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Monetary Policy Committee Notifications

Crypto is not currency, must regulate it as asset: Former RBI DG

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3:

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Cryptocurrencies and Legal Tender Currency

Mains level: Issues with Cryptocurrencies

Former RBI Deputy Governor R. Gandhi made a case for treating and regulating crypto as a separate asset class with a view to enabling governments around the world to effectively deal with illegal activities associated with virtual currencies.

Why in news?

After quite a lot of debate over the years, people have fully understood that crypto cannot be a currency because the fundamental element of a currency that it should be a legal tender is missing in this case.
The general consensus among many policymakers is that it should be deemed as an asset, not as a currency, not as a payment instrument, and not as a financial instrument as there is no clear identified issuer.

What are Cryptocurrencies?

A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange wherein individual coin ownership records are stored in a ledger existing in a form of a computerized database.
It uses strong cryptography to secure transaction records, control the creation of additional coins, and verify the transfer of coin ownership.
It typically does not exist in physical form (like paper money) and is typically not issued by a central authority.
Cryptocurrencies typically use decentralized control as opposed to centralized digital currency and central banking systems.

How does it work?

Cryptocurrencies work using a technology called the blockchain.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology spread across many computers that manage and record transactions.

What is Blockchain Technology?

Simply, blockchain is a decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger.
Blockchains are a new type of network infrastructure (a way to organize how information and value move around on the internet) that creates ‘trust’ in networks by introducing distributed verifiability, auditability, and consensus.
Blockchains create trust by acting as a shared database, distributed across vast peer-to-peer networks that have no single point of failure and no single source of truth.
No individual entity can own a blockchain network, and no single entity can modify the data stored on it unilaterally without the consensus of its peers.

Also read

Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021

Back2Basics: Legal Tender Money

A legal tender is a coin or a banknote that is legally tenderable for discharge of debt or obligation.
Coin of any denomination not lower than one rupee shall be legal tender for any sum not exceeding one thousand rupees.
Fifty paise (a half rupee) coins shall be legal tender for any sum not exceeding ten rupees.
While anyone cannot be forced to accept coins beyond the limits mentioned above, voluntarily accepting coins for amounts exceeding the limits mentioned above is not prohibited.
Every banknote issued by the Reserve Bank of India unless withdrawn from circulation shall be legal tender at any place in India.
₹1 notes issued by the Government of India are also Legal Tender.

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

[pib] What is Pollen Calendar?

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Pollen Calender

Mains level: NA

Chandigarh now has its first pollen calendar, which can identify potential allergy triggers and provide a clear understanding for clinicians as well as allergy sufferers about their causes to help limit their exposure during high pollen loads.

What is a Pollen Calendar?

Pollen calendars represent the time dynamics of airborne pollen present in a particular geographical area.
They yield readily accessible visual details about various airborne pollen present throughout the year in a single picture.

Is this a new concept in India? Where else in the west has this calendar been used?

Though the concept is not essentially new, this is one of the major environmental concerns that had not been addressed for the Indian cities.
Such calendars are location-specific, as pollen concentrations are closely related to locally distributed flora.
Europe, UK and the US are using regional pollen calendars in a big way to prevent and diagnose allergic rhinitis/hay fever and predict the timing and severity of the pollen season.

Why is it important to study pollen?

Pollen grains are male biological structures with the primary role of fertilization, but when inhaled by humans, they may strain the respiratory system and cause allergies.
Pollen found suspended in air can cause widespread upper respiratory tract and naso-bronchial allergy with manifestations like asthma, seasonal rhinitis, and bronchial irritation.
About 20-30 percent of the population suffers from allergic rhinitis/hay fever in India, and approximately 15 percent develop asthma.
Pollen is considered a major outdoor airborne allergen responsible for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis in humans.

What were the key findings?

The study highlights the variability of crucial pollen types in different seasons.
Spring and autumn are two seasons when airborne pollen dominate.
The findings will enhance the understanding of pollen seasons, which will in turn help minimize pollen allergies.

How will a pollen calendar benefit people, especially those who have respiratory issues?

A pollen calendar provides a clear understanding for clinicians, as well as people with allergies to identify the potential allergy triggers and help to limit their exposure during high pollen load season.
The early advisories can be prepared and disseminated through media channels to the citizens so that they can use protective gear during the period when the concentration of allergic pollen will be high.

Does the study infer that gardens and parks in the city contribute to the pollen and thus there must be proper scientific tree plantation?

It is important to involve experts while designing parks.
We should try to plant trees/shrubs that release no or little pollen.
Trees such as palms, nettle, safeda, white mulberry (shahtoot), congress grass, pine, have a high incidence of pollen.

What kind of trees must be grown alongside our roads or in parks?

Plant monoecious plants (male and female flowers on the same plant).
Hibiscus, lilies, and holly that are grown widely in Chandigarh are examples of such plants.
Cucumbers and squashes are also monoecious. Select plants with low to moderate pollen production.
Non-allergic or entomophilous plant species should be chosen to provide an allergen-free atmosphere.
Examples of such plants include rose, jasmine, salvia, Bougainvillea, Raat Rani, and sunflower.

With inputs from:

Indian Express

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Oil and Gas Sector – HELP, Open Acreage Policy, etc.

Places in news: Gulf of Mexico

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Gulf of Mexico

Mains level: NA

An oil spill spanning at least 10 miles has been captured by satellite imagery in waters off the Louisiana coast near the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent.
It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and south by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo; and on the southeast by Cuba.
The US states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, which border the Gulf on the north, are often referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States (in addition to its Atlantic and Pacific coasts).
It is covered with a tangle of pipes, wells and other energy infrastructure, much of it no longer used, as a result of generations of oil extraction there.

Its formation

The Gulf of Mexico took shape approximately 300 million years ago as a result of plate tectonics.
Its floor consists of sedimentary rocks and recent sediments.
It is connected to the part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits between the US and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel between Mexico and Cuba.
Because of its narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf experiences very small tidal ranges.

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Innovations in Sciences, IT, Computers, Robotics and Nanotechnology

Revolution unfolding in data regulation

| Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: DEPA

Mains level: Paper 3-Data protection regulations

Context

A number of countries have been looking to extend their existing data protection frameworks to ensure that users have more effective control over their data than their regulations currently allow.

