| Governance | Mains Paper 2: Laws, Institutions & Bodies Constituted For The Vulnerable Sections
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Shakti, Disha Act
Mains level: Women safety
In a bid to curb crimes against woman and children in Maharashtra, the state cabinet unveiled the ‘Shakti Act.’ The Act is modelled on the lines of Andhra Pradesh’s Disha Act, which was brought last year after a veterinarian was raped and murdered in Hyderabad.
Why have stringent laws have consistently failed to instill any fear in rapists?
Shakti Act: Key Provisions
It proposes stringent punishment including the death penalty and heavy fines for the culprits.
Special police teams and separate courts will be set up for investigation and trial of cases against women and children.
The perpetrators if found guilty will be punished with imprisonment for life for not less than ten years but may extend to the remainder of natural life or with death in cases which have characteristics of being heinous in nature.
A sum of Rs 10 lakh will be given to an acid attack victim for plastic surgery and facial reconstruction and the amount will be collected as fine from the convict.
The investigation shall be completed within a period of 15 working days from the date of registration of an offence. This can be extended by 7 days.
After a charge sheet is filed trial shall be conducted on a day-to-day basis and completed within a period of 30 working days.
Some cases will be tried in-camera for the recording of evidence of victims and witnesses who are vulnerable.
Enforcement, not the law
Despite several laws, incidences of rapes continue unabated.
In fact, now we hear cases of extreme brutality.
The general perception is that since the laws have been made more stringent, so the rapists resort to extreme measures in a bid to destroy the evidence.
One thing is very clear, Laws alone cannot provide a solution to this problem.
What should be done?
Law provides for speedy investigations and fast track of trials in rape cases.
What we need is better policing, making public spaces safer for women, ensuring round the clock surveillance of isolated areas and deployment of police at all strategic points.
Prevention and not punishment is the solution and that requires concerted efforts on part of all the stakeholders.
It is not harsher punishments that will deter. It is the fear of being caught and not being spared.
The message should go out loud and clear that no one is above the dignity and safety of women in our country.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UN Population Award
Mains level: Not Much
HelpAge India has been presented the UN Population Award for 2020 (institutional category), according to a release issued by UNFPA.
Try this PYQ:
Q.The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a UN mechanism to assist countries transition towards a greener and more inclusive economies, emerged at:
(a) The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Johannesburg
(b) The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro
(c) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015, Paris
(d) The World Sustainable Development Summit 2016, New Delhi
UN Population Award
Each year, the Committee for the UNPA honours an individual and/or institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health questions and to their solutions.
The Award was established by the General Assembly in 1981, in resolution 36/201, and was first presented in 1983. It consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.
The Committee for the Award is comprised of 10 UN Member States, with UN Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director serving as ex-officio members.
Nominations for the award are accepted through 31 December of each year.
Whats’ so special this year?
For the first time in the history of the UNPA, the honour is being conferred on an Indian institution.
HelpAge India, which has been working for ‘the cause and care of disadvantaged older persons to improve their quality of life’ for over four decades, is the first Indian institution to receive this award.
The last time the Award came to an Indian was 28 years ago, back in 1992, when it was awarded to Mr J.R.D. Tata as an individual laureate.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Aurora Borealis
Mains level: Aurora and the science behind
Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis could be visible in regions such as in the northern parts of Illinois and Pennsylvania in the US.
Try this PYQ:
What is a coma, in the context of Astronomy?
(a) Bright half of material on the comet
(b) Long tail of dust
(c) Two asteroids orbiting each other
(d) Two planets orbiting each other
Aurora
Auroras occur when charged particles ejected from the Sun’s surface — called the solar wind — enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
While flowing toward Earth, the fast-moving solar wind carries with it the Sun’s magnetic field, which disrupts the magnetosphere — the region of space around Earth in which the magnetic field of our planet is dominant.
When the Sun’s magnetic field approaches Earth, the protective magnetic field radiating from our planet’s poles deflects the former, thus shielding life on Earth.
However, as this happens, the protective fields couple together to form funnels, through which charged solar wind particles are able to stream down to the poles.
At the north and south poles, the charged particles interact with different gases in the atmosphere, causing a display of light in the sky.
This display, known as an aurora, is seen from the Earth’s high latitude regions (called the auroral oval), and is active all year round.
Behind the name
In the northern part of our globe, the polar lights are called aurora borealis or Northern Lights and are seen from the US (Alaska), Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
In the south, they are called aurora australis or southern lights and are visible from high latitudes in Antarctica, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia.
Where is it observed?
Generally, the auroral oval is usually witnessed far up in the Polar Regions or the high latitude regions of Europe, like in Norway.
But occasionally, the oval expands, and the lights become visible at lower latitudes.
This happens during periods of high solar activity, such as the arrival of solar storms.
Solar activities include solar flares, solar energetic particles, high-speed solar wind and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various water borne disease
Mains level: Drinking water issues
Over 550 people in Eluru town of Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district have been suffering from convulsions, seizures, dizziness and nausea.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India?
