Important Definitions-March

National Sports Development Fund

 Under CSR initiative, Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) contributes Rs 1 crore towards the National Sports Development Fund.

What is NSDF?

Established in 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act 1890 and notified by Government of India in November, 1998.

Purpose of creation is to impart momentum and flexibility to assisting the cause of sports. Role of the Fund is supplementary to the overall policy and activities of the Department of Sports in achieving excellence in sports.

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF NSDF:

Council of NSDF: The Fund is managed by a Council constituted by the Central Government. Union Minister in charge of Youth Affairs and Sports is the Chairperson of the Council. Members of the Council include senior Officers of the Department of Sports, Chairman & Managing Directors of Private and Public Sector Companies / Corporations, representatives of Sports Promotion Boards, etc.

Rare Disease Day

Rare Disease Day is observed on February 29. 

What is a rare disease?

A rare disease, also referred to as an orphan disease, is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population.

Most rare diseases are genetic, and are present throughout a person’s entire life, even if symptoms do not immediately appear.

The most common rare diseases recorded in India are Haemophilia, Thalassemia, sickle-cell anaemia and primary immuno deficiency in children, auto-immune diseases, Lysosomal storage disorders such as Pompe disease, Hirschsprung disease, Gaucher’s disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hemangiomas and certain forms of muscular dystrophies.

Definition:

While there is no universally accepted definition of rare diseases, countries typically arrive at their own descriptions, taking into consideration disease prevalence, its severity and the existence of alternative therapeutic options. In the US, for instance, a rare disease is defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people. The same definition is used by the National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD).

Efforts by India towards this:

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in January this year, published a national policy for the treatment of 450 ‘rare diseases’. The Centre first prepared such a policy in 2017 and appointed a committee in 2018 to review it.

Overview of the policy:

1. The policy intends to kickstart a registry of rare diseases, which will be maintained by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
2. Under the policy, there are three categories of rare diseases — requiring one-time curative treatment, diseases that require long-term treatment but where the cost is low, and those needing long-term treatments with high cost. Some of the diseases in the first category include osteopetrosis and immune deficiency disorders, among others.
3. Financial assistance: As per the policy, the assistance of Rs 15 lakh will be provided to patients suffering from rare diseases that require a one-time curative treatment under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi scheme. The treatment will be limited to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan

 US and Taliban have signed a historic agreement- “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan”- in Doha, Qatar. It outlines a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism, and the intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.” The agreement could pave the way to ending America’s longest-fought war.

Highlights of the agreement:

Military troops withdrawal: It lays out a 14-month timetable for the withdrawal of “all military forces of the United States, its allies, and Coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel.”

Release of prisoners: The agreement also calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 “prisoners of the other side” on the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations. The relevant sides have the goal of releasing all the remaining prisoners over the course of the subsequent three months.

What Taliban will do?

1. Taliban will take steps “to prevent any group or individual, including al-Qa’ida, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.”
2. Those steps include commitments that the Taliban will instruct its members “not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening the security of the United States and its allies”.
3. It “will also prevent any group or individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and its allies, and will prevent them from recruiting, training, and fundraising and will not host them in accordance with the commitments in this agreement.”

Background:

The US has been at war in Afghanistan since 2001. This agreement in Doha came after more than a year of on and off negotiations with the militant group. The two sides had reached “an agreement in principle” in early September 2019.

Challenges ahead:

• The Afghan government has been completely sidelined during the talks between the US and Taliban. The future for the people of Afghanistan is uncertain, and will depend on how Taliban honours its commitments and whether it goes back to the mediaeval practices of its 1996-2001 regime.
• Much will depend on whether the US and the Taliban are able to keep their ends of the bargain, and every step forward will be negotiated, and how the Afghan government and the political spectrum are involved.

Concerns here for India:

1. Is India an ally?

In the Doha agreement, the Taliban has guaranteed “enforcement mechanisms that will prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies”. However, it is unclear whether India, which is not a U.S. ally, is included in this definition, and whether Pakistan-backed groups that threaten India would still operate in Afghanistan.

2. Impact of prisoner release and lifting sanctions:

India is also most worried about the “mainstreaming of the Haqqani network”, which Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists reportedly fight alongside and were responsible for the 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Release of prisoners would be a boost for these terror groups.

3. Threats from Pakistan:

The U.S. has committed to taking Taliban leaders off the UN Security Council’s sanctions list by May 29, 2020, which could considerably bring down the number of terrorists Pakistan is accused of harbouring, according to the FATF greylist conditions.

4. Recognition to Taliban:

As per the agreement, the US appears to have submitted to the possibility of a Taliban-led government, by extracting promises that the Taliban will not provide “visas, passports, travel documents or asylum” to those threatening the U.S. and its allies. This appears to sideline India’s support for the election process for leadership in Afghanistan.

India and Taliban:

India and the Taliban have had a bitter past. New Delhi nurses bitter memories from the IC-814 hijack in 1999, when it had to release terrorists — including Maulana Masood Azhar who founded Jaish-e-Mohammed that went on to carry out terror attacks on Parliament (2001), in Pathankot (2016) and in Pulwama (2019).

The Taliban perceived India as a hostile country, as India had supported the anti-Taliban force Northern Alliance in the 1990s.

India never gave diplomatic and official recognition to the Taliban when it was in power during 1996-2001.

RaIDer-X

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore have developed a new bomb detection device called Raider-X.

What is RaIDer-X?

It is an explosives detection device. It can detect up to 20 explosives from a stand-off distance of two meters.  Developed by the High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL) — an arm of the DRDO — in Pune and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. It can also discern bulk explosives even if they have been concealed.

Applications:

The device has various applications including narcotics, for local police, for customs and other detection agencies who need to detect various elements which may be explosive or non-explosive in nature.

Significance:

Most of the recent terrorist attacks had explosives that were made from easily available ingredients like petrol and gelatin sticks rather than high-end materials. And devices like RaIDer-X are incremental to thwarting the threat from homemade explosives.

Inner Line Permit (ILP)

Tribal organisations in Meghalaya 👀have been demanding the ILP system for restricting the entry of outsiders into the State. These demands have turned into violent protests across the state in the past few days.

What is an ILP?

It is a document required by non- natives to visit or stay in a state that is protected under the ILP system.

• At present, four Northeastern states are covered, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.👀👀
• Both the duration of stay and the areas allowed to be accessed for any non native are determined by the ILP.
• The ILP is issued by the concerned state government👀👀 and can be availed both by applying online or in person👀.

HISTORY:
The Inner Line Permit is an extension of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873👀. The Britishers framed regulations restricting entry in certain designated areas. This was done to protect the Crown’s interest in certain states by preventing “British subjects” (Indians) from trading within these regions.

In 1950, the term ‘British subjects’ was replaced with ‘Citizens of India’👀. Today, all non natives require the permit. This was done to protect the indigenous tribal communities of these states from exploitation.

What about foreigners?

An ILP is only valid for domestic tourists👀. 

For foreign tourists in:

Manipur: No permit is required. But, have to register themselves.

Mizoram: No permit is required. But, need to register.

Nagaland: No permit is required. However, they need to register.

Arunachal Pradesh: Tourists need a Protected Area Permit (PAP) or Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Need for ILP:

• Preservation of indigenous culture and tradition.
• Prevents illegal migrants and encroachment by outsiders.

Should Meghalaya be brought under ILP?

The ILP is considered the only mechanism to contain influx in the state. Influx is perceived as dangerous because it could upset the fragile demographic balance of the tribals of Meghalaya.

Influx definitely is a matter of concern but it requires better solutions than the ILP, not instant solutions demanded by pressure groups. Indeed, how can such a far-reaching policy be decided by one or two groups?

How the Centre’s planned Sanskrit universities will function?

 The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was recently introduced in Rajya Sabha. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha in December last year.

The Bill is intended to convert India’s three deemed-to-be Sanskrit universities into Central Sanskrit Universities.

1. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi.
2. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi.
3. Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati.

Other salient features of the Bill:

1. What the universities will do?

The proposed central universities will: (i) disseminate and advance knowledge for the promotion of Sanskrit, (ii) make special provisions for integrated courses in humanities, social sciences, and science, and (iii) train manpower for the overall development and preservation of Sanskrit and allied subjects.

2. Powers and functions:

These include: (i) prescribing courses of study and conducting training programmes, (ii) granting degrees, diplomas, and certificates, (iii) providing facilities through a distance education system, (iv) conferring autonomous status on a college or an institution, (v) providing instructions for education in Sanskrit and allied subjects.

3. Some of the authorities that the universities will have:

A court, which will review the policies of the university and suggest measures for its development. An Executive Council, which will be the principal executive body. The 15-member council will include the Vice-Chancellor appointed by the Centre, who will be the chairperson. The council will, among other functions, create teaching and academic posts and their appointment, and manage the revenue and property of the university. An Academic and Activity Council, which will supervise academic policies. A Board of Studies, which will approve the subjects for research and recommend measures to improve standards of teaching.

4. Visitor of the universities:

Like at all central universities, the President of India will be the Visitor of the central Sanskrit universities. He may appoint persons to review and inspect the functioning of the University. The Executive Council may take action based on the findings of the inspection.

UNESCO World Heritage List

Government of India has submitted two nomination dossiers namely ‘Dholavira:✌ A Harappan City’ and ‘Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate’ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2020.

The list contains world heritage sites.

What is a World Heritage Site?

It is a location having an “Outstanding Universal Value”. According to the World Heritage Convention’s Operational Guidelines, an Outstanding Universal Value signifies “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.”

Categorisation:

The Sites fall into three categories: cultural heritage, natural heritage, and mixed heritage (cultural as well as natural).

Who selects the Sites?

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meets at least once every year, generally in June/July, to deliberate the addition, removal, or modification of items on the list of World Heritage Sites.

How do countries get their preferred spots included?

According to the Guidelines, the State Parties prepare a Tentative List, or the “inventory of those properties situated on its territory which each State Party considers suitable for nomination to the World Heritage List.”. A nomination document is then prepared in this regard based on which the application is considered by the Committee.

• In India, the Indian National Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO (INCCU), and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are the bodies which play a key role in this regard.
• After receiving nominations from the State Parties, the Committee then puts them through a rigorous examination before any new location can qualify as a World Heritage Site.

What happens after a World Heritage Site is declared?

1. Most importantly, getting featured on the list of World Heritage Sites affords the location a coveted status, driving up demand for travel and tourism from around the world geared towards it.
2. At the same time, a heavy onus is placed on the government of the country in which the Site is located for its conservation and upkeep.
3. The Committee conducts regular audits at declared Sites, and can place a spot that is seriously threatened on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
4. If the Outstanding Universal Value of the property is destroyed, the Committee can consider deleting the property from the World Heritage List.

Facts for Prelims:

Dholavira is located in the Khadir Island in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. It is a mature harappan site. 

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushlaya Yojana

 The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) will soon undertake real-time assessment of government’s flagship youth employment scheme the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushlya Yojana (DDU-GKY). 

• The institute has developed an enterprise resource planning platform called ‘Kaushal Bharath,’ to enable states to capture data on projects under DDU-GKY and for the information to be collated in one system.

About Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):

It is a placement linked skill development program which allows skilling in a PPP mode and assured placements in regular jobs in an organization not owned by the skilled person. DDU-GKY is being undertaken as PPP Project all over the country through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) registered with the Ministry of Rural Development.

• Further, Guidelines of the scheme mandate State Governments to take up skill training projects with Corporate Social Responsibility funding.
• DDU-GKY Guidelines provide for setting apart 15% of the funds of the funds at for national level beneficiaries from among minority groups.

Beneficiary Eligibility:

• Rural Youth:15 – 35 Yrs
• SC/ST/Women/PVTG/PWD: upto 45 Yrs

How will in-flight WiFi work?

 The government has permitted airlines operating in India to provide in-flight WiFi services to passengers. 

Previously, the Telecom Commission had given its green signal to in-flight connectivity of Internet and mobile communications on aircraft in Indian airspace in 2018.

Who can permit?

The pilot may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on board an aircraft in flight, through Wi-Fi on board, when laptop, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, e-reader or a point of sale device is used in flight mode or airplane mode.

How in- flight connectivity works?

In-flight connectivity systems use two kinds of technologies– terrestrial and satellite internet services.

1. Once flight mode is activated, the plane’s antenna will link to terrestrial Internet services provided by telecom service providers.
2. Then, when the aircraft has climbed to 3,000 m, the antenna will switch to satellite-based services.

This way, there will be no break in Internet services to passengers, and cross-interference between terrestrial and satellite networks will be avoided.

Challenges ahead:

1. Airlines will have to bear the initial cost of installing antennae on aircraft. So, the additional cost could find a way into ticket prices.
2. Apart from the equipment, airlines will have to bear additional fuel costs, given the extra weight and drag aircraft will face due to the antenna.
3. Technology and laws allow calls to be made from aircraft, but many airlines do not want noisy cabins.

Benefits:

1. Globally, more than 30 airlines allow voice calls and internet access during flights. This facility will now will help Indian airlines compete with foreign carriers.
2. Business travellers greatly value these services as they can continue their work commitments without any deterrence.
3. Other travellers can be in touch with their near and dear ones even during the flight.

Black carbon levels spike at Himalayan glaciers

Researchers recently conducted a study on varying levels of Black Carbon in Himalayas.

Key findings:

1. Black carbon concentrations near the Gangotri glacier rose 400 times in summer due to forest fires and stubble burning from agricultural waste, and triggered glacial melt.
2. The monthly mean concentration of EBC (equivalent black carbon) was found to be minimum in August and maximum in the month of May.👀 The observed seasonal mean concentrations of EBC indicated a pristine glacial source and an absence of EBC sources in the locality.
3. The concentration varied from a minimum of 0.01μg/cubic metre in winter to 4.62μg/cubic metre 👀during summer. Being a pristine zone far from sources of pollution, the measurements are critical to establishing a baseline for pollution loads and estimating the contribution of various sources to pollution.

What is black Carbon? What are the concerns?

Black carbon results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. BC is produced both naturally and by human activities as a result of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass. Primary sources include emissions from diesel engines, cook stoves, wood burning and forest fires. 

Concerns associated:

1. The fine particles absorb light and about a million times more energy than carbon dioxide.
2. It is said to be the second largest contributor to climate change after CO2.👀 But unlike CO2, which can stay in the atmosphere for years together, black carbon is short-lived and remains in the atmosphere only for days to weeks before it descends as rain or snow.
3. Black carbon absorbs solar energy and warms the atmosphere. When it falls to earth with precipitation, it darkens the surface of snow and ice, reducing their albedo (the reflecting power of a surface), warming the snow, and hastening melting.
4. India is the second largest emitter of black carbon in the world👀, with emissions expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades, says an April 2019 study in the journal Atmospheric Research, with the Indo Gangetic plains said to be the largest contributor.

Facts for Prelims:

Complete combustion would turn all carbon in the fuel into carbon dioxide (CO2), but combustion is never complete and CO2, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and organic carbon and black carbon particles are all formed in the process. The complex mixture of particulate matter resulting from incomplete combustion is often referred to as soot👀.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights “intends to file” an Intervention Application as amicus curiae (third party) in the Supreme Court of India, seeking to intervene in Writ Petition in ‘Deb Mukharji & Ors vs Union of India & Ors’ case which relates to a challenge to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.

How can a UN body seek intervention in a case involving a domestic Indian law?

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is the leading UN entity on human rights. It is mandated to, Inter alia protect and promote all human rights and to conduct necessary advocacy in that regard, established pursuant to the United Nations General Assembly resolution 48/141. It also has to promote adherence to international human rights law and, with this purpose in mind, to support domestic courts, with their constitutional or judicial function, in ensuring the implementation of international legal obligations. This is the basis for seeking intervention.

What exactly does the intervention application say? What are the issues raised wrt to CAA?

The CAA, it says, raises “important human rights issues, including its compatibility in relation to the right to equality before the law and nondiscrimination on nationality grounds under India’s human rights obligations”.

• It questions the reasonableness and objectivity of the criterion of extending the benefits of the CAA to Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan alone.
• Muslim community is also affected: It points out that while the Indian government has suggested that persons of Muslim faith, regardless of denomination or ethnicity, are protected in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, recent reports by UN human rights treaty bodies, special procedures and other mechanisms show that Ahmadi, Hazara and Shia Muslims in these countries warrant protection on the same basis as that provided in the preferential treatment proposed by the CAA.

Significance of this intervention:

The issue of nondiscrimination on nationality grounds falls outside the scope of this intervention, but this in no way implies that there are not human rights concerns in this respect.

Way ahead:

India has the history of openness and has exhibited to persons seeking to find a safer, more dignified life within its borders. But, the CAA’s stated purpose is protection of some persons from persecution on religious grounds, simplifying procedures and requirements and facilitating the granting of citizenship to such persons, including migrants in an irregular situation, as well as refugees, from certain neighbouring countries. This selective application of law goes against the very basic right which guarantees equality. In this background, it is necessary to revisit the law, say experts.

In this regard, some central principles of international human rights law can be considered. These include:

1. Enjoyment of human rights by all migrants and the rights of all migrants (non-citizens) to equality before the law.
2. The principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forcible return of refugees and asylum seekers to a country where they are likely to be persecuted.
3. All migrants “regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, nationality and/or immigration status enjoy human rights and are entitled to protection”.
4. International human rights law “requires the granting of citizenship under law to conform to the right of all persons to equality before the law and to be free from prohibited discrimination”.

Govt. imposes curbs on drug exports

India has restricted the export of common medicines such as paracetamol and 25 other pharmaceutical ingredients and drugs made from them, as it looked to prevent shortages amid concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak turning into a pandemic.

Drugs whose exports is restricted:

Besides over-the-counter painkiller and fever reducer paracetamol,👀👀 drugs restricted for exports included common antibiotics metronidazole, those used to treat bacterial and other infections, as well as vitamin B1 and B12 ingredients👀.

Background:

In February, the Department of Pharmaceuticals asked the DGFT to issue orders restricting the export of 12 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

What’s the concern now?

Although India is source of about 20% of the world’s generic drug supply, pharmaceutical companies in the country are dependent on China for two-thirds of the chemical components needed to make them. The outbreak of COVID-19 has shut factories in China and impacted supplies, leading to fears of a shortage.

Implications:

This restriction has not gone down well with the exporters. For exporters, it is going to be a problem and will have an impact on reputation too.

What are APIs?

API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) means the active ingredient which is contained in medicine. For example, an active ingredient to relieve pain is included in a painkiller. This is called API. A small amount of the active ingredient has an effect, so only a tiny part of the active ingredient is contained in medicine.

Components of Medications:

All drugs are made up of two core components: the API, which is the central ingredient, and the excipient, the substances other than the drug that helps deliver the medication to your system. Excipients are chemically inactive substances, such as lactose or mineral oil in the pill.

National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA)

The Central government is working on the establishment of an exclusive body to implement projects for linking rivers- To be called the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA)👍👍🐟.

Functions of NIRA:

• It is expected to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects👀.
• It will also make arrangements for generating funds, internally and externally.

About National River Linking Project (NRLP):

The NRLP formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding to water ‘deficit’ basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.

Significance: It is designed to ease water shortages in western and southern India while mitigating the impacts of recurrent floods in the eastern parts of the Ganga basin.

ILR Projects in India:

As of now, six ILR projects — the Ken-Betwa, Damanganga- Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga, Mahanadi-Godavari and Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) — have been under examination of the authorities.

With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre has chosen to focus on the Godavari-Cauvery link than the earlier proposal to link the Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery rivers.

Issues and Concerns:

Interlinking of rivers is a very expensive proposal. It will adversely affect land, forests, biodiversity, rivers and the livelihood of millions of people.

• Interlinking of rivers will lead to destruction of forests, wetlands and local water bodies, which are major groundwater recharge mechanisms.
• It causes massive displacement of people. Huge burden on the government to deal with the issue of rehabilitation of displaced people.
• Due to interlinking of rivers, there will be decrease in the amount of fresh water entering seas and this will cause a serious threat to the marine life.

Sukhna Lake is a living entity

: The Punjab and Haryana high court has declared Sukhna Lake a “living entity”👀 or “legal person” with rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.

It also declared all citizens of Chandigarh as loco parentis (in the place of a parent) to save the lake from extinction.

Background:

The order was passed in a 2009 suo motu petition initiated amid depleting water level in the lake.

What the order says?

1. Sukhna Lake will now be a legal entity for its survival, preservation and conservation.
2. The Chandigarh administration has been directed to declare it a wetland within a period of three months.
3. All structures in Sukhna’s catchment area (which was demarcated by the Survey of India in 2004) should be demolished, and affected owners whose building plans have been approved should be relocated in the vicinity of Chandigarh and they should be compensated with ₹25 lakh each.
4. Chandigarh should ensure that the average capacity of the lake is increased by at least about 100-150 hectare by one-time large scale desilting.
5. Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have also been told to lower the storage capacity of the check dams to ensure regular flow of water into the lake.
6. Chandigarh will have to ensure that there is no seepage losses.
7. The aquatic weeds are ordered to be removed within a period of six months.

Polluter pays principle:

Invoking the ‘polluter pays’ principle of environmental law, the Court said in its order: “The States should have taken precautionary measures to save the catchment of Sukhna lake. It is the duty of the States of Punjab and Haryana 👀to restore the catchment area. The State government has also failed to take precautionary measures to save the catchment area. The damage caused to the catchment area is enormous.”

What is legal entity?

A legal entity means entity which acts like a natural person but only through a designated person, whose acts are processed within the ambit of law.

About Sukhna lake:

• The man-made👀 Sukhna Lake was built in 1958 by Le Corbusier, the architect of Chandigarh.
• Located in the foothills of the Shivalik Hills✍, it was designed to collect runoff water from the Hills.
•  The Lake, which is in the process of being officially notified as a wetland, also has a nearby wildlife sanctuary that is home to sambar, pangolin, wild boars, red jungle fowl, cobras and other species.

Facts for Prelims:

In 2018, a bench presided over by justice Sharma had accorded the status of “legal person or entity” to animals in Haryana. In Uttarakhand high court, justice Sharma was part of a bench in 2017, which declared the Ganga and Yamuna as living entities,👀 a verdict that was later stayed by the Supreme Court. In June 2019, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ruled that all animals, birds and aquatic life in Haryana would be accorded the status of legal persons or entities.👀

Foreigners being served ‘Leave India’ notices: How does Indian law define ‘anti-govt’ activities for them?

