on the projected sea level rise.
• The tool displays possible future sea levels under several greenhouse-gas-emission and socioeconomic scenarios. These include a low-emissions future , a business-as-usual trajectory with emissions on their current track and an accelerated emissions scenario.
• Scientists from NASA said the tool has been developed to help governments to forecast future scenarios and develop coastal resources accordingly.

Reference: DTE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

9. INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS DRDO-DEVELOPED INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGY CRUISE MISSILE

THE CONTEXT: India has successfully tested the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-developed Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile off the coast of Odisha’s Balasore district.

Analysis:

• The missile flew for around 150 km with an indigenous cruise engine.
• More tests would be conducted in near future.
• Earlier, on July 23 India had successfully test-fired indigenously developed New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG), a Surface to Air Missile defence system in Balasore. It was the second test firing of the 30 km strike-range air defence missile systems in two days.

Reference: TOI

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

10. BACKCHANNEL TALK BETWEEN INDIA, PAK WAS ON BEFORE BALAKOT AIR STRIKES

THE CONTEXT: According to a new book by the journalists, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) exchanged messages with top Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials as part of a unique back channel connection between the two countries that involved two foreign journalists Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark in 2018-2019, including after the Pulwama attack.

August 12, 2021 Prelim Practice Questions

Q 1. Consider the following National Parks of Assam:

1. Dibru-Saikhowa NP
2. Kaziranga NP
3. Manas NP

4. Nameri NP

Arrange them in East-West direction of their location and select the correct answer from code given below:
a) 1-2-3-4
b) 1-2-4-3
c) 1-3-2-4
d) 1-3-4-2

Q2. Quality of Life for Elderly Index was released by

a) NITI AAYOG

b) Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)

c) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

d) Ministry of Health

Answer for August 11, 2021 Prelims Practice Questions

Q1 ANSWER: C)
Explanation

•  Statement 1 is incorrect: It was launched in 2016 with an aim to provide deposit free LPG connection to BPL households
• Statement 2 is correct: LPG connection under scheme is given only in the name of adult woman (above 18 years of age) of household.
• Statement 3 is correct: Second phase of the scheme provides first refill of cylinder and cooking stove free of cost.

Q2. ANSWER: A)
Explanation:

• The Kakori Train Action or Kakori Conspiracy was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement against the British colonial rule.
• The robbery was organized by Hindustan Republican Association and more than 40 persons were arrested in this incident and they were finally sentenced to death by the British government and also severe punishments were given to those people who helped this incident.

CONTEXT: India is currently pursuing multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones programme in an attempt to arm its three services with weapons that would play a critical role in future wars.

Analysis:

• Among the several drone programmes that the Indian military is pursuing, one of them is Project Cheetah.
• Project Cheetah, which is divided into two separate programmes, aims to upgrade and arm India’s Heron drones, with the assistance of Israel, the manufacturer.
• Another programme that India is pursuing is the procurement of 30 MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B drones, which will be a tri-service initiative.

HERON:

• Developed by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Heron, also known as Machatz-1, is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV.
• In all, there are about 90 Herons in service with the country

HERON II:

• One big lacuna in the Herons in use with India is that they are not equipped for satellite navigation, which helps in better range and wider coverage.
• Following tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China since May last year, the Army ordered on lease four latest generation of Herons, known as the Heron II

SEARCHER:

• Developed by IAI, the Searcher was first deployed in 1992, but it was the Searcher Mk II, introduced in 1998, that India procured after 2000.
• Alongside the Heron UAVs, the Indian Navy also uses Searcher Mk II. However, currently, the biggest user of the Searcher is the Army.

SEA GUARDIAN:

• Developed by the American firm General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), the MQ-9B Sea Guardian is a variant of the MQ-9 Predator B, which is described by the United States Air Force as a “remotely piloted aircraft” instead of the widely-used UAV.
• Unlike the Heron, the Sea Guardian comes under the High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs.

SWITCH UAV:

• Developed by Navi Mumbai-based firm idea Forge Technology, the SWITCH UAV is termed as a “first of its kind” Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft and fixed wing hybrid UAV.