Arsenic
Sorbitol
Fluoride
Formaldehyde
Uranium
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2, 4 and 5 only
(c) 1, 3 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Eluru illness
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has found traces of lead and nickel in blood samples of 25 victims out of the 45 samples sent by the state government.
The primary suspicion is on water contamination by heavy metals. Scientists suspect that pesticide or insecticide has seeped into drinking water sources.
Experts from Hyderabad who collected water, blood, and food samples say there are indications of lead contamination but can confirm this only after detailed test reports.
Possible cause: Water contamination
Eluru receives water through canals from both Godavari and Krishna rivers.
The canals pass through agricultural fields where runoff laced with pesticides mixes with water in the canals. Many aspects of the mystery illness have baffled scientists.
People who only use packaged drinking water have also fallen sick.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Iran's nuclear deal
Mains level: Paper 2- Iran nuclear deal and challenges
The article analyses Iran’s response to the recent killing of its top nuclear scientist. Instead of responding to the provocation, Iran has decided to wait and watch the new U.S. administrations response.
Background of nuclear deal with Iran
In 2015, the P5+1 nations-China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S., plus Germany- reached an agreement with Iran to curb the country’s nuclear programme.
It was expected that the agreement would lead to a new beginning in West Asia, however, this did not happen.
Washington saw Iran’s nuclear programme, which was at an advanced stage in 2015, as a national security problem and tackled it via diplomacy.
However, for Israel and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s nuclear programme was not the problem but was part of the larger geopolitical challenges Iran posed.
The problem was Iran itself: Tehran’s influence across West Asia, its backing for non-state militias, and its ambition to emerge as a dominant pillar in the region.
The Donald Trump administration took an entirely different line towards Iran.
It pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal, despite United Nations certification that Iran was compliant with its terms, and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
Israels
Iran wants to set back Iran’s nuclear programme by taking out a prominent scientist and scuttle the possible revival of the nuclear deal.
If Iran does not retaliate, it shows that Iran’s deterrence is getting weaker, which could trigger more such attacks from its rivals.
If it retaliates, it could escalate the conflict, giving the outgoing Trump administration and Isarael reasons to launch heavier strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, closing off the diplomatic path.
Iran’s response and challenges in it
Instead of walking into the trap of provocation, Iran’s Parliament passed a Bill that obliges the government to enrich uranium to a higher level, from less than 5% now to 20%.
This is a technical step away from the weapons-grade level of 90%.
And stop access for UN inspectors to the country’s top nuclear facilities in two months if sanctions relief is not given.
Within two months, Mr. Biden will be in the White House.
Conclusion
Iran is taking a calculated risk by enhancing its nuclear programme, which can be reversed if talks are revived. But it is leaving the Israel problem unaddressed, for now. This leaves the region vulnerable to a prolonged crisis.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: POSHAN Abhiyan
Mains level: Paper 2- Analysing the contribution of POSHAN Abhiyan
POSHAN Abhiyan has completed 1000 days. The article analyses the challenges country face on the nutrition front which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 induced disruptions.
Severity and impact of malnutrition
Malnourished children tend to fall short of their real potential — physically as well as mentally.
That is because malnutrition leaves their bodies weaker and more susceptible to illnesses.
In 2017, a staggering 68% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India was attributable to malnutrition, reckoned a Lancet study in 2019.
Without necessary nutrients, their brains do not develop to the fullest.
Malnutrition places a burden heavy enough for India, to make it a top national priority.
About half of all children under five years in the country were found to be stunted (too short) or wasted (too thin) for their height, estimated the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, carried out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with support of UNICEF three years ago.
POSHAN Abhiyan against the background Covid-19 disruption
The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan in 2018, led to a holistic approach to tackle malnutrition.
Under it, the government strengthened the delivery of essential nutrition interventions.
COVID-19 is pushing millions into poverty making them vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurities.
Pandemic-prompted lockdowns disrupted essential services — such as supplementary feeding under anganwadi centres, mid-day meals, immunisation, and micro-nutrient supplementation which can exacerbate malnutrition.
Leaders from academia, civil society, development partners, community advocates and the private sector have come together as part of ‘commitment to action’.
The ‘commitment to action’ includes commitments around sustained leadership, dedicated finances, multi-sectoral approach and increased uninterrupted coverage of a vulnerable population under programmes enhancing nutrition.
Financial commitments
India already has some of the world’s biggest early childhood public intervention schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Scheme, the mid-day meal programme, and Public Distribution System.
India needs to ensure coverage of every single child and mother.
To ensure this, the country needs to retain its financial commitments for nutrition schemes.
Economic insecurities often force girls into early marriage, early motherhood, discontinue their schooling, and reduce institutional deliveries, cut access to micronutrient supplements, and nutritious food.
Accelerating efforts to address these will be needed to stop the regression into the deeper recesses of malnutrition.