Measures to unlock the data silos

Benefits: These measures aimed at unlocking data silos will make it easier for data to flow from the entity that currently holds it to any other data business that might want to use it with the permission of the data subject.
In Australia, Consumer Data Right framework will allow consumers in Australia to require any business with which they have a commercial relationship to transfer that data to any other business of their choice.
The first sector in which this new data right is being rolled out in the banking sector, with power set to follow close on its heels.
The EU’s proposed Data Act will create a fairer data economy by ensuring better access to and use of data and is intended to cover both business-to-business and business-to-government transfers of data.
Along similar lines, the EU has also drafted a Data Governance Act to govern the data exchanges and platforms.
It will thus both enable and regulate new data-sharing arrangements that will intermediate the transfer of data from data businesses that currently hold it to those that have been permitted to use it.
Data regulation to protect and utilize data: Regulatory activity seems to suggest that it is not enough to protect data if you cannot also ensure that this data is effectively utilized.

What are the issues with regulation measures?

1) Law and regulation cannot keep pace with technology

Technology determines how data is collected, processed and used, and, by extension, the manner in which it is transferred.
Decades of trying to regulate technology businesses have taught us that laws and regulation simply cannot keep pace with changes in technology.
No matter how fast we move, if the only weapon we are using to regulate technology is the law, we will be doomed to play catch-up forever.
These new consumer-centric measures are likely to fail if they are to be implemented solely through legislation.

2) Data transfers in the absence of a legal framework can lead to problems in India

India has adopted a slightly different approach to data transfers known as the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA).
DEPA offers a technology-based solution for consent-based data flows, allowing users to transfer their data from data businesses that currently hold them to those that want to use them.
Last week, the country’s Account Aggregator framework—the first implementation of DEPA—went live in the financial sector.
It too suffers from infirmities that could threaten its success.
India still does not have a data protection regulation and implementing a technological solution for data transfers in the absence of a legal framework could lead to new problems.

Way forward: Techno-legal approach

Use techno-legal approach to regulate: Technology businesses are most effectively regulated through a judicious mix of law and technology—strong, principle-based laws to provide the regulatory foundation, with protocol-based guardrails to ensure compliance.
Seven countries came together to endorse a techno-legal approach to data regulation.
If successful, this would be the first global attempt to adopt a techno-legal solution for data-transfer regulation.

Consider the question “There is growing appreciation in regulatory circles that it is not enough to protect data if you cannot also ensure that this data is effectively utilized” In light of this, examine the challenges in regulation of data while ensuring its safe transfer for utilisation.”

Conclusion

Techno-legal solution offers effective ways to deal with the problems of data regulation and data transfer.

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PPP Investment Models: HAM, Swiss Challenge, Kelkar Committee

Consequences of asset monetisation on ordinary citizens

op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NMP

Mains level: Paper 3- Asset monetisation issues

Context

In the Budget for 2021-22, the Finance Minister had announced the Government’s decision to monetise operating public infrastructure assets. The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) was unveiled, which shows that the Government intends to raise ₹6-lakh crore over the next four years by monetising several “core assets”.

Four issues with NMP

1) Assets transferred would be performing assets and not idle asset

Strategic and significant asset: The Government has identified “performing assets” to transfer to private entities and these are both strategic and significant.
These include over 26,700 kilometres of highways, 400 railway stations, 90 passenger trains etc.
Moreover, existing public sector infrastructure in telecoms, power transmission and distribution and petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas pipelines are included in the NMP.
Under the NMP, the Government intends to lease or divest its rights over these assets via long-term leases against a consideration that can be upfront and/or periodic payments.

2) Consequences for ordinary citizens

There are two dimensions about the impact on common citizens.
Public as a stakeholder: The assets have all been created through substantial contribution by the tax-paying public, who have stakes in their operation and management.
Double taxation: These assets have, until now, been managed by the Government and its agencies, which operate in public interest.
Therefore, charges borne by the public for using these assets have remained reasonable.
With private companies getting the sole responsibility of running all these assets, prices of these services will go up, as resutl the citizens of this country would be double-taxed.
First, they paid taxes to create the assets, and would now pay higher user charges.
Concern: Therefore, as the Government prepares to transfer “performing assets” to the private companies, it has the responsibility to ensure that user charges do not price the consumers out of the market.

3) Are there other avenues to plug the revenue gap?

Increase tax revenue: One possibility was to increase the tax revenue, for at 17.4% in 2019-20, India’s tax to GDP ratio was relatively low, as compared to most advanced nations.
Improvements in tax compliance and plugging loopholes have long been emphasised as the surest way to improve tax revenue, but little has been done, as the following example shows.
Since 2005-06, the Government has been providing data on the profits declared and taxes paid by companies that file their returns electronically.
Data shows that India’s large companies have been exploiting the loopholes for reporting lower profits and to escape the tax net.

4) Efficiency issue

According to NITI Aayog, the “strategic objective of the Asset Monetisation programme is to unlock the value of investments in public sector assets by tapping private sector capital and efficiencies”.
The NITI Aayog objective assumes that public sector enterprises are inefficient, which is contrary to the reality.
In 2018-19, while 28% of these enterprises were loss-making, the corresponding figure for large companies was 51%.

Consider the question “How asset monetisation is different from the privatisation? What are the issues with the National Manetisation Pipeline that seeks to monetise the assets?”

Conclusion

The government should address the issues mention here associated with the roll out of the National Monetisation Pipeline to make it a success.

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Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

Spirit of federalism lies in consultation

op-ed snap | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Federalism

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Concurrent List

Mains level: Paper 2- Federalism and Concurrent List

Context

Recently, various State governments raised concerns about Central unilateralism in the enactment of critical laws on subjects in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule.

Objection of the state against Centre legislating on the subject in Concurrent List without consulting States

Unilateral legislation on subjects in Concurrent list: Kerala Chief Minister stated that it is not in the essence of federalism for the Union government to legislate unilaterally, on the subjects in the Concurrent List.
Encroaching on powers of States: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister raised the issue by calling on other Chief Ministers against the Union government encroaching on powers under the State and Concurrent Lists.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution against the controversial farm laws.