Reference: The Print

CONTEXT: Yogita K Adlakha, an Inspire Faculty Fellow, has developed human-based models to study neuron development and neuro developmental disorders such as autism, which can help design treatment strategies for such brain disorders.

Analysis:

• For decades, animal models have been used to understand brain-related disorders and the drugs that function in animal models have failed in clinical trials. The dearth of human models has led to a lack of knowledge of the pathophysiology of such disorders, an essential requirement for designing their treatment strategies.
• Adlakha, a recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty fellowship instituted by the DST, filled this gap by generating human-based stem cell models to understand brain development and dysfunction at the National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Haryana.
• Along with her research group, Adlakha established a protocol from India for the first time by generating and producing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human peripheral blood. They have further refined the protocol of differentiation of iPSCs into brain-specific stem cells, i.e., neural stem cells (NSCs).
• She filled this gap and developed a human-based model that could help study how the brain develops, particularly the neurons, and what goes awry during brain development, leading to cognitive decline, impairment in language and social interaction.

Reference: The Week

CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch an Earth Observation Satellite on August 12 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, at Sriharikota.

Analysis:

• The satellite, EOS-03, will be carried on board the 14th flight of the GSLV, the GSLVF10, and will place the satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its on-board propulsion system.
• A four-metre diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight, ISRO said.
• The EOS-03 is a state-of- the-art agile satellite that will enable real-time monitoring of natural disasters, waterbodies, crops, forest cover changes, among the others.
• EOS-03 is capable of imaging the whole country four to five times every day.

Reference: The Hindu

CONTEXT: India strongly rejected a statement on Jammu and Kashmir by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and asked it to refrain from allowing vested interests to exploit its platform for comments on internal affairs of the country. The strong comments by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came in response to the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the OIC on the second anniversary of the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Analysis:

• On August 5, 2019, India announced the withdrawal of the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and its decision to bifurcate the state into two union territories.
• In the statement, the OIC General Secretariat reiterated its “call to revoke all these steps”.
• The OIC General Secretariat also reiterated its call on the international community to increase its efforts to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the “relevant UN Security Council resolutions”.
• The OIC is a grouping of Muslim-majority nations.

                                                                                                        ABOUT OIC

• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations, with the membership of 57 states, covering four continents.
• The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interest on economic socio and political areas.
• It was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco in September 1969.
• The OIC has Institutions, which implement its programmes.
• Its Headquarters is in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• India is not a member of the OIC.

Reference: The Week

CONTEXT: Mauritius has denied a report that it has allowed India to build a military base on the remote island of Agalega.

Analysis:

• News broadcaster Al Jazeera reported on the construction of an airstrip and two jetties to house an Indian military base on Agalega, located about 1,000 km north of the archipelago’s main island. But the Mauritian government denied any plans to allow a military installation on the Agalega island.
• Although work was under way on two projects agreed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 visit to Mauritius — a three-kilometre air strip and a jetty — they would not be used for military purposes.

CONTEXT: Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister introduced the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha to nullify the relevant retrospective tax clauses that were introduced in 2012 to bring past indirect transfer of Indian assets under the ambit of taxation.

Analysis:

• As per the proposed changes, any tax demand made on transactions that took place before May 2012 shall be dropped, and any taxes already collected shall be repaid, albeit without interest. To be eligible, the concerned taxpayers would have to drop all pending cases against the government and promise not to make any demands for damages or costs.
• Former Finance Minister, the late Pranab Mukherjee, had introduced the retrospective taxation power after the Supreme Court had held that Vodafone couldn’t be taxed for a 2007 transaction involving its purchase of a 67% stake in Hutchison Whampoa for $11 billion. Later, the tax was invoked against Cairn Energy for a corporate reorganisation done in 2006-07 and its assets were frozen by the authorities.