 Five foreigners had have asked to leave India for violating visa norms by participating in anti-CAA protests.

How does Indian law define ‘anti-govt’ activities for them?

According to visa guidelines laid out by the MHA,👀 foreign nationals shall be required to strictly adhere to the purpose of visit declared while submitting the visa application. However, a foreign national (other than a Pakistani national) coming to India on any type of visa will be allowed to avail activities permitted under tourist visa. However, there are no provisions specified under “anti-government” activities subhead👀. The absence of any such provision in visa laws or Foreigner’s Act makes it necessary for the government to define “anti-government” activities under a statute.

What do ‘anti-government’ activities mean for an Indian national?

According to the lawyers, “anti-government” activities are those which are listed as punishable under Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code. Section 124A IPC 👀states: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which a fine may be added; or, with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which a fine may be added; or, with fine.”

Does a foreigner on Indian visa have a right to protest?

Right to protest peacefully is enshrined under Article 19(1)(a) 👀of Indian Constitution which guarantees the freedom of speech and expression.👀 Article (19)(b) guarantees the citizens of the country the right to assemble peacefully and without arms👀. Since Article 14 of the Constitution ensures equality to any person before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India, foreigners also have the right to protest peacefully. Besides, Article 21 of Indian Constitution states: “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law.” And protesting falls under his personal liberty. Being a part of a peaceful protest isn’t illegal and thus, being a part of it isn’t anything wrong even if that is against the Indian government.

Can a foreigner be asked to leave India without specifying the act committed by him or her amounting to the order?

The government does not have unfettered powers to impose such an order without furnishing reasons👀👀. This was clarified by the Delhi High Court in a 2019 case, where a Pakistani national was served a leave India notice without specifying the reason.

Observations made by the Delhi HC:

1. Despite fundamental rights being applicable only to the citizens of the country, with respect to Article 21, they can also be extended to foreigners.
2. So, the government needs to list out the acts which it considers as anti-government before asking any foreigner to leave.

National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAPA)

The Delhi High Court has stayed the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAPA) order directing Johnson & Johnson to deposit over ₹230 crore it allegedly profiteered by not passing on benefits of GST reduction in over 306 items, including baby products, through commensurate price cut.

 About NAA:

• Constituted under Section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017
• To ensure the reduction in rate of tax or the benefit of input tax credit is passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices. 
• The Authority’s core function is to ensure that the benefits of the reduction is GST rates on goods and services made by GST Council and proportional change in the Input tax credit passed on to the ultimate consumers and recipient respectively by way of reduction in the prices by the suppliers.

Composition:

•  Headed by a senior officer of the level of a Secretary to the Government of India and shall have
•  Four technical members from the Centre and/or the States.

Powers and functions of the authority:

1. In the event the National Anti-profiteering Authority confirms the necessity of applying anti-profiteering measures, it has the power to order the business concerned to reduce its prices or return the undue benefit availed along with interest to the recipient of the goods or services.
2. If the undue benefit cannot be passed on to the recipient, it can be ordered to be deposited in the Consumer Welfare Fund.
3. In extreme cases the National Anti-profiteering Authority can impose a penalty on the defaulting business entity and even order the cancellation of its registration under GST.

Merger of Banks

The government has approved a scheme for the amalgamation of 10 state-owned banks into four.

After the process is complete, India will have 12 PSBs instead of 27 back in 2017.

New mergers include:

1. Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India will combine to form the nation’s second-largest lender.
2. Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank will merge.
3. Union Bank of India will amalgamate with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank.
4. Indian Bank will merge with Allahabad Bank.

Why merger is good? – Benefits for various stakeholders:

For Banks:

1. Small banks can gear up to international standards with innovative products and services with the accepted level of efficiency.
2. PSBs, which are geographically concentrated, can expand their coverage beyond their outreach.
3. A better and optimum size of the organization would help PSBs offer more and more products and services and help in integrated growth of the sector.
4. Consolidation also helps in improving the professional standards.
5. This will also end the unhealthy and intense competition going on even among public sector banks as of now.
6. In the global market, the Indian banks will gain greater recognition and higher rating.
7. The volume of inter-bank transactions will come down, resulting in saving of considerable time in clearing and reconciliation of accounts.
8. This will also reduce unnecessary interference by board members in day to day affairs of the banks.
9. After mergers, bargaining strength of bank staff will become more and visible.
10. Bank staff may look forward to better wages and service conditions in future.
11. The wide disparities between the staff of various banks in their service conditions and monetary benefits will narrow down.

For economy:

1. Reduction in the cost of doing business.
2. Technical inefficiency reduces.
3. The size of each business entity after merger is expected to add strength to the Indian Banking System in general and Public Sector Banks in particular.
4. After merger, Indian Banks can manage their liquidity – short term as well as long term – position comfortably.
5. Synergy of operations and scale of economy in the new entity will result in savings and higher profits.
6. A great number of posts of CMD, ED, GM and Zonal Managers will be abolished, resulting in savings of crores of Rupee.
7. Customers will have access to fewer banks offering them wider range of products at a lower cost.
8. Mergers can diversify risk management.

For government:

1. The burden on the central government to recapitalize the public sector banks again and again will come down substantially.
2. This will also help in meeting more stringent norms under BASEL III, especially capital adequacy ratio.
3. From regulatory perspective, monitoring and control of less number of banks will be easier after mergers.

Concerns associated with merger:

1. Problems to adjust top leadership in institutions and the unions.
2. Mergers will result in shifting/closure of many ATMs, Branches and controlling offices, as it is not prudent and economical to keep so many banks concentrated in several pockets, notably in urban and metropolitan centres.
3. Mergers will result in immediate job losses on account of large number of people taking VRS on one side and slow down or stoppage of further recruitment on the other. This will worsen the unemployment situation further and may create law and order problems and social disturbances.
4. Mergers will result in clash of different organizational cultures. Conflicts will arise in the area of systems and processes too.
5. When a big bank books huge loss or crumbles, there will be a big jolt in the entire banking industry. Its repercussions will be felt everywhere.

Way ahead:

Merger is a good idea. However, this should be carried out with right banks for the right reasons. Merger is also tricky given the huge challenges banks face, including the bad loan problem that has plunged many public sector banks in an unprecedented crisis.

Committees in this regard:

Narasimham committee (1991 and 1998) suggested merger of strong banks both in public sector and even with the developmental financial institutions and NBFCs.

Khan committee in 1997 stressed the need for harmonization of roles of commercial banks and the financial institutions.

Verma committee pointed out that consolidation will lead to pooling of strengths and lead to overall reduction in cost of operations.

International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT)

The International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) under the aegis of Nano Mission, Department of Science and Technology (DST) is being held at Kolkata👀 focusing on the recent advances in this frontier research field.

Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission):

• Launched in 2007.
• It is as an “umbrella capacity-building programme”.
• The Mission’s programmes will target all scientists, institutions and industry in the country.
• It will also strengthen activities in nano science and technology by promoting basic research, human resource development, research infrastructure development, international collaborations, among others.
• It will be anchored in the Department of Science and Technology👀 and steered by a Nano Mission Council chaired by an eminent scientist.

Outcomes and significance of the mission:

• As a result of the efforts led by the Nano Mission, today, India is amongst the top five👀 nations in the world in terms of scientific publications in nano science and technology (moving from 4th to the 3rd position).
• The Nano Mission itself has resulted in about 5000 research papers and about 900 Ph.Ds and also some useful products like nano hydrogel based eye drops, pesticide removal technology for drinking water, water filters for arsenic and fluoride removal, nanosilver based antimicrobial textile coating, etc.

The Nano Mission has thus helped establish a good eco-system in the country to pursue front-ranking basic research and also to seed and nurture application-oriented R&D, focused on useful technologies and products.

Solar Charkha Mission

Based on the Expression of Interest (EOI)👀, a total of 10 proposals have been approved under Mission Solar Charkha till date which is expected to benefit about 13784 artisans/workers.

About Solar Charkha Mission:

1. Launched in 2018.
2. It is a Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) initiative👀 launched during June 2018.
3. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)👀 would implement the programme.
4. It seeks to generate employment in rural areas and contribute to the green economy.
5. The mission will entail a subsidy of Rs 550 crore in the initial two years for 50 clusters and every cluster will employ 400 to 2000 artisans.
6. The scheme also aims at linking five crore women across the country to the initiative.
7. The mission is expected to create one lakh jobs during the first two years.

The objectives of the Scheme are as follows:

1. To ensure inclusive growth by generation of employment, especially for women and youth, and sustainable development through solar charkha clusters in rural areas.
2. To boost rural economy and help in arresting migration from rural to urban areas.
3. To leverage low-cost, innovative technologies and processes for sustenance.

Significance of the mission:

These solar charkhas are to be operated using solar power which is a renewable energy source. It will help in development of Green Economy as it is an environment friendly programme. It will also generate sustainable employment for the artisans.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

‘Unanimous’ ICC gives go-ahead to probe Afghanistan alleged war crimes.

Prosecutors have been given the green light to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan – and beyond its borders – linked to Afghan, Taliban and US troops.

Background:

The prosecutors alleged in a 2017 report they have enough information to prove U.S. forces “committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period.”

About ICC:

The International Criminal Court (ICC), located in The Hague👀, is the court of last resort for prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

It is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court👀 established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

Its founding treaty, the Rome Statute👀, entered into force on July 1, 2002.

Funding: Although the Court’s expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, it also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities.

Composition and voting power:

The Court’s management oversight and legislative body, the Assembly of States Parties, consists of one representative from each state party.

Each state party has one vote and “every effort” has to be made to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, decisions are made by vote. The Assembly is presided over by a president and two vice-presidents, who are elected by the members to three-year terms.

Jurisdiction:

• The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
• The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore only exercise its jurisdiction when certain conditions are met, such as when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Councilor individual states refer situations to the Court.

Criticism:

1. It does not have the capacity to arrest suspects👀 and depends on member states for their cooperation.
2. Critics of the Court argue that there are insufficient checks and balances on the authority of the ICC prosecutor and judges and insufficient protection against politicized prosecutions or other abuses.
3. The ICC has been accused of bias and as being a tool of Western imperialism👀, only punishing leaders from small, weak states while ignoring crimes committed by richer and more powerful states.
4. ICC cannot mount successful cases without state cooperation is problematic for several reasons. It means that the ICC acts inconsistently in its selection of cases, is prevented from taking on hard cases and loses legitimacy. It also gives the ICC less deterrent value, as potential perpetrators of war crimes know that they can avoid ICC judgment by taking over government and refusing to cooperate.

Freedom in the World 2020

Top 5: Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are the top five countries in the free category.

 India’s performance:

1. The report has placed 👀India at 83^rd position along with Timor-Leste and Senegal among the bottom five of “free democracies”.
2. India witnessed the worst score decline among the world’s 25 largest democracies.
3. India’s overall score declined from 75 in 2019 to 71 in 2020, with civil liberties taking the biggest hit.

 Background:

Freedom House is a US-based watchdog, which has been tracking global political and civil liberties for almost half a century.

Observations made by the report on India:

1. India was bogged down by multiple reasons including its Kashmir policy after abrogating Article 370, the National Register of Citizens for Assam, passage of contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and frequent internet shutdowns across the country.
2. It notes, the government has taken its Hindu nationalist agenda to a new level with a succession of policies that abrogate the rights of different segments of its Muslim population, threatening the democratic future of a country long seen as a potential bulwark of freedom in Asia and the world.
3. A fierce crackdown on protesters opposing the changes, indicated a deterioration of basic freedoms in the world’s largest democracy, says report.
4. The report, which treats Kashmir as a separate territory, downgraded the Union territory’s status from “partly free” to “not free” due to the Indian government’s abrupt revocation of Article 370 in August.
5. In terms of internet freedom, India fares worse, scoring just 55 and is categorised as “partly free”. As per the report, internet freedom has declined for the fourth year in a row in India.
6. It also highlights the spread of fake news and manipulated content, creating political divide. The internet shutdown in Kashmir, has no doubt, contributed to India’s performance in terms of internet freedom.
7. Stating that “democracy and pluralism are under assault” across the world, the report highlights the decline of the US and India.

Global scenario:

The year 2019 was the 14th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, according to Freedom House. Compared with the previous year, in 2019, individuals in 64 countries experienced deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties while those in just 37 experienced improvements. More than half of the countries that were rated free or not free in 2009 have suffered a net decline in the past decade.

North East Venture Fund (NEVF)

 The NEVF (North East Venture Fund) disbursed over Rs.18 crore to 12 start-ups till date- information given in Parliament.

About North East Venture Fund (NEVF):

• Launched in September 2017.
• Set up by North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) in association with 👀Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M-DoNER).
• It is a close ended fund with capital commitment of Rs 100 crore.
• It is the first dedicated venture capital fund for the North Eastern Region.
• Objective: to contribute to the entrepreneurship development of the NER and achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns through long term capital appreciation by way of investments in privately negotiated equity/ equity related investments.
• The investment under this schemer ranges from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs.10 crore per venture, which is long term in nature with investment horizon of 4-5 years.

Delimitation of Constituencies

 The government has constituted a Delimitation Commission, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai👀, to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of the Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

What next?

The Commission will delimit the constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, and of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland in accordance with the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002👀.

What is Delimitation?

Delimitation literally means the process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a state that has a legislative body.

Who carries out the exercise?

1. Delimitation is undertaken by a highly powerful commission. They are formally known as Delimitation Commission or Boundary Commission.
2. These bodies are so powerful that its orders have the force of law and they cannot be challenged before any court👀.
3. Such commissions have been constituted at least four times in India👀 — in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952; in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962; in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and last in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002.
4. The commissions’ orders are enforced as per the date specified by the President of India. Copies of these orders are laid before the Lok Sabha or the concerned Legislative Assembly. No modifications are permitted👀.

Composition of the Commission:

According to the Delimitation Commission Act, 2002, the Delimitation Commission appointed by the Centre has to have three members: a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court as the chairperson, and the Chief Election Commissioner or Election Commissioner nominated by the CEC and the State Election Commissioner as ex-officio members👀.

The right of an accused to be defended

Recently, the Karnataka High Court observed that it is unethical and illegal for lawyers to pass resolutions against representing accused in court. This was after local bar associations had objected to four students arrested for sedition being defended in court.

This is not the first time that bar associations have passed such resolutions, despite a Supreme Court ruling that these are “against all norms of the Constitution, the statute and professional ethics”.

What does the Constitution say about the right of an accused to be defended?

Article 22(1) gives the fundamental right to every person not to be denied the right to be defended by a legal practitioner of his or her choice.

Article 14 provides for equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.

Article 39A, part of the Directive Principles of state policy, states that equal opportunity to secure justice must not be denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and provides for free legal aid.

What has the Supreme Court said about such resolutions by bar associations?

Supreme Court observations in 2010A S Mohammed Rafi vs State of Tamil Nadu case:

1. Such resolutions are wholly illegal, against all traditions of the bar and against professional ethics.
2. Every person, however wicked, depraved, vile, degenerate, perverted, loathsome, execrable, vicious or repulsive he may be regarded by society has a right to be defended in a court of law and correspondingly, it is the duty of the lawyer to defend him.”
3. Such resolutions were “against all norms of the Constitution, the statute and professional ethics”, called these “a disgrace to the legal community”, and declared them null and void.

How are professional ethics of lawyers defined?

The Bar Council of India has Rules on Professional Standards, part of the Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette to be followed by lawyers under the Advocates Act.

An advocate is bound to accept any brief in the courts or tribunals, at a fee consistent with his standing at the Bar and the nature of the case.The Rules provide for a lawyer refusing to accept a particular brief in “special circumstances”.

Last year, The Uttarakhand High Court clarified that these special circumstances refer to an individual advocate who may choose not to appear in a particular case, but who cannot be prohibited from defending an accused by any threat of removal of his membership of the bar association.

How frequent are resolutions not to defend an accused?

Various bar associations across the country have passed such resolutions over the years. Among the prominent cases:

1. After the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, a resolution was passed against representing Ajmal Kasab. A Legal Aid lawyer was assigned the brief but he refused, while another who agreed to defend Kasab faced threats. Subsequently, a lawyer was appointed and given police security.
2. After the 2012 gangrape in Delhi, lawyers in Saket court passed a resolution not to defend the accused.
3. In Hyderabad last year, the Bar Association passed a resolution against representing four men who had been arrested for the rape and murder of a veterinary doctor, and who were later killed in an alleged encounter.
4. In 2017, the Supreme Court directed lawyers of the Gurgaon District Bar Association not to obstruct any lawyer defending the accused in the murder of a seven-year-old schoolboy.

Have lawyers faced action for such resolutions?

Uttarakhand High Court has previously held that, in such instances, the State Bar Council can initiate action against office-bearers of the Bar Association if such resolutions are passed.

It also said that action under Section 15(2) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, can be considered against advocates who interrupt court proceedings.

How an MP is suspended from Lok Sabha by the Speaker?

 Seven Congress members were recently suspended for unruly behaviour in the Lok Sabha. The motion was passed by a voice vote.

What is the reason for suspending an MP?

The general principle is that it is the role and duty of the Speaker of Lok Sabha to maintain order so that the House can function smoothly. This is a daunting task even at the best of times.

In order to ensure that proceedings are conducted in the proper manner, the Speaker is empowered to force a Member to withdraw from the House (for the remaining part of the day), or to place him/her under suspension.

What are the rules under which the Speaker acts?

Rule Number 373 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business says: “The Speaker, if is of the opinion that the conduct of any Member is grossly disorderly, may direct such Member to withdraw immediately from the House, and any Member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall remain absent during the remainder of the day’s sitting.”

To deal with more recalcitrant Members, the Speaker may take recourse to Rules 374 and 374A. Rule 374 says:

“(1) The Speaker may, if deems it necessary, name a Member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business thereof.

“(2) If a Member is so named by the Speaker, the Speaker shall, on a motion being made forthwith put the question that the Member (naming such Member) be suspended from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session: Provided that the House may, at any time, on a motion being made, resolve that such suspension be terminated.

“(3) A member suspended under this rule shall forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the House.”

What is the procedure for revocation of a Member’s suspension?

While the Speaker is empowered to place a Member under suspension, the authority for revocation of this order is not vested in her. It is for the House, if it so desires, to resolve on a motion to revoke the suspension.

What happens in Rajya Sabha?

Like the Speaker in Lok Sabha, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is empowered under Rule Number 255 of its Rule Book to “direct any Member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately” from the House.

1. “Any Member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day’s meeting.”
2. The Chairman may “name a Member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and wilfully obstructing” business.
3. In such a situation, the House may adopt a motion suspending the Member from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session.
4. The House may, however, by another motion, terminate the suspension.
5. Unlike the Speaker, however, the Rajya Sabha Chairman does not have the power to suspend a Member.

Need of the hour:

A balance has to be struck. There can be no question that the enforcement of the supreme authority of the Speaker is essential for smooth conduct of proceedings. However, it must be remembered that her job is to run the House, not to lord over it.

The solution to unruly behaviour has to be long-term and consistent with democratic values.

A step in that same direction could be to discontinue the practice of herding people out of the visitors’ gallery when the House witnesses chaos.It has been suggested that it may perhaps be a good idea to let them be — and to also reserve a few blocks in the gallery for school children, who could see for themselves the conduct of Members.

Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020

The Lok Sabha has given its nod to the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill.

The Bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 (CMSP Act).

Under the Bill:

1. Allocation of coal/lignite blocks for composite prospecting licence cum mining lease has been provided.
2. Requirement of previous approval in cases where allocation of blocks was made by Central Govt has been dispensed with.
3. Removal of restriction on end-use of coal: Companies will be allowed to carry on coal mining operation for own consumption, sale or for any other purposes, as may be specified by the central government.
4. Transfer of statutory clearances to new bidders: The Bill provides that the various approvals, licenses, and clearances given to the previous lessee will be extended to the successful bidder for a period of two years.During this period, the new lessee will be allowed to continue mining operations.
5. Advance action for auction: Under the MMDR Act, mining leases for specified minerals (minerals other than coal, lignite, and atomic minerals) are auctioned on the expiry of the lease period.  The Bill provides that state governments can take advance action for auction of a mining lease before its expiry.

Significance:

This will speed up the process of implementation of projects, ease of doing business, simplification of procedure and benefit all the parties in areas where minerals are located.

Background:

• In 2018, the government had allowed commercial mining by private entities but non-coal companies couldn’t participate in the auction.
• In August 2019, the government announced 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) under the automatic route in coal mining for open sale, besides creating associated infrastructure, such as washeries.

Implications of this move- significance:

• This opens up the sector to players outside steel and power as well as removes end-use restrictions.
• It will create an efficient energy market and bring in more competition as well as reduce coal imports. India imported 235 million tonnes (mt) of coal last year, of which 135 mt valued at Rs 171,000 crore could have been met from domestic reserves.
• It might also put an end to Coal India Ltd’s monopoly in the sector.
• It would also help India gain access to high-end technology for underground mining used by miners across the globe.

New mining target:

In 2018, the government allowed commercial mining by private entities and set a mining target of 1.5 billion tonnes by 2020. Out of this, 1 billion tonnes was set to be from Coal India, while 500 million tonnes was to be from non-Coal India entities. This target has now been revised to 1 billion tonnes by 223-24.

Who grants permission for mining?

The state governments👀 grant permission for mining, known as mineral concessions👀, for all the minerals located within the boundary of the state, under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and Mineral Concession Rules, 1960.

However, for minerals specified in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, Central government approval is necessary 👀before granting the mineral concession.

Minerals specified under the First Schedule include hydrocarbons, atomic minerals and metallic minerals such as iron ore, bauxite copper ore, lead precious stones, zinc and gold.

Indian Ocean Commission

India was recently accepted as an observer👀 in the Indian Ocean Commision, getting a seat at the table of the organization that handles maritime governance👀 in the western Indian Ocean.

India’s entry is a consequence of its deepening strategic partnership with France as well as its expanding ties with the Vanilla Islands.

Significance of this status for India:

1. India will get an official foothold in a premier regional institution in the western Indian Ocean, boosting engagement with islands in this part of the Indian Ocean.
2. These island nations are increasingly important for India’s strategic outreach as part of its Indo-Pacific policy.
   This move would enhance ties with France which is the strong global power in the western Indian Ocean.
3. It lends depth to India’s SAGAR (security and growth for all in the region) policy👀 unveiled by PM Modi in 2015.
4. The movewould lead to greater security cooperation with countries in East Africa.
5. The move also strengthens western flank of the Indo-Pacific and is a stepping stone to security cooperation with East Africa. 