Conclusion
It takes time for nutrition interventions to yield dividends, but once those accrue, they can bring transformative generational shifts. Filling in the nutrition gaps will guarantee a level-playing field for all children and strengthen the foundations for the making of a future super-power.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ICDS program
Mains level: Paper 2- Role of Anganwadi centres in ICDS
The article highlights the role of Anganwadi’s in the effective implementation and service delivery under the ICDS.
Gaps in the utilisation of services by ICDS
The economic fallout of COVID-19 makes the necessity of quality public welfare services more pressing than ever.
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme is one such scheme.
ICDS caters to the nutrition, health and pre-education needs of children till six years of age as well as the health and nutrition of women and adolescent girls.
However, recent reports have shown gaps in the utilisation of services.
Recasting the Anganwadi centres
Anganwadi centres (AWCs) could become agents of improved delivery of ICDS’s services.
According to government data, the country has 13.77 lakh Anganwadi centres (AWCs).
These centres have expanded their reach, but they need to play a much larger role in anchoring community development.
Nearly a fourth of the operational AWCs lack drinking water facilities and 36 per cent do not have toilets.
In 2015, the NITI Aayog recommended better sanitation and drinking water facilities, improved power supply and basic medicines for the AWCs.
NITI Aayog also suggested that these centres be provided with the required number of workers, whose skills should be upgraded through regular training.
It has acknowledged the need to improve anganwadi centres.
The Central government’s Saksham Anganwadi Scheme aims to upgrade 2.5 lakh such centres across the country. It is up to the state governments to take up the baton
Only a limited number of AWCs have facilities like creche, and good quality recreational and learning facilities for pre-school education.
An approach that combines an effective supplementary nutrition programme with pedagogic processes that make learning interesting is the need of the hour.
Steps taken for effective implementation of ICDS
Effective implementation of the ICDS programme rests heavily on the combined efforts of the anganwadi workers (AWWs), ASHAs and ANMs.
The Centre’s POSHAN Abhiyaan has taken important steps towards building capacities of AWWs.
Technology can also be used for augmenting the programme’s quality.
AWWs have been provided with smartphones and their supervisors with tablets, under the government schemes.
Apps on these devices track the distribution of take-home rations and supplementary nutrition services.
The data generated should inform decisions to improve the programme.
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, anganwadi centres have been geotagged to improve service delivery.
Gujarat has digitised the supply chain of take-home rations and real-time data is being used to minimise stockouts at the anganwadi centres.
Conclusion
Government must act on the three imperatives. First, while infrastructure development and capacity building of the anganwadi remains the key to improving the programme, the standards of all its services need to be upscaled. Second, states have much to learn from each other’s experiences. Third, anganwadi centres must cater to the needs of the community and the programme’s workers.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Federal structure
Mains level: Paper 2- Federalism in India and factors sustaining it
The article analyses the various factor that helped in sustaining the federal structure in India.
Flexible federalism
The Indian Constitution was designed to be opportunistic about federalism.
As BR Ambedkar had put it, “India’s Draft Constitution can be both unitary as well as federal according to the requirements of time and circumstances.”
This flexible federalism is still the default common sense of Indian politics.
The concerns about security, state-building, and economic development are always given preference over the idea of federalism.
4 factors sustaining federalism in India
1) Linguistic and cultural diversity in India
The first was a genuine concern about whether a centralised state could accommodate India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
The States Reorganisation Act and the compromises on the issue of languages was a victory for federalism.
It allowed India to use federalism to accommodate linguistic diversity.
So long as regional linguistic identities are not threatened there is no natural source of resistance to centralisation.
2) Distribution of political power
The rise of coalition governments, economic liberalisation, regional parties, seemed to provide a basis for political federalism.
Political federalism is quite compatible with financial, and administrative centralisation.
Fragmentation of power effectively meant was that each state could bargain for certain things, or very strong leaders could veto central proposals.
However, it is striking that the period of fragmented power, strong chief ministers, didn’t act to strengthen the institutions of federalism.
3) Political and institutional culture
The third thing that sustains federalism is the political and institutional culture.
But the culture of political parties ruling at the Centre was committed to the most extreme interpretation of flexible federalism, including procedural impropriety to oust opponents.
Because of the increasing presidentialisation of national politics, the attribution of policy successes or failures might change, diminishing the stature of chief ministers considerably.
The other source of institutional culture might be the Supreme Court.
There was mostly a bi-partisan consensus on honouring the technical recommendations of institutions like the Finance Commission.
4) Asymmetrical federalism
The fourth thing that sustained federalism was “asymmetrical federalism” — special exemptions given to various states.
But asymmetrical federalism has always been subject to three pressures.
For Kashmir, asymmetrical federalism came to be seen as the source, not the resolution, of the security threat.
Even in the North-east, local conflicts within the scheme of asymmetrical federalism and discourse of security allowed the Centre to step in.
And increasingly, there will be pressure on the question: Which laws under asymmetrical federalism are compatible with Article 14 of the Indian Constitution?