Background of the Concurrent List

The Concurrent List gives the Union and the State Legislatures concurrent powers to legislate on the subjects contained in it.
Purpose of Concurrent List: The fields in the Concurrent List were to be of common interest to the Union and the States, and the power to legislate on these subjects to be shared with the Union so that there would be uniformity in law across the country.

Union government extending its control on subjects in the Concurrent List and State list

1) Farm laws: Encroaching on the powers of States

Parliament passed the farm laws without consulting the States.
State List subject: The laws, essentially related to Entry 14 (agriculture clause) belonging to the State List.
However, Parliament passed the law citing Entry 33 (trade and commerce clause) in the Concurrent List.
Against legal principle set by the Supreme Court: The Supreme Court, beginning from the State of Bombay vs F.N. Balsara case, said that if an enactment falls within one of the matters assigned to the State List and reconciliation is not possible with an entry in the Concurrent or Union List after employing the doctrine of “pith and substance”, the legislative domain of the State Legislature must prevail.

2) Major Port Authorities Act 2021 and Indian Ports Bill: Centre taking away the power of State

The Major Ports Authorities Act, 2021, was passed by Parliament earlier this year.
Goa objected to the law, stating that it would lead to the redundancy of the local laws.
Concurrent List subject: When it comes to non-major ports, the field for legislation is located in Entry 31 of the Concurrent List.
The Indian Ports Act, 1908, presently governs the field related to non-major ports.
As per the Indian Ports Act, 1908, the power to regulate and control the minor ports remained with the State governments.
The new draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021, proposes the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC), which is overwhelmingly controlled by the Union government.

3) Electricity (Amendment) Bill,2020: Centre taking away powers of State

Various States like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also come forward against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The field related to electricity is traceable to Entry 38 of the Concurrent List.
The power to regulate the sector was vested with the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), members of which were appointed by the State government.
The proposed amendment seeks to establish National Selection Committee, dominated by members nominated by the Union government that will make appointments to the SERCs.
The amendment also proposes the establishment of a Centrally-appointed Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA).
In effect, the power to regulate the electricity sector would be taken away from the State government.

Way forward

Consultation with States: The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), or the Venkatachaliah Commission, had recommended that individual and collective consultation with the States should be undertaken through the Inter-State Council established under Article 263 of the Constitution.
Coordination of policy and action in concurrent jurisdiction: The Sarkaria Commission Report had recommended that there should be a coordination of policy and action in all areas of concurrent or overlapping jurisdiction through a process of mutual consultation.
Limit powers to ensuring uniformity: The Sarkaria Commission further recommended that the Union government, while exercising powers under the Concurrent List, limit itself to the purpose of ensuring uniformity in basic issues of national policy and not more.
Responsibility of Centre: The Supreme Court itself had held in the S.R. Bommai vs Union of India case, the States are not mere appendages of the Union.
The Union government should ensure that the power of the States is not trampled with.

Consider the question “There has been instances of protest by the State government against Centre legislating unilaterally on subjects in Concurrent List. What are the implications of this for the federalism? Suggest the way forward.”

Conclusion

The essence of cooperative federalism lies in consultation and dialogue, and unilateral legislation without taking the States into confidence will lead to more protests on the streets.

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Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

New Code for Creditors (CoC) under IBC

| Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Code for Creditors (CoC)

Mains level: Various reforms under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)

The insolvency regulator has called for public comments on a proposal to introduce a code of conduct for Committees of Creditors (CoC), of companies undergoing insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Before proceeding, try this PYQ first:

Q. Which of the following statements best describes the term ‘Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)’, recently seen in the news? (CSP 2017)

(a) It is a procedure for considering the ecological costs of developmental schemes formulated by the Government.

(b) It is a scheme of RBI for reworking the financial structure of big corporate entities facing genuine difficulties.

(c) It is a disinvestment plan of the Government regarding Central Public Sector Undertakings.

(d) It is an important provision in ‘The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code’ recently implemented by the Government.

Post your answers here.

About IBC

The IBC, 2016 is the bankruptcy law of India that seeks to consolidate the existing framework by creating a single law for insolvency and bankruptcy.
It is a one-stop solution for resolving insolvencies which previously was a long process that did not offer an economically viable arrangement.
The code aims to protect the interests of small investors and make the process of doing business less cumbersome.

Key features

Insolvency Resolution: The Code outlines separate insolvency resolution processes for individuals, companies, and partnership firms. The process may be initiated by either the debtor or the creditors. A maximum time limit, for completion of the insolvency resolution process, has been set for corporates and individuals.

For companies, the process will have to be completed in 180 days, which may be extended by 90 days, if a majority of the creditors agree.
For startups (other than partnership firms), small companies, and other companies (with assets less than Rs. 1 crore), the resolution process would be completed within 90 days of initiation of request which may be extended by 45 days.

Insolvency regulator: The Code establishes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, to oversee the insolvency proceedings in the country and regulate the entities registered under it. The Board will have 10 members, including representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Law, and the RBI.

Insolvency professionals: The insolvency process will be managed by licensed professionals. These professionals will also control the assets of the debtor during the insolvency process.

Bankruptcy and Insolvency Adjudicator: The Code proposes two separate tribunals to oversee the process of insolvency resolution, for individuals and companies:

National Company Law Tribunal: for Companies and Limited Liability Partnership firms; and
Debt Recovery Tribunal: for individuals and partnerships

What is the recent development?

Ans. Code of conduct for Committees of Creditors (CoC)

A CoC is to be composed of financial creditors to the Corporate Debtor (CD) — or operational creditors in the absence of unrelated financial creditors.
Under the IBC, CoC is empowered to take key decisions, including decisions on haircuts for creditors, that are binding on all stakeholders, including those dissenting.
The CoC is also empowered to seek and choose the best resolution plan for a corporate debtor from the market, and its role is vital for a timely and successful resolution for a CD.
The IBBI noted that a code of conduct for CoCs would promote transparent and fair working on the part of CoCs.

What are the issues that the code of conduct is seeking to address?