About IOC:

It is an intergovernmental organization created in 1982.

It was institutionalized in 1984 by the Victoria Agreement in Seychelles. 

The COI is composed of five African Indian Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles👀. 

COI’s principal mission is to strengthen the ties of friendship between the countries and to be a platform of solidarity for the entire population of the African Indian Ocean region.

The Commission has a Secretariat which is located in Mauritius👀 and headed by a Secretary General. 

The Commission has four observers — China, EU, Malta and International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)👀. 

Objectives:

• Political and diplomatic cooperation,
• Economic and commercial cooperation
• Sustainable development in a globalisation context, cooperation in the field of agriculture, maritime fishing, and the conservation of resources and ecosystems
• Strengthening of the regional cultural identity, cooperation in cultural, scientific, technical, educational and judicial fields.

ReCoMAP:

The COI has funded a number of regional and national conservation and alternative livelihoods projects through ReCoMAP, 👀Regional Programme for the Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Countries of the Indian Ocean (PROGECO in French). This project ended in 2011. 

Way ahead for India:

For India, engagements with this region will become critical as the Navy begins to strengthen its presence under its mission based deployments. Engagements with the region, especially with the islands- given their geo-strategic location- could become key in supporting Indian naval presence as well as furthering Delhi’s Indian Ocean engagement.

Kyasanur Forest Disease

 About the Disease:

KFD is caused by the Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV). The virus was identified in 1957 when it was isolated from a sick monkey 👀from the Kyasanur Forest. Since then, between 400-500 humans cases per year have been reported.

Hard ticks 👀(Hemaphysalis spinigera) are the reservoir of the KFD virus and once infected, remain so for life.

Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hostsfor KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick. KFDV can cause epizootics with high fatality in primates.

Transmission:

• Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, most importantly a sick or recently dead monkey.
• The disease as of now is stated to be transmitted through monkeys. Large animals such as goats, cows, and sheep may become infected with KFD but play a limited role in the transmission of the disease.
• These animals provide the blood meals for ticks and it is possible for infected animals with viremia to infect other ticks, but transmission of KFDV to humans from these larger animals is extremely rare. Furthermore, there is no evidence👀 of disease transmission via the unpasteurised milk 👀of any of these animals.

Symptoms:

• After an incubation period of 3-8 days, the symptoms of KFD begin suddenly with chills, fever, and headache. Severe muscle pain with vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problems may occur 3-4 days after initial symptom onset. Patients may experience abnormally low blood pressure, and low platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts.
• After 1-2 weeks of symptoms, some patients recover without complication. However, the illness is biphasic for a subset of patients (10-20 %) who experience a second wave of symptoms at the beginning of the third week. These symptoms include fever and signs of neurological manifestations, such as severe headache, mental disturbances, tremors, and vision deficits.

Vulnerable Group:

People with recreational or occupational exposure to rural or outdoor settings (e.g., hunters, herders, forest workers, farmers) are potentially at risk for infection by contact with infected ticks.

Seasonality is another important risk factor as more cases are reported during the dry season, from November through June.

Diagnosis:

Diagnosis can be made in the early stage of illness by molecular detection by PCR or virus isolation from blood. Later, serologic testing using enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assay (ELISA) can be performed.

Prevention:

Doctors say there is no specific treatment for KFD, but early hospitalisation and supportive therapy is important. Supportive therapy includes the maintenance of hydration and the usual precautions for patients with bleeding disorders.

A vaccine does exist for KFD and is used in endemic areas of India. Additional preventative measures include insect repellents and wearing protective clothing in areas where ticks are endemic.

Status of Govt. Schools

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development (HRD) recently submitted its report on the 2020-2021 demand for grants for school education to the Rajya Sabha. In this report, the committee has made various observations on state of government schools in India.

What is the state of government schools?- Findings by the panel:

1. Almost half the government schools in the country do not have electricity or playgrounds.
2. The budgetary allocations saw a 27% cut from proposals made by the School Education Department. Despite proposals for ₹82,570 crore, only ₹59,845 crore was allocated.
3. There is slow progress in building classrooms, labs and libraries to strengthen government higher secondary schools.
4. Overall, for the core Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the department had only spent 71% of revised estimates by December 31, 2019.
5. India is also dealing with a scenario of significant teacher vacancies, which are to the tune of almost 60-70 per cent in some states.

Need of the hour- key recommendations:

1. Core schemes should get additional funds at the revised estimates stage.
2. HRD Ministry should collaborate with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to construct boundary walls.
3. It should also work with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to provide solar and other energy sources so that schools have access to power.

Why reforms are necessary?

The learning crisis is evident in the fact that almost half of the children in grade 5 in rural India cannot solve a simple two-digit subtraction problem, while 67 per cent of children in grade 8 in public schools score less than 50 per cent in competency-based assessments in mathematics.

The Delhi Model of Education:

For too long, there have been two kinds of education models in the country: one for the classes and another for the masses. The AAP government in Delhi sought to bridge this gap.

Its approach stems from the belief that quality education is a necessity, not a luxury. Hence, it built a model which essentially has five major components and is supported by nearly 25% of the State Budget.

Key components of the model:

1. Transformation of school infrastructure.
2. Training of teachers and principals.
3. Engaging with the community by reconstituting school management committees (SMC).
4. Curricular reforms in teaching learning.
5. No fee increase in private schools.

Marakkars who fought against Portuguese invaders

Recently, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court against the film- Marakkar: The Lion of the Arabian Sea👀, alleging ‘distortion of history’ and demanding a stay on the release. It is said to be the most expensive Malayalam film ever made.

The film is based on Kunjali Marakkar IV👀, who earned his reputation with his fierce onslaught on Portuguese ships, the favours he gave those who fought against the Portuguese, and his efforts to strengthen the fort at Kottakkal.👀

Why was a petition filed against the film in the High Court?

The petitioner argued that the the film’s version of events could mislead students and researchers.

However, the High Court declined to impose a stay and asked the film certification Board if it had handed over the complaint to the Centre. The Board conveyed that the subject deals with art and that it cannot interfere in the freedom of expression of the filmmakers.

What is the film about?

It is a war film depicting the heroics of the Marakkar clan, whose leaders were naval chieftains of the Zamorin of Calicut during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Zamorin, Samoothiri in Malayalam👀, was the title given to rulers of the Calicut kingdom on the Malabar coast.

The Marakkars fought against Portuguese invaders for nearly a century.

Who were the Marakkars?

1. By some accounts, they were of Arab origin and had migrated from Tunisia👀 to Panthalayani near Koyilandy in present-day Kozhikode👀
2. They later moved to the region around present-day Kottakkal 👀and Thikkodi near Payyoli.
3. By other accounts, the Marakkars were descendants of affluent businessman from the Cochin kingdom who migrated later to Calicut.
4. The Marakkars were mostly Muslims, but in some parts, they have been found to be Hindus as well.

What was the war against the Portuguese about?

1. Faced with invading Portuguese ships, the Zamorin reached out to the Marakkars to defend the coast.
2. They were led in succession by four Marakkars, chief admirals who were appointed by the Zamorin with the title of Kunjali.
3. Their strategy was similar to guerrilla warfare. The Portuguese had massive ships which could not make easy manoeuvres in the sea.
4. The Marakkars used small ships which could easily surround the Portuguese ships, enabling the fighters to attack at will.

Their role in developing modern naval fleet:

In the span of 100 years, the exploits of the Marakkars are said to have improved the naval fleet of Calicut as well as other kingdoms, stretching from Saurashtra to Ceylon along the Indian coast. War technologies and ammunition greatly improved as well.

Nari Shakti Puraskar

Key facts:

• Initiated in the year 1999.
• The awards are given away by the President of India every year on 8 March, International Women’s Day.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these national level awards for eminent women, organisations and institutions.
• The Nari Shakti Puraskar carries a cash award of Rs.1 Lakh and a certificate for individuals and institutions.

 Eligibility Criteria:

1. Open to individuals, groups and institutions for outstanding work towards empowerment of women.
2. Individual applicant must be at least 25 years of age👀.
3. Institutions must have at least 5 years of relevant experience.

Institutional categories:

Each of the six institutional categories is named after an eminent woman in Indian history.

1. Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award for Best Private Sector organization/ Public sector undertaking in promoting the well-being and welfare of women, named after Ahilyabai Holkar, 18th-century ruler of the Malwa kingdom.
2. Kannagi Devi Award for Best State which has appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR), named after Kannagi, the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikara👀
3. Mata Jijabai Award for Best Urban Local body for providing services and facilities to women, named after Mata Jijabai, mother of Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.
4. Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award for Best Civil Society organization (CSO) doing outstanding work for the welfare and well-being of women, named after Rani Gaidinliu, a 20th-century Naga spiritual and political leader
5. Rani Lakshmi Bai Award for Best Institution for Research & Development in the field of women empowerment, named after Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and erstwhile queen of Jhansi.
6. Rani Rudramma Devi Awards for two District Panchayats and two Gram Panchayats, named after Rudrama Devi, a 13th-century ruler👀 of Deccan Plateau.

International Women’s Day 2020

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a day when the world comes together to appreciate womanhood and their importance in society. The day also celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

International Women’s Day 2020: Theme:

According to the United Nations Women, the theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is “Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”👀.

Historical background:

Earlier, it was called National woman’s day and was acknowledged by the U.S. on February 28, 1909. This was done because of the labour movement which was started in 1908 where 15000 female employees went on strike in New York City to protest against poor working conditions.

National Women’s Day was recognised as International Women’s Day only in 1910 after German women’s rights activist Clara Zetkin suggested at an International Conference.

Why March 8?

It was on this day that women in Soviet Russia gained the right the vote in 1917, hence March 8 was declared a national holiday for them. The United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace in 1977.

Gender Social Norms Index

The first Gender Social Norms Index was recently released by the UN Development Programmme (UNDP)👀.

 About the index:

• This index measures how social beliefs obstruct gender equality in areas like politics, work, and education, and contains data from 75 countries, covering over 80 percent of the world’s population.
• The index found new clues to the invisible barriers women face in achieving equality – potentially forging a path forward to breaking through the so-called “glass ceiling”.

Key findings:

1. Despite decades of progress closing the equality gap between men and women, close to 90 percent of men and women hold some sort of bias against women.
2. Almost half of those polled feel that men are superior political leaders.
3. More than 40 per cent believe they make better business executives and are more entitled to jobs when the economy is lagging.
4. Moreover, 28 per cent think it is justified for a man to beat his wife.
5. The analysis also highlighted a bias shift in some 30 countries, revealing that while some show improvements, attitudes in others appear to have worsened in recent years – signaling that progress cannot be taken for granted.

Why enormous “power gaps” continue between men and women in economies, political systems and corporations?

Despite tangible progress in closing gender inequalities in developmental areas, such as education and health as well as in removing legal barriers to political and economic participation, there exist power gaps.

• This is because while men and women vote at similar rates, only 24 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide are held by women and there are only 10 female heads of government out of 193 Member States.
• Furthermore, women are paid less than men working the same jobs and are much less likely to be in senior positions.

Way ahead:

We have come a long way in recent decades to ensure that women have the same access to life’s basic needs as men. But, “gender gaps are still all too obvious in other areas, particularly those that challenge power relations and are most influential in actually achieving true equality”.

• Therefore, world leaders to accelerate action to meet global targets on gender equality. 
• Governments and institutions should utilize new policies to change these discriminatory beliefs and practices through education, and by raising awareness and changing incentives.

Facts for Prelims:

1. 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+25)👀, the most visionary agenda on women’s empowerment to date.
2. Few important women’s rights demonstrations: “#MeToo, #NiUnaMenos, #TimesUp. #UnVioladorEnTuCamino.

Centre Cannot Brand Organisations ‘Political’: SC

 The Supreme Court recently held that the central government cannot brand an organisation political and deprive it of its right to receive foreign funds for using legitimate forms of dissent to aid a public cause.

What’s the case?

A petition was filed by the Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) challenging certain provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules of 2011.

The Central Government is conferred with unguided and uncanalised power under these Laws to brand organisations ‘political’ and shut down their access to foreign funds.

Various provisions in question:

1. Section 5(1) of the FCRAwas challenged for being vague as it allowed the Centre to decide freely whether a seemingly non-political organisation was actually political in nature.
2. Section 5(4) of the FCRAwas questioned as it did not exactly identify the authority before which an organisation could represent its grievance.
3. Various clauses of Rule 3 of the 2011 Rules were challenged. This provision identified the various types of ‘political’ activities for which/organisations whose foreign funding could be stopped by the government.

Observations made by the Supreme Court:

1. An organisation, which supports the cause of a group of citizens agitating for their rights without a political goal or objective, cannot be penalised by being declared as an organisation of a political nature.
2. However, foreign funding could be stopped if an organisation took recourse to these forms of protest to score a political goal.
3. Organisations with political objectives in their memorandum of association or bye-laws cannot be permitted access to foreign funds because of their clear political nature.

Implications and significance of the judgment:

The Supreme Court agreeing with the observations made in the earlier judgment of the Delhi High Court has held that the provisions made under the FCR act and rules are “expansive” and not vague. It has thus dismissed the arguments of the provisions being unconstitutional.

The order makes it clear that administration is not influenced by foreign- funded political organisation.

However, the Central government cannot classify an organization political for using legitimate forms of dissent like bandh, hartal, road roko or jail ‘bharo’ to aid a public cause. The court noted that such a classification would deprive the organization of its right to receive foreign funds.

Enforcement Directorate

Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor was recently placed under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.

• He was charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
• He was also booked for cheating under the IPC, along with accepting illegal gratification and misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Background:

Mr. Kapoor is under the scanner for granting large loans to the crisis-hit Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL), allegedly in exchange for kickbacks to the tune of ₹600 crore that were paid into accounts of his family members. It is argued that sub-standard properties were mortgaged by DHFL for the loans that it took.

About Enforcement Directorate:

It is a Multi Disciplinary Organization mandated with the task of enforcing the provisions of two special fiscal laws – Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) 👀and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)👀. 

Historical background:

The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1st May, 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’👀 was formed, in Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 (FERA ’47).

In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’. The administrative control of the Directorate was transferred 👀from Department of Economic Affairs to Department of Revenue👀✔ in 1960.

For a short period of 04 years (1973 – 1977), the Directorate also remained under the administrative jurisdiction of Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms. 

Powers:

The Directorate enforces two laws;

1. FEMA, a Civil Law having quasi judicial powers, for investigating suspected contraventions of the Exchange Control Laws and Regulations with the powers to impose penalties on those adjudged guilty.
2. PMLA, a Criminal Law, whereby the Officers are empowered to conduct enquiries to locate, provisionally attach/confiscate assets derived from acts of Schedules Offences besides arresting and prosecuting the Money Launderers.

Composition:

Besides directly recruiting personnel, the Directorate also draws officers from different Investigating Agencies, viz., Customs & Central Excise, Income Tax, Police, etc. on deputation.

Other functions:

• Processing cases of fugitive/s from India under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.
• Sponsor cases of preventive detention under Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974(COFEPOSA) in regard to contraventions of FEMA.

Special courts:

For the trial of an offence punishable under section 4 of PMLA, the Central Government (in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court), designates one or more Sessions Court as Special Court(s). The court is also called “PMLA Court”.

Any appeal against any order passed by PMLA court can directly be filed in the High Court for that jurisdiction👀.

Basmati GI tag

What has the Court said?

Madhya Pradesh government’s struggle to join the elite ‘basmati’ league has failed once again as the Madras high court has dismissed the state’s plea seeking geographical indication (GI) tag for basmati rice grown in areas falling under the state. 

Two GI certificates of registration for a same produce cannot be issued.

The petitioners have an alternative and efficacious remedy available by filing an application to the registrar of trademark seeking to cancel or vary the GI certificate issued to APEDA.

What’s the issue?

In May 2010, GI status was given to basmati grown only in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

But, Madhya Pradesh demanded that its 13 districts be recognised as traditional Basmati growing regions.

However, GI registry had rejected Madhya Pradesh’s claim as being the original and unique basmati growing region. It had observed that the documents and evidence filed by Madhya Pradesh show the importance, special characters of rice cultivated in Madhya Pradesh but not the basmati cultivation in the traditional growing area.

What’s the concern now?

Madhya Pradesh says non-inclusion of the state in the basmati growing areas would have an adverse effect on the lives of farmers who mainly depend upon basmati cultivation and it will also affect the export potential, which will indirectly reduce the country’s turnover from the export of basmati.

About GI tag:

What is it?

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Significance of a GI tag:

Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Security:

Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

Who is a registered proprietor of a geographical indication?

Any association of persons, producers,organisation or authority established by or under the law can be a registered proprietor.

Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication as registered proprietor for the Geographical Indication applied for.

How long the registration of Geographical Indication is valid?

The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.

It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.

What is the difference between a geographical indication and a trademark?

A trademark is a sign used by an enterprise to distinguish its goods and services from those of other enterprises. It gives its owner the right to exclude others from using the trademark.

A geographical indication tells consumers that a product is produced in a certain place and has certain characteristics that are due to that place of production. It may be used by all producers who make their products in the place designated by a geographical indication and whose products share typical qualities.

Who accords and regulates Geographical Indications?

At the International level: Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. GI is also governed by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 2003. The first product in India👀 to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea👀 in the year 2004-05.

Input Tax Credit

What’s the issue?

The amended Rule 36 (4) of the CGST Rules, 2017, provides that the input tax credit can be availed only when a supplier of goods updates and uploads online the details of supplies through each of the bills. The petition now contended that the right to avail of credit could not be taken away by imposing the restrictions contained in the provisions of Section 43A of the Act, which was yet to be notified, through rules.

What is Input Tax Credit (ITC)?

It is the tax that a business pays on a purchase and that it can use to reduce its tax liability when it makes a sale.

In simple terms, input credit means at the time of paying tax on output, you can reduce the tax you have already paid on inputs and pay the balance amount.

Exceptions: A business under composition scheme cannot avail of input tax credit. ITC cannot be claimed for personal use or for goods that are exempt.

What is the Opec+?

 Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, plans to raise its crude oil production significantly above 10 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, after the collapse of the OPEC+ supply cut agreement with Russia.

 What’s the issue?

A three-year pact between OPEC and Russia ended in acrimony recently after Moscow refused to support deeper oil cuts to cope with the outbreak of the coronavirus and OPEC responded by removing all limits on its own production.

Oil prices plunged 10% as the development revived fears of a 2014 price crash, when Saudi Arabia and Russia fought for market share with U.S. shale oil producers, which have never participated in output-limiting pacts.

What next?

Effects now could quickly flood global markets at a time when demand has already weakened substantially.

What is the Opec+?

Opec+ refers to the alliance of crude producers, who have been undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets since 2017.

OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.

What are their goals?

The Opec and non-Opec producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016.

The aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market.

What is OPEC?

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq👀, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization.
• It is a permanent, intergovernmental organization.
• Currently, the Organization has a total of 13 Member Countries.
• OPEC’s objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry.
• It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
• OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.

Why is OPEC+ more influential than OPEC?

OPEC’s 13 members control nearly 35 percent of global oil supplies and 82 percent of proven reserves. With the addition of the 10 Non-OPEC nations, notable among them Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan, those shares increase to 55 percent and 90 percent respectively. This affords OPEC+ a level of influence over the world economy never seen before.

(Please ignore Ecuador in the above map as it has recently(on 1 Jan 2020) left OPEC)

Quota within quota for SCs in Haryana

Context: The Haryana cabinet has recently approved the draft bill ‘The Haryana Scheduled Castes (Reservation in Admission in Educational Institutions) bill, 2020.’

This bill provides quota within quota for SCs in the state.

Key provisions and highlights of the Bill:

1. The bill provides reservation of 50% seats to the deprived scheduled castes, out of the total 20% reserved for SC in the graduation and postgraduation courses.
2. This will cover all educational institutions maintained by the government or receiving aid out of the state funds.It also includes government and government-aided technical and professional institutions. 
3. Here, deprived SC includes all 36 castes which were part of Block A including Valmiki, Bazigar, Sansi, Deha, Dhanak, and Sapera.

Why this was necessary?

• As per employees data collected, the total number of the SC employees in the state is nearly 22% of the total strength. However, in respect of representation in various services, the erstwhile Block A scheduled castes representation in Group-A, Group-B and Group-C services is only 4.7 per cent, 4.14 per cent and 6.27 per cent respectively, though their population is about 11% of the total state population.
• The Block A scheduled castes or the deprived scheduled castes were not so educationally qualified as the data from SECC 2011 indicates. Only 2.13% population of the deprived SCs is graduate, 3.78% of them are senior secondary and 6.74% are matriculate. Besides, 33.63% of them are illiterate. This makes them a distinct class of citizens who are deprived of their constitutional right of equality due to lack of education. Thus, it was decided to provide such reservation in admission to candidates belonging to deprived SCs.

Are states empowered to make such decisions?

Article 15(5) of the Constitution authorises the State to make special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for SCs/STs for admission to educational institutions.

Criticisms:

This move is being criticised on the ground that it creates division within a class. Instead of this, critics say, the government should have offered special package or scholarship to Block A to upgrade their educational status.

What has the Supreme Court said in such matters?

The Supreme Court of India in the case of E.V. Chinnaiah Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (2004(9) SCALE) has held that the castes etc. specified as Scheduled Castes under Article 341 of the Constitution is a homogeneous group for the purpose of the Constitution.

The court said that the benefits of reservation are available to members of all such castes which have been specified as Scheduled Caste in relation to a State/Union Territory.

This case deals with the issue that whether the schedule caste can further be sub-divided so that the benefit of reservation can reach to the outreach.

The main part of the judgement of the Court is heavily relied upon the argument that when the groups are been notified by the President in the list under Article 341 of the Constitution, the same take the shape of a homogenous class and thus there cannot be any further classification of the class.

Petitions and safeguards: Understanding the delay convicts’ hanging

 The mercy plea filed by one of the four convicts in 2012 Delhi gangrape case was recently rejected by the President. Now, they will be hanged on March 20.

The fresh date is in line with the requirement of a gap of 14 days between the date of rejection of the mercy petition and the date of hanging.

What is the regular legal procedure followed in death penalty cases?

The legal procedure by which a convict is sent to his death is complex, and packed with safeguards.