GST and Decentralisation in states
The most far-reaching change in the Indian Constitution on federalism was GST.
It does increase centralisation in the system.
But it is a product of the cooperation of the states, who still have a significant role in shaping it.
The states did push back against the possibility of the Centre reneging on its commitment on payments.
Most states are reluctant to honour more decentralisation within, to rural and urban bodies.
The Centre disproportionately controls resources in India; but very few states have shown a zeal to increase their own financial headroom by utilising whatever powers they might have on taxation.
Consider the question “How federalism in India is different from the U.S.? What are the factors responsible for its sustenance in India?”
Conclusion
The flexible federalism will be bent in all kinds of ways. But it is important to remember that this mess is not a product of Centre versus states. It has been co-produced by a political culture in both Centre and the states.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various COPs, UNFCCC
Mains level: Progress of global climate action
China’s announcement of achieving net-zero by 2060 is a stepping stone in the fight against climate change. But it means nothing until countries share the goals they intend to follow.
Why are we reading this news?
We often get to hear that UPSC suddenly switches to basics after maneuvering over current affairs. This news is a perfect example which strikes the balance between basics and current affairs.
Climate change: A disaster in making
Anthropogenic climate change can be traced back to the industrial revolution.
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gas has increased to 415 parts per million (ppm) from 280 ppm since then.
A global momentum, therefore, was required to get all countries on board.
Realization of climate action: Birth of UNFCCC
The idea led to the formation of the United Nations Framework for Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC, also known as ‘The Convention’) in 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The convention divided the countries on the basis of their differing commitments: Annex I and II consisted of industrialized and developed countries and Non-Annex I comprised developing countries.
Wait! You need not remember everything* in this newscard. But, have walk through the timeline; it will concretize your idea about the global climate action and the possible way forward.
A timeline
The Conference of Parties (CoP) is the supreme decision-making body at the convention and comprises states that are party to it.
COP 1:
At CoP1 in Berlin 1995, the Convention highlighted the shortcomings of UNFCCC — the voluntary nature of the agreement.
It stressed how no substantive action was taken to address the cause against climate change, which in turn put forward the need for “legally binding” actions.
COP 2:
The proposal of legally binding targets was further emphasised upon in COP2 in Geneva in 1996.
COP 3:
In COP3 in Kyoto in 1997, the legally binding targets were approved of by different countries. They came to be known as the Kyoto Protocol.
It is considered to be one of the most important steps despite its late acceptance for it paved the way for further negotiations through legally binding targets for Annex I countries and establishment of carbon markets.
The mechanisms proposed by Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions included Joint Implementation, Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and Emissions Trading.
COP 4 and COP 5:
In COP4 in 1998 and COP5 in 1999, the rulebook for implementing the Kyoto Protocol was on the process with the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action in COP4, along with continued negotiation efforts in COP5.
COP 7:
In COP7 in Marrakesh in 2001, the guidelines for flexible mechanisms of joint implementation, CDM markets, emissions trading was agreed upon. It came to be known as the Marrakesh Accord.
It was particularly important because mitigation efforts had already started and special attention was given to developing countries.
It asked them to build their capacities and ensuring technology transfer through least developed countries (LDC) Fund, special climate change fund (SCCF) and adaptation fund.
COP 8:
The COP8 in 2002, which was held in “New Delhi”, emphasised on adaptation measures and stressed that poverty alleviation and development were the utmost priority of developing countries.
COP 10:
The future course of action was discussed in COP10 in Montreal in 2005 after Russia ratified the Protocol in 2004 at COP10 in Argentina.
A two-track approach was formed, which included the constructive implementation of UNFCCC as well as formation an ad-hoc committee for the Kyoto Protocol.
COP 15:
Copenhagen COP 2009 was set by the ad-hoc working group on Kyoto protocol formed during Montreal COP 2005.
The group agreed to have a deal in 2009 regarding a legally binding climate regime from 2012-2020.
The discussions lost track when developed countries started advocating for burden-sharing with developing countries.
COP 16:
The disappointment of Copenhagen was turned into an opportunity in Cancun 2010, where the Copenhagen Accord was accepted.
It looked forward to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and established the Cancun Adaptation Framework.
For the first time, atemperature target of 2 degrees Celsius was included. The Green climate fund was formed and developed countries agreed to contribute.
COP 17:
Following Cancun, Durban COP 2011 took place wherein the seed of the Paris Agreement was sown.
The seed started sprouting in Doha COP 2012, where countries decided to avoid the gap between Kyoto and next legal climate regime.
So, the second regime of Kyoto was decided from 2012-2020. The third pillar of loss and damage was incorporated for the first time.
COP 20:
In COP in Lima in 2014, countries submitted their own climate ambitions in the form of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs).
COP 21: The Pathbreaker
In 2015, the Paris agreement was finally adopted and the INDCs were annexed to it.
It was agreed that the Paris agreement would start from 2021.
2015 was known as a year of multilateral agreements because, in addition to the Paris agreement, sustainable development goals and Sendai Framework was also adopted.