Reference: The Hindu

CONTEXT: parliament on Thursday approved a bill that seeks to set up a commission for air quality management in the National Capital Region and its adjoining areas

Analysis:

• The Bill provides for the constitution of a Commission for better co-ordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems related to air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas. Adjoining areas have been defined as areas in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, adjoining the National Capital Territory of Delhi and NCR, where any source of pollution may cause adverse impact on air quality in the NCR. The Bill also dissolves the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority established in the NCR in 1998. An Ordinance establishing a similar Commission was promulgated in October 2020. It lapsed in March 2021 and was repromulgated in April 2021. The Bill repeals the 2021 Ordinance.
• Congress contested Clause 15 of the bill that allows the government to collect environmental compensation from farmers arguing that the law was anti-farmers and against their interests. They said Clause 15 of the bill empowers the commission to levy and collect environmental compensation from farmers who contaminate the environment by burning stubble. However, the compensation will be prescribed by the central government.

                                                                                       KEY FEATURES OF THE BILL

• Composition: The Commission will consist of: (i) a Chairperson, (ii) an officer of the rank of a Joint Secretary as the member-secretary and Chief Coordinating Officer, (iii) a serving or former Joint Secretary from the central government, (iii) three independent technical members with expertise in air pollution, and (iv) three members from non-government organisations. The Chairperson and members of the Commission will have tenure of three years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier.
• The Commission will also include ex-officio members: (i) from the central government and concerned state governments, and (ii) technical members from Central Pollution Control Board, Indian Space Research Organisation, and NITI Aayog. It may also appoint representatives of certain ministries.
• Selection of Commission: The central government will constitute a selection committee to recommend appointments of members of the Commission. The Committee will be headed by the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Members of the Committee will include the Cabinet Secretary and the Minister of: (i) Commerce and Industry, (ii) Road Transport and Highways, and (iii) Science and Technology.
• Functions of the Commission: Functions of the Commission include: (i) co-ordinating actions by concerned state governments (Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh), (ii) planning and executing plans to prevent and control air pollution in NCR, (iii) providing a framework for identifying air pollutants, (iv) conducting research and development through networking with technical institutions, (v) training and creating a special workforce to deal with issues related to air pollution, and (vi) preparing action plans such as increasing plantation and addressing stubble burning.
• Powers of the Commission: Powers of the Commission include: (i) restricting activities influencing air quality, (ii) investigating and conducting research related to environmental pollution impacting air quality, (iii) preparing codes and guidelines to prevent and control air pollution, and (iv) issuing directions on matters including inspections, or regulation which will be binding on the concerned person or authority.
• The Commission will be the sole authority with jurisdiction over matters defined in the Bill (such as air quality management). In case of conflicts, directions of the Commission will prevail over the orders of the respective state governments, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state PCBs, and state-level statutory bodies.
• Sub-Committees: The Commission is required to form sub-committees on: (i) monitoring and identification, (ii) safeguarding and enforcement, and (iii) research and development.
• Penalties: Contravention of provisions of the Bill, or orders and directions of the Commission will be punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, or fine of up to one crore rupees, or both. The Bill excludes farmers from the scope of these penalties. However, the Commission may collect an environmental compensation from farmers causing pollution by stubble burning. This compensation will be prescribed by the central government. Appeals against the Commission’s orders will lie with the National Green Tribunal.

Reference: India Today

CONTEXT: Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI), Durgapur, recently inaugurated a “naturally ventilated polyhouse facility” and laid the foundation stone of “retractable roof polyhouse” its Ludhiana centre.

Analysis:

• A polyhouse is a specially constructed structure like a building where specialised polythene sheet is used as a covering material under which crops can be grown in partially or fully controlled climatic conditions. It is covered with a transparent material as to permit the entry of natural light. Polyhouses are also helpful in reducing threats such as extreme heat and pest attacks in crops.
• With rapidly rising temperatures due to mounting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities, crops are increasingly facing both threats — extreme heat and pest attacks — simultaneously.
• A combination of open field conditions and conventional greenhouse conditions is a more robust way to deal with climate change and associates problems in the future.
• Crop losses in India due to insect pests is about 15 per cent at present and this loss may increase as climate change lowers the plant defense system against insects and pests.
• Conventional greenhouses have a stationary roof to reduce the effect of weather anomalies and pests. However, there are still disadvantages due to roof covering which sometimes lead to excessive heat and insufficient light (early morning). Besides this, they are also prone to insufficient levels of carbon dioxide, transpiration and water stress.
• Retractable Roof Polyhouse Technology will have an automatic retractable roof which will be operated based on weather conditions and crop requirements from the conditional database using PLC software. This ongoing development will be useful in our country with its 15 different agro-climatic zones and will help farmers to cultivate off-season crops that can fetch higher value and income.
• Retractable roof would be used to manipulate sunlight quantity, quality & duration, water stress, humidity, carbon dioxide levels as well as crop and soil temperatures.

