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MAHITHI MONTHLY JANUARY-2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATE NEWS
Malnutrition rears its head in b'luru city kids: study........................................................................... 6
centre's delay hits karnataka rural jobs.............................................................................................. 8
centre may cut karnataka's tax share by rs 5,000 cr ........................................................................... 8
former karnataka governor tn chaturvedi passes away .................................................................... 10
flood relief from centre ................................................................................................................... 10
BANGALORE IAS ACADEMY & NAMMAKPSC ACADEMY |VIJAYANAGAR |HEBBAL |
markandeya reservoir ..................................................................................................................... 11

karnataka pushes for kannada primacy in banks .............................................................................. 12
karnataka intensifies rch measures to lower imr.............................................................................. 13
panel urges karnataka govt to hike quota for sts ............................................................................. 14
k'taka-run agency to propel labourers' overseas dreams ................................................................. 14
jobs outnumber graduates in karnataka .......................................................................................... 15
veteran kannada scholar m chidananda murthy .............................................................................. 15
niti aayog meets pvt colleges in state .............................................................................................. 16
karnataka far from vision 2020 goals ............................................................................................... 17
cauvery wildlife sanctuary ............................................................................................................... 18
sagarmala........................................................................................................................................ 18
mental health hospitals see second most readmissions ................................................................... 19
bustard, vulture conservation.......................................................................................................... 20
justice report 2019 .......................................................................................................................... 21
go green this budget ....................................................................................................................... 21
skills mission: .................................................................................................................................. 22
karnataka anti-superstition law ....................................................................................................... 23
surveillance in bengaluru for coronavirus ........................................................................................ 24
anubhava mantapa to be part of republic day parade...................................................................... 25
pradhan mantri rashtriya bal puraskar............................................................................................. 25
kadugolla custom ............................................................................................................................ 25
bendre national award .................................................................................................................... 27
karnataka ashram schools ............................................................................................................... 27
‘one nation, one road tax’ ............................................................................................................... 28
karnataka’s first tribal museum ....................................................................................................... 28
anaemia-free status: karnataka ranked 4th ..................................................................................... 29
new airport in tumakuru or kolar..................................................................................................... 30
blue corner notice ........................................................................................................................... 30
udan scheme ................................................................................................................................... 31
NATIONAL NEWS
POLITY
tougher law against sexual harassment at work .............................................................................. 32
nia act, 2008 .................................................................................................................................... 33
article 131 of the constitution ......................................................................................................... 34
minority educational institutions ..................................................................................................... 35
voting at the gst council .................................................................................................................. 36
revised norms for data-led probes ................................................................................................... 38
internet shutdowns ......................................................................................................................... 39
make in india................................................................................................................................... 39
curative petition .............................................................................................................................. 40
access to internet a fundamental right ............................................................................................ 41
island development agency (ida) ..................................................................................................... 42
classical language ............................................................................................................................ 42
© www.NammaKPSC.com |Vijayanagar | Hebbal 1

saansad adarsh gram yojana (sagy).................................................................................................. 43

pravasi bharatiya divas 2020 ........................................................................................................... 44
indian digital heritage (idh) initiative ............................................................................................... 44
telecommunication consumers education and protection fund ....................................................... 45
saksham fuel conservation campaign .............................................................................................. 45
disqualification power of speakers .................................................................................................. 46
the four phases of constitutional interpretation .............................................................................. 46
legislative council ............................................................................................................................ 48
comprehensive bodo settlement agreement ................................................................................... 49

criminalistaion of politics ................................................................................................................. 50
police commissionerate system ....................................................................................................... 52
rashtriya uchchatar shiksha abhiyan ................................................................................................ 53
national data and analytics platform (ndap) .................................................................................... 53
fame india ....................................................................................................................................... 55
ujala, slnp ........................................................................................................................................ 55
one nation one ration card scheme ................................................................................................. 57
netscofan-network .......................................................................................................................... 58
nishtha programme ......................................................................................................................... 59
youth co:lab .................................................................................................................................... 59
scientific social responsibility policy................................................................................................. 60
mani mobile app rbi ........................................................................................................................ 61
rojgaar sangi.................................................................................................................................... 61
indian cyber crime coordination center (i4c).................................................................................... 61
e-mobility mission ........................................................................................................................... 62
pragati platform .............................................................................................................................. 63
gati portal ....................................................................................................................................... 63
bhuvan panchayat ........................................................................................................................... 64
bru refugees .................................................................................................................................... 65
university for transgender community............................................................................................. 66
bhil tribe ......................................................................................................................................... 66
odisha- tribes .................................................................................................................................. 66
india’s under-5 mortality ................................................................................................................. 67
pregnancy termination bill .............................................................................................................. 68
corona virus .................................................................................................................................... 69
tb eradication .................................................................................................................................. 70
lysosomal storage disorders (lsd) ..................................................................................................... 71
ECONOMY
national infrastructure pipeline ....................................................................................................... 72
middle income trap ......................................................................................................................... 73
hsn code.......................................................................................................................................... 74
consumer price inflation.................................................................................................................. 75
world trade organisation and us ...................................................................................................... 76
telangana industrial health clinic ..................................................................................................... 77
the need for a single energy ministry............................................................................................... 77
fdi in coal mining ............................................................................................................................. 79
liberalise norms for entry into coal mining....................................................................................... 79
easing mining leases ........................................................................................................................ 80
national strategy for financial inclusion (nsfi)................................................................................... 81
open acreage licensing policy .......................................................................................................... 82
assam inland water transport project .............................................................................................. 82
imf growth projection...................................................................................................................... 83

air india disinvestment .................................................................................................................... 83

forex reserves ................................................................................................................................. 84
rbi new transparency initiative ........................................................................................................ 85
technology to curb market manipulations ....................................................................................... 85
scheme for fpi investments in debt.................................................................................................. 86
farmers’ innovation fund ................................................................................................................. 86
the women business and the law (wbl) 2020 index .......................................................................... 87
annual crime in india report 2018 .................................................................................................... 88
aser report 2019.............................................................................................................................. 89

state energy efficiency index 2019................................................................................................... 90
global economic prospect- world bank ............................................................................................ 91
global talent competitiveness index ................................................................................................ 92
global corruption perception index .................................................................................................. 92
world employment and social outlook: trends 2020 ........................................................................ 93
global risks report 2020 ................................................................................................................... 94
carbon disclosure project ................................................................................................................ 95
social mobility index ........................................................................................................................ 96
global wealth inequality .................................................................................................................. 97
death penalty annual statistics ........................................................................................................ 98
global investment trend monitor report .......................................................................................... 99
democracy index ............................................................................................................................. 99
SCIENCE AND TECH
gaganyaan mission ........................................................................................................................ 101
project netra ................................................................................................................................. 102
indian data relay satellite system (idrss) ........................................................................................ 102
gsat-30 .......................................................................................................................................... 103
satellite communication technology for learning outcomes ........................................................... 104
drdo young scientists laboratories ................................................................................................. 104
indian science congress ................................................................................................................. 105
new and emerging strategic technologies ...................................................................................... 105
indian cobra genome sequenced ................................................................................................... 105
oldest material on earth ................................................................................................................ 106
xenobot......................................................................................................................................... 107
centre of excellence (coe) in block chain technology ..................................................................... 107
yarrabubba crater ......................................................................................................................... 108
spitzer mission .............................................................................................................................. 108
thirty metre telescope ................................................................................................................... 109
vyom mitra.................................................................................................................................... 109
navic navigation system ................................................................................................................ 110
polycrack technology..................................................................................................................... 111
drosophila ..................................................................................................................................... 112
h9n2.............................................................................................................................................. 112
yada yada virus.............................................................................................................................. 113
tejas light combat aircraft (lca) ...................................................................................................... 113
saras mk2 ...................................................................................................................................... 113
naseem-al-bahr ............................................................................................................................. 114
operation sankalp.......................................................................................................................... 114
sahyog-kaijin ................................................................................................................................. 115
submarine-launched ballistic missile k-4 ........................................................................................ 115
brahmos-armed su-30mki ............................................................................................................. 116
operation vanilla ........................................................................................................................... 116

anti-satellite (a-sat) missile and the air defence tactical control radar (adtcr) ................................ 117
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
smog tower ................................................................................................................................... 119
statement on climate of india during 2019 .................................................................................... 119
blue flag beaches........................................................................................................................... 120
australia wildfires .......................................................................................................................... 121
green credit scheme ...................................................................................................................... 122
seismic hazard microzonation project............................................................................................ 123
iucn red listing ............................................................................................................................... 124

community resources .................................................................................................................... 124
kaziranga wetland bird count ........................................................................................................ 125
miyawaki method.......................................................................................................................... 126
new energy performance standards for air conditioners................................................................ 126
rising carbon dioxide levels may double floods .............................................................................. 127
snake eel ....................................................................................................................................... 127
african cheetahs ............................................................................................................................ 128
archaea ......................................................................................................................................... 128
coral restoration technique ........................................................................................................... 129
palau sunscreen ban...................................................................................................................... 129
ramsar sites................................................................................................................................... 130
tiger mortality reduced.................................................................................................................. 130
odisha’s ghodahada reservoir ........................................................................................................ 131
extraocular vision .......................................................................................................................... 132
bhitarkanika census ....................................................................................................................... 132
irrawaddy dolphins........................................................................................................................ 133
white rhino.................................................................................................................................... 133
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
kalapani issue with nepal............................................................................................................... 134
the head of iran’s elite quds force killed by us ............................................................................... 134
jus cogens ..................................................................................................................................... 135
year of the nurse and the midwife 2020 ........................................................................................ 136
china myanmar economic corridor ................................................................................................ 136
india china and jammu and kashmir .............................................................................................. 137
taiwan ........................................................................................................................................... 138
reciprocating territory ................................................................................................................... 139
india helps maldives tackle measles............................................................................................... 139
sagarmatha dialogue ..................................................................................................................... 140
treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (npt) .............................................................. 140
icj ruling on rohingyas ................................................................................................................... 142
oslo peace accord .......................................................................................................................... 143
donald trump’s peace plan for israel and palestine ........................................................................ 143
saarc ............................................................................................................................................. 145
ART AND CULTURE
bharatnatyam ............................................................................................................................... 147
jallikattu ........................................................................................................................................ 147
bojjannakonda-budhist site ........................................................................................................... 148
bhima koregaon ............................................................................................................................ 148
savitribhai phule ............................................................................................................................ 149
lord curzon .................................................................................................................................... 149
ashfaqullah khan ........................................................................................................................... 150
manilal doctor ............................................................................................................................... 151

STATE ISSUES
Anti-Defection Law
In News: The Karnataka by-election results
have widely put to display the ineffectiveness
of the Anti-Defection Law. Of the 17
defecting Congress-Janata Dal (Secular)
MLAs, 11 were re-elected.

Background:
 Aaya Ram Gaya Ram was a phrase that
became popular in Indian politics after a
Haryana MLA Gaya Lal changed his party
thrice within the same day in 1967. The
anti-defection law sought to prevent such political defections which may be due to reward
of office or other similar considerations.
Anti- defection law

 The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985.
 It lays down the process by which
o legislators may be disqualified
o on grounds of defection
o by the Presiding Officer of a legislature
o based on a petition by any other member of the House.
 What is defection? - A legislator is deemed to have defected
o if he either voluntarily gives up the membership of his party or
o disobeys the directives of the party leadership on a vote. This implies that a
legislator defying (abstaining or voting against) the party whip on any issue can
lose his membership of the House.
 The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.
 How was defections made on genuine ideological differences safeguarded? -
o It accepted “split” within a party - if at least one-third of the members of the
legislative party defect. However, the 91st Constitutional Amendment
introduced in 2003 deleted the provision allowing split.
o and allowed the formation of a new party or “merger” with other political
party - if not less than two-thirds of the party’s members commit to it.
 The 91st Amendment also barred the appointment of defectors as Ministers until their
disqualification period is over or they are re-elected, whichever is earlier.
 But, such laws have not put to rest the trend of defections.
Loopholes:
 Resignation as MLA was not one of the conditions. Exploiting this loophole, the 17
rebel MLAs in Karnataka resigned, their act aimed at ending the majority of the ruling
coalition and, at the same time, avoiding disqualification.
 Speaker’s power- However, the Speaker refused to accept the resignations and
declared them disqualified. This was possible as the legislation empowers the

presiding officer of the House (i.e. the Speaker) to decide on complaints of defection
under no time constraint.
• The law originally protected the Speaker’s decision from judicial review.
However, this safeguard was struck down in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu
and Others (1992).
• While the SC upheld the Speaker’s discretionary power, it underscored that
the Speaker functioned as a tribunal under the anti-defection law,
thereby making her/his decisions subject to judicial review.
• This judgment enabled judiciary to become the watchdog of the anti-

defection law, instead of the Speaker, who increasingly had become a
political character contrary to the expected neutral constitutional role.
 The same could be witnessed in Shrimanth Balasaheb Patel & Ors vs Speaker
Karnataka Legislative Assembly & Ors (2019), where the three-judge SC bench upheld
the then Karnataka Speaker’s decision of disqualification of the 17 rebel MLAs.
 However, it struck down his ban on the MLAs from contesting elections till 2023,
negating the only possible permanent solution to the problem.
 The Supreme Court played the role of a neutral umpire in this political slugfest. But,
the spectacle of MLAs hoarded in a bus, and being sent to a resort, openly exposed
not just the absence of ideological ties between a leader and his party, but also her/his
weak moral character.
 The trend of public acceptance of such malpractices as part of politics acts against
constitutional values.
Way ahead:
 The main issue, as witnessed in Karnataka, is that the defectors treat disqualification
as a mere detour, before they return to the House or government by re-contesting.
 This can only be stopped by extending the disqualification period from re-contesting
and appointment to Chairmanships/Ministries to at least six years.
 The minimum period limit of six years is needed to ensure that the defectors are not
allowed to enter the election fray for least one election cycle, which is five years.
 Still MLAs can be bought from the ruling dispensation to bring it to a minority by being
paid hefty sums, simply to stay at home for six years.
 Almost every political outfit has been party to such devious games, with hardly any
political will to find a solution.
 The need of the hour is strong political will.
Model Mains Question: Anti-defection largely failed to meet its objective in the recent past,
Comment.
Malnutrition rears its head in B'luru city kids: Study

In News: Malnutrition isn’t a condition confined to rural
areas said a study conducted on children in Bengaluru by the
Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR)
 The study — ‘Household Consumption Pattern and
Nutritional Status Of Children In Anaganwadis’ at
Dommansandra, Bellandur and Mandur — was
conducted earlier this year as a prelude for
interventions made by NGO United Way.

What does the study reveal?

 Researchers found that 10% of the children surveyed were severely stunted, 16%
severely wasted and 10% severely stunted.
 The study took into account the anthropometric measurements of a child. After
measuring the children’s height and weight, it was realized that malnutrition was a
concern even in a developed state like Karnataka.
 The researchers also interacted with the kids’ families to examine diet patterns. Most
of the affected children were born to young mothers who had their first baby around
20.
 When the mothers are married off young, their nutrition is at stake. Many women are
anaemic. This leads to low birth weight in children and hence malnourishment.
 Researchers found that there was no dietary diversity in the families of such children.
They consumed pulses and cereals, mostly eaten with rice. They had white rice for
most of their meals. In some cases, a form of flavoured white rice was consumed even
for breakfast.
 The children didn’t consume any other grains, and the minimal consumption of fruits,
vegetables and greens was another concern.
 The study also found that 55% consumed readily available sugar-laden drinks almost
every day.
 The research suggested medical attention for such children as they showed a higher
tendency of falling sick. As most families did not have access to a diet chart, Indian
Institute of Health Management and Research, said awareness must be created about
low-cost, easily available nutritional snacks.

Centre's delay hits Karnataka rural jobs

In News: Unskilled labourers have not been paid
Fact box
wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Under the MGNREGA, unskilled
Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the past
labourers are provided
three months and Karnataka is mounting pressure on
employment for 100 days a year.
the Centre for the release of Rs 2,700 crore required
Karnataka increased this by 50
for rural job creation
days this year because of floods

More on the topic:
and drought.
 Karnataka has targeted creating 12 crore person-
Unskilled labourers employed
days of work by the end of 2019-20 fiscal. But the
under MGNREGA are paid Rs 249 a
state is facing a severe slowdown in rural job
day.
creation under the flagship scheme — from
Wages are paid by the Centre in
generating five lakh person-days a day, it has
full, while material costs are
plummeted to about 1.60 lakh.
shared between the Centre and
Reason for the delay
state in a 75:25 ratio.
 According to the Rural Development & Panchayat
Raj (RDPR) department, the Centre owes
Karnataka Rs 2,784 crore towards wage and material payments. This is the major reason
for the slowdown in the scheme.
 The slump in agricultural activity in August and September due to the floods also
contributed.
 According to sources, the Union Ministry of Rural Development has been raising,
repeatedly, several queries on the state’s request for the release of funds, adding to the
delay.
Karnataka scenario
 Previously, Karnataka released Rs 803 crore from its own coffers to ensure timely wage
payments “and the same is yet to be reimbursed”, the government pointed out.
 In 2018-19, Karnataka generated 10.45 crore person-days. This year, against the 12 crore
target, the state has achieved 8.77 crore person-days.
 Barring Koppal, Chikkamagaluru, Chikballapur, Ballari, Gadag and Raichur that are above
the 80% mark in generating person-days against the target, the remaining 24 districts
appear to be falling behind. Towards the end of December, over 32 lakh assets had been
created across the state under MGNREGA, most of which have been geotagged as
required.
Centre may cut Karnataka's tax share by Rs 5,000 cr

In News: Karnataka’s financial position may be adversely affected as the Centre has indicated
a reduction of Rs 5,000 crore from the divisible pool of central taxes for 2020-21 fiscal.
More on the topic:
 The feared cut in tax devolution along with the delay in payment of GST compensation
of Rs 7,000 crore and funds for other Centrally-sponsored schemes will hamper
development work as the state will be left with limited space to make fiscal manoeuvres.
 This will have a bearing on the state’s budget that is scheduled to be presented on March
5.

 The Centre had estimated devolution of Rs 39,806 crore to Karnataka in the February 2019
Union Budget. The amount shrunk by Rs 1,672 crore to Rs 38,134 crore in the July 2019
Union Budget. Of the Central taxes devolved by the Centre, 4.71% is allotted to Karnataka.
Reason for the cut:
 Decrease in non-GST tax collection due to the ongoing economic slowdown was the
reason for the cut in devolution to the states.
What would be its effects on Karnataka?
 Delay in the release of funds for Centrally-sponsored schemes has also affected
Karnataka.
 Similarly, several Centre-assisted projects under the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj
Department, Women and Child Development department and others are also under
jeopardy due to the fund crunch faced by the Centre.
 Karnataka is stretching itself fiscally as it has had to bear much of the expenditure toward
flood relief and rehabilitation from its coffers.
Recommendations of fifteenth finance
commission
 Weightage compared to 14thth FFC -
o Population of a state – reduced from 17.5% to
15%
o Demographic performance- increased from
10% to 12.5%.
o “tax effect"(new)- 2.5%
o Income distance (how much lower or higher
than the national average a state is) - reducing
from 50% to 45%.
o geographical area- same 15% assigned
o forest and ecology - 7.5% to 10%.
Impact
 The FFC, while determining the vertical devolution,
has effectively reduced the share of states from 42%, which was applicable for 29 states,
to 41%, which is applicable to 28 states.
 A part of the change in the relative share of the states may be on account of the change
in criteria and weights for what is called the horizontal devolution. Unlike its predecessor,
the 15th Finance Commission has used the 2011 Census as the sole criteria for population
but has reduced the weight for population to 15% from the earlier 27.5%.
 Consequent to the recommendations of the FFC, the tax share of most southern states,
including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka, has come down, while the share of
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Gujarat has gone up.
 It has also reduced the weight of income distance from
50% to 45% to provide higher devolution to the states
with lower per capita income.
 Demographic performance and tax effort have been
brought in as parameters to reward the states performing
better on both these counts. Through the new mix of
parameters, the 15th Finance Commission has sought to
address concerns that some of the states that had

managed to control the pace of population expansion were being ‘penalised’ for this
achievement.
What does the constitution say?
 The Constitution mandates that the Centre share the tax proceeds with the states,
which also tap other revenue sources such as VAT on petrol and diesel, stamp duty
and excise on alcohol. The formula for sharing revenues is decided by the Finance
Commission every five years.
 This time, however, the 15th Finance Commission will decide the formula for six
years.
Former Karnataka Governor TN Chaturvedi passes away

In News: Former Karnataka governor Triloki Nath Chaturvedi (90), after prolonged illness
due to old age, passed away .
 TN Chaturvedi served in the Indian Administration Service (IAS) and after retirement,
he headed Comptroller and Auditor General of India office from 1984 to 1989.
 He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1991. Later, Chaturvedi went on to become Rajya
Sabha MP in the 1990s and served in several parliamentary committees before holding
the office of Karnataka Governor in 2001. He also briefly took charge of Kerala governor's
duties.
Flood relief from Centre

In News: The Centre approved Rs 669.85 crore to Karnataka under the National Disaster
Response Fund (NDRF) for relief works in flood and landslide hit areas of the state.
More on the topic:
 A high-level committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah approved the
sanctioning of funds to states hit by floods and landslides in August last year during the
South-West Monsoon season.
 Karnataka faced two spells of flooding due to unprecedented rainfall in catchment areas
of River Krishna, resulting in a combined death toll of 137 people, apart from widespread
damage to property and crops.
 According to a release, Karnataka has received the highest amount of funds from the
Centre among the 13 flood-hit states.
State Disaster Response Fund
 The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the
Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary fund available with State
Governments for responses to notified disasters.
 The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for general category
States/UTs and 90% for special category States/UTs (NE States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir).
 The annual Central contribution is released in two equal installments as per the
recommendation of the Finance Commission. SDRF shall be used only for meeting the
expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims.
Disaster (s) covered under SDRF:
 Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche,
cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves.

Local Disaster:
 A State Government may use up to 10 percent of the funds available under the SDRF
for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to
be ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the
notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs subject to the condition that
the State Government has listed the State specific natural disasters and notified clear
and transparent norms and guidelines for such disasters with the approval of the State
Authority, i.e., the State Executive Authority (SEC).
National Disaster Response Fund

 The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), constituted under Section 46 of the
Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements SDRF of a State, in case of a disaster of
severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in SDRF.
Markandeya reservoir
In News: Karnataka said the constructing reservoirs on
Markandeya river near Yargol Village in Kolar district will not
adversely affect Tamil Nadu.
What Karnataka has to say ?
 The state, in its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court to
counter Tamil Nadu's petition, said that the purpose of
building reservoir was to supply drinking water to Kolar
city, Bangarpet and Malur towns and around 45
villages. Earlier, Tamil Nadu filed an interlocutory application in the Apex Court seeking
direction to Karnataka to restrain from building a reservoir on Markandeya River alleging
that since the river was tributary of Pennaiyar River, any construction of the dam by
Karnataka would obstruct natural flows to the downstream.
 Karnataka also said that Tamil Nadu cannot request the top court to restrain the state
from pumping 22 MLD (million litres per day) of water to fill up Hosakote tank from
Yellamallappa Chetty tank.
 This project was completed in 2011 and nine years after the completion, Tamil Nadu
cannot request the court to prevent using and to fill up the water.
 Yellamallapa Chetty tank receives sewage water from Bengaluru out of the drinking water
supplied from the Cauvery river.
 Treated sewage water is being lied from Yellamallapa Chetty tank to Hosakote tank only
for recharging underground water.
What Tamil nadu says?
 Tamil Nadu claimed that since Markandeya River is tributary of Pennaiyar River, any
construction of the dam by Karnataka would obstruct natural flows to the
downstream. Since a large number of people in Tamil Nadu depend upon Pennaiyar
river water for irrigation as well as drinking purpose, the livelihood of lakhs of farmers
in Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts would
be affected with the construction of dam.
 Tamil Nadu also argued that constructing reservoirs in one of the tributaries of
Pennaiyar was a violation of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act.

Karnataka pushes for Kannada primacy in banks

In News: In a big boost to the
#ServiceInMyLanguage campaign, the government
has asked banks in the state to give primacy to
Kannada in delivery of services to customers,
including redoing their signboards to make the local
language look prominent.
More on the topic:

 This is in response to repeated complaints from
customers that bank employees, especially in
rural areas, do not speak Kannada, which causes
inconvenience.
 Laying emphasis on Kannada in banks was on the agenda of the State Level Bankers’
Committee (SLBC) meeting held recently.
 Banks have been asked to ensure their employees know Kannada, have websites in
Kannada and that Kannada should be a part of materials such as challans and application
forms.
 Even in urban branches, if banks want their services to be flawless, Kannada should be
used, including in ATMs. Karnataka has 41 banks (commercial and regional rural banks)
and there are 11,286 branches, many of which are located in rural or semi-urban areas.
 A letter has been sent to all bankers to conduct training programmes for employees,
especially those working in the front-end, to make sure they have working knowledge of
Kannada.
 If not three languages, forms should be issued in Kannada and English at least . Also, the
government has asked banks to see if their signboards can have 60% display for Kannada.
#ServiceInMyLanguage
 #ServiceInMyLanguage is a popular campaign demanding service in the local language. In
the banking sector, pro-Kannada groups have been rallying for more Kannadigas to get
banking jobs through the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).
 In July 2019, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that recruitment
exams for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) will be held in 13 regional languages, including
Kannada.
 But campaigners continue to press for reverting to the pre-2014 IBPS recruitment rule
that mandated proficiency in the local language. Non-Kannadigas bag most jobs because
of the focus on Hindi and English, the campaigners argue.

Karnataka intensifies RCH measures to lower IMR

In News: Three months ago, when the sample registration survey (SRS) 2017 was released,
it showed that Karnataka’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) had increased by a notch from 24
(per 1,000) in 2016 to 25. The IMR would come down by two points in 2018 survey, thanks to
the effective implementation of reproductive and child health activities (RCH) in the state.
More on the topic
 Child health wing in the state health department say that inputs from the Management
Information System (MIS) of Sick Neonatal Care Units (SNCUs) show that Neonatal
Mortality Rate (NMR) that accounts for 70% of the
infant mortality rate is reducing. What is IMR?
 The state’s neonatal mortality rate is 18. IMR is the number of deaths of
Who releases the data? children aged less than one year
 The Office of the Registrar General every year per 1,000 live births.
releases dependable demographic data derived
from a large cohort of people on indicators like
population growth, fertility and mortality in the SRS report.
 In the backdrop of a large number of infant deaths in Kota, Rajasthan, IMR in other
states has assumed significance. The state had an IMR of 28 in 2015 and 24 in 2016. This
is far better than the national average of 33.
What has been done?
 “We are strengthening our 44 SNCUs to lower infant mortality rate. Be it equipment,
training of staff nurses or human resource. Neonatal mortality rate has neither increased
nor decreased in the last two years, according to SRS reports. But, going by the data
furnished by SNCU MIS, death rate is definitely decreasing,”
Cause for IMR?
 The main cause of NMR is premature childbirths before completing 36 weeks of
pregnancy. This leads to respiratory distress, low birth weight or infections.
 Another major cause of NMR in the state is birth asphyxia. “If there is a delay in delivery,
it causes birth asphyxia. So we are focusing on timely referrals from lower primary health
centres to our centres
Measures
 To contain premature births focus should beon the spacing between childbirths, antenatal
check-ups and prevention of infections.
 Apart from this, antenatal corticosteroids usage is being advocated for those who are at
risk of having premature babies..
 Union government’s initiative ‘LaQshya’ (Labour room Quality Improvement Initiative)
is being implemented in all public health centres to reduce newborn mortality and
morbidity due to haemorrhage, retained placenta, eclampsia, obstructed labour and new-
born sepsis. The initiative aims at improving the quality of care during the delivery and
immediately after, stabilise complications and enable an effective two-way follow-up
system.

Panel urges Karnataka govt to hike quota for STs

In News: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), which met with officials of
the Social Welfare Department, has urged the state government to increase the reservation
provided to the ST community.
More on the topic:
 The Commission's suggestion comes even as a committee headed by Justice Nagamohan
Das is currently studying a demand for increase of reservation for the community from
the existing 3% to 7.5%.

 The Commission had discussed the issue with the Social Welfare Department, Karnataka,
asking officials to expedite the process.
 The government would take a call based on the Nagamohan Das Committee's report.
Background
 In June last year, the then Kumaraswamy-led coalition government constituted the Justice
Nagamohan Das Committee, after protests from members of the Valmiki community for
an increase in reservation to 7.5%.
 At present, Karnataka provides 15% reservation for SCs, 3% for STs and 32% for other
backward classes (OBC).
 The national commission also urged the state government to ensure permanent faculty
in all the 824 residential institutions run by the department.
K'taka-run agency to propel labourers' overseas dreams

In News: A state-run agency will now pick and train
labourers for jobs overseas amid complaints of alleged
‘manpower mafia’ and steep prices private recruitment
firms charge to enlist unskilled and semi-skilled workers
for foreign opportunities.
More on the topic:
 The Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill
Development Corporation Ltd (KVTSDCL), a recruiting
agency under the government’s International Migration Centre, is in talks with the
Canadian Province of Quebec and a few Gulf nations. Full-fledged operations are
expected to be launched in two months.
 The recruitment agency is the first such government body in the state. “Till now, there
were only private companies offering such services.
 With the help of this agency, government will be able to tie up with different companies
and train labourers for jobs abroad.
 Currently, the agency was assessing various proposals internally. “The Province of Quebec
in Canada has approached via the Canadian embassy. After initial rounds of discussions,
MoUs will be signed in a couple of months highlighting the kind of labour required.
 Soon after, the agency will train the required labourers and place them in companies
abroad. According to data available, the state-run agency is the 14th in the state, including
private ones.
 Prior to Karnataka, seven states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bihar had launched
government agencies to assist skilled or semi-skilled labourers in finding jobs abroad.

Benefits:
 One of the advantages, was that it would reduce problems caused by middlemen. “Job-
seekers are often cheated by touts of private recruitment firms. With the state
government coming into the picture, such cases will reduce.
 It will be easy to sign MoUs with the help of foreign embassies as the agency is under the
government. As of now, many countries have evinced interest in the services offered by
KVSTDCL, adding that the government was ready to fulfil the labour requirements of any
country.
Jobs outnumber graduates in Karnataka

In News: Karnataka has more jobs than the number of graduates it produces annually.
More on the topic:
 “Karnataka is a state where there are 106% employment opportunities in the formal
sector,” Narayan, who is the minister for IT/BT, higher education and medical education,
said.
 “If there are 5.5 lakh students graduating, there are 5.75 lakh opportunities
 The government had brought together various departments offering youth and student
services on a single platform. This will be launched on the occasion of Swami
Vivekananda’s birth anniversary on January 12.
 This platform is aimed at providing all the information by synchronising everything youth
and students need.
 It will provide information on various schemes and facilities provided by multiple
government departments, information on various financial services provided by banks
(loans etc), psychometric analysis of each student and career counselling.
 A Youth Empowerment Centre (YEC) will be established at every level - high school, pre-
university college, Degree College and polytechnics. To start with, one YEC will be
established in every district.
 The YEC in each district will function under a committee chaired by the deputy
commissioner. It will disseminate information on job opportunities, scholarships, and
education loans and so on.
Veteran Kannada scholar M Chidananda Murthy

In News: Kannada writer and researcher Chidananda Murthy passed away
More on the topic:
 Murthy, known for his researches and pro-Kannada
stance, heralded a new dawn in the field of literary
research. He was also equally known for controversies
and his stands on religious and political matters were
sharply criticised in the literary circle.
 In the Kannada literary world, he was one of the few
writers to have backed Honduras political ideology
openly. Murthy, who often hogged the limelight on
issues regarding borders of the state, was the first to
raise voice against Maharashtra's claim on Belagavi in Karnataka

 Many times, he alone staged protests for Kannada cause in front of Vidhana Soudha. As a
president of Kannada Shakti Kendra, he had organised protests.
 For many decades, Murthy either demanded or submitted a memorandum to the
government seeking renaming of Hyderabad-Karnataka as Kalyana-Karnataka and
Mumbai-Karnataka as Kittur Karnataka.
 Using historical and literary evidence, he had proved that boundaries of Karnataka had
expanded beyond today's Kerala and Maharashtra. Murthy had a large number of
students, who revered him for his teaching skills.
 He strongly propagated that Veerashaiva-Lingayat are the same and the faith was a part
of the Hindu religion.
 He was born on May 10, 1931, at Hirekogalur, in Channagiri taluk in Shivamogga district.
 He secured 10th rank to state at inter examinations. He bagged two gold medals in
graduation.
 He served as a Kannada lecturer in Tumakuru, Kolara and Bengaluru. He completed PhD
on ancient Kannada poet Pampa.
 In 1960, he joined the department of Kannada at University of Mysore. He also served in
Bangalore University. He authored more than 25 literary and research works.
 Murthy and Prof MM Kalburgi were two giants in Kannada research. With Murthy's death,
an era in Kannada research has ended.
NITI Aayog meets pvt colleges in state

In News: NITI Aayog held a meeting with 40 entrepreneurs and representatives of private
medical colleges from across the state to seek their opinions on linking functional district
hospitals with new private medical colleges, which has been opposed by public health
activists for the fear of 'corporatisation of public hospitals'.
More on the topic:
In Karnataka, which has 30 districts, 17 government medical colleges are attached to district
hospitals.
 The public-private partnership model that the Aayog proposes is to attach existing or set
up new private medical colleges to the rest of the district hospitals where no college is
attached.
 The 250-page document titled 'Concession Agreement Guiding Principles for Setting up
Medical Colleges through PPP' that is available on the Aayog's website has drawn
comments from medical fraternity across the country, the last date for which has been
extended from January 10th to February 10th.
Conditions for the proposed model
 Under the envisioned model, the concessionaire shall build and operate the medical
college and also upgrade and maintain the district hospital with a minimum annual
student intake of 150 MBBS seats.
 The district hospitals will need to have 750 beds, half of which will be 'market price beds'
and the rest 'regulated beds'. The former is supposed to subsidise the latter
 Also, with a quick turnover, we need not have a built-up area of 2.5 lakh sq as proposed.
It should be brought down to 1.5 lakh sq feet instead.
Difficulties in implementing:
 It may be easy for those who are already running medical colleges, to start another one,
but to invest so much but for beginners, it would be difficult.