Several cases in which certain lenders have withdrawn funds from a CD undergoing insolvency proceeding and contributed to delays in the insolvency process.
Delays in resolution are seen as contributing to the loss of value in corporate debtors and have become a key criticism of the IBC, with over 75 percent of proceedings having crossed the 270-day timeline.
The IBBI highlighted cases in which representatives of lenders have had to seek approval from seniors for decisions such as an appointment of resolution professionals.
IBBI has recommended that a code of conduct require that members of the CoC nominate representatives with sufficient authorization to participate in meetings and make decisions during the process.
The regulator also highlighted cases where lenders have withdrawn funds from a corporate debtor during insolvency or liquidation proceedings.

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Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Govt must constitute GST tribunal: SC

| Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: GST

Mains level: GST Appellate Tribunal

The Supreme Court has warned that the government had no option but to constitute the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Appellate Tribunal.

What is GST Appellate Tribunal?

The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) is the second appeal forum under GST for any dissatisfactory order passed by the First Appellate Authorities.
The National Appellate Tribunal is also the first common forum to resolve disputes between the centre and the states.
Being a common forum, it is the duty of the GST Appellate Tribunal to ensure uniformity in the redressal of disputes arising under GST.
It holds the same powers as the court and is deemed Civil Court for trying a case.

Constitution of the GST Appellate Tribunal

The GSTAT has the following structure:

National Bench: The National Appellate Tribunal is situated in New Delhi, constitutes a National President (Head) along with 2 Technical Members (1 from Centre and State each)
Regional Benches: On the recommendations of the GST Council, the government can constitute (by notification) Regional Benches, as required. As of now, there are 3 Regional Benches (situated in Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad) in India.
State Bench and Area Bench

Why in news now?

The GST tribunal has not been constituted even four years after the central GST law was passed in 2016.
Section 109 of the GST Act mandates the constitution of the Tribunal.
Citizens aggrieved are constrained to approach respective High Court and the same was overburdening the work of the High Courts.

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Back2Basics: Goods and Services Tax

The GST is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption.
It was launched into operation on the midnight of 1st July 2017.
It subsumed almost all domestic indirect taxes (petroleum, alcoholic beverages, and stamp duty are the major exceptions) under one head.
The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses selling the goods and services.
GST is levied at four rates viz. 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. The schedule or list of items that would fall under these multiple slabs is worked out by the GST council.

Types

The GST to be levied by the Centre is called Central GST (CGST) and that to be levied by the States is called State GST (SGST).
Import of goods or services would be treated as inter-state supplies and would be subject to Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) in addition to the applicable customs duties.

The GST Council

It is a constitutional body (Article 279A) for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to GST.
The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
It is considered as a federal body where both the centre and the states get due representation.

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Labour, Jobs and Employment – Harmonization of labour laws, gender gap, unemployment, etc.

Right to Sit to be mandated in Tamil Nadu

| Polity | Mains Paper 2: Parliament & State Legislatures

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Right to Sit

Mains level: Labour reforms

The Tamil Nadu government has tabled a Bill in the Legislative Assembly making it mandatory for establishments to provide seating facilities for employees.

Right to Sit

The Right to Sit is aimed to benefit thousands of employees of large and small establishments, particularly those working in textile and jewelry showrooms.
Persons employed in shops and establishments in the State are made to stand throughout their duty time resulting in varied health issues.
The bill mandates for every premises of establishments to have suitable seating arrangements for all employees so that they may take advantage of any opportunity to sit in the course of their work.
This would avoid the ‘on their toes’ situation throughout the working hours.

Inspired from Kerala

A few years ago, workers of textile showrooms in Kerala had gone on a protest demanding the ‘Right to Sit’, prompting the government there to amend the Kerala Shops and Establishments Act in 2018.
This in turn provided seating arrangements for them.

A move for women

Most owners of shops and other retail outlets forbid women, the bulk of the shop workforce, to sit.
Even leaning against a wall was punished. They have varicose veins and joint pain from standing.
Toilet breaks were strictly limited. This has led to urinary infections, kidney problems.

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International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

Inspiration4: SpaceX’s first all-civilian space mission

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Inspiration4 Mission

Mains level: Human spaceflights

SpaceX has announced its ‘Inspiration4’ mission, the first all-civilian, non-governmental spaceflight, for launch.

What is Inspiration4?

Inspiraton4 is a part of an effort to raise funds for pediatric treatment and research facility that focuses on children’s catastrophic diseases, particularly leukemia and other cancers.
The mission involves circling the Earth for three days and then splashing down into the Atlantic Ocean.
Inspiration4 will orbit the Earth at 575km, higher than the International Space Station (408km) and the Hubble space telescope (547km).
This will be the farthest distance travelled by a crewed mission since 2009, when astronauts last went to repair the Hubble.
The Dragon module that the group will be using has also been modified for the mission.
Usually, the SpaceX module is used for travelling to the ISS, where it has to dock or join the floating laboratory.

UPSC may ask an MCQ asking: Which of the following is/are the space missions related to human flights? It may throw up 4-5 options (which we all get confused at after few months) like Cassini , InSight , Messanger, Voyager etc.

Key feature: Dome window

Since Inspiration4 is not going to the ISS, the docking port has been removed and has been replaced with a dome window instead.
This dome window will offer breath-taking views of the Earth for the four travellers.
The window has been inspired by the Cupola, a module on the ISS used to make observations about our planet.

Why is the mission significant?

According to a report in the Independent, the journey will present an opportunity for collecting large amounts of health data that will aid in planning future crewed space missions.
As per the report, they will collect data on ECG (electrocardiograph) activity, movement, sleep, heart rate, and rhythm, blood oxygen saturation, cabin noise and light intensity, which will help in assessing behavioral and cognitive changes over the journey.
The travelers will undergo balance and prescription tests just before and after their journey to assess their response to the change in gravity.
The immune system function will also be monitored by collecting blood. Their organ systems will also be monitored by an AI-powered ultrasound device.

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Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries Sector – Pashudhan Sanjivani, E- Pashudhan Haat, etc

Odisha’s Manda buffalo gets unique, indigenous tag

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Economics Of Animal-Rearing

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Indigenous bovine species

Mains level: Not Much

The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has recognized the Manda buffalo, found in the Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region of Odisha, as the 19th unique breed of buffaloes found in India.

