INTERVIEW MATERIAL FOR

PERSONALITY TESTCSE 2020

Academy for Civil Services Pvt. Ltd.

IAS YAN

Comprehensive coverage from all relevant sources such as The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, AIR, RSTV, Livemint etc.News and events have been segregated and clubbed category-wise for better understanding and revision.Important points and keywords are highlighted for quick revision.Maps of important regions Curated by Experts.Important terms are explained well so that student don’t face any difficulty.Stay tuned for one stop solution for all the current affairs for upcoming CSE Interview 2020

Vol 2

Dear students,

First of all, Heartiest Congratulations to all the UPSC CSE Mains 2020 successful candidates!!

About 2047 candidates out of the 10,500 candidates who had written the Main exam have qualified for the Personality test that will be held in April 2021. The maximum marks for interview are 275. A score over 200 is considered a high score.

UPSC Interview is a test of candidate's overall personality (analytical ability, lateral thinking, logical decision making)and his personal suitability for a career in public service by a board of competent and unbiased observers. Interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural, though directed and purposive conversation, which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.

In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only his/her intellectual qualities but also social traits and his/her interest in current affairs.

Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical Exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.

The range of questions will include questions on hobby and their practical application, why he/she wishes to join the civil services, candidate's opinion on current/historic issues, knowledge about candidate's education, optional subject, issues of the state candidate belongs to, international relations, current affairs etc. They may also provide situation-based question and seek the candidates' opinion/response on the same.

In its endeavor to be your guiding light till you reach your destination of CSE 2020, we bring to you Interview Materials 2020: high-quality revolutionized learning modules that have been rigorously designed to ensure that you ace the interview.

Volume 1:

Polity

Geography

International Relations

Economy

Economic Survey and Budget

Volume 2:

Science and Technology

Social Issues and Social Justice

Environment

Art and Culture

We, at Apti Plus, are leaving no stone unturned to help the students counter the challenges put forward by UPSC. We hope that the modules will be to the liking of students.

Thanks

Best Wishes

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FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

INTERVIEW GUIDANCE PROGRAM

Ensure your dream selection with APTI PLUS Academy's

Learn to score 200+ marks with APTI PLUS Academy's Mock Interviews in an ambiance which is akin to the actual UPSC interview

Why APTI PLUS ACADEMY is considered as a leading institute for CSE interview preparation?

APTI PLUS ACADEMY provides Interview Guidance Program for Free.

APTI PLUS Academy conducts mock interviews in an ambiance which is akin to the actual UPSC interview, where the esteemed panel members consisting of senior retired bureaucrats, personality experts and eminent professors assess the aspirants critically on grounds of personality, general knowledge and ethical standards.

The panel guides the aspirants on the major shortcomings and suggests ways to overcome them.

Post interview performance analysis is conducted by the panel members.

The recorded videos of the Interview sessions are provided to the aspirants for self-evaluation and analysis of performance.

Based on the performance of the Mock Interviews valuable suggestions and a thorough feedback is provided to the aspirants by the panel members.

Video recordings of mock interviews of successful aspirants are made available on various social media platform.

The academy also posts interview transcripts of various successful candidates on its blog.

Further, webinar sessions of successful candidates who scored good marks in interview are regularly organised to mentor the budding aspirants and clear their doubts.

Free DAF analysis and free interview material are also provided. To get questionnaire on DAF send DAF to info@aptiplus.in

Mock Interview Programme 2020

How To Prepare For UPSC CSE 2020 Interview?

It is a 20 to 40 minutes exercise which can make a 100 marks difference in the final total marks and can make an aspirant enter the final merit list or can lead to an end of the journey even if one has scored very well in the mains exam. Thus the interview process can give the aspirants an unassailable lead.

Remember that it takes time to polish one's personality.Aspirants need to know of their strengths, weaknesses, traits.Aspirants need to develop a positive attitude.

Candidates should be fully aware of each and every word that is mentioned in their Detailed Application Form which includes:1. Hobbies2. Education3. Service related Preferences4. District, State5. Meaning of name6. Parents related questions etc.Have a diverse understanding of the topics by reading multiple newspapers:1. The Hindu2. Times of India3. Indian ExpressRevise the optional subjectBe thorough with the current affairs.Take multiple mock interviews.The best exercise for interview preparation are:Ÿ Stand in front of mirror and speak.Ÿ Record yourself.

Prerequisites

Preparation phase

INTERVIEW GUIDANCE PROGRAM

Ÿ Every answer should be a balanced answer. Candidate should refrain from making extreme statements.

Ÿ Emotional Intelligence matters: Be calm and portray moral integrity. Never bluff in the answers.Ÿ Maintain a positive body language.Ÿ Dress neatly.Ÿ Another very important thing is to be honest in the answers. Honest and truthful answers will

make one do wonders in the interview rather than ideal or readymade answers.Ÿ Communicate well: one should portray clarity of thought, understanding while speaking.Ÿ Be to the point: Answers should be concise and precise.Ÿ Every answer that a candidate gives should be based on logic, rationality and not bounded by

emotions and likewise factors.

During the interview:

How helpful has been the Apti Plus Interview Materials and DAF Questionnaire for successful candidates?

Since interview preparation is one of the most coolest phase of UPSC, it may turn out to be directionless. APTIPLUS questionnaire helped in this phase. The current affairs and the questions prepared by the APTIPLUS team were very specific and elaborate. They covered most of the questions from my DAF. I had to maintain a separate notebook for their answers and then prepare them.Also I discussed some of my doubts with founder sir.“I had given mock interviews with APTIPLUS twice in two years. The board members were very experienced and asked questions from diverse areas and that helped me remove my fear and hesitation.

Actually, APTI PLUS Academy was the first Institute to send me the study materials.. And I am really thankful to you. It's a very good team and a very prompt team. I really didn't know what to study at that point of time.. And the materials you sent really helped me a lot. I also went through the study materials in the IASGYAN website. It's really very good. So yeah, thanks a lot.

Ankit Shankar Mishra, AIR 294 civil services examination 2019

Medha Anand, AIR 311 civil services examination 2019

I had gone through Apti Plus Interview materials before my interview to get overview of topics which may be asked in the interview. Also, many questions were directly asked in interview from DAF Questionnaire sent to me by APTI PLUS due to which I could answer well. I wish APTI PLUS ACADEMY keeps guiding future aspirants and contribute to nation building in this way.

Venkatraman Kavadikeri, AIR 363civil services examination 2019

ART & CULTURE

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ART & CULTURE

Content

Religion, Philosophy & Literature 2

Festivals 2

Architecture & Sculpture 3

Painting& Toys 5

Personalities 8

Miscellaneous 11

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RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY & LITERATURE

Mongolian Kanjur Why in news? The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108

volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for

Manuscript, NMM.

Mongolian Kanjur, is considered to be the most important Buddhist

religious text in Mongolia.

In the Mongolian language, ‗Kanjur‘ means ‗Concise Orders‘- the

words of Lord Buddha.

The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in February

2003 by the Government of India with the mandate of documenting,

conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts.

Bon Bibi Context Bonbibi, the lady of the forest, is a guardian spirit of the forests venerated by both the Hindu and the

Muslim residents of the Sundarbans - spread across West Bengal and Bangladesh.

She is called upon mostly by the honey-collectors and the woodcutters before entering the forest for

protection against the attacks from the tigers.

People express their belief in Bon Bibi through Bon Bibi‘r Palagaan – a dramatic storytelling form that is

enacted throughout the island.

The Bon Bibi faith is a check onhuman greed and acquisition.

An unwritten code prohibits islanders from carrying guns or weapons into the forest.

They must enter the forest only if they absolutely need to earn a livelihood and not take more honey or crabs,

fish or prawns than they need.

According to local lore, poachers, pirates and those who disobey Bon Bibi are attacked by tigers as

punishment.

FESTIVALS

Parshuyan Parva Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wished Jains on the last day of ‗Paryushan Parva‘.

Paryushan Parva is a major Jain festival that lasts seven days, culminating in ‗Samvatsari Parvi‘ (Forgiveness

Day)

On this day, Jains greet each other with ―Michhami Dukkadam‖ and observe a day-long fast.

‗Michhami Dukkadam‘ is an ancient phrase from Prakrit language, which is uttered by one seeking

forgiveness for any ill-will or bad deeds and offering a renewal of relationship.

Digambaras refer the event as Das Lakshana Dharma while Śvētāmbaras refer to it as Paryushana ("abiding"

or "coming together").

Thumbimahotsav 2020 It is the first ever Dragon Fly Festival of Kerala. It is a part of National DragonFly Festival organised by WWF

India, Bombay Natural History Society & Indian Dragon Fly Society in collaboration with National

Biodiversity Board, UNEP, UNDP & IUCN.

DragonFly Festival started in 2018 to educate people about role of dragonflies in our ecosystem.

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Prakash Pura Utsav Prime Minister Modi greeted the people on the occasion of the Parkash Purab Utsav of the holy book Guru

Granth Sahib (19th August 2020).

The first Prakash Purab Utsav marked the installation of Guru Granth Sahib in Harmandir Sahib, also

known as the Golden temple, in 1604.

The Guru Granth Sahib is the central religious scripture of Sikhism.

The Adi Granth, its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan (1563–1606).

The Guru Granth Sahib was composed predominantly by six Sikh gurus: Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru

Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, and Guru Teg Bahadur.

It also contains the poetic teachings of thirteen Bhakti movement saint poets and two Sufi Muslim poets.

The vision in the Guru Granth Sahib is of a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind.

While the Granth acknowledges and respects the scriptures of Hinduism and Islam, it does not imply a moral

reconciliation with either of these religions.

ARCHITECTURE & SCULPTURE

World's Oldest Cave Painting Context Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that

was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

About Measuring 136 by 54 centimeters (53 by 21 inches) the Sulawesi

warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment.

It has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of horn-like facial

warts characteristic of adult males of the species.

There are two hand prints above the pig's hindquarters, and it

appears to be facing two other pigs that are only partially preserved, as part of a narrative scene.

Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the

region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age.

Heritage Tourism Policy Context Recently, Gujarat government announced its first Heritage Tourism Policy.

Highlights of the Policy It allowed opening up of heritage hotels, museums, banquet halls and restaurants inside historic palaces,

forts and buildings.

It is applicable to historic structures that existed before January 1, 1950.

Under this policy, a new heritage hotel or an existing one will get financial assistance of Rs 5-10 crore for

renovation or expansion. The basic heritage structure should not be altered during this process.

In next five years, the government will give 100 per cent relief in electricity duty, marketing support and

rent assistance in national and international events.

Significance Tourism department pointed out that there are more than 100 heritage properties in Gujarat but only 20 of

them have been opened up for tourism.

A dedicated policy will not only encourage owners to renovate the old structures, but will also help attract

foreign tourists to some of the princely states and jagirs once ruled by Maratha Gaekwads, Kathi Durbars,

Rajput clans and Muslim dynasties.

This move will boost tourism and create jobs.

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Foreign Architects‘ contribution to India Context Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad has decided to bring down 18 dormitories built by

legendary American architect Louis Kahn and replace them with new building.

Kahn, is one among several foreign architects whose work defines several Indian cities.

Contribution of architects Louis Kahn

He conceived the IIMA campus in his distinctive style of architecture.

It comprises of circles and arches, using red bricks that were locally

available.

Louis Kahn‘s majestic red-brick campus is an architectural masterpiece.

Kahn is also known for his monolithic complexes of buildings including the

Capitol Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh and the recently restored Salk

Institute in California.

Antonin Raymond & George Nakashima

Background

Pondicherry city a French colony in South India was home to the reclusive

philosopher Sri Aurobindo.

He was joined by Mirra Alfassa, a French artist and spiritual seeker later

known as ―The Mother‖.

Together they established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926.

The Ashram served as a commune where people came from all over the

world, drawn to the teachings of the prolific writer and spiritual guide -

Sri Aurobindo.

Mirra Alfasa envisioned ―Golconde‖ as a home for members of the

community, and contacted Tokyo-based Czech architect Antonin Raymond to design it.

The building

Antonin Raymond designed Golconda as a universal commune.

Japanese-American woodworker George Nakashima completed it after Raymond left India.

Golconde is India‘s first reinforced concrete buildings, built between 1937 and 1945.

Its ascetic interiors helped provide a meditative atmosphere for disciples.

Otto Koenigsberger

Koenigsberger from Berlin worked for the Maharaja of Mysore in the late 1930s.

Later, he was commissioned by Tata & Sons to develop the industrial township of Jamshedpur in the early

1940s.

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He also designed the masterplan for Bhubhaneswar (1948) and Faridabad (1949).

He planned for schools and bazaars in the city centre after seeing children and women walk punishing

distances to reach schools and workplaces.

At the time of Partition and communal riots his housing plans included people from different social classes

and religions.

Frank Lloyd Wright

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright never built a structure in India, but his influence was unfathomable.

Two of his students, Gautam and Gira Sarabhai, were the founders of the

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

Gira remodelled an existing bungalow using Wright‘s signature cantilever roofs

and a strong indoor-outdoor connect.

Padma Vibhushan Charles Correa, one of India‘s finest architects and urban

planners, was hugely influenced by Wright

Le Corbusier

Swiss-French painter-writer-architect Corbusier designed many of Chandigarh‘s

civic buildings -- from courts to housing.

Corbusier‘s modernist approach, without decoration, gave India its brutalist,

bare concrete buildings.

Many architects like B V Doshi and Shivnath Prasad, were inspired by him.

Corbusier built the Sarabhai House, Shodhan House, Mill Owner‘s Association Building and Sankar Kendra.

He is often called the ―father of modern Indian architecture‖.

Buckminster Fuller

Fuller is known for his geodesic domes – large-span structures made of a network of triangles.

Gautam Sarabhai, inspired by Fuller, designed the Calico Dome in 1962.

Joseph Allen Stein

He established the Department of Architecture and Planning at the West Bengal Engineering College.

Stein gave Delhi many cultural landmarks that blended Indian craft with international modernism.

It includes:

Triveni Kala Sangam

the High Commissioner‘s Residence and Chancery for Australia,

‗Steinabad‘ in Lodhi Estate, where many of his buildings stand, including the India International Centre,

Ford Foundation and the India Habitat Centre.

PAINTING& TOYS

Rogan Art Context Rogan art practicing families have been motivating themselves and connecting

digitally during the pandemic.

The art Rogan is an ancient textile art, with its origins in Persia. It came to Kutch, Gujarat

around 300 years ago.

Rogan painting began among the Khatris - a Muslim community who came to India

from Sindh, Pakistan.

Traditionally, the craft was used to beautify bridal clothing of the regional tribes.

The term Rogan means ‗Oil-based‘ in Persian and refers to a paint made from thick brightly colored castor

seed oil.

This paint is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a

stylus/kalam (painting).

Pattern: Intricate motifs like– geometric flowers, peacocks, the tree of life, etc. –

are drawn from the history and folk culture of the Kutch region.

An extraordinary aspect about this technique is that during the entire process

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of the gummy paint being carefully twisted into motifs, the blunt needle never comes into contact with the

cloth.

Toda Embroidery Indigenous Toda artisans from the Nilgiris are producing embroidered

masks for local residents, police, and sanitary workers amid COVID-19

Pandemic.

Todas

Toda tribal people are a Dravidian ethnic group who live in the Nilgiri

Mountains of Tamil Nadu.

The Toda traditionally live in settlements called mund, consisting of small

thatched houses.

Their economy is pastoral, based on the buffalo, whose dairy products are traded with neighbouring peoples

of the Nilgiri Hills.

Embroidery

The Toda Embroidery, also locally known as "pukhoor"

The embroidery, appears like a woven cloth but is made with use of red and

black threads with a white cotton cloth background.

This handicraft has got a GI Tag.

Sohrai Khovar Recently got GI Tag.

The Sohrai Khovar painting is a traditional and ritualistic mural art

being practiced by local tribal women during local harvest and

marriage seasons.

For this they use local, naturally available soils of different colours in

the area of Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.

Traditionally painted on the walls of mud houses, they feature a

profusion of lines, dots, animal figures and plants, often representing

religious iconography.

Telengana‘s Telia Rumal Recently got GI Tag.

Telia Rumal cloth involves intricate handmade work with cotton loom displaying

a variety of designs and motifs in three particular colours — red, black and

white.

Chak-Hao, the black rice of Manipur, Gorakhpur terracotta&Kovilpatti kadalai

mittaihave bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Gorakhpur Terracotta Recently got GI Tag.

The terracotta work of Gorakhpur is a centuries-old traditional art form, where the potters make various

animal figures like, horses, elephants, camel, goat, ox, etc. with hand-applied ornamentation.

The entire work is done with bare hands and artisans use natural color, which stays fast for a long time.

Zardosi Art Context The lockdown has left Zardosi Craftsperson with mounting losses and joblessness.

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About Zardozi is an important handicraft in Persian culture.

Its literal translation, ‗Zar‘ means gold and ‗dozi‘ meaning embroidery. Thus, Zardozi means ‘embroidering

with gold threads‘

Gold embroidery has existed in India since the time of the Rig-Veda, between 1500 and 1200 BC.

But Zardosi per se was brought to India in the Mughal Era.

Today, zardozi is popular in the Indian cities of Lucknow, Farrukhabad, Chennai and Bhopal.

In 2013, the Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded Geographical Indication (GI) registration to the

Lucknow zardozi.

Tripuri Risa Context Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and his government have been promoting the traditional Risa.

About Risa is a handwoven cloth used as a female upper garment, and also as headgear, a stole, or a present to

express respect. As an upper garment, it is wrapped around the torso twice.

The traditional Tripuri female attire comprises three parts — risa, rignai and rikutu.

The traditional risa, a handwoven cloth used by the state‘s indigenous communities, is a signature identity of

the state.

The risa is used in religious festivals such as Garia Puja by tribal communities,

The risa is being branded under the India Handloom Brand, Deb announced recently.

Further details Rignai is primarily worn as the lower garment and literally translates into ‗to wear‘. It can be understood as

an indigenous variety of the sari of mainland India.

Rituku is mainly used as a wrap, or like a ‗chunri‘ or a ‗pallu‘ of the Indian saree. It is also used to cover the

head of newly married Tripuri women.

These garments were traditionally handwoven. Handloom remains an integral part of the Tripuri household,

even with the advent of powerloom-manufactured garments.

Channapatna Toy Context Channapatna toy industry has been struggling since March due to the Covid-19

pandemic.

About Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys that are manufactured in the

town of Channapatna in Karnataka.

GI tagged Chennapatna Toys are also known as Gombegala Ooru.

Traditionally, the work involved lacquering the wood of the Wrightia tinctoria tree.

Vegetable dyes are used in the colouring process.

The origin of these toys can be traced to the reign of Tipu Sultan who invited artisans from Persia to train

the local artisans in the making of wooden toys.

Bavas Miyan is the father of Channapatna Toy.

Sawantwadi Toys Context Maharashtra Circle of India Post recently released picture postcards on Sawantwadi Toys to mark the 151

years of postcards in India.

About

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Sawantwadi toys refer to handmade works made of wood in Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.

These toys are made from the wood of the Indian Coral tree - Erythrina variegata.

Craftsmen who make these toys belong to the Chittari community who came to Sawantwadi from Karwar

and Goa.

Postcards In India, postcards were introduced in 1879. ―East India Post Card‖ was inscribed on the first product.

In 1899, the word ‗East‘ was removed and it became India Post Card.

In 1911, special postcards, without stamp print, were released for official use to commemorate the coronation

of King George V during Delhi Durbar.

After Independence, the first postcards were issued in 1949, and on October 2, 1951, the first postcards

featuring Mahatma Gandhi were introduced.

Natungram Dolls – West Bengal In Natungram, Burdwan, West Bengal the age-old tradition of doll making has been retained to an extent.

Crafted from a piece of wood chiseled to the requisite length, the doll gets the face and its attire painted on it.

The Gour-Nitai dolls are one of the distinct types of these dolls which came from the wave of Bhakti

movement in Bengal in the 15 and 16th century.

PERSONALITIES

Thiruvalluvar Context Recently, Tamil Nadu celebrated Thiruvalluvar Day.

About Thiruvalluvar Thiruvalluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher.

The exact date and religious identity of Thiruvalluvar is debated.

Some place him in the 4th century BCE to early 6th century CE, based on the

analysis of his writings.

He is best known as the author of Thirukkuṛaḷ which contains 1330 couplets

(kurals).

It is a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters, and

love. He contributed to Sangam Literature.

He is generally thought to have belonged to either Jainism or Hinduism.

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However, almost every religious group in India, including Christianity, has claimed Thirukkural and

Thiruvalluvar as one of their own.

Dravidians count him as a saint, as he rejected the caste system.

The famous Thiruvalluvar Statue of Kanyakumari, is a 133-feet tall stone sculpture of the poet located atop a

small island on the southernmost point of the Indian peninsula on the Coromandel Coast.

At this point two seas (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) and an ocean (the Indian Ocean) meet. It is

currently the 25th tallest statue in India.

Purandara Dāsa Recently, Karnataka Govt. formed a committee to solve the mystery regarding birthplace of Purandara Dasa.

Purandara Dāsa (c. 1484 – c. 1565) was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, a great devotee of Lord

Krishna, a Vaishnava poet, a saint and a social reformer.

His original name was Srinivasa Nayaka.

He was a disciple of the Dvaita philosopher-saint Vyasatirtha.

In honor of his significant contributions to Carnatic music, he is widely referred to as the Pitamaha of

Carnatic music.

Pingali Venkayya Context Recently, birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya was observed.

Pingali Venkayya Pingali Venkayya was an Indian freedom fighter and the designer of the flag on which today‘s Indian national

flag is based.

Viswanatha Satyanarayana Context Recently, 125th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Kavi Samrat Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana were

celebrated.

About Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana was a 20th century Telugu writer. He was the first writer to impart a true

Teluguness to the Ramayana.

Through his works, he had highlighted the importance of imparting learning in the mother tongue,

preserving culture and protecting the nature.

Popular works: Ramayana Kalpa Vrukshamu(Ramayana the wish-granting divine tree), Kinnersani Patalu

(Mermaid songs) and the novel Veyipadagalu (The Thousand Hoods).

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Basavanna Context Karnataka Chief Minister recently laid the foundation stone for the ‗New Anubhava Mantapa‘ in

Basavakalyan.

It is the place where 12th century poet-philosopher Basaveshwara lived for most of his life.

About Basavanna Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, poet, in the Bhakti movement.

He was also a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.

His influence reached its peak during the rule of King Bijjala II in Karnataka.

Contributions He was the founder of Lingayat sect.

Basavanna was a social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.

He-

Rejected temple worship, superstitions and rituals led by Brahmins.

Advocated equality of all human beings irrespective of caste.

launched a devotional movement called Virashaivas. It means "ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva".

Roots of this movement could be traced to Tamil Bhakti movement, particularly the Shaiva Nayanars

traditions of 7th- to 11th-century.

promoted personalized devotional worship of Shiva through symbols like ishtalinga. Anyone could

worship God irrespective of gender, class or caste discrimination.

used his poetry –Vachanaas to spread social awareness.

Established Anubhava Mantapa- a hall for gathering and discussion of spiritual ideas by any member of

the society from both genders.

Literary works The Basavarajadevara Ragale by the Kannada poet Harihara (c.1180) is the earliest available account on the

life of Basavanna.

The Basava Purana, written by Palkuriki Somanatha in 13th-century is a sacred text in Lingayatism.

Mannathu Padmanabhan Context Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tribute to Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan Ji on his jayanti.

About Mannathu Padmanabhan was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from Kerala.

He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which claims to represent the Nair

community that constitutes 12.10% of the population of the state.

Padmanabhan is considered as a visionary reformer who organised the Nair community under the NSS.

He fought for social equality, the first phase being the Vaikom Satyagraha, demanding the public roads near

the temple at Vaikom be opened to low caste Hindus.

He took part in the Vaikom(1924) and Guruvayoor(1931) temple-entry Satyagrahas; the anti-untouchability

agitations.

He opened his family temple for everyone, irrespective of caste distinction.

He became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1946 and took part in the agitation against Sir C. P.

Ramaswamy Iyer's administration in Travancore.

As the first president of Travancore Devaswom Board he revitalized many temples which had almost ceased

to function.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Bharati Script Context Bharati Script.

What is Bharati Script? Bharati is a unified script for nine Indian languages.

It has been designed to be a common script that can express all the major Indian languages.

Bharati Script can express: Hindi/Marathi (Devanagari), Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi (Gurmukhi),

Bengali, Oriya, Kannada and Malayalam.

The script has been designed using simplest shapes, often borrowing simple characters from various Indian

languages/scripts including English.

Note: Bharati script cannot express English and Urdu as of now.

Who developed it? Srinivasa Chakravathy‘s team

at IIT Madras.

Need for a common script The Roman script is used as a

common script for many

European languages like

English, French, German,

Italian etc.

This facilitates communication

across nations that speak and

write different languages.

In India however, most major languages are written in their own unique scripts.

This pose barriers to communication in a multilingual society like India.

Thus, a common script for the entire country is hoped to bring down many communication barriers in India.