 There are hardly 10 to 12 district hospitals left, others are already attached to government
medical colleges.
Karnataka far from Vision 2020 goals

In News: In 2010, the then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa unveiled a programme ‘Vision
2020 Karnataka’ with development goals set for various sectors. A decade later, Yediyurappa
is back at the helm of affairs, but the state has failed to achieve several goals.
More on the topic:

 The state has faltered on goals it had set in the areas of sex ratio, child health, poverty
and other fields, according to a wrap-up report on ‘Vision 2020’ goals brought out by
the Karnataka State Planning Board.
 Not just that, Karnataka’s performance has deteriorated in specific areas as per the NITI
Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Index, which comprehensively
documents the progress made by states towards achieving the 2030 SDG targets.
 While Karnataka has moved one notch up in the rankings - from 7 in 2018-19 to 6 in 2019-
20 - the state’s performance has dropped in poverty alleviation, hunger, quality
education, gender equality and ‘industry, innovation & infrastructure’ as a unit.
 In fact, the state’s index score for ‘industry, innovation & infrastructure’ nosedived from
57 in 2018 to 40 last year.
Vision 2020
 Vision 2020 was drawn up based on the SDGs that are valid till 2030. “Since the Vision
2020 goals were not achieved, we’re moving towards achieving them before the SDGs
end.
 Vision 2020 had foreseen reducing the rate of poverty to below 10%, but it is currently
20.91%. Likewise, the mortality of children below 5 years of age is 32 for every 1,000 live
births against the targeted 15.
 Also, the sex ratio stands at 929 women for 1,000 men as against the targeted 964 for
1,000. The Planning Board will ask the government to put in place a single-window system
to bring essential public
services under one roof
to help improve things.
 “Citizens, especially in
rural areas, lack
awareness on
government facilities
they are entitled to.
Also, labourers are
having to run from pillar
to post for Aadhaar, BPL
cards, pensions and so
on. So, we’re asking the
government to have a
single-window system
where services are
pooled to be available
in one place

Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

In News: As many as six acres of forest was
Fact box
destroyed due to wildfire at Cauvery Wildlife
According to the report, 21.4% of Indian
Sanctuary in Hanur taluk, Chamarajanagar
forests are prone to forest fires. The
district
report has given the figures after a
More on the topic:
thorough study of fire points identified
 Fire was spotted at near Madhuvinagudi,
between 2004 and 2017. The study says

Sundralli beat of the Kothanuru wildlife
that forests in central India and north-
range. Forest department personnel who
eastern India are most vulnerable to
rushed to the spot were successful in
forest fires.
dousing the flames and checking the fire
from spreading.
About Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
 The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Mandya,
Chamarajanagar and Ramanagar districts of Karnataka.
 The Cauvery River passes through its midst. An area of 510.52 km2 (197.11 sq mi) was
established as Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on 14 January 1987 under Section 18 of the
Wildlife Protection Act 1973 with the objective of providing protection, conservation and
development of Wildlife and its environment.
 On its east, it adjoins Dharmapuri forest division of Tamil Nadu state.
 Cauvery supports a diversified aquatic fauna, predominant species being Crocodiles
(listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act), Otters and Hump-backed Mahseer
Fish.
Sagarmala
In News: A dawn-to-dusk bandh, called by fishermen associations and pro-people
organisations against the expansion of the commercial port as part of Sagarmala project,
brought the port city Karwar to a grinding halt
More on the topic Karwar is located in Uttar
 The agitators argued that the expansion of commercial Kannada district at the
port would affect the movement of fishing boats and Southern side of the Kali River.
trawlers from and to Baithkol fishing harbour due to its It is the only all-weather natural
proximity with Karwar commercial port. port out of 10 minor ports of
 Further, they complained that the Sagarmala project Karnataka.
works would spoil the beauty of the famed It is sandwiched between the
Rabindranath Tagore beach. Arabian Sea on one side and the
 They demanded, the government to stall construction of Western Ghats on the other.
seawall as part of the project. It is known as Kashmir of
What is Sagarmala Programme? Karnataka as it is blessed with a
 The Sagarmala Programme is Union Government’s wide variety of flora and fauna.
flagship strategic, customer-oriented initiative to
achieve the broad objective of promoting port-led economic development in India.
 The ambitious programme seeks to harness vast potential of India’s 7,500 km long
coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key
international maritime trade routes.

 It envisages the growth of coastal and inland shipping as a major mode of transport for
carriage of goods and people along the coastal and riverine economic centres.
 Sagarmala when integrated with the development of inland waterways will help to reduce
cost and time for transporting goods, benefiting industries and export/import trade.
Mental health hospitals see second most readmissions

In News: Re-admissions to the state’s mental health hospitals among long-stay patients
was found to be the second highest in the country with Karnataka having a re-admission rate
of 49.3%, at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) and
Dimhans, Dharwad, only behind strife-torn Jammu & Kashmir (61.1%), according to a survey
report.
More on the topic:
 All the 43 government-run mental health hospitals in the country were studied for the
survey.
 The rate of readmission in the state is higher than the national average, which is less than
15%. This is probably because it is the country’s largest tertiary mental health hospital and
patients from different states get treated here.
 Interestingly, Nimhans was also part of the task force which did the Pan-India study. After
studying patients who have been in the facility for more than one year, Hans Foundation
along with a task force comprising members from the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment, Nimhans, Tata
Institute of Social Sciences and other civil society
organisations rolled out a ‘National Strategy for
Inclusive and Community-Based Living for Persons
with Mental Health Issues’.
 A total of 4,935 people were identified with one or
more years of stay in state mental hospitals across 24
states.
 In Karnataka, out of the 570 surveyed, 69 were long-
stay patients. So, 12.10% had stayed for more than a
year. In Karnataka, more women than men have been confined in state mental health
hospitals.
 Among the 69, 28 were men and 41 were women. So, around 60% were women. Around
45% of the patients were admitted by their own families, 16% by police and 31% by others.
Also, a very minuscule percentage of patients have occupied open wards (1.4%). Around
98.6% of patients are occupying closed wards.
 At 44.9%, Karnataka is among the three states with more than 40% of long-stay users
classified with severe disability, again probably because of the presence of the country’s
largest tertiary mental health hospital in the state.
 With respect to the best possible placement for long-stay patients, 18.8% were
recommended for placements in nursing homes or to continue at the hospital.
 Information for the study was collected over a period of seven months from August 2018
to February 2019.

 Had the hospital not admitted patients when they see a relapse or when their families
reject them in cases of severe disability, the rate of readmission wouldn't be high in both
Nimhans and Dimhans.
Bustard, vulture conservation

In News: The state forest department has received a shot in the arm after the Centre green-
lighted two ambitious conservation projects involving
the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Long-billed

Vultures. Great Indian bustard
More on the topic: Great Indian bustard, (Ardeotis
 Funds for reviving the critically endangered avian nigriceps), large bird of the
species are likely to be allocated in the bustard family (Otididae), one
forthcoming budget, with the state government of the heaviest flying birds in
hoping to come up with facilities in Ballari and the world. The great Indian
Ramanagara in a couple of years. bustard inhabits dry grasslands
 The state government has chalked out detailed and scrublands on the Indian
plans to revive the population of birds. “While the subcontinent; its largest
populations are found in the
Bustard population will be revived at a cost of Rs
Indian state of Rajasthan.
1.60 crore, the vulture population will be revived
In 1994 great Indian bustards
at a cost of Rs 1.30 crore,”
were listed as an endangered
 The government’s move to revive the population
species on the International
and festivals like Karnataka Bird Festival, will shift
Union for Conservation of
focus from the tiger and elephant-centric eco-
Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of
tourism to other aspects of the biodiversity.
Threatened Species. By 2011,
 The forest department has already identified
however, the population
Siruguppa in Ballari district for conservation of
decline was so severe that the
the GIB population.
IUCN reclassified the species as
 Later on, it will decide on getting the bird species
critically endangered.
from a breeding centre in Rajasthan. Their earlier
habitat at Ranibennur has been systematically
destroyed by planting eucalyptus and acacia and hence a conducive habitat has to be
developed close to Siruguppa.”
 Similarly, an artificial breeding centre will be set up at Ramadevara Betta in Ramanagar to
revive the population of long-billed vultures.
 There are no signs of vultures breeding at Ramadevara Betta Vulture Sanctuary and their
numbers have also been coming down
 Hence, the plan to set up the breeding centre similar to the ones at Haryana and Gujarat.
 The eggs in the wild will be collected and brought to the centre for hatching. Even in the
wild, eggs do not properly hatch and hence there needs to be intervention.”

Justice Report 2019

In News: Karnataka's justice delivery system ranks sixth in overall justice delivery among
18 large and mid-sized states in India that house more than three crore population.
What does the report say?
 In the four pillars of delivering justice, the state ranked sixth in terms of police, third
in prisons, 16th in judiciary and 7th in legal aid. This is Karnataka's justice delivery
system in a nutshell.
 The India Justice Report

2019 sponsored by Tata
Trusts that was released in
November last year was
discussed at length by an
eminent panel of experts
from all four pillars of the
justice system here led by
Former Chief Justice of India M N Venkatachaliah.
 In the Karnataka police force, one in every five constable posts have remained vacant.
Nationally 7.2% of the police force are women but in Karnataka, it is 5.4%.
 The national average of women police officers is 5.5% but in the state 4%.
 While the national average for medical staff vacancy in prisons stands at 38.5%, in
Karnataka, it is a staggering 56%.
 For 4,000 odd inmates at our Central Prison Parappana Agrahara there is only one
psychiatrist and three doctors.
 One in two sanctioned posts of Karnataka High Court judges is lying vacant. This is higher
than the national average vacancy of 42%. Cases in the high court remain pending for an
average of four years. Justice M N Venkatachaliah made an impassionate plea for
reforming judicial processes and procedures and appointing judges not in proportion to
the population but in proportion to the number of cases like in the US and other countries.
 We have 22,764 courts in India. Each court lists 60 cases. Two hundred and fifty people
go back home from courts every day in hope that their grievances will be redressed.
 At 290 working days multiplied by Rs 250 per head per day, the notional loss is Rs 2 lakh
crore a year which is a colossal loss!.
Go green this Budget

In News: The Forest, Ecology & Environment (FEE) department has proposed introducing a
Green Budget, which the Finance department is discussing.
Chief Minister Yediyurappa is scheduled to present the 2020-
21 Budget on March 5.
More on the topic:
 Developed with the help of the state-run Environmental
Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), the
toolkit also aims to colour-code government schemes or
projects.

What is green budgeting?

 Green budgeting is a process where authorities take stock of the public expenditure
earmarked for environmentally-sustainable initiatives as well as reducing spending in
sectors that are unsustainable. The Green Budget document seeks to provide information
for considering environmental components in financial planning and budgeting practices.
 We will have a spectrum from red to dark green. “In terms of impact, a project coloured
dark green will mean very good for the environment; projects at the other end of the
spectrum marked red will mean environmentally bad.
Benefits:
 Green budgeting, authorities argue, will help Karnataka meet the goals set by India’s
Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), the country’s climate plan.
 It will also help meet targets set at the Conference of Parties (COP), Paris in 2015.
Environmentalists have often opposed government projects that are not sustainable.
 For instance, citizens were up in arms when the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government
proposed a steel flyover, or when the H D Kumaraswamy regime wanted to build a
network of elevated corridors — both in Bengaluru, a city that has significantly lost its
green cover over the years.
 A Green Budget report that EMPRI released in February 2019 analysed the outlays of 10
major government departments for the financial year 2017-18.
 For instance, the Public Works Department spent just 4% of its total outlay of Rs 3,214
crore on greening measures such as mitigating or making up for loss of vegetation due to
highway projects. The assessment concluded with EMPRI recommending a 10% increase
in the existing Budget in order to achieve INDC targets
Skills Mission:
In News: The Department of Skill Development,
Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, has sought fresh
recruitment of skill development officials at the district
level for the ambitious Kaushalya Karnataka Mission.
About SDEL
 The Department of Skill Development,
Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, (SDEL)
Government of Karnataka, aims at channelizing the
dynamism of Youth in nation building activities.
 The Department has come up with several programs to reach, engage and empower
the Youth of Karnataka to facilitate Skilling activities across the State. Department of
SDEL has always been at the forefront of encouraging talent and has produced a large
pool of talent who have made Karnataka and India proud in the Global Skill
Competitions. Awards and financial assistance to identified skill talents have marked
an extra mile so far towards achieving remarkable goals.
 Department of SDEL, is all set to host most prestigious “World Skills Karnataka
Competition – 2020” in the Month of March 2020. Aim is to aggressively train the
winners of Karnataka Skill Competition 2020, who will be representing the “World Skill
Competition – 2021 held at Shanghai, China in 2021.
 Skills create opportunities and connects societies . They are the foundation of
economic progress Government, Industry Partners, Academia and policy makers work

together to raise the profile and recognize skilled professionals around the globe.
Together we are increasing the abilities, status, and economic prospects of young
people.
 With a vision to harvest the existing potential and to win maximum medals,
Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, (SDEL)
Government of Karnataka, has partnered with prominent Industries like Toyota,
Bosch, Auto Desk, Schneider Electric, UTL Technologies etc. The availability of strong
potentiality in the opted skills shall increase the probability to grab medals at World
Skills – 2021.
Karnataka Anti-superstition Law

In News: Anti-superstition law in Karnataka was formally notified by the current government.
More on the topic:
 The model Bill held human
dignity as its central tenet and
sought eradication of irrational
practices found in different
communities.
 The first draft made practices like
inflicting self-wounds and
conversion through bribery
illegal.
 Some of the proposals opposed
by religious leaders and political parties in the early draft were the ban on practices such
as the carrying of priests in palanquins, worshipping the feet of religious leaders.
 It sought to ban Made Snana practised in the Dakshina Kannada region where Dalits roll
over the remains of food consumed by upper castes.
The current version:
 A Bill with sizable consensus across the political spectrum finally evolved in 2017. A total
of 16 practices have been banned under the law.
 The practice of Vaastu, astrology, pradakshina or circumabulation of holy places, yatras,
parikramas performed at religious places were kept out of the purview of the law.
 Made Snana was banned under the law with respect to having Dalits roll over leftover
food. The practice has now been modified to be voluntary and not involving leftover food.
 Practices such as barring menstruating women from entering houses of worship and their
homes, coercing people to take part in fire-walks, and beating up people by declaring
them evil, are among the irrational practices that have been banned under the 2017 law.
 The law stipulates “imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but
which may extend to seven years and with fine which shall not be less than five thousand
rupees but which may extend to fifty thousand rupees”, as punishment for violations.
 The law is to implemented by the state police with the appointment of vigilance officers
under the law at police stations.

Surveillance in Bengaluru for Coronavirus

In News: The department of health and family welfare is keeping a close track of a group of
four people who travelled from Wuhan in China to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)
and residing in the city.
More on the topic:
 Although asymptomatic, officials from the
department of health have been keeping track
of these travellers as they come from the same

city which is the epicentre for the Coronavirus
cases this year.
 This year’s reports have found a mutated
variety of the Coronavirus causing the flu while
previously, it was known to have caused
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome. “We have screened 335 patients at KIA over the last
four days.
 A 10-bed isolation ward has been readied at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest
Diseases. A travel advisory has also been issued to those travelling to the affected
places.
 The virus has an incubation period of 7-14 days after which the symptoms could
manifest. Previously, patients from Dubai and the Middle East were known carriers of
this virus.
Coronavirus
 Coronaviruses are a specific family of viruses, with some of them causing less-severe
damage, such as the common cold and others causing respiratory and intestinal
diseases.
 A coronavirus has many “regularly arranged” protrusions on its surface, because of
which the entire virus particle looks like an emperor’s crown, hence the name
“coronavirus”.
 It is an RNA virus with ribonucleic acid (RNA) as its genetic material instead of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). That means the virus blends with its host’s DNA and can
mutate rapidly.
 Due to this property of rapid mutation, coronaviruses can be quite different from one
another.
 These can affect humans as well as mammals including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs,
martens, camels, hedgehogs and some birds.
 There are four common disease-causing coronaviruses, while the two other are the
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, both of which can cause severe
respiratory diseases.
 In the newly identified coronavirus, a direct link with the disease has not been
established yet. It was speculated that it was related to the SARS epidemic of 2002.
 World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that further investigations and research
are required to determine the source, modes of transmission and extent of infection
caused by the new virus.

Anubhava Mantapa to be part of Republic Day parade

In News: A replica of the Anubhava Mantapa, the first ever socio-religious parliament
founded by Basaveshwara, will be displayed on Karntaka's tableau at the Republic Day
celebrations
More on the topic:
 As many as 27 artistes will
portray various 'sharanas' and
give dance performances as the

tableau will roll down the
Rajpath showcasing a slice of
the socio-spiritual revolution
heralded by the social reformer.
 The tableau will portray Basaveshwara's concept of work is worship and his huge
bust and replicas of sharanas such as Akka Nagamma, Sharane Satyakka, Ambigara
Chowdayya, Molige Marayya, Kalyanamma Haralayya, Kumbara Gundanna and
Siddarameshwara.
 The raised platform presents the essence of Anubhava Mantapa where saints, mystics
and philosophers are seen sharing their experiences.
 A scene depicting Akka Mahadevi engaged in a dialogue with Allama Prabhu has been
recreated to highlight gender equality.
 Importance of Anubhava Mantapa and its period of existence have been etched on
the top portion of the four-pillared tower, while the ground element of the tableau is
enriched with ensemble of different folk culture of the period.
 This is the 11th consecutive year a tableau from Karnataka is participating in the
Republic Day Parade. The state has bagged prizes for it tableaux five times.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

In News: Bengaluru's Yash Aradhya S received Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from
President Ram Nath Kovind, becoming the first Indian motorsports star to win the honour
under sports category
 He was one among the three children who received the award from Kovind at a
function in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
 Karnataka's Pragun Pudukoli received the award from the President under Art and
Culture category. Suneetha Murje Prabhu from the State received the honour under
Innovation category.
 Kovind conferred the awards to 49 youngsters in the age group of 5-18 years. The
award is conferred on children for excellence in the fields of innovation, social service,
scholastic, sports, art and culture and bravery.
 It carries a medal, a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a certificate and a citation.
Kadugolla custom
In News: The anti-superstition law notified by the state government has direct implications
on about two lakh Kadugolla women who endure 'ostracisation' every month during

menstruation, and for two months after childbirth, as they are considered untouchables
during this period. This is one of the 16 practices prohibited by the law
What is the custom?
 As per the age-old practice, menstruating
women of this community are forced to live
outside the village, taking shelter under the
trees or in abandoned structures. Women in
the postpartum period dwell in a four-feet
hut-like thatched structure for two months,

outside the village, while a caretaker stays
put near the hut.
Impacts:
 This practice leads to several health issues for the indigenous community residing in
the 10 districts of the state, including Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Hassan, Ballari,
Ramanagara districts.
 "They compromise heavily on their health. It is seen that women suffer with uterine
problems due to the lack of menstrual hygiene.
 Many of them are not even aware of the conditions and some can't afford to get
treatment.
 While the women of the community welcome the law as it proposes to end the
superstitious practice, they are unsure how effective this will prove as several previous
efforts have not helped them come out of the shadow of superstition that has been
lurking for generations.
Measures that could be taken
 Continuous awareness programmes that help them gain confidence are the need of
the hour.
 This hamlet had created waves in 2014 when spiritual leaders symbolically put an end
to the practice.
 The practice has seen a steady decline, but in recent years, the younger generation is
again falling prey to this antiquated practice because religious heads and the beliefs
they spread still seem to hold.
 In an effort to address the issue, the state government constructed Krishna Kuteeras,
separate concrete structures for menstruating and postpartum women, in the early
years of the past decade.
 It ran into controversy as this was seen as a move that reinforced the regressive
practice.
 This practice could be a way for the community whose primary occupation was
livestock rearing to keep women in the vulnerable stage away from unhygienic
conditions. It was often also to give rest.
 It was useful at one time, but has lost its purpose today.
 Instead, various government agencies should collaborate to educate and convince
them. Social worker Rupa Hassan says the law can achieve its objectives only when it
takes into account the cultural, social and spiritual aspects of this practice.

Bendre national award

In News: Kannada novelist S L Bhyrappa has been selected for this year’s
‘Ambikatanayadatta’ national award, instituted by the Dr Da Raa Bendre National Memorial
Trust, Dharwad.
More on the topic:
 The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh and citation. The award will be presented at the
event to mark the 125th birth anniversary at Bendre Bhavan in Sadhankeri of Dharwad
on January 31 at 5:30 pm.

 A symposium on the life and works of Bhyrappa will be held at 11:00 am on the same
day. Bhyrappa’s books will be on display at the exhibition.
 the award selection committee, headed by writer Professor Gurulinga Kapse, finalised
the name of Bhyrappa. Hiremath said the Trust has planned a slew of programmes in
2020 which happens to be the 125th birth anniversary year of poet laureate Da Raa
Bendre.
 He urged the state government to celebrate January 31 as the Poet’s Day as a mark
of respect to the Jnanapith awardee Bendre.
About Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre
 Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre (31 January 1896 – 26 October 1981), popularly
known as Da. Ra. Bendre, was a Kannada poet of the Navodaya Period. He was given
the honorific Varakavi ('the gifted poet-seer').
 Bendre was awarded the Jnanapita for his 1964 poetry collection, Naaku Tanti.
Bendre published most of his work as Ambikatanayadatta. e was recognized as the
Karnataka Kavi Kula Thilaka ("The crown-jewel among Kannada Poets") by the Udupi
Adamuru Matha. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1968 and made a fellow of
the Sahitya Akademi in 1969
Karnataka Ashram schools

In News: Two researchers have taken up a major research project, a study on ‘Tribal
Education’ imparted on tribal students in Ashram schools across Karnataka.
More on the topic:
 The two researchers -- D C Nanjunda, associate professor, Centre for Study of Social
Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, University of Mysore, as principal investigator, and
Bhargavi D Hemmige, associate professor, Department of Media Studies, Centre for
Management Studies (CMS), Jain (Deemed-to-beUniversity), Bengaluru, as co-
investigator -- have taken up the study and the National Council for Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the project.
 The study will be carried out over a duration of one year in select Ashram schools and
on tribal students across Karnataka.
State of tribal education
 a report released by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development which
stated that a fifth-standard tribal student does not know how to write his name
correctly in his mother tongue.
 “This is the state of tribal schools, despite the government spending crores of rupees
on tribal education over the last 70 years. The project will study and assess 40 tribal
schools from four regions of Karnataka.

 Based on the findings on the existing situation, suggestions to improve the quality of
education in Ashram schools will be provided. Suggest new interventional teaching
methodology to improve the learning curve of the tribal students.
 The objectives of the study are to conduct an in-depth review of the structural,
organisational and operational framework of the selected Ashram schools and to
assess the efficiency and effectiveness of their management and teaching systems.
 They will review the impact of Ashram Schools on the students in cultivating attitude,
awareness and aspirations
 There are 123 Ashram schools with around 16,000 students in Karnataka. After getting
permission from the government, 40 schools will be shortlisted for the study.
 A written test will be held for students of 3rd, 4th, and 5th standard in these Ashram
schools.
 Teachers, headmasters and wardens will also be surveyed with pre-tested
questionnaires.” “The study will come out with required changes in the methodology
of teaching and curriculum to enhance the learning ability, emotional ability, cognitive
ability and personality development of tribal students.
‘One nation, one road tax’

In News: The state would suffer a revenue loss of about Rs 1,000 crore if the Centre’s
proposed levy of uniform road tax on vehicles across India is implemented.
More on the topic:
 The Centre is proposing to implement ‘one nation, one road tax', in its bid to eliminate
trade diversion between states due to differential tax rates.
 It is found that consumers prefer purchase of vehicles in states with lower tax rates,
causing a loss of revenue to a particular state with relatively higher taxes. Road tax,
which is paid during the registration of a vehicle in a particular state, directly impacts
the price of the vehicle.
 And tinkering with this tax has been a contentious issue as it involves fiscal
implications and several states will have to take hit on their revenue. It is a concern
that implementation may cause a revenue loss to our state by at least Rs 1,000 crore.
 Road tax in Karnataka is being levied in three slabs of 16%, 18% and 20%, and the state
will suffer a huge revenue loss as the Centre’s proposal envisages to have the
corresponding slabs of 8%, 12% and 10%.
Karnataka’s first tribal museum

In News: The Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute (KSTRI) is gearing up to set up state’s
first tribal museum in Mysuru.
More on the topic:
 Around 50 tribal communities have been identified in Karnataka. The museum will
showcase culture, tradition and lifestyles of various tribal communities
 The new museum will host exhibits both indoor as well as outdoor. It will also come
with a digital library of other tribal museums set up by the union tribal welfare ministry
across the country. In next 4-5 months this museum will be thrown open for the public

 The visitors can view the digital collections of other state museums here. Exhibits
include the collection of traditional songs, the documentation on the various
celebrations of the communities, day to day life experiences etc.
 Their rituals, festivals and celebrations are slowly vanishing. This museum will be the
one place where people can come and see that world. Another feature of this museum
will be digital touch to the way of life of the tribal communities. The digital collections
can be viewed from any other museum set up in another state.
 The visitors who visit this museum can also view the digital collections of other state
museums. The estimated Rs 15 crore project is expected to be completed in five

months.
Anaemia-free status: Karnataka ranked 4th

In News: Karnataka has bagged fourth position in the country in anaemia free status. In less
than one year, the state has jumped 13 positions from 17th rank.
More on the topic:
 In the first quarter of 2019-20, the state stood 17th rank and moved up to 11th
position in the second quarter. The state jumped seven positions in the third quarter
ending in December 2019.
 Health and family welfare department officials attributed the improvement to school
and college students aged between six and 19 being given iron and folic acid tablets.
The initiative helped immensely in overcoming anaemia among children. Also, regular
health check-ups and pregnant women being given iron supplements has helped the
state improve its ranking

New airport in Tumakuru or Kolar

In News: In a bid to “decongest” air traffic in Bengaluru, the government has proposed to
construct a Greenfield airport in either Tumakuru
or Kolar. A Greenfield airport is an aviation
More on the topic: facility with Greenfield project
 With the chances of HAL airport, in the characteristics. The designation
heart of the city, opening up to civil reflects certain environmental
aviation looking “bleak”, the government is qualities (using previously

scouting for alternatives that are relatively undeveloped or empty Greenfield
close to Bengaluru land, for example) and
 This is to circumvent possible saturation of commissioning, planning and
air traffic in in Bengaluru in the coming construction processes that are
years generally carried out from scratch.
 The intention is to create an alternative to Here Greenfield denotes that a
the already burgeoning Kempegowda project lacks any constraints
International Airport. But the process is a imposed upon it by prior work or
long-drawn affair and will take at least 10 existing infrastructure. (A
years by which time the concessionaire brownfield, on the other hand,
agreement with BIAL will almost be at an remodels or improves upon
end existing facilities.) Such projects
 The government plans to have 10 airports can be highly coveted by engineers
in the state — one airports in the state — as no time must be allotted for
one for every three districts. He said new demolition of unneeded buildings,
airports could come up in Gadag, Koppal, etc.
Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts.
Blue Corner notice

In News: The Interpol has issued a Blue
Corner Notice to locate self-styled
godman Nithyananda, who fled India
last year after a rape case was registered
against him in Karnataka
More on the topic:
 The police said they were
working that a Red Corner Notice
be issued by the Interpol against
him now.
Here is a rundown of different Interpol notices and what they denote.
 Red Notice: It is issued by Interpol to seek location and arrest of wanted persons with
a view to extradition or similar lawful action. Recently, such a notice was issued
against former Fifa executives Jack Warner and Nicolas Leoz. It is the closest
instrument to an international arrest warrant

 Yellow Notice: This helps locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify
persons who are unable to identify themselves. This notice is issued with details of
various body marks on the person to be identified.
 Black Notice is issued by Interpol to seek information on unidentified bodies. Every
year, close to 150 black notices are issued by the Interpol.
 Green Notice is issued to provide warnings and intelligence about persons who have
committed criminal offences and are likely to repeat these crimes in other countries.
Many serial sex offenders are recipients of such notices.
 Orange Notice is issued to warn of an event, a person, an object or a process

representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety. In a recent event, a
"miracle diet pill" was issued an orange notice by Interpol, on request by French health
authorities.
 Interpol-United Nations Security Council Special Notice is issued for groups and
individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees. Interpol
has issued over 500 such notices so far
 Purple Notice is issued to seek or provide information on modi operandi, objects,
devices and concealment methods used by criminals. This category aids Interpol's
efforts to tackle environmental criminals.
UDAN scheme
In News: Bidar's will be the next airport to be operationalised in Karnataka under the UDAN
(Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Regional Connectivity Scheme. The first flight operation is expected
to begin within a few weeks.
More on the topic:
 Five airports across Karnataka are expected to become operational in two years' time.
These include the Vijayapura, Shivamogga Karwar, Hassan/Chikamagalur airports,
besides the Bidar one
 The work of other four UDAN airports will be taken up in collaboration with various
agencies and the Airports Authority of India, under public-private partnership.
About UDAN
 UDAN is a regional connectivity scheme spearheaded by the Government of India
(GoI). The full form of UDAN is ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik’ and aims to develop smaller
regional airports to allow common citizens easier access to aviation services.
Objectives of the Regional Connectivity Scheme
 Operationalization and development of 425 underserved or unserved airports in the
country
 Boost inclusive economic development by providing faster connectivity
 Development of air transport infrastructure in remote areas aiding job growth

NATIONAL ISSUES
Polity & Governance
Tougher law against sexual harassment at work
In News: The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, which was
constituted to strengthen the legal framework to prevent sexual harassment at the
workplace, has finalised its recommendations.
More on the Topic:
The 2013 Act - Shortcomings:
 The recommendations, which include addition of
The 2013 Act had shortcomings
new provisions to the Indian Penal Code, will be
like giving the powers of a civil
put up for comments from the public.
court to the internal complaints
 The GoM was constituted first in October 2018 in
committee (ICC) without
the aftermath of the #MeToo movement after
specifying if the members need
many women shared their ordeal on social media.
to have a legal background.
It was reconstituted in July 2019 under Home
It only imposed a fine of
Minister.
₹50,000 on employers for non-
 The other members of the GoM are Finance
compliance. The Act said the
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Human Resource employer shall provide
and Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and assistance to the woman if she
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti chooses to file a complaint
Irani. under the IPC “against the
 Changes to the existing laws on sexual harassment perpetrator after the conclusion
at the workplace would be incorporated when the of the enquiry”.
overhaul of the IPC was complete. The Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) is working on another project
to reboot the IPC, introduced by the British in 1860.

 The Women and Child Development Ministry had steered the Sexual Harassment of
Women and Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act in 2013, which was
applicable to government offices, the private sector, NGOs and the unorganised sector.
Guide Lines utilised in the formation of Amendment:
 The proposed amendments would be largely based on the Vishaka Guidelines laid down
by the Supreme Court in 1997, on which the 2013 Act was based. It made the employer
responsible to prevent or deter acts of sexual harassment at the workplace.
 The GoM also examined the report of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee that was
constituted in the wake of the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder in 2012. The Verma
committee had recommended an employment tribunal, instead of an ICC, as dealing with
such complaints in-house could discourage women from coming out.
The number of sexual harassment incidents at “work or office premises” Data:
 As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) the number of sexual harassment incidents
at “work or office premises” registered under Section 509 IPC (words, gesture or act to
insult the modesty of a woman) were 479 and 401 in the years 2017 and 2018
respectively. Among the cities, the highest number of such cases were registered in Delhi
(28), Bengaluru (20), Pune (12) and Mumbai (12) in 2018. The total number of sexual
harassment incidents in 2018 including that in public places, shelter homes and others
was 20,962.
NIA Act, 2008

In News: The Chhattisgarh state govt. moved the Supreme Court against the 2008 National
Investigative Agency (NIA) Act, stating it is violative of the Constitution.
More on the Topic:
 The NIA Act, 2008 governs the functioning of India’s premier counter-terror agency. It was
introduced in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and was passed in
Parliament with very little opposition
 The Act makes the NIA the only truly federal agency in the country, along the lines of the
FBI in the United States, more powerful than the CBI.
 It gives the NIA powers to take suo motu cognizance of terror activities in any part of
India and register a case, to enter any state without permission from the state
government, and to investigate and arrest people.
Expansion of powers by 2019 Amendment Acts:
 The 2019 NIA Amendment Act brought in some changes
o expanded the type of offences that the investigative body could investigate and
prosecute. The agency can now investigate offences related to human trafficking,
counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism,
and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.
o The amendment also enables the central government to designate sessions courts
as special courts for NIA trials.
 The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA), also passed in 2019, allows an
NIA officer to conduct raids, and seize properties that are suspected to be linked to
terrorist activities without taking prior permission of the DG of Police of a state. The
investigating officer only requires sanction from the Director General of NIA.