1. First, a trial court may pronounce the death sentence only in the “rarest of the rare” cases.
2. Such a sentence is automatically referred to the High Court for confirmation. A warrant of execution may only be issued once the sentence has been confirmed by the High Court.
3. Next, the convict has the option of approaching the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision.
4. After the Supreme Court’s decision, the convict may file a review petition, and a separate curative petition before the Supreme Court👀. Both are standard legal processes, meant to rectify egregious errors in judgments.
5. Thereafter, a mercy petition before the President may be filed👀. Such a petition is disposed of after a process involving a recommendation from the relevant state government, and sanction from the Home Ministry.
6. The convict may then approach the Supreme Court again by filing a petition questioning the legitimacy of the President’s decision in the mercy petition.
7. Finally, the disposal of this petition ends the process, and the death sentence may be executed thereafter.

In conclusion, four separate petitions are available to a convict even after the Supreme Court has confirmed the conviction. 

Need for such checks and balances:

Regular legal procedure in death penalty cases has multiple checks because of the realisation of past failures. This has resulted in the addition of an extra layer of protections for death row convicts.

Besides, it is a principle of criminal law that it is preferable to exonerate 10 criminals to condemning even a single innocent.

Sir Creek pact

The third edition of WION’s global summit was held in Dubai👀 recently.

Theme: “Navigating and negotiating global imperatives”👀.

• Several topics, including balancing and recalibrating Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy and getting the youth to participate in democracy, were discussed at the summit.
• At the event, Former Pakistan Minister Kasuri recalled the plan for Sir Creek pact.

What is Sir Creek?

Sir Creek is a 96-km strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands.

• Originally named Ban Ganga,👀 Sir Creek is named after a British representative.
• The Creek opens up in the Arabian Sea and roughly divides the Kutch region of Gujarat from the Sindh Province of Pakistan.

What’s the dispute?

The dispute lies in the interpretation of the maritime boundary line between Kutch and Sindh.

Before India’s independence, the provincial region was a part of the Bombay Presidency of British India. But after India’s independence in 1947, Sindh became a part of Pakistan while Kutch remained a part of India.

1. Pakistan claims the entire creek as per paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Bombay Government Resolution of 1914 signed between then the Government of Sindh and Rao Maharaj of Kutch.
2. The resolution, which demarcated the boundaries between the two territories, included the creek as part of Sindh, thus setting the boundary as the eastern flank of the creek popularly known as Green Line👀.
3. But India claims that the boundary lies mid-channel as depicted in another map drawn in 1925, and implemented by the installation of mid-channel pillars back in 1924.
4. In its support, it cites the Thalweg Doctrine in International Maritime Law, which states that river boundaries between two states may be divided by the mid-channel if the water-body is navigable.

What’s the importance of Sir Creek?

Apart from strategic location, Sir Creek’s core importance is fishing resources. Sir Creek is considered to be among the largest fishing grounds in Asia.

Another vital reason is the possible presence of great oil and gas concentration under the sea, which are currently unexploited thanks to the impending deadlock on the issue.

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems

Department of Science and Technology (DST) has sanctioned Rs 7.25 crore to IIT Mandi to establish a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at the Institute.

DST has sanctioned the funds under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).

Main tasks of the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH):

1. The TIH will develop tools, education material, hands-on experiments with specialised tool kits, connecting with existing innovation ecosystems.
2. It will inter-link with different stakeholders and connect with other initiatives of the Government of India by providing an innovation platform for schools, colleges and advanced technical training institutes in the targeted areas. The deliverables include:
3. Technology Deliverables: To develop technology interface for challenges concerning landslides, environment (including climate change), air pollution, agriculture, cybersecurity, defence forces, healthcare, and forensics.
4. Human Resource and Skill Development Deliverables: To generate skilled manpower in HCI area at graduate, post-graduate, doctoral, post-doctoral and faculty level by organising workshops and seminars.
5. International Collaborations Deliverables: To develop and sustain existing and new collaboration with universities and organisations in India and abroad.
6. Entrepreneurship and Startup Deliverables: To create a startup ecosystem by working with the technology-business incubator of IIT Mandi, Catalyst, with an approach of Knowledge Generation Technology Development Technology Translation Technology Commercialisation.

How the TIH will work on Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)?

The TIH will also work on the development and evaluation of interfaces of IoT-based Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), where CPS contains physical elements (sensors) for collecting data and cyber elements (analytics and visualization software) for alerting/ educating people for directed action.

What is it?

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are a new class of engineered systems that integrate computation and physical processes in a dynamic environment. CPS encompasses technology areas of Cybernetics, Mechatronics, Design and Embedded systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) among others.

About National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):

To harness the potential of this new wave of technology and make India a leading player in CPS, the Union Cabinet approved the launch of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) in 2018.

It had a total outlay of INR 3,660 crores for a period of five years.

The mission implementation would develop and bring: 

1. Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and associated technologies within reach in the country, 
2. adoption of CPS technologies to address India specific National / Regional issues, 
3. produce Next Generation skilled manpower in CPS,
4. catalyze Translational Research, 
5. accelerate entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development in CPS, 
6. give impetus to advanced research in CPS, Technology development and higher education in Science, Technology and Engineering disciplines, and 
7. place India at par with other advanced countries and derive several direct and indirect benefits.

Implementation:

1. The Mission aims at establishment of 15 numbers of Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six numbers of Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four numbers of Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
2. These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.

Preservation of Eastern, Western Ghats

• The petition is on the basis of the recommendations made by the Madhav Gadgil and Kasturi Rangan committees.

What’s the issue? Why there is a need for protection?

• Petitioner contended that the natural resources abundantly available in this area are being properly utilised by other regions, except Tamil Nadu👀. They are being misutilised and mismanaged not only by the administrators but also by the public at large.
• Besides, large-scale plantations of coffee, tea and orchards have been raised in the hills of Western Ghats. Aromatic and valuable trees like sandal are removed illegally. Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, hunting takes place in some pockets. The forests are getting degraded because of illicit collection of firewood, illicit grazing and illicit felling of trees.

What did the Gadgil Committee say?

1. It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.
2. It proposed that this entire area be designated as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
3. Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of threat.
4. It proposed to divide the area into about 2,200 grids, of which 75 per cent would fall under ESZ I or II or under already existing protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries or natural parks.
5. The committee proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.

Why was Kasturirangan Committee setup?

None of the six concerned states agreed with the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee, which submitted its report in August 2011.

• In August 2012, then Environment Minister constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturirangan to “examine” the Gadgil Committee report in a “holistic and multidisciplinary fashion in the light of responses received” from states, central ministries and others.
• The Kasturirangan report seeks to bring just 37% of the Western Ghats under the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) zones — down from the 64% suggested by the Gadgil report.

Recommendations of Kasturirangan Committee:

1. A ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining.
2. No new thermal power projects, but hydro power projects allowed with restrictions.
3. A ban on new polluting industries.
4. Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m was to be allowed but townships were to be banned.
5. Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Importance of western ghats:

• The Western Ghats is an extensive region spanning over six States. It is the home of many endangered plants and animals. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site👀.
• It is one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world.
• According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas👀. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer.

Eastern Ghats:

The Eastern Ghats run from the northern Odisha through Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka.

They are eroded and cut through by four major rivers of peninsular India, viz. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri.👀

Role of L-G and govt. intertwined: Madras HC

Background:

• Previously, On March 30, 2019, the Madras High Court had said that the L-G does not have the power to interfere in the day-to-day activities of the union territory.
• LG also have doesn’t the right to seek any government documents from the Puducherry government.

Observations made by the High Court in its latest order:

1. The role of Puducherry’s Lieutenant Governor and that of an elected government in the Union Territory were intertwined as per law, and therefore they were expected to act in unison and not in division.
2. In the past judgment on this issues, the single judge had erred in holding that the Puducherry Legislative Assembly enjoys similar powers to that of a State legislature.
3. A government is “a trustee for the little man who should not have a perception that the running of the government is a gigantic conspiracy”.

What are the powers and sources of LG of Puducherry?

The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 provides for a Legislative Assembly of Pondicherry (as Puducherry was then called), with a Council of Ministers to govern the “Union Territory of Pondicherry”.

The same Act says that the UT will be administered by the President of India through an Administrator (LG).

• Section 44 of the Act, says the Council of Ministers headed by a Chief Minister will “aid and advise the Administrator in the exercise of his functions in relation to matters with respect to which the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory has power to make laws”.
• The same clause also allows the LG to “act in his discretion” in the matter of lawmaking, even though the Council of Ministers has the task of aiding and advising him.

What happens when there is a difference of opinion?

In case of a difference of opinion between the LG and his Ministers on any matter, the Administrator is bound to refer it to the President for a decision and act according to the decision given by the President.

However, the Administrator can also claim that the matter is urgent, and take immediate action as he deems necessary.

 When prior sanction of the Administrator is required?

Under Section 22 of the Act, prior sanction of the Administrator is required for certain legislative proposals. These include Bills or amendments that the Council of Ministers intends to move in the Legislative Assembly, and which deal with the “constitution and organisation of the court of the Judicial Commissioner”, and “jurisdiction and powers of the court of the Judicial Commissioner with respect to any of the matters in the State List or the Concurrent List”.

It is also obligatory on the part of the UT government to seek the “recommendation” of the LG before moving a Bill or an amendment to provide for “the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax”, “the amendment of the law with respect to any financial obligations undertaken or to be undertaken”, and anything that has to do with the Consolidated Fund of the UT.

 Assent of LG?

Once the Assembly has passed a Bill, the LG can either grant or withhold his assent; or reserve it for the consideration of the President. He can also send it back to the Assembly for reconsideration.

Consumer disputes redressal forum

A district consumer disputes redressal forum in New Delhi has directed e-commerce platform Flipkart to compensate a complainant by paying over ₹11,000 for delivering a defective mobile handset and failing to redress the grievance.

Dispute redressal under Consumer Protection Act, 1986:

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 provides for a 3-tier structure of the National and State Commissions and District Forums for speedy resolution of consumer disputes. They are quasi- judicial bodies.

Composition: Each District Forum is headed by a person who is or has been or is eligible to be appointed as a District Judge and each State Commission is headed by a person who is or has been a Judge of High Court.

Ambit:

The provisions of this Act cover ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’. The goods are those which are manufactured or produced and sold to consumers through wholesalers and retailers. The services are in the nature of transport, telephone, electricity, housing, banking, insurance, medical treatment, etc.

How Grievance redressal is carried out?

A written complaint, can be filed before the District Consumer Forum for pecuniary value of upto Rupees twenty lakh, State Commission for value upto Rupees one crore and the National Commission for value above Rupees one crore, in respect of defects in goods and or deficiency in service.

• However, no complaint can be filed for alleged deficiency in any service that is rendered free of charge or under a contract of personal service.
• The remedy under the Consumer Protection Act is an alternative in addition to that already available to the aggrieved persons/consumers by way of civil suit.
• In the complaint/appeal/petition submitted under the Act, a consumer is not required to pay any court fees but only a nominal fee.

 Appeals:

1. If a consumer is not satisfied by the decision of a District Forum, he can appeal to the State Commission. Against the order of the State Commission a consumer can come to the National Commission.
2. In order to help achieve the objects of the Consumer Protection Act, the National Commission has also been conferred with the powers of administrative control over all the State Commissions by calling for periodical returns regarding the institution, disposal and pendency of cases.

As per the latest Consumer Protection Act , 2019  dispute redressal Commissions will be set up at District, State and National level, with pecuniary jurisdiction up to Rs one crore, Rs one crore to Rs 10 crore, and above Rs 10 crore, respectively. In case of unfair contracts, the State Commissions will hear complaints where the value is up to Rs 10 crore, and National Commissions will hear complaints above that value.  These Commissions can declare unfair terms of such contracts to be null and void.

Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897

The Centre has asked states and Union Territories to invoke provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897👀, so that Health Ministry advisories are enforceable.

At present, at least 60 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in India.

What is Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897?

It is routinely enforced across the country for dealing with outbreaks of diseases such as swine flu, dengue, and cholera.

It was introduced by colonial government to tackle the epidemic of bubonic plague👀 that had spread in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency in the 1890s.

Why was this act criticised?

Historians have criticised the Act for its potential for abuse.

Using powers conferred by the Act, colonies authorities would search suspected plague cases in homes and among passengers, with forcible segregations, evacuations, and demolitions of infected places.

In 1897, the year the law was enforced, freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was punished with 18 months’ rigorous imprisonment after his newspapers Kesari and Mahratta admonished imperial authorities for their handling of the plague epidemic.

Provisions of the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act:

1. It empowers state governments/UTs to take special measures and formulate regulations for containing the outbreak.
2. It also empowers state to prescribe such temporary regulations to be observed by the public or by any person or class of persons as it shall deem necessary to prevent the outbreak of such disease or the spread thereof.
3. The state may determine in what manner and by whom any expenses incurred (including compensation if any) shall be defrayed.
4. The State Government may take measures and prescribe regulations for the inspection of persons travelling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease.
5. It also provides penalties for disobeying any regulation or order made under the Act. These are according to section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
6. It also gives legal protection to the implementing officers acting under the Act.

Examples of implementation:

1. In 2018, the district collector of Gujarat’s Vadodara issued a notification under the Act declaring the Khedkarmsiya village in Waghodia taluka as cholera-affected after 31 persons complained of symptoms of the disease.
2. In 2015, to deal with malaria and dengue in Chandigarh, the Act was implemented and controlling officers were instructed to ensure the issuance of notices and challans of Rs 500 to offenders.
3. In 2009, to tackle the swine flu outbreak in Pune, Section 2 powers were used to open screening centres in civic hospitals across the city, and swine flu was declared a notifiable disease.

WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic

As fresh coronavirus cases continue to be reported from different countries, the World Health Organization has finally declared the novel coronavirus a ‘pandemic‘.

WHO said it was deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction.

Earlier, on January 30 the WHO declared it was a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”.

What is an outbreak, epidemic and pandemic?

1. An outbreak is understood to be a sudden rise in the cases of a disease in a particular place.
2. An epidemic is a large outbreak among a particular population or region (such as the current situation in China).
3. A pandemic is “the worldwide spread of a new disease”👀. There is no specific number of countries that a disease must touch for WHO to classify it as a pandemic.

The spread of COVID 19:

The novel coronavirus disease that emerged in Wuhan, China, in the final days of last year, is now in at least 47 countries around the world, spanning every continent except Antarctica. More than 82,000 people have been infected, and over 2,800 are dead.

Affected countries include Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Iran among others.

Previous Pandemics:

In June 2009, the WHO declared a global pandemic of novel influenza A (H1N1), commonly known as swine flu.

The WHO has abandoned that system of classification now, even though the term pandemic can still be used “colloquially”.

Implications:

The WHO continues to advise countries “to enact plans based on national risk assessments of local circumstances, taking into consideration the information provided by WHO’s global assessments”.

About Novel Coronavirus disease:

COVID-19 is a respiratory infection. There are many types of coronavirus, some linked to the common cold, but this one is new and was detected toward the end of 2019.

COVID-19 is the official name given to the virus by the World Health Organization. Before WHO officially named the virus, it was also referred to as coronavirus, the novel coronavirus and 2019-nCOV (to indicate the year when the virus was first detected).

Why it is named so?

The coronavirus gets its name from the way it looks: It has a core of genetic material covered by an envelope with protein spikes that resemble a crown. In Latin, a crown is a corona. It’s called a novel coronavirus because it’s new and hasn’t been detected in people before.

What are the symptoms? 

• COVID-19 is similar to other respiratory illnesses and symptoms include a fever, dry cough, sore throat and headache. There may also be aches and pains, fatigue and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.
• While most cases are mild, some individuals may experience more severe symptoms such as shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, and may experience pneumonia in both lungs. Those with health issues or underlying conditions may also have a harder time recovering.
• It may take up to 14 days after exposure for symptoms to appear.

How is COVID-19 spread? 

• COVID-19 is transmitted through liquid droplets or particles when a person coughs or sneezes. These droplets, if containing the virus, can infect a person by entering through the eyes, nose or throat. It’s not believed to be airborne and it’s not known to infect via the skin.
• However, the virus can survive on some surfaces so if a person sneezes into their hand, shakes your hand and your then rub your eye with your hand, transmission is possible through self-inoculation.

What’s the difference between a cold, a flu and COVID- 19?

All three are respiratory illnesses but each is caused by a different virus.

The cold is caused by the rhinovirus👀, the flu is caused by the influenza virus👀, and COVID-19 is caused by the novel 2019 coronavirus.

All three can lead to pneumonia if complicated by other health issues or underlying conditions.

Avian influenza (bird flu)

Suspected cases of avian influenza (bird flu) are being reported from various parts of Kerala👀.

So, the Kerala government has decided to pay compensation to the owners of the hens which were culled as part of the government’s precautionary measures following the outbreak of bird flu.

About Avian influenza (bird flu):

It is a viral infection👀 that can infect not only birds, but also humans and other animals. Most forms of the virus are restricted to birds.

It is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds. 

Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.

Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). 

What causes bird flu?

• Although there are several types of bird flu, H5N1 was the first avian influenza virus to infect humans👀. The first infection occurred in Hong Kong in 1997👀. The outbreak was linked to handling infected poultry.
• H5N1👀 occurs naturally in wild waterfowl, but it can spread easily to domestic poultry. The disease is transmitted to humans through contact with infected bird feces, nasal secretions, or secretions from the mouth or eyes.

How H5N1 affects humans? 

The symptoms of an H5N1 infection in humans include mild upper respiratory tract infection (fever and cough), early sputum production and rapid progression to severe pneumonia. It can lead to sepsis with shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome and even death.

Prevention: Strict biosecurity measures and good hygiene are essential in protecting against disease outbreaks.

Is India really free from Avian Influenza?

With effect from September 3, 2019 the OIE-World Organisation for Animal Health declared India free of H5N1 virus.

India was last declared free of the disease in 2017.

The status was to last only till another outbreak is reported.

Foreigners Tribunals

A series of judgments delivered by the Gauhati High Court over the course of the last few weeks has brought into sharp focus the utter brutality of the regime governing the Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam.

 What is a Foreigners tribunal?

In 1964, the govt brought in the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order.

Composition: Advocates not below the age of 35 years of age with at least 7 years of practice (or) Retired Judicial Officers from the Assam Judicial Service (or) Retired IAS of ACS Officers (not below the rank of Secretary/Addl. Secretary) having experience in quasi-judicial works.

Who can setup these tribunals?

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)👀 has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, and has empowered district magistrates👀 in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals (quasi-judicial bodies) to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.

Earlier, the powers to constitute tribunals were vested only with the Centre.

Typically, the tribunals there have seen two kinds of cases: those concerning persons against whom a reference has been made by the border police👀 and those whose names in the electoral roll has a “D”, or “doubtful”👀, marked against them.

Who can approach?

The amended order (Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2019) also empowers individuals to approach the Tribunals. Earlier, only the State administration could move the Tribunal against a suspect.

 How a person is declared foreigner by these tribunals?

Foreigners Tribunals, quasi-judicial authorities in Assam, have been deciding on matters pertaining to citizenship in order to identify foreigners.

1. The process begins by the border police or the Election Commission referring the case of a suspected foreigner to the Foreigners Tribunal.
2. The tribunal calls on the person to appear before it and prove that they are not a foreigner, and then passes an order in favour or against them.

Identity documentation:

1. Persons appearing before Foreigners Tribunals need to produce identity documentation proving that they were born in India and are descended from persons who entered India before March 24, 1971👀.
2. Such persons are allowed to produce secondary evidence such as university certificates or gaon panchayat certificates for this purpose. 
3. However, in order for such secondary evidence to be considered valid proof of their presence in India pre-1971, the person issuing the certificate must appear before the tribunal to testify and prove that the document is genuine.

What’s the issue now?

One in two people are declared foreigners because issuing authorities fail to appear before the Foreigners Tribunals to testify that the documents produced are genuine and true to their knowledge. The consequence of this lackadaisical approach is a drastic loss of right and liberty.

Reforms needed:

1. Any such exercise demands a robust process that minimizes data infirmities.
2. This would mean a complete rehaul of the methods used in Assam.
3. Also, those who don’t make it to the list should get adequate legal recourse.

Need for reforms:

A person’s citizenship is a basic human right. Declaring people foreigners in haste without judicially verifying their credentials can leave many human beings stateless.

State Election Commission

The Andhra Pradesh government has filed petitions in the Supreme Court and the High Court over the issue of the State Election Commission (SEC) postponing the local body elections citing the COVID-19 threat.

What is the issue?

• The government, in its petition before the apex court, accused the SEC of not taking it into confidence while taking the major decision of deferring the polls and called the move anti- constitutional. 
• The government also found fault with the SEC for not consulting the High Court on whose instructions the elections were scheduled.

About the State Election Commission:

The Constitution of India vests in the State Election Commission, consisting of a State Election Commissioner, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of all elections to the Panchayats and the Municipalities (Articles 243K, 243ZA).

The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Governor👀.

As per article 243(C3) the Governor, when so requested by the State Election Commission, make available to the State Election Commission such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the functions conferred on the SEC by clause (1).

What was the need for State Election Commissions?

Under the Constitution, establishment of local self-government institutions is the responsibility of the states (entry 5, List II, Seventh Schedule👀).

However, experience showed that not all state governments were serious about empowering Panchayati Raj institutions as elections were not being conducted regularly.

The Constitution was amended in 1992 to define the term (five years) for these institutions👀. Simultaneously, another provision was made for setting up a constitutional authority, the SEC, on the lines of the EC to conduct regular panchayat elections.

The ECI and SECs have a similar mandate; do they also have similar powers?

The provisions of Article 243K of the Constitution, which provides for setting up of SECs, are almost identical to those of Article 324 related to the EC. In other words, the SECs enjoy the same status as the EC.

In 2006, the Supreme Court emphasised the two constitutional authorities enjoy the same powers. In Kishan Singh Tomar vs Municipal Corporation of the City of Ahmedabad, the Supreme Court directed that state governments should abide by orders of the SECs during the conduct of the panchayat and municipal elections, just like they follow the instructions of the EC during Assembly and Parliament polls.

How far can courts intervene?

Courts cannot interfere in the conduct of polls to local bodies and self-government institutions once the electoral process has been set in motion.

Article 243-O of the Constitution bars interference in poll matters set in motion by the SECs; Article 329 bars interference in such matters set in motion by the EC.

Only after the polls are over can the SECs’ decisions or conduct be questioned through an election petition.

These powers enjoyed by the SECs are the same as those by the EC.

In practice, are the SECs as independent as the EC?