Compatibility with Technology Due to its simplicity, Bharati script is ideal for

technology development:

1) Optical Character Recognition (Even at 10-

20% noise, Bharati OCR system gives close to

100% Accuracy)

*Optical character recognition or optical character

reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical

conversion of images of typed, handwritten or

printed text into machine-encoded text.

2) Handwritten Character Recognition - realized

in an app called Bharati Handwriting

Keyboard.

3) Bharati Transliterator - a tool, based on Google

lens that enables the user to read Indian

language signs in Bharati script.

ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

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ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

Contents Living Planet Report 2020 2 Asiatic Lion Census 2020 2 Environmental Performance Index 3 Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 3 India‘s Tiger Survey Report 2020 4 Global Energy Transition Index 5 Royal Bengal Tiger count in Sundarbans 5 2020 Adaptation Gap Report 7 Leopard Census Report 7 Blue Flag Beaches Beams 8 Japan to achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 10 ‗Arctic‘ Policy 10 Global Climate Summit 2020 12 China‘s Climate Commitment 13 Awards for Tiger Conservation 14 New Ramsar Sites 15 Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement 17 Jet Zero Plan 18 Stubble Burning 18 Ammonia in Yamuna water 19 Smog Tower 19 Green Tax 19 CAFE-2 and BS-VI Stage II 20 Forest Fires 21 Single-Use Plastic 22 Plastic Marine Pollution 24 ‗Save Mollem‘ Campaign 24 Panna Biosphere Reserve 25 Aarey Forest Land 27 Ecologically Sensitive Area 27 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) –Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA) 28 GM Seeds 29 Vulture Action Plan 30 Right of Passage of the animals 32 Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Regions 32 BIS Draft Standard for Drinking Water Supply 34 Project Lion and Project Dolphin 35 Nitrogen Use Efficiency 39 Special-Winter-Grade-Diesel 40 Net Present Value of Forests 40 Yadadri Technique 41 Vedic Paint or Prakritik‘ Paint 41 2021: Year of Indo-French Alliance towards a Greener Planet 42 Green Growth Equity Fund 42 GREEN Initiative 43 System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) 43 National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance 44 E20 Fuel 45 Bioethanol Blending of Petrol 45 Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings Initiative 46 Seed Bombs: Solution to Man-Animal Conflict 47 Advanced Biodigester Mk-Ii Technology 47 Saksham Campaign 48 Compressed Biogas (CBG) 48

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World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

It is an international non-

governmental organization

founded in 1961.

It works in the field of wilderness

preservation and the reduction of

human impact on the

environment.

It is the world's largest

conservation organization.

The Living Planet Report has

been published every two years

by WWF since 1998; it is based on

a Living Planet Index and

ecological footprint calculation.

WWF has launched Earth Hour

campaign and Debt-for-Nature

Swap.

It work in the six areas: food,

climate, freshwater, wildlife,

forests, and oceans

Living Planet Report 2020 Context The WWF‘s Living Planet Report 2020, released.

Key Findings There has been a reduction of 68 per cent in the global wildlife

population between 1970 and 2016.

More than 85% of the area of wetlands has been lost.

The most important direct driver of biodiversity loss in the last

several decades are

o land-use change,

o conversion of pristine habitats into agricultural systems,

o oceans overfished

o species overexploitation

o invasive species and diseases

o pollution and climate change

The largest wildlife population loss has been in Latin America at

an alarming 94 per cent.

India specific India is a ―mega diverse country‖ with over 45,000 species of

plants in only 2.4 per cent of the world‘s land area.

India has already lost six plant species to extinction, according to

the IUCN Red List.

India has lost nearly one-third of its natural wetlands to urbanization, agricultural expansion and pollution

over the last four decades.

Data insufficiency: In India, adequate data, on different aspects regarding plant and animal species and their

habitats, are not available.

Asiatic Lion Census 2020 Context Census of Asiatic lion was recently conducted by the Gujarat government and the details have been released.

Forest Department has been regularly conducting the Lion Census every five years.

Key Highlights The population has increased from 523 in 2015 and to 674 in 2020 including male, female and cubs showing

28% rise in population.

This population of the Asiatic Lions is currently located in the protected areas and agro-pastoral landscapes of

Saurashtra, Gujarat.

According to experts, the population of lions is currently growing at about two per cent a year.

Block counting method In this method, census enumerators remain stationed at water points in a given block and estimate abundance

of lions in that block, based on direct sighting of lions who need to drink water at least once in 24 hours

during the summer.

Concerns over the estimates There are inherent issues with block counting method. So, newer methods should be adopted- such as camera

trapping and identifying lions based on permanent marks on their body, and statistical estimates based on the

animals‘ predatory patterns and numbers of their prey base.

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Why there is an urgent need to relocate the lions to other regions? Presently, Asiatic lions are confined only to Gujarat. A single epidemic could wipe the entire population and

the species might become extinct. Hence, introduction of species to new areas and states might be a good idea.

Environmental Performance Index Context 12th edition of the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020) has been released.

About the index The index ranks 180 countries on 32 performance indicators across 11 categories covering environmental

health and ecosystem vitality.

It is jointly prepared by Yale University and

Columbia University in collaboration with the

World Economic Forum.

Performance of India India secured 168th rank. The country scored

27.6 out of 100 in the 2020 index.

India scored below the regional average score on

all five key parameters on environmental health,

including air quality, sanitation and drinking

water, heavy metals and waste management.

All South Asian countries, except Afghanistan,

were ahead of India in the ranking.

Denmark came in first place, followed by

Luxembourg and Switzerland. The United

Kingdom ranked fourth.

Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Context India has ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas in the last decade, the

latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

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Global Forest Assessment Report:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has brought out this comprehensive assessment every

five years since 1990.

This report assesses the state of forests, their conditions and management for all member countries. About FAO:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the

United Nations.

It leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.

It was founded in October 1945.

The FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop

agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources.

Important findings Forest area has declined all across the world in the past three decades.

Highest loss: Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020, at 3.9 mha, followed by South

America, at 2.6 mha.

Highest gains: Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010–2020, followed by Oceania and Europe.

The largest proportion of the world‘s forests were tropical (45 per cent), followed by boreal, temperate and

subtropical.

More than 54 per cent of the world‘s forests were in only five countries — the Russian Federation, Brazil,

Canada, the United States of America and China.

Details The top 10 countries that have recorded the maximum average annual net gains in forest area during 2010-

2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania.

India accounts for two per cent of the total global forest area.

The FRA 2020 has credited the government‘s Joint Forest Management programme for the significant

increase in community-managed forest areas in the Asian continent.

India‘s Tiger Survey Report 2020 Context The Union Environment Minister released a detailed report of Tiger Census.

Details The detailed report of the 4th All India Tiger Estimation is unique in the following ways;

○ Abundance index of co-predators and other species has been carried out, which hitherto was restricted

only to occupancy.

○ Sex ratio of tigers in all camera trap sites has been carried out for the first time.

○ Anthropogenic effects on tiger populations have been elaborated in a detailed manner.

○ Tiger abundance within pockets in tiger reserves has been demonstrated for the first time.

The report compares information obtained from tiger surveys of 2006, 2010 and 2014 with data obtained from

the 2018-19 review to estimate population trends at country and landscape scales, patch colonization and

extinction rates.

About the survey The quadrennial tiger estimation is steered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical

support from the Wildlife Institute of India and implemented by state forest departments.

The All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world‘s largest

camera trap wildlife survey.

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CA|TS

It is a conservation tool that sets minimum standards to manage target species, and encourages

assessments to benchmark progress.

Launched in 2013, the tool was developed in collaboration with field managers, tiger experts and

government agencies engaged in tiger conservation.

CA|TS is a partnership of tiger range governments, inter-governmental agencies, institutions, NGOs and

conservation organisations.

Global Energy Transition Index Context World Economic Forum has released its global Energy Transition index (ETI).

ETI It is a fact-based ranking intended to enable policy-makers and businesses to plot the course for a successful

energy transition.

Part of the World Economic

Forum‘s Fostering Effective Energy

Transition initiative, it builds on its

predecessor, the Energy

Architecture Performance Index.

Performance of India India has moved up two places to

rank 74th.

It has shown improvements on all

key parameters of economic

growth, energy security and

environmental sustainability.

India‘s improvements have come

across all three dimensions of the

energy triangle — economic

development and growth, energy

access and security, and

environmental sustainability.

Performance of other countries Sweden has topped the Energy Transition Index (ETI) for the third consecutive year and is followed by

Switzerland and Finland in the top three.

Royal Bengal Tiger count in Sundarbans Context The number of Royal Bengal Tigers in West Bengal's Sundarbans has risen to 96 according to the latest census.

In 2017-18, the total count of Royal Bengal Tiger in Sundrabans was 87.

Royal Bengal Tiger It forms a specific population of the Pantheratigristigris subspecies that is native to the Indian subcontinent.

Threats: poaching, loss and fragmentation of habitat.

IUCN Status: Endangered.

Protected under schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act.

Project Tiger This tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi's tenure.

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Sundarbans:

The Sundarbans comprises hundreds of islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta

of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh.

Indian Sundarban constitutes over 60% of the country‘s total mangrove forest areaand have 90% of the

country‘s mangrove varieties.

It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India and the largest protected wetland in the country.

It is a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.

It is also home to the critically endangered northern river terrapin, the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin,

and the vulnerable fishing cat.

Aim: Ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction,

and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever.

From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 at present,

spread out in 18 of our tiger range states.

The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy.

Core areas have the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary.

Whereas, buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area.

The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of villagers to

minimize human-tiger conflicts.

National Tiger Conservation Authority It was established in 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, to reorganise management of

Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India. It is the overarching body for conservation of tigers in

India.

Structure of NTCA Environment Minister is the Chairman of the NTCA.

Below chairman are eight experts or professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife

conservation and welfare of people including tribals, apart from three Members of Parliament (1 Rajya Sabha,

2 Lok Sabha).

The Inspector General of Forests, in charge of project Tiger, serves as ex-officio Member Secretary.

Functions Its main administrative function is to approve the Tiger Conservation Plan prepared by the State

Governments and then evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any

ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves.

As per the WLPA, every State Government has the authority to notify an area as a tiger reserve.

However, the Tiger Conservation Plans sent by state government need to be approved by the NTCA first.

Alternatively, Central Government via NTCA may advise the state governments to forward a proposal for

creation of Tiger Reserves.

Other Functions of NTCA are as follows Regulation and standardization of tourism activities

Provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of men and wild animals.

Provide information on protection measures.

Ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area

or tiger reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the

approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority.

Facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the State.

Ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better

implementation of the tiger conservation plan.

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Tiger Census: The Tiger Estimation Report 2018 Key findings:

2967 tigers are present in India.

Highest number of tigers have found in Madhya Pradesh (526), after that Karnataka has 524 and

Uttarakhand is accommodating 442 tigers.

In five years, the number of protected areas increased from 692 to over 860, community reserves from 43

to over 100.

While the 2014 census pegged the total number of striped big cats in the country at 2,226, the 2010 census

put the figure at 1,706 and the 2006 version at 1,411, indicating that tiger numbers have been on the up.

While Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers, Sathyamangalam

Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the ―maximum improvement‖ since 2014.

Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while tiger numbers in Odisha remained

constant.

2020 Adaptation Gap Report Context According to the 2020 Adaptation Gap Report, released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Report highlights Climate change impacts will intensify and hit vulnerable countries and communities the hardest, even if we

meet the Paris Agreement goals of holding global warming this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius and

pursuing 1.5 degree Celsius.

Global commitment needed Annual adaptation costs in developing countries are estimated at $70 billion, but the figure could reach up to

$300 billion in 2030and $500 billion in 2050.

Stepping up public and private finance for adaptation is, therefore, urgently needed.

Nature-based solutions The UNEP report underscored the importance of nature-based solutions as low-cost options that reduce

climate risks, restore and protect biodiversity, and bring benefits for communities and economies.

Its analysis of four major climate and development funds:

o the Global Environment Facility (GEF),

o the Green Climate Fund (GCF),

o the Adaptation Fund, and

o the International Climate Initiative (IKI),

Suggested that support for green initiatives with some element of nature-based solutions has risen over the

last two decades.

Leopard Census Report Context ―India‘s leopard population increased by 60% in 4 years‖, since 2014.

Scientific monitoring of increase or a decrease in species numbers

helps to determine whether the conservation efforts undertaken to

preserve the species are bearing fruit.

Status of leopards in India, 2018 Status of leopards in India, 2018, mentions that the country has 12,852

leopards.

This study focused mostly on forested habitats where tigers are

found, as it was a by-product of the all-India tiger estimate.

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Hence, other leopard habitats such as rocky outcrops,

smaller dry forests, higher elevation habitats in the

Himalayas, agricultural landscapes (coffee, tea, areca nut,

sugarcane plantations) where leopards are known to be

found in good numbers were not a part of this exercise.

Similarly, much of Northeast India was excluded from the

study.

Hence, the area studied by itself does not represent a true

pan-India leopard population, as vast stretches of leopard

habitats have been excluded from the study.

Misleading picture The claim that ―leopard

numbers increased by 60%‖ is

quite misleading.

In 2014, the study estimated a

minimum leopard population of

7,910 individuals from 18

different Indian States

covering a study area of 92,164

square kilometers.

In 2018, the study was

expanded to 21 States with a

study area of 121,337 square

kilometers, which shows a

spatial increase in the size of the

study area by 25%.

About leopard Main threats: Habitat loss due

to mining and quarrying,

poaching for body parts,

mortality due to vehicular

collisions, retaliatory killing due

to human-leopard conflict and

accidental deaths due to snares

set for catching wild prey.

Blue Flag Beaches Beams Context On the eve of International Coastal Clean-Up Day, which is celebrated across 100 countries since 1986, Union

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

For the first time, eight beaches of India are recommended for the coveted International eco-label, the Blue

flag certification.

Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world.

The eight beaches are

o Shivrajpur in Gujarat

o Ghoghla in Daman&Diu

o Kasarkoda and Padubidri beach in Karnataka

o Kappad in Kerala

o Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh

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o Golden beach of Odisha and

o Radhanagar Beach in Andaman and Nicobar

Blue Flag certification ‗Blue Flag‘ certification is awarded by an eminent international jury, which comprises members of the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),

Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for

Conservation of Nature(IUCN).

It also sets stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria that applicants must

meet and maintain.

This certification can be obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as

an eco-label.

It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas in FEE member countries.

Blue Flag programme The Blue Flag programme was started in France in 1985 and areas out of Europe in 2001.

The programme promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas through four main

criteria:

o water quality,

o environmental management,

o environmental education and

o Safety.

What activities are permitted in the CRZ of certain beaches? Environment Ministry has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules in 2018, that restrict construction near

beaches to help States construct infrastructure and enable them to receive ‗Blue Flag‘ certification.

According to the notification issued by MOEFCC, the following activities and facilities would be permitted in

the CRZ of the beaches, including islands, subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from the

High Tide Line (HTL):

Portable toilet blocks, change rooms and shower panels;

Greywater treatment plant;

Solid waste management plant;

Solar power plant;

Purified drinking water facility;

Beach access pathways;

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BEAMS It is India‘s eco-label. Ministry of Environment has launched the ―BEAMS‖ (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management

Services) program under its ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) project. Objective of BEAMS program is

o to abate pollution in coastal waters, o promote sustainable development of beach facilities, o protect & conserve coastal ecosystems & natural resources, and o seriously challenge local authorities & stakeholders to strive and maintain high standards of

cleanliness, o hygiene & safety for beachgoers in accordance with coastal environment & regulations.

This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

The concept of ICZM was introduced in 1992 during the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro. It is a coastal management process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach,

regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries, in an attempt to achieve sustainability.

Most of the coastal countries in the World have been adopting ICZM principles for managing their coastal zones.

Adoption of ICZM principles for managing and sustainably developing our coastal regions is helping India in keeping with its commitments to international agreements on ICZM.

Landscaping lighting;

Seating benches and sit-out umbrellas;

Outdoor play / fitness equipment;

CCTV surveillance and control room;

First aid station;

Cloakroom facility;

Safety watch towers and beach safety equipment;

Beach layout, environment information boards and other signages;

Fencing, preferably vegetative;

Parking facilities;

Entry gate, tourist facilitation centre; and

Other associated facilities or infrastructure, as per requirements of Blue Flag Certification.

These activities and facilities would be exempt from prior clearance under the provisions of CRZ Notification,

Island Protection Zone Notification and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications.

Japan to achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 Context Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, outlining an ambitious agenda as the country struggles to

balance economic and pandemic concerns.

The European Union and Britain have already set similar targets for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, and

China recently announced it would become carbon-free by 2060.

Japan previously targeted a 80% reduction by 2050.

Japan need to shift away from fossil fuels to counter climate change as an opportunity rather than a burden.

‗Arctic‘ Policy Context India has unveiled a new draft ‗Arctic‘ policy that commits to expands scientific research, ―sustainable

tourism‖ and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

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Key highlights National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research will lead scientific research and act as a nodal body to

coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities by expanding

―earth sciences, biological sciences, geosciences, climate change and space related programmes in Indian

Universities.‖

Objectives of the policy includes

o putting in place Arctic related programmes for mineral/oil and gas exploration in petroleum research

institutes and

o Encouraging tourism and hospitality sectors in building specialised capacities and awareness to engage

with Arctic enterprises.

The Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the earth‘s ecosystem.

The loss of sea ice, ice caps, and warming of the ocean and atmosphere would lower salinity in the ocean,

increase the temperature differential between land and oceans in the tropical regions, dry subtropical areas

and increase precipitation at higher latitudes.

Arctic research will help India‘s scientific community to study melting rates of the third pole — the

Himalayan glaciers, which are endowed with the largest freshwater reserves in the world outside the

geographic poles.

India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic in 2007 and set up a research station ‗Himadri‘ in the

international Arctic research base at Svalbard, Norway.

About Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental

forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic

governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.

The eight countries with sovereignty over the lands

within the Arctic Circle constitute the members of the

council Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,

Russia, Sweden, and the United States.

Outside these, there are some observer states.

The 1996 Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic

Council as a forum for promoting cooperation,

coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states,

with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous

communities and other Arctic inhabitants on issues such

as sustainable development and environmental

protection.

Observer status is open to non-Arctic states approved

by the Council at the Ministerial Meetings that occur

once every two years. Observers have no voting rights

in the Council.

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Global Climate Summit 2020 Context The United Nations (UN), United Kingdom (UK) and France co-hosted the Climate Ambition Summit 2020,

in partnership with Chile and Italy on 12 December, exactly five years since the adoption of the Paris

Agreement.

Key highlights of summit The Summit was a major step on the road to the next UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties

(COP26), which will be hosted by the UK next November in Glasgow.

The Summit provided leaders with a global platform to showcase commitments to tackle climate change,

which were under the three pillars of the Paris Agreement:

o mitigation,

o adaptation and

o Finance commitments.

The Summit heard from about 70 world leaders highlighting new announcements and steps they are taking to

reach the goal of net-zero emissions.

The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, and provided a

platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris

Agreement and the multilateral process.

The Summit aims to rally momentum and

call for much greater climate action and

ambition.

UN Urged world leaders to declare a

"climate emergency" in their countries until

carbon neutrality is reached, to spur action

to avoid catastrophic global warming.

China and India Promises China promised to boost its installed

capacity of wind and solar power to more

than 1,200 gigawatts over the next decade.

It will increase its share of non-fossil fuels

in primary energy consumption to around

25% during the same period.

India said that it is ramping up its use of

clean energy sources and was on target to

achieve the emissions norms set under the

2015 Paris agreement.

India, the second-most populous nation on

Earth and the world's fourth-largest

greenhouse gas emitter, is eyeing 450

gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by

2030.

India has reduced its emission intensity by

21 per cent over 2005 levels.

Between 2014 and 2020, India's solar power

capacity has grown from 2.63 gigawatts to

36 gigawatts. India‘s renewable energy

capacity is the fourth largest in the world. It will reach 175 gigawatts before 2022.

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Carbon net-zero

Net-zero is a state in which a country‘s emissions are compensated by absorptions and removal of

greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks such as forests, while removal involves

application of technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

China‘s Climate Commitment Context Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised China would be carbon net-zero by 2060.

China‘s would try to achieve already committed target for letting its emissions ―peak‖, from ―by 2030‖ to

―before 2030‖.

Why is net-zero an important target? The state of net-zero emissions would require countries to significantly reduce their emissions, while

increasing land or forest sinks that would absorb the emissions.

If the sinks are not adequate, countries can commit themselves to deploying technologies that physically

remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Most of such carbon dioxide removal technologies are still unproven and extremely expensive.

Thus, global carbon neutrality by 2050 is the only way to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping

global temperatures from rising beyond 2°C compared to pre-industrial times.

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Global Tiger Initiative (GTI)

The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) was launched in 2008 as a global alliance of governments, international

organizations, civil society, the conservation and scientific communities and the private sector, with the

aim of working together to save wild tigers from extinction.

In 2013, the scope was broadened to include Snow Leopards.

The GTI‘s founding partners included the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the

Smithsonian Institution, Save the Tiger Fund, and International Tiger Coalition (representing more than 40

non-government organizations).

The initiative is led by the 13 tiger range countries (TRCs).

Global Tiger Forum

The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is the only inter- governmental international body established with

members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the Tiger.

The GTF was formed in 1993 on recommendations from an international symposium on Tiger

Conservation at New Delhi, India.

The GTF is focused on saving the remaining 5 sub-species of Tigers distributed over 13 Tiger Range

countries of the world.

How significant is China‘s commitment? China is the world‘s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

China‘s decision is a big shot in the arm for the success of Paris Agreement.

According to Climate Action Tracker, a global group the Chinese goal, if realised, would lower global

warming projections for 2100 by about 0.2° to 0.3°C.

It accounts for almost 30% of global emissions, more than

the combined emissions in the United States, the European

Union and India, the three next biggest emitters.

So far, the European Union was the only big emitter to have

committed itself to a net-zero emission status by 2050.

The real heavyweights whose climate actions are crucial to

achieving the Paris Agreement targets are the Big Four —

China, the US, the European Union and India — who

together account for more than half the global emissions,

followed by countries such as Russia, Brazil, South Africa,

Japan and Australia.

South Africa too declared its intention to become carbon-neutral by 2050, but other countries have been

holding back.

The United States, has walked out of the Paris Agreement, and does not even believe in these targets.

Awards for Tiger Conservation Context Transboundary Manas Conservation Area or TraMCA has received the TX2 Conservation Excellence Award

for 2020 for efforts to increase the big cat population.

TraMCA comprises of the 500 sq. km. Manas National Park in Assam and the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas

National Park in Bhutan.

TX2 stands for ―Tigers times two‖, signalling the goal to double the population of wild tigers by 2022.

India and Bhutan are among 13 countries working towards TX2, a goal that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

had set through the Global Tiger Initiative, Global Tiger Forum and other critical platforms.

The number of the striped cat in the Indian Manas increased from nine in 2010 to 25 in 2018 while that in the

Bhutan Manas more than doubled from 12 in 2008 to 26 in 2018.

Figure 1:Greenhouse gas emission

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TX2 Conservation Excellence Award TX2 is the global award, which was set up in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia by international organizations

working for tiger conservation like UNDP, Global Tiger Forum, International Union for Conservation of

Nature, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation Assured/Tiger Standards and the Lion's Share.

The TX2 awards include a financial grant to assist ongoing conservation.

The award recognises a site that has achieved excellence in two or more of five themes:

o Tiger and prey population monitoring and research (tiger translocation/prey augmentation);

o effective site management;

o enhanced law enforcement,

o protection and ranger welfare improvement;

o community-based conservation,

o benefits and human-wildlife conflict mitigation and habitat and prey management.

In 2018, the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Uttar Pradesh also won the TX2 award for doubling its

population of wild tigers since 2010.

As per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) tiger estimation report, the PTR had 57 resident

and eight transit tigers in 2018.

This success is attributed to rigorous patrolling with constant use of Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive

Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPE), stringent action against wildlife criminals and poachers and

forest and grassland management.

New Ramsar Sites Context India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site, the second one in the Union

Territory (UT) of Ladakh.The Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur Sarovar, alsoknown as Keetham lake, in

Agra, hasalso been added to the list of recognised Ramsar sites.

India has 42 wetlands, the highest in South Asia, with two more added to the list of recognised sites of

international importance under the treaty of Ramsar Convention.

Recently, Kabartal in Bihar‘s Begusarai district was recognised as a wetland of international importance, the

first such wetland in the State, under the Ramsar Convention.

The Asan Conservation Reserve in Dehradun, the first wetland from Uttarakhand to be recognised by

Ramsar convention, was added to the list in October this year.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is situated in Uttar Pradesh, forming part of the Terai Arc Landscape.

It lies along the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalayas and the plains of the Terai in Uttar

Pradesh.

The northeastern boundary of the reserve is the River Sharda, which defines the Indo-Nepal border, while

the southwest boundary is marked by the River Sharda and the River Ghaghara.