Arguments by Chhattisgarh:
 According to the state, the 2008 Act allows the Centre to create an agency for
investigation, which is a function of the state police.
 The Chhattisgarh govt. said the Act is “ultra vires the Constitution” and “beyond the
legislative competence of the Parliament”.
 ‘Police’ is an entry in the State List of the Constitution’s 7th Schedule.
 The petition says the 2008 Act takes away the state’s power of conducting an investigation
through the police, while conferring unfettered, discretionary and arbitrary powers” on
the Centre.
 The provisions of the Act leave no room of coordination and pre-condition of consent, in
any form whatsoever, by the Centre from the State govt. which clearly repudiates the idea
of state sovereignty as envisaged under the Constitution.
Article 131 of the Constitution

In News: Kerala has become the first state to move the Supreme Court challenging the
Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 - CAA, 2019. The suit has been filed under Article 131 of
the Constitution.
More on the Topic:
Supreme Court’s Stand on Article 131:
Article 131 vests the Supreme  There have been two conflicting judgments
Court with original jurisdiction from the Supreme Court on whether a State can file
over any dispute arising between an original suit under Article 131 to challenge the
the states or between the centre constitutionality of a central law.
and state.  The first judgment reported in 2012 - State of
The article gives the Supreme Madhya Pradesh vs Union of India - held that States
Court the power to take up such cannot challenge a central law under Article 131.
cases straight instead of going  The second judgment - State of Jharkhand Vs
through a lower court or State of Bihar - took the opposite view in 2015 and
reviewing a lower court’s referred the question of law to a larger Bench of the
judgement. Supreme Court for final determination. Kerala’s
plaint relies on the 2015 verdict.
Article 256 in The Constitution Of India (Obligation of States and the Union):
 The executive power of every State shall be so exercised as to ensure compliance with the
laws made by Parliament and any existing laws which apply in that State, and the
executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of such directions to a State as
may appear to the Government of India to be necessary for that purpose.
 Kerala has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of the Citizenship
Amendment Act, saying that it would be compelled under Article 256 of the Constitution
to ensure compliance of the law, rules, and orders which were “manifestly arbitrary,
unreasonable, and irrational and violative of the fundamental rights”.

Minority Educational Institutions

In News: A two-judge bench has held that the provisions of the West Bengal Madrasah
Service Commission Act, 2008, are not violative of the rights of minority educational
institutions on any count. Supreme Court upheld the right of the Bengal government to set
up a statutory board to oversee appointment of teachers in madrasas
More on the Topic:
SC views on minority education institutions till date- timeline
 The Supreme Court (SC) has delivered the 4.0 version of an issue that has seen three of
its previous versions swinging in different directions and now rolled into a new direction.
The Supreme Court held that the state is well within its rights to introduce a regulatory
regime in the “national interest” to provide minority educational institutions with well-
qualified teachers in order for them to “achieve excellence in education.”
 The famous TMA Pai Foundation case (2002) seems to have been the sheet anchor of this
judgement and discussed in three distinct headings—decisions pre-, decisions in and
decision post-TMA Pai Foundation case.
o The pre-TMA Pai discussions were dominated by a seven-judge bench Presidential
reference in respect of the Kerala Education Act, 1958, and the nine-judge bench
order in the St Xavier’s College Society case (1974).
o The TMA Pai Foundation was a landmark 11-judge order which laid down the
contours of governmental regulations on private institutions and still occupies
the education field in so far as the constitutionality of statutes and regulations is
concerned.
o The post-TMA Pai was characterised by the seven-judge verdict in PA Inamdar case
(2005) and the five-judge order in the Islamic Academy of Education case (2003).
What does TMA pai judgement say?

 TMA Pai Foundation case verdict states
that Article 30(1) (right of minorities to
establish and administer educational
institutions of their choice) was neither
absolute nor above the law.
 There is a need to strike a “balance”
between the two objectives of
excellence in education and the
preservation of the minorities’ right to
run their educational institutions.
 The court explains how to strike a
“balance” between the two objectives of
excellence in education and the
preservation of the minorities’ right to
run their educational institutions.

 For this, the court broadly divides education into two categories – secular education and
education “directly aimed at or dealing with preservation and protection of the heritage,
culture, script and special characteristics of a religious or a linguistic minority.”
 When it comes to the latter, the court advocated “maximum latitude” to be given to the
management to appoint teachers.
 The court reasons that only “teachers who believe in the religious ideology or in the
special characteristics of the concerned minority would alone be able to imbibe in the
students admitted in such educational institutions, what the minorities would like to
preserve, profess and propagate.”

 However, minority institutions where the curriculum was “purely secular”, the intent
must be to impart education availing the best possible teachers.
The current judgement

 The current judgement reinforces the legal supremacy of the 11-judge TMA Pai case over
the arithmetic 12-judge combination of Inamdar and Islamic.
 The SC in its recent order records: “The decision in TMA Pai Foundation case, rendered by
the 11 Judges of this Court, thus put the matter beyond any doubt and clarified that the
right under Article 30(1) is not absolute or above the law” and highlighted the test laid
down by Justice Khanna in the St Xavier’s College case as the correct approach.
 The essence of Article 30(1) was also stated by Justice Khanna—“to ensure equal
treatment between the majority and the minority institutions” and that rules and
regulations would apply equally to majority and minority institutions.
 A regulation framed in the national interest must necessarily apply to all institutions
regardless whether they are run by majority or minority as the essence of Article 30(1) is
to ensure equal treatment between the majority and minority institutions.
 An objection can certainly be raised if an unfavorable treatment is meted out to an
educational institution established and administered by minority.
Voting at the GST Council

In News: Breaking the tradition of consensus-
based decisions in its 37 earlier meetings, the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council voted for
the first time in its 38th meeting held on
December 18. The proposal to have a higher
single rate for lotteries went through by a
majority, with 21 votes in favour.
More on the Topic:
 As per The Constitution (One Hundred and
First Amendment) Act, 2016, in case of a
voting, every decision of the GST Council has
to be taken by a majority of not less than
three-fourths of the weighted votes of the
members present.
 The vote of the central government has a
weightage of one-third of the total votes cast, and the votes of all the state governments
taken together have a weightage of two-thirds of the total votes cast in that meeting.

 As of now, out of the total 30 states and Union Territories (excluding Jammu & Kashmir),
20 are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party or its allies (including parties who voted with
the BJP on recent legislation in Parliament).
 This essentially means that a vote in the Council could largely be an academic exercise —
unless a number of the BJP’s allies switch sides.
 Three-fourths majority is needed for the passage of a decision.
 With a departure from the consensus approach having been made, there could be more
instances of voting exercises going forward especially as revenue-raising measures come
up in future meetings.
About GST Council:
 The GST Council is a federal body that aims to bring together states and the Centre on a
common platform for the nationwide rollout of the indirect tax reform.
 It is an apex member committee to modify, reconcile or to procure any law or regulation
based on the context of goods and services tax in India.
 The GST Council dictates tax rate, tax exemption, the due date of forms, tax laws, and tax
deadlines, keeping in mind special rates and provisions for some states.
 The predominant responsibility of the GST Council is to ensure to have one uniform tax
rate for goods and services across the nation.
GST Council - structure:
 The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is governed by the GST Council. Article 279 (1) of the
amended Indian Constitution states that the GST Council has to be constituted by the
President within 60 days of the commencement of the Article 279A.
 According to the article, GST Council will be a joint forum for the Centre and the States. It
consists of the following members:
 The Union Finance Minister will be the Chairperson
 As a member, the Union Minister of State will be in charge of Revenue of Finance
 The Minister in charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each
State government, as members.

Revised Norms for Data-led Probes

In News: The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued
revised guidelines to streamline the process of
seeking legal assistance from foreign countries
in criminal matters. The revised guidelines will
direct how data requests are processed in any
criminal investigations.
More on the Topic:

 The revised guidelines also include the process for
issuing directives on drafting and processing G-8 24/7 Network:
letters of request, mutual legal assistance The G8 24/7 provides for
requests and service of summons, notices and investigations involving
other judicial documents. electronic evidence that require
 Most intermediaries and social media platforms urgent assistance from foreign
such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Yahoo!, law enforcement.
Twitter and YouTube have their servers outside Therefore, to enhance and
India. And thus Indian investigation agencies need supplement (but not replace)
to follow a particular procedure to access the data traditional methods of
from these platforms. obtaining assistance, the G8 has
 The revised norms have come in the backdrop of created the network.
recently tabled Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 It is a new mechanism to
in the parliament. expedite contacts between the
Guidelines: Participating States or other
 Before seeking information about a person’s e- autonomous law enforcement
mail account hosted on servers in foreign jurisdictions of a State.
countries, investigating agencies will have to It is a point to point network for
establish that it is linked to a crime. urgent assistance in cybercrime
 Data preservation is the key to the investigation of matters.
cyber-offences and those involving digital
evidence.
 Accessing the internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) creates important
records and other information such as customer records, connection information and
stored data.
 These are very important evidence to prove the guilt intention of the accused. Since this
type of evidence can disappear quickly, it is important to get the data preserved through
appropriate channels.
 The G-8 24/7 Network allows law enforcement agencies to make urgent preservation
requests of the digital data before it perishes.
 The request for data may be sent to the service provider or to the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) the contact point for India with respect to G-8 24/7 Network.
 The requested country has to be informed about the time period for which the data is
required. Such period shall be consented by the requested country.
 The transferred data shall be kept for no longer than the period required for the purpose
for which it has been received and shall be returned to the requested country or deleted
at the end of the period specified.

Internet Shutdowns
In News: Directing the government to mandatorily
publish all orders permitting Internet shutdowns, the
Supreme Court has for the first time set the stage for
challenging suspension orders before courts.
More on the Topic:
 Although the Temporary Suspension of Telecom
Services (Public Emergency or Public Service)

Rules, 2017 issued under the Telegraph Act — the
law that deals with restricting Internet access —
does not provide for publication or notification of
the order suspending Internet, the apex court
mandated that such orders must be made
available to the public.
 The court declared that it is a “settled principle of
law, and of natural justice” that requires
publication of such orders, “particularly one that affects lives, liberty and property of
people”.
 The Supreme Court also highlighted ‘gaps’ in the current Suspension Rules. The court
tightened the window for broad telecom suspensions, stating they had to be “necessary”
and “unavoidable”.
 The bench also noted that the law should imbibe the technological development and
accordingly mould its rules so as to cater to the needs of society.
Background:
 Internet services were suspended temporarily in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and
Karnataka. While suspension orders were always subject to judicial review, lack of
availability of such orders in public domain prevented such challenges before courts.
 India tops the list of Internet shutdowns globally. According to Software Freedom Law
Center’s tracker, there have been 381 shutdowns since 2012, 106 of which were in 2019.
The ongoing shutdown in Kashmir is the longest ever in any democratic country.
Make In India
In News: The Indian government had
announced the ‘Make in India’ initiative to
encourage manufacturing in India and galvanize
the economy with dedicated investments in
manufacturing and services. Down the line the
performance of Make In India Initiative is not
commendable.
More on the Topic:
 The ‘Make in India’ idea is not new. Factory production has a long history in the country.
This initiative, however, set an ambitious goal of making India a global manufacturing hub.
 The policy approach was to create a conducive environment for investments, develop
modern and efficient infrastructure, and open up new sectors for foreign capital.
 To achieve this goal, targets were identified and policies outlined.

The three major objectives were:

 to increase the manufacturing sector’s growth rate to 12-14% per annum in order to
increase the sector’s share in the economy;
 to create 100 million additional manufacturing jobs in the economy by 2022;
 to ensure that the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP is increased to 25% by 2022
(revised to 2025) from the current 16%.
An Appraisal:
 Investment: The last five years witnessed slow growth of investment in the economy. This
is more so when we consider capital investments in the manufacturing sector. Gross fixed
capital formation of the private sector, a measure of aggregate investment, declined to
28.6% of GDP in 2017-18 from 31.3% in 2013-14 (Economic Survey 2018-19).
 Out Put Growth: With regard to output growth, we find that the monthly index of
industrial production pertaining to manufacturing has registered double-digit growth
rates only on two occasions during the period April 2012 to November 2019. In fact, data
show that for a majority of the months, it was 3% or below and even negative for some
months. Negative growth implies contraction of the sector.
 Employment Growth: There was a delay in the part of government in releasing data.
Employment, especially industrial employment, has not grown to keep pace with the rate
of new entries into the labour market.
Policy Flaws:
 The bulk of these schemes relied too much on foreign capital for investments and global
markets for produce. This created an inbuilt uncertainty, as domestic production had to
be planned according to the demand and supply conditions elsewhere.
 Second, policymakers neglected the implementation. Policy implementers need to take
into account the implications of implementation deficit in their decisions. ‘Make in India’
has been plagued by a large number of under-prepared initiatives.
 It set out too ambitious growth rates for the manufacturing sector to achieve. An annual
growth rate of 12-14% is well beyond the capacity of the industrial sector.
 The initiative brought in too many sectors into its fold. This led to a loss of policy focus.
 Further, it was seen as a policy devoid of any understanding of the comparative
advantages of the domestic economy.
 Given the uncertainties of the global economy and ever-rising trade protectionism also
affected the policy.
Curative Petition
In News: Curative petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by two convicts in the Nirbhaya
case after their execution was scheduled.
More on the Topic:
 The concept of Curative petition was evolved by the Supreme Court of India in the
matter of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and Anr. (2002) Judgement.
 The question was whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the
final judgement/order of the Supreme Court, after dismissal of a review petition.
 The Supreme Court in the said case held that in order to prevent abuse of its process
and to cure gross miscarriage of justice, it may reconsider its judgements in exercise
of its inherent powers.
 For this purpose, the court has devised what has been termed as a “curative” petition.

 In the Curative petition, the petitioner is

Article 137 of the Constitution
required to aver specifically that the grounds
provides that subject to provisions
mentioned therein had been taken in the
of any law and rule made under
review petition filed earlier and that it was
Article 145 the Supreme Court of
dismissed by circulation.
India has the power to review any
 This has to be certified by a senior advocate. judgement pronounced (or order
The Curative petition is then circulated to made) by it.
the three senior most judges and the judges
Thus binding decision of the

who delivered the impugned judgement, if Supreme Court/High Court can be
available. reviewed in Review Petition.
 No time limit is given for filing Curative The parties aggrieved on any order
petition. It is guaranteed under Article 137 of the Supreme Court on any
of Constitution of India i.e. powers of the apparent error can file a review
Supreme Court to review of its own petition.
judgements and orders.
Access to Internet a fundamental right

In News: Recently In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court said that access to the Internet
is a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution, and asked the Jammu and
Kashmir administration to review within a week all
orders imposing curbs in the Union Territory. In a landmark order, the High
Important Rulings in This Regard: Court of Tripura ordered the
 The Kerala High Court has held that the right to police to refrain from
have access to the Internet is part of the prosecuting a man who was
fundamental right to education as well as the right earlier arrested over a social
to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. ( media post. The Chief Justice in
Case: A college student from Kozhikode was his order broadly remarked that
expelled from the college hostel for using her posting on social media was
mobile phone beyond the restricted hours.) tantamount to a “fundamental
 The court ruling in the S.Rengarajan and others v. right” applicable to all citizens,
P. Jagjivan Ram (1989) case “ the fundamental including government
freedom under Article 19(1)(a) can be reasonably employees
restricted only for the purposes mentioned in
Article 19(2) and the restriction must be justified
on the anvil of necessity and not the quicksand of convenience or expediency.
UN view on this:
 Human Rights Council of the United Nations has found that the right of access to Internet
is a fundamental freedom and a tool to ensure right to education.
 UN, in 2016, made a series of statements collectively describing that internet access as a
basic human right.
The basic elements of this include:
 Not intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online.
 States should consider formulating and adopting national internet-related public
policies that have the objective of universal access and enjoyment of human rights at their
core through transparent and inclusive processes with all stakeholders.

 Promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights, including the right to freedom of
expression, on the internet and other information and communication technology.
 How the internet can be an important tool for fostering citizen and civil society
participation, for the realisation of development in every community and for exercising
human rights.
Model Mains Question: The access to the Internet is a fundamental right. Comment
Island Development Agency (IDA)
In News: The sixth meeting of the Island Development Agency held in New Delhi. The
meetings of the Agency is chaired by the Union Home Minister.
More on the Topic:
 Holistic development of islands program was reviewed in the meeting.
 Aim of the initiative is sustainable development in the identified Islands within
scientifically-assessed carrying capacity.
 Under the programme, Development Plans with focus on creation of jobs for the islanders
through tourism promotion as well as export of seafood and coconut-based products
made in the Islands have been prepared and are being implemented in four islands of
Andaman & Nicobar and five islands of Lakshadweep.
 In the second phase, suitable sites in 12 more islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and
5 islands in Lakshadweep have been covered.
Classical Language
In News: At the recently concluded 93rd edition of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya
Sammelan, a resolution was passed demanding the declaration of Marathi as a ‘Classical’
language.
More on the topic:
 Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status namely Tamil (declared in 2004),
Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).
Guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’:
 High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years.

 A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations

of speakers.
 The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
 The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a
discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
Promotion of Classical languages:
 Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian
languages.
 A Centre of Excellence for studies in Classical Languages is set up.

 The University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the
Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for the Classical Languages
so declared.
Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

In News: According to the Ministry of Rural
Development, only 252 Members of
Parliament (MPs) have adopted gram
panchayats under phase-4 of Saansad Adarsh
Gram Yojana (SAGY).
More on the Topic:
 Under the SAGY, each MP was required
to identify one gram panchayat of his or
her choice for developing it as an Adarsh
Gram (Model Village) every year.
 Under the Yojana, MPs are responsible for developing the socio-economic and physical
infrastructure of three villages each by 2019, and a total of eight villages each by 2024.
The first Adarsh Gram (Model Village) was to be developed by 2016, and two more by
2019.
 From 2019 to 2024, five more Adarsh Grams must be developed by each MP, one each
year. This implies that a total of 6,433 Adarsh Grams, of the 2,65,000 gram panchayats,
will be created by 2024.
Process:
 The basic unit for development is ‘Gram Panchayat’.
 Lok Sabha MP: chooses a Gram Panchayat from within his/her constituency.
 Rajya Sabha MP: chooses Gram Panchayat from the rural area of a district of his/her
choice in the State from which he/she is elected.
 Nominated MPs: choose a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the
country.
Mode of Operation:
 The MPs engages with the community, facilitate the Village Development Plan and
mobilise the necessary resources particularly from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
and philanthropies.
 The planning process in each village is a participatory exercise coordinated by the District
Collector.
 MPs also fill up critical gaps in the plan using the Member of Parliament Local Area
Development Scheme (MPLADs) funds.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2020

In News: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is
celebrated on 9th January every year to
mark the contribution of Overseas Indian
community in the development of India.
More on the Topic:
 On January 9th 1915, Mahatma
Gandhi returned to India from South

Africa and eventually led India’s
freedom struggle.
 PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003. These conventions provide a
platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people
of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities.
 These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian
community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their
experiences in various fields.
Indian Digital Heritage (IDH) initiative

In News: The Union Ministry of Culture and
Tourism launched a month-long special
exhibition titled Indian Heritage in Digital Space.
This special exhibition showcases the
adaptation and infusion of technologies being
developed under the Indian Digital Heritage
(IDH) initiative.
More on the Topic:
 This initiative is undertaken by the
Department of Science and Technology
(DST) in the cultural heritage domain of the country.
 The exhibition demonstrates the outcome of two flagship projects viz., A digital mini-
spectacle to showcase the glory of Hampi and Augmented Reality based interactions with
physical models of monuments.
 The goals of these projects: to create digital installations using 3D laser scan data, AR,
holographic projections and 3D fabrication,to provide interactive and immersive
experiences showcasing the glory of Hampi and five Indian monuments namely Kashi
Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi; TajMahal, Agra; Sun Temple, Konark; Ramachandra
Temple, Hampi ; and RaniKiVav, Patan .
 These projections are driven by cutting-edge technologies such as 3D fabrication, Artificial
Intelligence, Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Holographic Projections and
Projection Mapping etc.

Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund

In News: Recently, the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has directed
telecom service providers to put all
unclaimed subscriber money in consumer
protection fund.
More on the Topic:
 TRAI has notified the amendment to the

Telecommunication Consumers
Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF)
regulations to remove any kind of ambiguity and facilitate deposit of any unclaimed
money of the consumer.
 With this amendment service provider will deposit any unclaimed consumer money of
any form such as excess charges, security deposit, plan charges of failed activations, or
any amount belonging to a consumer, which service providers are unable to refund to
consumers.
 It provides a time of 12 months or period of limitation specified under law whichever is
later, after which unclaimed consumer money should be deposited to the fund.
 Ambiguity before the amendment: While some service providers were depositing money
only on account of excess billing, others were depositing unclaimed money such as
security deposits and plan charges of failed activations.
 Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations were notified
in 2007
 The income from the fund is utilised for programmes and activities relating to consumer
education and protection.
Saksham Fuel Conservation Campaign

In News: An annual one-month long people centric fuel
conservation campaign of the Petroleum Conservation
Research Association (PCRA) named Saksham was
launched recently.
Other Fuel Efficiency Enhancing Initiatives:
 PCRA in association with the Institute of Petroleum-
Dehradun has developed high energy efficient Piped
Natural Gas (PNG) burner/Gas stove for household
where piped gas is supplied which will save gas as
compared to modified LPG stove for PNG.
 The annual Saksham National Competition which
generally is launched in the month of July, has seen
participation of 1.48 crore students.
 An awareness Campaign on 100 busiest intersections of Delhi through the Central Road
Research Institute (CRRI) on encouraging the behaviour of switching-off engine at red
light was recently carried out by PCRA.
 PCRA is a registered society set up under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural
Gas.

 As a non-profit organization, PCRA is a national government agency engaged in

promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of economy.
Disqualification Power of Speakers

In News: The Supreme Court asked Parliament to
amend the Constitution to strip Legislative Assembly
Speakers of their exclusive power to decide whether
legislators should be disqualified or not under the

anti-defection law.
More on the Topic:
 An independent tribunal ought to be appointed
instead to determine the fate of an MP or an
MLA who has switched sides for money and
power.
 Speaker, who is a member of a particular political party and an insider in the House, acting
as the “sole and final arbiter” in the disqualification of a political defector can lead to
conflict of interest.
 In the Karnataka MLAs’ disqualification case, the court had held that a Speaker who
cannot stay aloof from the pressures and wishes of his political party does not deserve to
occupy his chair.
 This judgment of November 2019, also urged Parliament to “reconsider strengthening
certain aspects of the Tenth Schedule, so that such undemocratic practices are
discouraged”.
Way Ahead:
 Disqualification petitions under the Tenth Schedule should be adjudicated by a
mechanism outside Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies.
 The court suggested a permanent tribunal headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or
a former High Court Chief Justice.
 Only swift and impartial disqualification of defectors would give “real teeth” to the Tenth
Schedule.
 Anti-Defection Law is contained in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which was
introduced by the 52nd Amendment in 1985.
The four phases of constitutional interpretation

In News: The Constitution of India came into force 70 years
ago, on January 26, 1950. Republic Day, provides an
opportunity to take a step back from political contestations
about the Constitution and consider how the text has been
interpreted by the courts over the last seven decades.
More on the Topic:
Text as phase one:
 In its early years, the Supreme Court adopted a
textualist approach, focusing on the plain meaning of
the words used in the Constitution.

 A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950) was one of the early decisions in which the Court
was called upon to interpret the fundamental rights under Part III. The leader of the
Communist Party of India claimed that preventive detention legislation under which he
was detained was inconsistent with Articles 19 (the right to freedom), 21 (the right to life)
and 22 (the protection against arbitrary arrest and detention).
 The Supreme Court decided that each of those articles covered entirely different subject
matter, and were to be read as separate codes rather than being read together.
 Amongst the most controversial questions in Indian constitutional law has been whether
there are any limitations on Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution, especially
fundamental rights. In its early years, the Court read the Constitution literally, concluding
that there were no such limitations.
Phase two, the structure:
 In the second phase, the Supreme Court began exploring other methods of interpretation.
Appeals to the text of the Constitution were gradually overtaken by appeals to the
Constitution’s overall structure and coherence.
 In the leading case of Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), the Court concluded
that Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution did not extend to altering its “basic
structure,” an open-ended catalogue of features that lies within the exclusive control of
the Court.
 When Parliament attempted to overturn this decision by amending the Constitution yet
again, the Court, relying on structuralist justifications, decisively rejected that attempt.
 In this phase, the Court also categorically rejected the Gopalan approach in favour of a
structuralist one in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978). Through this decision, the
Court conceived of the fundamental rights as a cohesive bill of rights rather than a
miscellaneous grouping of constitutional guarantees.
 The right to life was incrementally interpreted to include a wide range of rights such as
clean air, speedy trial, and free legal aid. This paved the way for the Supreme Court to
play an unprecedented role in the governance of the nation.
 What was common between the first two phases of the interpretive story was that
significant decisions involving the interpretation of the Constitution were entrusted to
Constitution Benches (comprising five or more judges of court) and were carefully (even
if incorrectly) reasoned.
 There was limited scope for precedential confusion, since matters which had been
decided by Constitution Benches and which demanded reconsideration were referred to
larger Constitution Benches.
Third Phase:
 In the third phase, the Supreme Court’s interpretive philosophy turned far more result-
oriented than it had ever been. The Court often surrendered its responsibility of
engaging in a thorough rights reasoning of the issues before it. Two factors underpinned
this institutional failure.
 First, the changing structure of the Court, which at its inception began with eight judges,
grew to a sanctioned strength of 31; it is currently 34. It began to sit in panels of two or
three judges, effectively transforming it into a “polyvocal” group of about a dozen sub-
Supreme Courts.
 Second, the Court began deciding cases based on a certain conception of its own role —
whether as sentinel of democracy or protector of the market economy. This unique

decision-making process sidelined reason-giving in preference to arriving at outcomes

that match the Court’s perception.
Phase four, purpose:
 We are currently in the midst of transitioning from the third phase of constitutional
interpretation to the fourth. In the fourth phase, the Court has acknowledged as critical
to its interpretive exercise the purpose for which the Constitution has been enacted.
Many Constitutions attempt the task of entrenching a political compromise between the
incumbents and challengers of the day.
 India’s Constitution, at its very inception, was different. In enacting the Constitution, the
founders of our Republic expressed a sense of unease with the status quo and raised
expectations of root-and-branch social revolution and transformation. The Court is now
beginning to interpret the Constitution in accordance with its revolutionary and
transformative potential.
 With about a dozen significant Constitution Bench decisions from the Supreme Court
since September 2018, there has been a renaissance in decision-making by Constitution
Benches. This includes the Court’s decisions striking down Section 377 and the criminal
offence of adultery, and including the office of the Chief Justice of India within the scope
of the Right to Information Act.
 However, facets of phase 3 continue to linger on in the courts. Cases that involve
substantial questions of interpretation of the Constitution — such as the cases concerning
the National Register of Citizens and the electoral bonds scheme — are still being
adjudicated upon by benches of two or three judges. There remains a latent risk
associated with phase 3, that the gains made in the early days of phase four could be lost.
Legislative Council
In News: The Andhra Pradesh
Assembly on Monday passed a
resolution to pave way for abolition
of the Legislative Council.
More on the Topic:
 India has a bicameral system of
legislature. Just as Parliament has
two Houses, the states can also
have a Legislative Council in
addition to the Legislative Assembly through Article 169 of the Constitution.
 States having a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Maharashtra, Karnataka.
 The Parliament can abolish a legislative council (where it already exists) or create it
(where it does not exist) by a simple majority, that is, a majority of the members of each
House present and voting, if the legislative assembly of the concerned state, by a special
majority, passes a resolution to that effect.
 Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have
more than one-third of the total strength of the State Assembly, and not less than 40
members.
 Like the Rajya Sabha, the legislative council is a continuing chamber, that is, it is a
permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. The tenure of a Member of the

Legislative Council (MLC) is six years, with one-third of the members retiring every two
years.
 Powers of the council: The legislative power of the Councils are limited. Unlike Rajya
Sabha which has substantial powers to shape non-financial legislation, Legislative Councils
lack a constitutional mandate to do so.
 Assemblies can override suggestions/amendments made to legislation by the Council.
 Again, unlike Rajya Sabha MPs, MLCs cannot vote in elections for the President and Vice
President. The Vice President is the Rajya Sabha Chairperson while a member from the
Council itself is chosen as the Council Chairperson.
Comprehensive Bodo Settlement Agreement

In News: The MHA, the Assam government and the
Bodo groups have signed an agreement to redraw
and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District
(BTAD) in Assam, currently spread over four districts
of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.
More on the Topic:
 Several Bodo groups led have been demanding a
separate land for the ethnic community since
1972, a movement that has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.
 The first Bodo accord was signed with the ABSU in 1993, leading to the creation of a
Bodoland Autonomous Council with limited political powers.
 The BTC was created in 2003 with some more financial and other powers.
 The BTAD and other areas mentioned under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution have
been exempted from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
More on the New Agreement:
 As per the agreement, villages dominated by Bodos that were presently outside the BTAD
would be included and those with non-Bodo population would be excluded.
 Bodos living in the hills would be conferred a Scheduled Hill Tribe status.
 The BTAD is to be renamed as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
 The criminal cases registered against members of the NDFB factions for “non-heinous”
crimes shall be withdrawn by the Assam government and in cases of heinous crimes it will
be reviewed.
 A Special Development Package of Rs. 1500 Crore would be given by the Centre to
undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.
 New Commission: It proposes to set up a commission under Section 14 of the Sixth
Schedule to the Constitution which will recommend the inclusion or exclusion of tribal
population residing in villages adjoining BTAD areas.
 In this commission, besides State government, there will be representatives from ABSU
and BTC. It will submit its recommendation within six months.
 More Powers: The present settlement has a proposal to give more legislative, executive,
administrative and financial powers to BTC.
 The total number of Assembly seats will go up to 60, from the existing 40.
 Bodo Language: The Assam government will also notify Bodo language as an associate
official language in the state and will set up a separate directorate for Bodo medium
schools.

 Bodo with Devnagri script would be the associate official language for the entire Assam.
 Significance of the agreement: The signing of the agreement would “end the 50-year-old
Bodo crisis.”
 Around 1500 cadres of BODO militant factions will be rehabilitated by Centre and Assam
Government.
Criminalistaion of Politics
In News: The Supreme Court agreed to examine a proposition made by the Election
Commission (EC)
to ask political
parties to not
give ticket to
those with
criminal
antecedents.
More on the
Topic:
 Nearly half of
the newly-
elected Lok
Sabha
members
have criminal
charges
against them, a 26 per cent increase as compared to 2014, according to the Association
of Democratic Reforms.
 Of the 539 winning candidates analysed by the ADR, as many as 233 MPs or 43 per cent
have criminal charges.
 Main reasons for Criminalization: Corruption, Vote bank and Lack of governance.
Efforts by SC in this regard:
 The SC has repeatedly expressed concern about the purity of legislatures.
 In 2002, it made it obligatory for all candidates to file an affidavit before the returning
officer, disclosing criminal cases pending against them.
 The famous order to introduce NOTA was intended to make political parties think before
giving tickets to the tainted.
 In its landmark judgment of March 2014, the SC accepted the urgent need for cleansing
politics of criminalisation and directed all subordinate courts to decide on cases involving
legislators within a year, or give reasons for not doing so to the chief justice of the high
court.
Possible Solutions:
 Political parties should themselves refuse tickets to the tainted.
 The RP Act should be amended to debar persons against whom cases of a heinous nature
are pending from contesting elections.
 Fast-track courts should decide the cases of tainted legislators quickly.
 Bringing greater transparency in campaign financing is going to make it less attractive for
political parties to involve gangsters.

 The Election Commission of India

(ECI) should have the power to audit
the financial accounts of political
parties, or political parties’ finances
should be brought under the right to
information (RTI) law.
 Broader governance will have to
improve for voters to reduce the
reliance on criminal politicians.

 The forms prescribed by the
Election Commission for candidates
disclosing their convictions, cases
pending in courts and so on in their
nomination papers is a step in the
right direction if it applied properly.
What does the RPA say on this?
 Currently, under the Representation
of Peoples (RP) Act, lawmakers
cannot contest elections only after
their conviction in a criminal case.
 Section 8 of the Representation of
the People (RP) Act, 1951
disqualifies a person convicted with
a sentence of two years or more
from contesting elections. But those
under trial continued to be eligible
to contest elections. The Lily
Thomas case (2013), however,
ended this unfair advantage.

Police Commissionerate System

In News: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the commissionerate system of policing for
state capital Lucknow, and Noida.
More on the Topic:
 The system gives more responsibilities, including Background:
magisterial powers, to IPS officers of Inspector The primary objective of the
General of Police (IG) rank posted as British was revenue collection in
commissioners. Depending on its success, the rural India. They needed a force
policing system may gradually be implemented in that could support this
other districts as well. objective and unleash tyranny
What is police commissionerate system? and oppression when needed to
 Under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution, suit the objective. The worst of
‘Police’ is under the State list, meaning individual officers from the British police
states typically legislate and exercise control over were sent to India. So there was
this subject. In the arrangement in force at the need to put them under the
district level, a ‘dual system’ of control exists, in District Collector.
which the Superintendent of Police (SP) has to
work with the District Magistrate (DM) for
supervising police administration.
 At the metropolitan level, many states have replaced the dual system with the
commissionerate system, as it is supposed to allow for faster decision-making to solve
complex urban-centric issues.
 In the commissionerate system, the Commissioner of Police (CP) is the head of a unified
police command structure, is responsible for the force in the city, and is accountable to
the state government. The office also has magisterial powers, including those related to
regulation, control, and licensing.
 The CP is drawn from the Deputy Inspector General rank or above, and is assisted by
Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy Commissioners.
How many states have it?
 Almost all states barring Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, UT of J&K, and some Northeastern
states have a commissionerate system.
 The British brought the system first in Kolkata and followed it in Mumbai and Chennai
presidencies. Delhi turned into a commissionerate during the Morarji Desai regime.
 The delay in UP was due to resistance from the IAS lobby.
What is different under the system?
 Policing is based on the Police Act of 1861. Under the colonial system, the overall in-
charge of a district or region was the district collector; the SP reported to him.
 The powers of the executive magistrate, such as issuing orders for preventive arrests
or imposition of Section 144 CrPC, were vested in the district collector. This was called
the dual system of police administration.
 Under the commissionerate system, the commissioner does not report to the DM. In
Mumbai and Delhi, he reports directly to the government. It gives an integrated
command structure. It helps fix responsibility with the Commissioner and eliminates
blame game between civil administration and police when something goes wrong

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan

In News: The Ministry of Human
Resource Development has
approached the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO) to take notice of the
alleged corruption in the
implementation of the Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

More on the topic:
 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha
Abhiyan is a Centrally Sponsored
Scheme launched in 2013.
 Its aim was to increase
enrolment in higher education by 30%.
 It primarily provides strategic funding to eligible State higher educational institutions.
 The RUSA, unlike other schemes, is not imposed on State governments in a one-size-fits
all manner. Under RUSA, states and institutions have to give an undertaking expressing
their willingness to the idea of reform.
 They should also agree to meet the States’ share of the cost. Accordingly, preparatory
grants will be released to States to have the required systems, processes, and the
technical support in place.
 The scheme is largely based on the conditional release of funds.
 It is linked to reforms in the key areas of governance, learning-teaching outcomes,
reaching out to the unreached and infrastructure support.
National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP)

In News: NITI Aayog has published vision plan for the
National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP).
More on the Topic:
 The platform aims to democratize access to publicly
available government data.
 The NDAP proposes a simple, interactive, visual,
and robust platform that will host various Central
and state government datasets.
 It will host the latest datasets from various government websites, present them
coherently, and provide tools for analytics and visualization.
 NDAP will cater to a wide audience of policymakers, researchers, innovators, data
scientists, journalists and citizens.
 An inter-ministerial committee will oversee the progress of the development of platform,
which will take place over a period of one year.
 The first version of the platform is expected to be launched in 2021.
 The process will follow a user-centric approach, and will incorporate feedback received
from various users and stakeholders throughout the course of its development.