Although state election commissioners are appointed by the state governors and can only be removed by impeachment👀, in the last two decades many have struggled to assert their independence.

One of the most widely remembered cases of confrontation happened in Maharashtra in 2008. Then state election commissioner Nand Lal was arrested and sent to jail for two days in March 2008 after the Assembly found him guilty of breach of privilege in an alleged conflict over his jurisdiction and powers. Lal had asserted that as the state election commissioner he had the power to hold elections to the offices of mayor, deputy mayor, sarpanch and deputy sarpanch. After a Congress MLA moved a privilege motion objecting to the notification, the privileges committee of the Assembly asked him to appear and explain. Lal did not, which led to the committee concluding that he was creating hurdles in “constitutional and legislative functions”, a breach of privilege. He was sent for two days of civil imprisonment.

What are starred questions

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently said his right as an MP to ask a supplementary question in Lok Sabha was taken away as Speaker Om Birla did not allow him to ask one. 

Rahul Gandhi was asking the government to name wilful bank loan defaulters, but was not allowed another supplementary question amid uproar in the lower house.

The right of MPs to question:

Members of Parliament have a right to ask questions which is one of the devices available to them to seek information on matters of public importance.

The Question Hour is one such mechanism in which the members ask questions on varied aspects of administration and governmental activity.

What is Question hour?

• The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is termed as Question hour.
• It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House👀.
• During this time, the members ask questions and the ministers usually give answers.

How many starred questions can be asked?

The number of starred questions was fixed at 20 per Question Hour👀 from the fourth session of the fifth Lok Sabha in 1972.

Type of Questions:

Members have a right to ask questions to elicit information on matters of public importance within the special cognizance of the Ministers concerned. The questions are of three types:

Starred Questions: A Starred Question is one to which a member desires an oral answer from the Minister in the House and is required to be distinguished by him/her with an asterisk. Answer to such a question may be followed by supplementary questions by members.

Unstarred Questions: An Unstarred Question is one to which written answer is desired by the member and is deemed to be laid on the Table of the House by Minister. Thus it is not called for oral answer in the House and no supplementary question can be asked thereon.

Short Notice Questions: A member may give a notice of question on a matter of public importance and of urgent character for oral answer at a notice less than 10 days prescribed as the minimum period of notice for asking a question in ordinary course. Such a question is known as ‘Short Notice Question’.

 Questions to Private Members:

A Question may also be addressed to a Private Member (Under Rule 40 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha), provided that the subject matter of the question relates to some Bill, Resolution or other matter connected with the business of the House for which that Member is responsible. The procedure in regard to such questions is same as that followed in the case of questions addressed to a Minister with such variations as the Speaker may consider necessary

Appropriation Bill

 The Lok Sabha has passed the Appropriation Bill 2020-21 that empowers the government to draw over ₹110 lakh crore from the Consolidated Fund of India for its working, as well as for the implementation of its programmes and schemes.

• Now, only the Finance Bill that pertains to the government’s taxation proposal awaiting passage.
• The Appropriation Bill was passed by a voice vote.
• Following this, Speaker Om Birla applied “guillotine” — the Parliamentary tool to club all other pending subjects for discussion.

What is Appropriation Bill?

Appropriation Bill is a money bill that allows the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its expenses during the course of a financial year.

• As per article 114 of the Constitution, the government can withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund only after receiving approval from Parliament.
• To put it simply, the Finance Bill contains provisions on financing the expenditure of the government, and Appropriation Bill specifies the quantum and purpose for withdrawing money.

Procedure followed:

1. The government introduces the Appropriation Bill in the lower house of Parliament after discussions on Budget proposals and Voting on Demand for Grants.
2. The Appropriation Bill is first passed by the Lok Sabha and then sent to the Rajya Sabha.
3. The Rajya Sabha has the power to recommend any amendments in this Bill. However, it is the prerogative of the Lok Sabha to either accept or reject the recommendations made by the upper house of Parliament.
4. The unique feature of the Appropriation Bill is its automatic repeal clause, whereby the Act gets repealed by itself after it meets its statutory purpose.

What happens when the bill is defeated?

Since India subscribes to the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, the defeat of an Appropriation Bill (and also the Finance Bill) in a parliamentary vote would necessitate resignation of a government or a general election. This has never happened in India till date, though.

Scope of discussion:

• The scope of discussion is limited to matters of public importance or administrative policy implied in the grants covered by the Bill and which have not already been raised during the discussion on demands for grants.
• The Speaker may require members desiring to take part in the discussion to give advance intimation of the specific points they intend to raise and may withhold permission for raising such of the points as in his opinion appear to be repetition of the matters discussed on a demand for grant.

Amendments:

No amendment can be proposed to an Appropriation Bill which will have the effect of varying the amount or altering the destination of any grant so made or of varying the amount of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India, and the decision of the Speaker as to whether such an amendment is admissible is final. An amendment to an Appropriation Bill for omission of a demand voted by the House is out of order.

In other respects, the procedure in respect of an Appropriation Bill is the same as in respect of other Money Bills.

What are Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES)

• The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has said it has approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to ensure that sale and registration of BS-IV complaint is allowed till March 31, 2020.
• The move follows circulars from some State governments setting a cut-off date ranging between February 29 and March 25, 2020, for accepting registration applications for BS-IV-compliant vehicles.

About the Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES):

• Introduced in the year 2000.
• They are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
• Objective: To keep air pollutants emitted by the internal combustion engine of vehicles under control.
• They are based on European (EURO) emission standards.
• Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms were first brought into effect in 2000 under the head “India 2000”. This was followed by BS2 in 2001 and BS3 in 2005.
• However, the emission norms were made more stringent only with the enforcement of Bharat Stage IV (BS4). Thereafter, the Government of India skipped the implementation of BS5 in 2016 and decided to introduce Bharat Stage VI (BS6) in 2020 instead.

How does BS6 emission norms differ from BS4?

The following are the key differences between BS4 and BS6 emission norms:

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) are being introduced with the roll-out of Bharat Stage VI norms, which were not a part of Bharat Stage IV.

Real Driving Emission (RDE) will be introduced in India for the first time with the implementation of Bharat Stage VI emission norms. It will measure a vehicle’s emission in real-time conditions against laboratory conditions.

Onboard Diagnostics (OD) has been made mandatory for all vehicles.

Sulphur and Nitrogen Oxide content: Sulphur traces in BS6 fuel is five times lower (10 ppm) as compared to sulphur traces in BS4 fuel (50 ppm). Further, nitrogen oxide level for BS6-grade diesel engines and petrol engines will be brought down by 70% and 25%, respectively.

BS VI can bring PM in diesel cars down by 80 per cent . The new norms will bring down nitrogen oxides from diesel cars by 70 per cent and in petrol cars by 25 per cent.

Uranium Contamination in Ground Water

A report on Uranium Contamination in ground water in Parliament.

What is the acceptable limit?

The Indian Standard IS 10500: 2012 for Drinking Water specification has specified the maximum acceptable limits for radioactive residues as alpha and beta emitters, values in excess of which render the water not suitable👀.

These requirements take into account all radioactive elements including uranium👀. No individual radioactive elements have been specifically identified.

As per Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS), maximum permissible limit of Uranium is 0.03 mg/l👀 (as per WHO provisional guidelines) in all drinking water standards after following due process.

Affected states:

A report brought out by Duke University, USA in association with Central Ground Water Board and State Ground Water departments👀 states that Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir have localised occurrence of Uranium concentration.

Main factors responsible for uranium contamination:

1. Amount of uranium contained in an aquifer’s rocks.
2. Water-rock interactions that cause the uranium to be extracted from those rocks.
3. Oxidation conditions that enhance the extracted uranium’s solubility in water.
4. The interaction of the extracted uranium with other chemicals in the groundwater, such as bicarbonate, which can further enhance its solubility.
5. Human factors such as groundwater-table decline and nitrate pollution may be exacerbating the problem.

What needs to be done?

1. Revision of the current water quality monitoring program in India.
2. Evaluation of human health risks in areas of high uranium prevalence.
3. Development of adequate remediation technologies.
4. Implementation of preventive management practices to address this problem.
5. Including a uranium standard in the Bureau of Indian Standards’ Drinking Water Specification based on uranium’s kidney-harming effects.
6. Establishing monitoring systems to identify at-risk areas, and exploring new ways to prevent or treat uranium contamination.

What is Uranium?

1. Uranium is weakly radioactive and remains so because of its long physical half-life (4.468 billion years for uranium-238).
2. The biological half-life (the average time it takes for the human body to eliminate half the amount in the body) for uranium is about 15 days.
3. It is a naturally occurring element found in low levels within all rock, soil, and water.
4. This is the highest-numbered element to be found naturally in significant quantities on earth👀. 
5. It is considered to be more plentiful than antimony, beryllium, cadmium, gold, mercury, silver, or tungsten.
6. It is about as abundant as tin, arsenic or molybdenum.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)

Context: Ministry of Home Affairs decided to treat COVID-19 as a notified disaster for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

 What is a disaster?

• According to the Disaster Management Act, a disaster is defined as the following, “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area”.
• Ministry of Home Affairs has defined a disaster as an “extreme disruption of the functioning of a society that causes widespread human, material, or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected society to cope with its own resources.”
• 31 disaster categories are organised into five major sub-groups, which are: water and climate related disasters, geological related disasters, chemical, industrial and nuclear related disasters and biological related disasters, which includes biological disasters and epidemics.

What is the State Disaster Response Fund?

Constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 by respective states and it is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters. 

Composition: The Central government contributes 75 per cent towards the SDRF allocation for general category states and UTs, and over 90 per cent for special category states/UTs, which includes northeastern states, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).

For SDRF, the Centre releases funds in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission.

Support from the National Disaster Response Fund: it supplements the SDRF of a state, in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in the SDRF.

The disasters covered under the SDRF include cyclones, droughts, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches and pest attacks among others.

Deciding authority: The state executive committee headed by the Chief Secretary is authorized to decide on all matters relating to the financing of the relief expenditure from the SDRF.

Features of SDRF:

1. SDRF is located in the ‘Public Account’ under ‘Reserve Fund👀’. (But direct expenditures are not made from Public Account.)
2. State Government has to pay interest on a half yearly basis to the funds in SDRF, at the rate applicable to overdrafts.
3. The aggregate size of the SDRF for each state, for each year, is as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission.
4. The share of GoI to the SDRF is treated as a ‘grant in aid’.
5. The financing of relief measures out of SDRF are decided by the State Executive Committee (SEC) constituted under Section 20 of the DM Act. SEC is responsible for the overall administration of the SDRF. However, the administrative expenses of SEC are borne by the State Government from its normal budgetary provisions and not from the SDRF or NDRF.
6. The norms regarding the amount to be incurred on each approved item of expenditure (type of disaster) are fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs with the concurrence of Ministry of Finance. Any excess expenditure has to be borne out of the budget of the state government.
7. Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for overseeing the operation of the SDRF and monitors compliance with prescribed processes.
8. Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audit the SDRF every year.

What is ExoMars?

Launch of ExoMars rover delayed to 2022.

About the rover:

• The European-built Rosalind Franklin rover👀, named for the famed British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work contributed to DNA research, recently passed final pre-launch thermal and vacuum tests at an Airbus facility in Toulouse, France.
• Rosalind Franklin is the first European Mars rover.

About ExoMars:

It is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos👀

The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

Components of the mission:

The programme comprises two missions.

• The first launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)👀 and Schiaparelli👀, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.
• TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes. The Schiaparelli probe crashed during its attempt to land on Mars.
• The second, comprising a rover and surface platform, is planned for 2022. Together they will address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

Other Mars Missions:

Despite the delay in the second ExoMars launch until 2022, three other Mars missions remain scheduled for launch during this year’s planetary launch window in July and August.

1. NASA’s Perseverance rover, formerly known as Mars 2020, will take off in July from Cape Canaveral.
2. A Chinese Mars rover is also being prepared for launch later this year.
3. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope Mars orbiter is slated to launch on a Japanese H-2A rocket this summer

NCS (NATIONAL CAREER SERVICE)

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour in its report has flagged the under-utilisation of funds by the Union Labour and Employment Ministry, which was yet to spend almost 20% of its 2019-2020 Budget (revised estimate) as on February 10.

The report noted that utilisation of funds for the National Career Services (NCS) scheme of the Ministry, which facilitates job-seekers, was the worst compared to other schemes.

About NCS (NATIONAL CAREER SERVICE):

It is one of the mission mode projects under the umbrella of E-Governance Plan.

It works towards bridging the gap between job-seekers and employers👀, candidates seeking training and career guidance and agencies providing training and career counselling by transforming the National Employment Service.

NCS provides a host of career-related services such as dynamic job matching, career counselling, job notifications, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, internships and alike.

The focus areas for the National Career Service platform are listed below:

1. Enhancing career and employment opportunities.
2. Counselling and guidance for career development.
3. Focusing on decent employment
4. Enhancing female labour force participation.
5. Encouraging entrepreneurial endeavours.

Sustainable Development Goals: 36 changes in global indicator framework

Thirty-six major changes👀 to the global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were approved and adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC), at its 51st session that concluded on March 6, 2020, in New York.

The revised global framework will have 231 indicators, approximately the same number as in the original framework.

These changes are based on the ‘2020 comprehensive review’ conducted by the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs).

Key changes:

Eight additional indicators were added across six SDG goals — 2, 3, 4, 10, 13 and 16. These include:

1. Indicator 13.2.2 on the total greenhouse gas emissions per year for the SDG target 13.2 to integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
2. Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15-49 years, by pregnancy status (percentage) under the target 2.2 to end forms of malnutrition by 2030.
3. A new indicator on reducing the percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms has been added under the Global health goal (SDG 3).
4. Indicator 10.7.3 on the number of migrants killed while attempting to cross maritime, land and air borders.
5. Indicator 10.7.4 on the proportion of the population who are refugees, by country of origin.

Six indicators across six SDG goals — 1, 4, 8, 11, 13 and 17 — have been deleted. These include:

1. Indicator 1.a.1 on the proportion of domestically-generated resources allocated by the government directly to poverty reduction programmes.
2. Indicator 4.2.1 on the proportion of children under five years of age who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex.
3. The portion of the indicator that measures progress for children between 0 and 23 months of age, which is currently in tier III was proposed for deletion by the IAEG.
4. Under the SDG goal on combating climate change, the indicator 13.3.2, quantifying the number of countries that have communicated the strengthening of capacity-building for implementing adaptation, mitigation and technology transfer, and development actions has been deleted.

OneHealth concept

The concept of ‘One Health’, which recognises that health of human beings is connected to health of animals and environment, is gaining importance as most of the contagious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic (animal to man origin) in nature. 

The concept of One Health can be effectively implemented for reducing incidence of emerging zoonotic threats like COVID-19.

What is OneHealth concept?

• One Health is the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment, as defined by the One Health Initiative Task Force.
• One Health model facilitates interdisciplinary approach in disease control so as to control emerging and existing zoonotic threats.

What are common One Health issues?

One Health issues include zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and food security, vector-borne diseases, environmental contamination, and other health threats shared by people, animals, and the environment. Even the fields of chronic disease, mental health, injury, occupational health, and noncommunicable diseases can benefit from a One Health approach involving collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

Significance of the model:

• One Health model is a globally accepted model for research on epidemiology, diagnosis and control of zoonotic diseases.
• The WHO is very effectively addressing emerging issues of antimicrobial resistance through One Health research.
• All the developing countries are in the process of promoting One Health research for developing a sustainable disease control system.

What next?

Need of the hour is to scale up such a model across the country and to establish meaningful research collaborations across the world.

Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ)

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has reported that Oceansat Satellite data are used to prepare the Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories on the potential rich fishing areas and provide to the sea faring fishermen in all states.

How are these zones identified?

This methodology utilizes data on chlorophyll concentration (Chl) obtained from ISRO’s Oceansat-2 satellite👀 and the sea surface temperature from National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA / USA satellites).

About Oceansat-2:

• Launched in 2009, it is designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1.
• The main objectives of OceanSat-2 are to study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observation of chlorophyll concentrations, monitoring of phytoplankton blooms, study of atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in the water.

Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device:

For seamless and effective dissemination of emergency information and communication on disaster warnings, Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) and Ocean States Forecasts (OSF) to fishermen, the Government today launched the Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device.

The GEMINI device receives and transfers the data received from GAGAN satellite/s to a mobile through Bluetooth communication. A mobile application developed by INCOIS decodes and displays the information in nine regional languages.

RBI releases new guidelines for payment aggregators

1. Capital requirements for payment aggregators has been reduced to Rs 15 crore at the time of application for the licence.
2. This needs to be increased to Rs 25 crore within three years of operations.
3. Existing non-bank entities offering payment aggregation (PA) services shall apply for authorisation on or before June 30, 2021.
4. Pure-play payment gateway companies would be separated as an entity and would be identified as technology service providers for banks and non-banks.
5. PAs have also been asked to adhere to strict security guidelines, adhere to all KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) rules.
6. The guidelines have also mandated that PAs need to check their merchant customers are not involved in selling of prohibited or fake items.
7. The central bank has also asked PAs to set up designated nodal offices to deal with customer grievance.
8. The RBI has prohibited PAs from allowing online transactions to be done with ATM pin as the second factor of authentication, which few payment gateway companies were offering as a service.

Who are payment aggregators?

These are players who integrate with e-commerce companies and connect them with banks. They receive payments on behalf of these companies and transfer the money to their accounts.

Background:

Entities like Billdesk, CCAvenue, Firstdata, Razorpay, Cashfree, Paytm Payment Gateway and others are offering payment services to ecommerce companies. Given the largescale adoption of digital payments and emergence of so many players, the RBI expressed interest in regulating the space.

Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Why in News?

Thousands of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders have been forced to cancel trips to India owing to the recent ban on their entry by the GOI and are apprehensive they will not be able to get back in the event of an emergency.

Who are OCI cardholders?

Government of India launched the ‘Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme’ by making amendments to Citizenship Act, 1955 in 2005.

On 09 January 2015, the Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card👀.

Eligibility:

Government of India allows the following categories of foreign nationals to apply for OCI Card.

Exceptions:

Anyone who is applying for OCI card should hold a valid Passport of another country.

• Individuals who do not have citizenship of any other country are not eligible to gain an OCI status.
• Individuals whose parents or grandparents hold citizenship of Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible to apply👀.

Benefits for OCI cardholders:

1. Lifelong Visa to visit India multiple times. (special permission needed for research work in India).
2. No need to register with Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) or Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) for any length of stay.
3. Except for acquisition of agricultural and plantation properties, OCI card holders have similar facilities that are extended to NRIs in economic, financial and educational fields.
4. Same treatment as of NRIs in respect to Inter-country adoption of Indian children.
5. Also treated at par with NRIs regarding – entry fees for national monuments, practice of professions like doctors, dentists, nurses, advocates, architects, Chartered Accountants & Pharmacists.
6. At par with NRIs to participate in All India Pre-medical tests and such. 
7. Treated at par with Indian citizens in matters of traffic in airfares in Indian domestic sectors.
8. Same entry fee as for Indians for entry into India’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
9. OCI booklet can be used as identification to avail services. An affidavit can be attached with local address as residential proof.

There are certain restrictions placed on OCI card holders:

1. Do not have right to vote.
2. Do not have right to any public service/government jobs
3. Cannot hold offices of – Prime Minister, President, Vice -President, Judge of Supreme Court and High Court, member of Parliament or Member of state legislative assembly or council.
4. Cannot own agricultural property.

ODF+ and ODF++ under Phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development recently tabled its report on the performance of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) in Lok Sabha.

Key observations:

1. Despite the fact that work on three protocols under the next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban-2) — ODF+, ODF++ and Water Plus — is to be completed by 2024, the ground situation was not matching with the assigned timeline. The progress has been slow.
2. Less than 30 per cent of the cities have been certified as ODF+ so far. Out of 4,320 cities declared ODF, as low as 1,276 cities have been certified as ODF+.
3. The number of ODF++ cities — 411 — means that less than 10 per cent cities are certified as ODF++ so far.

What is ODF+, ODF++?

ODF+ and ODF++ were launched in August 2018 to further scale up and sustain the work undertaken by the cities after achieving the ODF status under Phase I of the Swachh Bharat Mission — Urban (SBM-Urban).

Eligibility: Cities that had been certified ODF at least once, on the basis of the ODF protocols, are eligible to declare themselves as SBM-ODF+ & SBM-ODF++.  

What do they mean?

ODF+ and ODF++ are aimed towards proper maintenance of toilet facilities and safe collection, conveyance, treatment/disposal of all faecal sludge and sewage.

While ODF+ focuses on toilets with water, maintenance and hygiene, ODF++ focuses on toilets with sludge and septage management.

 What is water plus?

Announced in August 2019, Water Plus aims to sustain toilets by treating and reuse of water. It contributes to the government’s focus on water conversation and reuse under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan👀 and is in alignment with United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goal No 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Background:

Under Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (U), 99 per cent of the cities became ODF, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)👀 had claimed in December 2019.

What next?

• States have an important role in ensuring progress under these programmes.
• MoHUA needed to move faster with regard to the coverage of the three protocols so as to adhere to the timeline of 2024.
• Additional funds will be required to sustain the ODF status and ensure complete faecal sludge management.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which seeks to amend the MTP Act, 1971, was passed in Lok Sabha recently.

Key changes:

1. It seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from 20 weeks to 24 under special circumstances.
2. The “special categories of women” include rape survivors, victims of incest, the differently abled and minors.
3. The Bill proposes requirement of opinion of one registered medical practitioner (RMP) for termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation.
4. It also provides for the requirement of opinion of two RMPs for termination of pregnancy of 20 to 24 weeks👀.
5. Constitution of a Medical Board: Every state government is required to constitute a Medical Board. These Medical Boards will consist of the following members: (i) a gynaecologist, (ii) a paediatrician, (iii) a radiologist or sonologist, and (iv) any other number of members, as may be notified by the state government.
6. Under the Bill, if any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by a woman or her partner to limit the number of children, such an unwanted pregnancy may constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.

Need for overhaul:

1. The present abortion law, which is about five decades old, permits abortion up to a maximum foetal gestation period of 20 weeks.
2. In recent years, there have been strong demands to raise the foetal gestation period for abortion beyond 20 weeks.

Significance:

• The move to amend the MTP Act, 1971 is a progressive step towards empowerment of women. It will provide greater reproductive rights to women as abortion is considered an important aspect of the reproductive health of women. Deaths and injuries from unsafe abortions are largely preventable provided services are performed legally by trained practitioners.