2015, therefore, came out to be a successful year.
Post Paris Agreement
The retreat of developed countries: In all these post-2020 talks, developed countries tactfully avoided their pre-2020 commitments by not ratifying the Kyoto protocol.
Post-Paris discussions for the finalization of the Rulebook began.
Most were finalised in 2018, except the market mechanism and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas which are due in COP26 in 2021.
Agenda for next COP in 2021
The next COP will be in 2021 in Glasgow with two sets of agendas for discussion.
The first will be to complete the rule-book of Paris Agreement implementation, whose two aspects regarding Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) architecture and MRV framework are yet to be completed.
The second will be to ensure smooth implementation of the Paris Agreement from 1st January 2021.
Countries are expected to revise their NDCs as the present course of activities is projected to cause an increase in temperature of 2.8-3 C rise.
The situation today: Nothing beyong big promises
China’s recent announcement of achieving net-zero by 2060 comes across as the stepping stone of future climate change mitigation efforts.
Political announcements, however, mean nothing until countries actually share the goals they intend to follow.
On the contrary, India is the only country whose NDCs are in line with the 2 degrees Celsius target.
Another substantial happening in the domain of climate change includes Joe Biden’s promise of joining the Paris Agreement; it would bring the US back to the GCF fund.
| Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM-WANI
Mains level: Internet connectivity, Digital divide
In a bid to improve wireless connectivity, the Union Cabinet approved setting up of the public WiFi was part of the Prime Minister WiFi Access Network Interface (PM- WANI).
Do you know?
According to TRAI, in most major economies, for 50%-70% of their total usage time, mobile users use WiFi technology to communicate. However, in India, this figure is less than 10%.
PM- WANI
The WiFi will be provided through public data offices (PDOs) for which there will be no licence, registration or any other fees.
The PDO, to be set up along the lines of public calling office, can be a mom-and-pop store in the area or the common services centre present in various small towns, gram panchayats, and villages in the country.
The PDOs can either provide the internet on other own or lease it from other telecom and internet service providers.
The centre-stage: Public Data Offices (PDO)
The idea of a PDO was first floated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017.
Like a PCO, the PDO allows users to connect to a public WiFi system for a limited session depending on the internet pack chosen by the user.
These internet packages can either by charged on per minute or per hour basis by the PDOs.
Licensing of PDOs
There will be no licence for PDOs. A simple registration system will be put in place for PDO aggregators as well as app providers, which will be approved within seven days of the application being submitted.
In addition to the PDOs, there will also be PDO aggregators, which will look after the authorisation and accounting of PDOs.
A note for users
A third layer will of app providers, available for download on the Play Store as well as the Apple Store, will enable users to register for using the public WiFi at a particular place.
Users, however, will not be required to download different apps, as a single app will provide seamless connectivity to any PDO across the country.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various IVC sites
Mains level: IVC
A new study has found the presence of animal products, including cattle and buffalo meat, in ceramic vessels dating back about 4,600 years at seven Indus Valley Civilization sites in present-day Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The Karnataka Assembly has passed the controversial Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020, amid protests.
Beef politics has always gained traction in India being a cheap source of protein for masses versus religious sentiments of the fundamentalists.
How was the study conducted?
The study is the first to look into the absorbed lipid residues in pottery from multiple sites, including Rakhigarhi, Farmana and Masudpur.
Lipids are relatively less prone to degradation and have been discovered in pottery from archaeological contexts around the world.
Key findings
The high proportions of cattle bones suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption across Indus populations, supplemented by the consumption of mutton/lamb.
The study found little evidence of dairy products. However, there could be regional differences as a recent study of vessels in Gujarat had found evidence of dairy products.
About 50-60% of domestic animal bones found at Indus Valley sites come from cattle/buffalo.
It says that at Harappa, 90% of the cattle were kept alive until they were three or three-and-a-half years, suggesting that females were used for dairying production, whereas male animals were used for traction.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: BTCA
Mains level: Digital banking facilitation measures
The Union Ministry of Finance and UN-Based Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) organized a joint Peer learning exchange on fintech solutions for responsible digital payments at the last mile.
Make a note here that it is a BTCA is a global partnership with diverse funding, a UN office as its secretariat and Indian being its member.
Better Than Cash Alliance
The BTCA is a global partnership of 75 governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
The United Nations Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat. It was created in September 2012.
The Alliance is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi, MasterCard, Omidyar Network, USAID, and Visa Inc.
By the time it launched, the program was already being rolled out in Peru, Kenya, Colombia, and the Philippines.
India and the BTCA
India became a member of the alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.
The alliance is working with several state governments towards the goal of building knowledge and programs where people, governments, and businesses can make and receive digital payments.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pobitora WLS, Kaziranga NP
Mains level: Rhino protection measures
Too many cattle are robbing the one-horned rhinos of Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, referred to as ‘Mini Kaziranga’ for similar features, of their nutritious food.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Consider the following statements:
Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
About Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
Pobitora WLS is located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam.