This reserve is one of the finest examples of the highly diversified and productive Terai-Duar savanna and

grasslands eco-system.

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Tso Kar Basin The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal water bodies--Startsapuk

Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438 hectares to the south, and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 1,800

hectares to the north, situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh, India.

It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to

the evaporation of highly saline water.

The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 category important bird area (IBA), as per Bird Life International and a key

staging site in the Central Asian Flyway.

The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) in

India.

Lonar Lake It is also known as Lonar crater.

It is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument, saline, soda lake, located at Lonar in Buldhana district,

Maharashtra, India.

Lonar Lake was created by an asteroid collision with earth impact during the Pleistocene Epoch.

It is one of the four known, hyper-velocity, impact craters in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth.

Lonar Crater sits inside the Deccan Plateau – a massive plain of volcanic basalt rock created by eruptions

some 65 million years ago.

Two small streams, named Purna and Penganga, drain into the lake.

Sur Sarovar It is also known as Keetham Lake, is a human-made reservoir.

The Site is important for bird species, which migrate on the Central Asian flyway, with over 30,000 waterbirds

known to visit the reservoir annually.

Over 1% of the South Asian regional population of the greylag goose (Anser anser) is present.

Asan Conservation Reserve It is home to many rare and endangered species like the Ruddy Shelduck, Red Crested Pochard, among

others.

Many endangered birds are found here and some even migrate to the Reserve, making it an ecologically

important site.

Ramsar Convention Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian

city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.

The name of the Convention is usually written ―Convention on Wetlands‘‘.

The Convention on Wetlands came into force for India on February 1, 1982.

Those wetlands, which are of international importance, are declared as Ramsar sites.

Ramsar sites in India

Sl. No. Name of Site State Location

1 Asan Conservation Reserve Uttarakhand

2 Asthamudi Wetland Kerala

3 Beas Conservation Reserve Punjab

4 Bhitarkanika Mangroves Orissa

5 Bhoj Wetlands Madhya Pradesh

6 Chandertal Wetland Himachal Pradesh

7 Chilka Lake Orissa

8 Deepor Beel Assam

9 East Kolkata Wetlands West Bengal

10 Harike Lake Punjab

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11 Hokera Wetland Jammu and Kashmir

12 Kabartal Wetland Bihar

13 Kanjli Lake Punjab

14 Keoladeo Ghana NP Rajasthan

15 Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve Punjab

16 Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh

17 Loktak Lake Manipur

18 Lonar Lake Maharashtra

19 Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat

20 Nandur Madhameshwar Maharashtra

21 Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab

22 Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

23 Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

24 Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu

25 Pong Dam Lake Himachal Pradesh

26 Renuka Wetland Himachal Pradesh

27 Ropar Lake Punjab

28 Rudrasagar Lake Tripura

29 Saman Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

30 Samaspur Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

31 Sambhar Lake Rajasthan

32 Sandi Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

33 Sarsai Nawar Jheel Uttar Pradesh

34 Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala

35 Sunderbans Wetland West Bengal

36 Surinsar-Mansar Lakes Jammu and Kashmir

37 Sur Sarovar Uttar Pradesh

38 Tso Kar Wetland Complex Ladakh

39 Tsomoriri Lake Jammu and Kashmir

40 Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch) Uttar Pradesh

41 Vembanad Kol Wetland Kerala

42 Wular Lake Jammu & Kashmir

Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement

Context The Union Environment Ministry has constituted a

high-level inter-ministerial Apex Committee for

Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) under

the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of

Environment Forest and Climate Change.

Aim To ensure that India was ―on track‖ towards meeting

its obligations under the Paris Agreement including its

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

India‘s INDC India submitted its NDC in 2015 for implementation

of the Paris Agreement in the post-2020 period.

The NDC has eight goals including three quantitative

P a g e | 18

goals namely

o a reduction in the emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 33 to 35% by 2030 from 2005

level;

o achieving about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy

resources by 2030; and

o creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through

additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

Key function of the AIPA AIPA would operate as a National Authority to regulate carbon markets in India under Article 6 of the Paris

Agreement.

It formulates guidelines for consideration of projects or activities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

It will issue guidelines on carbon pricing, market mechanism, and other similar instruments that have a

bearing on climate change and NDCs.

Jet Zero Plan Context UK announces ‗Jet Zero‘ plan to drive down aviation emissions.

The U.K. aims to drive down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free transatlantic flights

possible within a generation.

The U.K. is chasing a target to make the country a net-zero economy by 2050, and transport emissions are

proving among the toughest to get down.

Net-zero emissions It means doing away with fossil fuels and other sources of emissions wherever possible.

It also involves any emissions that are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Stubble Burning Context With wheat harvesting over in Punjab, the State has witnessed a spike in incidents of stubble burning.

Existing regulation The ban and action against the people burning the crop residue is regulated under the Air (Prevention and

Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Stubble burning It is a common practice followed by many farmers to prepare fields for sowing of wheat in November during

Rabi season as there is little time left between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat.

Why farmers indulge in stubble burning? It quickly clears the field and is the cheapest alternative.

Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.

Kills slugs and other pests.

Can reduce nitrogen tie-up.

Harmful Effects of Stubble Burning Pollution: It emits large amounts of toxic pollutants (carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide along

with particulate matter) in the atmosphere, which contain harmful gases like methane (CH4), Carbon

Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC) and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that

eventually cause smog.

Soil Fertility: Burning husk on ground destroys the nutrients in the soil, making it less fertile.

Moisture loss: Stubble burning heats up the soil, leading to the loss of moisture and useful microbes.

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Ammonia in Yamuna water Context The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had to reduce water production capacity by 25 per cent after high levels of

ammonia were detected in the Yamuna River.

The level of ammonia was significantly 3 ppm. The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water,

as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.

What is ammonia and what are its effects?

Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibers, dyes and other products.

Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.

If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm, it is toxic to fishes. In humans, long-term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to

internal organs.

Smog Tower Context

The Supreme Court asked the Delhi government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a

comprehensive plan on setting up ―smog towers‖ in the capital.

What is a ‗smog tower‘?

A smog tower is a structure designed to work as a large-scale air purifier, fitted with multiple layers of filters,

which trap fine dust particles suspended in the air as it passes through them.

Air is drawn through fans installed at the top of the tower, passed through filters, and then released near the

ground.

The large-scale filters expected to be installed in the towers in Delhi would use carbon nanofibres as a major

component, and would be fitted along the peripheries of the towers, project experts had said, adding that the

height of the towers would be 20 meters.

How effective are smog towers?

Towers would create ―clean air zones‖ in the city. An estimate made of their impact on air quality shows a

tower would reduce 50% of the particulate matter load.

These smog towers may not be useful for the whole city, but they can be useful in creating ‗clean air area‘

zones in different parts of the city.

Green Tax Context The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has approved a proposal to levy a ―Green Tax‖ on old

vehicles, which are polluting the environment.

The proposal will now go to the states for consultation before it is formally notified.

The main principles to be followed while levying the Green Tax are :

o Transport vehicles older than 8 years could be charged Green Tax at the time of renewal of fitness

certificate, at the rate of 10 to 25 % of road tax;

o Personal vehicles to be charged Green Tax at the time of renewal of Registration Certification after 15

years;

o Public transport vehicles, such as city buses, to be charged lower Green tax;

o Higher Green tax (50% of Road Tax) for vehicles being registered in highly polluted cities

o Differential tax, depending on fuel (petrol/diesel) and type of vehicle;

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o Vehicles like strong hybrids, electric vehicles and alternate fuels like CNG, ethanol, LPG etc to be

exempted;

o Vehicles used in farming, such as tractor, harvester, tiller etc to be exempted;

o Revenue collected from the Green Tax to be kept in a separate account and used for tackling pollution,

and for States to set up state of-art facilities for emission monitoring.

The benefits of the ―Green Tax‖ could be To dissuade people from using vehicles which damage the environment

To motivate people to switch to newer, less polluting vehicles

Green tax will reduce the pollution level, and make the polluter pay for pollution.

The Minister also approved the policy of deregistration and scrapping of vehicles owned by Government

department and PSU, which are above 15 years in age.

It is to be notified, and will come into effect from 1st April 2022.

CAFE-2 and BS-VI Stage II Context Automakers seek relief on new fuel efficiency, emission norms

The CAFE-2 norms aim to make cars more fuel efficient are set to come into effect in 2022 and BS-VI stage II

norms are set to come into force beginning April 2023.

What is CAFÉ norms? CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy regulations are in force in many advanced as well as

developing nations, including India.

They aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by lowering carbon

dioxide (CO2) emissions, thus serving the twin purposes of reducing dependence on oil for fuel and

controlling pollution.

Corporate Average refers to sales-volume weighted average for every auto manufacturer.

The norms are applicable for petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG passenger vehicles.

CAFE regulations in India came into force from April 1, 2017. Under this, average corporate CO2 emission

must be less than 130 gm per km till 2022 and below 113 gm per km thereafter.

Why is it important? Pollution caused by vehicles on road is worsening the air quality in many cities.

Upgrading to stricter fuel standards is one way to tackle air pollution.

CAFE regulations assume importance in the light of their ability to reduce the carbon footprint of the auto

industry.

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The National Auto Policy (draft) put out in early 2018 calls for developing a roadmap for reduction in CO2

emissions through CAFE regulations.

CAFÉ Vs BS VI regulation While CAFE regulations focus on reducing CO2 emissions, BS VI focuses on other harmful exhaust from

vehicles.

The BS IV-compliant fuel

currently in use has 50 parts per

million (ppm) sulphur.

However, BS VI stipulates a

low 10 ppm. Besides, under BS

VI, particulate matter emission

for diesel cars and nitrogen

oxide levels are expected to be

substantially lower than in BS

IV.

A mass shift to electric vehicle

use will also bring down air

pollution substantially.

To encourage manufacture and

sale of electric vehicles, the

government is already

providing incentives under

FAME (Faster Adoption and

Manufacturing of Hybrid &

Electric Vehicles) scheme.

Forest Fires Context Himachal Pradesh frequently witnesses forest fires during dry weather conditions.

Forest fires are a recurrent annual phenomenon in the state, and most commonly occur in Chir Pine forests.

What causes the fire? Natural causes: These are lightning or rubbing of dry bamboos with each other can sometimes result in fires.

A spark can also be produced when dry pine needles or leaves fall on an electric pole.

Anthropogenic causes: Forest officials maintain that almost all forest fires can be attributed to human factors.

o Accidental events: When the grass is dry, even a small spark, such as someone dropping a burning

matchstick, torchwood or a bidi/cigarette, can cause a massive fire.

o Deliberate setting of fire for encroachment and clearing the field from stubble, dry grass or

undergrowth sometimes spreads to the adjoining forest.

How much damage do the forest fires cause? Flora: Forest fires can cause a lot of damage to the regeneration in the forests and their productivity.

o Moisture-loving trees such as Oaks and Deodars may give way to other species and exotic weeds.

Water resources: Forests help maintain aquifers and continuous flow of streams and springs, and provide

firewood, fodder and non-timber produce to the local communities – all these capacities may get adversely

affected in case of a fire.

Soil degradation: Forest fires may destroy organic matter in the soil and expose the top layer to erosion. Soil

get hardened, devoid of moisture, humus etc.

Fauna: It impact the wildlife by burning eggs, killing young animals and driving the adult animals away

from their safe haven.

Humans: Sometimes, a forest fire may get out of control and extend to human settlements, thus posing

danger to human life and property.

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Pollution and climate change: Forest fires increase carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, contributing to

the greenhouse effect and climate change. In addition, ashes destroy much of the nutrients and erode the

soil, causing flooding and landslides.

The use of chemicals in firefighting adds an additional problem to the already dramatic consequences of

forest fires.

Pros of forest fire Clean the forest floor: Remove the low growing underbrush that exists underneath the canopy. Thus, it

works to clean the forest floor of debris.

Protection from pests and disease: Forest fires help to kill the diseases and insects that like to prey on the

trees in the biome.

Seed germination: Fire plays an important role in several grassland ecosystems in the world. Fire can trigger

germination in several species, by breaking the physical dormancy of their seeds.

What can be done to prevent and control forest fires? Forecasting fire-prone days using meteorological data

Clearing camping sites of dried biomass

Early burning of dry litter on the forest floor

Growing strips of fire-hardy plant species within the forest and

Creating fire lines in the forests are some of the methods to prevent fires.

o Fire lines are strips in the forest kept clear of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading.

In 1999, the state government notified forest fire rules which restrict or regulate certain activities in and

around forest areas such as lighting a fire, burning agricultural stubble or undergrowth (ghasnis) and stacking

inflammable forest produce such as dried leaves and firewood.

Single-Use Plastic Context The CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) has come up with an

alternative to single-use plastics.

NIIST scientists have developed a technology for manufacturing biodegradable tableware - including plates,

cutleries and cups - from agricultural residues and byproducts.

It has a shelf life of upto six months and heat resistance up to 100 degreeCelsius.

Primary agricultural residues are generated as a byproduct during the harvesting of agricultural crops

Secondary agricultural residues are the leftovers from post-harvest processing.

What is Plastic Pollution? Plastic pollution occurs when plastic has

gathered in an area and has begun to

negatively impact the natural environment and

create problems for plants, wildlife, and even

the human population.

This includes killing plant life and posing

dangers to local animals.

Plastic is an incredibly useful material, but it is

not biodegradable.

Various Causes of Plastic Pollution As plastic is less expensive, it is one of the most

widely available and overused items in the

world today.

Rapid urbanization and population growth

increase the demand of cheap plastics.

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Since it is an affordable and durable material, it is utilized in every other way possible, from packaging

materials to plastic bottles and containers, straws to plastic carry bags.

Plastic takes 400 years and even more to Decompose. The decomposition rate of plastic typically ranges from

500 to 600 years, depending on the type.

Abandoned Fishing Nets

Disposal of plastic is often mismanaged; it ends up in landfills.

Burning plastic is incredibly toxic and can lead to harmful atmospheric conditions and deadly illnesses. Serious Effects of Plastic Pollution Negative Effects on Human Health: Microplastics entering the human body via direct exposures through

ingestion or inhalation can lead to an array of health impacts, including inflammation, genotoxicity, oxidative

stress, apoptosis, and necrosis, which are linked to an array of negative health outcomes including cancer,

cardiovascular diseases.

Plastic-contaminated seafood: Scientists have found micro plastics in 114 marine species, and around one-

third of these end up on our plates.

Upsets the Food Chain: Because it comes in sizes large and small, polluting plastics even affect the world‘s

tiniest organisms, such as plankton.

Groundwater Pollution: Most of the

litter and pollution affecting the world‘s

oceans and groundwater

comes from plastics.

Land Pollution: When plastic is dumped in

landfills, it interacts with water and forms

hazardous chemicals. When these chemicals

seep underground, they degrade the water

quality. The wind carries and deposits

plastic from one place to another, increasing

the land litter.

Air Pollution: Burning of plastic in the

open air leads to environmental pollution

due to the release of poisonous chemicals.

Economic impacts: Plastic pollution costs

$13 billion in economic damage to marine

ecosystems per year. This includes losses to

the fishing industry and tourism, as well

as the cost to clean up beaches. Economic

costs include those linked to clean-up

operations, litter removal, the repair and

replacement of damaged vessels and gear,

reduced fishing catches, and a decline in

coastal tourism and impact on related

industries.

Marine life: The most visible and

disturbing impacts of marine plastics are

the ingestion, suffocation and

entanglement of hundreds of marine

species. Marine wildlife such as seabirds,

whales, fishes and turtles, mistake plastic

waste for prey, and most die of starvation

as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris.

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Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

It aims to increase minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns.

Expand the jurisdiction of applicability from the municipal area to rural areas, because plastic has

reached rural areas also.

Extended Producer Responsibility: To bring in the responsibilities of producers and generators, both in

plastic waste management system and to introduce collect back system of plastic waste by the

producers/brand owners, as per extended producers responsibility

Introduced collection of plastic waste management fee through pre-registration of the producers,

importers of plastic carry bags/multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same for establishing the

waste management system

Promote use of plastic waste for road construction as per Indian Road Congress guidelines or energy

recovery, or waste to oil etc. for gainful utilization of waste and also address the waste disposal issue.

Plastic Marine Pollution Context A new study published in Nature Communications

has estimated the amount of microplastic pollution in

the Atlantic Ocean and put it at 11.6-21.1 million

tonnes.

What are microplastics? Microplastics are plastic debris smaller than 5mm in

length, or about the size of a sesame seed.

They come from a variety of sources, one of them is

when larger pieces of plastic degrade into smaller

pieces, which are difficult to detect.

Why is plastic pollution especially harmful? The durability of plastic, which implies that plastic

can take hundreds to thousands of years to

decompose depending on the type of plastic and

where it has been dumped.

In the oceans, plastic pollution impacts marine life,

ocean health, coastal tourism and even human health.

Over the past few years, various news reports have shown that marine animals such as whales, seabirds and

turtles unknowingly ingest plastic and often suffocate.

For humans, too, marine plastic pollution is harmful if it reaches the food chain. For instance, microplastics

have been found in tap water, beer and even salt.

One of the first studies to estimate plastic pollution in human ingestion that was published in June 2019 said

that an average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic each year. Consumption of plastic by

humans is harmful since several chemicals that are used to produce plastics can be carcinogenic.

‗Save Mollem‘ Campaign Context The ‗Save Mollem‘ campaign has drawn in everyone from celebrities to politicians, protesting the lack of

assessment of the threats posed by three proposed infrastructure projects.

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Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary

It is a protected area located in the Western Ghats of West India, in Goa State, along the eastern border

with Karnataka.

National Highway 4A divides it intotwo parts.

It contains several important temples dating to the Kadambas of Goa, and home to waterfalls, such as

Dudhsagar Falls and Tambdi Falls.

The parkland is also home to a community of nomadic buffalo herders known as the Dhangar.

This area was first known as Mollem Game Sanctuary.

It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and renamed as Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary.

The core area of the sanctuary was notified as Mollem National Park in 1978.

What is the issue?

Probable ecological impacts These dense evergreen forests of Mollem at the edge of the Western Ghats support thousands of indigenous

people and a huge diversity of wildlife: tigers, leopards, gaur, and over 200 species of birds.

Linear projects like power transmission lines will ―act as barriers to movement, with many animals avoiding

even narrow clearings‖.

It would disrupt ecological processes and gene flow and affect seed dispersal and disease dynamics.

Panna Biosphere Reserve Context Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Madhya Pradesh (MP) included in the global network of biosphere reserves by

the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The UNESCO‘s recognition cited PTR as a critical tiger habitat.

PTR was notified as a biosphere reserve by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

(MoEFCC ) in 2011 and after nine years the UNESCO included it in the Man and Biosphere programme.

In 2008, PTR had lost all its tigers. The forest department had reintroduced a male and a female tiger in 2009

and within a decade the animal‘s population increased to over 50.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

It is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through

international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture.

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UNESCO‘s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme

It is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the

relationship between people and their environments.

It combines the natural and social sciences with a view to improving human livelihoods and

safeguarding natural and managed ecosystems, thus promoting innovative approaches to economic

development that are socially and culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable.

By focusing on sites internationally recognized within the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the

MAB Programme strives to: o identify and assess the changes in the biosphere resulting from human and natural activities and

the effects of these changes on humans and the environment, in particular in the context of climate

change;

o study and compare the dynamic interrelationships between natural/near-natural ecosystems and

socio-economic processes, in particular in the context of accelerated loss of biological and cultural

diversity with unexpected consequences that impact the ability of ecosystems to continue to provide

services critical for human well-being;

o ensure basic human welfare and a liveable environment in the context of rapid urbanization and

energy consumption as drivers of environmental change;

o promote the exchange and transfer of knowledge on environmental problems and solutions, and to

foster environmental education for sustainable development.

Panna Tiger Reserve

Situated in the Vindhyan mountain range in the northern part of Madhya Pradesh, Panna Tiger Reserve

is spread over the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.

Flowing from the south to the north through the reserve is the River Ken. It is the lifeline of this reserve

and is the least polluted of Yamuna‘s tributaries.

These forests along with Ken Gharial Sanctuary form a significant part of the catchment area of this river.

The reserve is also dotted with two thousand year-old rock paintings.

What are Biosphere Reserves? Biosphere reserves or natural reserves are multipurpose protected areas with boundaries circumscribed by

legislation.

The main aim of biosphere reserve is to preserve genetic diversity in representative ecosystems by protecting

wild animals, traditional life style of inhabitant and domesticated plant/animal genetic resources.

These are scientifically managed allowing only the

tourists to visit.

The concept of Biosphere Reserves was launched

in 1975 as a, part of UNESCO‘s ‗Man and

Biosphere Programme, dealing with the

conservation of ecosystems and the genetic

resources contained therein.

A terrestrial biosphere reserve consists of core,

buffer and transition zones.

The natural or core zone comprises an

undisturbed and legally protected ecosystem.

The buffer zone surrounds the core area, and is managed to accommodate a greater variety of resource use

strategies, and research and educational activities.

The transition zone is the outermost part of the Biosphere Reserve. This is an area of active cooperation

between reserve management and the local people, wherein activities including settlements, cropping,

forestry, recreation and other economic uses continue in harmony with people and conservation goals.

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Aarey Forest Land Context Maharashtra Chief Minister announced that the state government would designate a 600-acre parcel of land

in the heart of urban Mumbai as a reserved forest.

Aarey forest It falls within the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

It is an urban, unclassed and degraded forest.

It is classified as mixed moist deciduous type forest.

It acts as a buffer between SGNP and the city, being one of the few green spaces left in Mumbai.

It is home to around 10,000 individuals who live in 27 tribal hamlets.

What is a reserve forest? Forest reserves are portions of state lands where commercial harvesting of wood products is excluded to

capture elements of biodiversity that can be missing from sustainably harvested sites.

A reserved forest is the forests accorded a certain degree of protection.

The term was first introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 in British Raj, to refer to certain forests granted

protection under the British crown in British India.

Land rights to forests declared to be Reserved forests are typically acquired and owned by the Government

of India.

Unlike national parks of India or wildlife sanctuaries of India, reserved forests are declared by the respective

state governments.

In Reserved forests, rights to all activities like hunting, grazing, etc. are banned unless specific orders are

issued otherwise.

The first Reserve Forest Of India was Satpura National Park.

Protected forests are of two kinds - demarcated protected forests and undemarcated protected forests, based

on whether the limits of the forest have been specified by a formal notification.

What is the process of earmarking the land as a forest? Under Section 4 of The Indian Forest Act, 1927, the state government can ―constitute any land a reserved

forest‖ by issuing a notification in the Official Gazette, ―declaring that it has been decided to constitute such

land a reserved forest‖, and ―specifying, as nearly as possible, the situation and limits of such land‖

The government must also appoint a Forest Settlement Officer (FSO) ―to inquire into and determine the

existence, nature and extent of any rights alleged to exist in favour of any person in or over any land

comprised within such limits or in or over any forest-produce, and to deal with the same‖.

The FSO will seek suggestions and objections from residents and others within 45 days of initiating the

process.

After taking into account the suggestions and objections, the process of turning the land into a reserved forest

will be completed.

Thereafter, the area will be protected from any construction.

Ecologically Sensitive Area Context 6 States- Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, have expressed desire to expedite

early notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats.

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Eco-Sensitive Areas

These are located within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Notified by: ESAs are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

under Environment Protection Act, 1986. Aim:

To regulate activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimisethe negative

impacts on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.

Creating some kinds of ‗shock absorbers‘or transition zone between the highly protected and relatively

less protected areas.

Give effect to Section 3(2) (v) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which restricts the operation of

industries or processes in protected areas.

Gadgil Committee

It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.

It proposed that the entire area be designated as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).

It proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.

Kasturirangan Committee • It was setup as none of the six concerned states agreed with the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee.

• It ―examine‖ the Gadgil Committee report and bring just 37% of the Western Ghats under the Ecologically

Sensitive Area (ESA) zones — down from the 64% suggested by the Gadgil report.

• It ask for a ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining.

• No new thermal power projects, but hydropower projects allowed with restrictions.

• Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) –Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA) Context NITI Aayog launched the Nationally Determined

Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia

(TIA) India Component. It focus on establishing a

multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for

decarbonizing transport in India.

What is NDC? Countries across the globe committed to create a

new international climate agreement by the

conclusion of the U.N. Framework Convention on

Western Ghats • It is an extensive region spanning over six states (Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and

Tamil Nadu). • 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. • The Western Ghats form one of the four watersheds of India, feeding the perennial rivers of India. • The major river systems originating in the Western Ghats are the Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna,

Thamiraparani and Tungabhadra rivers.

• The Western Ghats are home to four tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions – the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, North Western Ghats montane rain forests, South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, and South Western Ghats montane rain forests.

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Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December 2015.

In preparation, countries have agreed to publicly outline what post-2020 climate actions they intend to take

under a new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

(INDCs).