Abortion laws across the world:

Abortion laws vary across the world. It is learnt that around 60 countries prescribe gestational limits.

• 52 % including France, the UK, Austria, Ethiopia, Italy, Spain, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and even Nepal, allow for termination beyond 20 weeks on the diagnosis of foetal abnormalities.
• Some countries go beyond even these limits with laws in 23 countries-Canada, Germany, Vietnam, Denmark, Ghana, and Zambia-allowing for abortion at any time during the pregnancy on the request of the mother.

Permanent Commission for Women in Indian Navy

The Supreme Court has upheld the right of serving Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers of the Navy to be granted permanent commission (PC) on a par with their male counterparts.

Background:

The judgment was based on a case filed by 17 women SSC officers who were denied PC and discharged despite completing 14 years of service as SSC officers. 

• They had challenged a February 26, 2008 policy letter of the government granting PCs to SSC officers in all the three branches of the Armed Forces. However, the offer was restricted to certain categories and was to operate prospectively for the benefit of future batches inducted on SSCs after January 2009.
• The Supreme Court on 17 February upheld a 2010 Delhi high court ruling and had directed the Centre to ensure that women officers are given permanent commissions in the Indian Army on a par with male officers, including for command posting.

Observations made by the Supreme Court:

1. Women officers have worked shoulder to shoulder with their men counterparts in every walk of service.
2. Therefore, the “101 excuses” devised by the government, including motherhood and physiological limitations, reeked of a stereotypical mindset.
3. And women naval officers cannot be denied the right to equal opportunity and dignity entitled to under the Constitution on specious grounds such as physiology, motherhood and physical attributes.

Implications of the judgment:

1. Women naval officers will now be eligible to apply for permanent commission👀.
2. All serving women short service commission (SSC) officers in at least seven wings, including the executive, engineering, electrical, education, law and logistics, will be eligible to apply.
3. The grant of PCs will be subject to: (i) availability of vacancies in the stabilised cadre; (ii) Suitability of the candidate; and (iii) recommendation by the chief of Naval Staff. 

What is a permanent commission?

A Permanent Commission means a career in the army until one retires. If one gets selected through Permanent Commission, one has the option to serve the country up to the full age of retirement.

A women naval SSC officer retires in 10 years, whereas one with a permanent commission is entitled to serve for four more years, making it a total of 14 years.

Coalbed methane (CBM)

India’s CBM potential:

1. India has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world👀, and CBM has been looked at as a clean alternative fuel with significant prospects.
2. India’s CBM resources are estimated at around 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF), or 2,600 billion cubic metres (BCM).
3. The country’s coal and CBM reserves are found in 12 states of India, with the Gondwana sediments of eastern India holding the bulk.
4. The Damodar Koel valley and Son valley👀 are prospective areas for CBM development.

What is coalbed methane (CBM)?

It is an unconventional form of natural gas found in coal deposits or coal seams.

CMB is formed during the process of coalification, the transformation of plant material into coal.

CBM can be used:

1. In Power generation.
2. As Compressed natural gas (CNG) auto fuel.
3. As feedstock for fertilisers.
4. Industrial uses such as in cement production, rolling mills, steel plants, and for methanol production.

Challenges and concerns:

1. Methane is a greenhouse gas emitted through CBM extraction. Global methane emissions from coal mines are projected to account for approximately 8 percent of total global methane emissions.
2. Disturbance of lands drilled and its effect on wildlife habitats results in ecosystem damage.
3. CBM production behaviour is complex and difficult to predict in the early stages of recovery.
4. Another concern is the effect water discharges from CBM development could potentially have on downstream water sources.
5. Disposal of the highly salinized water that must be removed in order to release the methane creates a challenge, as its introduction into freshwater ecosystems could have adverse effects.

National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019

Context: The Bill was recently passed in the Rajya Sabha.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973.

Key features 

Constitution of the National Commission for Homoeopathy:

 It will consist of 20 members, appointed by the central government and recommended by a Search Committee.

The Search Committee will consist of six members including the Cabinet Secretary and three experts nominated by the central government (of which two will have experience in the homoeopathic field).

Within three years of the passage of the Bill, state governments will establish State Medical Councils for Homoeopathy at the state level.

Functions of the National Commission for Homoeopathy: framing policies for regulating medical institutions and homoeopathic medical professionals, assessing the requirements of healthcare related human resources and infrastructure.

Appeal on matters related to professional and ethical misconduct: State Medical Councils will receive complaints relating to professional or ethical misconduct against a registered homoeopathic medical practitioner.  If the medical practitioner is aggrieved of a decision of the State Medical Council, he may appeal to the Board of Ethics and Medical Registration for Homoeopathy.

Powers: The State Medical Councils and the Board of Ethics and Medical Registration for Homoeopathy have the power to take disciplinary action against the medical practitioner including imposing a monetary penalty.

Appeals: If the medical practitioner is aggrieved of the decision of the Board, he can approach the NCH to appeal against the decision. Appeal of the decision of the NCH lies with the central government.

National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2019 (NCIM)

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2019 (NCIM) was recently passed in Rajya Sabha.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970👀.

Within three years of the passage of the Bill, state governments have to establish State Medical Councils for Indian System of Medicine at the state level.

 Key features of the Bill include:

1. Constitution of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine:

The NCISM will consist of 29 members👀, appointed by the central government.

These posts will have a maximum term of four years👀.

They will be recommended by a search committee.

The Search Committee will consist of five members including the Cabinet Secretary and three experts nominated by the central government (of which two should have experience in any of the fields of Indian System of Medicine).

2. Functions of the NCISM include:

Framing policies for regulating medical institutions and medical professionals of Indian System of Medicine.

Assessing the requirements of healthcare related human resources and infrastructure.

Ensuring compliance by the State Medical Councils of Indian System of Medicine of the regulations made under the Bill.

Ensuring coordination among the autonomous boards set up under the Bill.

3. Autonomous boards to be set up:

Board of Ayurveda and the Board of Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa.

Medical Assessment and Rating Board for Indian System of Medicine.

Ethics and Medical Registration Board.

4. Entrance examinations:

There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to under-graduate education in each of the disciplines of the Indian System of Medicine in all medical institutions regulated by the Bill.

The Bill also proposes a National Teachers’ Eligibility Test for postgraduates of each discipline of Indian System of Medicine who wish to take up teaching that particular discipline as a profession.

What is Article 142?

In an extraordinary display of its constitutional powers under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Court has stripped Manipur Cabinet Minister T. Shyamkumar, who is facing disqualification proceedings for defection, of his office and banned him from entering the Assembly with immediate effect.

What’s the issue?

The apex court took this decision after Speaker Y. Khemchand Singh, even after the one month”s period given by the apex court, failed to decide on the disqualification petition pending against Shyamkumar. Instead, the Speaker sought adjournment for eight weeks on the matter.

What is Article 142?

Article 142 “provide(s) a unique power to the Supreme Court, to do “complete justice” between the parties, i.e., where at times law or statute may not provide a remedy, the Court can extend itself to put a quietus to a dispute in a manner which would befit the facts of the case.

Article 142(1) states that “The Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it, and any decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made, in such manner as the President may by order prescribe”.

Plea against Gogoi’s nomination

A petition was recently filed in the Supreme Court conveying “widespread disquiet and unease”👀 triggered by the nomination of the former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha.

The petition sought the court’s intervention for extending the post-retirement restrictions imposed on the office of the Lokpal to former judges as well.

What is the demand by the petitioner?

The petition said former judges should be insulated from “post-retirement allurements” like the Lokpal, as faith in the judiciary will dry up.

What’s the issue here?

There is no law or constitutional provision that prohibits such a nomination. Nor is this an unprecedented decision by the government. Still, it is not a common practice that a government nominates or appoints a former Supreme Court judge or even a high court judge to some office within months of her or his retirement.

What are the exceptions currently in place to ensure independence of the judiciary?

Currently, the only bar imposed on a Judge of the Supreme Court who has retired is that he shall not thereafter plead or act in any Court or before any authority.

What has the Law Commission said in this regard?

14th report of the Law Commission of India considered the question of such nominations and appointments before forming a negative opinion.

The report said it is clearly undesirable that Supreme Court Judges should look forward to other Government employment after their retirement.

Explaining the reason for why Supreme Court judges should resist such offers from the government, the Law Commission report says, “The Government is a party in a large number of causes [cases] in the highest Court and the average citizen may well get the impression, that a judge who might look forward to being employed by the Government after his retirement, does not bring to bear on his work that detachment of outlook which is expected of a judge in cases in which Government is a party.”

Therefore, the practice has a tendency to affect the independence of the judges and should be discontinued.

Why Ranjan Gogoi should not have accepted this offer?

Within five months of his retirement as Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the government.

• Shortly before his retirement from the Supreme Court of India, he delivered several important verdicts with far-reaching political consequences that left the government pleased, including the Ayodhya judgment.
• Before that, Justice Gogoi dismissed a review of the Rafale fighter aircraft deal👀 without substantially dealing with the grounds on which the original judgment, negating an independent investigation, had been challenged.
• During his tenure, Justice Gogoi also presided over and pushed through the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam👀, an exercise that has excluded more than 19 lakh people from the final version of the citizenship register, and which has been widely criticised on several grounds.
• Then there was the Sabarimala temple review👀. A Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court held that excluding menstruating women from entering the temple was discriminatory, and therefore against “constitutional morality”.

What the 16-point code of conduct for judges says?

Also called the “Restatement of Values of Judicial Life” (adopted at a Chief Justices Conference in May 1997), the code lays the basis of how post-retirement conduct ought to be. For example if a judge after deciding politically sensitive cases involving particular political parties or politicians, soon after retirement seeks and gets a plum post such as a Rajya Sabha nomination by those very politicians or parties, it would obviously raise serious questions about his or her independence as a judge when he or she had decided those cases.

Can this appointment be seen as a way of ensuring cohesion between the judiciary and the legislature?

No. Because, he no longer represents the judiciary, and his contribution will be limited to the expertise and knowledge he can bring to debates in Parliament. Any attempt to create ‘cohesion’ between the two wings would necessarily encroach on the judiciary’s role as a restraining force on the executive and legislature.

Need of the hour:

There is a creeping worry that post-retirement jobs are a result of pre-retirement judgments. Above all, public confidence in the judiciary cannot be shaken through such appointments. The issue needs to be resolved convincingly.

Besides, ethics demand that no retired judge of the highest court accepts a post that will room to criticism and controversy.

Nominated member of the Rajya Sabha:

Under article 80 of the Constitution, the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) is composed of not more than 250 members, of whom 12 are nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service.

Contempt of Court

Background:

The court was hearing a contempt case in connection with a civil suit on partition of a disputed property in Delhi.

What is contempt under the Indian law?

In India, the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971👀, divides contempt into civil contempt and criminal contempt.

‘Civil contempt’ is a ‘wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other processes of a Court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to the court’.

‘Criminal contempt’ is ‘the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which:

• Scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court.
• Prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with the due course of any judicial proceeding.
• Interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner.’

Need:

Judiciary ensures justice and equality to every individual and institutions👀, therefore, the makers of the constitution upheld the sanctity and prestige of the revered institution by placing provisions under articles 129 and 215 of the constitution👀, which enables the courts to hold individuals in contempt if they attempt to demean or belittle their authority.

Is criticism allowed?

Yes.👀 The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, very clearly states that fair criticism of any case which has been heard and decided is not contempt.

Contempt of Courts (Amendment) Act, 2006:

The statute of 1971 has been amended by the Contempt of Courts (Amendment) Act, 2006 to include the defence of truth under Section 13 of the original legislation👀.

Section 13 that already served to restrict the powers of the court in that they were not to hold anyone in contempt unless it would substantially interfere with the due process of justice, the amendment further states that the court must permit ‘justification by truth as a valid defence if it is satisfied that it is in public interest and the request for invoking the said defence is bona fide.’

Constitutional Background:

Article 129: Grants Supreme Court the power to punish for contempt of itself.

Article 142(2): Enables the Supreme Court to investigate and punish any person for its contempt.

Article 215: Grants every High Court the power to punish for contempt of itself.

Defence Procurement Procedure 2020

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveils draft of Defence Procurement Procedure 2020.

It aims at further increasing indigenous manufacturing and reducing timelines for procurement of defence equipment.

Key highlights of the draft:

1. Indigenous Content (IC) stipulated in various categories of procurement has been increased by about 10% to support the ‘Make in India’ initiative👀.
2. Leasing has been introduced as a new category for acquisition in addition to existing ‘Buy’ & ‘Make’ categories to substitute huge initial capital outlays👀 with periodical rental payments. Here, the lessor can be both Indian as well as global.
3. New Category Buy (Global – Manufacture in India) has been introduced with minimum 50% indigenous content on cost basis of total contract value.
4. There is also long-term product support — which would be three to five years after the warranty period is over.
5. A “price variation clause” has been introduced that will be applicable to all cases where the total cost of contract is more than Rs 1,000 crore and the delivery schedule exceeds 60 months.

Background:

The first DPP was promulgated in 2002👀 and has since been revised a number of times to provide impetus to the growing domestic industry and achieve enhanced self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

What is DPP?

The Defence Procurement Procedure mainly contains processes that needs to be followed to streamline and simplify defence procurement procedures and ultimately achieve the objective of self reliance in meeting all the security needs of the Indian Armed Forces by promoting indigenous design, development and manufacture of Defence weapon systems and, platforms in a time-bound manner without any delays.

Tech For Tribals

TRIFED 👀Launches transformational “Tech For Tribals” program👀 in partnership with Institutes of National Importance (INIs) to develop Tribal entrepreneurship.

Key features of the program:

• Aim: To transform 5 crore Tribal Entrepreneurs.
• It is supported by Ministry of MSME👀
• It also aims at capacity building and imparting entrepreneurship skills to tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri VanDhan Yojana (PMVDY). 
• The trainees will undergo a 30 days program over six weeks comprising 120 sessions.
• The Partners will develop course contents relevant to Entrepreneurship in Value Addition and Processing of Forest Produces.
• The course curriculum will include Achievement Motivation and positive psychology, Entrepreneurial Competencies, Identification of locally available NTFP based Business Opportunities.

Significance of the program:

It will ensure higher success rate of the Tribal Entrepreneurs by enabling and empowering them to run their business with marketable products with quality certifications.

What are Van Dhan Kendras?

• TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs👀 is establishing 1,200 “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK)”, across 28 States engaging 3.6 Lakhs Tribal Forest Produce gatherers.
• One typical VDVK comprises of 15 Self Help Groups👀,each consisting of 20 Tribal gatherers.

About Van Dhan Vikas Kendras initiative:

• The initiative aims to promote MFPs-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans.
• It mainstreams the tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to MFP at grassroots level.
• Significance: Through this initiative, the share of tribals in the value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce is expected to rise from the present 20% to around 60%.

Implementation:

1. The scheme will be implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level.
2. At State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are envisaged to play a pivot role in scheme implementation at grassroot level.
3. Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.

Huntingtin Disease

Scientists have found that the pathogenic protein👀 called the Huntingtin Protein causes decrease in overall protein production.

What they have found?

• A team of scientists from National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune have observed that the pathogenic Huntingtin protein causes a decrease in the overall protein production in cells👀.
• They also found that the Huntingtin clumps collect together (sequester) molecules of another protein called Orb2👀 which is involved in the process of protein formation.

In simple terms, Scientists have found that in a diseased person the Huntingtin protein interfered with the protein production of the cells. This is how wrong instructions are sent, mainly due to faulty protein level. They also reduced the level of protein production of a normal cell.

What is Huntingtin Disease?

It is a progressive genetic disorder.

It affects the brain that causes uncontrolled movements, impaired coordination of balance and movement, a decline in cognitive abilities, difficulty in concentrating and memory lapses, mood swings and personality changes.

How is it caused?

• It is caused by a mutation in a gene called HTT👀. The HTT genes are involved in the production of a protein called huntingtin.
• They provide the instruction for making the protein. When the genes mutate, they provide faulty instructions leading to production of abnormal huntingtin proteins and these form into clumps.
• The clumps disrupt the normal functioning of the brain cells, which eventually leads to death of neurons in the brain, resulting in Huntington disease.

World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report 2020 has been released.

About World Happiness Report:

It is released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations by the UN General Assembly.

It is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.

 What’s special about the 2020 report?

This is the eighth World Happiness Report👀. The 2020 report for the first time ranks cities👀 around the world by their subjective well-being and digs more deeply into how the social, urban and natural environments combine to affect our happiness.

 How the countries are ranked?

• Nationally representative samples of respondents are asked to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0.
• In the reports, experts in fields including economics, psychology, survey analysis, and national statistics, describe how measurements of well-being can be used effectively to assess the progress of nations, and other topics.

Interconnections between law, governance and happiness: Why do these connections matter?

Happiness has come to be accepted as a goal of public policy. And this discourse has given a fillip to a new narrative where the interconnections between law, governance and happiness are being searched.

Experiences from several nations confirm that the countries with higher GDP and higher per capita income are not necessarily the happiest countries and there exists a link between the state of happiness and rule of law.

The WHRs, over the years, confirmed that people tend to have:

1. Poor mental health.
2. A low score of subjective well-being.
3. Poor perception about the governance and law and order, despite high income levels.

Performance of various countries:

1. Finland is the world’s happiest nation for the third year running.
2. Nordic states dominated the top 10, along with countries such as Switzerland, New Zealand and Austria.
3. India is at 👀144^th

Trump to host G7 meet via videoconference

President Donald Trump is scrapping this year’s G7 summit at Camp David near Washington due to the COVID_19 crisis and will instead hold the event by videoconference.

The United States heads the group of seven wealthy democracies in 2020 and Mr. Trump had been due to host fellow leaders at the presidential retreat known as Camp David in June.

The G7 summit is held by the presiding country each year.

What is G7 Summit?

• G7 Summit is an event conducted annually where world leaders from seven powerful economies of the world come together to discuss burning issues happening around the globe.
• They, by mutual understanding, also form policies or figure out remedies for the concerned issue.

What is G7?

The G7, originally G8, was set up in 1975 as an informal forum bringing together the leaders of the world’s leading industrial nations.

The summit gathers leaders from the European Union (EU) and the following countries:

1. Canada.
2. France.
3. Germany.
4. Italy.
5. Japan.
6. the United Kingdom.
7. the United States.

How did G7 become G8?

1. Russia was formally inducted as a member in the group in 1998, which led G7 to become G8.
2. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s condemnable act of moving Russian troops into eastern Ukrain and conquering Crimea in 2014👀 drew heavy criticism from the other G8 nations.
3. The other nations of the group decided to suspend Russia from the G8 as a consequence of its actions and the group became G7 again in 2014.

Significance:

G7 is capable of setting the global agenda because decisions taken by these major economic powers have a real impact. Thus, decisions taken at the G7 are not legally binding, but exert strong political influence.

What criticisms have been made of the G7?

1. G7 gatherings tend to attract thousands of protesters, and it is protested by thousands every year.
2. Many protesters claim the G7 – which has no representative from any African, Russian or Middle Eastern nation – is completely outdated.
3. Protest groups also use the worldwide platform as a stage to lobby and campaign on issues that are important to them.
4. G7 leaders are creating a wide gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ both in their countries as well as across the globe, according to a new report published by non-profit Oxfam International. As a result, they are making the fight against alleviating poverty more difficult, claimed the report.

Need of the hour:

1. Work towards implementing tax models for the rich individuals and corporations to pay their fair share of tax.
2. Consider how new and existing wealth taxes could be used as a tool to fight poverty and inequality.
3. Invest in healthcare and education and provide aid to developing countries.
4. Work towards limiting greenhouse gas emissions down to zero well before mid-century.

Technology Development Board

The proposal may include technologically innovative solutions like low-cost masks, cost-effective scanning devices, technologies for sanitization of large areas as well as for contactless entry, rapid diagnostic kits and oxygenators, and ventilators👀.

About Technology Development Board:

It is a statutory body👀 established by Technology Development Board Act, 1995.

Objective: To promote development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for much wider application. 

Roles and functions of the board:

1. Encourage enterprises to take up technology-oriented products.
2. Provide equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions.

Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA):

In order to stimulate private sector’s investment in R&D, TDB has established Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA).

It is a joint venture between Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and TDB with an equity contribution of 51:49 respectively.

The GITA will assist Department of Science & Technology (DST) in implementing industrial research and development programme with different countries under bilateral and multilateral science and technology cooperation agreements.

Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme

Key features:

1. The scheme provides for development of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities through Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs)👀
2. The Scheme would support setting up of both Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and Common Facility Centers (CFCs).

 Where can these clusters be setup?

1. An Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) would set up in geographical areas of certain minimum extent, preferably contiguous, where the focus is on development of basic infrastructure, amenities and other common facilities for the ESDM units.
2. For Common Facility Centre (CFC), there should be a significant number of existing ESDM units located in the area and the focus is on upgrading common technical infrastructure and providing common facilities for the ESDM units in such EMCs, Industrial Areas/Parks/industrial corridors.

 Benefits of the scheme:

1. Availability of ready infrastructure and Plug & Play facility for attracting investment in electronics sector.
2. New investment in electronics sector
3. Jobs created by the manufacturing units;
4. Revenue in the form of taxes paid by the manufacturing units 

Coronavirus: Stage by stage in a pandemic

What are the stages of a pandemic?

In the first stage of a disease epidemic that eventually takes the form of a pandemic sweeping the globe, cases are imported into a country in which the infection did not originate👀. An infection whose spread is contained within the boundaries of one or a few countries is obviously not a pandemic.

The second stage is when the virus starts being transmitted locally👀. Local transmission means that the source of the infection is from within a particular area and the trajectory the virus has taken from one person to the next is clearly established.

The third stage is that of community transmission👀.

What is community spread of the infection?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says community transmission “is evidenced by the inability to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases, or by increasing positive tests through sentinel samples (routine systematic testing of respiratory samples from established laboratories)”.

In the simplest terms, community spread is when you do not know the source of the infection👀 — you are unable to trace it back to someone who has travelled in an affected area overseas, or got it through contact with someone who is infected.

Why it is worrisome?

Community spread implies that the virus is now circulating in the community, and can infect people with no history — either of travel to affected areas, or of contact with the infected person.

In a situation of community transmission, it is theoretically possible for every person regardless of where they are from or whether they have been in contact, to spread the infection.

When can it be said that the virus is definitely in the stage of community spread?