Government schemes and policies
FAME India
In News: The Department of Heavy Industries
operating under Ministry of Heavy Industries
and Public Enterprises has sanctioned 2636
Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations under
FAME India scheme Phase II. The stations are

to be set in 62 cities in 24 states and Union
Territories.
More on the Topic:
 FAME India is a part of the National
Electric Mobility Mission Plan. Main
thrust of FAME is to encourage electric vehicles by providing subsidies.
 Vehicles in most segments – two wheelers, three wheelers, electric and hybrid cars and
electric buses obtained the subsidy benefit of the scheme.
 FAME focuses on 4 areas i.e. Technology development, Demand Creation, Pilot Projects
and Charging Infrastructure.
FAME-India Scheme Phase – II:
 The scheme proposes to give a push to electric vehicles (EVs) in public transport.
 It seeks to encourage adoption of EVs by way of market creation and demand
aggregation.
UJALA, SLNP
In News: UJALA and Street Lighting National
Programme (SLNP) of the central government
completed five successful years.
More on the Topic:
 Over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been
distributed across the country through the
UJALA initiative. This has resulted in
estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion
kilowatt-hour per year.
 Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) project brought the market transformation
in the energy efficiency sector. Prices of LED bulbs being distributed under UJALA
programme have fallen to one-tenth of their rates, from 310 rupees in 2015 to 38 rupees
in 2018.
 The switch from inefficient incandescent bulbs to LEDs is helping families reduce their
electricity bills while also enabling them to access better brightness in homes.
 More than 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till date under the Street
Lighting National Programme. This has enabled an estimated energy savings of 6.97
billion kilowatt-hour per year.
 LED streetlights have been installed in various states across the country, helping in
generating approximately 13,000 jobs to support Make in India initiative.

UJALA- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.

 An ordinary bulb is an extremely energy inefficient form of lighting with just 5% of the
electricity input converted to light. Efficient light bulbs like Light-emitting Diode (LEDs)
consumes only one-tenth of energy used by ordinary bulb to provide the same or better light
output. However, high cost of LEDs has been a barrier in adoption of such efficient lighting
systems. The DELP on-bill financing scheme proposes to overcome this cost barrier. The
scheme is named "UJALA" - an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All.
 Under the scheme, 20W LED tube lights and BEE 5-star rated energy efficient fans are also
distributed to the consumers. The 20W LED tube lights are 50% more energy efficient than
conventional 40W tube lights and are available for Rs. 220/- per tube, as against the market
price of Rs. 400-600. The energy efficient fans under the UJALA scheme come with a BEE 5
Star rating. These ceiling fans are rated 30% more energy efficient than conventional fans
and are priced at Rs. 1200/- per fan.
 The Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) a public
sector body of Government of India are implementing the programme.
 Every grid-connected consumer having a metered connection from their respective
Electricity Distribution Company can get the LED bulbs at about 40% of the market price
under the UJALA Scheme. Consumers also have the option of paying for the LEDs in equated
monthly instalments.
 How the model works- Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) distributes LED bulbs to
households at 40 % of market price. Total upfront investment and risk coverage borne by
EESL. DISCOM pays EESL from actual energy savings over 5 years. No subsidy required from
government
Street Light National Programme
 is an initiative of the Government to promote energy efficiency in the country.
 Government aims to replace 3.5 crore conventional street lights with energy efficient LED lights.
This would result in annual energy saving of 900 crore units and the total cost savings of
municipalities every year will be Rs 5,500 crores
 Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a Public Energy Services Company under the administration
of Ministry of Power, Government of India (GoI) is the implementing agency for SLNP.
 The National Programme has been launched on 5th January 2015 to convert conventional street
and domestic lights with energy efficient LED lights.
Objective
 Mitigate climate change by implementing energy efficient LED based street lighting
 Reduce energy consumption in lighting which helps DISCOMs to manage peak demand
 Provide a sustainable service model that obviates the need for upfront capital investment as well
as additional revenue expenditure to pay for procurement of LED lights
 Enhance municipal services at no upfront capital cost of municipalities
EESL Service Model
 EESL replaces the conventional street lights with LEDs at its own costs and consequent reduction
in energy and maintenance cost of the municipality is used to repay EESL over a period of time.
 The contracts that EESL enters into with Municipalities are typically of 7 years duration where it
not only guarantees a minimum energy saving but also provides free replacements and
maintenance of lights at no additional costs to the municipalities.

One Nation One Ration Card scheme

In News: Tamil Nadu governor said the State was fully
equipped to implement the One Nation One Ration
Card’ scheme.
More on the Topic:
 Government is going to implement "One nation-
one ration card" scheme in the whole country by
1st June, 2020.

 Portability of Food Security Benefits: One of the
key advantages of the One Nation One Ration
Card Scheme is that beneficiaries will be able to avail their entitled food grain under the
National Food Security Act from any Fair Price Shop located across India.
 Aimed at Helping Poor Migrants: Until now, poor migrants, who migrate to a new place
had to get a new ration card issued in their name at their new location in order to buy
food grains at subsidized prices through Public Distribution System. However, with the all-
India roll-out of the scheme from 1st June 2020, migrants will be able to buy subsidized
food grains from any fair price shop across the country, without having to apply for and
obtain a new ration card.
 Beneficiary Identity through Aadhaar: Under the new One Nation One Ration Card
scheme, the beneficiary of the scheme will be identified and verified through Aadhaar
authentication at the Fair Price Ships on the electronic point of sale (e-POS) devices.
 Scheme Operational in 12 States: From January 1, 2020, the One Nation One Ration Card
Scheme was implemented in 12 states across India. These include Madhya Pradesh, Goa,
Tripura, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Telangana.
 Number of People Covered under NFSA: As per the data provided by PIB, NFSA currently
provides coverage for about 81.34 Crore people across the country, who will now be able
to take advantage of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme.
 It also aims to remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail
benefits from different states. Electronic point of sale (ePoS) machines are installed at
ration shops to check fake cards.
 Installation of electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices at Fair Price Shops (FPSs) is the
main enabler of portability of ration card holders, supported by the biometric/Aadhaar
authentication. More than 4.1 lakh (77%) ePoS devices are already operational across the
country. 25 States/UTs have either completed the installation in all FPSs or having
significant progress in this area. Further, more than 85% ration cards (at least one
member) in the country have been seeded with the Aadhaar numbers of the beneficiaries.
Current status
 Work on linking all the ration cards all over the country with Aadhar cards and organizing
food grain distribution mechanism in its entirety through Point of Sale (PoS) machine is in
the final stage.
 Other States/UTs having attained requisite readiness for inter-State portability, shall be
integrated in a phased manner. Thereby, enabling nation-wide portability of ration card
holders to receive subsidized foodgrains under NFSA from anywhere in the country by 1st
June 2020.

 To sustain the reforms brought in by the ongoing scheme of ‘End-to-End Computerization

of TPDS Operations’ and to introduce new reforms, the Department of Food & Public
Distribution, is targeting implementation of nation-wide portability in distribution of
subsidised foodgrains to the beneficiaries without the need of obtaining a new ration card
under ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ System.
 Currently Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura are 10 states where 100% POS machines have been
arranged for grain distribution and all PDS shops have been connected to the Internet.
Now, in these states any beneficiary can take grain from any public distribution system
shop in that state.
 Work is in the final stage for integrating the entire public distribution system with the
Depots online system (DOS)to ensure seamless working of the National Food Security Act
and bringing further transparency in the storage and distribution process of food grains.
 FCI has implemented the Depot Online System (DOS) in all its 563 warehouses and CWC
has implemented it in 144 depots. Apart from this, procurement of food grains by the FCI
has also been made online while purchase, storage and distribution system of most States
has been made online in some form or the other.
 It is imperative that there is a seamless flow of information online between FCI and States
and therefore they need to be integrated so that exact information on procurement and
distribution across the nation is available.
NetSCoFAN-Network
In News: Union Health Minister has launched
NetSCoFAN, a network of research & academic
institutions working in the area of food & nutrition.
More on the Topic:
 It would comprise of eight groups of institutions
working in different areas viz. biological, chemical,
nutrition & labelling, food of animal origin, food of
plant origin, water & beverages, food testing, and
safer & sustainable packaging.
 FSSAI has identified eight Nodal Institutions who would develop a ‘Ready Reckoner’ that
will have inventory of all research work, experts and institutions and would carry out and
facilitate research, survey and related activities.
 It would identify research gaps in respective areas and collect, collate and develop
database on food safety issues for risk assessment activities.

NISHTHA Programme
In News: NISHTHA, the National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic
Advancement programme was mentioned by Union HRD Minister in a recent event.
More on the Topic:
 NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world.
 It has been launched to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level.
 The basic objective of this massive training programme is to motivate and equip
teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.
 The initiative is first of its kind wherein standardized training modules are developed
at national level for all States and UTs.
 However, States and UTs can contextualize the training modules and use their own
material and resource persons also, keeping in view the core topics and expected
outcomes of NISHTHA.
 Features of the Programme: Activity based modules including educational games and
quizzes, Social-emotional learning, motivational interactions, team building,
preparation for school based assessment, in-built continuous feedback mechanism,
online monitoring and support system, training need and impact analysis (Pre and Post
training).
Youth Co:Lab
In News: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI
Aayog and United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) will hosts Youth Co:Lab.
More on the Topic:
 It aims at fostering technology, promoting
youth leadership and social
entrepreneurship in India.
 It is co-created in 2017 by the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and the Citi Foundation.
 It aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower
youth to accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.

 By developing 21st century skills, catalyzing and sustaining youth-led start-ups and social
enterprises across the region, Youth Co:Lab is positioning young people front and center
in order to solve the region’s most pressing challenges.
Scientific Social Responsibility Policy

In News: During 107th Indian science congress, The Department of Science and Technology
mentioned about the Centre’s policy on implementing Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR).
More on the Topic:

 Under the programme, researchers who are working on a science project funded by any
of the Ministries under the Central government will have to undertake activities to
popularise science and make it more accessible to
the public.
Scientific Social Responsibility
 It will include a range of activities like delivering
(SSR) is the confluence of
lectures in educational institutes, writing an article
scientific knowledge with
in a magazine or doing something beyond the
visionary leadership and social
curriculum.
conscience.
 The science outreach would be mandatory and
It is about building synergies
researchers had to include this as part of their among all stakeholders in
outcome report.
scientific knowledge
 Soon the government will list activities that could be community and also about
taken up under the Scientific Social Responsibility developing linkages between
programme that was similar to Corporate Social science and society.
Responsibility (CSR).
Objectives:
 It aims to harness the voluntary potential in the country’s scientific community to
strengthen science and society linkages.
 This primarily involves bridging science-society, science-science and society-science
gaps, thereby bringing trust, partnership and responsibility of science at an
accelerated peace towards achieving social goals.
Significance:
 The SSR policy will facilitate easy access to resources and knowledge about the
investments and impacts of Science and Technology (S&T) on society.
 It would inculcate moral responsibility amongst the scientific community which may
trigger social entrepreneurship and start-ups impacting S&T ecosystem and society.

News related to e-governance
MANI Mobile App RBI

In News: The Reserve Bank of India has launched
'MANI' mobile app to help the visually challenged
identify the denomination of currency notes.
More on the Topic:

 The application can scan the currency notes
using the camera of the mobile phone.
However, the app does not authenticate a note
as either genuine or counterfeit.
 It also gives audio output in Hindi and English.
 The application will work on Android and iOS
operating systems. It will work in offline mode
once installed.
Rojgaar Sangi
In News: The Chhattisgarh State Skill Development Authority (CSSDA) has launched a mobile
phone app - ‘Rojgaar Sangi’ to help skilled and trained candidates find jobs.
More on the Topic:
 The app has been developed with the help of National Informatics Centre (NIC).
 It will enable more accessibility for skilled and trained candidates, which in turn will
increase job opportunities.
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C)

In News: Union Ministry of Home Affairs has
inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime
Coordination Centre (I4C).
More on the Topic:
 This state-of-the-art Centre is located in
New Delhi.
 The I4C will deal with all types of
cybercrimes in a comprehensive and
coordinated manner.
 It has seven components viz.,
 National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit,
 National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal,
 National Cyber Crime Training Centre,
 Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit,
 National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre,
 National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem.
 Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation Team.

 At the initiative of Union Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA), 15 States and UTs have given
their consent to set up Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centres at respective
States/UTs.
e-mobility mission
In News: The Supreme Court on Friday
sought the response of the government
on a petition that alleges the non-

implementation of the National E-
Mobility Mission Plan, 2020 (NEMMP),
which came out in 2012.
More on the Topic:
 The petition contended that the
governmental apathy has violated
the fundamental rights of citizens to
health and clean environment
guaranteed under under Articles 14
and 21 of the Constitution.
 The government had failed in its obligation to mitigate the impact of climate change and
air pollution partly attributable to emissions from vehicles that burn fossil fuels.
 Transport vehicles are currently one of the biggest consumers of fossil fuels and more
than 99.9% of transport vehicles in India are based on fossil fuels.
About National e-mobility mission:
 Under its National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), the government is
targeting to achieve 6-7 million sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in India by 2020.
NEMMP aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric
vehicles in the country.
 NEMM intends to allow hybrid and electric vehicles to become the first choice for
the purchasers so that these vehicles can replace the conventional vehicles and thus
reduce liquid fuel consumption in the country from the automobile sector.
National Electric Mobility Mission is a composite scheme using different policy-levers such as:
 Demand side incentives to facilitate the acquisition of hybrid/electric vehicles.
 Promoting R&D in technology including battery technology, power electronics,
motors, systems integration, battery management system, testing infrastructure, and
ensuring industry participation in the same.
 Promoting charging infrastructure.
 Supply side incentives.
 Encouraging retro-fitment of on-road vehicles its hybrid kit.
 Under NEMMP 2020, Government has launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing
of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme to promote manufacturing
of electric and hybrid vehicle technology.

PRAGATI Platform
In News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair
the 32nd interaction through PRAGATI- the ICT-
based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active
Governance and Timely Implementation in New
Delhi. In the previous thirty-one interactions of
PRAGATI, projects worth over twelve lakh crores
have been reviewed by the Prime Minister.

More on the Topic:
 Pro-Active Governance And Timely
Implementation ( PRAGATI) was launched
in 2015.
 It is a multi-purpose and multi-modal
platform that is aimed at addressing
common person’s grievances.
 It also simultaneously monitor and review important programmes and projects of the
Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.
 The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data
management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.
 A three-tier system involves PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief
Secretaries of the States.
 Through this platform PM holds a monthly programme with the Government of India
Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries through Video-conferencing enabled by data and
geo-informatics visuals.
 The programme will be held once in every month on Fourth Wednesday at 3.30 PM-
to be known as PRAGATI Day.
GATI Portal
In News: Union Road Transport and Highways
Ministry launched online web portal ‘GATI’ on
the pattern of ‘PRAGATI’, the portal.
More on the Topic:
 GATI Portal has been created by the
National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI).
 The portal ‘GATI’ can be accessed from
NHAI’s website, and contractors and
concessionaires can raise any project-related issues on the platform.
 The issues raised on ‘GATI’ will be daily monitored by a team of NHAI officers and will
be constantly reviewed by the senior officers of the National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Bhuvan Panchayat
In News: ISRO has developed Bhuvan panchayat Web portal.
More on the Topic:
 The Web Geo portal is developed for the benefit of Gram Panchayat members and
other stakeholders, able to perform Database visualization, Data analytics, Generation
of automatic reports and Model based products and services.
 The targeted audience for this portal are Public, PRIs and different stakeholders
belonging to the gram panchayats.

 ISRO National Remote Sensing Centre, which is the national repository of earth
imageries, aids rural planners to plan and locate a healthcare unit, water harvesting,
and rural communication network even from the Panchayats office.
SISDP-Update Project:
Satellite imagery-based database of rural natural resources, called SISDP, was launched by
ISRO.
It will be the backbone of planning and decision-making in the country’s 2.5 lakh village
panchayats, according to its main stakeholders in the departments of Space and Panchayat
Raj.
The recent update to the project is short for Space-based Information Support for
Decentralized Planning — uses high-resolution data from recent earth observation satellites
and offers detailed information to panchayats about their key assets.

Social issues
Bru Refugees
In News: Displaced Bru tribals from
Mizoram, living as refugees in Tripura
since 1997, were allowed to permanently

settle in Tripura.
More on the Topic:
 The agreement, allowing 30,000 Bru
tribals to permanently settle in
Tripura, took 20 years and nine
attempts in the making, and was
signed between the Centre, the state
governments of Tripura and
Mizoram, and Bru-Reang
representatives.
 The Brus--spread across Tripura, Mizoram and parts of southern Assam--are the most
populous tribe in Tripura. Also known as Reangs in the state, they are ethnically different
from the Mizos, with their own distinct language and dialect and form one of the 21
scheduled tribes of Tripura.
 While Mizoram has as many as 40,000 Brus living in the state, in Tripura, their numbers
stand at approximately 32,000, spread across six refugee camps in the state.
Back ground:
 In 1997, roughly half the Bru population fled to Tripura, following violent clashes with
the Mizo population, which led to the Brus’ demand for an Autonomous District
Council (ADC), under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, in western Mizoram, where
they were the more dominant lot, outnumbering the ethnic Mizo population.
 In June 2018, community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the
Centre and the two state governments, providing for repatriation in Mizoram. But
most camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement.
 The camp residents say that the agreement doesn't guarantee their safety in Mizoram.
 In October 2019, the supply of ration to relief camps was stopped on instructions of
the Home Ministry in a bid to hastily complete the repatriation of refugees to
Mizoram. Civil society outfits had alleged that at least six refugees died due to
starvation.
 The tribe’s food and cash supply was stopped prompting the tribe to take to the
streets.
 Due to this crisis the union home ministry started a round of talks with the state
governments of Mizoram and Tripura to legitimize the 30,000-odd refugees.
Proposed New Agreement
 According to the 2018 agreement, the Bru tribals would have settled in Mizoram, but
according to the new agreement, they will now settle in Tripura.
 The stakeholders in the issue expect a package of Rs 600 crore from the Centre which
includes:

 Plots of 2,500 sq ft for each Bru family in addition to agricultural land.

 A stipend of Rs 5,000 per month and free ration for each family for the next two years.
 Bru tribals would be included in Tripura’s voter list.
University for Transgender Community

In News: The country's first university for
transgender community will be opened in Uttar
Pradesh's Kushinagar district.

More on the Topic:
 It is being built by All-India transgender
education service trust.
 It facilitate its members to study right from
class one to PG and even do research and
get PhD degree.
Bhil Tribe
In News: Bhil tribe was in news due to some controversial
statements.
More on the Topic:
 The Bhil are one of the largest tribal groups, living in
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
 Traditionally, experts in guerrilla warfare, most of them
today are farmers and agricultural labourers. They are
also skilled sculptors.
Odisha- Tribes
In News: Right to Food Campaign, a platform of social
activists, said poor implementation of government welfare
programmes was marginalising tribals further in backward
pockets of Odisha.
More on the Topic:
 The most affected tribes are Juanga, Pudi Bhuyan.
 Juangas are one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups (PVTG) out of the total 62 tribes found in Odisha.
 They speak Juanga, a dialect of Munda language.
 They usually observe their festivals and marriage
ceremony with Changu dance.
 Pudi Bhuyan is a major section of the historically famous
Bhuinya tribe.
 This tribe is majorly found in Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam.
 It is one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha.
 They speak local Odia language which is pronounced differently.

News related to women & children
India’s under-5 mortality

In News: Half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. India and Nigeria alone account for about
a third.
More on the Topic:
 India is among the few countries in the world where, in 2018, the mortality under-5 years
of girls, exceeded that of boys, according to the ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’
report by the United Nations (UN) inter-agency group for child mortality.
 In 2018 fewer countries showed gender disparities in child mortality, and across the
world, on average, boys are expected to have a higher probability of dying before reaching
age-5 than girls. But this trend was not
reflected in India. The burden of child mortality is
 According to India’s 2017 Sample determined both by the mortality rate
Registration System (SRS) the States with (the proportion of children who die)
the highest burden of neonatal mortality are and by the estimated population of
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, any given State (total number of
with 32, 33 and 30 neonatal deaths per 1,000 annual births). In this sense, Uttar
live births, respectively. India’s neonatal Pradesh is the State with the highest
mortality rate is 23 per 1,000 live births. number of estimated newborn deaths
 Also States and Union Territories, Jharkhand, in India, both because of the high
Bihar and Uttarakhand showed the largest neonatal mortality rate and because of
gender gaps in under-5 mortality. the large cohort of births that occur
Causes: every year in the State ( according to
 Estimates indicate that the majority of child UNICEF).
mortality cases in India are attributable to

deaths during the neonatal period. The major causes of neonatal mortality are pre-term
birth, intrapartum related events, and neonatal infection. In the post-neonatal period,
the major direct causes of death are diarrhoea and pneumonia.
 The report adds that despite the tremendous progress in child survival that has been
made over the past two decades, one child or young adolescent died every five seconds
in 2018.
Need of the Hour:
 It is urgently required to further accelerate progress in preventing child deaths.
 Current trends predict that close to 10 million 5- to 14-year-olds, and 52 million children
under 5 years of age, will die between 2019 and 2030.
 Almost half of these under-5 deaths will be newborns whose deaths can be prevented by
reaching high coverage of quality antenatal care, skilled care at birth, postnatal care for
mother and baby, and care of small and sick newborns.
Pregnancy termination bill

In News: The Union Cabinet approved the
Medical Termination of Pregnancy
(Amendment) Bill, 2020, to amend the
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act,
1971. It will be introduced in the ensuing
session of Parliament.
More on the Topic:
 The proposed amendment seeks to
enhance the upper gestation limit from
20 to 24 weeks for special categories of
women that will be defined in the amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy
Rules and will include 'vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and
other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, minors) etc.
 Also, the upper gestation limit will not apply to cases of substantial foetal abnormalities
diagnosed by the Medical Board.
 Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not
be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.
 The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is for expanding access of
women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or
social grounds.
Significance:
 The amemdment to the ACT would ensure a safe termination of pregnancies and also
give women reproductive rights over their bodies.
 The extension to 24 weeks will also help victims of rape, girls with disabilities as well
as minors, who may not realise they are pregnant until later.
 This will reduce maternal mortality as well.

News related to health
Corona Virus
In News: The government

has set up a 24X7 helpline
number to attend to queries
about the novel coronavirus

(nCov) as number of cases
rose across the world.
More on the topic:
 Signs and symptoms:
Coughing, Fever,
Pneumonia, Shortness
of breath, Vomiting,
Diarrhea.
 In advanced cases, the
patient can have very
serious complications,
which can lead to death,
such as: Sever
pneumonia, Renal
(Kidney) failure.
 Coronavirus infection is
similar to a common
cold and typically
affects the upper
respiratory tract.
Symptoms include sore
throat, mild headache
and fever, cough and
cold. The fever can last
over two days.
What is novel coronavirus (nCoV)?
 Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from
common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. The virus has emerged from a seafood
and animal market in China's Wuhan, and is suspected to have spread to as far as the
United States.
 A coronavirus has many “regularly arranged” protrusions on its surface, because of
which the entire virus particle looks like an emperor’s crown, hence the name
“coronavirus”.
 It is an RNA virus with ribonucleic acid (RNA) as its genetic material instead of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). That means the virus blends with its host’s DNA and can
mutate rapidly.
 Due to this property of rapid mutation, coronaviruses can be quite different from one
another.

 These can affect humans as well as mammals including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs,
martens, camels, hedgehogs and some birds
Model Mains Question: India’s expenditure on healthcare is not adequate and there is a
need to increase expenditure on the preventive healthcare front. Discuss.
Tb Eradication
In News: India still has the
highest TB burden in the

world and despite the
disease being fully curable,
people still die from it.
More on the Topic:
 TB usually affects
people in their most
productive years
and drives families
into debt. It has a
direct link to human
suffering,
discrimination and also poverty.
 Due to its infectious spread, it directly affects our economic growth as well. But, with
resilience, sufficient investment, innovative approaches and strategies and the
participation of all stakeholders, TB can be defeated.
What needs to be done?
 The first step is the creation of awareness and empowering of communities. Needs a
multilingual, multi-stakeholder awareness effort to ensure that every single Indian
knows about the challenges of TB and where to seek treatment.
 The second step is ensuring that we provide every Indian with access to correct
diagnosis and treatment for TB, regardless of their ability to pay for it.
 This can only happen if governmenr work with the private sector as did in the case of
polio. There is a need to go door to door, identify TB patients, and provide each of
them care with compassion.
 A key challenge is building a forward-looking plan to address and control drug
resistance, a man-made menace that is a major roadblock in our fight against TB. Every
TB patient must be tested for drug resistance at the first point of care, whether in the
public or private sector, to rule out any drug resistance.
Way Ahead:
 Government machinery at the field level should work with communities and provide
free diagnosis and treatment to every affected individual. We also need to look
beyond treatment.
 Recognising that medicines are not enough, programme like the Nikshay Poshan
Yojana (under which TB patients receive Rs 500 every month while on treatment to
ensure patients other needs ) should be promoted.
 Multi-sectoral and community-led approach should be employed to tackle the Tb
problem.

Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD)

In News: The Madras High Court directed the Centre to consider
providing medical care to economically poor patients suffering
from the rare Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD).
More on the Topic:
 Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of about 50 rare
inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in
lysosomal function.
 Lysosomes are sacs of enzymes within cells that digest
large molecules and pass the fragments on to other parts
of the cell for recycling.
 This process requires several critical
enzymes. If one of these enzymes is The judges pointed out that Article 21
defective, because of a mutation, the (fundamental right to life) coupled
large molecules accumulate within the with Article 47 (duty of the state to
cell, eventually killing it. raise the level of nutrition and the
 Lysosomal storage disorders are caused standard of living and to improve
by lysosomal dysfunction usually as a public health) of the Constitution
consequence of deficiency of a single makes the Centre as well as the State
enzyme required for the metabolism of government obligated to provide
lipids, glycoproteins (sugar-containing health care to LSD patients, especially
proteins), or so-called to those who were living below the
mucopolysaccharides. Individually, LSDs poverty line and could not afford the
occur with incidences of less than expensive treatment.
1:100,000; however, as a group, the
incidence is about 1:5,000 – 1:10,000.

Economy
National Infrastructure Pipeline
In News: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled Rs 102 lakh crore of
infrastructure projects, under National Infrastructure Pipeline.
More on the Topic:
 It is estimated that India would need to spend $4.5 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to
sustain its growth rate. The endeavour of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), is to
make this happen in an efficient manner.
 NIP will enable a forward outlook on infrastructure projects which will create jobs,
improve ease of living, and provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, thereby
making growth more inclusive.
 During the fiscals 2020 to 2025, sectors such as Energy (24%), Roads (19%), Urban (16%),
and Railways (13%) amount to around 70% of the projected capital expenditure in
infrastructure in India.
 It has outlined plans to invest more than ₹102 lakh crore on infrastructure projects by
2024-25, with the Centre, States and the private sector to share the capital expenditure
in a 39:39:22 formula.
What are key benefits of National Infrastructure Pipeline?
 Economy: Well-planned NIP will enable more infra projects, grow businesses, create jobs,
improve ease of living, and provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, making
growth more inclusive.
 Government: Well developed infrastructure enhances the level of economic activity,
creates additional fiscal space by increasing revenue base of the government and ensures
quality of expenditure focussed in productive areas.

 Developers: Provides better view of project supply, provides time to be better prepared
for project bidding, educes aggressive bids/ failure in project delivery, ensure enhanced
access to sources of finance as result of increased investor confidence.
 Banks/financial institutions (F1s)/investors: Builds investor confidence as identified
projects are likely to be better prepared, exposures less likely to suffer stress given active
project monitoring, thereby less likelihood of NPAs.
Middle Income Trap

In News: As GDP growth for FY20 is likely to come in at 5%, an 11-year low. Apart from the
debate on whether the slowdown is cyclical or structural, there is also concern among the
economists about the dangers of Middle-Income trap in medium to long term.
More on the Topic:
 The term Middle Income Trap was coined by economists Indermit Gill and Homi Kharas at
the World Bank while working on growth strategies for East Asian economies.
 Simply put, low-income countries with cheap labour and access to ready-made
technology grow fast and start becoming wealthier.
 However, as they reach middle-income status, they tend to slow down as they lose some
of their advantages. They fail to converge with wealthier nations and do not get beyond
middle-income status.
 It is a status of low productivity and entrenched inequality.
 Mexico and Brazil are classic examples of such countries.
 A few, such as South Korea, have escaped the trap. China is at the cusp.
Categorization of countries:
 Low income: Countries with GNI per capita is up to $1,025
 Lower middle-income: Those with GNI per capita from $1,026 to $3,995. Ex: India – its per
capita income in 2018 was $2,020, at the halfway point for the lower middle-income
category.
 Upper middle-income: Countries with GNI Per capita between $3,995 and $12,375 are
upper middle income Ex: Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, China
 High income: Per capita income above $12,375 makes a country high income. Ex: US,
Germany, Japan, Korea.
Concerns for India:
 If we assume that World Bank thresholds and India’s income per capita grow at the same
pace as they have in the past 30 years, it will take India until 2038 to reach the lower end
of the upper middle-income threshold.
 Likewise statistics reveal that even in 2050, India would be well below Brazil and South
Africa.
 India’s growth since the 1990s was on the back of consumption by the top 100 million
Indians. The inequality has widened since then and therefore, the future growth has to
come from bottom sections of societal pyramid
 For this to happen there has to be adequate demand from these sections of society & thus
adequate jobs and rising incomes
Need of the Hour:
 There has to be a comprehensive agenda of policy and institutional change to create a
dynamic capitalism, else there is a risk of India getting trapped in middle income trap.

 This involves changes in education, healthcare, skilling, agricultural, judicial and

regulatory reforms.
HSN code
In News: No imports will be allowed without HSN code into the country clarified the Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry.
More on the Topic:
 HSN code stands for “Harmonized System of Nomenclature”.
 This system has been introduced for the systematic classification of goods all over the
world.
 HSN code is a 6-digit uniform code that classifies 5000+ products and is accepted
worldwide.
 It was developed
by the World
Customs
Organization
(WCO) and it came
into effect from
1988.
 The main purpose
of HSN is to classify
goods from all over
the World in a
systematic and
logical manner. This
brings in a uniform
classification of
goods and
facilitates
international trade.

Consumer price inflation

In News: The 7.35% rise in consumer price inflation in December set off fears over whether
India is entering a period of slow growth accompanied by high inflation, in other words,
stagflation.
More on the Topic:
 The headline inflation number is driven mainly by food inflation at 14.12% — it was
10.01% in November and -2.65% in December 2018. While onion was the prime villain
pushing up price inflation in vegetables to a huge 60.50% compared to December 2018,
prices of other food items such as meat and fish (up 9.57%), milk (up 4.22%), eggs (up
8.79%) and some pulses were also on the upswing.
 These are a largely seasonal rise in prices and are driven mainly by supply-side factors and
the prices will reverse once the supply shortfall is addressed. An analysis by State Bank of
India’s research team shows that minus the increase in prices of onion, potato and ginger,
headline CPI inflation would be just 4.48%.
 Core inflation, which is the one that should be of concern, has only inched up marginally
from 3.5% in November to 3.7% in December. That said, it would be worrisome indeed if
core inflation were to shoot up or if food inflation does not cool down in the next couple
of months. Also, the effects of the increase in telecom tariffs, rail tickets and in fuel prices
need to be closely watched.
Way Ahead:
 The December data is way above the monetary policy committee’s (MPC) mandated
inflation limit of 6% (4% plus 2%) which means that a rate cut is not viable. Yet, with
growth sagging, there is pressure on the central bank to cut rates at least one more time
to stimulate growth.
 The government should engage all levers to address the supply-side issues that are behind
the rise in food inflation. A calming down of food prices will help Reserve bank to lower
rates.
 Budget which is due on February will also determine what will lie ahead.