It was declared in 1987 and covers 38.85 km2 (15.00 sq mi), providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros.
It provides a habitat and food resource for the Indian rhinoceros, hosting Assam’s second-largest population.
Other mammals occurring in the sanctuary are golden jackal, wild boar and feral water buffalo.
Barking deer, Indian leopard and rhesus macaque live foremost in the hilly parts. It is an Important Bird Area and home for more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles.
Why in news?
Pobitora is running a successful Rhino breeding program within its sanctuary.
It is running under the government as “Indian Rhino vision 2020”.
Back2Basics: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
The KNTPR is a national park in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam.
The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 (now the highest tiger density is in Orang National Park, Assam).
The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Mains level: Paper 2- Lessons to improve healthcare system
Pandemic has been ravaging the world in a way few could have imagined. It highlighted the flaws in our healthcare system. However, it also offers several important lessons for tackling future pandemics and healthcare emergencies.
Where we stand after 1 year of pandemic
About a year after the first cases were reported, we are in a different position than at the start.
Doctors, public health specialists and policymakers have a better sense of the interventions that are required.
Many treatments initially proposed, based on expert experience, have been tested and removed from management strategies even as modified protocols have improved survival rates.
Vaccines have moved even faster than drugs with nearly 40 of them undergoing clinical trials, a dozen of which are at the phase three stage, and at least one has been licensed post-phase three trials under conditional emergency use authorisation (EUA).
This highlights the importance of science, technology, multilateral partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO.
This highlights the importance of science, technology, multilateral partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the WHO.
Takeaways from our response to pandemic
1) Increase investment on health services
The countries which handled the pandemic best (Thailand and Vietnam) have well-functioning health systems designed to deliver primary healthcare services.
These countries also have strong preventive and promotive health services as well as a dedicated public health workforce.
Their governments had made sustained investments in health over decades.
In contrast, countries which focused mainly on hospital centric medical systems struggled.
2) Important role played by health workers
The role of community health workers in recognising, referring and motivating individuals for therapy was remarkable.
Healthcare workers, particularly those at the frontline, such as the accredited social health activists (ASHA) who visited hundreds of households repeatedly during the pandemic.
If we are to build back better, we need to give them better recognition, salaries and career progression.
3) Increase community participation
Third, community trust and participation is essential for implementation of non-pharmacological interventions.
Dharavi in Mumbai is an example of the difference community participation can make.
4) Importance of data
Outside of the immediate response, the need for timely and quality data in a health information system was recognised again during the pandemic.
Without real time data on testing, disease surveillance and other outcomes, tailored responses are near impossible.
The solutions that have brought us hope have come from long-term private or public investments in scientific research and developments.
Conclusion
Future readiness needs to start now, and we have the resources and knowledge to do this — all we need is commitment and that is outlined in the recent National Health Policy 2017 and reiterated in the report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, which for the first time has a dedicated chapter on health.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GDP
Mains level: Paper 3- Recovery of Indian economy and the issue of fiscal conservatism
Overoptimism stemming from the signs of recovery shown by the figures for the second quarter could result in reduced spending and the rollback of the stimulus. However, other features indicate that fiscal conservatism at this moment is not a good idea.
Hype over recovery
India’s economy contracted by 7.5% in the second quarter of financial year 2020-21.
There are two ways to look at that figure:-
1) That figure is far lower than the 23.9% contraction registered in the first quarter of this financial year.
2) A 7.5% second quarter contraction is high both in itself and when compared with most similarly placed countries.
The government, however, has chosen to focus on the unsurprising evidence that GDP rose sharply, by 23%, between the first quarter and the second when restrictions were substantially lifted.
Based on that evidence, the Finance Ministry’s Monthly Economic Report, for November, speaks of a V-shaped recovery reflective of “the resilience and robustness of the Indian economy”.
The danger is that such optimism would provide the justification to avoid adoption of the measures crucially needed to pull the economy out of recession.
India economy is still demand constrained: 3 signs
1) The decline in private final consumption expenditure at constant prices, which accounts for 56% of GDP, has come down from minus 27% in the first quarter to minus 11% in the second, it still remains high.
Though there are signs of a short-run recovery in private consumption demand with the lifting of lockdowns, net incomes and consumer confidence are not at levels that can even restore last year’s levels.
2) As is to be expected, with production restraints relaxed, depleted stocks are being replenished with a fall of 21% in the first quarter turning into an increase in stocking of 6.3% in the second quarter.
3) The decline in fixed capital formation has fallen from a high minus 47% in the first quarter to minus 7% in the second, investment is still falling year-on-year.
These are all signs of an economy that is severely demand constrained, requiring a significant step up in government expenditure.
Impact on spending by the Centre and the States
Figures from the Office of the Controller General of Accounts for the first seven months of 2020-21 (April to October) indicate that the total expenditure of the central government stood at only 55% of what was provided for in the Budget for 2020-21.