There have to be several cases of untraced infection source to conclude definitively that the outbreak has moved to the next level.

What is the fourth stage?

It is when the disease becomes endemic in some countries. Among diseases that are currently endemic in India — meaning they occur round the year across the country — are malaria and dengue.

How does categorising an outbreak in this manner help?

The stages of a pandemic are uniform the world over.

This is so because in today’s interconnected world, it is important to have a standardised phraseology that conveys the same thing to every person around the world, and helps countries prepare better.

The categorisation helps countries take specific actions that are necessary to target just that particular scenario.

Worldwide, in which stage is the COVID-19 pandemic now?

The pandemic has spread to nearly every country on the planet. In most, though, it is in the stage of either imported cases or local transmission.

Among the countries where community transmission seems to be operating are China, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.

How should India be prepared now?

Isolation, and not indiscriminate testing, is the only way India can limit the spread of COVID-19. A lockdown is the most important step in breaking transmission of the infection.

Schemes to boost bulk drugs manufacture

The Union government has approved a package comprising the scheme on Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials/Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in the country.

Scheme on Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks:

• The scheme aims to promote medical device parks in the country in partnership with the states. 
• Under the scheme, an incentive of five per cent of incremental sales over the base year 2019-20 will be provided on the segments of identified medical devices.

Implementation of the Scheme:

1. The Scheme for Promotion of Medical Device Parks will be implemented by a State Implementing Agency (SIA)👀.
2. The PLI Scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing will be implemented by a Project Management Agency (PMA) to be nominated by the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

There are four categories of medical devices considered under the PLI Scheme:

1. Cancer care/Radiotherapy medical devices
2. Radiology & Imaging medical devices (both ionizing & non-ionizing   radiation products) and Nuclear Imaging Devices.
3. Anesthetics & Cardio-Respiratory medical devices including Catheters of Cardio Respiratory Category & Renal Care Medical Devices.
4. AII Implants including implantable electronic devices like Cochlear Implants and Pacemakers.

Significance of these schemes:

Lead to substantial reduction in import of target segments of medical devices.

Boost domestic manufacturing by attracting large investments in the medical device sector.

Extradition Treaty between India and Belgium

Salient features:

1. Obligation to Extradite: Each Party agrees to extradite to the other any person found in its territory, who is accused or convicted of an extraditable offence in the territory of the other Party.
2. Extraditable Offences: An extraditable offence means an offence punishable under the laws of both the Parties with imprisonment for a period of one year or more severe punishment.
3. Duration of sentence: Where extradition is sought in respect of a convicted person, the duration of the sentence remaining to be served must be at least six months👀 at the time of making the request.
4. Offences relating to taxation, or revenue or is one of a fiscal character also fall within the scope of this Treaty. 
5. Extradition of Nationals is discretionary. The nationality will be determined at the time the offence was committed.

Under the Treaty, extradition shall be refused if:

1. The offence involved is a political offence.  However, the Treaty specifies certain offences, which will not be considered as political offences.
2. The offence for which extradition is requested is a military offence
3. The request for prosecution has been made for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing the person on account of his race, sex, religion, nationality or political opinion.
4. The prosecution of enforcement of sentence has become time barred.

What is Extradition?

As defined by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, ‘Extradition is the delivery on the part of one State to another of those whom it is desired to deal with for crimes of which they have been accused or convicted and are justifiable in the Courts of the other State’.

When can it be initiated?

An Extradition request for an accused can be initiated in the case of under-investigation, under-trial and convicted criminals. In cases under investigation, abundant precautions have to be exercised by the law enforcement agency to ensure that it is in possession of prima facie evidence to sustain the allegation before the Courts of Law in the Foreign State.

What is the Legislative Basis for Extradition in India?

The Extradition Act 1962 provides India’s legislative basis for extradition. It consolidated the law relating to the extradition of criminal fugitive from India to foreign states. The Indian Extradition Act, 1962 was substantially modified in 1993 by Act 66 of 1993.

Who is the nodal authority for Extradition in India?

CPV Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India👀 is the Central/Nodal Authority that administers the Extradition Act and it processes incoming and outgoing Extradition Requests.

What is Section 188 IPC?

Why in News?

The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 lays down punishment as per Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860👀, for flouting orders issued by various state governments to contain the spread of COVID-19.

In the past, the Act has been routinely enforced across the country for dealing with outbreaks of diseases such as swine flu, dengue, and cholera. Its penal provisions are currently being invoked by states to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, What is Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code?

Section 188 relates to Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.

• It says violators can be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both;
• and if such disobedience causes or tends to cause danger to human life, health or safety, or causes or tends to cause a riot or affray, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

What happens if you violate the lockdown orders? 

Under Section 188, there two offences:

1. Disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, If such disobedience causes obstruction, ann oyance or injury to persons lawfully employed

      Punishment: Simple Imprisonment for 1 month or fine of Rs 200 or both

2. If such disobedience causes danger to human life, health or safety, etc.

Punishment: Simple Imprisonment for 6 months or fine of Rs 1000 or both

According to the First Schedule of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973, both offences are cognizable, bailable, and can be tried by any magistrate.

These are extraordinary times, but under what circumstances is Sec 188 IPC invoked normally?

To be punishable under S. 188, the order has to be for public purposes by public functionaries. An order made in a civil suit between two parties does not fall under this Section.

There must be evidence that the accused had knowledge of the order with the disobedience of which he is charged. Mere proof of a general notification promulgating the order does not satisfy the requirements of the section. Mere disobedience of the order does not constitute an offence in itself, it must be shown that the disobedience has or tends to a certain consequence.

World Tuberculosis Day 2020

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch👀 announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

The theme of World TB Day 2020 is “It’s TIME”👀.

What is TB?

• TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• It typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other sites.
• The disease is spread when people who are sick with pulmonary TB expel bacteria into the air, for example by coughing.
• Diagnostic tests for TB disease include – Rapid molecular test, Sputum smear microscopy, Culture-based methods
• Without treatment, the mortality rate from TB is high.

Some facts on TB:

1. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Each day, over 4000 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
2. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a joint initiative“Find. Treat. All. #EndTB” with the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership, with the aim of accelerating the TB response and ensuring access to care, in line with WHO’s overall drive towards Universal Health Coverage. 
3. WHO👀 has published a global TB report every year since 1997.

Initiatives in India:

1. TB treatment is free in India.
2. India aims to eliminate TB by 2025👀. UN aims to eliminate TB by 2030.
3. Mass BCG vaccination to prevent TB.
4. In 1993, the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was launched, offering free diagnosis and treatment for patients, rescuing them from otherwise sure death.
5. Rs 12,000 cr fund to fight TB over the next 3 years.
6. TB Harega Desh Jeetega campaign.

Finance Bill

Finance bill passed ahead of coronavirus lockdown.

What is a Finance Bill?

As per Article 110 of the Constitution of India, the Finance Bill is a Money Bill👀.

• The Finance Bill is a part of the Union Budget👀, stipulating all the legal amendments required for the changes in taxation proposed by the Finance Minister.
• This Bill encompasses all amendments required in various laws pertaining to tax, in accordance with the tax proposals made in the Union Budget.
• The Finance Bill, as a Money Bill, needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha👀— the lower house of the Parliament.
• Post the Lok Sabha’s approval, the Finance Bill becomes Finance Act.

 Difference between a Money Bill and the Finance Bill:

1. A Money Bill has to be introduced in the Lok Sabha as per Section 110 of the Constitution. Then, it is transmitted to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations. The Rajya Sabha has to return the Bill with recommendations in 14 days. However, the Lok Sabha can reject all or some of the recommendations.
2. In the case of a Finance Bill, Article 117👀 of the Constitution categorically lays down that a Bill pertaining to sub-clauses (a) to (f) of clause (1) shall not be introduced or moved except with the President’s recommendation👀. Also, a Bill that makes such provisions shall not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

Who decides the Bill is a Finance Bill?

The Speaker👀 of the Lok Sabha is authorised to decide whether the Bill is a Money Bill or not. Also, the Speaker’s decision shall be deemed to be final.

Why Finance Bill is needed?

The Union Budget proposes many tax changes for the upcoming financial year, even if not all of those proposed changes find a mention in the Finance Minister’s Budget speech. These proposed changes pertain to several existing laws dealing with various taxes in the country.

• The Finance Bill seeks to insert amendments into all those laws concerned, without having to bring out a separate amendment law for each of those Acts.
• For instance, a Union Budget’s proposed tax changes may require amending the various sections of the Income Tax law, Stamp Act, Money Laundering law, etc. The Finance Bill overrides and makes changes in the existing laws wherever required.

 National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

It is being implemented and steered jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

Implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru👀

Focus of the mission:

• The Mission envisages empowering national academic and R&D institutions spread over the country by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities.
• These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high speed network.
• The Mission includes development of highly professional High Performance Computing (HPC) aware human resource for meeting challenges of development of these applications.

Achievements:

The first supercomputer assembled indigenously, called Param Shivay👀, was installed in IIT (BHU) and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. Similar systems Param Shakti and Param Brahma👀 were installed at IIT-Kharagpur and IISER, Pune. They are equipped with applications from domains like Weather and Climate, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Bioinformatics, and Material science.

Significance:

1. World-wide supercomputing facilities have enabled countries in their S&T capabilities in areas such as designing vehicles, aeroplanes, massive structures like high rise buildings and bridges, infrastructure, discovery of new life saving drugs, discovery and extraction of new energy sources including oil, natural gas etc.
2. Over the years, supercomputers have benefitted mankind in several ways. Weather prediction has reached accuracy of forecast as well as real time tracking of natural phenomenon. Timely warning of cyclones in the recent past have saved many lives and property. The Mission aims to further such capabilities beyond current levels.

Parliamentary standing committees 

All meetings of parliamentary standing committees have been deferred indefinitely because of the lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.

What are the types of committees?

1. ‘Standing’committees: Their existence is uninterrupted and usually reconstituted on an annual basis. Some standing committees are departmentally related.
2. ‘Select’ committees formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a particular bill. Once the Bill is disposed of, that select committee ceases to exist.
3. Finance committees are considered to be particularly powerful. The three financial committees are the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings.

Powers:

Parliamentary committees draw their authority from Article 105 👀(on privileges of Parliament members) and Article 118👀 (on Parliament’s authority to make rules for regulating its procedure and conduct of business).

Significance:

Committee reports are usually exhaustive and provide authentic information on matters related to governance. Bills that are referred to committees are returned to the House with significant value addition. However, Parliament is not bound by the recommendations of committees👀.

Why have parliamentary committees?

1. Parliament is the embodiment of the people’s will. Committees are an instrument of Parliament for its own effective functioning. 
2. The smaller cohort of lawmakers, assembled on the basis of the proportional strength of individual parties and interests and expertise of individual lawmakers, could have more open, intensive and better-informed discussions.
3. Members of Parliament may have great acumen but they would require the assistance of experts in dealing with such situations. It is through committees that such expertise is drawn into lawmaking.
4. Executive accountability to the legislature is enforced through questions in Parliament also, which are answered by ministers. However, department standing committees go one step further and hear from senior officials of the government in a closed setting, allowing for more detailed discussions.
5. This mechanism also enables parliamentarians to understand the executive processes closely.

How can these committees be made more effective?

1. Parliamentary committees don’t have dedicated subject-wise research support available. The knowledge gap is partially bridged by expert testimony from government and other stakeholders. Their work could be made more effective if the committees had full-time, sector-specific research staff.
2. Currently, the rules of Parliament don’t require every bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny. While this allows the government greater flexibility and the ability to speed up legislative business, it comes at the cost of ineffective scrutiny by the highest law-making body. Mandatory scrutiny of all bills by parliamentary committees would ensure better planning of legislative business.

Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)

As a part of Government’s efforts to contain spread of COVID – 19, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)👀 has issued a circular granting one-time dispensation for utilizing funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to address the challenges in the fight against COVID-19.

• This will facilitate Members of Parliament to recommend funds for purchase of equipments for Government Hospitals / Dispensaries for medical testing and screening of patients and also facilitate in setting up other related facilities in their respective constituencies.

About MPLAD scheme:

What is it?

It was launched in December, 1993, to provide a mechanism for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs.

• The MPLADS is a Plan Scheme fully funded by Government of India👀. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.

Special focus:

• MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 per cent of the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
• In order to encourage trusts and societies for the betterment of tribal people, a ceiling of Rs. 75 lakh is stipulated for building assets by trusts and societies subject to conditions prescribed in the scheme guidelines.

Works under the scheme:

Works, developmental in nature, based on locally felt needs and always available for the use of the public at large, are eligible under the scheme. Preference under the scheme is given to works relating to national priorities, such as provision of drinking water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc.

Release of Funds:

• Funds are released in the form of grants in-aid directly to the district authorities.
• The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable👀
• The liability of funds not released in a particular year is carried forward to the subsequent years, subject to eligibility.

Execution of works:

The MPs have a recommendatory role under the scheme. They recommend their choice of works to the concerned district authorities who implement these works by following the established procedures of the concerned state government.

The district authority is empowered to examine the eligibility of works sanction funds and select the implementing agencies, prioritise works, supervise overall execution, and monitor the scheme at the ground level.

Recommendation of works:

1. The Lok Sabha Members can recommend works in their respective constituencies.
2. The elected members of the Rajya Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the state from which they are elected.
3. Nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select works for implementation anywhere in the country.

States asked to use cess fund to help construction workers

The union government has asked all states to dip into the  ₹52,000 crore Construction Cess fund to give financial and allied benefits to the construction workers through direct benefit transfer (DBT)👀.

• The central advise comes as Corona outbreak spreads and the country is facing an unprecedented lockdown hampering livelihood of millions of informal workers.
• The advisory comes under Section 60 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, 1996.
• The amount to be granted to construction workers may be decided by the respective state governments and Union territories.

What is a cess?

• A cess is levied on the tax payable and not on the taxable income👀. In a sense, for the taxpayer, it is equivalent to a surcharge on tax.
• A cess can be levied on both direct and indirect taxes. The revenue obtained from income tax, corporation tax, and indirect taxes can be allocated for various purposes.
• The proceeds of all taxes and cesses are credited in the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI), an account of the Government of India.

Difference between tax and cess?

Unlike a tax, a cess is levied to meet a specific purpose; its proceeds cannot be spent on any kind of government expenditure. While the tax proceeds are shared with the States and Union Territories according to the guidelines by the Finance Commission, the cess proceeds need not be shared with them.

Recent examples of cess are: infrastructure cess on motor vehicles, clean environment cess, Krishi Kalyan cess (for the improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers), and education cess.

Kurzarbeit scheme

Why in News? Amid the all-round disruption caused to the economy by the novel coronavirus outbreak, a concern across the world is the possibility of loss of jobs.

Germany’s Kurzabeit is being mentioned time and again in this context. Also, the German cabinet is planning to extend the benefit of short-time work allowance by the first half of April through legislation.

About Kurzarbeit:

Kurzarbeit is German for “short-work”.

The policy provides for a short-time work allowance👀, called kurzarbeitgeld👀, which partially compensates for lost earnings during uncertain economic situations.

The policy was rolled out during the 2008 economic crisis while its origins date back as far as the early 20th century, before and after World War I.

How it works?

1. The scheme aims to address workers who are impacted by loss of income due to shortened work hours during such times.
2. They can apply for short-term work benefits under the scheme, with the government stepping in to pay employees a part of their lost income.
3. This helps the companies retain their employees instead of laying them off, and allows the latter to sustain themselves for a period of up to 12 months.

Quantum of payment:

Payment under Kurzarbeit is calculated on the basis of net loss of earnings👀. As per Germany’s Federal Agency for Work, short-time employees generally receive about 60 per cent of the flat-rate net wage, In case there is at least one child in the house of the short-time worker, he/she receives 67 per cent of the flat-rate net wage.

Recapitalisation of RRBs

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for continuation of the process of recapitalization of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) by providing minimum regulatory capital to RRBs for another year beyond 2019-20👀, that is, up to 2020-21.

This is for those RRBs which are unable to maintain minimum Capital to Risk weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of 9%👀, as per the regulatory norms prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India.

Why this is necessary?

• A financially stronger and robust Regional Rural Banks with improved CRAR will enable them to meet the credit requirement in the rural areas.
• With the recapitalization support to augment CRAR, RRBs would be able to continue their lending to these categories of borrowers under their PSL target, and thus, continue to support rural livelihoods.

Background:

The recapitalisation process of RRBs was approved by the cabinet in 2011 based on the recommendations of a committee set up under the Chairmanship of K C Chakrabarty👀

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) identifies those RRBs, which require recapitalisation assistance to maintain the mandatory CRAR of 9% based on the CRAR position of RRBs, as on 31st March of every year.

What is Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR)?

The CRAR, also known as the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), is the ratio of a bank’s capital to its risk👀. It is a measure of the amount of a bank’s core capital expressed as a percentage of its risk-weighted asset.

It is decided by central banks and bank regulators to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.

Why CRAR was enforced?

The enforcement of regulated levels of this ratio is intended to protect depositors and promote stability and efficiency of financial systems around the world. It determines the bank’s capacity to meet the time liabilities and other risks such as credit risk, operational risk, etc.

The Basel III norms stipulated a capital to risk weighted assets of 8%.

However, as per RBI norms, Indian scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CRAR of 9%.

What are RRBs?

Regional Rural Banks were set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Narasimham Working Group (1975)👀, and after the legislation of the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976.

The first Regional Rural Bank “Prathama Grameen Bank”👀 was set up on 2nd October, 1975.

The equity of a regional rural bank is held by the Central Government, concerned State Government and the Sponsor Bank in the proportion of 50:15:35.

Bio fortified crops

Scientists of ARI, Pune develop biofortified, high protein wheat variety- MACS 4028👀.

• It is a semi-dwarf variety. It has shown the superior and stable yielding ability.
• It is resistant to stem rust, leaf rust, foliar aphids, root aphids, and brown wheat mite.

What is biofortification?

Biofortification is the process of increasing nutritional value of food crops by increasing the density of vitamins and minerals in a crop through either conventional plant breeding; agronomic practices or biotechnology. Examples of these vitamins and minerals that can be increased through biofortification include provitamin A Carotenoids, zinc and iron.

How are crops fortified?

Conventional crop breeding techniques are used to identify varieties with particularly high concentration of desired nutrients. These are cross-bred with varieties with other desirable traits from the target areas (such a virus resistance, drought tolerance, high yielding, taste) to develop biofortified varieties that have high levels of micronutrients (for example, vitamin A, iron or zinc), in addition to other traits desired by farmers and consumers.

Agronomic biofortification entails application of minerals such as zinc or iron as foliar or soil applications, drawing on plant management, soil factors, and plant characteristics to get enhanced content of key micronutrients into the edible portion of the plant.

Why biofortification?

Biofortification is one solution among many interventions that are needed to solve the complex problem of micronutrient malnutrition. It is considered one of the most cost-effective interventions for countries to employ in combating micronutrient malnutrition.

• Biofortification reaches rural consumers who have limited access to industrially fortified foods, supplementation interventions, and diverse diets.
• Biofortification combines increased micronutrient content with preferred agronomic, quality, and market traits and therefore biofortified varieties will typically match or outperform the usual varieties that farmers grow and consume.

How does Biofortification differ from food fortification? 

Biofortification has the increased nutritional micronutrient content imbedded in the crop being grown. Food fortification increases the nutritional value of foods by adding trace amounts of micronutrients to foods during processing.

G20 virtual summit

• The virtual summit will be led by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia👀, which is the current president of the economic grouping.
• For 2020, Spain, Jordan, Singapore and Switzerland👀 are the invited countries.

What is the G20?

The G20 is an annual meeting of leaders from the countries with the largest and fastest-growing economies. Its members account for 85% of the world’s GDP, and two-thirds of its population.

The G20 Summit is formally known as the “Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy”.

Establishment:

After the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-1998, it was acknowledged that the participation of major emerging market countries is needed on discussions on the international financial system, and G7 finance ministers agreed to establish the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in 1999.

Presidency:

1. The group has no permanent staff of its own, so every year in December, a G20 country from a rotating region takes on the presidency.
2. That country is then responsible for organising the next summit, as well as smaller meetings for the coming year.
3. They can also choose to invite non-member countries along as guests. The first G20 meeting took place in Berlin in 1999, after a financial crisis in East Asia affected many countries around the world.

Full membership of the G20:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

Its relevance in changing times:

• As globalization progresses and various issues become more intricately intertwined, the recent G20 summits have focused not only on macroeconomy and trade, but also on a wide range of global issues which have an immense impact on the global economy, such as development, climate change and energy, health, counter-terrorism, as well as migration and refugees.
• The G20 has sought to realize an inclusive and sustainable world through its contributions towards resolving these global issues.

What is G20+?

The G20 developing nations, also called G21/G23/G20+ is a bloc of developing nations which was established on August 20, 2003. It is distinct from the G20 major economies.

• The G20+ originated in September 2003 at the 5th ministerial conference of the WTO held at Cancun, Mexico👀.
• Its origins can be traced to the Brasilia Declaration signed by the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa on 6th June 2003.
• The declaration stated that the major economies were still practising protectionist policies especially in sectors they were less competitive in and that it was important to see to it that the trade negotiations that took place provided for the reversal of those policies.
• The G20+ is responsible for 60% of the world population, 26% of the world’s agricultural exports and 70% of its farmers.

 MSP for MFP

The Union government’s ‘mechanism for marketing of minor forest produce (MFP) through minimum support price (MSP) and development of value chain for MFP’ scheme can offer respite to forest-dependent labourers in the wake of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, according to experts.

What is this scheme all about?

The Union Cabinet, in 2013, approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for marketing of non-nationalized / non monopolized Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and development of a value chain for MFP through Minimum Support Price (MSP)👀.

• This was a measure towards social safety for MFP gatherers, who are primarily members of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) most of them in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) areas.
• The scheme had Rs. 967.28 crore as Central Government share and Rs. 249.50 crore as the States share for the current Plan period.

Key features of the scheme:

• Ensure that the tribal population gets a remunerative price for the produce they collect from the forest and provide alternative employment avenues to them.
• Establish a system to ensure fair monetary returns for forest dweller’s efforts in collection, primary processing, storage, packaging, transportation etc, while ensuring sustainability of the resource base.
• Get them a share of revenue from the sales proceeds with costs deducted.

Coverage:

Earlier, the scheme was extended only to Scheduled Areas in eight states and fixed MSPs for 12 MFPs. Later expanded to all states and UTs.