The INDCs will largely determine whether the world achieves an ambitious 2015 agreement and is put on a

path toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

Aim Promote a comprehensive approach to decarbonize transport in India, Vietnam, and China, NDC–TIA is a

joint programme, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry for the

Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and implemented by a consortium of seven

organisations, namely:

o Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

o International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

o World Resources Institute (WRI)

o International Transport Forum (ITF)

o Agora Verkehrswende (AGORA)

o Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) Foundation

o Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century e.V. (REN21

The India Component is implemented by six consortium organisations, all except SLoCaT.

On behalf of the Government of India, NITI Aayog, the country‘s premier policy think tank, will be the

implementing partner.

The NDC-TIA programme has a duration of 4 years and will allow India and other partner countries to

achieve accountable long-term targets by making a sectoral contribution through various interventions,

coordinated with a large number of stakeholders in the domain.

India‘s present situation India has the world‘s second-largest road network, which contributes to maximum greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions through all means of transportation.

The NDC–TIA India Component will focus on Establishing a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for decarbonizing transport in India,

Strengthening GHG and transport modelling capacities,

Providing technical support on GHG emission reduction measures,

Financing climate actions in transport,

Offering policy recommendations on electric vehicle (EV) demand and supply policies,

Evaluating business models through cost-benefit analyses.

o A significant focus will be given on electric mobility, which would require coupling of transport and

energy sectors.

GM Seeds Context The ShetkariSanghatana — a farmers‘ union— has announced that this year they are going to undertake

large-scale sowing of unapproved GM crops like maize, HtBt cotton, soyabean and brinjal across

Maharashtra.

Farmers who plant such variants will put up boards on their fields proclaiming the GM nature of their crop.

This action will draw attention to the need for introduction of the latest technology in the fields.

What are genetically modified seeds? Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the

desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium.

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Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)

It is a statutory body constituted under the ‗Rules for the Manufacture, Use /Import /Export and Storage

of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineering Organisms or Cells, 1989‘ notified under the

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change. Functions:

The body regulates the use, manufacture, storage, import and export of hazardous microorganisms or

genetically-engineered organisms and cells in India.

It is responsible for appraisal of proposals relating to release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and

products into the environment including experimental field trials.

It has the power to take punitive action against people/body under the Environment (Protection) Act.

The approval of the GEAC is mandatory before genetically modified organisms and products derived

from them can be used commercially. Composition:

GEAC is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of MoEF&CC and co-chaired by a

representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

For example Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus

thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.

HtBt cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which allows the

plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.

In Btbrinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.

In DMH-11 mustard, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature.

Legal position of genetically modified crops in India In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for commercial

release of GM crops.

Penalty: Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh under the

Environmental Protection Act ,1989.

Why are farmers supporting GM crops? Reduced costs: Cost of weeding goes down considerably if farmers grow HtBt cotton and use glyphosate

against weeds. In case of Btbrinjal, the cost reduces as the cost of production is reduced by cutting down on

the use of pesticides.

Vulture Action Plan Context Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched a Vulture Action Plan 2020-25 for the

conservation of vultures in the country.

There are nine recorded species of vultures in India — the Oriental white-backed, long-billed, slender-

billed, Himalayan, red-headed, Egyptian, bearded, cinereous and the Eurasian Griffon.

Why it was needed? Between the 1990s and 2007, numbers of three presently critically-endangered species – the Oriental white-

backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures — crashed massively with 99 per cent of the species having

been wiped out.

The number of red-headed vultures, also critically-endangered now, declined by 91% while the Egyptian

vultures by 80%.

The Egyptian vulture is listed as ‗endangered‘ while the Himalayan, bearded and cinereous vultures are

‗near threatened‘.

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The crash in vulture populations was caused by the diclofenac — a veterinary nonsteroidal anti-

inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout — in carcasses that

vultures would feed off.

Conservation efforts The MoEFCC released the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2006 with banning the veterinary use of

diclofenac in the same year and the decline of the vulture population being arrested by 2011.

Government is planning to extend the project to 2025 to halt the decline in vulture numbers in India.

Vulture Safe Zone programme It is being implemented at eight different places in the country where there were extant populations of

vultures, including two in Uttar Pradesh.

An area is declared a Vulture Safe Zone only when no toxic drugs are found in undercover pharmacy and

cattle carcass surveys, for two consecutive years, and the vulture populations are stable and not declining.

Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme The Central Zoo Authority

(CZA) and Bombay

Natural History Society

(BNHS) established the

Vulture Conservation

Breeding Programme,

which has been successful

and had three critically-

endangered species bred in

captivity for the first time.

Eight centres have been

established and, so far, 396

vultures of the three species

have successfully fledged.

The ministry has now

launched conservation

plans for the red-headed

and Egyptian vultures, with

breeding programmes for

both.

The action plan aims to ensure that sale of veterinary NSAIDs is regulated and livestock are treated only by

qualified veterinarians.

Additional Conservation Breeding Centres are also being planned across the country, along with Vulture

Conservation Centres with samples and information collected from the wild analysed and stored at these

centres — one each in Uttar

Pradesh, Tripura,

Maharashtra, Karnataka

and Tamil Nadu.

Four rescue centres have

been proposed for different

geographical areas like

Pinjore in the north, Bhopal

in central India, Guwahati

in Northeast and

Hyderabad in South India.

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Right of Passage of the animals Context The Supreme Court (SC) upheld a 2011 order of the Madras High Court (HC) on the Nilgiri‘s elephant

corridor, affirming the right of passage of the animals and the closure of resorts in the area.

Madras High Court (HC) verdict The Madras HC in July 2011, declared that the Tamil Nadu government was fully empowered under the

'Project Elephant' of the Union government as well as Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution to notify the

elephant corridor in the state‘s Nilgiris district.

o Article 51-A (g) which deals with Fundamental Duties of the citizens states: ―It shall be the duty of every

citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife

and to have compassion for living creatures.‖

The elephant corridor is situated near the Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgris district.

Supreme Court order The Supreme Court dismissed the special leave petition filed against the 2011 Judgment of the Madras HC.

It upheld that the area was a fragile ecosystem, the will of men must give way to elephants.

Mudumalai National Park It is also declared as a tiger reserve.

It lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains) in Tamil Nadu, India.

It shares its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala.

It is home to several endangered and vulnerable species including Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur and

Indian leopard.

There are at least 266 species of birds in the sanctuary, including critically endangered Indian white-rumped

vulture and long-billed vulture.

It is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Regions Context Dissolving the 22-

year-old

Environmental

Pollution

(Prevention and

Control) Authority

(EPCA) that has so

far addressed air

pollution in Delhi,

the Centre has

constituted a

―permanent‖ body

— the Commission

for Air Quality

Management in

National Capital

Region and

Adjoining Areas.

As the quality of air

is deteriorating in

the Delhi-NCR, the

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Central government introduced a new law through an ordinance that puts in place a powerful oversight

body.

The ordinance may be called the Commission for Air Quality Management In National Capital Region and

Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020.

Ordinance will be applicable It shall apply to national capital region and also adjoining areas so far as it relates to matters concerning air

pollution in the NCR

Adjoining areas where it shall be in force include Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, adjoining

areas of the NCR and Delhi where any source of pollution is located and is causing adverse impact on air

quality in the national capital region.

What is the Role of New Commission? It has been established to check pollution in the neighbouring areas, which cause pollution in the capital.

The commission will take stern action against violators of the ordinance.

They can be penalised heavily and even suffer a sentence of five years.

Special powers It will have the power to lay down parameters of air quality, parameters of discharge of environmental

pollutants, to inspect premises violating the law, ordering closure of non-abiding industries/plants etc.

It can restrict any industry, operations or processes or class of industries that may have implications on air

quality in the region.

Orders of the commission shall prevail in case there is a conflict between the central pollution control board

and the state pollution control boards.

It may take up matter suo motu or on the basis of complaints, any appeal against any direction of the panel

shall lie only with the National Green Tribunal.

Commission would be empowered to constitute special investigative groups for stricter implementation.

Composition of commission The members of the commission include a

o chairperson, who is or has been the secretary of Government of India or chief secretary of a state,

o representative of environment secretary and

o five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries in charge of the environment

department of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

o two full-time members who have been joint secretaries to the central government,

o three full-time independent technical members who have specific scientific knowledge regarding air

pollution,

o one technical member from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),

o one technical member nominated by ISRO and

o three members of NGOs having experience in matters concerning combating of air pollution.

The commission will have three sub-committees, one each for monitoring and identification, safeguarding

and enforcement, and research and development.

Encompassing Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the all-powerful body assumes several

powers to coordinate action among States, levy fines — ranging up to ₹1 crores or five years of prison — to

address air pollution.

There will be at least six permanent members and it will be headed by a former or incumbent Secretary to the

Government of India, or a Chief Secretary to a State government.

It has members from several Ministries as well as representatives from the States.

New commission and states The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and its State branches have the powers to implement provisions

of the Environment Protection Act for air, water and land pollution.

Their powers continue. However, in case of dispute or a clash of jurisdictions, the Commission‘s writ will

prevail specific to matters concerning air pollution.

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About BIS

BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious

development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for

matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

It has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy by providing safe

reliable quality goods; minimizing health hazards to consumers; promoting exports and imports

substitute; control over proliferation of varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.

BIS is involved in various activities as given below: o Standards Formulation

o Product Certification Scheme

o Compulsory Registration Scheme

o Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme

o Hall Marking Scheme

o Laboratory Services

o Laboratory Recognition Scheme

o Sale of Indian Standards

o Consumer Affairs Activities

o Promotional Activities

o Training Services, National & International level

o Information Services

Criticism Commission is considered as a ―bureaucratic vessel‖, as it was created practically overnight, with no

discussion and input.

Lack of diversity in representation: Only three members representing NGOs have been included, majority

are Ministries which are engaged in actions which contribute towards pollution — the Ministry of Power,

Housing and Urban Affairs; Road Transport and Highways; Petroleum and Natural Gas.

BIS Draft Standard for Drinking Water Supply Context The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has prepared a draft standard for the supply system of piped drinking

water and has invited comments from water utilities, including the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), on it.

About The quality standards for drinking water in India is prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards laid down IS

10500 : 2012.

The draft outlines the process of water supply, from raw water sources to household taps, and has been

developed keeping in view the Centre‘s Jal Jeevan Mission for providing safe and adequate drinking water

to all rural households by 2024 through tap connections.

The standards are expected to make the process of piped water supply more uniform.

What does the draft say? The draft outlines the requirements for a water supplier or a water utility on how they should establish,

operate, maintain and improve their piped drinking water supply service.

It states that the treatment process should be planned in such a manner that after treatment the drinking

water should conform to the Indian Standard (IS) 10500 developed by the BIS.

The IS 10500 outlines the acceptable limit of various substances in drinking water, including heavy metals

such as arsenic, and other parameters like the pH value of water, its turbidity, the total dissolved solids in it,

and the color and odour.

There are guidelines on water audit, which is a calculation of the amount of water put into distribution

against the amount that is consumed.

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PROJECT TIGER

It is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi's tenure.

Aim: Ensuring that the population of Bengal tigers is well-maintained in their natural habitats.

The government has also set up a tiger protecting force that ensures there is no poaching of any kind or any human-

tiger conflict.

Project tiger was started in association with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and still gets its main funding from them.

The monitoring system M-STrIPES was developed to assist patrol and protection of tiger habitats.

Project Tiger was administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Project Lion and Project Dolphin Context On Independence day PM announced launch of Project Lion and Project Dolphin for the conservation of the

two endangered species in the country using modern technology.

On the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant, Project Lion and Project Dolphin are launched.

P a g e | 36

Project Elephant

It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched

in February 1992.

Aim: To provide financial and technical

support to major elephant bearing States in

the country for protection of elephants, their

habitats and corridors.

It also seeks to address the issues of human-

elephant conflict and welfare of

domesticated elephants.

The Project is being implemented in 16

States / UTs, viz. Andhra Pradesh ,

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand ,

Karnataka , Kerala , Meghalaya , Nagaland ,

Orissa , Tamil Nadu , Uttaranchal , Uttar

Pradesh and West Bengal.

The project seeks to ensure the long-term

survival to the populations of elephants in

their natural habitats by protecting the

elephants, their habitats and migration

corridors.

Other goals: supporting the research of the

ecology and management of elephants,

creating awareness of conservation among

local people, providing improved veterinary

care for captive elephants.

Project Elephant has been formally

implementing MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal

Killing of Elephants) programme of CITES in

10 ERs (Elephant Reserve) since January

2004. It is mandated by COP resolution of

CITES.

Project Lion It would involve conservation of the Asiatic Lion,

and its landscape.

It will entail habitat development by engaging

modern technologies in management and

addressing the issue of diseases in lion and its

associated species through advanced world-class

research and veterinary care.

It would address the Human-Wildlife conflict.

Would involve local communities living in the

vicinity of lion landscape, and would provide

livelihood opportunities.

Work will be done on the required infrastructure for the protection and security of Indian lions.

The Asiatic Lion Conservation Project, has

been extended for next three financial years—

FY 2018-19, FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21.

Project lion will address all the issues required

to conserve a species. Which includes using the

latest technology for health management and

holistically providing world standard care,

addressing all that is required to conserve this

species?

Focus Areas: Vaccination of livestock, control

of cats and dogs in lion habitat, identification of

wildlife corridors, improvement of habitat,

legal aid, wildlife forensic systems, and

attractive relocation packages for pastoral

communities.

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Project Dolphin It aims at the conservation and protection of the Dolphins in

rivers and oceans of the country.

It involves conservation of Dolphins and the aquatic habitat

through the use of modern technology—specially in

enumeration and anti-poaching activities.

It will engage the fishermen and other rivers and ocean

dependent population and will strive for improving the

livelihood of the local communities.

It will help in the mitigation of pollution in rivers and the oceans.

It will give a boost to biodiversity, create employment

opportunities and act as a centre of attraction for tourism.

About Asiatic lions Habitat: They are confined to Gir National Park and its

surrounding environs in Gujarat‘s Saurashtra.

o Five protected areas currently exist to protect the Asiatic lion:

Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala

Sanctuary, and Girnar Sanctuary.

o In the surrounding sanctuary only Maldharis have the right

to take their livestock for grazing.

Population: As per the 14th Asiatic Lion Census 2005, the lion

population was estimated at 523 individuals. In August 2017,

surveyors counted 650 wild lions. The 15th Asiatic Lion Census

could not be conducted in 2020, as scheduled, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, an estimation exercise counted 674 Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region, an

increase of 29 per cent over the 2015 census figure.

Threats: The Asiatic lion currently exists as a single subpopulation, and is thus vulnerable to extinction from

unpredictable events, such as an epidemic or large forest fire. There are indications of poaching incidents in

recent years. There have also been a number of drowning incidents after lions fell into wells.

o Nearly 85 lions in the vicinity of Gir Forest were found dead in October 2018, they had died because of

canine distemper virus, the same virus that had killed several Serengeti lions earlier.

o The Asiatic lion is confined only to the Gir protected area and its surrounding environs and thus faces the

additional threat of genetic homogeneity, which makes the species susceptible to diseases. ―It is thus in

the interest of long term Asiatic lion conservation that the species be reintroduced to other places in and

outside Gujarat.

Expert suggestions: Experts have called for the reintroduced of the species outside Gujarat for the long term

conversation of the Asiatics lions. Kuno Palpur Sanctuary in MP is being considered by the ministry for

reintroduction of lions.

Conservation status: It is categorised as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of

Nature Red List.

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About South Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

It is an endangered freshwater or river dolphin found in

the region of Indian subcontinent, which is split into two

subspecies,

o the Ganges river dolphin and the Indus river

dolphin

Ganges river dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges

and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in India,

Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Indus river dolphin is found only in the main channel

of the Indus River in Pakistan and in the River Beas (a

tributary of the

Indus) in Punjab

in India.

The Ganges river

dolphin has been

recognized by

the government

of India as its

National

Aquatic Animal

and is the official

animal of the

Indian city of

Guwahati.

The Indus river

dolphin has been

named as the

National

Mammal of Pakistan.

Synonms Ganges subspecies: Gangetic dolphin, Ganges susu, shushuk (Being a mammal, the Ganges river dolphin

cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30–120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces when

breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the susu.

Indus subspecies: bhulan, Indus dolphin, Indus blind dolphin

Distribution and habitat The South Asian river dolphins are native to the freshwater river systems located in Nepal, India, Bangladesh,

and Pakistan.

Ecological importance The Gangetic dolphin is an indicator species, whose status provides information on the overall condition of

the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem, for the Ganga ecosystem and is extremely vulnerable to

changes in water quality and flow.

Conservation International trade is prohibited by the listing of the South Asian river dolphin on Appendix I of the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

It is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.

Both subspecies are listed by the IUCN as endangered on their Red List of Threatened Species.

The species is listed on Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory

Species of Wild Animals.

The Ministry of Environment and Forest declared the Gangetic dolphin the national aquatic animal of India.

P a g e | 39

Dolphin Awareness Program (Phase - I) has been completed. Further strengthening of networking is being

taken up in Phase- II with NGOs, schools and teachers in Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins.

A stretch of the Ganges River between Sultanganj and Kahlgaon in Bihar has been declared a dolphin

sanctuary and named Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, the first such protected area.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in its efforts of biodiversity conservation in Ganga River basin

has been working further on the Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Action Plan and has taken up steps to

coordinate with various institutions to:

build capacity for Ganga River Dolphin Conservation and Management;

minimize fisheries interface and incidental capture of Ganga River Dolphins;

restore river dolphin habitats by minimizing and mitigating the impacts of developmental projects;

involve communities and stakeholders for sustainable efforts in Ganga River Dolphin conservation;

educate and create awareness and set off targeted research.

Major Threats Habitat loss /Degradation / Disturbances – Annual flood, Changing River course.

Inland waterways / Movement of large cargo vessels.

Various anthropogenic / religious activities.

Excessive harvesting/hunting/food – subsistence use/ local trade.

Directed killing/ poaching or Accidental killing – by catch/ fisheries related entanglements.

Water pollution – Agriculture related or direct disposal of sewage – on both the banks of River/chemical.

The Irrawaddy dolphin(Orcaella brevirostris)

It is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in

estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.

Although it is called the Irrawaddy river dolphin, it is not a true river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that

lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths, and estuaries.

The Chilika Lake in Odisha has emerged as the ―single largest habitat of Irrawaddy dolphins in the

world‖, following a fresh monitoring survey that pegs the number of individuals of the endangered species at

155.

Irrawaddy dolphins are classified as ‗Endangered‘ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency Context A team of scientist‘s reports physical attributes and genes that help identify which types of rice use nitrogen

efficiently.

Such knowledge could help farmers use nitrogenous fertilizers efficiently, save costs, as well as limit

nitrogen-linked pollution, which contributes to climate change.

Indian Nitrogen Assessment The Indian government‘s subsidy on N-fertilizer (mainly urea) is over ₹ 50,000 crores per annum.

The farmer pays only a quarter of the market price of urea and harvests a similar proportion of it into grain, at

a Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) of 25-30%.

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The International Nitrogen Initiative

The International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) is an international program.

It was set up in 2003 under sponsorship of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment

(SCOPE) and from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP).

The key aims of the INI are to:

optimize nitrogen‘s beneficial role in sustainable food production, and

minimize nitrogen‘s negative effects on human health and the environment resulting from food and

energy production.

The INI holds a conference every three years, inviting members of the international nitrogen community

to meet up and discuss ideas and exchange knowledge on nitrogen issues.

The last INI conference was held in Melbourne, in December 2016. A key output of the conference was

The Melbourne Declaration. The Melbourne Declaration

It recognize the management of reactive nitrogen is closely related to the UN Sustainable Development. It

calls for responsible Nitrogen Management for a sustainable future.

The rest of it is lost as N-pollution.

According to the Indian Nitrogen Assessment (2017), agriculture accounts for over 70% of all nitrous oxide

emission in the Indian environment, out of which 77% is contributed by fertilizers, mostly urea.

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

It has replaced methane as the second largest GHG emission from Indian agriculture over the last 15 years.

Cereals account for over 69% of the total consumption of N fertilizers in India, with rice topping the list at

37%, followed by wheat (24%).

Special-Winter-Grade-Diesel Context A special winter-grade diesel Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has launched for the Ladakh region.

It will prove to be a lifeline for the Indian armed forces, keeping in view the prospect that the coming winter

will be very tense for them because of the India-China conflict.

This fuel can withstand extremely low temperatures of around minus 33 degree Celsius.

About Winter-grade diesel The fuel was specially designed for motorists in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza, and Keylong.

In these regions, motorists face the problem of freezing diesel during the winter season.

Normally, a major component of diesel is paraffin wax, which improves viscosity and lubrication in the fuel.

However, with temperature, it melts or thickens, affecting the normal performance of vehicles.

IOC had launched this special fuel to address the problem, including additives to diesel, helping it to remain

in a fluid situation.

This fuel has a low pour-point of minus 33 degree Celsius, which allows it to retain its fluidity even in

extremely cold weather.

Net Present Value of Forests Context Mines Ministry had requested that ‗prospecting and exploring‘ in forests be exempted from Forest

Conservation Act.

What is the issue? The Union Ministry of Mines has requested an expert advisory committee of the Environment Ministry to

exempt it from the Supreme Court-mandated fees that prospectors pay when they dig exploratory boreholes

in forests.

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The Net Present Value (NPV) It is a monetary approximation of the value that is lost when a piece of forest land has been razed.

It is based on the services and ecological value of forest.

There are prescribed formulae for calculating this amount, which depends on the location and nature of the

forest and the type of industrial enterprise that will replace a particular parcel of forest.

The Supreme Court mandates this must be paid by those who use forest land for non-forestry purposes and

only limited exemptions are permitted.

NPV came into being after the recommendations of Kanchan Gupta committee.

Yadadri Technique Context Telangana State government would be focusing its efforts on improving green cover in the State through what

is being termed the ‗Yadadri Model‘.

About the technique The model utilises the Miyawaki method of greening an area but also involving some localised techniques

like usage of cow dung and urine for improving the fertility of soil.

The basic principle behind the model is high-density plantation in small areas.

There is no defined spacing between the plants and required number of plants per hectare may go up to

10000.

Success of the model depends on various sequences of events, like site selection, site development, soil

nutrient enrichment, species selection, pit dimension, planting pattern, usage of organic bio-fertilisers and

post-planting management including irrigation schedule.

The Yadadri Model has proven successful in not just making an area green but also creating rich biodiversity

in the place. It is also cost-effective.

Vedic Paint or Prakritik‘ Paint Context This ‗prakritik‘ paint will help farmers earn extra Rs 30,000 per animal per year

This paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others.

It is expected to boost local manufacturing and create sustainable local employment through technology

transfer.

Vedic paint The eco-friendly paint will be launched in two variants - Distemper and Emulsion.

This innovative new paint developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

Named as ―Khadi Prakritik Paint‖, this is an eco-friendly, non-toxic first-of-its-kind product with anti-fungal

and anti-bacterial properties.

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The Khadi Prakritik Paint is based on cow dung as its main ingredient.

It is cost-effective and odorless and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards.

Help farmers make extra income This Khadi Prakritik Paint technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-

friendly products and generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas.

According to an estimate by the Government, the sale of this paint is expected to help farmers an extra income

of Rs 30,000 per animal, per year.

The utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains.

Khadi Prakritik Emulsion paint meets BIS 15489:2013 standards; whereas Khadi Prakritik Distemper paint

meets BIS 428:2013 standards

2021: Year of Indo-French Alliance towards a Greener Planet Context Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and French Minister for Ecological Transition launched

the Indo-French Year of the Environment.

The basic objective is to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the

effectiveness of actions in favor of global environment protection and give them greater visibility.

India-France alliance in working towards climate change.

The Indo-French Year of the Environment over the period 2021-2022 would be based on five main themes:

o environmental protection,

o climate change,

o biodiversity conservation,

o sustainable urban development, and

o the development of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

It is also a platform for engaging in discussions on critical areas of collaboration relating to environment and

allied areas.

Green Growth Equity Fund Context British Petroleum Company plc (BP) has announced its intention to invest into the Green Growth Equity Fund

(GGEF).

About the fund The fund, established in 2018, is focussed on identifying, investing, and supporting growth in zero carbon

and low carbon energy solutions in India.

GGEF has a goal to close about $700 million in commitments from its members.

The investment will help BP to reach its goal of becoming net-zero in its operations by 2050 and will expand

its portfolio of renewable energy projects.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission

It is a statutory body formed in April 1957 (During 2nd Five Year plan) by the Government of India,

under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'.

It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to

khadi and village industries within India.

It seeks to - "plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi

and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development

wherever necessary.

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GREEN Initiative Context NTPC, India‘s largest power producer entered into foreign currency loan agreement with Japanese

Government‘s financial institution for JPY 50 billion (approx. Rs. 3,582 crores), under Japan Bank for

International Co-operation (JBIC)‘s GREEN or Global Action for Reconciling Economic growth and

Environment preservation initiative.

JBIC will provide 60% of the facility amount and the balance will be given by other commercial banks.

The loan proceeds will be utilized by NTPC Ltd, the PSU under Ministry of Power, for funding its capex for

Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD)& Renewable Energy projects.

o FGD, substantially reduces the SOx emission in the flue gases of thermal power plants and is a critical

step towards environmental sustainability.