World Trade Organisation and US

In News: Washington has paralysed the World
Trade Organization’s Appellate Body, which acts as
a supreme court for international trade.
More on the Topic:
 In December 2019, the U.S. chose to spike the
Appellate Body by starving funds for its
functioning. It also stalled the selection process

for filling six vacancies at the Appellate Body.
 Consequently, the Appellate Body is left with only one member, who will not be able to
deliver any rulings on pending trade disputes as a minimum of three members is required
to adjudicate any dispute.
What is the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body?
 Global trade disputes are complex and difficult to resolve. For proper enforcement of
trade rules, a binding, two-stage dispute settlement system was established at the
World Trade Organization in the 1990s.
 The Appellate Body is the scaffolding of the dispute settlement system, with seven
standing members.
 In the first stage for adjudicating trade disputes, a panel would decide cases brought
before it by the members. Rulings issued by the panels can be appealed at the
Appellate Body.
 As part of the second-stage of adjudication, the Appellate Body can uphold, modify or
reverse the legal findings and conclusions of a panel.
 Therefore, the Appellate Body’s decisions are final and adopted within 30 days by the
dispute settlement body. Sanctions can be imposed on a member in case of its failure
to comply with the Appellate Body’s rulings.
 Cases involving trade remedies such as countervailing and anti-dumping measures,
and the use of a controversial practice called the zeroing methodology that inflated
the anti-dumping duties.
 The establishment of the Appellate Body has given teeth and credibility to the rules-
based multilateral trading system.
 Moreover, it provided security and predictability in the multilateral trading system.
Reason behind US’s Actions:
 Appellate Body has posed hurdles to the U.S. for adopting unilateral measures. Several
U.S. provisions for imposing countervailing and anti-dumping measures were found to
be inconsistent with core provisions of the WTO agreements.
India’s Take on the issue:
 “At the core of a functioning multilateral trading system is an effective dispute
resolution mechanism.”
 Although not perfect, the dispute settlement system has led to meaningful reductions
in unfair trade practices and has helped to strengthen the rules-based international
trading system.”
 The U.S. has been one of the bigger users of the dispute settlement system and also a
beneficiary of this public good.
 Unless the Membership acts in concert, to lift the block on AB vacancies, International
community going to lose this public good which has served many countries so well.

Conclusion:
 It is a tremendous loss for the majority of WTO members who are all developing and
poor countries. Clearly, they lack the political and economic clout to enforce their
rights and protect their interests in a system governed by power and not rules.
 The absence of the Appellate Body will create a jungle raj and paves the way for a
steep descent into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1947 rules.
Model Mains Question: What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United
States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy,
which would satisfy India’s national self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable
examples.
Telangana Industrial Health Clinic

In News: The Telangana Industrial Health
Clinic Ltd (TIHCL) is ready to extend services
beyond the boundaries of Telangana on
demand.
More on the Topic:
 TIHCL is a co-financing non-banking
finance company (NBFC).
 Objective of the clinic is to provide
financial support to micro and small
manufacturing units.
Funding:
 TIHCL is promoted by the Telangana
Government with 10 per cent of the
capital of Rs 100 crore. About 5 per
cent of the capital comes from micro
and small enterprises which seek its
facilitation and services.
 Banks, financial institutions and high net-worth individuals are expected to contribute
the rest of the capital.
The need for a single energy ministry

In News: Five different ministries along with a
multitude of regulators govern India’s energy
sector. This can be cited as one of the reasons
for the non-optimal performance of the Sector.
More on the Topic:
 Petroleum and natural gas, coal, renewable
energy and nuclear energy have separate
ministries or departments.
 We also have a Ministry of Power, along
with State-level bodies that regulate electricity distribution companies, or DISCOMS.
 Add to this, the presence of different regulators for each type of fuel and energy source
which makes it cumbersome for businesses operating in this sector.

 Further, the petroleum and natural gas sector has two regulators – Directorate General
of Hydrocarbons for upstream activities and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory
Board for downstream activities.
Issues related with Data:
 There are also issues with data collection. No single agency collects energy data in a
wholesome and integrated manner.
 Data pertaining to consumption are barely available while supply side data collected
by agencies of respective ministries are riddled with gaps.
 The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation collates data available

from various ministries and conducts surveys at sporadic intervals.
 On the energy efficiency front, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is the sole statutory
authority with the mandate to regulate energy efficiency on the consumption side.
There is no agency or body for the same purpose on the supply side.
International Practices:
 This stands in stark contrast to most other nations with their varied energy
governance models.
 Developed and efficient countries such as the United States, Germany, France and the
United Kingdom have their vibrant, diverse and prolific energy sectors administered
by a single ministry or department.
 There are also instances where the energy ministry is in conjunction with other
portfolios such as environment, climate change, mines and industry.
 For example, the U.K. has the “Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy”,
France has the “Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs”, Brazil has
the “Ministry of Mines and Energy” and Australia has the ‘Ministry of Environment
and Energy’. The predominance of unified energy ministries is evident.
Recommendations:
 In the Draft National Energy Policy (NEP), the NITI Aayog has advocated that a Unified
Ministry of Energy be created by merging the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas
(MoPNG), Coal (MoC), New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Power (MoP).
 The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has been left out since it has implications
beyond the scope of energy and involves national security issues.
 The proposed ministry would have six agencies under it to handle various aspects of
the energy sector — Energy Regulatory Agency, Energy Data Agency, Energy Efficiency
Agency, Energy Planning and Technical Agency, Energy Schemes Implementation
Agency and Energy R&D Agency.
Way Ahead:
 A single unified ministry of energy would help India to have an integrated outlook on
energy that would enable us optimise our limited resources to meet the goals of
energy security, sustainability and accessibility.
 In the fast-changing energy landscape of our country, having a single energy ministry
would be beneficial as it would allow for a quicker policy response.
 Formulating an integrated and wholesome energy policy in the current governance
structure is a complex and challenging task not only due to lack of coordination among
ministries but also due to the absence of good quality consumption data and an
inadvertent promotion of their own fuels over other choices, which may not always
be the best option.

FDI in coal mining

In News: The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance
to amend two laws to ease mining rules, enabling
foreign direct investment in coal mining.
More on the Topic:
 The decision would boost the ease of doing
business and increase the growth avenues.
 The Coal India would be strengthened and the

government was aiming at achieving production of
one billion tonnes by 2023-2024.
 The “end-use restrictions” had been done away with allowing “anyone to participate in
the auction of coal blocks”.
 The ordinance would strengthen the auction process of those mines whose leases were
expiring on March 31, 2020. Seamless transfer of clearances would also be facilitated.
Liberalise norms for entry into coal mining

In News: The Centre decided to liberalise norms for entry into coal mining and relax
regulations on mining and selling coal in
the country.
More on the Topic:
 Amendments to two Acts through the
Mineral Laws (Amendment)
Ordinance 2020 cleared by the
Cabinet will free the sector from
restrictions that were inhibiting its
development.
 This will open up the coal mining
sector completely, enabling anyone
with finances and expertise to bid for blocks and sell the coal freely to any buyer of their
choice.
 Until now there were restrictions on who could bid for coal mines. This effectively limited
the potential bidders to a select circle of players and thus limited the value that the
government could extract from the bidding.
 End-use restrictions inhibited the development of a domestic market for coal.
 The ordinance essentially democratises the coal industry and makes it attractive for
merchant mining companies, including multinationals.
 The move was overdue considering that the country spent a huge ₹1,71,000 crore in coal
imports last year to buy 235 million tonnes; of that, 100 million tonnes was not
substitutable, as the grade was not available in India, but the balance 135 million tonnes
could have been substituted by domestic production had it been available.
Significance of the Decision:
 Large investment in mining will create jobs and set off demand in critical sectors such as
mining equipment and heavy commercial vehicles.
 The country may also benefit from infusion of sophisticated mining technology,
especially for underground mines, if multinationals decide to invest.

 However, for that to happen, the government needs to do more such as whittling the time
taken for approvals of mining leases and also easing the procedures for clearances.
Easing Mining Leases

In News: The Centre decided to liberalise
norms for entry into coal mining and relax
regulations on mining and selling coal in the
country.
More on the Topic:
 Amendments to two Acts through the
Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance
2020 cleared by the Cabinet will free
the sector from restrictions that were
inhibiting its development.
 This will open up the coal mining sector
completely, enabling anyone with finances and expertise to bid for blocks and sell the coal
freely to any buyer of their choice.
 Until now there were restrictions on who could bid for coal mines. This effectively limited
the potential bidders to a select circle of players and thus limited the value that the
government could extract from the bidding.
 End-use restrictions inhibited the development of a domestic market for coal.
 The ordinance essentially democratises the coal industry and makes it attractive for
merchant mining companies, including multinationals.
 The move was overdue considering that the country spent a huge ₹1,71,000 crore in coal
imports last year to buy 235 million tonnes; of that, 100 million tonnes was not
substitutable, as the grade was not available in India, but the balance 135 million tonnes
could have been substituted by domestic production had it been available.
Significance of the Decision:
 Large investment in mining will create jobs and set off demand in critical sectors such as
mining equipment and heavy commercial vehicles.
 The country may also benefit from infusion of sophisticated mining technology,
especially for underground mines, if multinationals decide to invest.
 However, for that to happen, the government needs to do more such as whittling the time
taken for approvals of mining leases and also easing the procedures for clearances.

National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI)

In News:The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
chalked out an ambitious strategy for financial
inclusion of all till 2024.
More on the Topic:
 Financial inclusion is increasingly being
recognised as a key driver of economic
growth and poverty alleviation the world

over.
 The strategy aims to strengthen the
ecosystem for various modes of digital
financial services in all Tier-II to Tier VI centres to create the necessary infrastructure
to move towards a less-cash society by March 2022.
 One of the objectives of the strategy includes increasing outreach of banking outlets
of to provide banking access to every village within a 5-km radius or a hamlet of 500
households in hilly areas by March 2020.
 The broad aim is to see every adult had access to a financial service provider through
a mobile device by March 2024.
 With the aim of providing basic of financial services, a target has been set that every
willing and eligible adult, who has been enrolled under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana, be
enrolled under an insurance scheme and a pension scheme by March 2020.
 The plan is also to make the Public Credit Registry (PCR) fully operational by March
2022 so that authorised financial entities could leverage the same for assessing credit
proposals from all citizens
PMJDY:
The primary aim of this scheme is to provide poor people access to bank accounts.
The scheme covers both urban and rural areas of India.
All bank accounts will be linked to a debit card which would be issued under the Ru-Pay scheme.
Rupay is India’s own unique domestic card network owned by National Payments Corporation
of India and has been created as an alternative to Visa and Mastercard.
Under the first phase of this scheme, every individual who opens a bank account becomes
eligible to receive an accident insurance cover of up-to Rs 1 Lakh for his entire family.
Life Insurance coverageis also available under PMJDY. Only one person in the family will be
covered and in case of the person having multiple cards/accounts, the benefit will be allowed
only under one card e. one person per family will get a single cover of Rs 30,000.
The scheme also provides incentives to business and banking correspondentswho serve as link
for the last mile between savings account holders and the bank by fixing a minimum monthly
remuneration of Rs 5000.

Open Acreage Licensing Policy

In News:The Government has launched the bidding process offering 11 areas in oil and gas
blocks. The 11 blocks under Open Acreage Licensing Policy Round-V (OALP-V).
More on the Topic:
 The OLAP was declared by the union government in June 2017. Under it, the potential
investors choose the exact areas they are interested in, convey their interest to the
government, which then places just those blocks up for bidding.
 Companies are allowed to choose the areas in which they want to explore oil and gas,
under OALP. After choosing the area, companies put in an expression of interest which
are then put on auction by the government.
 The process offers attractive and liberal terms like reduced royalty rates, no oil cess,
marketing and pricing freedom, round the year bidding, freedom to investors for carving
out blocks of their interest, a single licence to cover both conventional and
unconventional hydrocarbon resources, exploration permission during the entire contract
period, and an easy, transparent and swift bidding and awarding process.
Assam Inland Water Transport Project

In News: The Government of Assam,
Government of India and World Bank
signed 88 million USD agreement. The
agreement aims to modernize Assam’s
Ferry transport service on the
Brahmaputra river.
More on the Topic:
 The agreement aims to modernize
Assam’s Ferry transport service on
the Brahmaputra river.
 The aim of Assam Inland Water
Transport Project (AIWTP) is to help
Assam improve its ferry infrastructure and strengthen institutions operating inland water
transport.
 It also aims at introducing new and energy efficient vessels with least disturbance to
nature. The project also includes cargo transport vessels in the route.
 The inland water transport is the most sustainable water transport for Assam. This is
mainly because it provides low-cost and low-carbon options.
 There are over 361 ferry routes across Brahmaputra river in Assam. These routes act as a
crucial means of transport to 1000s of commuters in both rural and urban areas of the
valley.
Significance of the project:
 Around 15 waterways are operating in Assam.
 It is important to develop these water ways as they are connected to Bay of Bengal
through the Brahmaputra and will help increase exports of locally produced goods of
north east.

IMF Growth Projection

In News: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently
projected that the global growth is to rise from an
estimated 2.9% in 2019 to 3.3% in 2020 and 3.4% for 2021.
More on the Topic:
 The progress in global growth for 2020 remains highly
uncertain as it relies on improved growth outcomes
for stressed economies like Argentina, Iran, and

Turkey and for underperforming emerging and
developing economies such as Brazil, India, and Mexico.
 However, there are preliminary signs that the decline in manufacturing and trade may be
bottoming out.
 This is partly owing to improvement in the auto sector and diminished fears of a no-deal
Brexit. (A no-deal Brexit means the UK would leave the European Union (EU) and there
would be no agreements in place about what the relationship between the UK and the EU
will be like in the future.)
 Also, a US-China Phase I deal (to ease tensions related to trade between the two nations),
if durable, is expected to reduce the cumulative negative impact of trade tensions on
global GDP by end 2020-from 0.8% to 0.5%.
 Collective growth in the 19 countries that use the euro currency is expected to gradually
pick up from 1.2% in 2019 to 1.3% in 2020 and 1.4% in 2021.
India Related Projections:
 For 2019, IMF revised downward its forecast for India to 4.8% from its October projection
of 6.1%.
 For the year 2020, a 1.2% point cut in India’s growth forecast to 5.8%. This is the biggest
downward revision for any emerging market, which also pulled down global growth
forecast.
 The reasons cited for lowering growth estimate include stress in the non-bank financial
sector and weak rural income growth.
 The growth will improve in 2020 owing to monetary and fiscal stimulus as well as
subdued oil prices.
Air India disinvestment

In News: The government invited bids for a 100% stake in Air India, aiming to finalise a sale
of the loss making national carrier by the end of March,
after having sweetened the deal by absorbing about
two thirds of its debt.
More on the Topic:
Back Ground:
 The first formal attempt at privatising Air India and,
at the time, Indian Airlines, in 2000 had elicited
interest from the who’s who of India Inc., including the Tata Group, Hinduja Group, L N
Mittal, and Videocon Group. But the airlines were not privatised after political opposition
from within the then-NDA government.

 Cut to 2018. The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite all the
political will to disinvest its stake in the airline, could not attract a single bidder. The
reasons: the Centre’s unwillingness to part with 100% of its holding in the flag carrier,
and lack of clarity over the debt being packaged with the airline, among others.
 Less than two years later, the government has tweaked the terms of sale — with room for
more changes — and is now putting 100% of its equity in the airline on the block.
 Like the last time, low-cost arm Air India Express and a 50% stake in ground handling joint-
venture Air India-SATS are also up for sale. The government has also laid down a principle
for calculating debt, which will be bundled with airline, and relaxed the minimum net
worth criteria for potential bidders to Rs 3,500 crore from the Rs 5,000 crore in 2018.
What will the new investor get?
 The most attractive proposition in acquiring Air India is the slots and landing rights
that it holds at airports such at Delhi, Mumbai, London, New York, Chicago, Paris, etc.
 These could be helpful both to airlines looking to expand into long-haul international
operations, and to entities looking to set up global operations from scratch.
 Air India currently operates to 56 Indian cities and 42 international destinations.
Several of Air India’s international and domestic routes are profit-generating, while a
number of them are loss-making or witness low load factors. This is a legacy problem
that the airline comes with for the new promoter.
 The new investor also gets hold of the ground-handling firm AI-SATS, which offers end-
to-end ground handling services such as passenger and baggage handling. This would
provide the investor with an ancillary services firm with captive use.
How will consumers and employees be impacted?
 The first move by private entity could be pruning of operations to ensure the airline
inches closer to profitability.
 This could cause Air India to cease operations on certain loss-making domestic and
international routes leading to a rise in fares.
 Air India’s bloated staff strength was flagged by potential investors in the last
disinvestment attempt.
 Whether the employees will be retained by the new investor is unclear. The
government is expected to provide more clarity on conditions for retaining staff in the
request-for-proposal stage, which will come after expressions of interest are received.
Forex Reserves
In News: India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $943
million to touch a lifetime high of $462.16 billion.
More on the Topic:
 Forex reserves are holdings of cash, bank deposits, bonds,
and other financial assets denominated in currencies
other than Indian rupee.
 The reserves are managed by the Reserve Bank of India
for the Indian government and the main component is
foreign currency assets.
 They act as the first line of defense for India in case of economic slowdown, but
acquisition of reserves has its own costs.

 They facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and
maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
 They act as a cushion against rupee volatility once global interest rates start rising.
 Reserve Bank of India Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 set the legal
provisions for governing the foreign exchange reserves.
 RBI accumulates foreign currency reserves by purchasing from authorized dealers in open
market operations.
The Forex reserves of India consist of below four categories:
 Foreign Currency Assets

 Gold
 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs): The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the
IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves. The SDR is neither a
currency nor a claim on the IMF.
 Reserve Tranche Position: Reserve tranche is a portion of the required quota of currency
each member country must provide to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that can be
utilized for its own purposes.
RBI New transparency initiative

In News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the minutes of the 579th meeting of
Central Board of Directors for the first time as part of the central bank’s transparency
initiative.
More on the Topic:
 The minutes of the meetings of the Central Board will be uploaded on the RBI’s website
under provisions of Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
 Section 4 of the RTI Act requires suo motu disclosure of information by each public
authority.
 So far, the regulator only shared the minutes of board meetings in response to queries
under the RTI Act.
 In future, the minutes will be placed on the RBI website within two weeks from the date
of its confirmation in the next meeting of the Central Board and on being signed by the
chairman in the same meeting.
 New initiative will enhance public awareness about the functioning of the RBI.
Technology to curb market

manipulations
Market manipulation:
In News: SEBI is acquiring capabilities to Market manipulation is a type of market abuse where there
monitor and analyse social media posts to is a deliberate attempt to interfere with the free and fair
keep a tab on possible market operation of the market and create artificial, false or
manipulations. misleading appearances with respect to the price of, or
More on the Topic: market for, a product, security, commodity or currency.
Systemic risks are becoming important objectives for
 The capabilities will involve use of
financial regulators, this requires identification and
artificial intelligence, machine
monitoring of important financial institutions, leverage,
learning, big data analytics and natural inter-connectedness, risk concentrations and market
language processing tools to spot sentiment.
market manipulation.

 The new plan involves creating a “data lake” project to augment analytical capabilities.
 Application of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) tools has the potential
to bring a paradigm shift in the securities market landscape, blockchain can be used in
clearing and settlement activities.
 AI/ML tools are being increasingly deployed in fund management, trading, supervision
and surveillance functions in the capital markets.
 There is a need for the technologists to invest time in research in these tools for
applications in the capital markets.
Scheme for FPI investments in debt

In News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to reopen allotment of the investment
limit under the revised Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) for debt investments by foreign
portfolio investors (FPIs).
More on the Topic: Foreign Portfolio Investment:
 The investment limit under VRR has Foreign portfolio investment (FPI)
been increased to ₹1,50,000 crore consists of securities and other financial
from the ₹75,000 crore of the earlier assets held by investors in another
scheme, with a minimum retention country.
period of three years. It does not provide the investor with
 VRR was introduced by RBI in March direct ownership of a company's assets
2019. and is relatively liquid depending on the
 Investments through VRR are free of volatility of the market.
the macro-prudential and other Along with foreign direct investment
regulatory prescriptions applicable to (FDI), FPI is one of the common ways for
FPI investments in debt markets, investors to participate in an overseas
provided FPIs voluntarily commit to economy, especially retail investors.
retain a required minimum Unlike FDI, FPI consists of passive
percentage of their investments in ownership; investors have no control
India for a particular period. over ventures or direct ownership of
 ₹54,300 crore had already been property or a stake in a company.
invested under the previous scheme.
News related to agriculture & allied sectors
Farmers’ Innovation Fund

In News: Farmers’ Innovation Fund will be set up by ICAR.
More on the Topic:
 The fund will be used to scientifically validate,
scale up and propagate the innovations of
progressive farmers.
 The intention was to link farmers and farming
with science and to ensure that their farm
practices were science-based.
 Innovations of farmers were already being documented by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras,
however, the additional system would encourage farmers to continue their work.

About ICAR
 ICAR is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare, Government of India.
 The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and
education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the
entire country.
 With 101 ICAR institutes and 71 agricultural universities spread across the country this
is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.
Model Mains Question: How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining
agricultural production?
Reports and indices

The Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index
In News: The Women

Business and the Law (WBL)
2020 index to measure the
economic empowerment of
women was recently
published.
More on the Topic:
 India was placed 117th
among 190 countries on
the index.
 India, the world’s most
populous democracy scored 74.4 on a par with
Benin and Gambia and way below least developed The WBL report released by the
countries like Rwanda and Lesotho. World Bank.
 The global average was 75.2 — a slight increase It is based on the countries’
from 73.9 in the previous index released in 2017. formal laws and regulations
that have a bearing on women’s
 Only eight economies scored a perfect 100 —
economic participation,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland,
covering eight areas (eg,
Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
parenthood, equality of pay).
 Those countries have ensured equal legal standing
It tracks how laws affect women
to men and women on all the eight indicators of
at different stages in their
the index.
working lives and focusing on
 No economy in ‘East Asia and the Pacific’, ‘Europe
those laws applicable in the
and Central Asia’, or ‘Latin America and the
main business city.
Caribbean’ were among top reformers, the report
claimed.
 Countries in ‘Middle East and North Africa’ and ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’ accounted for nine
of the 10 top progressing countries on the WBL Index.

Annual Crime in India Report 2018

In News: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) published the annual Crime in India
Report 2018.
More on the Topic:
 Crime Against Women: According to the report, 3,78,277 cases of crime against women
were reported in the country, up from 3,59,849 in 2017. Uttar Pradesh topped the list
with 59,445 cases, followed by Maharashtra (35,497) and West Bengal (30,394). The
conviction rate
in rape-related
cases stood at
27.2% even
though the
rate of filing
chargesheets
was 85.3% in
such cases.
 Cruelty by
husband or his
relatives
(31.9%)
followed by
assault on
women with
intent to
outrage her
modesty (27.6%) constituted the major share of crimes against women.
 Accidental Death and Suicides: The NCRB also released the Accidental Death and Suicides
in India 2018 report, which said that 10,349 people working in the farm sector ended their
lives in 2018, accounting for 7.7 % of the total number of suicides in the country. There
were 5,763 farmers/cultivators and 4,586 agricultural labourers among those who ended
their lives.
 The total number of people who committed suicide in 2018 was 1,34,516, an increase of
3.6% from 2017 when 1,29,887 cases were reported. The highest number of suicide
victims were daily wagers — 26,589, comprising 22.4% of such deaths.
 West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Goa, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu,
Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry reported zero suicides by farmers/cultivators as well
as agricultural labourers.
 Murder cases: A total of 29,017 cases of murder were registered in 2018, showing an
increase of 1.3% over 2017 (28,653 cases).
 Offences against public tranquillity: A total of 76,851 cases of offences against public
tranquillity were registered in 2018, out of which rioting, 57,828 cases, accounted for
75.2% of total such cases.
 Cyber crimes: As many as 27,248 cases of cyber crimes were registered in 2018, up from
21796 cases in 2017.

 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes related Acts: The incidents registered under the
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes related Acts saw a decline from 6729 incidents
reported in 2017 to 4816 in 2018.
ASER Report 2019

In News: NGO
Pratham has released
Annual Status of
Education Report
2019.
More on the topic:
 Cognitive skills of
children: Tests
included sorting
images by colour
and size,
recognising
patterns, fitting
together a four-
piece animal
puzzle — as well as
simple literacy and
numeracy tests.
 However, of
those children who could correctly do all three cognitive tasks, 52% could read
words, and 63% could solve the addition problem.
 ASER data shows that children’s performance on tasks requiring cognitive skills is strongly
related to their ability to do early language and numeracy tasks.
 This suggests that focussing on play-based activities that build memory, reasoning and
problem-solving abilities is more productive than an early focus on content knowledge.
 Early childhood education: Only 16% of children in Class 1 can read the text at the
prescribed level, while almost 40% cannot even recognise letters.
 Early childhood education has the potential to be the “greatest and most powerful
equaliser”.
 Global research shows that 90% of brain growth occurs by age 5, meaning that
the quality of early childhood educationhas a crucial impact on the development and
long-term schooling of a child.
 Government and Private Schools: Of 6 year olds in Class 1, nearly 42% of those in private
schools could read words in comparison to only 19% from government schools.
 This gap is further exacerbated by a gender divide.
 More than a quarter of Class 1 students in government schools are only 4 or 5 years
old, younger than the recommended age. These younger children struggle more than
others in all skills.
 At the same time, 36% in Class 1 are older than the Right To Education (RTE) Act (2009) -
mandated age of 6.

 There is considerable scope for expanding Anganwadi outreach for 3 and 4 year-
old children. Strengthen the early childhood components in the Integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) system for raising school readiness among young children.
Need of the Hour:
 A reworking of curriculum and activities is urgently needed for the entire age band
from 4 to 8, cutting across all types of preschools and early grades regardless of whether
the provision is by government institutions or by private agencies.
 There is considerable scope for expanding Anganwadi outreach for 3 and 4 year-
old children. Strengthen the early childhood components in the Integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) system for raising school readiness among young children.
 The year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the RTE Act. This is the best moment to
focus on the youngest cohorts before and during their entry to formal schooling and
ensure that 10 years later they complete secondary school as well-equipped and well-
rounded citizens of India.
State Energy Efficiency Index 2019

In News: Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched
the State Energy Efficiency Index, 2019 in association
with Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy.
More on the Topic:
 Haryana, Karnataka and Kerala have topped the
State Energy Efficiency Index 2019. This index
tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE)
initiatives in 36 states and union territories based
on 97 significant indicators.
 The index has been developed based on quantitative, qualitative and outcome-based
indicators. The outcomes of 5 distinct sectors were studied namely industry, buildings,
transport, municipalities, Discoms and agriculture.
 The State Energy Efficiency Index categorises states as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’,
‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’ based on their efforts and achievements towards energy
efficiency implementation.
 For a rational comparison, the States or Union Territories are grouped into four groups
based on the aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s
actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, among others) across sectors.
 Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry led their groups. Manipur, Jammu
& Kashmir, Jharkhand and Rajasthan performed the worst in each of their groups.
Significance:
 The first such Index in the country was released in August 2018. The index will help
states in their contribution towards energy security and climate action. It help the
states track their progress.

Global Economic Prospect- World Bank

In News: The World Bank released its Global Economic
Prospect. According to its forecast, the world is
expected to grow economically at the rate of 2.5%.
More on the Topic:
 This is the lowest prediction since that predicted in
2008-09, 3.1%. By then, the global financial crisis
derailed the economy.

 The report says that investment and trade in the
country is expected to recover. However, the
downward risks from 2019 are to continue.
 It also said that the advanced economies are to slip their growth by 1.4% as the
manufacturing sector continues to soften.
 The emerging markets in the developing economies are to witness acceleration in their
growth according to the report.
 However, this is not applicable to all. A third of developing countries are expected to
decelerate this year. Predominantly the growing economies are located in South and
South East Asia.
 Growth in South Asia is expected to rise by 5.5% in 2020. The report predicts India’s
growth rate at 5%. It is expected that the credit from non-banking companies to expected
to weaken. The report also says that India will see a growth rate of 5.5% in the subsequent
year.
 The United States is expected to grow at 1.8% and European Union is projected to slip its
growth by 1% in 2020.

Global Talent Competitiveness Index

In News: India has moved up eight places
to the 72nd position in the Global Talent
Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2020.
More on the Topic:
 The report stated that India's GTCI
score and GDP per capita are both
lower than the other emerging

market economies such as BRICS -
Brazil (80th), Russia (48th), China
(42nd), and South Africa (70th). About Global Competitive Index:
 India's key strength relates to It is launched by INSEAD, a partner and
growing talent, due to its levels of sponsor of the United Nation's Sustainable
lifelong learning and access to Development Goals (SDGs).
growth. However, more could be The six metrics used to decide a country's
done to improve India’s educational rank are - enable, attract, grow, retain,
system. vocational skills and global knowledge skills.
 The country's highest-ranked sub- Theme for 2020 was ‘Global Talent in the
pillar is employability but the ability Age of Artificial Intelligence’. It explores how
to match labour market demand and the development of artificial intelligence (AI)
supply stands in contrast to the is not only changing the nature of work but
country's poor "mid-level skills", also forcing a re-evaluation of workplace
which result in a mediocre score in practices, corporate structures and
vocational and technical skills. innovation ecosystems.
 India faces the challenge of
attracting and retaining talent and
the weak ability to overcome it. India has to strengthen the role of minorities and women
to raise the level of internal openness in the country which would make it more appealing.
Global Corruption Perception Index

In News: Transparency International released
corruption perception Index.
More on the Topic:
 India’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index
(CPI-2019) has slipped from 78 to 80 compared to
the previous year. India scored 41 out of 100.
 In the Asia Pacific region, the average score is 45,
after many consecutive years of an average score of
44, which “illustrates general stagnation” across the
region. China has improved its position from 87 to
80 with a score of 41 out of 100.
 Despite the presence of high performers like New Zealand (87), Singapore (85), Australia
(77), Hong Kong (76) and Japan (73), the Asia Pacific region hasn’t witnessed substantial
progress in anti-corruption efforts or results. In addition, low performers like Afghanistan

(16), North Korea (17) and Cambodia (20) continue to highlight serious challenges in the
region.
 While often seen as an engine of the global economy, in terms of political integrity and
governance, the region performs only marginally better than the global average.
 The top ranked countries are New Zealand and Denmark, with scores of 87 each, followed
by Finland (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85). The countries ranked
at the bottom of the list are Somalia, South Sudan and Syria with scores of 9, 12 and 13.
 In the last eight years, only 22 countries significantly improved their CPI scores, including
Greece, Guyana and Estonia. In the same period, among the 21 countries that saw a
significantly fall in their scores are Canada, Australia and Nicaragua. In the remaining 137
countries, the levels of corruption show little to no change.
Analysis:
 In democracies like India and Australia, unfair and opaque political financing, undue
influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups, has
resulted in stagnation or decline in the control of corruption.
 The latest CPI report has revealed that a majority of countries are showing little to no
improvement in tackling corruption.
Model Mains Question: Corruption is destruction and it cannot control unless citizen of
country become an active partner to control it. Discuss
World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2020

In News: The report World Employment and Social
Outlook: Trends 2020 (WESO) has been released.
More on the Topic:
 Un-employment: Global unemployment is projected
to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020. The
number of people unemployed around the world
stands at some 188 million.
 In addition, 165 million people do not have enough
paid work, and 120 million have either given up
actively searching for work or otherwise lack access The WESO report is an initiative
to the labour market. of the International Labour
 In total, more than 470 million people worldwide are Organization (ILO).
affected. The ILO is a UN agency whose
mandate is to advance social
 Some 267 million young people aged 15-24 are not
justice and promote decent
in employment, education or training, and many
work by setting international
more endure substandard working condition.
labour standards.
 Almost half a billion people are working fewer paid
The report analyses key labour
hours than they would like or lack adequate access
market issues, including
to paid work.
unemployment, labour
 Not enough new jobs are being generated to absorb
underutilization, working
new entrants to the labour market.
poverty, income inequality,
 Poverty: Currently working poverty (defined as
labour income share and factors
earning less than USD 3.20 per day in purchasing
that exclude people from
power parity terms) affects more than 630 million
decent work.

workers, or one in five of the global working population.

 Inequalities: related to gender, age and geographical location continue to plague the job
market, with the report showing that these factors limit both individual opportunity and
economic growth.
Global Risks Report 2020

In News: World
Economic Forum
(WEF) published the
top five risks to
humanity in it’s
Global Risks Report.
More on the
Topic:
 The report
warned
about the
increasing
economic
and societal
costs due to non-communicable diseases and the lack of research on vaccines and
drug resistance to address the threat of pandemics in the recent future.
 “Economic confrontations” and “domestic political polarization” are significant short-
term risks in 2020.
 This is a warning for the global South including India and Africa where social unrest
has seen a rise.
 The report highlights today’s younger generation, consisting of “Millenials” born after
1980 have ranked environmental risks higher than other older respondents in the
short- and long-terms.
The top five risks by likelihood over the next decade are:
 Extreme weather events like floods and storms
 Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
 Major natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and
geomagnetic storms
 Major biodiversity losses and ecosystem collapse
 Human-made environmental damage and disasters
Top 5 risks by severity of impact over the next 10 years:
 Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
 Weapons of mass destruction
 Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse
 Extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, etc.)
 Water crises
Top most strongly connected global risks
 Extreme weather events and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
 Large-scale cyber-attacks and breakdown of critical information infrastructure and
networks

 High structural unemployment or underemployment and adverse consequences of

technological advances
 Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and failure of climate change
mitigation and adaptation
 Food crises and extreme weather events
Carbon Disclosure Project

In News: The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2019 report was recently published.
More on the Topic:
 India secured the 5th spot on the
project report.
 The CDP Report 2019 said that a total
of 58 companies shared details about
the environment-related activities
undertaken by them in this year.
 The report also claims that over 98 percent of top Indian companies have formed some
type or committee or group within its
organization to drive and address climate-related
CDP:
issues.
CDP is published by the Global
 The report also showcased the changing mind-set
Reporting Initiative.
of India Inc with nearly all major companies
It is aimed at measuring the
setting up some form of oversight to evaluate
carbon reduction activities
climate risk.
undertaken by different
 India is the first developing economy with a
companies and firms operating
maximum number of companies committing to
in various countries across the
the science-based targets.
globe.
Global Statistics:
The report surveys corporate
 The US topped the annual CDP report with 135
commitments to science-based
companies disclosing their climate-related
targets (SBT) and evaluates the
activities, followed by Japan in the second position
climate change risk that they
with 83 companies and the UK in the third position
are exposed to.
with 78 countries.
 While France was placed fourth with 51
companies disclosing their details, India was placed fifth with 38 companies committing
to the science-based targets.
 In 2018, India had only 25 companies committing to the SBTs.
 India is followed by Germany and Sweden with 30 and 27 companies respectively, while
Switzerland and Spain had 23 and 22 companies respectively.
 Netherlands was listed 10th on the list with 18 companies committing to SBT initiatives.