Total number of MFPs covered under the list include 49.

Implementation:

1. The responsibility of purchasing MFP on MSP will be with State designated agencies.
2. To ascertain market price, services of market correspondents would be availed by the designated agencies particularly for major markets trading in MFP.
3. The scheme supports primary value addition as well as provides for supply chain infrastructure like cold storage, warehouses etc.
4. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs👀 will be the nodal Ministry for implementation and monitoring of the scheme. The Minimum Support Price would be determined by the Ministry with technical help of TRIFED👀.

Significance of the scheme:

The Minor Forest Produce (MFP), also known as Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), is a major source of livelihood and provides essential food, nutrition, medicinal needs and cash income to a large number of STs who live in and around forests. An estimated 100 million forest dwellers depend on the Minor Forest Produce for food, shelter, medicines, cash income, etc.

However, MFP production is highly dispersed spatially because of the poor accessibility of these areas and competitive market not having evolved. Consequently, MFP gatherers who are mostly poor are unable to bargain for fair prices. This package of intervention can help in organizing unstructured MFP markets.

What is a Schedule H1 Drug?

This was done in exercise of its powers conferred by Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940).

• The move is aimed at stopping misuse of the drug which has now been allowed by the government for prophylactic use in high risk contacts of Covid-19 patients and healthcare workers treating such patients.

 Implications of this classification:

• It restricts its sale only based on prescription👀.
• The sale of the drug from now on should be in accordance with the conditions for sale of drugs as specified in Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
  This would mean that any preparation containing the said drug will have a warning label of ‘only prescription sale’ and against self-medication.
• Additionally, chemists would need to maintain records for name and address of the prescriber, the name of the patient, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied and such records shall be maintained for three years and be open for inspection.

What are Schedule H1 Drugs?

The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, are the set of rules under The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940👀, which has provisions for classification of drugs into different schedules and also guidelines for storage, sale, display.

Schedule H1 has been introduced through Gazette notification GSR 588 (E) dated 30-08-2013 to check the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, anti-TB and some other drugs in the country👀.

The schedule contains certain 3rd and 4th generation antibiotics, certain habit forming drugs and anti-TB drugs.

 As per government notification, these drugs are required to be sold in the country with the following conditions:

1. The supply of a drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be recorded in a separate register at the time of the supply giving the name and address of the prescriber, the name of the patient, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied and such records shall be maintained for three years and be open for inspection.
2. The drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be labelled with the symbol Rx which shall be in red and conspicuously displayed on the left top corner👀 of the label, and shall also be labelled with the following words in a box with a red border:

RBI’s COVID-19 Economic Relief Package

Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has come out with its own measures to help deal with economic fall out of COVID-19 pandemic.

This was the first time that the MPC met outside its bi-monthly meeting calendar👀.

Four steps taken by the RBI:

1. Increase the liquidity in the system.
2. Make sure the lower policy rate is transmitted. Steps one and two are linked.
3. Give a three-month window for a payback on all term loans.
4. Take steps to reduce volatility and provide stability.

Measures announced and their impact:

1. Cut in repo rate:

A big cut in the repo rate by 75 basis points (100 basis points make a per cent, so three-quarters of a percentage point) to 4.4%.

A low repo rate has the overall effect of reducing interest rates for the system. Lower rates make it easier for entrepreneurs to take loans for working capital and for households for homes, vehicles and so on.

2. Cut in reverse repo rate:

The ratio has been cut by 90 bps to 4%👀.

This is the rate at which banks lend to the RBI👀.

A reduction of the reverse repo to 4% makes it unattractive to banks to park it with the RBI and banks will be nudged to lend.

3. Moratorium on Repayments of Loans:

RBI has also allowed banks to defer payment of Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs) on home, car, personal loans as well as credit card dues for three months till May 31.

The RBI also allowed lending institutions, banks to defer interest on working capital repayments by 3 months — a move aimed at addressing the distress among firms as production is down.

For banks and lending institutions, this will affect their cash flows as they may not be getting repayments for three months. But the RBI has reduced their cash reserve ratio (CRR) requirements, providing them additional liquidity.

4. Cut in Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR):

The RBI reduced the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by a full percentage point down to 3% for a year. The CRR is the percentage of demand and time deposits banks have to keep with the RBI.

RBI has reduced the CRR to 3%, freeing up ₹1.37 trillion for banks to lend👀. CRR has been chosen rather than SLR because this increases ‘primary liquidity’ with the banks a bit better.

5. Targeted long-term repo operations:

RBI will lend money to banks (a total of ₹1 trillion) that can be invested in bonds and other forms of lending instruments.

TLTRO will provide financing to credit institutions.

6. Marginal standing facility (MSF):

₹1.37 trillion will be made available under the emergency lending window👀 called the marginal standing facility (MSF).

Banks will now be able to borrow 3% of their deposits under this window, up from the current 2%. Basically, RBI is willing to lend more than before.

Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF)

The Vice President of India and the Chairman Rajya Sabha, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has contributed a sum equivalent to a month’s salary to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to strengthen the government’s efforts in combating COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

What is PMNRF? When was it setup?

In pursuance of an appeal by the then Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in January, 1948, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established with public contributions to assist displaced persons from Pakistan👀.

• The resources of the PMNRF are now utilized primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc. and to the victims of the major accidents and riots.
• Assistance from PMNRF is also rendered, to partially defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgeries, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment, etc.

Key features:

1. Disbursements are made with the approval of the Prime Minister.
2. PMNRF has not been constituted by the Parliament👀.
3. The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
4. PMNRF is exempt under Income Tax Act.
5. Prime Minister is the Chairman of PMNRF👀 and is assisted by Officers/ Staff on honorary basis.
6. These contributions also qualify as CSR (corporate social responsibility) spend for companies, making it more attractive in terms of tax exemptions.

How are the surplus funds of PMNRF deployed?

In general, funds are either disbursed immediately or they are committed for specific purposes.The balance of the funds invested in various forms with scheduled commercial banks and other agencies to ensure long term sustainability.

Type of contributions accepted in PMNRF:

1. PMNRF accepts only voluntary donations by individuals and institutions.
2. Contributions flowing out of budgetary sources of Government or from the balance sheets of the public sector undertakings are not accepted.
3. At the time of natural calamity of devastating scale, Prime Minister, makes an appeal for donation to the fund.

What’s in the US’s historic $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package?

The US Senate has unanimously approved a $2.2 trillion economic package to contain the damage caused to the country’s economy due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

• The package is the largest of its kind in modern American history👀.It is far bigger than the $800 billion assistance provided in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
• The package intends to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and provide direct payments and jobless benefits for individuals, money for states and a huge bailout fund for businesses.

Background:

Since the outbreak, this is the third occasion when US lawmakers have taken measures to address the economic fallout. On March 6, US President Donald Trump approved an $8.3 billion emergency package that provided free testing for the virus, paid leave, and support for families affected by the pandemic.

Significance and expected outcomes:

• The deal aims at sustaining businesses and workers that have been losing income, as well as enabling the economy to recover once the quarantine orders are lifted.
• The support for companies is aimed towards ensuring that they keep paying wages to their employees through the crisis, despite losing business activity. The deal also provides increased support for workers who have been fired or who have had their remuneration reduced.
• The companies benefitting from the stimulus package will not be able to buy back outstanding stock, and have to maintain employment levels as of March 13, 2020, as far as possible.

South Korean model to control COVID 19 spread

The Korean Model, a vigorous regime of “trace, test, treat”👀, has shown remarkable results in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus, without putting a nationwide lockdown in place👀.

How is the situation in Korea?

Korea is now in full control of the spread of the disease. The number of new confirmed cases per day has been showing steady decline since hitting a peak at 989 in February to double-digit figures as of mid-March.

Korea might be the only country that hasn’t imposed a lockdown within its territories or even of its international borders👀.

How has this been possible? What is the ‘Korean model’?

It is grounded on concentrated testing of high-risk areas and clusters.

• Korea found out at the beginning of the spread of the virus that a certain religious cult and its gathering was the cause of a large portion of the spread in a certain area of the country. This group had massive gatherings in a closed-off space.
• The government listed all members of the group across the country, tracked their whereabouts and conducted tests on a massive scale, leading to the rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases.
• However, Korea succeeded in identifying and isolating potential cases at a very early stage and finally flattened the curve.

Other best practices followed by Korea:

The moment the virus DNA pattern was confirmed in Wuhan, Korean medical teams and bio-companies were able to develop new testing kits with surprising speed. This made it possible for Korea to conduct mass-scale testing of 18,000 cases a day.

Anybody in Korea who has symptoms or reasons to be tested can get the test within minutes at ‘drive-thru’ or ‘walk-thru’ testing centres and receive the result by text message the very next day. Korea made available over 650 testing centres nationwide.

Is it possible for India to replicate this model?

Given India’s demography and medical infrastructure, lockdowns are necessary. However, openness and transparency is important to tackling this situation, and identifying and isolating the core of the spread of the virus with full medical capacity at the earliest possible stage is key. This is the essence of the ‘Korean model’.

District mineral foundation (DMF) funds

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said state governments should use district mineral foundation (DMF) funds for response and preparedness to fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

DMF funds may be used to supplement and augment healthcare facilities, screening and testing requirements and any other resources that might be required.

About DMFs:

DMFs were instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act 2015.

They are non-profit trusts to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations.

Objective: To work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.

Jurisdiction: Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.

The fund is collected at the district level👀. There are certain high-priority areas identified in all states’ DMF rules, where at least 60 per cent of the fund must be used. These include vital and pressing concerns, including healthcare.

The various state DMF rules and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Khestra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) guidelines stipulate some “high priority” issues for DMFs, including:

1. Drinking water.
2. Health
3. Women and child welfare.
4. Education
5. Livelihood and skill development.
6. Welfare of aged and disabled.
7. Sanitation

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY):

The programme is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

Objectives of the scheme:

1. To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government.
2. To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts.
3. To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.

Manipur MLA Shyamkumar disqualified for defection

What is the issue?

Shyamkumar had joined the BJP shortly after being voted to power on a Congress ticket during the 2017 Assembly polls.

This was clearly in violation of the provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India.

What is the anti-defection law?

The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act👀.

• It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer👀 of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.
• The decision on question as to disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, and his decision is final.

The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

Disqualification:

If a member of a house belonging to a political party:

1. Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or
2. Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.
3. If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.
4. If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.

Exceptions under the law:

Legislators may change their party without the risk of disqualification in certain circumstances.

• The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of its legislators are in favour of the merger.
• In such a scenario, neither the members who decide to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.

Decision of the Presiding Officer is subject to judicial review:

The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1992, thereby allowing appeals against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court. However, it held that there may not be any judicial intervention until the Presiding Officer gives his order.

Advantages of anti-defection law:

1. Provides stability to the government by preventing shifts of party allegiance.
2. Ensures that candidates remain loyal to the party as well the citizens voting for him.
3. Promotes party discipline.
4. Facilitates merger of political parties without attracting the provisions of Anti-defection
5. Expected to reduce corruption at the political level.
6. Provides for punitive measures against a member who defects from one party to another.

Various Recommendations to overcome the challenges posed by the law:

1. Dinesh Goswami Committee on electoral reforms👀:Disqualification should be limited to following cases: A member voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party A member abstains from voting, or votes contrary to the party whip in a motion of vote of confidence or motion of no-confidence. Political parties could issue whips only when the government was in danger.

2. Law Commission (170th Report)

Provisions which exempt splits and mergers from disqualification to be deleted. Pre-poll electoral fronts should be treated as political parties under anti-defection Political parties should limit issuance of whips to instances only when the government is in danger.

3. Election Commission:

Decisions under the Tenth Schedule should be made by the President/ Governor on the binding advice of the Election Commission.

Why has Kerala sought a relaxation of FRBM rules?

Context: To help fund the emergency relief package, Kerala proposes to borrow as much as ₹12,500 crore from the market in April itself and therefore the Chief Minister has urged the Centre to provide Kerala with flexibility under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act so as to ensure that the State’s finances are not adversely impacted in the rest of the financial year starting on April 1.

Background:

Kerala was one of the earliest States to announce an economic package of ₹20,000 crore to mitigate the impact on livelihoods and overall economic activity from the sweeping steps taken to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, including the latest 21-day nationwide lockdown.

How does a relaxation of the FRBM work?

The law does contain what is commonly referred to as an ‘escape clause’👀.

Under Section 4(2) of the Act, the Centre can exceed the annual fiscal deficit target citing grounds that include national security, war, national calamity, collapse of agriculture, structural reforms and decline in real output growth of a quarter by at least three percentage points below the average of the previous four quarters.

What is the FRBM Act?

The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM Act), 2003, establishes financial discipline to reduce fiscal deficit.

What are the objectives of the FRBM Act?

1. The FRBM Act aims to introduce transparency in India’s fiscal management systems.
2. The Act’s long-term objective is for India to achieve fiscal stability and to give the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) flexibility to deal with inflation in India.
3. The Act was enacted to introduce more equitable distribution of India’s debt over the years.

Key features of the FRBM Act:

The FRBM Act made it mandatory for the government to place the following along with the Union Budget documents in Parliament annually:

1. Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement.
2. Macroeconomic Framework Statement.
3. Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement.

The FRBM Act proposed that revenue deficit, fiscal deficit, tax revenue and the total outstanding liabilities be projected as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in the medium-term fiscal policy statement.

Amendments:

The Act has been amended several times.

In 2013, the government introduced a change and introduced the concept of effective revenue deficit👀. This implies that effective revenue deficit would be equal to revenue deficit minus grants to states for the creation of capital assets.

In 2016, a committee under N K Singh👀 was set up to suggest changes to the Act. According to the government, the targets set under FRBM Act previously were too rigid.

N K Singh Committee’s recommendations were as follows:

Targets: The committee suggested using debt as the primary target for fiscal policy and that the target must be achieved by 2023.

Fiscal Council: The committee proposed to create an autonomous Fiscal Council with a chairperson and two members appointed by the Centre (not employees of the government at the time of appointment).

Deviations: The committee suggested that the grounds for the government to deviate from the FRBM Act targets should be clearly specified

Borrowings: According to the suggestions of the committee, the government must not borrow from the RBI, except when:

1. The Centre has to meet a temporary shortfall in receipts.
2. RBI subscribes to government securities to finance any deviations.
3. RBI purchases government securities from the secondary market.

Business Immunity Platform

About Business Immunity Platform:

1. The platform is designed as a comprehensive resource to help businesses and investors get real-time updates on India’s active response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
2. This dynamic and constantly updating platform keeps a regular track on developments with respect to the virus, provides latest information on various central and state government initiatives, gives access to special provisions, and answers and resolves queries through emails and on WhatsApp.
3. It is the active platform for business issue redressal, operating 24/7, with a team of dedicated sector experts and responding to queries at the earliest.

What is Invest India?

• Invest India is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India👀, set up as a non-profit venture under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
• It facilitates and empowers all investors under the ‘Make in India’ initiative to establish, operate and expand their businesses in India👀.
• Operationalized in early 2010, Invest India is set up as a joint venture company between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) (now renamed as Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)), Ministry of Commerce & Industry (35% equity), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) (51% equity), and State Governments of India (0.5% each).

National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC)

• The project CoNTeC, an acronym for COVID-19 National Teleconsultation Centre, has been conceptualised by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and has been implemented by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

How it works?

• The CoNTeC is a Telemedicine Hub established by AIIMS, New Delhi, wherein expert doctors from various clinical domains will be available 24×7 to answer the multifaceted questionsfrom specialists from all over the country👀.
• It is a multi-modal telecommunications hub through which 2-way audio-video and text communications can be undertaken from any part of the country as well as the world at large.
• The modes of communication will include simple mobile telephony as well as two way video communications, using WhatsApp, Skype and Google Duo👀.

How to Contact the CoNTeC?

A single mobile number (+91 9115444155) can be dialled from anywhere in the coutnry/world by COVID-19 treating doctors to reach the CoNTeC which has six lines that can be used simultaneously at present👀.

Convalescent plasma therapy

As the proportion of patients infected with COVID-19 continues to rise in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is facilitating access to COVID-19 convalescent plasma for use in patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections.

Why was this necessary?

While clinical trials are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of administering convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19, the FDA is granting clinicians permission for use of investigational convalescent plasma under single-patient emergency Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs), since no known cure exists and a vaccine is more than 1 year away from becoming available.

What is Convalescent plasma therapy? How it works?

It seeks to make use of the antibodies developed in the recovered patient against the coronavirus.

The whole blood or plasma from such people is taken, and the plasma is then injected in critically ill patients so that the antibodies are transferred and boost their fight against the virus.

WHO guidelines in this regard:

WHO guidelines in 2014 mandate a donor’s permission before extracting plasma. Plasma from only recovered patients must be taken, and donation must be done from people not infected with HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, or any infectious disease. If whole blood is collected, the plasma is separated by sedimentation or centrifugation, then injected in the patient. If plasma needs to be collected again from the same person, it must be done after 12 weeks of the first donation for males and 16 weeks for females, the WHO guidelines state.

Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020 and revised LLP Settlement Scheme, 2020

Ministry of Corporate Affairs introduces the “Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020” and revised the “LLP Settlement Scheme, 2020” to provide relief to law abiding companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) in the wake of COVID 19.

What do these schemes entail?

1. These schemes incentivise compliance and reduce compliance burden during the unprecedented public health situation caused by COVID-19.
2. The schemes provide a one-time waiver of additional filing fees for delayed filings by the companies or LLPs with the Registrar of Companies during the currency of the Schemes, i.e. during the period starting from 1stApril, 2020 and ending on 30th September, 2020.
3. They also significantly reduce the related financial burden on them, especially for those with long standing defaults, thereby giving them an opportunity to make a “fresh start”.
4. Both the Schemes also contain provision for giving immunity from penal proceedings, including against imposition of penalties for late submissions.
5. They also provide additional time for filing appeals before the concerned Regional Directors against imposition of penalties, if already imposed.

What is a LLP?

A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners have limited liability. It therefore exhibits elements of partnerships and corporations.

In an LLP, one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner’s misconduct or negligence.

Salient features of an LLP:
An LLP is a body corporate and legal entity separate from its partners. It has perpetual succession.
Being the separate legislation (i.e. LLP Act, 2008), the provisions of Indian Partnership Act, 1932 are not applicable to an LLP and it is regulated by the contractual agreement between the partners.
Every Limited Liability Partnership shall use the words “Limited Liability Partnership” or its acronym “LLP” as the last words of its name.

 Composition:

• Every LLP shall have at least two designated partners being individuals, at least one of them being resident in India and all the partners shall be the agent of the Limited Liability Partnership but not of other partners.

 Need for and significance LLP:
LLP format is an alternative corporate business vehicle that provides the benefits of limited liability of a company but allows its members the flexibility of organizing their internal management on the basis of a mutually arrived agreement, as is the case in a partnership firm.
This format would be quite useful for small and medium enterprises in general and for the enterprises in services sector in particular.

• Internationally, LLPs are the preferred vehicle of business particularly for service industry or for activities involving professionals.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)

While the causes of AES are still researched, the association with hypoglycaemia and litchi fruit has drawn attention.

About AES:

• Acute encephalitis syndrome is a basket term used for referring to hospitals, children with clinical neurological manifestation that includes mental confusion, disorientation, convulsion, delirium, or coma.
• Meningitis caused by virus or bacteria, encephalitis (mostly Japanese encephalitis) caused by virus, encephalopathy, cerebral malaria, and scrub typhus caused by bacteria are collectively called acute encephalitis syndrome.
• The disease most commonly affects children and young adults and can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality.

Symptoms:

It is characterized as acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new-onset of seizures in a person of any age at any time of the year.

Cause of the disease:

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is considered a very complex disease as it can be caused by various agents including bacteria, fungi, virus and many other agents.

Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins and non-infectious agents have also been reported over the past few decades.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India (ranging from 5%-35%)👀.

Nipah virus, Zika virus are also found as causative agents for AES.

How is it related to litchi fruits? How it affects?

In India, AES outbreaks in north and eastern India have been linked to children eating unripe litchi fruit on empty stomachs👀.

Unripe fruit contain the toxins hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG)👀, which cause vomiting if ingested in large quantities. Hypoglycin A is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the unripened litchi that causes severe vomiting (Jamaican vomiting sickness), while MCPG is a poisonous compound found in litchi seeds👀.

 Why it affects undernourished children?

• Blood glucose falls sharply causing severe brain malfunction (encephalopathy), leading to seizures and coma, and death in many cases.
• This is because under-nourished children lack sufficient glucose reserve in the form of glycogen and the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate source is blocked midway leading to low blood sugar level.
• This causes serious brain function derangement and seizures.

Measures needed:

1. Increase access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.
2. Improve nutritional status of children at risk of JE/AES.
3. Preparative measures to be in place before the possible outbreaks.
4. Vector control.
5. Better awareness generation among children, parents through Anganwadi workers, ANMs etc.

 What is the ‘rapid test’?

To tackle suspicions of whether the novel coronavirus has spread into the community and if not prevent such a scenario, the Kerala government has announced ‘rapid tests’ that will ensure speedy results within half an hour.

What is the ‘rapid test’ for Coronavirus?

A rapid test is conducted to determine whether there has been any kind of recent viral infection in a person’s body👀.

• When a pathogen enters a human body, specific antibodies are released as a response to the virus.
• A rapid test can detect the presence of such antibodies in blood, serum or plasma samples quickly, indicating a viral infection. Rapid testing is conducted usually to check for community transmission of a virus during an epidemic.
• According to the health department, it is a simple test that can be done with a person’s blood sample and will give out results within 10-30 minutes. It is also a low-cost test.

What does Kerala’s health department plan to do?

• Rapid tests can be used to conduct screening within the community and identify those with suspected infection, put them under observation and if required, subject them to the PCR test for coronavirus confirmation.
• Kerala plans to acquire as many rapid antibody kits as possible from ICMR-NiV and begin to use them, especially on those under quarantine in areas like Kasaragod district which has reported 80 of the 181 active cases. The situation in Kasaragod is critical than in other districts and has been met with stricter lockdown measures by the administration.

NIDHI program

 A new technology has been adopted by the Maharashtra hospitals in the fight of COVID-19 fight. The technology was developed by a Pune based Start Up.

• The product is named “Scitech Airon”👀. It is a Negative Ion Generator👀.
• The technology has been developed under the NIDHI PRAYAS program👀 initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)👀.