Global action for Reconciling Economic growth and Environmental preservation ("GREEN") JBIC conducts environmental operations called Global action for Reconciling Economic growth and

Environmental preservation ("GREEN").

Under the GREEN operations, JBIC provides enhanced support for environmental projects in developing

countries in the form of loans, guarantees and equity financing, while mobilizing private-sector funds.

GREEN projects include development of photovoltaic generation facilities using advanced environmental

technologies and highly energy-efficient power plants, as well as installation of energy-saving equipment,

which are intended to help protect the global environment.

System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) Context The Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (NCAVES)-India Forum 2021,

organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in a virtual format.

NCAVES Project The NCAVES Project, funded by EU, has been jointly implemented by the

o United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD),

o the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and

o the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

India is one of the five countries taking part in this project - the other countries being Brazil, China, South

Africa and Mexico.

In India, the NCAVES project is being implemented by the MoSPI in close collaboration with the Ministry

of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the National Remote Sensing Centre

(NRSC).

The participation in the project has helped MOSPI commence the compilation of the Environment Accounts

as per the UN-SEEA framework and release environmental accounts in its publication ―EnviStats India‖ on

an annual basis since 2018.

Under the NCAVES project, the India-EVL Tool is developed, which is essentially a look-up tool giving a

snapshot of the values of various ecosystem services in the different States of the country, based on about 80

studies conducted across the country.

What is the SEEA? The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) is a framework that integrates economic and

environmental data to provide a more comprehensive and multipurpose view of the interrelationships

between the economy and the environment and the stocks and changes in stocks of environmental assets, as

they bring benefits to humanity.

SEEA is described as a satellite system to the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA).

It contains the internationally agreed standard concepts, definitions, classifications, accounting rules and

tables for producing internationally comparable statistics and accounts.

The SEEA framework follows a similar accounting structure as the System of National Accounts (SNA).

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NFSSM Alliance

It was established with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2016 to support safe

sanitation at the national, state and city level.

The Alliance is recognized as the collaborative body that drives the discourse of faecal sludge and septage

management (FSSM) forward in India.

The NFSSM Alliance in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the

Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been instrumental in the passage of India‘s

first national policy on FSSM in 2017.

It has worked with state governments on various innovative models, policies and guidelines across the

sanitation value chain to ensure our cities‘ waste is effectively managed.

The models captured in this report will help other states and cities replicate and scale them up to achieve

100% effective management of India‘s faecal sludge and septage in the next five years.

The framework uses concepts, definitions and classifications consistent with the SNA in order to facilitate the

integration of environmental and economic statistics.

The SEEA is a multi-purpose system that generates a wide range of statistics, accounts and indicators with

many different potential analytical applications.

It is a flexible system that can be adapted to countries' priorities and policy needs while at the same time

providing a common framework, concepts, terms and definitions.

National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance Context NITI Aayog Releases Report on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management in Urban Areas.

Jointly developed with National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance.

It presents 27 case studies across 10 states and various service and business models adopted by Indian cities

while implementing faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) initiatives.

Safe sanitation is a strong contributor to both public health and environmental sustainability, and needs

focused attention, especially the safe and complete treatment of all human waste.

The National Policy on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) It was issued by Ministry of Urban Development in February 2017 with support and inputs from the NFSSM

Alliance.

Key features of the policy State level guidelines, framework, objectives, timelines and implementation plans to address septage

management

Formulating strategy on central level to initiate capacity building for training on FSSM

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Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme

Under it, the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%.

This programme has been extended to whole of India except Union Territories of Andaman Nicobar and

Lakshadweep islands with effect from 01st April, 2019 to promote the use of alternative and environment

friendly fuels.

This programme has been extended to whole of India except Union Territories of Andaman Nicobar and

Lakshadweep islands with effect from 01st April, 2019 wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up

to 10%.

The Government has 10% blending target for mixing ethanol with petrol by 2022 & 20% blending target

by 2030.

Sanitation benchmark framework which shall be used by ULBs to develop database, registry of certified on

site sanitation system and robust reporting format

Funding for facilitation of FSSM projects and encouragement to increase public private partnerships (PPP)

Achieving integrated citywide sanitation along with safe disposal.

Objectives The key objective of the urban FSSM Policy is to set the context, priorities, and direction for nationwide

implementation of FSSM services in all ULBs so that safe and sustainable sanitation becomes a reality.

Suggest and identify ways and means, including the methods and resources, towards creation of an enabling

environment for realising safe and sustainable FSSM in India.

Define the roles and responsibilities of various government entities and agencies, and of other key

stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society organisations and citizens for effective implementation of

FSSM services throughout the country.

Enable and support synergies among relevant Central Government programs such as SBM, AMRUT and the

Smart Cities Mission to realise safe and sustainable sanitation for all at the earliest, possibly by the year 2019.

Mitigate gender-based sanitation insecurity directly related to FSSM, reducing the experience of health

burdens, structural violence, and promote involvement of both genders in the planning for and design of

sanitation infrastructure.

E20 Fuel Context Government invites public comments for introducing adoption of E20 fuel to promote green fuel like

ethanol.

Adoption of E20 fuel means blending of 20 per cent of ethanol with gasoline as an automotive fuel.

The move assumes significance in the wake of promoting green fuel like ethanol to reduce huge Rs 8 lakh

crores crude import dependence thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security.

Government aspires to take the ethanol economy to Rs 2 lakh crores in the next five years from Rs 22,000

crores at present.

The notification facilitates the development of E20 compliant vehicles. It will also help in reducing emissions

of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, etc.

Bioethanol Blending of Petrol Context The government has set targets of 10 per cent Bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20 per

cent by 2030 under the ethanol blending programme to curb carbon emissions and reduce India‘s

dependence on imported crude oil.

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What are 1G and 2G biofuels? 1G Bioethanol plants utilise sugarcane

juice and molasses, byproducts in the

production of sugar, as raw material.

2G plants utilise surplus biomass and

agricultural waste to produce Bioethanol.

Third generation biofuels - These are

produced from micro-organisms like

algae.

Fourth generation biofuels - These are

produced from genetically modified (GM)

algae to enhance biofuel production.

The prices of both sugarcane and bio-

ethanol are set by the central government.

Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings Initiative Context Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under Ministry of Power, in partnership

with the U.S. Agency for International Development‘s (USAID) MAITREE program, launched the ―Healthy

and Energy Efficient Buildings‖ initiative that will pioneer ways to make workplaces healthier and greener.

About the Initiative The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE), under which this

initiative has been launched is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a

standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling and EESL has taken the leadership by

being the first to implement this framework in its own offices.

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This initiative is addressing the challenges of retrofitting existing buildings and air conditioning systems so

that they are both healthy and energy-efficient.

It will address the problems, by developing specifications for future use in other buildings throughout the

country, as well as aid in evaluating the effectiveness and cost benefits of various technologies and their short

and long-term impacts on air quality, comfort, and energy use.

EESL: Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) It works under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

It is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world‘s largest energy

efficiency portfolio in the country.

Driven by the mission of Enabling More – more transparency, more transformation, and more innovation,

EESL aims to create market access for efficient and future-ready transformative solutions that create a win-

win situation for every stakeholder.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) USAID is the world‘s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development

results.

Seed Bombs: Solution to Man-Animal Conflict Context Encouraged by germination and subsequent growth in bamboo plantations, Odisha‘s Forest Department has

begun casting seed balls inside different reserve forest areas to enrich food stock for wild elephants.

About The growth in bamboo plantation is expected to meet the needs of the elephants, which often stray out of the

forests and raid human habitations.

Villagers who bear the brunt of the elephant attacks have come forward to prepare the bamboo seed balls and

scatter them in 38 reserve forests.

―Bamboo shoots are relished by elephants. It will help to meet the food requirement of wild elephants in their

own habitats.

Advanced Biodigester Mk-Ii Technology Context Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Government of India‘s premier research agency

and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MAHA –METRO).

It is a joint venture company of the GoI and Government of Maharashtra are working together to conserve

water and protect the environment by installing DRDO's eco-friendly biodigester units (a non-sewered

sanitation technology) in its facilities.

The advanced biodigester Mk-II technology will be used for the treatment of human waste (night soil) in the

metro rail network.

DRDO‘s biodigester It is an indigenous, green and cost-effective technology, with a rare distinction of having one of the largest

numbers of DRDO-licensees (ToT holders).

The technology has been revamped and further improved in a bid to save the water and space.

A customized version of this MK-II Biodigester, suitable for treating human waste generated from houseboats

in Dal Lake was successfully demonstrated by the DRDO to J&K Administration.

The implementation of Biodigester MK-II in Srinagar is being monitored by a committee of experts under the

Chairmanship of Dr E Sreedharan.

This green technology will significantly reduce the Dal lake pollution.

The new reactor is designed to increase biological reaction time, thereby enhancing the bio-degradation

efficiency of the system.

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This technology was primarily developed for the armed forces in high altitude Himalayan regions, including

Leh-Ladakh and Siachen glacier.

Saksham Campaign Context Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry launches SAKSHAM campaign to spread awareness about green and clean

energy.

This pan-India campaign will focus on adoption of cleaner fuels.

The campaign will spread awareness about key drivers that includes

o moving towards a gas-based economy,

o cleaner use of fossil fuels,

o greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels and

o increased use of electric vehicles.

About Saksham Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) is a campaign organised by Petroleum Conservation Research

Association (PCRA) to sensitize the masses about conservation and efficient use of petroleum products,

which will lead towards better health and environment.

This campaign is aimed at showing the way forward for making a change and enhancing the conservation

capabilities of people.

It helps understand the need for fuel conservation and find solutions thereof.

The campaign seeks to promote effective utilization of petroleum products, something that will lead to

environmental protection.

Its aim is to educate the masses on how the efficient, and optimal use of energy can protect the health and

the environment.

Compressed Biogas (CBG) Context Recently, the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas inaugurated Compressed Biogas(CBG) Plant at

Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

Key Points This is the first CBG plant, which has been established under the Government of India‘s SATAT scheme

(Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) at Namakkal.

The National Policy on Biofuels 2018 also emphasises the active promotion of advanced bio-fuels, including

CBG.

Government of India had launched the GOBAR-DHAN (Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources) scheme

to convert cattle dung and solid waste in farms to CBG and compost.

Dal Lake

Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

It is an urban lake, which is the second largest in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the "Lake of Flowers", "Jewel in the

crown of Kashmir" or "Srinagar's Jewel".

The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting.

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SATAT initiative:

The initiative was launched in October 2018 by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in association

with Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMC).

Aim: To achieve production of 15 MMT of CBG from 5000 plants by 2023.

It set up Compressed Biogas production plants and make them available in the market to use in

automotive fuels by inviting potential entrepreneurs. Significance

Boost to entrepreneurship, rural economy and employment.

generate good employment opportunities.

Reduction in import of natural gas and crude oil.

Better waste management and reduction in carbon emission.

Biogas Biogas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste/biomass sources like

agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste,

etc.

After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has a pure methane content of over 95%.

Compressed Biogas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy

potential and other properties.

Benefits of Biogas Biogas is a renewable and clean source of energy and the gas generated through bio-digestion is non-

polluting and it reduces greenhouse emissions.

It increases the green-energy mix, reduces import dependence and creates employment especially in semi-

urban & rural areas.

Bio-manure (an important by-product of CBG Plants) is also in the process of being included in Fertilizer

Control Order 1985 and this will provide an opportunity for organic farming across the country.

SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Contents

Anti-Radiation Missile 2

Ultrafine particles (PM0.1) 2

Mars opposition 2

Holography 3

Smart farming 3

Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) 3

EOS-01, India‘s latest earth observation satellite 4

India‘s new social media code 4

India‘s National Hydrogen Mission 6

Sandes, India‘s new Instant Messaging platform like WhatsApp? 7

Why India may miss the 5G 8

WhatsApp privacy policy 9

India Innovation Index 10

National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) 11

Electronic waste (e-waste) 11

Sentinel-6 satellite 12

China‘s Chang‘e-5 probe to the Moon 13

New regional navigation satellite system or IRNSS 13

Ariel Space Mission 14

SpaceX-NASA‘s Crew-1 mission 14

Transfats 15

Nanobodies to fight novel coronavirus 15

DNA Bill 16

Gaganyan 17

The history of vaccine opposition in India — the case of smallpox 17

Corona vaccine and clinical trials 19

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Anti-Radiation Missile Context India‘s first indigenous anti-radiation missile, Rudram, developed for the Indian Air Force, was successfully

flight-tested from a Sukhoi-30 MKI jet off the east coast on Friday.

What is an anti-radiation missile? Anti-radiation missiles are designed to detect, track and neutralise the adversary‘s radar, communication

assets and other radio frequency sources, which are generally part of their air defence systems.

Such a missile‘s navigation mechanism comprises an inertial navigation system — a computerised mechanism

that uses changes in the object‘s position — coupled with GPS, which is satellite-based.

Once the Rudram missile locks on the target, it is capable of striking accurately even if the radiation source

switches off in between. The missile has an operational range of more than 100 km, based on the launch

parameters from the fighter jet.

Ultrafine particles (PM0.1) They are present in the air in large numbers and pose a health risk.

They generally enter the body through the lungs but translocate to essentially all organs.

Compared to fine particles (PM2.5), they cause more pulmonary inflammation and are retained longer in the

lung.

Their toxicity is increased with a smaller size, larger surface area, adsorbed surface material, and the physical

characteristics of the particles.

Ultrafine particles suspended in the air constitute more than 50% of the total particulate matter of 2.5

micrometers (PM2.5) size and are associated with higher cytotoxicity in human lung cells.

Mars opposition Context The opposition is the event when the sun, Earth and an outer planet (Mars in this case) are lined up, with the

Earth in the middle. The time of opposition is the point when the outer planet is typically also at its closest

distance to the Earth for a given year, and because it is close, the planet appears brighter in the sky.

When does opposition happen? Earth and Mars orbit the sun at different distances (Mars is farther apart from the sun than Earth and

therefore takes longer to complete one lap around the sun). Opposition can happen only for planets that are

farther away from the sun than the Earth. In the case of Mars, roughly every two years, the Earth passes

between the sun and Mars, this is when the three are arranged in a straight line.

Further, as the Earth and Mars orbit the sun, there comes a point when they are on the opposite sides of it,

and hence very far apart.

In case of opposition, however, Mars and Sun are on directly opposite sides of the Earth. In other words, the

Earth, sun and Mars all lie in a straight line, with the Earth in the middle.

As per NASA, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in 2003 in nearly 60,000 years and it won‘t be that close

to the planet until 2287. This is because the orbits of Earth and Mars are not perfectly circular and their shapes

can change slightly because of gravitational tugging by other planets.

But why is it called opposition? 1. As per NASA, from an individual‘s perspective on the Earth, Mars rises in the east and after staying up all

night, it sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

2. Because from the perspective on Earth, the sun and Mars appear to be on the opposite sides of the sky,

Mars is said to be in ―opposition‖. Essentially, the opposition is a reference to ―opposing the sun‖ in the sky.

How can one view Mars? The opposition is the best time to view Mars. During this time, Mars will appear as a bright star to the

unaided eye and when viewed from a telescope, ―it will grow dramatically in size‖, as per NASA.

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Holography Context Creating a unique photographic image without the use of a lens is called holography. The photographic

recording of the image is called a hologram, which appears to be an unrecognizable pattern of stripes and

whorls but which when illuminated by coherent light, as by a laser beam organizes the light into a three-

dimensional representation of the original object.

Application Holography is used to detect stress in materials.

Information storage

Recording of images in depth

The use of holograms as optical elements, and as a means of performing precise interferometric

measurements on three-dimensional objects of any shape and surface finish.

Smart farming Context Integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the spectrum of agriculture is smart

farming. It includes the joint application of the Internet of Things (IoT), GPS, robotics, sensors and actuators

amongst others. For instance, farmers can use drones to assess the health and growth of their crops. Based on

the information thus obtained they can adopt preventive or corrective measures well in advance,

consequently minimizing loss. Further, sensors are being mounted on irrigators to promote efficient

irrigation. These sensors survey the moisture level of soil and based on data farmers can decide the apt

amount of watering the farmland requires. Such applications help in resolving the issues of over or under

irrigation.

Additionally, sensors that are backed by GPS technology uses satellite signals to provide location details such

as longitude, latitude and altitude, while optical sensors help in ascertaining information about the plant color

and reflectance data.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI empowers farmers by allowing them to plant seeds of varying densities and at the same time enabling

them to infuse different quantities and varieties of fertilizers across their fields.

Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Context The indigenously developed laser-guided version of the Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was successfully

test-fired by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on two separate occasions

recently.

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How are laser-guided ATGMs different? The laser-guided ATGM, which was successfully tested recently on September 22, 2020, mainly differs in one

aspect from other ATGMS developed to date. This ATGM — which is yet to receive an operational name — is

designed to be fired from tanks. With its range limited to 1.5 to 5 kilometers, it locks and tracks the targets

with the help of laser designation to ensure precision in striking the target. The missile uses a ‗tandem‘ High

Explosive Anti Tank (HEAT) warhead. The term tandem refers to the missiles using more than one

detonation to effectively penetrate the protective armors. This missile has the capacity of piercing armored

vehicles which use specially designed armor plates to counter the impact of such projectiles.

Importance in armored warfare The role of armored and mechanized vehicles has remained decisive even in modern-day warfare because of

their ability to go past conventional defenses. The objective is to hit the enemy tank before they can take a

clear shot. Development of missile systems that can defeat tanks built using modern armor acts as a deterrent

against enemy tanks from advancing.

The missile has the capability of engaging with the target even if it is not in the line of sight, thus further

enhancing its capability.

EOS-01, India’s latest earth observation satellite Context India launched its latest Earth observation satellite from Satish Dhawan space center in Andhra Pradesh‘s

Sriharikota.

EOS-01 is an Earth observation satellite and is intended for application in agriculture forestry and disaster

management support.

Earth observation satellites are satellites equipped with remote sensing technology.

India’s new social media code Citing instructions from the Supreme Court and the concerns raised in Parliament about social media abuse,

the government recently released guidelines that aim to regulate social media, digital news media, and over-

the-top (OTT) content providers.

For social media platforms, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics

Code) Rules, 2021 envisage a category of significant social media intermediaries,. The government wanted to

create a level playing field in terms of rules to be followed by online news and media platforms vis-à-vis

traditional media outlets.

Need of these guidelines? To empower the ordinary users of digital platforms to seek redressal for their grievances and command

accountability in case of infringement of their rights‖.

Key proposals Section 79 of the Information Technology Act provides a ―safe harbour‖ to intermediaries that host user-

generated content and exempts them from liability for the actions of users if they adhere to government-

prescribed guidelines.

The new guidelines prescribe an element of due diligence to be followed by the intermediary, failing which

the safe harbour provisions would cease to apply to these platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and

WhatsApp.

They also prescribe a grievance redressal mechanism by mandating that the intermediaries, including social

media platforms, should establish a mechanism for receiving and resolving complaints from users. These

platforms will need to appoint a grievance officer to deal with such complaints, who must acknowledge the

complaint within 24 hours, and resolve it within 15 days of receipt.

The rules lay down 10 categories of content that the social media platform should not host. These include

content that ―threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with

foreign states, or public order, or causes incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence or prevents

investigation of any offence or is insulting any foreign States‖; ―is defamatory, obscene, pornographic,

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paedophilic, invasive of another‘s privacy, including bodily privacy; insulting or harassing based on gender;

libelous, racially or ethnically objectionable; relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or

otherwise inconsistent with or contrary to the laws of India‖, etc.

The rules stipulate that upon receipt of information about the platform hosting prohibited content from a

court or the appropriate government agency, it should remove the said content within 36 hours.

In addition to appointing a grievance officer, social media platforms will now be required to appoint a chief

compliance officer resident in India, who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules. They will

be required also to appoint a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies.

The platforms will need to publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints

received and action taken on the complaints, as well as details of contents removed proactively by the

significant social media intermediary.

What are the penalties for companies violating these guidelines? In case an intermediary fails to observe the rules, it would lose the safe harbour, and will be liable for

punishment ―under any law for the time being in force including the provisions of the IT Act and the Indian

Penal Code‖.

While the offences under the IT Act range from tampering with documents, hacking into computer systems,

online misrepresentation, confidentiality, privacy and publication of content for fraudulent purposes, among

others, the penal provisions vary from imprisonment for three years to a maximum of seven years, with fines

starting from Rs 2 lakh.

Under Section 66 of the IT Act, if a person, without the permission of the owner or any other person in charge

of the computer or the computer network, damages the said properties, he would be liable to pay a penalty of

up to Rs 5 lakh or be jailed for up to three years or both.

Section 67 A of the IT Act carries provisions to fine and imprison persons transmitting ―the sexually explicit

act or conduct‖. In the first instance, such persons shall be liable to pay a penalty up to Rs 10 lakh and face

imprisonment up to five years, while in the second instance, the jail term will go up to seven years.

Executives of intermediaries which fail to act on an order issued by the government citing threat to

sovereignty or integrity, defence, the security of the state, or public order, can be jailed for up to seven years

under Section 69 of the IT Act.

Current law in India for data privacy on the Internet, and for social media users Although there are no specific provisions under the IT Act of 2000 that define privacy, or any penal

provisions relating to privacy, some sections of the Act deal with very specific cases of data breaches and

privacy.

For example, Section 43A provides compensation if an intermediary is negligent in using reasonable and good

quality security and safety parameters, which can protect the data of their users and citizens. Though this

section says that companies must use ―reasonable security practices and procedures‖, the same is not defined

in very clear terms and can be interpreted in various ways.

Section 72 of the IT Act has penal and imprisonment provisions if a government official in the course of his or

her duty gets access to certain information, and leaks it subsequently.

Section 72A provides for criminal punishment if a service provider, during providing the service or during

the contract period, discloses personal information of the user without them being aware of it.

Rules for OTT services For OTT service providers such as YouTube, Netflix, etc., the government has prescribed self-classification of

content into five categories based on age suitability.

Online curated content that is suitable for children and people of all ages shall be classified as ―U‖, and

content that is suitable for persons aged 7 years and older, and which can be viewed by a person under the

age of 7 years with parental guidance, shall be classified as ―U/A 7+‖ rating.

Content that is suitable for persons aged 13 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of

13 years with parental guidance, shall be classified as ―U/A 13+‖ rating; content which is suitable for persons

aged 16 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of 16 years with parental guidance,

shall be classified as ―U/A 16+‖ rating.

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Online curated content which is restricted to adults shall be classified as ―A‖ rating. Platforms would be

required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+ or higher, and reliable age verification

mechanisms for content that is classified as ―A‖.

India’s National Hydrogen Mission India has made an uncharacteristically early entry in the race to tap the energy potential of the most abundant

element in the universe, hydrogen and announced a National Hydrogen Mission.

Delhi became the first Indian city to operate buses running on hydrogen spiked compressed natural gas (H-

CNG) in a six-month pilot project. The buses will run on a new technology patented by Indian Oil Corp for

producing H-CNG — 18 percent hydrogen in CNG — directly from natural gas, without resorting to

conventional blending.

Power major NTPC Ltd is operating a pilot to run 10 hydrogen fuel cell-based electric buses and fuel cell

electric cars in Leh and Delhi and is considering setting up a green hydrogen production facility in Andhra

Pradesh.

IOC is also planning to set up a dedicated unit to produce hydrogen to run buses at its R&D center in

Faridabad.

Hydrogen and its types The sources and processes by which hydrogen is derived, are categorised by colour tabs. 1.Hydrogen

produced from fossil fuels is called grey hydrogen; this constitutes the bulk of the hydrogen produced today.

Hydrogen generated from fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage options is called blue hydrogen.

Hydrogen generated entirely from renewable power sources is called green hydrogen. In the last process,

electricity generated from renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

How hydrogen fuel cells work Hydrogen is an energy carrier, not a source of energy. Hydrogen fuel must be transformed into electricity by

a device called a fuel cell stack before it can be used to power a car or truck.

A fuel cell converts chemical energy into electrical energy using oxidising agents through an oxidation-

reduction reaction.

Fuel cell-based vehicles most commonly combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity to power the

electric motor on board. Since fuel cell vehicles use electricity to run, they are considered electric vehicles.

Inside each fuel cell, hydrogen is drawn from an onboard pressurized tank and made to react with a catalyst,

usually made from platinum. As the hydrogen passes through the catalyst, it is stripped of its electrons,

which are forced to move along an external circuit, producing an electrical current. This current is used by the

electric motor to power the vehicle, with the only byproduct being water vapour.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars have a near-zero carbon footprint. Hydrogen is about two to three times as efficient as

burning petrol because an electric chemical reaction is much more efficient than combustion.