In fact, in a non-COVID-19 year, 2019-20, the ratio of actual spending by the central government over April-October relative to that budgeted figure was a higher 59%.
Meanwhile, with Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues having fallen from their lower-than-expected levels during the COVID-19 months, the States have been cash-strapped.
Yet, the government has decided not to compensate them for the shortfall, as promised under the GST regime.
States have been left to fend for themselves by going to market and borrowing at high interest rates, which they would find difficult to cover.
Needless to say, as a consequence, State spending has also been curtailed.
Why government should avoid fiscal conservatism
The loss of jobs and livelihoods that happened during lockdown is sure to affect demand now.
This leads to increased indebtedness and the bankruptcies well after restrictions are relaxed.
So, the tasks of providing safety nets, reviving employment and spurring demand become crucial.
Since the market cannot deliver on those fronts, state action facilitated by substantially enhanced expenditure is crucial.
And since government revenues shrink during a recession, that expenditure has to be funded by borrowing.
This is no time for fiscal conservatism, as governments across the world have come to accept.
Trend suggests that allocations for welfare expenditures — ranging from subsidised food to minimal guaranteed employment — needed to support those whose livelihoods have been devastated by the pandemic, would be reduced over time.
As collateral damage, this frugality in a time of crisis is likely to prolong the recession.
Conclusion
The optimism that a V-shaped recovery is imminent, and that optimism, in turn, would justify the view that fiscal conservatism pays. It does not, as time would tell.
Back2Basics: What is V-shaped recovery?
A V-shaped recovery is characterized by a quick and sustained recovery in measures of economic performance after a sharp economic decline.
Because of the speed of economic adjustment and recovery in macroeconomic performance, a V-shaped recovery is a best case scenario given the recession.
The recoveries that followed the recessions of 1920-21 and 1953 in the U.S. are examples of V-shaped recoveries.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AI and machine learning
Mains level: Paper 3- Artificial intelligence and opportunities for Indian economy
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the Indian economy. In the last few years, India made significant progress in its adoption. However, there are several areas India need to focus on to make the most of what AI offers.
AI adoption and capacity building in India
NITI Aayog’s national strategy for AI envisages ‘AI for all’ for inclusive growth.
NITI Aayog identifies healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart mobility and transportation as focus areas for AI-led solutions for social impact.
The Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments, among others, have announced policies and strategies for AI adoption.
Technology companies have established AI centres of excellence to create solutions for global clients.
India has a thriving AI start-up ecosystem.
Our talent pool in AI/ML (Machine Learning) is fast-growing, with over 5,00,000 people working on these technologies at present.
AI will boost Indian economy
Nasscom believes that data and AI will contribute $450 billion-$500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025, which is around 10% of the government’s aspiration of a $5 trillion economy.
The growing AI economy will create employment opportunity by creating an estimated over 20 million technical roles.
AI can create not just niche solutions to specific problems that banks and other service providers are deploying, such as speeding up loan application processing or improving customer service; it can also provide solutions for better governance and social impact.
AI can create not just niche solutions to specific problems that banks and other service providers are deploying, such as speeding up loan application processing or improving customer service; it can also provide solutions for better governance and social impact.
Way forward: Focus on 3 areas
1)Talent development
In 2019, we nearly doubled our AI workforce to 72,000 from 40,000 the year before.
However, the demand continues to outpace the supply.
That means our efforts to develop talent must pick up speed.
2) Policies around data
Without data, there cannot be AI.
However, we need a balanced approach in the way we harness and utilise data.
We need a robust legal framework that governs data and serves as the base for the ethical use of AI.
3) Providing the right amount of training data
Though the use of digital technologies has gone up, the level of digitisation continues to be low.
This poses a big challenge for organisations in finding the right amount of training data to run AI/ML algorithms, which in turn affects the accuracy of the results.
Then there is the problem of availability of clean datasets.
Organisations need to invest in data management frameworks that will clean their data before they are analysed, thus vastly improving the outcomes of AI models.
Consider the question “What is Artificial Intelligence? How it could help in providing a boost to the India economy?”
Conclusion
The future for AI looks promising but to convert the potential into reality, India will need better strategies around talent development, stronger policies for data usage and governance, and more investments in creating a technology infrastructure that can truly leverage AI.
Mains level: Food fortification and associated issues
As the Odisha government is preparing to launch fortified rice in the Public Distribution System (PDS), some 100 activists have opposed the move.
Q.What is Fortification of Food? Discuss its various advantages and limitations.
What is Fortified Rice?
Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to the rice that adheres to the grains or spraying of the surface of ordinary rice grains with a vitamin and mineral mix to form a protective coating.
Rice can also be extruded and shaped into partially precooked grain-like structures resembling rice grains, which can then be blended with natural polished rice.
Rice kernels can be fortified with several micro-nutrients, such as iron, folic acid and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
These fortified kernels are then mixed with normal rice in a 1:100 ratio, and distributed for consumption.
Its advantage
Fortified staple foods will contain natural or near natural levels of micro-nutrients, which may not necessarily be the case with supplements.