Manda Buffalo

The Manda are resistant to parasitic infections, less prone to diseases and can live, produce and reproduce at low or nil input systems.
These buffaloes have ash grey and grey coat with copper-coloured hair.
The lower part of the legs up to the elbow is light in colour with copper colour hair at the knee. Some animals are silver-white in colour.
Four breeds of cattle — Binjharpuri, Motu, Ghumusari and Khariar — and two breeds of buffalo — Chilika and Kalahandi — and one breed of sheep, Kendrapada, have already received NBAGR recognition.

Their economic significance

The small, sturdy buffaloes are used for ploughing in their native habitat of the Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts.
There are around 1,00,000 buffaloes of this breed in the native tract mostly contributing to the family nutrition of households and assisting in all the agricultural operations in the undulated hilly terrain for generations.
The average milk yield of these buffaloes is 2 to 2.5 litres in single milking with more than 8% fat. However, a few of those yield up to 4 litres.
After going through the findings, the NBAGR made an assessment and recognised it as an indigenous and unique buffalo.

Now pls do not ignore this PYQ:

Q.What is/are unique about ‘Kharai Camel’, a breed found in India?

It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater.

It survives by grazing on mangroves.

It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Post your answers here.

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Reform in India’s reservation system

| Governance | Mains Paper 2: Government Scheme/Policies

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Article 14,15,16

Mains level: Paper 2- Need for reforms in India's reservation system

Context

While it is undeniable that affirmative action has been one of the protagonists of Indian democracy’s success stories, these have also accumulated a fair share of problems and call for immediate policy attention and debate.

Problems with the current policy of reservation

With the reservation of seats in political and public institutions of the state, it was thought that the hitherto marginalised groups would be able to find place in the power sharing and decision-making processes.
This strategy of removal of disabilities has not translated into an equalisation of life chances for many groups in our heterogeneous society.

What are the problems?

1) Problem of reification

The Justice G. Rohini Commission’s report on the sub-categorisation of OBCs based on the last five years’ data on central government jobs and OBC admissions to central higher education institutions highlights this problem.
The commission concluded that 97% of central OBC quota benefits go to just under 25% of its castes.
As many as 983 OBC communities — 37% of the total — have zero representation in both central government jobs and admissions to central universities.
Also, the report states that just 10% of the OBC communities have accrued 24.95% of jobs and admissions.
Clearly, the assumption that the disadvantages of every sub-group within each category are the same is severely misplaced.
Consequently, asymmetrical distribution of reservation has severely deterred political projects of unified subaltern solidarity.

2) Insufficiency of data

There is a dire need of accurate data pertaining to the socio-economic condition of different social groups.
Though caste-based reservations have been pivotal in animating upward social mobility we hardly have sufficient data about the actual reach and access of this policy measure.
We do not know what liberalisation has done to castes which remained tied to more traditional sources of income and were incapable of realising the new opportunities provided by the opening of the economy.
What is urgently required is a mechanism that can address this lacuna and make the system more accountable and sensitive to intra-group demands.

Way forward

Since every further categorisation will only lead to reification and fragmentation in the long run, two things are required.
Evidence based policy option: We need to develop a wide variety of context-sensitive, evidence-based policy options that can be tailored to meet specific requirements of specific groups.
Institution: We need an institution alike the Equal Opportunities Commission of the United States or the United Kingdom which can undertake two important but interrelated things:
1) Make a deprivation index correlating data from the socio-economic-based census of different communities.
2) Undertake an audit on performance of employers and educational institutions on non-discrimination and equal opportunity and issue codes of good practice in different sectors.
This will make the formulation of policy and its monitoring simpler at an institutional level.
Similar suggestions were made a decade ago in the recommendations that the expert committee for an Equal Opportunities Commission (2008) made in its comprehensive report that it submitted to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Conclusion

As evident, a socio-economic caste-based census becomes a necessary precondition to initiate any meaningful reform in the affirmative action regime in India.

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Disinvestment in India

National monetisation pipeline has narrow outlook

op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NMP

Mains level: Paper 3- Issues with National Monetisation Policy

Context

Recently, FM announced the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) to lease a slew of “brownfield” (already developed) but underutilised public sector assets to the private sector with the objective of raising Rs 6 lakh crore.

About the NMP

The assets identified for lease include roads, railways, ports, power, mining, aviation, oil and gas pipelines, warehouses, hotels and even two sports stadia.
The idea is to create “structured public-private partnerships” to unlock value from public sector assets and to recycle the revenues so raised into new infrastructure.
But the move raises several concerns.

3 concerns with NMP

1) Government is preferring financial value of assets over public welfare

The design of the NMP is out of sync with existential challenges — global warming, pandemics, geopolitical chaos and fundamentalism.
The assets are valued on the basis of conventional financial metrics (enterprise value, book value, net present value, the costs of comparable assets).
The model seemingly absolves the government from the responsibility to unlock the intrinsic “social” (to include “smart” and “clean” ) value of these assets.

2) It will lead to concentration of capital

NMP is designed to attract deep-pocketed financial institutions (PE firms) and industrial conglomerates.
This is because the valuations are so high that few other entities will have the resources or the risk carrying capacity to respond.
The result will be a deepening of the concentration of capital and existing inequalities.
There will be economic and social implications.

3) Addressing the system problem

The government should have asked itself a fundamental question before placing a substantial share of public assets on the block:
Why have these assets been so poorly managed?
Was it because of bad leadership, inadequate talent within the PSEs, and/or systemic and structural shortcomings?
If the reason for low productivity was poor leadership or lack of talent, the transfer of these assets to a different, private sector-led organisational and investment structure would make sense.
Structural issues: But if the reason had to do with structural impediments, then such a change may not be warranted, at least not in the first instance.
The example, gas pipelines GAIL are hugely underutilized, but this is not because of the “inefficiency” of GAIL, the PSE operator.
It is because of structural factors such as the shortage of domestic gas supplies; the regressive taxation system; the relatively uncompetitive price of gas and the perennial tussle between the Centre and state governments over land access.
A similar point can be made about most of the other assets identified for monetisation.
Their low productivity is because their PSE operators have faced a combination of systemic hurdles related to weak dispute resolution mechanisms; regulatory miasma; lack of transparency in governance; pricing distortions and intrusive bureaucratic intervention.
Way forward: So, until and unless these systemic problems are addressed, the private sector will find it difficult to harness the full value of these assets and the transfer of operatorship to them will offer at best a partial palliative.