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FCEVs and other EVs Electric vehicles (EVs) are typically bracketed into four broad categories:

o Conventional hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs such as Toyota Camry combine a conventional internal

combustion engine system with an electric propulsion system, resulting in a hybrid vehicle drivetrain that

substantially lowers fuel usage. The onboard battery in a conventional hybrid is charged when the IC

engine is powering the drivetrain.

o Plug-in hybrid vehicles or PHEVs such as the Chevrolet Volt too have a hybrid drivetrain that uses an IC

engine and electric power for motive power, backed by rechargeable batteries which can be plugged into

a power source.

o Battery-powered electric vehicles or BEVs such as Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model S have no IC engine or fuel

tank and run on a fully electric drivetrain powered by rechargeable batteries.

o Fuel cell electric vehicles or FCEVs such as Toyota‘s Mirai, Honda‘s Clarity and Hyundai‘s Nexo use

hydrogen gas to power an on-board electric motor. FCEVs combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce

electricity, which runs the motor. Since they‘re powered entirely by electricity, FCEVs are considered EVs,

but unlike BEVs, their range and refueling processes are comparable to conventional cars and trucks.

The major difference between a BEV and a hydrogen FCEV is that the latter enables a refueling time of just

five minutes, compared to 30-45 minutes charging for a BEV. Also, consumers get about five times better

energy storage per unit volume and weight, which frees up a lot of space for other things, while allowing the

rider to go farther.

The problem of critical mass A big barrier to the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has been a lack of fuelling station infrastructure —

fuel cell cars refuel in a similar way to conventional cars, but can‘t use the same station.

There are fewer than 500 operational hydrogen stations in the world today, mostly in Europe, followed by

Japan and South Korea. There are some in North America.

Safety is seen as a concern. Hydrogen is pressurized and stored in a cryogenic tank, from there it is fed to a

lower-pressure cell and put through an electrochemical reaction to generate electricity. Hyundai and Toyota

say the safety and reliability of hydrogen fuel tanks are similar to that of standard CNG engines.

Scaling up the technology and achieving critical mass remains the big challenge. More vehicles on the road

and more supporting infrastructure can lower costs. India‘s proposed mission is seen as a step in that

direction.

Sandes, India’s new Instant Messaging platform like WhatsApp? Context The National Informatics Centre has launched an instant messaging platform called Sandes on the lines of

WhatsApp. Like WhatsApp, the new NIC platform can be used for all kinds of communications by anyone

with a mobile number or email id.

Why has NIC launched this instant messaging platform? Following the nationwide lockdown imposed in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19, the

government felt the need to build a platform to ensure secure communication between its employees as they

worked from home.

After security scares, the Ministry of Home Affairs had in April last year issued an advisory to all government

employees to avoid using platforms like Zoom for official communication. This was after the Computer

Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) had also posted an advisory against Zoom over safety and privacy

concerns.

In August 2020, the NIC released the first version of the app, which said that the app could be used by both

central and state government officials ―for intra and inter-organisation communication.‖ The app was initially

launched for Android users and then the service was extended to iOS users.

The launch of the app is also a part of the government strategy to push for use of India-made software to

build an ecosystem of indigenously developed products.

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What is different in the new app developed by NIC? The instant messaging app, called Sandes, has an interface similar to many other apps currently available in

the market. Although there is no option to transfer the chat history between two platforms, the chats on

government instant messaging systems or GIMS can be backed up to a users‘ email.

GIMS, like other instant messaging apps in the market, uses a valid mobile number or email id to register the

user for the first time. It also offers features such as group making, broadcast message, message forwarding

and emojis.

Further, as an additional safety feature, it allows a user to mark a message as confidential, which, the app‘s

description says, will allow the recipient to be made aware the message should not be shared with others. The

confidential tag, however, does not change the way the message is sent from one user to another.

The limitation, however, is that the app does not allow the user to change their email id or registered phone

number. The user will have to re-register as a new user in case they wish to change their registered email id or

phone number on the app.

Why India may miss the 5G Reason lack of various approvals around spectrum such as uncertainty around auctions

High spectrum prices

Inadequate and poor development of test cases

Low reach of optical fiber across India,

Deficient back-haul capacity.

What is 5G technology and how is it different? 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks. 5G

mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their uses as

well as limitations.

While the low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data

exchange, the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second). This means that while telcos can

use and install it for commercial cellphone users who may not have specific demands for very high-speed

internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for the specialised needs of the industry.

The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band but has

limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals. Telcos and companies, which have taken the

lead on 5G, have indicated that this band may be used by industries and specialised factory units for building

captive networks that can be molded into the needs of that particular industry.

The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and

signal penetration strength. Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G have been tested to be as high as

20 Gbps (gigabits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been

recorded at 1 Gbps.

Where does India stand in the 5G technology race? On par with the global players, India had, in 2018, planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, to

capitalise on the better network speeds and strength that the technology promised.

All the three private telecom players, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel and Vi, have been urging the DoT

to lay out a clear road map of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands so that they would be able to plan

the rollout of their services accordingly.

On the other hand, Reliance Jio plans to launch an indigenously built 5G network for the country as early as

the second half of this year. The company is said to have a complete end-to-end 5G solution prepared by the

company itself that is ready for deployment once the networks are in place.

Measures to augment the process of 5G adoption in India- Reasonable pricing & swift allocation of spectrum.

Policy framework and investment to enable extensive fiberisation and incentivization to share fiber networks.

Push for "Make in India" manufacturing for 5G equipment and handsets.

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Indigenous technology advancements through R&D, and IPR development for standards, technology,

spectrum, and security.

Public-private partnerships for broadband growth and penetration, 5G trials and testing, network

densification among others.

WhatsApp privacy policy Context WhatsApp‘s new privacy policy notes that when users rely on ―third-party services or other Facebook

Company Products that are integrated with our Services, those third-party services may receive information

about what you or others share with them.‖

Will WhatsApp share your messages with Facebook? No. The privacy policy does not change the way WhatsApp treats personal chats. WhatsApp remains end-to-

end encrypted — no third party can read them. In a statement, WhatsApp said: ―The update does not change

WhatsApp‘s data-sharing practices with Facebook and does not impact how people communicate privately

with friends or family… WhatsApp remains deeply committed to protecting people‘s privacy.‖

What data will WhatsApp share with Facebook? Data exchange with Facebook is in fact, already taking place. While users in the European Union can opt-out

of data-sharing with Facebook, the rest of the world does not have the same choice.

WhatsApp shares the following information with Facebook and its other companies:

o Account registration information (phone number)

o Transaction data (WhatsApp now has payments in India)

o Service-related information

o Information on how you interact with others (including businesses)

o Mobile device information

o IP address

Why does this data exchange with the Facebook matter? The policy gives reasons for the data-sharing with Facebook: from ensuring better security and fighting spam

to improving user experience, which was there in the previous policy as well.

But the new policy is a further sign of WhatsApp‘s deeper integration into the Facebook group of companies.

Instagram‘s Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger have already been integrated. Facebook wants to bring

more services to WhatsApp and has added a feature called Rooms.

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Does it mean WhatsApp will use your data for ads? WhatsApp doesn‘t show ads yet, and the reported plans appear to have been shelved. If you are worried that

personal messages will be used to target ads on WhatsApp, that won‘t happen because they are encrypted.

But the increased data sharing with Facebook will be used to improve ad experience across other products of

the company.

Is WhatsApp storing messages? No, says WhatsApp. According to the privacy policy, once a message is delivered, it is ―deleted‖ from the

company‘s servers. WhatsApp stores a message only when it ―cannot be delivered immediately‖ — the

message can then stay on its servers ―for up to 30 days‖ in an encrypted form as WhatsApp continues to try to

deliver it. If undelivered even after 30 days, the message is deleted.

What does the policy say about data shared with businesses? 1. The new policy explains how businesses get data when a user interacts with them on the platform: content

shared with a business on WhatsApp will be visible to ―several people in that business‖.

2. The policy says that some ―businesses might be working with third-party service providers (which may

include Facebook) to help manage their communications with their customers‖.

Do you have to accept the privacy policy? Yes, this is standard practice for most software. If you don‘t want to, you can delete your account and switch

to another service. A lot of people seem to be switching to Signal from WhatsApp.

Signal is another messaging app, free and end-to-end encrypted, and which has gained a popularity push in

light of the new WhatsApp policy. WhatsApp uses Signal‘s protocol for its encryption. But Signal is not

owned by any corporation, and is run by a nonprofit.

India Innovation Index The index was recently released by NITI Aayog.

NITI Aayog recently released the second edition of the India Innovation Index. The first edition of the index

was launched in October 2019 and is on the lines of the Global Innovation Index (GII), which ranks countries

annually.

The Index aims to create an extensive framework for continuous evaluation of India‘s innovation

environment. In doing so, the index aims to accomplish the following three functions:

o Rank all states and union territories based on their index score.

o Identify opportunities and challenges.

o Assist in modifying governmental policies to promote innovation.

Formulation of The Index The India Innovation Index 2020 measures innovation inputs through five Enablers parameters and

innovation output through two Performance parameters.

Human Capital; Investment; Knowledge Workers; Business Environment; Safety and Legal Environment are

the five Enablers parameters. There are 25 indicators under the five enablers.

Knowledge Output and Knowledge Diffusion are chosen as the two performance parameters

Significance of the Index 1. The index helps to showcase the innovative capabilities of the States, highlighting their strengths, which

can be used in other States, and weaknesses, which can be corrected.

2. It also helps states to assess their capacities in identifying areas that have the potential to boost the

development of innovation-led entrepreneurship and attract start-ups and hi-tech companies.

3. The learnings from the index can be useful for formulating policies and developing strategies at both the

state and the national levels.

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National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) Context India's digital communication policy is trying to create a conducive environment to promote investments, and

policy support to increase the digital footprint. The current policies set directions to lay foundations for the

5G ecosystem with the aim to:

o Enhance the contribution of the digital communication sector to 8% of India's GDP.

o Propel India to top 50 nations in the ICT development index of the International Telecommunication

Union (ITU).

o Enhancing India's contribution to Global Value Chains.

o Ensuring Digital Sovereignty.

o It aims at US$ 100 billion investment in the sector and ensuring broadband coverage at 50 Mbps for every

citizen.

o Establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications that safeguards the privacy,

autonomy and choice of individuals.

Electronic waste (e-waste) It typically includes discarded computer monitors, motherboards, mobile phones and chargers, compact

discs, headphones, television sets etc. According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, India ranks fifth among

e-waste producing countries, after the US, China, Japan and Germany.

Issues related to E-waste in India: Lack of infrastructure: There is a huge gap between present recycling and collection facilities and the

quantum of E-waste that is being generated. No collection and take-back mechanisms are in place. There is a

lack of recycling facilities.

Health hazards: E-waste contains over 1,000 toxic materials, which contaminate soil and groundwater.

Exposure can cause health issues and recyclers may suffer liver, kidney and neurological disorders. Due to

lack of awareness, they are risking their health and the environment as well.

Lack of incentive schemes: No clear guidelines are there for the unorganized sector to handle Ewaste. Also, no

incentives are present to lure people engaged to adopt a formal path for handling Ewaste.

E-waste imports: Cross-border flow of waste equipment into India - 80 percent of E-waste in developed

countries meant for recycling is sent to developing countries such as India, China, Ghana and Nigeria.

Security implications: End-of-life computers often contain sensitive personal information and bank account

details which, if not deleted leave an opportunity for fraud.

Reluctance of authorities involved: Lack of coordination between various authorities responsible for E-waste

management and disposal including the non-involvement of municipalities.

Involvement of Child Labor: In India, about 4.5 lakh child laborers in the age group of 10-14 are observed to

be engaged in various E-waste activities and that too without adequate protection and safeguards in various

yards and recycling workshops.

Measures to be taken Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste collection, transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and

disposal, need to be established, at national and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound

management of e-waste.

Model facilities employing environmentally sound technologies and methods for recycling and recovery are

to be established. Criteria are to be developed for the recovery and disposal of E Wastes. Policy level

interventions should include the development of e-waste regulation, control of import and export of e-waste.

An effective take-back program providing incentives for producers to design less wasteful products, contain

fewer toxic components, and are easier to disassemble, reuse, and recycle may help in reducing the wastes.

It should set targets for collection and reuse/recycling, impose reporting requirements and include

enforcement mechanisms and deposit/refund schemes to encourage consumers to return electronic devices

for collection and reuse/recycling.

End-of-life management should be made a priority in the design of new electronic products.

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The scheme aims to identify and prepare athletes who have the potential to win medals at the Olympic and

Paralympic Games.

To fulfill the objective of this scheme, a committee (TOPS Elite Athletes‘ Identification Committee) has been

constituted to identify the elite athletes.

Currently, the scheme aims to identify athletes who can potentially win medals in the Olympic Games in

Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles Games in 2028 and fund their development.

A high-priority category has been created to incentivize those sports in which India has won medals in the

last Asian Games and Commonwealth Games or in which India has a good chance of winning medals in the

Olympics.

Presently, nine sports disciplines viz., athletics, badminton, hockey, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling,

archery and boxing have been categorized as ‗High Priority.

Sentinel-6 satellite Context Data from satellites such as Sentinel-6 help scientists foresee the effects of the changing oceans on the climate.

The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, designed to monitor oceans, was launched from the

Vandenberg Air Force base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on November 21.

This is a part of the next mission dedicated to measuring changes in the global sea level. Other satellites that

have been launched since 1992 to track changes in the oceans on a global scale include the TOPEX/Poseidon,

Jason-1 and OSTN/Jason-2, among others.

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite has been named after Dr. Michael Freilich, who was the Director of

NASA‘s Earth Science Division from 2006-2019 and passed away in August 2020.

What is the mission? The mission, called the Jason Continuity of Service (Jason-CS) mission, is designed to measure the height of

the ocean, which is a key component in understanding how the Earth‘s climate is changing. The spacecraft

consists of two satellites, one of them launched on Saturday, and the other, called Sentinel-6B, to be launched

in 2025.

It has been developed jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, European Organisation for the

Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat), the USA‘s National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) and the EU, with contributions from France‘s National Centre for Space Studies

(CNES).

What will the satellite do? 1. According to NASA, the satellite will ensure the continuity of sea-level observations into the fourth decade

and will provide measurements of global sea-level rise.

2. Since 1992, high-precision satellite altimeters have helped scientists understand how the ocean stores and

distributes heat, water and carbon in the climate system.

3. Essentially, the satellite will send pulses to the Earth‘s surface and measure how long they take to return to

it, which will help scientists measure the sea surface height.

4. It will also measure water vapour along this path and find its position using GPS and ground-based lasers.

5. The data it collects will support operational oceanography, by providing improved forecasts of ocean

currents, wind and wave conditions.

6. This data will allow improvements in both short-term forecasting for weather predictions in the two-to-

four-week range (hurricane intensity predictions), and long-term forecasting, for instance for seasonal

conditions like El Niño and La Niña.

Why is it important to measure the height of the ocean? As per NASA, it is possible to observe the height of the oceans on a global scale and monitor critical changes

in ocean currents and heat storage only from space. Data from satellites such as Sentinel-6 help scientists

foresee the effects of the changing oceans on the climate.

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China’s Chang’e-5 probe to the Moon Context Early in 2019, China‘s Chang‘e-4 probe had successfully transmitted images from the far side of the Moon,

also referred to as the dark side. This was the first probe to land in this portion of the Moon.

In this Nov. 17, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a Long March-5 rocket is moved at the

Wenchang Space Launch Site in Wenchang in southern China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua via AP)

On November 24, China‘s Chang‘e-5 lunar mission will become the first probe in over four decades to bring

back samples of lunar rock from a previously unexplored portion of the Moon.

What is the Chang’e-5 mission? Chang‘e-5 probe, which is named after the Chinese Moon goddess, is the Chinese National Space

Administration‘s (CNSA) lunar sample return mission. The goal of the mission is to land in the Mons Rumker

region of the moon, where it will operate for one lunar day, which is two weeks long and return a 2 kg sample

of the lunar rock possibly by digging about 2 meters deep into the surface of the Moon.

The mission comprises a lunar orbiter, a lander and an ascent probe that will lift the lunar samples back into

orbit and return them to Earth. Chang‘e-5 comprises a robotic arm, a coring drill, a sample chamber and is

also equipped with a camera, penetrating radar and a spectrometer.

The spacecraft is set to return to Earth around December 15.

What do lunar samples tell us? The first samples of rocks from the Moon were collected during the Apollo 11 mission. Lunar samples can

answer some important questions in lunar science and astronomy such as –

o The Moon‘s age

o The formation of the Moon

o The similarities and differences between the Earth and the Moon‘s geologic features and history and to

see if the Moon can give scientists information about the solar system itself.

As per the Lunar and Planetary Institute, rocks found on the Moon are older than any that have been found

on Earth and therefore they are valuable in providing information about the Earth and the Moon‘s shared

history.

New regional navigation satellite system or IRNSS Context On November 11, India became the fourth country in the world to have its independent regional navigation

satellite system recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a part of the World Wide

Radio Navigation System (WWRNS).

What is the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System? The IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by India. It is designed to

provide accurate position information service to assist in the navigation of ships in the Indian Ocean waters. It

could replace the US-owned Global Positioning System (GPS) in the Indian Ocean extending up to

approximately 1500 km from the Indian boundary.

What does the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) recognition of the IRNSS mean? The IMO is the United Nations‘ specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the

prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the IMO

recognized the IRNSS as a component of the World-wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS). With the

recognition as a component of the WWRNS, the Indian navigation system is similarly placed as GPS, most

commonly used by marine shipping vessels across the world or the Russian Global Navigation Satellite

System (GLONASS). After the US, Russia and China have their navigation systems, India has become the

fourth country to have its independent regional navigation system. Unlike GPS, however, IRNSS is a regional

and not a global navigation system.

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Who can make use of the IRNSS? While the system will be open to all including security agencies, all merchant vessels including small fishing

vessels are authorized to use the system. Vessels that have transponders installed in them will be tracked by

satellite navigation showing the accurate position in the Indian Ocean region. The system is based on the

Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (ISRO) satellites that are used for navigation.

Why was it necessary for India to have its own navigation system? Overdependence on one system (GPS) cannot be safe. The IMO had encouraged countries to design their own

navigation systems to reduce overdependence.

Ariel Space Mission Context The European Space Agency (ESA) has formally adopted Ariel, the explorer that will study the nature,

formation and evolution of exoplanets. As of now the existence of more than 4,000 exoplanets is considered

confirmed, while there are thousands of other candidate exoplanets that need further observations to say for

certain if they are exoplanets.

Proxima Centauri b is the closest exoplanet to Earth and is four light-years away and inhabits the ―habitable

zone‖ of its star, which means that it could have liquid water on its surface.

What are exoplanets? Planets that lie outside of the Solar System and orbit around stars other than the Sun are called exoplanets or

extrasolar planets.

Exoplanets are not easy to detect since they are much less bright than the stars they orbit and hence it is

difficult to see them directly using telescopes.

As per NASA, only a handful of exoplanets have been found using telescopes and the rest have been detected

using indirect methods- tracking the dimming of a star that happens when a planet passes in front of it,

gravitational lensing and the ―wobbling method.

Why do scientists study exoplanets? The search for exoplanets is driven by the possibility that life may exist beyond Earth and even if there is no

evidence for this, scientists believe that their hunt for an answer will reveal details about where humans came

from and where we‘re headed.

What is the Ariel Space Mission? Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey), which scientists are planning to launch

in 2029, will perform a large-scale survey of over a thousand exoplanets for four years. These thousand

exoplanets will range from gas giants to rocky planets, which will help them to compile a list of their

compositions and properties thereby providing insights about how planetary systems form and evolve.

Ariel is the first mission of its kind dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures

of hundreds of exoplanets. Further, Ariel will help to answer, ―What are the conditions for planet formation

and the emergence of life?‖.

SpaceX-NASA’s Crew-1 mission Context On November 14, SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon spacecraft launched from NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center in

Florida carrying a crew of four people to the International Space Station (ISS) on a six-month-long mission.

NASA certified SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket, making it the first spacecraft

certification provided by the space agency. This means SpaceX can now operate regular flights to the space

station.

Boeing and SpaceX were selected by NASA in September 2014 to develop transportation systems meant to

transfer crew from the US to the ISS. ―These integrated spacecraft, rockets and associated systems will carry

up to four astronauts on NASA missions, maintaining a space station crew of seven to maximize time

dedicated to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory‖.

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What is the Crew-1 mission? The mission is part of NASA‘s Commercial Crew Program, whose objective is to make access to space easier

in terms of its cost, so that cargo and crew can be easily transported to and from the ISS, enabling greater

scientific research.

At the ISS, the crew will join the members of Expedition 64, the space station crew currently in residence.

Significantly, Crew-1 will be the first operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9

rocket to the ISS and is the first of the three scheduled flights scheduled throughout 2020-2021.

What will members of Crew-1 do at the ISS? The goals of the mission are the same as that of Expedition 1 that lifted off 20 years ago. At the ISS, the Crew-1

team will join members of Expedition 64 and conduct microgravity studies and deliver new science hardware

and experiments that they will carry with them to space aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Some of the research that the crew is carrying with themselves includes materials to investigate food

physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut

microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight. Once in orbit, NASA astronaut

Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists back on Earth so that they can continue to study how

dietary changes affect his body.

Transfats Context On December 29, 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) reduced the permissible

limit of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% in all fats and oils by January 2021 and not more than 2

percent by January 2022.

With Close to 5.8 million people dying of non-communicable diseases (NCD) annually, India already had a

heavy disease burden before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

Trans fat is considered a dietary risk factor for several NCDs, including diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Reducing trans-fatty acids (TFA) content in fats, oils, and all foods to no more than 2 percent by 2022 is an

achievable goal.

In India, the highest levels of TFA are present in vanaspati, commonly used as vegetable ghee for household

cooking, and consumed in bakery items, sweets, street food, and packaged foods.

What are trans fats? Transfats are the most harmful types of fat largely produced artificially but a small amount is produced

naturally.

Artificial trans fats, are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils. This is

done to make them more solid, increase their shelf life, and for use as an adulterant as they are cheap.

Natural trans fat is present in meats and dairy products in a small amount.

Nanobodies to fight novel coronavirus An international research team led by the University of Bonn has identified and further developed novel

antibody fragments against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. These ―nanobodies‖ are much

smaller than classic antibodies and they, therefore, penetrate the tissue better and can be produced more

easily in larger quantities,

The new approach could prevent the pathogen from evading the active agent through mutations.

Antibodies are an important weapon in the immune system‘s defense against infections. They bind to the

surface structures of bacteria or viruses and prevent their replication. One strategy in the fight against disease

is therefore to produce effective antibodies in large quantities and inject them into patients. However,

producing antibodies is difficult and time-consuming; they are, therefore, probably not suitable for

widespread use.

―Nanobodies are antibody fragments that are so simple that they can be produced by bacteria or yeast, which

is less expensive‖.

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DNA Bill Objective The Bill seeks to create a regulatory framework for obtaining, storing and testing DNA samples of human

beings, mainly for criminal investigations, and to establish the identity of a person. DNA testing is being used

for criminal investigations, the establishment of parentage, and search for missing people. The proposed law

seeks to bring in a supervisory structure to oversee these practices, and frame guidelines and rules so that the

DNA technology is not misused.

To achieve these objectives, the bill proposes to set up two institutional structures —

1. DNA regulatory board, and

2. DNA data bank -at the national level.

Regional centers of the board, as well as the data bank, can be set up at the state level as well.

The board, which is the main regulatory authority, would frame the rules and guidelines for DNA collection,

testing and storage, while the data bank would be the repository of all DNA samples collected from various

people under specified rules.

Provisions The Bill talks of a DNA Regulatory Board that would advise the Centre and state governments on issues such

as setting up of DNA laboratories and databanks; and laying down of guidelines, standards and procedures

for the same.

DNA samples be taken only with the consent of an individual and no person be ―forced to provide evidence

that may incriminate him/her in any crime‖.

Testing of DNA samples will be carried out only at laboratories authorized by the regulatory board.

Bill specifies the circumstances under which a person can be asked to submit DNA samples.

The data banks are required to store the information under one of the five indices — a crime scene index, a

suspect or undertrial index, an offenders‘ index, a missing persons‘ index, and an unknown deceased persons‘

index. Although information from DNA can yield a lot of information about the person, the data banks are

supposed to store only that information that is necessary to establish the identity of the person.

While the information in the crime scene index can be stored permanently, entries in other indices can be

removed through processes prescribed.

Under the provisions, People whose DNA samples have been collected, either from the crime scene or

through voluntary written consent, can also request the removal of their information from the index.

People who are witnesses to a crime, or want to locate their missing relatives, or in similar other

circumstances, can volunteer to give their DNA samples, again through written consent.

Concern The risk with a national databank of crime scene DNA profiles is that it will likely include virtually everyone

since DNA is left at the ‗crime scene‘ before and after the crime by several persons who may have nothing to

do with the crime being investigated. E.g. bodily material like hair may have been transported to the crime

scene inadvertently by a variety of ways‖ and that these DNA profiles could find their way into the ‗crime

scene index‘, the panel suggests that these be used only for investigation but not put in a databank. And that

these DNA profiles be destroyed once a trial is over, barring those of the convicted.

The Bill could be misused to target segments of society based on religion, caste or political views.