It provides nutrition without any change in characteristics of food or course of our meals.
If consumed on a regular and frequent basis, fortified foods will maintain body stores of nutrients more efficiently and more effectively than will intermittent supplements.
The overall costs of fortification are extremely low; the price increase is approximately 1 to 2 per cent of the total food value.
Issues with fortified food
Fortification and enrichment upsets nature’s packaging. Our body does not absorb individual nutrients added to processed foods as efficiently compared to nutrients naturally occurring.
Supplements added to foods are less bioavailable. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of a nutrient your body is able to absorb and use.
They lack immune-boosting substances.
Fortified foods and supplements can pose specific risks for people who are taking prescription medications, including decreased absorption of other micro-nutrients, treatment failure, and increased mortality risk.
Why did the activists protest?
Vitamin C and calcium are available in abundance in natural food. Vitamin C is water soluble.
If the rice is laced with Vitamin C, it will get washed away while the rice is cleaned before cooking.
It is a futile exercise to add Vitamin C to uncooked rice.
In our traditional cooking practices, lemon juice is squeezed into cooked food before its consumption.
The decision would lead to wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
Note: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. It differs from conventional fortification in that Biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during the processing of the crops.
Regulating fortification
FSSAI has formulated a comprehensive regulation on fortification of foods namely ‘Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016’.
These regulations set the standards for food fortification and encourage the production, manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of fortified foods.
The regulations also provide for the specific role of FSSAI in promotion for food fortification and to make fortification mandatory.
WHO recommends fortification of rice with iron, vitamin A and folic acid as a public health strategy to improve the iron status of population wherever rice is a staple food.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mt. Everest
Mains level: Himalayan Orogeny
Nepal and China jointly announced the new height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 meters.
8,848 metres — the answer to one of the most widely popular quiz questions, and a number drilled into the minds of school students around the world for decades, is set for a revision.
Mt. Everest
Mount Everest or Sagarmatha, Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, is located in the Himalayas between China and Nepal -– the border between them running across its summit point.
Its current official elevation – 8,848.86m – places it more than 200m above the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, which is 8,611m tall and located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The mountain gets its English name from Sir George Everest, a colonial-era geographer who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century.
Considered an elite climbing destination, Everest was first scaled in 1953 by the Indian-Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary.
Try this PYQ:
Q.When you travel to the Himalayas, you will see the following:
Deep gorges
U-turn river courses
Parallel mountain ranges
Steep gradients causing land-sliding
Which of the above can be said to be the evidences for the Himalayas being young fold mountains?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Everest’s first survey
The mission to measure the world’s highest peak was taken up on a serious note in 1847 and culminated with the finding of a team led by Andrew Waugh of the Royal Surveyor General of India.
The team discovered that ‘Peak 15’ — as Mt Everest was referred to then — was the highest mountain, contrary to the then-prevailing belief that Mt Kanchenjunga (8,582 m) was the highest peak in the world.
Another belief, prevailing even today, is that 8,840 m is not the height that was actually determined by the 19th-century team.
That survey, based on trigonometric calculations, is known as the Great Trigonometric Survey of India.
Why is the height being revised?
The height of the summit, however, is known to change because of tectonic activity, such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Its measurement over the decades has also depended on who was surveying.
Another debate is whether the height should be based on the highest rock point or the highest snow point.
Molnupiravir is an experimental antiviral drug which is orally active and was developed for the treatment of influenza.
It is a drug of the synthetic nucleoside derivative N4-hydroxycytidine, and exerts its antiviral action through introduction of copying errors during viral RNA replication.
Molnupiravir is being developed by the biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in collaboration with pharmaceutical firm Merck.
The research team repurposed MK-4482/EIDD-2801 against SARS-CoV-2 and tested it on ferrets.
This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug to rapidly block SARS-CoV-2 transmission and it can be a game-changer.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CO-WIN
Mains level: Vaccination challenges in India
A New Digital platform ‘CO-WIN’ is being used for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery.
Q.India’s first mass adult vaccination drive against COVID-19 is a difficult task. Explain.
CO-WIN
This user friendly mobile app for recording vaccine data is working as a beneficiary management platform having various modules.
The platform will be used for recording vaccine data and will form a database of healthcare workers too.
The app will have separate modules for administrator, registration, vaccination, beneficiary acknowledgement and reports.
Once people start to register for the app, the platform will upload bulk data on co-morbidity provided by local authorities.
In the process of forming database of Healthcare Workers, which is in an advanced stage across all States/UTs, data is presently being uploaded on the Co-WIN platform.
Prioritized group
Prioritized Population Groups include:
Healthcare Workers in both Government and Private Healthcare facilities
Frontline Workers including personnel from state and central police department, armed forces, home guard, civil defence organizations, disaster management volunteers and municipal workers and
Prioritized Age Group, which includes those aged above 50 years & those with co-morbidities
(Note: This is not the sequence, but categorization.)