Conclusion

Private-public investment structures make sense, but they must be modeled to also generate social value. In today’s world, there are no shortcuts to sustainable development.

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Hunger and Nutrition Issues – GHI, GNI, etc.

The nutrition-hygiene link

op-ed snap | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Environmental enteropathy

Mains level: Paper 2- Addressing the nutrition problem through WASH

Context

A recent UNICEF report stated that nearly 12 lakh children could die in low-income countries in the next six months due to a decrease in routine health services and an increase in wasting. Nearly three lakh such children would be from India.

Problem of nutrition in India and factors responsible for it

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5) indicates that since the onset of the pandemic, acute undernourishment in children below the age of five has worsened.
According to the latest data, 37.9 per cent of children under five are stunted, and 20.8 per cent are wasted — a form of malnutrition in which children are too thin for their height.
Comparison with other countries: This is much higher than in other developing countries where, on average, 25 per cent of children suffer from stunting and 8.9 per cent are wasted.
Factors: Inadequate dietary intake is the most direct cause of undernutrition.
Several other factors also affect nutritional outcomes, such as contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation, and unhygienic living conditions.
According to the World Health Organisation, 50 per cent of all mal- and under-nutrition can be traced to diarrhoea and intestinal worm infections.
Nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are intricately linked, and changes in one tend, directly or indirectly, to affect the other.
Poor hygiene and sanitation in developing countries lead to a sub-clinical condition called “environmental enteropathy” in children.
Environmental enteropathy is a disorder of the intestine which prevents the proper absorption of nutrients, rendering them effectively useless.
Childhood diarrhoea is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, leading to high mortality in children under five.
According to NFHS 4, approximately 9 percent of children under five years of age in India experience diarrhoeal disease.

Way forward

Investment in WASH: The link between WASH and nutrition suggests that greater attention to, and investments in, WASH are a sure-shot way of bolstering the country’s nutritional status.
Addressing nutrition sanitation problems together: Both WASH and nutrition must be addressed together through a lens of holistic, sustainable community engagement to enable long-term impact.
One of the first instances of the link between WASH and nutrition appeared in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, which urges states to ensure “adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking water” to combat disease and malnutrition.
Safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and hygiene can significantly reduce diarrhoeal and nutritional deaths.
Multistructural approach: What we require is a coordinated, multisectoral approach among the health, water, sanitation, and hygiene bodies, not to mention strong community engagement.
WHO has estimated that access to proper water, hygiene, and sanitation can prevent the deaths of at least 8,60,000 children a year caused by undernutrition.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, all sides are working towards a common goal: A safe and healthy population and the hope that the 75th year of Independence becomes a watershed moment in India’s journey.

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BRICS Summits

BRICS

op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: BRICS summits headed by India

Mains level: Paper 2- BRICS and challenges

Context

The 13th BRICS summit is set to be held on September 9 in digital format under India’s chairmanship

Challenges and opportunities for BRICS

The importance of BRICS is self-evident: it represents 42% of the world’s population, 30% of the land area, 24% of global GDP and 16% of international trade.
Weathering geopolitical challenges: Member states have been carrying BRICS forward in an era of complex geopolitics.
They have bravely continued holding dozens of meetings and summits, even as India-China relations were strained after Galwan valley incident.
Internal challenges: There is also the reality of the strained relations of China and Russia with the West, and of serious internal challenges preoccupying both Brazil and South Africa.
On the other hand, a potential bond emerged due to the battle against COVID-19.
Challenges to trade ties: BRICS has been busy deepening trade and investment ties among its member states.
The difficulty stems from China’s centrality and dominance of intra-BRICS trade flows.
How to create a better internal balance remains a challenge, reinforced by the urgent need for diversification and strengthening of regional value chains.
China’s aggression: Beijing’s aggressive policy, especially against India, puts BRICS solidarity under exceptional strain.
Lack of support: BRICS countries have not done enough to assist the Global South to win their optimal support for their agenda.

Does BRICS truly matter?

The grouping has gone through a reasonably productive journey.
Acts as a bridge: It strove to serve as a bridge between the Global North and Global South.
It developed a common perspective on a wide range of global and regional issues.
It established the New Development Bank; created a financial stability net in the form of Contingency Reserve Arrangement; and is on the verge of setting up a Vaccine Research and Development Virtual Center.

Immediate goals: 4 priorities

As the current chair, India has outlined four priorities.
Reforms of multilateral institutions: The first is to pursue reform of multilateral institutions ranging from the United Nations, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the World Trade Organization and now even the World Health Organization.
Reform needs global consensus which is hardly feasible in the current climate of strategic contestation between the U.S. and China and the devastation caused by COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Indian officials rightly remind us that BRICS emerged from the desire to challenge dominance (by the U.S.) in the early years of the century, and it remains committed to the goal of counter-dominance (by China) now.
Combating terrorism: Tragic developments concerning Afghanistan have helped to focus attention sharply on this overarching theme, stressing the need to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action.
China, for example, feels little hesitation in supporting clear-cut denunciations of terrorist groups and supports Pakistan, which is host to several international terrorist groups.
BRICS is attempting to pragmatically shape its counter-terrorism strategy by crafting the BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan.
Counter Terrorism Action Plan contains specific measures to fight radicalisation, terrorist financing and misuse of the Internet by terrorist groups.
Technology and digital solution: Promoting technological and digital solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals and expanding people-to-people cooperation are the other two BRICS priorities.

Conclusion

It is necessary for leaders, officials and academics of this grouping to undertake serious soul-searching and find a way out of the present predicament.

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RBI Notifications

Indian Banks join ‘Account Aggregators Network’

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Account Aggregators

Mains level: Read the attached story

Eight of India’s major banks — State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDFC First Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank and Federal Bank has joined the Account Aggregator (AA) network that will enable customers to easily access and share their financial data.

What is an Account Aggregators (AA)?