While the Bill speaks of regional databanks apart from a central one, the Parliamentary Standing Committee

strongly recommends only one National Data Bank, to minimize chances of misuse of data.

Provisions of the Bill would lead to violations of the right to privacy.

The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill aims to establish a database of ―certain category

of persons‖ such as victims of crimes, missing persons and children, unidentified bodies, as well as offenders,

suspects and under trials in cases. Such a database, the Bill says, would help trace repeat offenders of heinous

crimes such as rape and murder through DNA profiling.

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Gaganyan Context PM Narendra Modi announces the 2022 target, marking the culmination of nearly 15 years of preparations by

ISRO. Under mission Gaganyan an Indian astronaut would go into space by 2022.

A manned space mission is very different from all other missions that ISRO has so far completed. In terms of

complexity and ambition, even the missions to the Moon (Chandrayaan) and Mars (Mangalyaan) are nowhere

in comparison. For a manned mission, the key distinguishing capabilities that ISRO has had to develop

include-

1. The ability to bring the spacecraft back to Earth after the flight

2. To build a spacecraft in which astronauts can live in Earth-like conditions in space.

The rocket: GSLV Mk-III One of the most important requirements is the development of a launch vehicle that can carry heavy payloads

into space. The spacecraft carrying human beings, called crew module, is likely to weigh over 5 to 6 tonnes.

ISRO‘s main launch vehicle, the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), can carry payloads up to 2 tonnes, and

to orbits at about 600 km altitude from the Earth‘s surface. That is why the development of GSLV Mk-III, a

launch vehicle with capabilities to deliver much heavier payloads much deeper into space, was necessary.

Reentry & recovery tech The satellites normally launched by ISRO, like those for communication or remote sensing, are meant to

remain in space, even when their life is over. Even Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan were not meant to return to

Earth. Any manned spacecraft, however, needs to come back. While reentering Earth‘s atmosphere, the

spacecraft needs to withstand very high temperatures, over several thousand degrees, which is created due to

friction. Also, the spacecraft needs to reenter the atmosphere at a very precise speed and angle, and even the

slightest deviation could end in disaster.

Crew Escape System This is a crucial safety technology, involving an emergency escape mechanism for the astronauts in case of a

faulty launch. The mechanism ensures the crew module gets a warning of anything going wrong with the

rocket, and pulls it away to a safe distance, after which it can be landed either on sea or land with the help of

attached parachutes.

Life support The Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) is meant to ensure that conditions inside the crew

module are suitable for humans to live comfortably. The inside of the crew module is a twin-walled sealed

structure that will recreate Earth-like conditions for the astronauts. It would be designed to carry two or three

astronauts. The ECLSS maintains steady cabin pressure and air composition, removes carbon dioxide and

other harmful gases, controls temperature and humidity, and manages parameters like fire detection and

suppression, food and water management, and emergency support.

The history of vaccine opposition in India — the case of smallpox Context As the exercise of inoculation against the novel coronavirus infection gains momentum in the country,

policymakers are also grappling with significant vaccine hesitancy. This isn‘t a new experience.

Smallpox was endemic throughout the Indian subcontinent, turning into an epidemic every five years or so,

with mortality of one in three cases. The success of vaccination was, therefore, a cause for imperial optimism.

But the vaccine was not easily accepted in India. As recent research has shown, British and Indian officials

had to grapple with a significant public unwillingness to get vaccinated, with each section of society having

its own reasons to resist.

The ―tikadar‖ or inoculator/variolator was a product of the region‘s existing method of developing immunity

against smallpox. Tikadars would manually induce smallpox with preserved dried scabs from previously

P a g e | 18

inoculated subjects. The scabs were first purified in Ganga water, and the subjects were prepared for

inoculation through abstention from fish, milk, and ghee.

Terrifying vaccinator and painful vaccination

There are many references to weeping mothers, angry fathers, and parents absconding with their children

before or after vaccinations in official accounts from 19th century India. Indeed, the vaccinator, who was

always Indian, was often a terrifying figure.

For most of the 19th century, vaccination was not the quick jab of today — rather, it was implemented by a

variety of sharp instruments. With the arm-to-arm method, children not only had to bear with the painful

procedure but also the extraction of lymph for further vaccinations.

`The need for understanding fear and creating trust There has never been a time when opposition to vaccines has not existed there will always be those who will

take any vaccine that is offered, and those who will refuse every vaccine, no matter how much the scientific

evidence.

Behavioral science is needed along with medical science in this regard. Administrations have to earn the

public‘s trust in vaccines and one of the ways of achieving this could be for influential members and leaders

to take vaccines to set the precedent.

Hesitancy on covid vaccines-myths and rumors As the nation begins its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic through a massive vaccine rollout, the entire

focus is on identifying the priority groups, the logistics of vaccine distribution, and whether the vaccine is a

private or public good. The fact that people‘s willingness to take vaccines might play a major role in ensuring

that herd immunity is achieved for life to get back to normal is not fully acknowledged.

The Delhi-NCR Coronavirus Telephone Survey-round 4 (DCVTS-4), administered between December 23,

2020, and January 4, 2021, provides some evidence of vaccine hesitancy. DCVTS-4 asked its respondents, ―In a

few months if vaccines were to be available to prevent COVID, will you be willing to take it?‖ The findings

show that about 20 percent of respondents are certain about not taking the vaccine, with significant rural (22.4

percent) and urban (17.5 percent) differences being observed. An additional 4 percent mentioned that they

will not take it as they were already infected. Another 15 percent are unsure about taking the vaccine.

Combining all these three categories, one can argue that at this point, vaccine hesitancy is quite high (39

percent).

The less educated (0-4 years of education) are more hesitant to take the vaccines (52 percent). Even after

adjusting for education, Muslims and Scheduled Caste respondents are significantly more likely to register

hesitancy in getting vaccinated. Hesitancy among minority groups is also seen in other countries. Improved

trust in vaccine development and approval process, as well as the overall trust in government health systems,

may play an important role in reducing vaccine hesitancy.

Evidence of vaccine efficacy is the key in any vaccine approval process. Efficacy is defined as the percentage

reduction in disease between participants who were vaccinated and those who received placebo in a

randomized controlled trial set-up.

For Covaxin, Bharat Biotech undertook a large phase 3 clinical trial involving roughly 26,000 participants

across 26 sites in India to assess its safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy. However, no efficacy data from this

trial was available for approving the vaccine as the phase 3 trial started only in mid-November.

The effect of any vaccine on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is complex and there are many potential

scenarios after mass vaccination starts. Clinical trials, particularly those conducted within an expedited

timeframe, do not allow us to fully evaluate the ability of a vaccine to protect against severe disease and

prevent death. Moreover, side-effects in specific populations may only emerge once mass vaccination starts

with a larger sample size under real-life conditions for all individuals, without any exclusion criteria. Hence,

it is crucial that the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with other research organisations,

continue doing post-marketing surveillance studies of vaccine effectiveness and monitor the side effects over

a longer period.

How to address Vaccine hesitancy Vaccine hesitancy cannot be addressed by pharmaceutical companies alone: Governments and health

policymakers need to play a proactive role in promoting vaccination by educating the public and

P a g e | 19

implementing policies that take care of health and financial risks associated with adverse events following

vaccination.

Health providers will need to be trained in responding to questions and identifying and treating potential

side-effects.

People will need to understand where and when to go for vaccination, the doses and schedules, what side-

effects to expect and how to handle them, and how to receive medical care for treatment of adverse events, if

any.

Special outreach efforts may be needed for low-literacy populations and those who do not find it easy to trust

medical systems.

The beginning of the vaccination programme suggests that the end is in sight. How quickly we reach the goal

post depends on how well prepared we are as we enter the race.

Corona vaccine and clinical trials ‘Covishield’ This vaccine works on a mechanism that uses a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold

virus that infects chimpanzees to carry a code that will tell cells to build just the spiky outer layer of the SARS-

CoV-2 virus (the spike protein). The body‘s immune system is expected to recognise this as a threat and

develop antibodies to fight the spike protein so that it will be ready in case the real virus tries to infect it.

The firm is reportedly looking at building a capacity to produce 100 million doses if phase II trials are

successful.

‘Covaxin’ by Bharat Biotech This vaccine works by injecting SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been killed in the lab. The candidate aims to use

this dead virus, which is not expected to have the potential to infect or replicate in those injected with it, to

induce an immune response by the body.

RBD protein vaccine by Baylor College of Medicine-Biological E This is a recombinant protein vaccine candidate developed using the same traditional technique used to make

vaccines against Hepatitis B, making it easier to produce as most companies already possess the technical

know-how for it, according to the Baylor College of Medicine.

Clinical trials Normally, a vaccine goes through multiple stages before being approved for public use. Following the initial

research and development stage, a vaccine is first tested on animals and then it goes through three stages of

human clinical trials. In normal circumstances, each step can take two years or more to complete. However,

for Covid-19 vaccines some of those phases were combined to hasten the process. For example:

Phase I: In this step, the experimental vaccine is given to humans, usually between 20-80 subjects, to test its

safety and dosage besides gauging whether it stimulates the immune system. While this process typically

takes one to two years, for Covid-19 trials, it was done in about three months.

Phase II: In this stage, about several hundred individuals, split into groups age-wise such as children and

elderly, are dosed in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. This process usually takes about

three years but for Covid-19 vaccines, it was completed in 2-3 months.

Phase III: This is the most crucial stage, where the vaccine candidate is given to thousands of people, and can

typically take two to four years. However, most of the drugmakers combined this with Phase II to expedite

the process.

Regulatory review After Phase III trials, the vaccine developer submits a license application to the regulatory authority in their

respective country, and final approval may take months or years. However, in emergency situations, like the

Covid-19 pandemic, authorities grant emergency-use authorisation (EUA) in weeks.

However, despite the race among drugmakers to roll out their vaccines, experts have warned that the first

batch of Covid-19 shots might not necessarily be the best. ―The first generation of vaccines is likely to be

imperfect, and we should be prepared that they might not prevent infection but rather reduce symptoms, and,

even then, might not work for everyone or for long.‖

P a g e | 20

Besides, a number of other components like vials, stoppers, gauze, alcohol swabs, syringes are also required

in huge quantities to inoculate the masses. India, which has the capacity to manufacture more than 2 billion

units of these vials, is being tapped by international players for supplies.

For India, what bodes well is that it has much of the infrastructure in place for vaccine distribution, thanks to

its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), one of the largest public health schemes in the world. Since

1984, when the UIP was started, India has created a network of more than 26,000 cold chain points with

temperature trackers for vaccines. Now we only need to augment this.

Another crucial aspect of the supply chain is tracking the vaccine all through its transit until it is dosed. Here

too, India is well equipped in the form of a software called eVIN or Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network,

which works through a smartphone application, has digital information on vaccine stocks and the

temperatures in the cold chain.

The software, now called Co-VIN, can also track the beneficiary and allocate a vaccination session. A QR-

based digital certification is generated once a person is vaccinated and there is no adverse event. ―Tracking

each of the vaccines as it moves across the supply chain is important as patient safety is the key driver for

adopting these standards.

SOCIALISSUES

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SOCIAL ISSUES Content

Survey to address Data Gap on Migrant Workers 2

Demand for Greater Tipraland 3

Empowering half of the workforce 4

Oxfam report on Deepened Inequalities 5

National Education Policy-2020 7

Digital health mission ready for nationwide roll-out 10

Parliamentary panel bats for laws to counter bio-terrorism 13

Study ―Poshan Abhiyaan needs a boost‖ 14

70m Indians above 60 suffer from chronic disease: Survey 16

Task Force on age of Marriage for Women 19

Ministry of Tribal Affairs virtually launches ―Shramshakti 20

STARS Project 21

Vigyan Jyoti Programme 21

Cabinet approves Amendments to Juvenile Justice Act 22

Jail Term, Fine for ‗Unlawful‘ Religious Conversions in U.P 24

UP Govt. eying tourism in Tharu Tribals region 26

National Family Health Survey-5 28

PM unveils project for affordable housing 30

P a g e | 2

Survey to address Data Gap on Migrant Workers (Source:- Hindu, IE)

Context The lack of data on workers including migrant workers would be addressed by the five all-India labour

surveys being conducted by the Labour Bureau.

Government plans to launch four employment surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, professionals

and the transport sector in March and complete them by October 2021.

Surveys It is a large-scale survey drive by govt. to assess employment situation in respect of selected sectors of Non-farm

Industrial economy of India over successive quarters.

All-India Survey on Migrant workers:- This particular survey will provide estimates of the number of migrant

workers in the country along with an assessment of the issues being faced by them which can be use by Govt

and industries to plan employment opportunities for them.

All-India Survey on Domestic Workers:- It is the first-of-its-kind survey on domestic workers to be carried out

by the Labour Bureau which will analyse issues faced by domestic workers and will provide pragmatic

solutions for it.

All-India Survey on Employment Generated by Professionals :- As high number of employment is generated

by professions like charted accountants, doctors, engineers, etc, survey on professional bodies is needed to

undertake a periodic estimation of the employment created in such professions. The objectives of such survey

are essentially two-fold — to estimate the total number of active professionals in the country and to capture

the employment generated by these professionals

All-India Survey on Employment Generated in Transport Sector

All-India Quarterly Enterprise based Employment Survey:- It provides information on important

characteristics of employment such as gender-wise employment, regular or contract and casual basis and

part-time or full-time workers. It will replace the earlier Quarterly Employment Survey, which was

discontinued two years ago by the Centre Govt.

Labour Bureau is proposed to be the nodal agency for collection of statistical returns under all the four labour

codes

Need for migrant workers and other employment database: There has been poor

implementation of protections

under the sole migrant act i.e the

Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act,

1979 (ISMW Act). The Act seeks to

regulate the employment of inter-

State migrants and their conditions

of service, but a report by the

Standing Committee on Labour

observed that registration of

workers under the ISMW Act was

low and implementation of

protections outlined in the Act was

poor.

Migrants registered to claim access

to benefits at one location lose

access upon migration to a different location, particularly under PDS. Ration cards required to access benefits

under the PDS are issued by state governments and are not portable across states.

Even though India has ratified the ILO‘s Employment Policy Convention, 1964, we don‘t have any National

Employment Policy framed so far. These database will go long way in preparing the policy.

The pre-Covid unemployment levels were higher than the historical rates. During the Covid-19 period,

experts have relied on the high-frequency database of CMIE on employment and unemployment

notwithstanding its limitations.

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How we currently source employment data Under the Employment Market Information (EMI) and Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of

Vacancies) Act, 1959, data on employment is collected from the organised sector.

The Economic Census periodically but not at fixed intervals, collects data from households and

establishments covering both the unorganized and the organised economic segments butexcludes crop

production, plantation, public administration, defence and compulsory social security.

Once in a decade, the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner collects information on many

variables including workers from the households.

The Annual Survey of Industries or ASI also collects information on numerous variables including

employment in organised establishments in the factory sector

NSO (National Statistical Office) under the Ministry of statistics and Programme implementation conducted

annual Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Draft Migrant labour policy Spurred by the exodus of 10 million migrants (as per government estimates) during the Covid-19 lockdown,

NITI Aayog, along with a working subgroup of officials and members of civil society, has prepared a draft

national migrant labour policy.

The policy rejects a handout approach, opting instead for a rights-based framework.

Draft describes two approaches:- one focused on cash transfers, special quotas, and reservations; the other

which ―enhances the agency and capability of the community and thereby remove aspects that come in the

way of an individual‘s own natural ability to thrive‖.

The draft recommends steps to stem migration i.e draft asks source states to raise minimum wages to bring

major shift in local livelihood of tribals that may result in stemming migration to some extent.

Recent govt initiatives of mapping Internal migration ASEEM Portal: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched Atma Nirbhar

Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood

opportunities. Database of labour migrants in Indian states and overseas citizens, who returned to India

under the Vande Bharat Mission and filled SWADES Skill Card, has been integrated with the ASEEM portal.

National Migrant Information System: developed by The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),

it is an online dashboard that would maintain a central repository of migrant workers and help in speedy

inter-state communication to facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workers to their native places.

Demand for Greater Tipraland Context Recently there were calls for creation of ‗Greater Tipraland‘, which would serve the interest of tribals, non-

tribals, Tripuri tribals staying outside Tripura, even those outside India in Bangladesh.

What is Greater Tipraland? Greater Tipraland will include every tribal person living in indigenous area or village outside the Tripura

Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council

(TTAADC).

‗Tipraland‘ was a demand of the Indigenous

People‘s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which is

now in power in Tripura in alliance with the

BJP. It was a political call for the creation of

a separate state for indigenous groups.

The demand for Greater Tipraland finds its

mirror image in the demand of ‗Greater

Nagalim‘ that was floated by the rebel Naga

outfit NSCN (IM).

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Causes for demand The call of Greater Tipralandrose due to unfulfilled demands of revising NRC in Tripura and opposition to

CAA in the past.

Tripura saw turbulent violent struggles by different outlawed insurgent outfits like the Tripura National

Volunteers (TNV), United Bengali Liberation Front (UBLF), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), All

Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) etc. – all demanding self-determination and sovereignty, albeit on different ethnic

and community lines

Which type of regionalism is this? Demand for Greater Tipraland which would be exclusively for tribals shows negative regionalism.

Negative Regionalism is the regionalism that demands separate region on basis of religion, community,

ethnicity, race etc.eg:- Greater Nagalim

Positive Regionalism is the situation when demand because of underdevelopment and exploitation of the

region. Eg:- Demand for separate state of Bundelkhand, Telangana, etc.

Constitutional Provisions for the formation of new States The procedure for the formation of new States is laid down in Article 3 of the Constitution that provides that a

State has no say over the formation of new States beyond communicating its views to Parliament.

Article 3 assigns to Parliament the power to enact legislation for the formation of new States.

Parliament‘s power under Article 3 extends to increasing or diminishing the area of any State and altering the

boundaries or name of any State.

A bill calling for the formation of new States may be introduced in either House of Parliament only on the

recommendation of the President.

Empowering half of the workforce (Source:- Eco times, livemint, WEF)

Context According to a report by BofA Securities, Gender inequality has cost world $70 trillion since 1990. Moreover,

In WEF Global Gender Gap Index report 2020, India fall to 112th place from 108th.

Status of Women Labour in India Reports indicate that only 25% of Indian women formally engage in labour market, as compared to 82% of

men.

India also has one of the lowest workforce participation rate in world for women (145th rank)

The huge wage gap is also a reality in India where Indian women is just making about 20% of what an Indian

men is making, lower than 65% in USA and even 40% in Bangladesh

Indian women accounts for only 14% of leadership roles.

Global Findings of Report According to BofA report, it will take 257 years to close the gap at the current rate, and not doing this has cost

the world a whopping USD 70 trillion since 1990.

The report also notes that full gender equality globally can increase the world GDP by up to USD 28 trillion

by 2025 and the loss of human capital wealth due to gender inequality alone is estimated at USD 160.2 trillion.

Report also mentioned that closing the gender and race gaps in education and employment would have

generated USD 2.6 trillion more in economic output in 2019

The pandemic has only deepened the gender inequality crisis. As much as 96 million people will slide into

extreme poverty in 2021, of which 47 million are women.

Factor for large Gender Gap in India Some of the most important factor for gap includes high Fertility rate, Low educational attainment, age of

marriage, in addition to social norms restricting role of women in the public domain.

Inadequate job environment in various sectors that could really absorb women

Income effect:- Rise in household income reduced women‘s participation , especially in subsidiary activities.

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Large section of women involved in Domestic sector which is not economically documented and thus

women‘s work tends to be under-reported.

Why Gender Equality is Necessary? Eliminating all kinds of discrimination against women & girls is not only a basic human right, but it is also

crucial for a sustainable future; empowering women & girls will help in economic growth & development.

Kofi Annan rightly said ― Gender Equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the

challenge of reducing poverty, promoting Sustainable Development & Building Good governance.

Climate Change & Disasters continue to have a disproportionate effect on women & children as conflict &

migration.

Hence, it is highly necessary to give women equal rights in land , sexual & reproductive health & to

technology & Internet

Initiatives taken by India Constitutional Provisions:- Article 14, 15(3), 39A & 42 make appropriate provisions for rights of women to

ensure gender equality.

Legislative Work:- Various acts like Dowry prohibition Act,1961; Equal Remuneration Act 1976; Maternity

benefit Act 2017; Prohibition of Sexual Harassment at workplace 2013, etc aimed at promoting women‘s

rights.

Programmes like Beti bachao beti padhao, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, PM Ujjwala

Yojana, Mahila e- Haat, etc also developed to empower women.

Progress so far The time it will take to close gender gap narrowed to 99.5 years in 2019 from 108 years in 2018

Political Gender gap also reduced to 95 years from 107 years.

Globally, women now hold 25.2% of Parliament lower house seats and 21.2% hold ministerial positions.

Way forward Though work is in progress still we have long way to go. Better and appropriate education for the girls is

required to bring attitudinal changes.

Conducive atmosphere at workplace is required to encourage more women leaders.

Proactively addressing the long legacy of policies and norms that thwart women‘s equality

A comprehensive approach is needed in improving labour market outcomes for women through increase in

training programmes and provision of safe & accessible transport apart from child care access and maternity

protections.

Oxfam report on Deepened Inequalities (Source:- Oxfam site, IE, Livemint)

Context A new report by Oxfam titled ―The Inequality Virus‖ has found that the Covid pandemic deeply exacerbated

existing inequalities in India and around the world.

The pandemic stalled the economy, forcing millions of poor Indians out of jobs, the richest billionaires in

India increased their wealth by 35 per cent.

Major Observations in report wrt India India introduced one of the most stringent lockdowns and its enforcement brought the economy to a

standstill, triggering unemployment, hunger, distress migration and untold hardship in its wake

Covid induced lockdown exacerbated inequality - Since the lockdown India‘s top 100 billionaires saw their

fortunes increase by Rs 12.97 trillion. In stark contrast, 170,000 people lost their jobs every hour in the month

of April 2020.

Sector wise, the informal sector remained the worst hit – The sector that made up 75 percent of the 122 million

jobs lost. Informal workers had relatively fewer opportunities to work from home and suffered more job loss

P a g e | 6

compared to the formal sector. The 40-50 million seasonal migrant workers, that are typically engaged in

construction sites, factories etc. were particularly distressed.

Spike in education inequalities - As education shifted online, India witnessed the digital divide worsening

inequalities. While private edutech companies experienced exponential growth, just 3 percent of the poorest

20 percent of Indian households had access to computers and just 9 percent had access to the internet.

Widening gender disparities - The unemployment rate among women rose from already high 15 per cent

before Covid to 18 per cent. This increase in unemployment of women can result in a loss to India‘s Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) of about 8% or USD 218 billion.

The pandemic also fueled domestic violence against women. As of November 30, 2020, cases of domestic

violence rose by almost 60% over the past 12 months.

Disparity in terms of Healthcare and Sanitation - India has the world‘s 2nd largest number of Covid-19 cases

(Now 3rd) and the spread of the disease has been swift among poor communities with poor sanitation and

using shared common facilities such as toilets and water points.

Oxfam also observed that since India does not report case data desegregated by socio-economic or social

categories, it is difficult to gauge the distribution of the disease amongst various communities.

Reasons for rising inequality during pandemic The pandemic‘s

impact on labour-

intensive

manufacturing:

the lockdown also

affected the

consumer-based

economy of India.

Apart from that,

the social

distancing norms

made it

impossible to

work with social

distance.

This created a

domino effect on the transportation sector, loss of GST revenues in states, unemployment, etc. Overall 40-50

million seasonal migrant workers faced distress.

Second, crowded agricultural sector: The migrant workers who lost a job in the manufacturing moved to the

rural areas and demanded jobs at very low wages. This made the agriculture sector more crowded and also

created Stagnation in agricultural wages with issue of Disguised unemployment

14 days mandatory home or institutional quarantine impacted the lower-income group the most. In many

cases, the person who underwent the home quarantine/infected with the disease was also the sole

breadwinner of the family. This created inequality as the whole family lost the income for at least 14 days

White-collar workers (person performs professional, managerial, desk, or administrative work) isolated

themselves and worked from home. It led to the closure of many small income avenues like roadside vendors,

smaller shops, restaurants, etc.,

Recommendations by report for a better Future Oxfam itself provided 5 steps towards a better sustainable future filled with equality.

Need for governments to move beyond GDP :- ‗Time is ripe for a paradigm shift‘ and recommended that

social and environmental indicators needed to guide policy making. Countries like New Zealand are already

providing examples of good practice on using measurements beyond GDP to inform policy making.

Recognizing the value of care and welfare systems - The pandemic has highlighted the critical need for

increased public spending on healthcare, free universal access to healthcare, and for urgent action to reduce

reliance on out-of-pocket payments. Similar thing highlighted by Finance Commission in its latest report

Need for a fundamental change in business models - Globally, cooperatives generate more employment than

MNCs. Small and medium enterprises are less likely to become insolvent and remain committed to their

P a g e | 7

workers. government needs to focus on the Promotion of Labour Intensive Manufacturing post-covid phase

like Textile, Construction, Footwear, Clothing, etc.