Social Mobility Index

In News: India has been ranked very
low at 76th place out of 82 countries
on a new Social Mobility Index
compiled by the World Economic
Forum, while Denmark has topped
the charts.
More on the Topic:

 The index Measured
countries across five key
dimensions distributed over
10 pillars, health; education
(access, quality and equity);
technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions
(social protection and inclusive institutions)
 Fair wages, social protection and lifelong learning are the biggest drags on social
mobility globally.
 India Specific Findings: India ranks 41st in lifelong learning and 53rd in working
conditions.
 The Areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th) and fair wage
distribution (79th).
Global Trend:
 The Nordic nations hold the top five spots, led by Denmark in the first place (scoring
85 points), followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden (all above 83 points) and Iceland
(82 points).
 Among the world’s large emerging economies, the Russian Federation is the most
socially mobile of the BRICS grouping, ranking 39th, with a score of 64 points. Next is
China (45th), followed by Brazil (60th), India (76th) and South Africa (77th).
 The report also examines which economies stand to gain the most from increases in
social mobility. The economy with the most to gain is China, whose economy could
grow by an extra USD 103 billion a year, or USD 1 trillion dollars over the decade.
 The US is the economy that would make the second-largest gains, at USD 87 billion a
year. Next is India, followed by Japan, Germany, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, the UK and
France.
 The returns are intangible in the form of social cohesion, stability and enhanced
opportunity for more people to fulfil their potential.
Recommendations:
 The report calls for a new financing model for social mobility: Improving tax
progressivity on personal income, policies that address wealth concentration and
broadly rebalancing the sources of taxation can support the social mobility agenda.
 Most importantly, however, the mix of public spending and policy incentives must
change to put greater emphasis on the factors of social spending.

Global Wealth Inequality

In News: The report, titled Time to Care: Unpaid
and Underpaid Care Work and the Global
Inequality Crisis, released by Oxfam revealed that
India’s richest 1% hold more than four times the
wealth held by the 953 million who make up for the
bottom 70% of the country’s population.
More on the Topic:

 2,153 individuals, the number of billionnaires in
the world in 2019, have more wealth among
them than 4.6 billion people.
 An additional 0.5% tax on the wealth of the
richest 1% over the next 10 years can create
117 million jobs in education, health and
elderly care, etc.
 From 2011 to 2017, average wages in G7
countries grew 3%, while dividends to wealthy
shareholders increased by 31%.
 The Gender Gap: Globally, extreme poverty
rates are 4% higher for women than men; this
gap rises to 22% during women’s peak
productive and reproductive ages largely due
to childcare responsibilities.
 $10.8 trillion is the estimated minimum annual monetary value of the unpaid care work
by women aged 15 and above globally, this is three times the size of the world’s tech
industry.
 Globally, 42% of working age women are outside the paid labour force, compared with
6% of men, due to unpaid care responsibilities.
Analysis:
 Concern about inequality underlies recent social unrest in almost every continent,
although it may be sparked by different tipping points such as corruption,
constitutional breaches, or the rise in prices for basic goods and services.
 “Sexist” economies are fuelling the inequality crisis by enabling wealthy elite to
accumulate vast fortunes at the expense of ordinary people and particularly poor
women and girls.
 Regarding India, Oxfam said the combined total wealth of 63 Indian billionaires is
higher than the total Union Budget of India for the fiscal year 2018-19 which was at
₹24,42,200 crore.
 The gap between rich and poor cannot be resolved without deliberate inequality-
busting policies, and too few governments are committed to these.

Death Penalty Annual Statistics
In News: The fourth edition of ‘The

Death Penalty in India: Annual
Statistics’ was published by Project
39A of NLU-Delhi.
More on the Topic:
 The number of death

sentences awarded for
murders involving sexual
offences in 2019 was at the
highest in four years.
 The trial courts in India
imposed 102 death
sentences in 2019, a
significant drop from 162 death sentences in 2018.
 However, the percentage of sexual offences in
these cases increased from 41.35 (67 out of Project 39-A is unique initiative
162) in 2018 to 52.94 in 2019 (54 out of 102 of National Law University,
sentences). This trend was also seen at the Delhi.
High Courts where 65.38% (17 out of 26) cases Project 39A is inspired by Article
of confirmations of death sentences involved 39-A of the Indian Constitution,
sexual offences along with murder, the highest a provision that furthers the
in four years. intertwined values of equal
 The Supreme Court in 2019 dealt with 27 justice and equal opportunity
capital punishment cases, highest number by removing economic and
since 2001, primarily under former Chief social barriers.
Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s tenure.
 The amendment to The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,
introducing stringent mandatory minimum punishments and death penalty for
penetrative sexual assault on children was a major development in dealing with sexual
harassment cases.
 Additionally, in response to the public outcry following a brutal gang-rape and murder
in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh amended the Indian Penal Code to introduce the
death penalty for rape.
Model Mains Question: Capital punishment is retributive justice and its effectiveness in
curbing crime is contested. Discuss.

Global Investment Trend Monitor Report

In News: India was among the top 10 recipients of Foreign
Direct Investments (FDI) in 2019 as per Global Investment
Trend Monitor Report by the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
More on the Topic:
 The global FDI marked a decline by 1% from revised
$1.41 trillion ( in 2018) to $1.39 trillion (in 2019). This

was against the backdrop of weaker macroeconomic
performance and policy uncertainty for investors in the
midst of ongoing trade tensions.
 Developing economies continued to attract more than half of global FDI flows, whereas,
the FDI flows to developed countries decreased further by 6%.
 Despite this, the United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, followed by China
and Singapore.
 South Asia recorded a 10% increase in FDI and this growth was driven by India marking
a 16% increase in FDI inflows.
 India attracted $49 billion FDI inflows in 2019 as compared to $42 billion (in 2018). The
majority of this went into services industries, including Information Technology.
 Inflows into Bangladesh and Pakistan declined by 6% and 20%, respectively.
Future Ahead:
 UNCTAD expects FDI flows to rise moderately in 2020, as according to current
projections, the global economy is set to improve from its weakest performance since
the global financial crisis in 2009.
 The GDP growth, gross fixed capital formation and trade are projected to rise, at the
global level (especially in many large emerging markets).
 Such an improvement in macroeconomic conditions could prompt Multinational
Enterprises (MNEs) to resume investments in productive assets (provided their easy
access to cheap money).
 However, significant risks persist, including high debt accumulation among emerging
and developing economies, geopolitical risks and concerns about a further shift
towards protectionist policies.
Democracy Index
In News: India slipped 10 places in the 2019 Democracy
Index published by Economic Intelligence Unit. India’s rank
is 51.
More on the Topic:
 The survey attributes the primary cause of “the
democratic regression” to “an erosion of civil liberties
in the country”.
 India’s overall score fell from 7.23 to 6.9, on a scale of
0-10, within a year (2018-2019) — the country’s lowest
since 2006.

 India was graded in electoral

process and pluralism (8.67),
government functioning (6.79),
political participation (6.67),
political culture (5.63) and civil
liberties (6.76).
 In the Asia and Australasia
region, India ranks eighth,
behind Taiwan and Timor-Leste.

 The report talks about the
repeal of both Article 370 and
Article 35A and how ahead of
the move, “the government
deployed a large number of
troops in J&K, imposed various
other security measures and
placed local leaders under house arrest, including those with pro-India credentials.”
 The report also make note on the restricted Internet access in the State.
 The report observed that the NRC exercise in Assam excluded 1.9 million people from the
final list, and that “the vast majority of people excluded from the NRC are Muslims.
 On the CAA issue, the report stated stoked communal tensions and large protests in major
cities.
 The Index also categorises India under “flawed democracies”, countries that hold free
and fair elections and where basic civil liberties are respected, but have significant
weaknesses in aspects of democracy, such as problems in governance, an
underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation.
Global Scenario:
 The average global score also recorded its worst value ever, down from 5.48 in 2018 to
5.44, driven by a sharp regression in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, a lesser one
in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and by stagnation in the remaining
regions that were covered.
 The report records how global democracy fared, analysing 165 independent states and
two territories.
 According to the report, there are only 22 “full democracies” as compared to 54
“authoritarian regimes” and as many “flawed democracies,” that include the U.S.
 Almost one-half (48.4%) of the world’s population live in a democracy of some sort,
although only 5.7% reside in a “full democracy”, down from 8.9% in 2015 as a result of
the US being demoted from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in 2016.
 China registered the greatest decline in the ranking as discrimination against minorities,
especially in Xinjiang, intensified, and digital surveillance of the population continued
apace.
 Norway (9.87) topped the lst and followed by Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand. North
Korea (1.08) figures at the bottom.

Science and technology

Gaganyaan Mission
In News: India's space agency ISRO said that four
astronauts have been identified for India's upcoming
Gaganyaan mission.
More on the Topic:
 Under the Gaganyaan schedule, three flights will be
sent in orbit. Of the three, there will be two unmanned
flights and one human spaceflight.
 The human space flight programme, called the Orbital
Module will have three Indian astronauts, including a
woman.
 It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7 days.
The payload will consist of:
 Crew module - spacecraft carrying human beings.
 Service module - powered by two liquid propellant engines.
 It will be equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort.
 GSLV Mk III, also called the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) the three-stage heavy lift
launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload
capability.
 The mission is expected to cost around Rs 10,000 crore.
 ISRO has demonstrated a number of technologies that are required for this programme
like Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-2007), Crew module Atmospheric Reentry
Experiment (CARE-2014) and Pad Abort Test (2018).
Significance:
 The success of the mission will rekindle public imagination and get the young generation
interested in space in particular and science in general.
 The astronauts would carry out a series of experiments, particularly microgravity
experiments.
 India’s quest to undertake human space flight and its earlier Moon and Mars missions
proves the growing sophistication of India’s space program and ensures a seat at the high
table of global governance of outer space.
 The mission would create 15,000 new employment opportunities, 13,000 of them in
private industry.
 If India does launch the Gaganyaan mission, it will be the fourth nation to do so after the
United States, Russia and China.
 ISRO and Russian federal space agency (ROSCOSMOS) have signed a memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to work together for India’s 1st manned space mission.
 ROSCOSMOS has also offered ride to Indian astronaut short visit to International Space
Station on board Soyuz spacecraft for short training mission.
 Recently, a Gaganyaan National Advisory Council has been created with members from
different institutions and industries like Secretaries of Department of Space, Department
of Science and Technology, Department of Defense Research and Development,

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Principal Scientific Advisor to PM, Senior
Officials from Armed Forces, Indian Coast Guard etc.
Project Netra
In News: The Centre has proposed Rs 33.3
crore for ISRO's 'Project Netra' for securing
Indian satellites from space debris and
other dangers.
More on the Topic:
 India launched the early warning
system Netra (Network for Space
Objects, Tracking, and Analysis) to
secure its satellites and other assets
in space at an estimated to cost Rs 400 crore.
 50 years of human space exploration has led to the creation of junk around Earth's
orbit, posing serious traffic risks to man-made satellites.
 Scientists say 50 years of human space exploration has led to the creation of junk
around Earth's orbit, posing serious traffic risks to man-made satellites.
 The NETRA project would provide India with the same capability as the US and Russia
to assess threats from space debris and other hazards.
Significance:
 About 17,000 man-made objects are monitored in space of which 7 per cent are active
objects. After a time, these objects become inactive and collide with each other while
revolving in space.
 Every year, there are many incidents of objects colliding in space. As a result, small
pieces of debris rotate at extremely fast speeds. Dead satellites and other debris
present in space exist in the Earth's orbit for many years and these debris can damage
any active satellite.
Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS)

In News: India plans to ring in its own era
of space-to-space tracking and
communication of its space assets this
year by putting up a new satellite series
called the Indian Data Relay Satellite
System.
More on the Topic:
 The IDRSS is planned to track and be
constantly in touch with Indian
satellites, in particular those in low-
earth orbits which have limited
coverage of earth.
 In the coming years, it will be vital to
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), whose roadmap is dotted with advanced LEO

missions such as space docking, space station,

as well as distant expeditions to moon, Mars
and Venus. It will also be useful in monitoring
launches.
 The first beneficiary would be the
prospective crew members of the Gaganyaan
mission of 2022 who can be fully and
continuously in touch with mission control
throughout their travel.

 IDRSS satellites of the 2,000 kg class
would be launched on the GSLV launcher to
geostationary orbits around 36,000 km away.
GSAT-30
In News: The nation's latest communication
satellite, GSAT-30, was sent to space from the
Guiana Space Centre in Kourou.
More on the Topic:
 It will replace INSAT-4A which was launched in 2005 and marks the first mission of the
year for Indian Space Research Organisation.
 The high-power satellite is equipped with 12 normal C band and 12 Ku band transponders.
 GSAT-30 will provide DTH (direct to home) television services, connectivity to VSATs (that
support working of banks') ATMs, stock exchange, television uplinking and teleport
services, digital satellite news gathering and e-governance applications. The satellite will
also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication application.
 ISRO hired a foreign launcher as GSAT-30 is much heavier than the 2,000-kg lifting capacity
of its geostationary launch vehicle GSLV-MkII.
 Newer and more powerful GSLV-MkIII that can lift up to
4,000 kg, the space agency plans to save the two or three
upcoming MkIIIs mainly for its first human space flight
Gaganyaan of 2022 and two preceding crew-less trial.
The “band” in use refers to the radio frequencies used to and
from the satellite:
 L-band uses frequencies in the 1 to 2GHz range
 Ku-band utilises approximately 12-18GHz, and
 Ka-band services uses the 26.5-40GHz segment of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
 The higher the bandwidth, the more data can be
transferred
 The higher the frequency the more bandwidth is available
 A high signal-to-noise ratio is better
 An increase in the transmit power level can give an
increase in the communication link.

Satellite Communication Technology for Learning Outcomes

In News: The Rajasthan government has started using
satellite communication technology on a broader scale to
enhance the learning outcomes in educational institutions
and generate awareness about social welfare schemes.
More on the Topic:
 The initiative has been taken to provide the facility of
Receive Only Terminals (ROT) and Satellite

Interactive Terminals (SIT) for getting the services of
subject experts in the government schools and
colleges. It will propagate various schemes in remote areas with no internet
connectivity.
 At present, there are over hundred SITs and ROTs under CEC EDUSAT network,
installed at various colleges, and Universities across the country.
 It will be used in approximately 2,000 institutions coming under various departments,
such as education, higher education, social welfare, minority welfare, women and
child development and tribal area development.
DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories

In News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated
to the nation the DYSLs or DRDO Young Scientists
Laboratories that will operate from five cities
across the country.
More on the Topic:
 The labs operating in Bengaluru, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad will each
pursue a key technology necessary for
developing the nation’s next generation of defence systems.
 The establishment of DYSLs will be a big leap forward for the DRDO from the goal of
making India self-reliant to [making it] future ready in defence technologies.
 The new directors were chosen from within the organisation through a tough selection
process across six months by a committee chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser to the
Government K. Vijaya Raghavan.
 There would be no fund constraints for the new labs and the new leaders get the same
administrative and financial powers as the directors of existing defence labs.
 The defence R&D establishment already has 52 labs that are working in seven broad
domains.
 These labs will aid to create technology edge in its operational, tactical and strategic
warfare.

Indian Science Congress

In News: 107th Indian Science Congress is being held at
the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bengaluru,
Karnataka. Theme of the congress is “Science &
Technology: Rural Development”.
More on the Topic:
 Indian Science Congress is organised by the Indian
Science Congress Association every year in the

first week of January.
 The Indian Science Congress Association was started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and
has a membership of more than 30,000 scientists.
 It owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British chemists, namely,
Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P. S. MacMahon. It occurred to them that
scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research
workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of
Science could be arranged.
New and Emerging Strategic Technologies

In News: With India grappling with issues like the security implications of the introduction of
5G and artificial intelligence, the Indian foreign ministry has announced the setting up of a
new division on New and Emerging Strategic Technologies (NEST).
More on the Topic:
 The new division is one of the many specialized desks created in recent years to deal with
emerging challenges and scenarios.
 The NEST division will act as the nodal point in India’s foreign ministry for all matters
connected to new and emerging technologies including exchange of views with foreign
governments and coordination with domestic ministries and departments.
 It will also help assess foreign policy and international legal implications of emerging
technology and technology-based resources.
 The desk will also be involved in negotiations to safeguard Indian interests at
multilateral fora like the United Nations or the G20 where rules governing the use and
access to such technologies could be decided.
Indian cobra Genome Sequenced

In News: In a feat that may go a long way in reducing
mortality and disability from snake bites, a team of
Indian researchers and their collaborators abroad have
sequenced the genome of the highly poisonous Indian
cobra.
More on the Topic:
 India alone accounts for about 50,000 deaths due to
snake bite annually.
 The challenge has been producing antivenom for
the species known collectively as the “big four” — the Indian cobra (Naja naja), common

krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii), and saw-scaled viper (Echis
carinatus).
 In India, common antivenom is marketed for the treatment of bites from the “big four”,
but its effectiveness is questionable.
 While the common antivenom worked as marketed against the saw-scaled viper and the
common cobra, it fell short against some neglected species and also against one of the
“big four” — the common krait.
 Accidental contact with snakes leads to over 100,000 deaths across the world every year.
Anti Venom:
 Antivenom is made by collecting venom from the relevant animal and injecting small
amounts of it into a domestic animal. The antibodies that form are then collected
from the domestic animal's blood and purified. Versions are available for spider bites,
snake bites, fish stings, and scorpion stings.
 Currently, antivenom is produced by immunising horses with extracted snake venom
and is based on a process developed over 100 years ago. This process is laborious and
suffers from a lack of consistency leading to varying efficacy and serious side-effects.
 The genome sequencing will help to use genomic blueprint for venom toxins to make
recombinant proteins, generate neutralising antibodies and test them in the clinic.
(Recombinant protein is a protein that whose code is carried by a recombinant DNA.
The term recombinant DNA means that two segments of DNA in a plasmid. Plasmids
are those which generally occur in bacteria. Once a recombinant DNA is inserted into
bacteria, these bacteria will make protein based on this recombinant DNA. This
protein is known as "Recombinant protein".)
 Further, sequencing other snake genomes and venom glands will provide information
on additional toxins from these snakes that need to be targeted, leading eventually
to a universal antivenom.
Oldest Material on Earth

In News: Scientists have found 4.6 to 7-billion-year-old
presolar grains of Silicon Carbide (SiC) in the
Murchison meteorite which fell in Australia in 1969.
More on the Topic:
 The presolar grains of Silicon Carbide is the oldest
solid materials ever found. (**Silicon carbide is a
semiconductor material and is an emerging
material for applications in semiconductor
devices.)
 These grains are formed before the solar system's
formation and thus termed as “presolar grains”.
 The presolar grains are very rare, found only in about 5% of meteorites that have fallen
to Earth.
 It may reveal the phenomenon of formation of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. As the
presence of Silicon Carbide in the meteorite are samples of stardust.
 It also provides clues about the rate of star formation in the Milky Way galaxy.

Star Dust:
 Stardust is formed by the material ejected from stars and carried by stellar winds,
getting blown into interstellar space.
 The stellar wind is a flow of gas ejected from the upper atmosphere of a star.
 Interstellar space is defined as that which lies beyond a magnetic region that extends
about 122 Astronomical Unit (AU) from the sun.
 During the solar system's birth, this dust was incorporated into everything that formed
including the planets and the sun but survived intact until now only in asteroids and
comets.
Xenobot
In News: Scientists in the United States have
created the world’s first “living machines” tiny
robots built from the cells of the African clawed
frog, that can move around on their own.
More on the Topic:
 Scientists have repurposed living cells scraped
from frog embryos and assembled them into
entirely new life-forms.
 The xenobots can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload (like a medicine that
needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient) and heal themselves after being
cut.
 These bots are “novel living machines” and “neither a traditional robot nor a known
species of animal”, but “a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism”.
 Applycations of the xenobot includes searching out nasty compounds or radioactive
contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans, travelling in arteries to scrape out
plaque etc.
Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Block chain Technology

In News: Recently NIC has set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain Technology in
Bengaluru, Karnataka.
More on the Topic:
 New and previously unforeseen applications of Blockchain in the Government are
expected to enhance transparency, traceability and trust in e-governance systems.
 The Centre of Excellence will facilitate the Government Departments in building proof of
concepts for use of Block chain technology in different dimensions of governance leading
to large-scale deployment of some such applications.

Yarrabubba Crater
In News: According to recent study,
Australia’s Yarrabubba asteroid impact
crater is oldest on earth and it may have
been responsible for ending an ice age.
More on the topic:
 The Yarrabubba crater is an asteroid
impact structure of an eroded remnant

of a former impact crater, situated in the
Mid West Western Australia.
 It as an precise age of 2.229 billion years,
it is the oldest known impact structure
on Earth.
 Other older asteroid crater are the
Vredefort Dome in South Africa (2.023
billion years old) and Canada’s Sudbury
Basin (1.850 billion years old).
 These are the only other precisely dated Precambrian impact structures that are currently
known.
 Originally stretching roughly 70 km wide, the Yarrabubba resisted reliable estimates of its
age because of erosion and plate tectonics.
 It is now an elliptical structure with a diameter of approximately 20 km.
 NASA scientists sought to assign the crater an exact age by studying concentrations of
uranium, thorium, and lead in rocks collected from the crater.
 The team submerged the rocks in water, exposed them to electricity, and searched the
grains for zircon and monazite.
Spitzer Mission
In News: NASA’s Spitzer Mission, which studied the universe in
infrared light for more than 16 years, will come to an end since it is
low on fuel and has been drifting away from Earth for a few years
now. Engineers will decommission the Spitzer aircraft, after which
it will cease to conduct science operations.
More on the Topic:
 The Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-borne observatory, one
of the elements of NASA’s Great Observatories that include the
Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray.
 Using different infrared wavelengths, Spitzer was able to see
and reveal features of the universe including objects that were
too cold to emit visible light.
 Apart from enabling researchers to see distant cold objects,
Spitzer could also see through large amounts of gas using infrared wavelengths to find
objects that may otherwise have been invisible to human beings.
 These included exoplanets, brown dwarfs and cold matter found in the space between
stars.

 Spitzer also studied some of the most distant galaxies ever detected.
 Hubble and Spitzer in 2016 identified and studied the most distant galaxy ever observed.
 Using these two telescopes, scientists were able to see a bright infant galaxy as it was
over 13.4 billion years ago, roughly 400 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe
was less than 5% of its current age.
Thirty Metre Telescope

In News: India, a partner in the construction of Thirty
Metre Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the
world, has said it wants the project to be moved out
of the proposed site at Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano
in Hawaii.
More on the Topic:
 The TMT or Thirty Metre Telescope, as it is
called, is a joint venture (JV) involving five
countries, but the $2 billion project has been
marred by protests for over a decade. The proposed site is considered sacred to
indigenous Hawaiians, and also has too many observatories for one more such
massive establishment to come up.
 The next best site to locate the telescope is the Observatorio del Roque de los
Muchachos (ORM) on La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain.
 Canada, the United States, China and Japan are the other and more significant —
partners in terms of the monetary and infrastructural aspects of the TMT.
 The TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far away from us in the
universe, which gives information about early stages of evolution of the universe.
 Also, it will give finer details of not-so-far-away objects like undiscovered planets and
other objects in the Solar System and planets around other stars.
Vyom Mitra
In News: ISRO will send Vyom Mitra, the human-
resembling model(Humanoid robot) in a space
capsule around the end of 2020 or early 2021 to study
how she and later real astronauts respond to living
outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.
More on the Topic:
 Humanoid will simulate the human functions
required for space before real astronauts take
off before August 2022.
 She can detect and give out warnings if environmental changes within the cabin get
uncomfortable to astronauts and change the air condition.
 She can take up postures suited for launch and tasks and take commands.
 She can also do switch panel operations, be a companion, converse with the
astronauts, recognise them and also respond to their queries.

NavIC navigation system

In News: Qualcomm Technologies has released chipsets, supporting India’s own GPS system
‘Navigation with Indian Constellation’
(NavIC).
More on the Topic:
 The Qualcomm chipsets can
supports up to 7 satellite
constellations at the same

time, including the use of all of
NavIC’s operating satellites.
 These improvement will
enable select mobile,
automotive and IoT platforms
to better serve key industries
and technology ecosystems in
the region.
 It will help improve user
experience for location-based
applications especially in
dense urban environments
where geolocation accuracy
tends to degrade.
About NavIC:
 IRNSS is named NavIC.
 IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India.
It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well
as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service
area.
 IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS)
which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted
service provided only to the authorised users.
 The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in
the primary service area.
 The IRNSS Signal-in-Space: The IRNSS Signal-in-Space Interface Control Document for
Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is released to the public to provide the essential
information on the IRNSS signal-in-space, to facilitate research & development and
aid the commercial use of the IRNSS signals for navigation-based applications.
 IRNSS-1A spacecraft: It provides messaging service to users in the Indian region.

Polycrack technology
In News: Indian Railways first waste-to-
energy plant has been commissioned at
Bhubaneswar. It utilises Polycrack
technology.
More on the Topic:
 Polycrack is the world’s very first
patented heterogeneous catalytic

process which converts multiple
feedstocks into hydrocarbon liquid
fuels, gas, carbon as well as water.
 The energy which will be produced
at the plant, will be in the form of light diesel oil and this oil will be used to light
furnaces. The plant, having a capacity of 500 kg per batch can be fed with the
following:
 All kinds of existing plastic
 Petroleum sludge
 Un segregated MSW with moisture up to 50 per cent
 E-waste
 Automobile fluff
 Organic waste including bamboo, garden waste
 Jathropa fruit and palm bunch
The waste to energy plant which has been opened with this technology, has several
advantages of treating solid waste over conventional methods. Some of the advantages are
as follows:
 The pre-segregation of waste is not required for processing in the plant. The waste
as collected from the source, can be directly fed into the polycrack plant.
 The plant has high tolerance to moisture hence drying of the waste after treatment,
is not required.
 The waste is processed in the plant and reformed within a period of 24 hours
 The biological decomposition is not allowed as the waste is treated in the plant as it
is received
 All the constituents are converted to valuable energy therefore, making it a zero
discharge process through the plant
 The gas generated in the process of the plant is reused in order to provide energy to
the system, hence making it self reliant and self sufficient for its energy requirements.
This also brings down the operating cost of the plant.
 The plant does not cause atmospheric emission during the process unlike the other
conventional methods except for the combustion of gases which have pollutants less
than the prescribed norms across the world.

Drosophila
In News: Pune will host fifth edition of global Drosophila
conference.
More on the Topic:
 This biennial conference, which is to be held
between January 6 and 10, aims to promote the
interaction of Drosophila researchers in the Asia-
Pacific region with their peers in the rest of the

world.
 It will bring together scientists from all over the
world who use the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model organism to address basic and applied
questions.
 Drosophila is one of the most widely-used and preferred model organisms in biological
research across the world for the last 100 years. Several discoveries in biology have been
made using this.
 Its genome is entirely sequenced and there is enormous information available about its
biochemistry, physiology and behavior.
H9N2
In News: Indian scientists have
detected the country’s first case
of infection with a rare variant of
the virus that causes avian
influenza, or bird flu(H9N2).
More on the Topic:
 H9N2 is a subtype of the
influenza A virus, which
causes human influenza as
well as bird flu. The H9N2
subtype was isolated for the first time in Wisconsin, US in 1966 from turkey flocks.
 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), with avian influenza viruses
circulating in poultry, there is a risk for sporadic infection and small clusters of human
cases due to exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments. Therefore,
sporadic human cases are not unexpected.
 H9N2 virus infections in humans are rare, but likely under-reported due to typically mild
symptoms of the infections.
 H9N2 viruses have been observed in poultry in India several times. Now, identification of
the first clinical human case of H9N2 virus infection highlights the importance of systemic
surveillance in humans and animals to monitor this threat to human health.

Yada Yada Virus

In News: Researchers have named the newly
discovered virus as Yada Yada.
More on the Topic:
 Yada Yada is an alphavirus, a group of viruses
that the researchers described as “small, single-
stranded positive-sense RNA viruses (that)
include species important to human and animal

health, such as Chikungunya virus and Eastern
equine encephalitis virus and which are transmitted primarily by mosquitoes and are
pathogenic in their vertebrate hosts”. Unlike some other alphaviruses, Yada Yada does
not pose a threat to human beings.
News related to defence and security
Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

In News: The naval version of the
indigenously built Mk1 Tejas Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) landed on aircraft carrier, INS
Vikramaditya.
More on the Topic:
 This has taken India into a select group of
nations the US, UK, Russia, France, and
China that have developed aircraft
capable of landing and taking off from the
severely constrained confines of an
aircraft carrier deck, which is barely 200 metres long.
 It is the smallest lightweight, multi-role, single-engine tactical fighter aircraft in the world
and is being developed in single-seat fighter and twin seat trainer variants for the Indian
Air Force and Indian Navy.
 It is an indigenous fighter aircraft jointly developed by Aeronautical Development Agency
and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Saras Mk2
In News: The National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL)
said that the government needs to be the “launch
customer” to make Saras Mk2 commercially viable.
More on the Topic:
 The 19-seater aircraft, developed with a target
cost of ₹50 crore, is at least 20-25% lower in
cost than other aircraft in the similar category.
 It is the first indigenous light transport aircraft.
 The first prototype flew in 2004. But without
the initial push from the government, the manufacturing capacity required for
commercial production could not be set up.

 The NAL has been pitching SARAS Mk-2 for the government’s UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam
Nagrik), since it has the capacity to operate in “ill-equipped”, “semi-prepared” and
“unpaved airstrips”.
Naseem-Al-Bahr
In News: Oman ships arrived in Goa to participate in
“Naseem-Al-Bahr”, the Indo-Oman bilateral naval
exercise.
More on the Topic:
 Due to the strategic location of Oman the naval
exercise with Oman is highly important for India.
 The country is at the gateway of Strait of Hormuz
through which India imports one-fifth of its oil
imports. The berth rights given by Oman to Indian
vessels is important for the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of
Aden.
 India and Oman conduct regular biennial exercises between all three services namely
army, navy and air force. ”Al Najah” is the army exercise conducted between the
countries. “Ex Eastern Bridge” is the Air Force exercise that is held between the countries.
Operation Sankalp
In News: In the backdrop of
the deteriorating security
situation in the Gulf region,
post attacks on merchant
ships in the Gulf of Oman in
Jun 19, Indian Navy had
commenced Maritime Security
Operations, code named Op
SANKALP, in the Gulf Region to
ensure safe passage of Indian
Flag Vessels transiting through
the Strait of Hormuz.
More on the Topic:
 Indian Navy warships and aircraft were deployed to establish presence, provide a sense
of reassurance to the Indian merchantmen, monitor the ongoing situation and respond to
any emergent crises.
 The operation is being progressed in close coordination with all stakeholders including
Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas and DG, Shipping.

Sahyog-Kaijin
In News: India and Japan took part in a joint
exercise called “Sahyog-Kaijin”.
More on the Topic:
 The exercise was held between the
coastal guards of the countries at
Chennai Port.
 The exercise was conducted based

on the agreement signed by the
Coast Guards of the countries in
2006.
 Apart from Coastal Guard Exercises,
Indian and Japan hold other military
exercises as well. The “Shinyuu
Maitri” is the joint Air Force Exercise that was held in October 2019 for the first time.
 The India-Japan Maritime Exercise called JIMEX was conducted in 2013 for the first
time. It focuses on maritime security cooperation. Dharma Guardian is the military
exercise that is conducted between the armies of the countries.
Submarine-launched ballistic missile K-4

In News: India successfully test-fired the
3,500-km range submarine-launched
ballistic missile, K-4.
More on the Topic:
 The test was carried out by the
Defence Research and Development
Organsiation (DRDO) from a
submerged pontoon off the
Visakhapatnam coast.
 There are very few countries which
have managed to achieve this
technological breakthrough.
 Once inducted, these missiles will be
the mainstay of the Arihant class of indigenous ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBN)
and will give India the stand off capability to launch nuclear weapons submerged in Indian
waters.
 INS Arihant, the first and only operational SSBN, is armed with K-15 Sagarika missiles with
a range of 750 km.
 This means the submarine has to venture far way from the Indian waters and move closer
to the adversary’s coast to launch the missile. The K-4 will do away with that need.
Nuclear Triad:
 Nuclear Triad means the capability of delivering nuclear weapons by aircraft, land
based ballistic missiles and submarine launched missiles.