According to the RBI, an AA is a non-banking financial company engaged in the business of providing, under a contract, the service of retrieving or collecting financial information pertaining to its customer.
It is also engaged in consolidating, organizing, and presenting such information to the customer or any other financial information user as may be specified by the bank.
The AA framework was created through an inter-regulatory decision by RBI and other regulators.
These regulators include SEBI, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) through an initiative of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).
The license for AAs is issued by the RBI, and the financial sector will have many AAs.
The framework allows customers to avail themselves of various financial services from a host of providers on a single portal based on a consent method, under which the consumers can choose what financial data to share and with which entity.

What does an AA do?

Reduce bank traffic: It reduces the need for individuals to wait in long bank queues, use Internet banking portals, share their passwords, or seek out physical notarization to access and share their financial documents.
Data security: An AA is a financial utility for the secure flow of data controlled by the individual.
Data flow: AA is an exciting addition to India’s digital infrastructure as it will allow banks to access consented data flows and verified data.
Reduced cost: This will help banks reduce transaction costs, which will enable us to offer lower ticket size loans and more tailored products and services to our customers.
Transaction security: It will also help us reduce fraud and comply with upcoming privacy laws.

How does it work?

It has a three-tier structure:

Account Aggregator
FIP (Financial Information Provider) and
FIU (Financial Information User)

A FIP is the data fiduciary, which holds customers’ data. It can be a bank, NBFC, mutual fund, insurance repository, or pension fund repository.
An FIU consumes the data from a FIP to provide various services to the consumer.
An FIU is a lending bank that wants access to the borrower’s data to determine if the borrower qualifies for a loan.
Banks play a dual role – as a FIP and as an FIU.
An AA should not support transactions by customers but should ensure appropriate mechanisms for proper customer identification.
An AA should share information only with the customer to whom it relates or any other financial information user as authorized by the customer

What purpose does it serve?

AA creates secure, digital access to personal data at a time when Covid-19 has led to restrictions on physical interaction.
It reduces the fraud associated with physical data by introducing secure digital signatures and end-to-end encryption for data sharing.
These capabilities in turn open up many possibilities.
For instance, whereas physical collateral is usually required for an MSME loan, with secure data sharing via AA, ‘information collateral’ (or data on future MSME income) can be used to access a small formal loan.
HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have been using AA for auto loans, Lending Kart for MSME loans, and IndusInd Bank for personal finance management.

What data can be shared?

An Account Aggregator allows a customer to transfer his financial information pertaining to various accounts such as banks deposits, equity, mutual fund, and pension funds to any entity requiring access to such information.
There are 19 categories of information that fall under ‘financial information, besides various other categories relating to banking and investments.
For sharing of such information, the FIU is required to initiate a request for consent by way of any platform/app run by the AA.
Such a request is received by the individual customer through the AA, and the information is shared by the AA, after consent is obtained.
The AA framework is an excellent initiative that will compile all the digital footprints of the customer in one place and make it easy for lenders like us to access it.
It will enable us to provide very quick turnarounds to our customers.

Can an AA see or store data?

Data transmitted through the AA is encrypted. AAs are not allowed to store, process and sell the customer’s data.
No financial information accessed by the AA from a FIP should reside with the AA.
It should not use the services of a third-party service provider for undertaking the business of account aggregation.
User authentication credentials of customers relating to accounts with various FIPs shall not be accessed by the AA.

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-Russia

Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS)

| International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: RELOS

Mains level: Various logistics agreement mentioned

India is all set to conclude the bilateral logistics agreement with Russia soon while the agreement with the U.K. is in the final stages of conclusion.

What is Logistics Agreement?

The agreements are administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement simplifying logistical support and increasing operational turnaround of the military when operating away from India.
India has signed several logistics agreements with all Quad countries, France, Singapore and South Korea beginning with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the U.S. in 2016.

Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS)

RELOS gives India access to Russian facilities in the Arctic region which is seeing increased global activity as new shipping routes open up and India’s own investments in the Russian Far East.
In addition, it comes at a time when both nations are looking at significantly scaling up the already broad military-to-military cooperation.

The RELOS is likely to be signed in a month or two while the one with the U.K. is in the final stages and should see a conclusion soon.

Foundational agreements with the US

India has now signed all four foundational agreements with the US, LEMOA in 2016, Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018 and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA)in 2020.
While the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was signed a long time ago, an extension to it, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA), was signed in 2019.
India now has access to encrypted communication systems from the U.S. under COMCASA and to geospatial information through BECA which cumulatively have been beneficial.
The agreements with the US and those with Australia and Japan have been especially beneficial as they also operate several common military platforms along with India’s increasing share of U.S. origin platforms.

Back2Basics:

BECA

BECA will help India get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence that will enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones.
Through the sharing of information on maps and satellite images, it will help India access topographical and aeronautical data, and advanced products that will aid in navigation and targeting.

LEMOA

LEMOA was the first of the three pacts to be signed in August 2016.
LEMOA allows the militaries of the US and India to replenish from each other’s bases, and access supplies, spare parts and services from each other’s land facilities, air bases, and ports, which can then be reimbursed.
LEMOA is extremely useful for India-US Navy-to-Navy cooperation since the two countries are cooperating closely in the Indo-Pacific.

COMCASA

COMCASA was signed in September 2018, after the first 2+2 dialogue during Mrs. Swarajs’ term as EAM.
The pact allows the US to provide India with its encrypted communications equipment and systems so that Indian and US military commanders, and the aircraft and ships of the two countries, can communicate through secure networks during times of both peace and war.
The signing of COMCASA paved the way for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India to facilitate “interoperability” between their forces.

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

What is Wood Wide Web?

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Wood wide web

Mains level: Not Much

Plants appear to be simple enough in their organization. Whether small shrubs or tall trees, all they seem to be made up of is leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, and roots. But simple they are not. Being rooted in one spot has required very special personality traits.

Wood Wide Web

Trees in the forest share resources by using an underground network.
A scientist from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Suzanne Simard, revealed this network and called it the wood wide web.
In the wood wide web, mycorrhizal fungi colonize the plant roots, and their tiny fungal filaments, or mycelia, connect hairy root tips of different trees together.
Mycorrhizal fungi refer to the role they play in the plant’s root system—as symbionts.
These root-associated fungi are harmless to plants. Instead, they form harmonious symbiotic relationships with plants.