Reference: Down to Earth

CONTEXT: The Scheme for PMKSY-HKKP was valid till March, 2021. The extension of the scheme for the period 2021-26 is under consideration of the Government. The targets for this period shall be firmed up based on approval of the scheme for the period 2021-26.

                                                                                                      About PMKSY-HKKP

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched in 2015-16 with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc.
• Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) is one of the components of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
• Under HKKP, financial assistance is being provided by this Ministry under Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM); Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI); Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies; and Ground Water components.
• CADWM Programme aims for improving water use efficiency in irrigation, providing assured supply of water to every farm field, and transfer of control and management of irrigation system to the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs).
• SMI and RRR of water bodies schemes mainly aims at expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation along with other objectives like improving water use efficiency, Ground Water recharge, improvement and restoration of water bodies. Through these measures, increasing tank storage capacity, revival of lost irrigation potential, increased availability of drinking water, improvement of catchment of tank commands etc. are targeted.
• The Ground Water scheme under PMKSY-HKKP aims to provide financial assistance to States for assured ground water irrigation to small and marginal farmers. State-wise progress made by this Ministry under this component during last two years.

Reference: PIB

CONTEXT: One of the radial gates of KL Rao Sagar Pulichintala Project was washed away, causing floods in nearby villages.

Reference: The Hindu

CONTEXT: A comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA has been initiated as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan in 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education.

Analysis:

The initiative includes:

• DIKSHA (one nation, one digital platform) is the nation’s digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content for school education in states/UTs and QR coded Energized Textbooks for all grades are available on it.
• One earmarked Swayam Prabha TV channel per class from 1 to 12 (one class, one channel).
• Extensive use of Radio, Community radio and CBSE Podcast- Shiksha Vani.
• Special e-content for visually and hearing impaired developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube.
• All these schemes/programmes are free of cost and available to all the students across the nation.
• To reach out to those students who lack access to technology various innovative activities are being done at national, state or district level such as Gali-Gali Sim-Sim, Tili-Mili programme, Motor Eskool, Roving Teacher, Project SMILE (Social Media Interface for Learning Engagement), e-Kaksha, formation of Whatsapp and other social media groups, Work Book Distribution at home, Teacher calling to maintain connects with students.
• School Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the state governments have been directed to act based on the situation prevailing at every place to meet the demands of all students for providing them with the digital access required for learning digitally.

Reference: PIB

CONTEXT: In a new study, scientists reveal how Earth’s inner core is growing faster on one side than the other, which could help explain how old the inner core is, and the intriguing history of Earth’s magnetic field

Analysis:

• The eastern and western halves of the inner core showed different seismic wave speed variations. The eastern part of the inner core is beneath Asia, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, and the west lies under the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific.
• The new study found that the eastern inner core located beneath Indonesia’s Banda Sea is growing faster than the western side beneath Brazil.
• You can think of this uneven growth as like trying to make ice cream in a freezer that is only working on one side: ice crystals form only on the side of the ice cream where the cooling is effective. In the Earth, the uneven growth is caused by the rest of the planet sucking heat more quickly from some parts of the inner core than others.
• But unlike the ice cream, the solid inner core is subject to gravitational forces which distribute the new growth evenly through a process of creeping interior flow, which maintains the inner core’s spherical shape. This means that Earth is in no danger of tipping, though this uneven growth does get recorded in the seismic wave speeds in our planet’s inner core.

Reference: Earth’s inner core