 India declared that its nuclear triad is operational after indigenous Ship Submersible
Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) INS Arihant achieved a milestone by conducting its first
deterrence patrol.
 India has put in place a robust nuclear command and control structure, effective safety
assurance architecture and strict political control, under its Nuclear Command
Authority.
 Given India’s ‘No-First-Use’ (NFU) in launching nuclear weapons, the SSBN is the most
dependable platform for a second-strike.
 SSBNs are designed to prowl the deep ocean waters and carry nuclear weapons.
 Because they are powered by nuclear reactors, these submarines can stay underwater
indefinitely without the adversary detecting it.
 The other two platforms — land-based and air-launched are far easier to detect.
BrahMos-armed SU-30MKI
In News: The Indian Air Force inducted a squadron of
Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter planes, with the capability to
carry BrahMos missiles, at its Thanjavur airbase.
More on the Topic:
 With the SU-30MKI Squadron getting positioned in
Thanjavur, the Indian Air Force would get more air
power to strike from long stand off ranges on any
target at sea or on land with accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions.
 The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's
Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the
Indian Air Force (IAF). A variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, it is a heavy, all-weather, long-range
fighter.
 Brahmos Missile: The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that
can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.
 It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.
 It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who together have formed
BrahMos Aerospace.
Operation Vanilla
In News: The Indian Navy has launched the
'Operation Vanilla' to assist the population of
Madagascar affected by Cyclone Diane.
More on the Topic:
 Indian Navy has send a large
amphibious ship viz. INS Airavat
carrying clothing, medicines, and other
relief material to provide assistance
and support in the relief operations.
 Diane is a tropical cyclone. India assistance to Madagascar is in consonance with Prime
Minister's vision of 'Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)'.

Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile and the Air Defence Tactical Control

Radar (ADTCR)
In News: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) displayed its Anti-
Satellite (A-SAT) missile and the Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) during the 71st
Republic Day parade.
More on the Topic:
 A-SAT Missile: It is an interceptor missile that
destroys or jams satellites in space.

 There are two types of A-SATs, Kinetic A-SATs
like ballistic missiles, physically strike an object
in order to destroy it and Non-Kinetic A-SATs
are the ones that use non-physical means to
disable or destroy space objects, which include
frequency jamming, blinding lasers or cyber-
attacks.
 The theoretical maximum range of A-SATs is
limited which means satellites above 20,000 km
are out of range.
 The A-SAT missile was developed by the DRDO
under Mission Shakti. Mission
Shakti seeks to defend India’s space
assets and thus aims at
strengthening India’s overall
security.
 India became the fourth country to
acquire such technology after USA,
Russia, and China.
 The A-SAT technology has a ‘hit to
kill’ feature which is developed for
the first time in India. It enables to
destroy an enemy satellite by
directly colliding with it with
pinpoint accuracy.
 Air Defence Tactical Control Radar:
Air Defence Tactical Control Radar
(ADTCR) is used for volumetric
surveillance, detection, tracking and
friend/foe identification of aerial
targets of different types and
transmission of prioritised target
data to multiple command posts
and weapon systems.
 It is also capable of detecting very
small targets and low flying targets.

Environment &Ecology
Forest fire Prone areas
In News: The 2019 report by Forest
Survey of India (FSI) was released. It
states that about 21.40% of forest cover
in India is prone to fires, with forests in

the north-eastern region and central
India being the most vulnerable.
More on the Topic:
 FSI carried out a study along forest
fire points (FFP) identified across the
country from 2004 to 2017.
 There are total 2,77,758 FFP
identified during the 13 years.
 FFPs were analysed using a moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) by
overlaying the points coverage over the grid coverage of 5 km x 5 km.
Statistics:
 Extremely fire-prone areas account for 3.89% of total forest cover, very highly fire-
prone areas account for 6.01% and highly fire-prone areas for 11.50%. Together, the
three categories come to 21.40 % of forest cover.
 From November 2018 to June 2019, there were total 29,547 alerts based on MODIS.
Mizoram recorded the highest number of fire alerts (2,795).
 The north-eastern region accounted for about one-third of alerts in the country.
 The Central Indian States also recorded a high number of forest fire alerts.
 Alerts : Madhya Pradesh > Maharashtra > Odisha > Chhattisgarh
 The overall green cover has increased in the country but the forest cover in the north-
east, particularly in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, has decreased.
 The uncontrolled forest fires can lead to significant loss of forest cover. Climate
change influences the frequency and intensity of forest fires and results in forests
becoming increasingly inflammable.
Forest Fire- Causes:
 Thunderstorms are the most likely natural cause for forest fires.
 In central India, the reasons are mainly manmade, particularly in cases where people
visit forests and leave burning bidis, cigarette stubs or other inflammable materials.
 A major reason for forest fires in the north-east is slash-and-burn cultivation,
commonly called jhoom or jhum cultivation.
 The north-east has tropical evergreen forests which are not likely to catch fire easily
on their own like the dry deciduous forests of central India.

Smog Tower
In News: Delhi’s first smog tower was inaugurated
recently.
More on the Topic:
 Smog towers are structures designed to work
as large-scale air purifiers. They are usually
fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which
clean the air of pollutants as it passes through

them.
 The smog tower installed at Lajpat Nagar is
capable of treating 6,00,000 cubic metres of
air per day and can collect more than 75 per
cent of particulate matters (PM) 2.5 and 10, PTI reported. After the cleaning, the tower
releases clean air.
 The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and
will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter
load.
 The project is a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay,
IIT-Delhi and the University of Minnesota, the latter having helped design a similar
tower of over 100 metres in China’s Xi’an city. The Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) will also be involved with the project.
Statement on Climate of India during 2019

In News: ‘Statement on Climate of India
during 2019’ was published by The India
Meteorological Department (IMD).
More on the Topic:
 The extreme weather events that
occurred in the country in the year
2019 were all linked to climate
change.
 Heavy rain- and flood-related
incidents took the maximum toll,
claiming more than 850 lives across states.
 Bihar reported highest deaths (650) due to extreme weather events. Of these 300 died
in floods and 350 died due to heat waves.
 Rainfall: The rainfall during both the southwest monsoon (June to September) and
northeast monsoon (October to December) remained 109% of the Long Period
Average (LPA).
 The current LPA is 89 cm, based on the average rainfall over the years 1951 and 2000.
 Rise in Temperature: The mean temperatures remained 0.36 degrees above normal,
making 2019 the seventh hottest year ever recorded.
 Since 1901, India has warmed by 1 degree Celsius. Whereas, the rise in minimum
temperature was 0.22 degrees in the century.

 Number of Cyclones: 2019 was exceptional for the number of cyclones that hit India’s
east and west coasts.
 Previously, similar cyclonic activity was reported in the Indian Ocean only during 1893,
1926, 1930, and 1976. During these years, cyclones formed both in the Arabian Sea
and the Bay of Bengal put together numbered to ten in a calendar year.
 Notably, an active Arabian Sea saw more cyclonic storms than the Bay of Bengal during
2019. It was only for the second time in 117 years that the Arabian Sea saw such
intense and frequent cyclones.
 In 2019, eight cyclonic storms formed over the north Indian Ocean, of these, five
Cyclones Vayu, Hikka, Kyarr, Maha and Pavan originated in the Arabia Sea, which is
normally calmer. On the contrary, the Bay of Bengal reported less than normal number
of cyclones. The three cyclones formed here were Cyclones Pabuk, Fani, Bulbul.
 Coldest Winter: The winter of 2018-2019 was one of the coldest in the northern
hemisphere. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh reported 51 deaths triggered by snow
avalanche in 2019.
Blue Flag Beaches

In News: The Ministry of Environment and Forest has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
rules for blue flag beaches.
More on the Topic:
 CRZ rules restrict construction near The Blue Flag Programme was started in
beaches. Relaxation in the rules will France in 1985 and has been implemented in
allow States to construct infrastructure Europe since 1987 and in areas outside
and enable the beaches to receive ‘Blue Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
Flag’ certification. The Blue Flag Programme is run by the
 The Ministry selected 13 beaches in Foundation for Environmental Education
India for the Blue Flag certificate in (FEE) which is an international, non-
2019. governmental, non-profit organisation.
 India’s CRZ laws do not allow the The certification is accorded by the
construction of infrastructure on Denmark-based Foundation for Environment
beaches and islands. Education, with 33 stringent criteria under
 However, the Blue Flag certification four major heads for the beaches, that are-
requires beaches to create Environmental Education and Information
infrastructures like portable toilet Bathing Water Quality
blocks, greywater treatment plants, a Environment Management and
solar power plant, seating facilities, Conservation
CCTV surveillance, etc. Safety and Service
 The government notified that
construction activities and facilities
shall be permitted in the CRZs, including Islands, for the purpose of Blue Flag Certification
in beaches.
 However, these activities are subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters
from the High Tide Line (HTL)(the line on the land up to which the highest water line
reaches during the spring tide).

Australia wildfires
In News: Australia’s catastrophic fire season
that began in August 2019 has caused large
scale destruction, mainly in New South Wales
(NSW) and Queensland.
More on the Topic:
 Over 10 million hectares of land was
engulfed by the fire. This lead to killing of

at least 25 people and tens of millions of
animals.
 The catastrophe also forced the evacuation
of entire communities at many parts of the
continent.
The Policies Intensified the Fire:
 The government of Prime Minister
Scott Morrison has downplayed the
impact of changing climate and
relationship with fossil fuels.
 Warnings have been sounded by scientists that even with a global average
temperature rise of 1°C, the raging fires have engulfed an area the size of Switzerland.
 In a world set to warm at least half a degree more in coming decades, Australia’s
encounters with devastating fires could become more frequent, perhaps even once in
eight years, making large parts of the continent uninhabitable.
 The coal industry has a sway over politics in Australia that is disproportionate to its
share of economic production.
 The official Climate Commission of the government was shut down by the government
six years ago. Credentialled specialists at the country’s Climate Council have had to
crowdsource funds to continue their work.
Need of the Hour:
 The current fire season presents a cross-roads, and a wise choice would be to move
to a greener future, one that strengthens an already diverse economy through
innovation.
 The country also witnessing lowest ever rainfall recorded in parts of NSW and
Queensland, and high peak temperatures, producing vulnerable situation for catching
fire at any time.
 The situation is bound to worsen without policy change, as temperatures are
predicted to soar to 50°C by the scientist communities.
 Over the past half century, the number of hot days and very hot days each year have
steadily increased. It would be tragic if this scientific insight is ignored.
 Long-term prosperity for Australians and a future for its charismatic animals can be
secured only through policies that foster environmental protection.

Green Credit Scheme

In News: The Forest Advisory
Committee, an apex body tasked
with adjudicating requests by
the industry to raze forest land
for commercial ends, has
approved green credit scheme
that could allow “forests” to be

traded as a commodity. If
implemented, it allows the
Forest Department to outsource
one of its responsibilities of
reforesting to non-government agencies.
More on the Topic:
 In the current system, industry needs to make good the loss of forest by finding
appropriate non-forest land equal to that which would be razed.
 It also must pay the State Forest Department the current economic equivalent called Net
Present Value of the forest land. It’s then the Forest Department’s responsibility to grow
appropriate vegetation that, over time, would grow into forests.
 Industries have often complained that they find it hard to acquire appropriate non-forest
land, which has to be contiguous to existing forest.
 Nearly ₹50,000 crore had been collected by the Centre over decades, but the funds were
lying unspent because States were not spending the money on regrowing forests.
 The Supreme Court intervened, a new law came about with rules for how this fund was
to be administered. About ₹47,000 crore had been disbursed to States until August, but
it has barely led to any rejuvenation of forests.
Significance of the proposed scheme:
 The proposed ‘Green Credit Scheme’, as it is called, allows agencies (they could be
private companies, village forest communities) to identify land and begin growing
plantations.
 After three years, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land
if they met the Forest Department’s criteria.
 An industry needing forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels
of such forested land, and this would then be transferred to the Forest Department
and be recorded as forest land.
 The participating agency will be free to trade its asset, that is plantation, in parcels,
with project proponents who need forest land.
Concerns:
 It may create problems of privatising multi-use forest areas as monoculture plantation
plots. The policy can even lead to Forests getting treated as a mere commodity
without any social or ecological character.
 These concerns should be addressed diligently.

Seismic Hazard Microzonation project
In News: The Ministry of Earth

Science has launched Seismic
Hazard Microzonation project in
major cities of India.
More on the Topic:
 It is the process of dividing

earth quake prone areas
based on certain factors.
The factors include
geological and geophysical
characteristics of site.
 They are ground shaking,
landslide, liquefaction
susceptibility, rock fall hazard and flooding caused due to earth quakes. Based on the
division, mitigation measures are prepared. Hence, it is a preventive method to
minimise the losses.
 The ambitious project of MoES is aimed at seismic hazard microzonation of major
Indian cities and areas falling under high seismic zones IV and V.
 Earthquake-vulnerable areas falling in seismic zones IV and V include the entire North-
Eastern states, Delhi, Kutch areas in Gujarat, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 As per the plan of the Ministry, seismic hazard microzonation of important cities
having population of half a million is to be carried out in a phased manner.
 It includes capital cities of a few states and some other cities in vulnerable areas.
Authorities believe that it would effectively help them having an idea about the sites,
which are more prone to seismic hazards within a particular city and accordingly
mitigation measures may be adopted for the safety of the common masses.
 In the absence of a reliable prediction model for earthquakes, unlike in the case of
Tsunamis, scientists believe that having well-thought and well-planned mitigation
measures in place become more important.
 Japan is a leading example of how effective and well-implemented mitigation
measures could make its citizens live in peace despite Japan falling in the high seismic
zone and vulnerable to frequent earthquakes.
 The civil engineering practice in Japan is fully compliant to seismic by-laws, where
retrofitting of old and seismically vulnerable structures have been aggressively
pursued and new structures are designed with seismic resilience.
 India also needed to follow this path.

IUCN Red Listing

In News: Arunachal initiated the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘red
listing’ at the state level. Arunachal has become the first state in the country to adopt this
initiative.
More on the Topic:
 The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s
biodiversity. A powerful tool to inform and catalyze action for biodiversity conservation
and policy change, it is critical in protecting the natural resources.

 It Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and
now incorporates issues related to sustainable development in its projects.
 IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries
to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing
information and advice, and through building partnerships.
 The organization is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species
worldwide.
 IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations and plays a role in the
implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and
biodiversity.
 It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World
Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Community Resources
In News: The Supreme Court of India held that the
Government has no right to transfer “invaluable”
community resources like village water ponds to powerful
people and industrialists for commercialisation of the
property.
More on the Topic:
 The common areas like water ponds and wells are the
lifeline of village communities and often sustain various
chores and provide resources necessary for life.
 It is necessary to protect village commons for
safeguarding the fundamental right guaranteed
by Article 21 of our Constitution. Community resources are the
Background: resources which are available
 The judgment came on a plea against the transfer for everyone’s use in a
of village ponds’ sites of Saini village in the community, village or town.
National Capital Region to some private Example: ponds, playgrounds,
industrialists by the Greater Noida Industrial public parks etc.
Development Authority.
 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) refused to
intervene on the plea but the apex court ordered
the authorities and the industrialists to remove all obstructions and restore the water
bodies within three months.

 SC said the State can not deprive the villagers of their existing source of water and other
community resources even after the promise of providing them with an alternative
source.
 There is no guarantee that the adverse effect of destroying the existing water body would
be offset and people would be compelled to travel miles to access the alternative site.
Invasive Specie: Senna spectabilis

In News: The Kerala Forest Department is

planning to adopt steps to arrest the rampant
growth of invasive plants, especially Senna
spectabilis, in the forest areas of the Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve (NBR).
More on the Topic:
 It was planted as avenue tree in the
marshy lands of Wayanad and the plant
has started to invade the adjacent
Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves in
Karnataka and the Mudumalai tiger
reserve in Tamil Nadu.
 The thick foliage arrests the growth of other indigenous tree and grass species and
causes food shortage for the wildlife population, especially herbivores.
 Moreover, wildlife will not feed on the leaf of the tree as it is not palatable for them.
 The allelochemicals produced by this plant adversely affect the germination and growth
of the native species.
About Invasive Species:
 An invasive species is a species that is not native to a specific location, and that has a
tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human
economy or human health.
Kaziranga Wetland Bird Count

In News: Kaziranga, home of the world's most one-horned rhinos, has 96 species of wetland
birds, one of the highest for wildlife preserves in India.
More on the Topic:
 Officials of the Kaziranga National Park and avian specialists conducted the second
wetland bird count and counted a total of 19,225 birds belonging to 96 species under 80
families.
 With 6,181 individuals, the bar-headed goose led the species count, followed by the
common teal and northern pintail. All three belong to the family anatidae.
 The other species with sizeable numbers include gadwall, common coot, lesser whistling
duck, Indian spot-billed duck, little cormorant, ferruginous duck, tufted duck, Eurasian
wigeon, Asian openbill, northern lapwing, ruddy shelduck and spot-billed pelican.
 The park also has more than 250 seasonal water bodies, besides the Dipholu River
running through it.

Significance:
 Data on avian wealth is important because the wetlands nourish Kaziranga's ecosystem.
Increase or decrease in the number of birds is indicative of the park's health.
The Big Four Conservation:
 Much of the focus of conservation efforts in Kaziranga are focused on the 'big four'
species, rhino, elephant, Royal Bengal tiger and Asiatic water buffalo.
 The 2018 census had yielded 2,413 rhinos and approximately 1,100 elephants. The tiger
census of 2014 said Kaziranga had an estimated 103 tigers, the third highest population
of the striped cat in India after Jim Corbett National Park (215) in Uttarakhand and
Bandipur National Park (120) in Karnataka.
 Kaziranga is also home to nine of the 14 species of primates found in the Indian
subcontinent.
Miyawaki method
In News: Kerala will be utilizing Miyawaki
method of afforestation to make the
government office premises, residential
complexes, school premises, and puramboke
land in Kerala greener.
More on the Topic:
 The Miyawaki method, developed by a
Japanese botanist after whom it is named,
involves planting saplings in small areas,
causing them to “fight” for resources and
grow nearly 10 times quicker.
 It originated in Japan, and is now
increasingly adopted in other parts of the
world, including our Chennai. It has
revolutionised the concept of urban
afforestation by turning backyards into
mini-forests.
Model Mains Question: What is social forestry? Comment on progress of social forestry in
India.
New Energy Performance Standards for Air Conditioners

In News: The Central Government in
consultation with the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE) has notified new energy
performance standards for Room Air
Conditioner (RACs).
More on the Topic:
 The 240C default setting has been made mandatory from 1st January, 2020 for all room
air conditioners covered under the ambit of BEE star-labelling program.
 BEE launched the voluntary star labelling program for fixed-speed room air conditioners
(RACs) in 2006, and this program became mandatory on 12th January 2009. Thereafter,

in 2015, voluntary star labelling program for inverter room air conditioners was launched
and was made mandatory with effect from 1st January 2018.
Rising carbon dioxide levels may double floods

In News: The report, Impacts of Carbon Dioxide
Emissions on Global Intense Hydro-meteorological
Disasters warned that the risk of extreme floods or
storms could double every 13 years at the rate

carbon-dioxide concentrations are building up in
the atmosphere. This could spell a “catastrophe”
for India.
More on the Topic:
 The number of intense “hydro-meteorological”
disasters could increase by 5.4% annually for an “average” country facing annually nearly
one “extreme disaster” (defined as one that causes 100 or more fatalities and/or affects
1,000 or more people).
 India faces 5-10 times as many extreme events as the average country. One more extreme
event in India [such as the Kerala floods of 2018 that killed at least 400] would strain the
ability of the country to cope.
The scientists used a modelling which, complements the traditional approach of climate
modelling to explore the factors that have contributed to the increase in the frequency of
flood and storm events.
Econometric modelling involves accounting for a country’s vulnerability to hazards and its
GDP, population density and changes in mean rainfall.
Snake Eel
In News: A new snake eel species residing in
the Bay of Bengal has been discovered by
the Estuarine Biology Regional Centre
(EBRC) at Gopalpur in Odisha..
More on the Topic:
 The new marine species has been
named as Ophichthus
kailashchandrai to honour the vast
contributions of Dr Kailash Chandra
(Director of Zoological Survey of
India) to Indian animal taxonomy.
 It is the eighth species of the Ophichthus genus found on the Indian coast.
 It lives at a depth of around 50 metres in the sea.
 It is 420 mm to 462 mm in length and light brown in colour, with white fins. The outer
surface of their bodies is slimy but they are not poisonous.

 Their teeth are moderately elongated, conical and sharp and thus they feed on small
fish and crabs.
African cheetahs
In News: The Supreme Court lifted its seven-year stay
on a proposal to introduce African cheetahs from
Namibia into the Indian habitat on an experimental
basis.
More on the Topic:
 The plan was to revive the Indian cheetah
population.
 In 2012, the top court had stalled the plan to
initiate the foreign cheetahs into the Palpur
Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh fearing they may come into conflict with a parallel
and a much-delayed project to reintroduce lions into the same sanctuary.
 The court was also worried whether the African cheetahs would find the sanctuary a
favourable clime as far as abundance of prey is concerned.
About Cheetah:
 The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with
ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene era.
 The cheetah is also the world’s fastest land mammal, an icon of nature. With great
speed and dexterity, the cheetah is known for being an excellent hunter, its kills
feeding many other animals in its ecosystem—ensuring that multiple species survive.
 The country’s last spotted feline died in Chhattisgarh in 1947. Later, the cheetah —
which is the fastest land animal — was declared extinct in India in 1952.
 Cheetahs are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
Archaea
In News: New archaeon was discovered by Indian scientists in
Sambhar Salt Lake of Rajasthan.
More on the Topic:
 Archaea are a primitive group of microorganisms that thrive
in extreme habitats such as hot springs, cold deserts and
hypersaline lakes.
 These low paced-growing organisms are also present in the
human gut, and have a direct relationship with human
health.
 They are known for producing antimicrobial molecules, and for anti-oxidant activity with
applications in eco-friendly waste-water treatment.
 Archaea are tough to be cultured due to challenges in providing natural conditions in a
laboratory setting.

 New archaea is named Natrialba swarupiae, after Dr Renu Swarup, secretary,

Department of Biotechnology, for her initiative in supporting microbial diversity studies
in the country
Sambar Salt Lake:
 Sambhar Salt Lake is India’s largest inland salt lake located in Nagaur and Jaipur
districts of Rajasthan.
 It is surrounded on all sides by the Aravali hills.
 The lake is an extensive saline wetland. It is the source of most of Rajasthan’s salt
production.
 It has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international
importance). It is important wintering area for flamingos and other birds that migrate
from northern Asia.
Coral restoration Technique

In News: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI),
with help from Gujarat’s forest department,
is attempting a process to restore coral reefs
using bio-rock or mineral accretion
technology.
More on the Topic:
 Biorock is the substance formed by
electro accumulation of minerals
dissolved in seawater on steel
structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source, in
this case solar panels that float on the surface.
 The technology functions by passing a small amount of electrical current through
electrodes in the water.
 When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the
sea floor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with
carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode).
 This results in calcium carbonate formation. Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and
grow quickly.
 Fragments of broken corals are also tied to the
biorock structure, where they are able to grow at least
four to six times faster than their actual growth as
they need not spend their energy in building their own
calcium carbonate skeletons.
Palau Sunscreen Ban

In News: The Pacific nation of Palau has become the
first country to ban sun cream that is harmful to corals and sea life.
More on the Topic:
 Sun cream that includes common ingredients, including oxybenzone, is not allowed to be
worn or sold in the country.
 The island nation markets itself as a "pristine paradise" for divers.

 A lagoon in Palau's Rock Islands is a Unesco World Heritage site. The country has a
population of around 20,000 dotted across hundreds of islands.
 Toxic sunscreen chemicals have been found throughout Palau's critical habitats, and in
the tissues of our most famous creatures.
Ramsar Sites
In News: India has added 10 more
wetlands to sites protected by the Ramsar

Convention.
More on the topic:
 The 10 new ones are Nandur
Madhameshwar, a first for
Maharashtra; Keshopur-Miani, Beas
Conservation Reserve and Nangal in
Punjab; and Nawabganj, Parvati Agra,
Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai
Nawar in Uttar Pradesh. The other
Ramsar sites are in Rajasthan, Kerala,
Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu
and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.
 With this, a total of 37 sites in the country have been recognised under the international
treaty. Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines.
Ramsar Convention:
 The Convention, signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, is one of the oldest inter-
governmental accord for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. Also known as
the Convention on Wetlands, it aims to develop a global network of wetlands for
conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.
Tiger Mortality reduced

In News: For the first time in the past three years, the
number of tiger deaths in a year in the country has been
less than 100.
More on the Topic:
 According to data from the Ministry of Forest
Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC), there
were 84 cases of tiger deaths in the country and 11
cases of seizures (in which a tiger is presumed dead
on the basis of body parts seized by authorities). Both put together, the number of tiger
deaths is in 2019 is 95.
 In 2018, the number of tiger deaths recorded was 100 (93 mortalities and seven seizures).
The number of tiger deaths in 2017 was 115 (98 mortalities and 17 seizures), and the
number of tiger deaths in 2016 was 122 (101 mortalities and 21 seizures).
 The last tiger census report, released in July 2019, had placed the number of tigers in India
at 2,967, up by a third when compared with the numbers reported in 2014.

 The data on tiger mortality also confirms 22 cases of poaching in the country and one case
of tiger poisoning in 2019. An analysis shows that in 16 out of 22 poaching incidents, which
is almost over 70% of cases of poaching, have been reported outside Tiger Reserves.
Reasons for the Progress:
 The reduced numbers of tiger mortalities are because of surveillance, good
management of Tiger Reserves and a lot of awareness and education programmes on
tiger conservation.
 Using technology to maintain surveillance on tigers has also come as an added
advantage.
 The M-STriPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intenstive Protection & Ecological
Status) patrolling app is deployed and used in every Tiger Reserve. This system
improved the efficiency.
State-wise Data:
 Madhya Pradesh, which has the highest number of tigers in the country (526, as per
the last census), has recorded the most number of cases of tiger deaths, with 31 tiger
deaths reported from the central Indian State in 2019.
 This was followed by Maharashtra, which reported 18 deaths. Karnataka, another
State with high tiger population, recorded 12 deaths, and Uttarakhand recorded ten
deaths. Tamil Nadu recorded seven cases of tiger deaths.
 Deaths were also recorded from non-tiger bearing States like Gujarat, where a tiger
had strayed into the State and died.
Odisha’s Ghodahada reservoir

In News: As per the recent census, the number of mature muggers crocodiles in Ghodahada
reservoir and its adjoining area has increased from 58 in January 2019 to 65 in 2020.
More on the Topic:
 This is an example of peaceful coexistence of humans and crocodiles.
 As per the locals and forest officials, in the British era, the area zamindar had kept
some crocodiles in the Ujaleswar temple tank.
 The crocodiles of the Ghodahada reservoir and its adjoining village ponds have never
harmed any villagers or domestic animals.
 According to zoologists, muggers are less ferocious than other crocodile breeds and
they seem to be satisfied with fish in the reservoir and its adjoining ponds.
 Villagers are fishermen and involved in pisciculture in the reservoir and conservation
of crocodiles.
 IUCN status: It is extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar and has been listed as Vulnerable on
the IUCN Red List since 1982.

Extraocular vision
In News: Latest research shows that
species of brittle stars, which are
relatives of starfish, can see even
though it does not have eyes. It
becomes only the second creature,
after a sea urchin species, known to
have this ability.

More on the Topic:
 The ability to see without eyes is
known as extraocular vision.
 The brittle star sees with the help
of light-sensing cells that cover its entire body.
 These light-sensing cells give the brittle star visual stimuli, allowing it to recognise coarse
structures such as rocks.
Bhitarkanika Census
In News: According to annual reptile census, the population
of the saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
has increased in the water bodies of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika
National Park and its nearby areas in Kendrapara district.
More on the Topic:
 Crocodilians were threatened in India due to
indiscriminate killing for commercial purpose and
severe habitat loss until enactment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.1972.
 Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 in different States.
 The Gharial and Saltwater crocodile conservation programme was first implemented in
Odisha in early 1975 and subsequently the Mugger conservation programme was
initiated.
 The estimated number of the saltwater crocodiles increased from 96 in 1976 to 1,640 in
2012 in India due to rear and release programme established under the Indian Crocodile
Conservation Project.
Crocodiles in India:
 India has three species of crocodilians namely
 Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (IUCN: Critically Endangered)
 Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) (IUCN: Vulnerable)
 Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) (IUCN: Least Concern)
 Bhitarkanika National Park:
 Bhitarkanika National Park is one of Odisha’s finest biodiversity hotspots and is famous
for its green mangroves, migratory birds, turtles, estuarine crocodiles and countless
creeks.
 The wetland is represented by 3 protected Areas, the Bhitarkanika National Park, the
Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
 Bhitarkanika is located in the estuary of Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra and Mahanadi river
systems.

 It is said to house 70% of the country’s estuarine or saltwater crocodiles.
Irrawaddy dolphins
In News: Odisha Forest Department
officials, wildlife experts and
researchers sighted 146 endangered
Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake.
More on the Topic:

 The direct sighting of 146 dolphins
only corroborates the estimate of
the CDA, which does counting of
dolphins round the year using
hydrophones.
 The total population of these
aquatic mammals in the world is estimated to be less than 7,500. Of these, more than
6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been reported from Bangladesh, while the dolphin
distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population.
 Chilika is the largest brackish water lake in the country.
White Rhino
In News: Researchers have created third embryo of the
nearly extinct northern white rhino, a remarkable success
in an ongoing global mission to keep the species from
going extinct.
More on the Topic:
 The death of Sudan in 2018, who was earlier at the
Dvur Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, left the
world with only two northern white rhinos, Najin,
30, and Fatu, 19 both female.
 The northern white is one of the two subspecies of the white (or square-lipped)
rhinocerous, which once roamed several African countries south of the Sahara.
 According to IUCN, the subspecies is considered Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct
in the Wild).
 The other subspecies, the southern white is, by contrast, the most numerous
subspecies of rhino, and is found primarily in South Africa.
 There is also the black (or hook-lipped) rhinocerous in Africa, which too, is fighting for
survival, and at least three of whose subspecies are already extinct.
 The Indian rhinoceros is different from its African cousins, most prominently in that it
has only one horn.
 There is also a Javan rhino, which too, has one horn, and a Sumatran rhino which, like
the African rhinos, has two horns.

International relations
Kalapani Issue with Nepal
In News: The Ministry of External
Affairs said that Nepal and India
will resolve the Kalapani border

issue through dialogue.
More on the Topic:
 The issue was raised by Nepal
after India published a new
political map that showed the
creation of two Union
Territories in Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh after
revoking the special status of
Kashmir on August 5.
 Ever since, diplomatic sources have maintained that both sides have made conciliatory
statements which has so far fallen short of producing a solution to the Kalapani issue.
 The Kalapani territory is an area disputed between India and Nepal, but under Indian
administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Uttarakhand state. According to
Nepal's claim, it lies in Darchula district, Sudurpashchim Pradesh.
 It is situated on the Kailash Mansarovar route.
 The Kali River in the Kalapani region demarcates the border between India and Nepal.
 The Treaty of Sugauli signed by the Kingdom of Nepal and British India (after Anglo-
Nepalese War) in 1816 located the Kali River as Nepal's western boundary with India. The
discrepancy in locating the source of the river led to boundary disputes between India and
Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims.
The head of Iran’s elite Quds Force Killed by US

In News: US air raid killed Qassem Soleimani, the head
of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-
Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed
militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, or
PMF. This event has led to escalating tensions
between the United States and Iran.
More on the Topic:
 Soleimani, had a unique celebrity status among
Iran’s military leaders, was highly popular among
the hardliners.
 He was very close to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who once called him a
“living martyr of the revolution”.
 He was also the main architect of Iran’s recent foreign operations, mainly in Syria and
Iraq, which were crucial in saving the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and defeating the
Islamic State (IS) in both countries.

Consequences:
 The event is a potential turning point in the Middle East and is expected to draw
severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it backs in the region against Israel and US
interests.
 The attack has already killed off even the possibility of renegotiating the nuclear deal.
 Iran might see this as an act of war like any sovereign country would do.
 It could trigger multiple attacks across the region, destabilising it further, cause heavy
casualties and help the jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and the IS regroup and re-
emerge.
 Resumed attacks on oil tankers and other low hanging but high value economic
targets, particularly in the oil sector.
 U.S. President Donald Trump is responsible for where U.S.-Iran ties stand today as he
single-handedly destroyed the co-operation between the two nations established by
the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by unilaterally pulling the U.S. out of the agreement in 2018
and reimposing sanctions on Iran.
 By sabotaging the fragile peace negotiated over years between world powers, Mr.
Trump, in a single act, pushed both the U.S. and Iran down a dangerous slope.
Impact on India:
 India has to deal the issue with its own geostrategic logic.
 The impacts couls include Rises in India’s oil import bill
 Creates difficulties in supplies,
 The safety of an estimated eight million expatriates in the Gulf may be affected.
 Iran has the capacity to influence the U.S.-Taliban peace process in Afghanistan as
well. This could impact India.
 The possibility of some of Shia Muslims being radicalised by this event cannot be ruled
out.
JUS COGENS
In News: Recently US administration has threatened Iran
by tweeting that, it might attack Iran’s cultural sites by
doing so US is trying to ignore the JUS COGENS legislation
( Attacking any cultural site is a war crime).
More on the Topic:
 The jus cogens rules have been sanctioned by the
Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties of
1969 and 1986.
 According to both Conventions, a treaty is void if it
breaches jus cogens rules.
 Besides treaties, unilateral declarations also have
to abide by these norms.
 JUS COGENS or ius cogens, meaning “compelling
law” in Latin, are rules in international law that are peremptory or authoritative, and
from which states cannot deviate.
 These norms cannot be offset by a separate treaty between parties intending to do
so, since they hold fundamental values.

 Today, most states and international organisations accept the principle of jus cogens,
which dates back to Roman times.
 So far, an exhaustive list of jus cogens rules does not exist.
 However, the prohibition of slavery, genocide, racial discrimination, torture, and the
right to self-determination are recognized norms.
 The prohibition against apartheid is also recognized as a jus cogens rule, from which
no derogation is allowed, since apartheid is against the basic principles of the United
Nations.
Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020

In News: The World Health Assembly
has designated 2020 the
International Year of the Nurse and
the Midwife.
More on the Topic:
 This marks the bicentenary of the
birth of Florence Nightingale, the
founder of modern nursing.
 Besides preventing, diagnosing
and treating diseases, and providing expert care during childbirth, nurses and midwives
also serve people caught in humanitarian emergencies and conflicts.
 Currently, there are 22 million nurses and two million midwives worldwide. The world will
need an additional nine million nurses and midwives to achieve the commitment of
providing all people with access to health care by 2030 according to the World Health
Organization (WHO).
China Myanmar Economic Corridor

In News: China’s President Xi Jinping will be visiting
Myanmar to mark the 70th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between China and
Myanmar. The meeting will focus on CMEC.
More on the Topic:
 CMEC is a branch of the Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) in the Indian Ocean.
 The CMEC to the Bay of Bengal is the replica of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that
connects Beijing’s western province of Xinjiang to
Karachi and Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.
Impact on India:
 China’s economic stakes in the Bay of Bengal will
signify larger maritime presence and naval engagement in the region which in turn
reinforces the string of pearls policy by China.