An ancient association

The association between plants and fungi is ancient.
Fossils of plants from about 400 million years ago show the first evidence of roots, and these roots are fungus associations – rhizoids – suggesting that roots co-evolved with fungi.
One good example is species of Penicillium, the fungus from which Alexander Fleming isolated the antibiotic penicillin.
Fungus–root associations, called mycorrhizae, appear at first glance to be simple mutualisms that are beneficial to both.
The root-invading fungus gains nutrients made by the plant, and the plants get difficult-to-find minerals like phosphorus from the microbe. But the association is deeper.

How does it work?

The wood wide web works by offering a win-win situation for all parties: mycorrhizal fungi and trees.
The fungal filaments transport nitrogen, phosphorous, water, and other hard-to-capture nutrients from the soil to the trees, in exchange for carbon-rich sugars made by the plants.
The fungi also help deliver substances from one tree to its neighboring trees.
By using the network, mature trees feed their seedlings with nutrients to boost their survival.
When a plant is sick or dying, it can allocate its nutrients to the other plants nearby through the wood wide web.

Benefits offered

Bacteria that associate with roots are called rhizobacteria, and a very wide range of these species are plant growth promoters.
Like the fungi, mutualism operates in these relationships too. In exchange for sugars, these bacteria offer plants a wide range of benefits.
They may help plants ward off pathogens that cause diseases of the root. They may even trigger systemic resistance to a pathogen throughout the plant.

Back2Basics: Symbiotic Relationship

Parasitism

It is a type of interaction between two species that results in damage and harm to one member and benefit to another member.
Ex. As in the case of the tick-host relationship, the tick gains benefit by sucking blood while the host is harmed as it loses blood.

Commensalism

In this type of relationship one species benefits without affecting the other.
Barnacles growing on the back of the whale, orchids growing as an epiphyte on some mango branch, cattle egret and grazing cattle in close association, Sea anemone, and the Clown Fish are some of the classic examples of Commensalism.

Amensalism

In this relationship, one species is harmed while the other is neither harmed nor benefitted and remains unaffected.
When an organism excretes the chemicals as a part of the normal metabolism of its own, but which may severely impact other nearby species, this kind of relationship is seen.

Mutualism

In this type of relationship both the partners benefit from one another. When similar interaction occurs within a species, it is known as cooperation.
Lichens a mutual relationship between algae and fungus. In this mutual cooperation, fungus gives protection and raw material for the preparation of the food while Green Algae synthesizes the food for both.

Saprophytism

In this kind of biotic interaction, certain organisms live on dead and decaying organic matter.
Dung Beetles, Vultures, Fungi, Bacteria, Protozoa are the example of Saprophytism.

Predation

In this type of biological interaction, a predator feeds upon its prey and in this type of relationship, one species is benefitted while the other is harmed.

Competition

In this type of interaction both the species compete with each other for the resources like food, shelter, mating, and both the species get harmed out of the process of competition.

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Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

Visva-Bharati University

Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Vishwa Bharati University

Mains level: Not Much

The Calcutta High Court has directed that there can be no protest by the students within 50 meters of academic buildings at Visva-Bharati University.

Visva-Bharati

Visva-Bharati is a central research university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India.
It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva-Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India.
Until independence, it was a college.
Soon after independence, the institution was given the status of a central university in 1951 by an act of the Parliament.

Its history

The origins of the institution date back to 1863 when Debendranath Tagore was given a tract of land by the zamindar of Raipur, zamindar of Kirnahar.
He set up an ashram at the spot that has now come to be called chatim tala at the heart of the town.
The ashram was initially called Brahmacharya Ashram, which was later renamed Brahmacharya Vidyalaya.
It was established with a view to encouraging people from all walks of life to come to the spot and meditate.
In 1901 his youngest son Rabindranath Tagore established a co-educational school inside the premises of the ashram.
From 1901 onwards, Tagore used the ashram to organize the Hindu Mela, which soon became a center of nationalist activity.

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Food Safety Standards – FSSAI, food fortification, etc.

Why India’s Steady Exports Are At A Record High?

op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NMP

Mains level: Paper 3- Need for export facilitation

Context

First-quarter growth in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) stands at 20.1 %. This however still means that GDP in the first quarter was 9.2 % below its level two years ago.

Export: Challenges

The key driver of growth in the coming quarters will be exports riding on the rapidity of recovery in major markets.
There are two serious worries here.
1) Bullwhip element: This could cause an immediate ramp-up in demand for steel and other such upstream elements in global supply chains, with a corresponding damp down in the months to come.
In this connection, although the rates under the scheme for remission of duties and taxes on exported products (RODTEP) were finally notified in mid-August.
Steel, pharma and chemicals get no rebate at all, although many products using these inputs do.
The scheme looks like a subsidy to selected sectors disguised as duty rollback, which can get India into trouble at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
These excluded products need the rebate if they are to survive in a fiercely price-competitive global market in the months to come.
2) Container shortage: A crippling shortage of sea-borne containers has afflicted key large-volume products in the Indian export basket (tea, basmati rice, furniture, garments).
Sea-freight subsidy: At a time when container rates have shot up, there is surely a case for a sea-freight subsidy (for a limited period).
Even more urgently, the estimated 25,000-30,000 containers locked up at different ports owing to customs disputes need to be unloaded into warehouses and these containers freed.

Can National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) spur growth?

Even if the expected ₹88,000 crore of revenue under NMP is realized during the current year, it is intended to feed only a small part of the infrastructure expenditure budgeted for the year.
It is the latter that will have to drive growth. Monetization is merely a funding source.
The scheme offers a participation incentive to states with a 33% matching transfer from the Centre for revenues that states realize under the scheme.
This matching transfer could well have the perverse consequence of states under-achieving the potential value realizable.
Volume II of the NMP document refers to the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure announced in October 2020.
It offered states an interest-free loan with bullet repayment after 50 years to complete stalled capital projects, or settle the outstanding bills of contractors.
The NMP demands clear and well-thought-through processes, with sufficient transparency and safeguards in the form of regulatory structures.

Conclusion

For now, the need of the hour is export facilitation.

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