 The String of pearls is a geopolitical theory referring to the network of Chinese

military and commercial facilities extended from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan
in the Horn of Africa.
 But this theory is denied by China and it views its actions as their efforts to strengthen
a new maritime Silk Road.
 Like CMEC and CPEC, China is also developing the China-Nepal Economic Corridor
(CNEC) which will link Tibet to Nepal. The endpoints of the project will touch the
boundaries of the Gangetic plain. Thus three corridors signify the economic as well as
strategic rise of China in the Indian subcontinent.
India China and Jammu and Kashmir

In News: For the second time since the government’s
decision on Article 370 in August last year, China raised the
issue of Kashmir at the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) recently, prompting a protest from New Delhi.
More on the topic:
 The government said that Beijing should “refrain” from
bringing a bilateral issue into the UNSC, and accused
China of working at Pakistan’s behest.
 New Delhi’s response also pointed to the
“overwhelming majority” of Security Council members
being opposed to the Chinese reference on conditions in
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which resulted in a lack of
consensus for any kind of statement at the end of the
meeting.
 India’s case rests on the 1972 Shimla accord, where
India and Pakistan agreed to resolve the Kashmir issue bilaterally. China’s repeated raising
of Kashmir since last August, which includes an aborted attempt in December, is
unconstructive and will impact the India-China bilateral relationship if it continues.
 It is also unlikely to push the government, which has already defied several international
calls from friendly countries, into lifting restrictions or rolling back its measures in
Kashmir.
 Given that New Delhi has refrained from raising similar issues over Tibet, Xinjiang or Hong
Kong, it is unfair on the part of Beijing to take its concerns to the international stage,
especially since President Xi Jinping didn’t officially raise such concerns while visiting India
in October.
Impacts and Way Ahead:
 China may have found no takers for a statement, but the fact that it was allowed to
raise the issue at the UNSC cannot be brushed away.
 Nor can India maintain the duality of insisting, on the one hand, that Kashmir is a
bilateral issue and, on the other hand, rejecting all bilateral talks with Pakistan. At
some point, the government must push for normalisation of ties with Pakistan as well
as for the lifting of restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir.
 In the past few days, it seems the government has decided to review some of its
decisions taken in August: it has released political prisoners and restored 2G
connectivity to select places; it has also taken one group of envoys to Srinagar and

Jammu, and is making plans for 36 Cabinet Ministers, who have not visited the region
yet, to travel there.
 These measures, however, must not come in dribs and drabs, but must be
comprehensive. Only when all communications are restored, all political prisoners
freed and added security restrictions removed can the real task of healing in J&K even
begin.
Taiwan
In News: U.S. warship

transits Taiwan Strait less
than week after election.
More on the Topic:
 Taiwan is China's most
sensitive territorial and
diplomatic issue and
Beijing has never ruled
out the use of force to
bring the island under
its control. The narrow
Taiwan Strait which separates the island from China is a frequent source of tension.
 Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with
the means to defend itself and is its main source of arms.
 Taiwan (Republic of China) calls itself a democratic, self-ruled country, however, according
to the “One China” policy, Beijing considers Taiwan a province of Mainland China.
 The One-China policy refers to the policy or view that there is only one state called
"China", despite the existence of two governments that claim to be "China".
 As a policy, this means that countries seeking diplomatic relations with People's Republic
of China (PRC, Mainland China) must break official relations with the Republic of China
(ROC, Taiwan) and vice versa.
 It is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China's position that there is only one Chinese
government. Under the policy, China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunified
with the mainland.
India’s Stand:
 Since 1949, India has accepted the “One China” policy that accepts Taiwan and Tibet as
part of China.
 However, India uses the policy to make a diplomatic point, i.e., if India believes in “One
China” policy, China should also believe in a “One India” policy

Reciprocating territory
In News: The Ministry of Law and Justice issued an
Extraordinary Gazette Notification, declaring the
United Arab Emirates to be a “reciprocating
territory” under Section 44A of the Civil Procedure
Code, 1908.
More on the Topic:
 Apart from UAE, the other countries

declared to be “reciprocating territories”
are: United Kingdom, Singapore,
Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago,
New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western
Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Aden.
What is a ‘reciprocating territory’ and what are superior courts?
 Essentially, orders passed by certain designated courts from a ‘reciprocating territory’
can be implemented in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District
Court here.
 The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.
 The scope of the Section is restricted to decrees for payment of money, not being
sums payable “in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a
fine or other penalty”.
 It also cannot be based on an arbitration award, even if such an award is enforceable
as a decree or judgment.
Significance:
 The decision is believed to help bring down the time required for executing decrees
between the two countries.
 Indian expatriates in the UAE would no longer be able to seek safe haven in their home
country if they are convicted in a civil case in the UAE.
India Helps Maldives Tackle Measles

In News: India has helped the Maldives in tackling measles outbreak by providing over 30,000
doses of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine.
More on the Topic:
 The outbreak comes less than three years after the World Health Organisation (WHO)
declared the Maldives measles-free in 2017.
 The Maldives presented a certificate of appreciation to the Government of India for the
“gesture of goodwill and solidarity”.
 It is an important step towards strengthening India-Maldives relations.
 Both the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health
cooperation in June 2019.
 The MoU draws a roadmap for cooperation in capacity building and training of doctors
and medical professionals, disease surveillance, training of mental health professionals,
setting up of digital health capacities in the Maldives.
 India is also helping the Maldives in building a 100-bed Cancer Hospital in Hulhumale as
part of its $800 million Line of Credit.

 Both India and the Maldives are the members of the WHO’s Regional Committee for
South-East Asia.
Sagarmatha Dialogue
In News: Nepal has invited the Prime Ministers of India and
Pakistan along with several other heads of government and
heads of state for the Sagarmatha Sambaad.

More on the Topic:
 The event is scheduled to focus on the threat of climate
change to the modern world.
 Invitations have been sent to over 150 foreign guests
including heads of government and heads of state,
Ministers, business leaders, media, members of multilateral
organisations, think-tank experts, academics, civil society
leaders and activists.
 Given the large number of global leaders, the event is expected to serve as a venue for
bilateral interaction among leaders from various countries.
 The Kathmandu event aims to draw all the SAARC leaders and provide an opportunity to
break the ice between India and Pakistan (India and Pakistan have been caught up in a
cycle of hostility, which had prevented Islamabad from hosting the SAARC Summit in
2016).
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

In News: Iran said that it will consider
withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) if a
dispute over its atomic programme goes
before the UN Security Council.
More on the Topic:
 Britain, France and Germany launched a
process charging Iran with failing to
observe the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, a move that could eventually see the Security
Council reimpose international sanctions on the country.
 Iran has accused the three EU member states of inaction over sanctions the United States
reimposed on it after unilaterally withdrawing from the landmark accord in 2018.
Back Ground:
 In 2002 an Iranian opposition group reveals that Iran is developing nuclear facilities
including a uranium enrichment plant. In pursuance of this, several sanctions are imposed
by the UN, the US and the EU against Iran.
 US President George Bush denounces Iran as part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North
Korea. This causes Iran's currency to lose two-thirds of its value in two years.
 In September 2013, Iran's new moderate President Hassan Rouhani takes office.

 In 2015, after a flurry of diplomatic activity, Iran agrees on a long-term deal on its nuclear
programme- Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with a group of world powers
known as the P5+1 - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.
 Under the accord, Iran agrees to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in
international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
 In May 2018, US President Donald Trump abandons the nuclear deal and reinstated
economic sanctions against Iran and threatening to do the same to countries and firms
that continue buying its oil.
 Iran acted with restraint, with thinking that abiding by the nuclear deal it could get
economic favour from EU. However, this policy failed to work for Iran and thereby it began
a counter-pressure campaign.
 In June 2019, Iranian forces shoot down a US military drone over the Strait of Hormuz and
then began the cycle of response and escalation between the two countries.
 Recently, the top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani (the commander of the Al-Quds Force
of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC) was assassinated by the US during his
visit to Iraq.
 The assassination of Qassem Soleimani further heightened the tension in the region.
About NPT:
 The treaty was drawn, drafted and negotiated by the Eighteen Nation Committee on
Disarmament, a UN-sponsored organisation based in Switzerland.
 On August 6th and 9th,1945, the twin Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were
bombed by the United States with a powerful and terrible weapon – The Atom Bomb.
The act brought about the end of World War 2, but with a terrible price. Total
casualties amounted between 129,000 to 226,000 between the two cities, with
countless other injured and suffering from radiation sickness.
 The after-effects of the bombings were a serious cause of concern among world
powers, along with potential misuse of the weapon. This concern led to calls for a
safeguard to ensure a Nuclear Arms Control was in place. Thus it was in 1961, a U.N
resolution called for a treaty to prevent an arms race for nuclear weapons. This treaty
would go on to become the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The signatories:
 Ever since it came into effect since 1970 after it was opened for signing in 1968, the
Non-Proliferation Treaty has 187 nations who are a party to it – more than any other
arms limitation treaty.
 The Non-Proliferation Treaty prohibits the nations who don’t have nuclear weapons
from acquiring them, at the same time prohibiting the nuclear states from helping
others in acquiring the weapons.
 At the same time working towards total disarmament. The International Atomic
Energy Agency, which is the successor of the United Nations Atomic Energy
Commission verifies the compliance with the treaty. The compliance, in turn, is
enforced by the United Nations Security Council.
 There are a total of nine nations who possess nuclear weapons.
 Five of the nations namely – US, UK, France, Russia and China have signed the treaty.
The remaining four nations namely – India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have
not signed the treaty and thus not a party to the treaty.

ICJ ruling on Rohingyas

In News: The International Court of
Justice (ICJ) ruled that Myanmar must
take effective measures to protect its
Rohingya Muslims, including protecting
evidence relating to allegations of
genocide.
More on the Topic:

 Last year, the Republic of the
Gambia moved the ICJ against
Myanmar over alleged
violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide.
 The Gambia urged the ICJ to direct Myanmar to stop the genocide, ensure that
persons committing genocide are punished, and allow the “safe and dignified return
of forcibly displaced Rohingya”.
 The Gambia and Myanmar are parties to the Genocide Convention that allows a party
to move the ICJ for violations.
 Disputes between the Contracting Parties are settled according to Article 9 of the
Genocide Convention.
Myanmar’s Response:
 Myanmar alleged that the proceedings before the court were instituted by the
Gambia, not on its own behalf, but rather as a “proxy” and “on behalf of” the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
 Myanmar asked the ICJ to remove the case from its list, citing lack of jurisdiction of
the court.
 Gambia is a member of the OIC, which includes 53 Muslim-majority nations.
 Myanmar cited the Gambia’s reliance on OIC documents to allege genocide and said
the Gambia did not point to specific violations of the Genocide Convention.
 The court refused to accept Myanmar’s argument and said the fact that the Gambia
“may have sought and obtained the support of other States or international
organizations in its endeavour” does not take away from its right to bring a case
against Myanmar.
Effects of non-compliance for Myanmar
 For its part, Myanmar has denied that its military or paramilitary has participated in
genocide of Rohingya and it is unlikely to alter its position.
 Provisional measures are essentially a restraining order against a state when a case is
pending and can be seen as, at most, a censure.
 Provisional orders cannot be challenged and are binding upon the state.
 However, limitations in enforcing decisions of the ICJ are widely acknowledged by law
experts.
 As per Article 94 of the Charter of the United Nations, all member states are required
to comply with decisions of the ICJ.
 However, any action by a state can be secured only through consent of the state in
international law.

 When a state fails to comply, the Security Council has the power to impose sanctions
against it and ensure compliance when international security and peace are at stake.
 So far, the Security Council has never taken a coercive measure against any country to
get an ICJ ruling implemented.
 Even with the stepping in of the Security Council, there are several hurdles in
enforcement of ICJ decisions.
 Any one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers can
block the enforcement of an ICJ decision against itself or its ally.
Oslo peace accord

In News: Palestinian officials threatened to withdraw
from key provisions of the Oslo Accords, which define
relations with Israel.
More on the Topic:
 The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements
between the Government of Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C.,
in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995.
 The Oslo Accords marked the start of the Oslo process, a peace process aimed at
achieving a peace treaty based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
 The Oslo Accords created a Palestinian Authority tasked with limited self-governance
of parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and acknowledged the PLO as Israel's
partner in permanent-status negotiations about remaining questions.
 The most important questions relate to the borders of Israel and Palestine, Israeli
settlements, the status of Jerusalem, Israel's military presence in and control over
remaining territories after Israel's recognition of Palestinian autonomy, and the
Palestinian right of return.
Donald Trump’s peace plan for Israel and Palestine

In News: President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, Peace
to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian
and Israeli People, has been released recently.
More on the Topic:
 The Trump plan seeks to address most of the
contentious issues in the conflict such as the border
of Israel, status of Palestinian refugees, Jewish
settlements on the West Bank, land swap between
Israel and Palestine, Israel’s security concerns and
the status of the city of Jerusalem.
 However, the solutions Mr. Trump has proposed to
almost all of these issues favour the Israeli positions.
For example, Israel would be allowed to annex the
Jewish settlements on the West Bank as well as the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian
refugees, who were forced out from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that
followed the declaration of the state of Israel in the historic Palestine, would not be

allowed to return. They could move to the future Palestinian state, be integrated into
the host countries or settled in other regional countries.
 Jerusalem, perhaps the most contentious issue, would be “the undivided capital” of
Israel, with Palestine gaining its capital in the east of the city beyond the security
border Israel has already built.
 In return, Israel would freeze further settlement activities on the West Bank for four
years the time for negotiations. During this period, the Palestinian Authority should
dismiss its current complaints at the International Criminal Court against Israel and
refrain itself from taking further actions.

 It should also crack down on “terrorist” groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
 Mr. Trump has also proposed $50 billion in investment over 10 years should Palestine
accept the proposals.
 In the final settlement, Palestine would get control over more land than what it
currently controls (According to the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into
three areas and only one of them is under the direct control of the Palestinian
Authority).
 The plan proposes some land swap for the Israeli annexation of the West Bank Jewish
settlements. It seeks to enlarge Gaza and connect the strip with the West Bank
through a tunnel. The Arab towns in the southeast of Israel, which are close to Gaza,
could become part of a future Palestinian state.
Criticism:
 The Palestine position, which is backed by most of the world powers, is the formation of
an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 border (meaning the
whole of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) with East Jerusalem as its capital (including
the Old City that houses Haram esh-Sharif, also known as Temple Mount, a holy site for
both Muslims and Jews).
 Issues like the right of return of the Palestinian refugees are to be settled in final
negotiations. But Mr. Trump has effectively rejected the Palestinian claims outright and
asked them to make more compromises.
 The Palestinians believe that Mr. Trump, whose administration recognised Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital in 2017, is not an impartial negotiator between the two sides. And the plan
Mr. Trump unveiled recently in the White House seems to be confirming Palestinian
concerns.
 Mr. Trump has thrown his weight behind the two-state solution. But to achieve the
solution, the plan overly favours the Israeli positions and demands excessive concessions
from the Palestinians.
 Observers have said that the deal, which was drawn up without any meaningful
Palestinian participation, is loaded in Israel’s favour. It gets unified Jerusalem as its
capital, and it does not have to dismantle any of its illegal settlements in the West Bank.
 To the Palestinians, the deal offers the possibility of a US-recognised quasi sovereign
state that will not, however, have a standing army; they will also have to give up violent
resistance to Israel, and ensure the disbandment of Hamas, which governs Gaza.
Way Ahead:
 It’s hard to overlook the injustice in demanding that the Palestinians accept further
annexation of the West Bank.

 Issues such as the status of Jerusalem and the right to return of refugees, an
internationally accepted right, and the final borders should be resolved through talks,
not by dictating terms to one party.
India’s Stand:
 India urged Israel and Palestine to engage directly and explore possibilities of finding
an “acceptable” solution to the regional conflict.
 India has traditionally supported statehood for the Palestinian side and maintained
that the two-state solution is the best guarantee for solution of the oldest post-World
War II crisis in the West Asian region

Model Mains Question: Examine the 'two state solution' in the Israel – Palestine conflict
situation.
SAARC
In News: India was playing a lead role on connectivity
in the South Asian region but the full potential of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) was not utilised because SAARC could not hold
a formal meet in the last four years due to the tensions
between India and Pakistan.
More on the Topic:
 SAARC was founded by seven states in 1985. In
2005, Afghanistan requested its accession to SAARC
and formally applied for membership on the same
year.
 This organization was formed in Dhaka on December 8, 1985, and its secretariat is based
in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SAARC comprises the following member states:
 Afghanistan
 Bangladesh
 Bhutan
 India
 Maldives
 Nepal
 Pakistan
 Sri Lanka
A Shift Towards BIMSTEC:
 Tensions between India and Pakistan have led to New Delhi shifting focus from SAARC
to BIMSTEC. For e.g. At the Kathmandu SAARC summit (2014) Pakistan vetoed
connectivity agreements initiated by India when all other countries were ready to sign
it.
 After the Uri attack of 2016, India boycotted the SAARC summit, which was to be held
in Islamabad. The Summit was called off after other SAARC member states followed
suit.
 Soon after, India invited BIMSTEC leaders to the BRICS outreach summit in Goa in
2016. In 2017 BIMSTEC summit, India’s PM announced, "It is a natural platform to fulfil
our key foreign policy priorities of Neighbourhood First and Act East."

 Thereafter, the 2018 BIMSTEC summit in Nepal saw the grouping pass a resolution
demanding that states that “encourage, support or finance terrorism, provide
sanctuaries to terrorists and terror groups” be held accountable.
Why SAARC remains relevant despite renewed interest in BIMSTEC?
 SAARC, as an organisation, reflects the South Asian identity of the countries,
historically and contemporarily. It has geographical identity. Equally, there is a
cultural, linguistic, religious and culinary affinity that defines South Asia. BIMSTEC
despite its achievements is not tied in the identity of the nations that are members.
 South Asian countries are closely tied in their socio-political state as they face similar
threats and challenges like terrorism, similar economic challenges, disaster etc.
 To face such challenges, the South Asian countries must cooperate. The European and
ASEAN experience is testimony to the contribution of regional cooperation in the
economic growth of the countries.
 BIMSTEC itself has faced challenges since its inception. It is also not well
institutionalised as SAARC, which despite political tensions between its largest
members has institutions for cooperation.
 Though there have been delays in regular SAARC summits, there are mechanisms of
interaction within SAARCSouth Asian University, South Asia Satellite which keep
SAARC relevant.
 India should take lead in creating platforms for informal discussions, formal
mediation and resolution mechanisms tailored to the region’s specific needs and
problems. So that bilateral issues do not hinder broader regional integration under
both SAARC and BIMSTEC.

History, Art & culture

Bharatnatyam
In News: Bharatnatyam dancer Priyadarshini Govind has been
conferred with Nritya Kalanidhi Award. The award has been
presented by the Madras Music Academy for her performance and

efforts to propagate the art form.
More on the Topic:
 Bharathnatyam is one among the eight classical dances of
India.
 It was conventionally performed by Devadasis (girls offered
to God in the temple) in Hindu Temples of South India. Thus,
it is also known as ‘Dasiattam’.
 It was developed in Tanjore and other regions of South India
prominently Tamil Nadu, and could possibly be the oldest
classical dance form of India (around 2000 years old).
 Bharatnatyam poses are depicted on the gopurams of the Chidambaram temple
(Tamil Nadu).
 E. Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale had played a significant role in helping the
dance regain its lost popularity and position.
Jallikattu
In News: Jallikattu, the traditional
event associated with Pongal
festival was held at various parts of
Tamil Nadu.
More on the Topic:
 In Jallikattu Bull is released
into a crowd of people, and
multiple human participants
attempt to grab the large
hump on the bull's back with
both arms and hang on to it
while the bull attempts to escape.
 Participants hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a
stop. In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull's
horns.
 As there were incidents of injury and death associated with the sport, both to the
participants and to the animals forced into it, animal rights organizations have called
for a ban to the sport, resulting in the court banning it several times over the past
years. However, with protest from the people against the ban, a new ordinance was
made in 2017 to continue the sport.

Bojjannakonda-Budhist site
In News: After a sustained campaign, heritage lovers and officials have been successful in
almost stopping the stone-pelting ritual at Bojjannakonda, a famous Buddhist site at
Sankaramhe, Andhra Pradesh.
More on the Topic:
 The villagers, as a part of the ancient ritual, used Bojjannakonda and
to pelt stones at a belly-shaped object, believing it Lingalametta are the twin
to be a part of a demon. Buddhist monasteries dating

 However, following the intervention of the Indian back to the 3rd century BC.
National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage These sites have seen three
(INTACH), the practice on the Kanuma day during forms of Buddhism – the
Sankranti has almost been done away with. Theravada period when Lord
 (The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Buddha was considered a
Heritage is a non-profit charitable organisation teacher, the Mahayana, where
registered under the Societies Registration Act, Buddhism was more devotional,
1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded and Vajrayana, where Buddhist
INTACH a special consultative status with United tradition was more practised as
Nations Economic and Social Council.) Tantra and esoteric form.
 The name Sankaram is derived from the term,
‘Sangharama’. It is famous for the whole lot of votive stupas, rock-cut caves, brick-built
structural edifices, early historic pottery and Satavahana coins that date back to the 1st
century AD.
 The main stupa was carved out of rock and then covered with bricks, where one can see
a number of images of the Buddha sculpted on the rock face all over the hill.
 At the nearby Lingalametta, one can see hundreds of rock-cut monolithic stupas in rows.
 Tourists visit the Buddhist sites in large numbers to see the relic casket, the three Chaitya
Halls, the votive platforms, the stupas and the Vajrayana sculpture.
 Visakhapatnam is famous for Buddhist sites at Thotlakonda, Appikonda, and Bavikonda
too.
Bhima Koregaon
In News: The people of Dalit communities gather in
Bhima Koregaon in large numbers on 1 January every
year to pay tribute to the Dalit heroes who died in
the war between the British and the Peshwas on 1
January 1818.
More on the Topic:
 A battle was fought in Bhima Koregaon, a
district in Pune with a strong historical Dalit
connection, between the Peshwa forces and the British on January 1, 1818. The
British army, which comprised mainly of Dalit soldiers, fought the upper caste-
dominated Peshwa army. The British troops defeated the Peshwa army.
 The victory was seen as a win against caste-based discrimination and oppression.
Peshwas were notorious for their oppression and persecution of Mahar dalits. The

victory in the battle over Peshwas gave dalits a moral victory a victory against caste-
based discrimination and oppression and sense of identity.
Why Bhima Koregaon is seen as a Dalit symbol?
 The battle has come to be seen as a symbol of Dalit pride because a large number of
soldiers in the Company force were the Mahar Dalits. Since the Peshwas, who were
Brahmins, were seen as oppressors of Dalits, the victory of the Mahar soldiers over
the the Peshwa force is seen as Dalit assertion.
 On 1 January 1927, B.R. Ambedkar visited the memorial obelisk erected on the spot
which bears the names of the dead including nearly two dozen Mahar soldiers. The
men who fought in the battle of Koregaon were the Mahars, and the Mahars are
Untouchables.
Savitribhai Phule
In News: PM Narendra Modi paid his tribute to the
Indian Social Reformer Savitribhai Phule. She was born
on January 3, 1831.
More on the Topic:
 Savitribai Phule was an Indian social reformer,
educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra. She
is regarded as the first female teacher of India.
 Along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, she played an important role in improving
women's rights in India. She is regarded as the mother of Indian feminism.
 Phule and her husband founded the first Indian girls' school in Pune, at Bhide wada
in 1848. She worked to abolish the discrimination and unfair treatment of people
based on caste and gender.
 She is regarded as an important figure of the social reform movement in Maharashtra.
 A philanthropist and an educationist, Phule was also a prolific Marathi writer. She
opened the first school for girls in pune.
Lord Curzon
In News: West Bengal Governor drew widespread
condemnation over his tweet referring to a table, apparently
used by Lord Curzon to sign papers pertaining to the Partition
of Bengal in 1905, as “iconic”.
More on the Topic:
 Lord Curzon, India’s Viceroy between 1899 and 1905, was
one of the most controversial and consequential holders of
that post.
 The partition of the undivided Bengal Presidency in 1905
was one of Curzon’s most criticised moves, which triggered
widespread opposition not only in Bengal but across India,
and gave impetus to the freedom movement.
 Curzon, in 1901, had famously said, “As long as we rule
India we are the greatest power in the world. If we lose it, we shall drop straightaway
to a third-rate power.”

 Through Calcutta Corporation act 1899 he reduced the number of elected legislatures to
deprive Indians from self-governance.
 He looked at Indians with contempt and insulted and injured their feelings. He described
Bengalis as cowards, windbags, impracticable talkers and mere frothy patriots. He even
refused to meet to president of Indian national congress.
Reforms by Lord Curzon:
 To set the educational system in order, he instituted in 1902, a Universities Commission
to go into the entire question of university education in the country. On the basis of the
findings and recommendations of the Commission, Curzon brought in the Indian

Universities Act of 1904, which brought all the universities in India under the control of
the government.
 The Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa (Bihar – Bengal Presidency) was established.
 He made efforts for police reforms, eliminating the corruption and to promote the
economic development. He provided a revival to conservatism in India by refurbishing the
main features of Lord Mayo’s policies.
 He instituted a Police Commission in 1902 under the chairmanship of Sir Andrew Frazer.
Curzon accepted all the recommendations and implemented them. He set up training
schools for both the officers and the constables and introduced provincial police service.
During Curzon regime, the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) was established which
covered roughly the areas of upper course of River Indus.
 Imperial cadet corps was set up which became an instrument for Indianisation of army
later.
 He passed a law called the Ancient Monuments Act, 1904 which made it obligatory on
the part of the government and local authorities to preserve the monuments of
archaeological importance and their destruction an offence.
Ashfaqullah Khan
In News: The Uttar Pradesh cabine approved a proposal for a
zoological garden spread across 121 acres in Gorakhpur, to
be named after the freedom fighter and revolutionary
Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan.
More on the Topic:
 Khan was a freedom fighter who, along with Ram
Prasad Bismil, was sentenced to death for the Kakori
train robbery, commonly referred to as the Kakori
conspiracy of 1925.
 In the mid-1920s, Khan and Bismil went on to found
the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
(HSRA), with the aim of winning freedom for the
country through an armed revolution.
 HSRA published its manifesto titled “The Revolutionary” in 1925.

Manilal Doctor
In News: January 8 was the death anniversary of Manilal Doctor,
the colonial-era barrister who fought for the rights of Indian-origin
people in Mauritius and Fiji.
More on the Topic:
 An associate of Mahatma Gandhi, Doctor is known for his
efforts towards helping abolish the indentured labour system
that Indian immigrants in many parts of the British Empire

were subjected to.
 Born in 1881 in Vadodara, Doctor studied law in Bombay
before travelling to Britain in 1905 for further studies. He
became a member of the Indian Home Rule Society in London,
and wrote in the monthly ‘Indian Sociologist’.
 In 1906, Doctor met Gandhi, who at the time was in London to meet imperial authorities
on behalf of South Africa’s Indian origin people.
 During the meeting, Gandhi asked Doctor to move to Mauritius to assist the Indian
community there in their struggle for equal rights.
 In 1833, the British Parliament banned slavery, and the practice became illegal throughout
the Empire. However, to maintain the supply of labour in their territories, colonial
authorities effectively replaced slavery with the indentured labour system.
 The ‘indenture’ (meaning contract) system required Indians to sign a legal agreement
stating their consent to move abroad for a minimum of five years to work mainly on sugar
estates.
 Many were lured to distant lands, such as the Caribbean, South Africa, Réunion, Mauritius,
Malaysia, and Fiji, where they ended up living in miserable conditions.
Nagardhan excavations
In News: Archaeological excavations at Nagardhan,
near Nagpur, have provided concrete evidence on the
life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the
Vakataka dynasty.
More on the Topic:
 Oval-shaped sealing has been discovered, which
belongs to the period when Prabhavatigupta was
the queen of the Vakataka dynasty.
 It bears her name in the Brahmi script, along with the depiction of a conch.
 The presence of the conch is a sign of the Vaishnava affiliation that the Guptas had.
 Since the Vakataka people had trade with Iran and beyond through the Mediterranean
Sea, these sealings could have been used as an official royal permission issued from the
capital city.
 Copper plate issued by Queen Prabhavatigupta has also been found.
 It starts with a genealogy of the Guptas, mentioning the Queen’s grandfather
Samudragupta and her father Chandragupta II.

Vakataka dynasty:
 The Vakataka Empire originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE, with
Nagardhan as capital. Vindhyashakti (c. 250 – c. 270 CE) is known to be the founder of the
family.
 Evidence indicate the state have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat
in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west
to the edges of Chhattisgarh in the east.
 They were the most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and
contemporaneous with the Guptas in northern India.

 The Vakataka dynasty was a Brahmin dynasty and rulers were pre-dominantly shaivites.
 The Gupta emperor Chandragupta II married his daughter into Vakataka royal family and
with their support annexed Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in 4th century CE.
 The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO World Heritage
Site) were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor, Harishena.
 The elephant god was a commonly worshipped deity in those times.
Queen Prabhavati Gupta:
 The Vakataka rulers were known to have forged several matrimonial alliances with other
dynasties of their times.
 One of the key alliances was with Prabhavatigupta of the mighty Gupta dynasty, which
was then ruling north India.
 After marrying Vakataka king Rudrasena II, Prabhavatigupta enjoyed the position of Chief
Queen.
 Scholars say Queen Prabhavatigupta was among a handful of women rulers in India to
have reigned over any kingdom during ancient times.
 Also, there had been no evidence so far of any successor female ruler within the Vakataka
dynasty.

Awards, honors and personalities in news
Establishment of Chairs in the Name of Eminent Women in

universities
In News: On the occasion of National Girl Child Day, the Ministry of Women and Child
Development has set up 10
Chairs in different fields with
an aim to carry out research
activities to encourage
women.
More on the Topic:
 The initiative called
Establishment of Chairs
in the Universities in
the name of eminent
women administrators,
artists, scientists and
social reformers is
being launched with
the assistance of
University Grants
Commission (UGC).
 The main objective is to
inspire women to
pursue higher
education and to
achieve excellence in
their area of work. This
initiative of highlighting
and celebrating women
achievers of the country will motivate young girls and women towards higher studies.
 Initially, the chairs will be set up for a period of 5 years.
 Each chair will be funded by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (₹50 lakh
per year).
 All the universities that are eligible to receive grant-in-aid from the UGC are eligible to
apply for the establishment of the Chairs.
 Any scholar or academician in the age group of 55-70 years, with specialisation in their
fields, will be eligible for the chair.
 The selected academicians will be appointed for a period of five years, which can be
extended to another five years.

The chairs proposed by UGC and approved by the Ministry:
S.
Subject Proposed name of chair
No.
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar: A proficient ruler and an erudite

1. Administration
politician of Malwa; also known as Malwa queen
2. Literature Mahadevi Varma: A freedom fighter, Hindi poet, academician
Freedom Fighter Rani Gaidinliu: Naga spiritual and political leader who had led
3.
(North East) a revolt against British rule in India
4. Medicine & Health Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi: India's first woman physician
 Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi: Indian Carnatic

singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
5. Performing Art  The first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna,
India’s highest civilian honour.
Amrita Devi (Beniwal): She sacrificed her life along with her
Forest/Wildlife
6. three daughters to save green trees being felled by the
Conservation
Maharaja of Jodhpur in Marwar, Rajasthan in 1730.
Lilavati: It is a treatise on mathematics, written by Indian

7. Mathematics
mathematician Bhāskara II's in 1150.
Kamala Sohonie: The first Indian woman to receive a PhD in a

8. Science scientific discipline and also paved the way for women to
study at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
Poetry & Lal Ded: Played a lead role in the creation of Vatsun style of
9.
Mysticism mystic poetry.
Educational
10. Hansa Mehta: A social activist, educator and eminent writer.
Reforms

Jan MM 2020 NK

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saansad adarsh gram yojana (sagy).................................................................................................. 43

comprehensive bodo settlement agreement ................................................................................... 49

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air india disinvestment .................................................................................................................... 83

aser report 2019.............................................................................................................................. 89

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iucn red listing ............................................................................................................................... 124

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MLAs, 11 were re-elected.

Anti- defection law

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• This judgment enabled judiciary to become the watchdog of the anti-

Malnutrition rears its head in B'luru city kids: Study

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What does the study reveal?

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Centre's delay hits Karnataka rural jobs

days this year because of floods

Centre may cut Karnataka's tax share by Rs 5,000 cr

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Former Karnataka Governor TN Chaturvedi passes away

Flood relief from Centre

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National Disaster Response Fund

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Karnataka pushes for Kannada primacy in banks

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Karnataka intensifies RCH measures to lower IMR

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Panel urges Karnataka govt to hike quota for STs

the existing 3% to 7.5%.

K'taka-run agency to propel labourers' overseas dreams

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Jobs outnumber graduates in Karnataka

Veteran Kannada scholar M Chidananda Murthy

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NITI Aayog meets pvt colleges in state

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Karnataka far from Vision 2020 goals

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Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

between 2004 and 2017. The study says

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Mental health hospitals see second most readmissions

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Bustard, vulture conservation

the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Long-billed