Ensuring fair levels of taxation - Closing down tax havens, ending wasteful tax competition and ensuring fair

levels of taxation on the offers a solution for the economic distress. Boosting public revenues in these ways is

essential to funding policies that will reduce inequality.

Report recommend re-introduction of wealth tax and one-time COVID-19 cess of 4% on taxable income of

above 10 lakhs. According to the report‘s estimate, a wealth tax on 954 richest families can raise 1% of India‘s

GDP.

Addressing the climate crisis - The consequences of climate change will continue to be more devastating for

low and middle-income countries. Within these countries women typically have greater responsibility for

tasks that are made more difficult by climate change.

Also, Government also has to utilize the time to trains persons in skill development: A skill-led economy is

the need of the hour to completely utilize India‘s demographic dividend towards equality

The World Bank has estimated that if countries act now to reduce inequality then poverty could return to pre-

crisis levels in just three years. So it is high time for India to act on inequality reduction activities.

National Education Policy-2020 (Source:- NITI Aayog, The hindu, IE)

Context The Union Cabinet cleared a new National Education Policy (NEP) proposing sweeping changes in school

and higher education.

The NEP cleared by the Cabinet is only the third major revamp of the framework of education in India since

independence. The two earlier education policies were brought in 1968 and 1986.

Purpose of National Education Policy An NEP is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. It works for an

education system that contributes to an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing quality

education to all

Background of education policy in India The need for a policy was first felt in 1964, the same year, a 17-member Education Commission, headed by

then UGC Chairperson D S Kothari, was constituted to draft a national and coordinated policy on education.

Based on the suggestions of this Commission, Parliament passed the first education policy in 1968

The 2nd came in 1986 which was revised in 1992 under P V Narasimha Rao.

In 2016, Committee under Late TSR Subramaniam submitted its report for 3rd NEP. And in 2017, a Committee

for the Draft NEP‘ was constituted under Chairmanship of Dr. K Kasturiranjan, which submitted Draft NEP

in 2019 which now came as NEP 2020.

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Key Highlights of National Education policy, 2020

For School Education Universalization of education from preschool to secondary level with 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in

school education by 2030.

To bring 2 crore out of school children back into the mainstream through an open schooling system.

The current 10+2 system to be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11,

11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.

Class 10 and 12 board examinations to be made easier, to test core competencies rather than memorized facts,

with all students allowed to take the exam twice.

School governance is set to change, with a new accreditation framework and an independent authority to

regulate both public and private schools.

Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams,

extracurricular, vocational streams in schools.

Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships.

Teaching up to at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/regional language. No language will be imposed on

any student.

A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) 2021, will be

formulated by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in consultation with National Council of

Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

For higher education Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education to be raised to 50% by 2035. (Current:- 26.3%)

Holistic Undergraduate education with a flexible curriculum can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options

and appropriate certification within this period.

M.Phil courses will be discontinued and all the courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level will

now be interdisciplinary.

Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits

The National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research culture and

building research capacity across higher education.

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Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single umbrella body for the entire higher

education, excluding medical and legal education. Public and private higher education institutions will be

governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards. Also, HECI will be

having four independent verticals namely,

1. National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation,

2. General Education Council (GEC) for standard setting,

3. Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding,

4. National Accreditation Council (NAC) for accreditation

Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism to be established for

granting graded autonomy to colleges.

National Assessment Centre- 'PARAKH' has been created to assess the students.

It also paves the way

for foreign

universities to set up

campuses in India.

It emphasizes setting

up of Gender

Inclusion Fund,

Special Education

Zones for

disadvantaged

regions and groups.

National Institute for

Pali, Persian and

Prakrit, Indian

Institute of

Translation and

Interpretation to be

set up.

It also aims to

increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.

Implementation Challenges with NEP 2020 Funding: An ambitious target of public spending at 6% of GDP has been set but mobilizing financial resources

will be a big challenge, given the low tax-to-GDP ratio and competing claims on the national exchequer of

healthcare, national security and other key sectors. The policy does not elaborate how to raise this fund.

Multilingualism: Medium of instruction as mother tongue till Grade 5 and even beyond can cause issues to

inter state migrants as it will lead to change in local language and mode of education

NEP 2020 failed to check Knowledge-Jobs Mismatch as it is silent on education related to emerging

technological fields like artificial intelligence, cyberspace, nanotech, etc.

Education comes under Concurrent list. Hence extreme amount of Cooperative Federalism is required to

make the policy successful

There is always a fear of Commercialization of Education with private players in market

Lack of detailed thinking and connection with ground realities may affect NEP vision.

Way Forward NEP is multi-faceted and multi-levelled. It requires good approach to make it fully operational

Cooperative Federalism is the key. Since education is a concurrent subject the reforms proposed can only be

implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the states.Thus, the Centre has the giant task of building a

consensus on the many ambitious plans. Also, role of NITI Aayog became essential here.

Strive Towards Universalization of Education: There is a need for the creation of ‗inclusion funds‘ to help

socially and educationally disadvantaged children pursue education.

Also, there is a need to set up a regulatory process that can check profiteering from education in the form of

unaccounted donations. This will also stop Commercialization of Education

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All the Stakeholders have to work in unity to make this policy a new ray of hope in India‘s dismal education

system

Attitudinal changes is also required by adopting effective teacher-learning processes, academic &

administrative procedures

Bridging Digital Divide: If technology is a force-multiplier, with unequal access it can also expand the gap

between the haves and have nots. Thus, the state needs to address the striking disparities in access to digital

tools for universalization of education.

Inter-ministerial Coordination: There is an emphasis on vocational training, but to make it effective, there has

to be close coordination between the education, skills and labour ministry.

Digital health mission ready for nationwide roll-out (Source:- The Hindu; IE)

Context Ayushman Bharat CEO informed that digital health mission has been launched in six Union Territories and

was set for an all-India launch during his address at the Bangalore Tech Summit 2020

Also, Health ministry approves data management policy to digitise healthcare ecosystem.

The policy will help in creating digital health records and creating and maintaining registries for healthcare

professionals and health facilities.The policy is to act as a guidance document across the National Digital

Health Ecosystem. It is expected of setting out the minimum standard for data privacy protection.

Where Will the Data Be Stored? Data collected across the National Digital Health Ecosystem (NDHE) will be stored in at the:

Central level

The state

Union territory level

Health facility level

National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) The Mission was launched by PM on 15Aug 2020 to create the backbone of an integrated healthcare system.

Aim of the Mission

This visionary initiative,

stemming from the

National Health Policy,

2017 intends to digitize

healthcare in India

To provide the necessary

support for integration of

digital health

infrastructure in the

country.

Vision:- To create a

national digital health

ecosystem that supports

universal health coverage

in an efficient, accessible,

inclusive, affordable,

timely and safe manner.

And at the same time,

Ensure the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

Implementing Agency NHA is the Implementing body which is also the apex body for implementation of Ayushman Bharat-

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

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Building Blocks of NDHM 1. Health ID:- Health ID is

created by using basic

details and mobile

number or Aadhaar

number and it will be

unique to a

person.Health ID will be

used to uniquely

identify persons,

authenticate them, and

threading their health

records (only with the

informed consent of the

patient) across multiple

systems and

stakeholders.

Each Health ID will be

linked to a health data

consent manager (such

as NDHM) which will be

used to seek the patient's

consent and allow for

seamless flow of health information from the personal health records module

2. Digi- Doctor :- It is a comprehensive repository of all doctors practicing or teaching modern/ traditional

systems of medicine. Enrolling on Digi-Doctor is completely voluntary and enables doctors to get connected

to India‘s digital health ecosystem.

3. Health Facility Registry:- It is a comprehensive repository of health facilities of the country , whether public or

private, across different systems of medicine.

4. Personal Health Records:- PHR is an electronic record of health-related information of an individual that

conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be drawn from multiple sources

while being managed, shared, and controlled by the individual

5. Electronic Medical Records:- EMR is a digital version of a patient‘s treatment history from a single facility

Benefits of NDHM The implementation of NDHM is expected to significantly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and

transparency of health service delivery overall.

Patients will be able to securely store and access their medical records (such as prescriptions, diagnostic

reports and discharge summaries), and share them with health care providers to ensure appropriate treatment

and follow-up.

People will also have access to more accurate information on health facilities and service providers. Further,

they will have the option to access health services remotely through tele-consultation and e-pharmacy.( E-

pharmacy will start at later stage)

NDHM will provide choice to individuals to access both public and private health services, facilitate

compliance with laid down guidelines and protocols, and ensure transparency in the pricing of services and

accountability for the health services being rendered.

The integrated ecosystem will also enable a better continuum of care.

NDHM will help digitize the claims process and enable faster reimbursement.

Policy-makers and programme managers will have better access to data, enabling more informed decision

making by the Government.

Better quality of macro and micro-level data will enable advanced analytics, usage of health-biomarkers and

better preventive healthcare. It will also enable geography and demography-based monitoring and

P a g e | 12

appropriate decision making to form design and strengthen implementation of health programmes and

policies.

Researchers will greatly benefit from the availability of such aggregated information as they will be able to

study and evaluate the effectiveness of various programmes and interventions.

NDHM would facilitate a comprehensive feedback loop between researchers, policymakers, and providers.

Challenges Federal nature of healthcare requires ultimate cooperation among centre and states.

Pandemic has worsened Digital divide and these digital systems can lead to exclusion of digitally illiterate

and unconnected remote and tribal areas.

Inadequate Digital infrastructure in the country will create hindrance.

NDHM requires big pool of skilled labour in areas of cybersecurity, business analysis, software

development,etc

Providing unique ID and encoding data for the use of medical professionals along with developing and

securing data network is an expensive process.

There is also a privacy, security and sovereignty issues. With involvement of private players across nation

and world, safeguarding of medical data will become essential

Way forward NDHM will mark a new beginning for the Indian digital healthcare ecosystem, enabling more effective

delivery of healthcare services and moving towards health to all.

The NDHM still does not recognize ‗Health‘ as a justiciable right. There should be a push draft at making

health a right, as prescribed in the draft National Health Policy, 2015.

One of the biggest concerns is regarding data security and privacy of patients. It must be ensured that the

health records of the patients remain entirely confidential and secure.

To increase acceptance of new technology and user confidence, Govt has to ensure transparency.

We have to maintain Technical sovereignty for better data privacy.

In addition, the failure of a similar National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom must be learnt

lessons from and the technical and implementation-related deficiencies must be proactively addressed prior

to launching the mission on a pan India scale.

The standardisation of NDHM architecture across the country will need to find ways to accommodate state-

specific rules. It also needs to be in sync with government schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and other

IT-enabled schemes like Reproductive Child Health Care and NIKSHAY etc.

Other Ministry Digital health initiatives E-Sanjeevani platform:- it enables 2 types of telemedicine services : Doctor- to-doctor & Patient-to-doctor.

e-Hospital

MeraAspatal for patient feedback system

e-Shushrut:- It is a hospital MIS developed by C-DAC

National health profile

Electronic Vaccine Intelligence network (eVIN)

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Parliamentary panel bats for laws to counter bio-terrorism (Source:- IE; The Hindu)

Context Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health virtually presented its report, ―The Outbreak of Pandemic

COVID-19 And its Management‖ to Hon‘ble Vice President

This is the first report by any parliamentary committee on the government‘s handling of the COVID-19

pandemic. It is also for the first time in the parliamentary history that the standing committee reports were

presented virtually.

Highlights of the report The number of Government hospital beds were grossly inadequate keeping in view the rising incidence of

covid cases

The closure of OPD services in government hospitals during lockdown crippled the healthcare delivery

system in the country

Non-Covid patients especially female patients and the patients with chronic and lethal diseases were the

worst sufferers

The diagnosis and treatment of other services did take a backseat which even led to many non-Covid deaths

According to the Committee, ―arriving at a sustainable pricing model to treat Covid patients could have

averted many deaths‖.

The Committee apprehends that amidst the pandemic and the uncertainty in the treatment protocol‖, out-of-

pocket expenditure on health ―may have further driven many families to below poverty line‖.

Report came harshly over private hospitals as well.Private hospitals charged exorbitant medical fees that was

beyond the reach of many

NCDP-IDSP (National Centre for Disease Control-Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) should have

been utilized in a more effective manner especially when the sole objective of IDSP is to detect and respond to

outbreaks in the early rising phase through trained Rapid Response Teams (RRTs).

The Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres are still largely devoid of any testing facilities

and the required technical workforce.

Issues faced by vulnerable communities during COVID The Committee has expressed anguish over instances of mistreatment of Accredited Social Health Activist

(ASHA) workers

engaged in

contact tracing.

They were

denied wages

even though

they are the foot

soldiers of the

healthcare

system.

The pandemic

has adversely

affected

women‘s social

and mental

wellbeing.

Disrupted access

to healthcare

services especially sexual and reproductive healthcare services led to various other agonies which have

potential to overturn decades of good work in the field of Sexual reproduction rights of women

Restrictive social norms, gender stereotypes and diversion of resources to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic

limited women‘s ability to access health services which made them more susceptible to health risks.

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Violence against women increased during the lockdown period as the perpetrators of violence and

susceptible both stayed at home

The Committee has also expressed concern over the ―confinement of the school-going children due to

prolonged closure of education institutions‖

Existing digital divide in the country has jeopardized the future of millions of students from the weaker

section of the society.

Recommendations of the committee Update the details of the beneficiaries on the PMJAY‘s IT System.

Government should increase investments in the public healthcare system and make consistent efforts to

achieve the National Health Policy 2017 targets of expenditure up to 2.5 percent of GDP.

Government have to take appropriate steps to decentralize the healthcare services/facilities in the country

Constant efforts are required to minimise the out of pocket expenditure of patients due to Covid

The government ―should strategize a better partnership with the Private Hospitals under PPP model.‖

A ―strong network‖ of Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) be set up in the country

Suggestions by committee to handle issues related to vulnerable communities Strengthen the network of ASHAs, ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives), and other community health workers.

There is an urgent need for capacity building of frontline workers to fight against the outbreak of the

pandemic

Government should chalk out specific course of action for rescuing the women out of mental trauma by

resuming the sexual and reproductive healthcare services and allocating the resources to improve women

health services

Creation of specific hotlines, telemedicine services, rape crisis centres for women can be taken as a step in

right direction.

To mitigate the digital divide created by the pandemic, government should strengthen its network for digital

and online classes.

Study “Poshan Abhiyaan needs a boost” (Source:- The Hindu, NITI Aayog)

Context NITI Aayog has released its Third Progress Report on Nutrition titled ―Accelerating Progress on Nutrition in

India: What Will It Take‖.( October‘19 – April‘20)

Reports Related to POSHAN Abhiyaan The initial Report I and II, focused majorly on the POSHAN Abhiyaan preparedness and implementation by

States and UTs, respectively

The 3rd report took stock of the roll-out status on the ground and implementation challenges encountered at

various levels

The report data is supported by the large scale datasets already available at public domain like National

Family and Health Survey (NHFS-4) and Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS).

Malnutrition in India Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person‘s intake of energy and/or nutrients

India accounts for 28 per cent (40.3 million) of the world‘s stunted children (low height-for-age) under five

years of age, and 43 per cent (20.1 million) of the world‘s wasted children (low weight-for-height) in 2019.

The ‗Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019 report highlights the intergenerational transmission of

poverty and malnutrition in India.

According to a Lancet study,2019, 68% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India was

attributable to malnutrition.

More than a third of the children under five face stunting and wasting and 40% aged between one and four

are anaemic.

P a g e | 15

Reasons for Continuous Malnutrition in India Monoculture in agriculture practices:- With the help of Green revolution, India‘s foodgrain production has

increased over five times since 1950 but it has not been able to addressed the issue of malnutrition. Reason

being, agriculture sector in India focused on increasing food production, particularly staples (wheat and

rice).This led to lower production and consumption of indigenous traditional crops/grains, fruits and other

vegetables, impacting food and nutrition security in the process.

Food consumption patterns have changed substantially in India over the past few decades like emergence of

McDonaldisation, which has resulted in the disappearance of many nutritious local foods, for example,

millets

Lack of potable water, poor sanitation, and dangerous hygiene practices increase vulnerability to infectious

and water-borne diseases, which are direct causes of acute malnutrition

Migrations have long been a livelihood strategy for the poorest households in India, as a means to access food

and money through casual labour

There is sense of Gender injustice in

malnutrition as well. Malnourished

girls become malnourished

adolescents who marry early and

have children who become

malnourished, and so the cycle

continues

There is a also lack of real-time data

that brings all these factors together

to show the extent of India‘s

malnutrition. This makes

implementation also weak. The

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)

outbreak in Bihar marked the failure

of the Integrated Child

Development Scheme (ICDS) in the

state.

Highlights of the Report The report calls for a need to lay as much emphasis on complementary feeding as it does on breastfeeding,

which it points out can help avert 60% of the total stunting cases in India.

Stunting:- India's targets were found to be conservative as compared to the global target defined by the World

Health Assembly (WHA), which is a prevalence rate of 5% of stunting as opposed to India‘s goal of reducing

stunting levels to 13.3% by 2022.

Corrective Action:-Additional preventive nutrition and health sensitive strategies are required to achieve

further reductions in wasting to meet WHA target for India.

Anaemia:- The target of reducing prevalence levels of anaemia among pregnant women from 50.3% in 2016 to

34.4% in 2022 and among adolescent girls from 52.9% in 2016 to 39.66%, is also considered to be conservative

as compared to the WHA's target of halving prevalence levels.

Corrective Action:-The government must implement interventions beyond the health sector and its focus on

distribution of IFA tablets, and must include efforts to improve socio-economic conditions, else India will

achieve modest improvements in anaemia among women of reproductive age.

Water &Sanitation:- report recommends improved ―water, sanitation, hand washing with soap and hygienic

disposal of children‘s stools‖ as other interventions which could help avert a quarter of the stunting cases.

Deepening poverty:- Experts warn that deepening poverty and hunger may delay achieving the goals defined

under the Nutrition Mission.

The projections are optimistic, and will need to be re-adjusted for the COVID-19 disruptions to health and

nutrition services.

Report also appreciated remarkable reduction in stunting in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha and Tamil Nadu,

between 2006 and 2016, mostly among older infants (6 months and above).

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NITI Aayog‟s Suggestion Emphasized to accelerate actions on multiple fronts.

NITI Aayog recommended to quickly graduate to a POSHAN-plus strategy which apart from continued

strengthening the four pillars of the Abhiyaan also requires renewed focus on other social determinants in

addition to addressing the governance challenges of NHM/ ICDS delivery mechanisms.

The report calls for a need to

lay as much emphasis on

complementary feeding as it

does on breastfeeding.

which the report points out

can help avert 60% of the

total stunting cases in India.

What more can be done Substantial improvements

across malnutrition

indicators in the states of

India would require an

integrated nutrition policy.

Integrated nutrition policy can be brought by harmonization of efforts across ministries, political will and

good governance. This could be done by revamping POSHAN Abhiyan and making it a multi-sectoral

approach.

Promotion of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices: First 1,000 days from the conception of a child

till the child turns two years old, marking the most crucial period for nutrition interventions in a lifecycle.

Panchayats should be allowed to have a bigger say in running welfare schemes especially ICDS and

MGNREGS

Public Distribution System should be diversified, to include nutritional crops like millets. Some states have

taken such initiatives which should be roll out in every States.

Poshan Abhiyan/ National Nutrition Mission POSHAN Abhiyaan, or National Nutrition Mission, launched in 2018, is the Government of India‘s flagship

program to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers

POSHAN Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and

adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.

Although the target to reduce Stunting is at least 2% p.a., mission would strive to achieve reduction in

Stunting from 38.4% (NFHS-4) to 25% by 2022 (Mission 25 by 2022).

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is entrusted to implement POSHAN Abhiyaan

Child Wasting- The share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for

their height, reflecting acute undernutrition).

Child Stunting- The share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who have low height for

their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.

70m Indians above 60 suffer from chronic disease: Survey (Source:- TOI, IE)

Context About 75 million elderly persons in India, or one in two people above 60 years of age, suffer from some

chronic disease, shows the first part of the world‘s largest study on the elderly -- The Longitudinal Ageing

Study in India (LASI)

Longitudinal Ageing Study (LASI) in India It is India‘s first and the world‘s largest ever survey that provides a longitudinal database for designing

policies and programmes for the older population in the broad domains of social, health, and economic well-

being

P a g e | 17

The National Programme for Health Care of Elderly, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has undertaken the

Longitudinal Ageing Study of India, through International Institute for Population Sciences, (IIPS), Mumbai

in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health, University of Southern California, USA, Dte, United

Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and National Institute on Ageing.

International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai is the nodal institution for implementing the

survey

LASI collects data on four major subject domains:

1. Health: Disease Burden & Risk Factors (Reported and Measured)

2. Health Care and Health Care Financing

3. Social: Family, Social Network and Social Welfare Programmes for the Elderly

4. Economic: Income, Wealth, Expenditure, Employment, Retirement and Pension

The LASI wave-1 survey covers all 30 states and 6 Union Territories of India (excluding Sikkim) with a panel

sample size of 72,250 older adults aged 45 years and above and their spouses regardless of age.

Highlights of the Survey A) Health Determinants:

75% of the elderly people suffer from one or the other chronic disease.

40% of the elderly people have one or the other disability and 20% have issues related to mental health

Also, 27% of this population group has

multi-morbidities, which translates to

roughly 35 million people.

B) Social Determinants

Overall, 6% of older adults age 45 and

above in India had to reduce the size of

their meals, 5% were hungry but did

not eat because there was not enough

food, and 4% did not eat for a full day

because food was unavailable in the

past 12 months

More than one-in-ten (14%) older

adults age 45 and above in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar (10%), and Jharkhand (10%) reported severe food

constraint to the extent that either they reduced the food intake, they did not eat even though they were

hungry, or did not eat for a whole day because food was unavailable.

C) Economic Determinants

In Nagaland (90%), Himachal Pradesh (81%), Chhattisgarh (77%), and Jharkhand (76%), more than three-

fourths of the elderly are engaged in agricultural and allied activities. However, in Delhi (59%), Jammu &

Kashmir (41%), and Goa (38%), a sizeable proportion of elderly workers are self-employed, and more than

half of the elderly in Chandigarh (66%) are engaged as salaried workers

The mean monthly individual earnings from agricultural and allied activities for currently working elderly

age 60 and above is ₹4856,

Significance of the Survey The evidence from LASI will be used to further strengthen and broaden the scope of National Programme for

Health Care of the Elderly and also help in establishing a range of preventive and health care programmes for

older population and most vulnerable among them.

This report will provide base for national and state level programmes and policies for elderly population.

A unique feature of LASI is the coverage of comprehensive biomarkers. No other survey in India collects

detailed data on health and biomarkers together with information on family and social network, income,

assets, and consumption.

It can ensure that the elderly is provided with the best medical care.

India has one of the ambitious programmes of the world, Ayushman Bharat Yojana which focuses on

expansion of the healthcare facilities for which it can be useful.

A common plan will be created for the care of elderly in the country using the findings of the LASI study for

implementation in future.

P a g e | 18

Ageing population in India With approximately 1.36 billion inhabitants in 2019, India is projected to become the world‘s most populous

country in the next six years (UN Population Prospects, 2019).

Growing at around 3% annually, the number of elderly age population will rise to 319 million in 2050. (2011

Census)

With people living longer, the global share of older people aged 60 years and above increased from 9.2% in

1990 to 11.7% in 2013 and is expected to reach 21.1% by 2050

The demographic vis-a-vis the epidemiological transition in India has shifted a major share of the country‘s

burden of disease from children to the older population. (The transition from high rates to low rates in

mortality and fertility that accompanied socioeconomic development also meant a shift in the leading causes

of diseases and deaths, known as ‗epidemiologic transition‘ )

These alarming population projections and the dramatic shift in age-structure call for robust and

internationally harmonized data on ageing.

Issues Faced by elderly people As the Indian society is advancing towards industrialisation, urbanizations, technical and technological

changes, as well as being influenced by western education and globalization, senior citizens are increasingly

being neglected by the younger generation. They are facing Isolation and loss of social connect.

Relocation of young age population for livelihood leads to neglect, poverty and distress of the senior citizens

Increasing economic dependence of senior citizens on either pensions (which in most cases, is not sufficient)

or Next-generation who may or may not take care of them

Health:- Health-related issues like blindness, deafness, mental illness, etc. are highly prevalent among this

section of the population. Further, expensive medicines, low hospital availability in rural areas makes their

life harder

Technological:- The fast changing technologies and inability to cope with the ways of the modern world pose

difficulty in integration with the new generation.

Government initiatives for Elders Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act 2007 provides Protection & Rehabilitation to the

Elderly

Article 41 and Article 46 are the constitutional provisions for elderly persons.

Section 20 of Hindu marriage and adoption act, 1956 makes it obligatory provisions to maintain an aged

parents.

Integrated Programme for Older Persons (IPOP):- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a nodal

agency for the welfare of elderly people. The main objective of the scheme is to improve the quality of life of

older persons by providing basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities,

etc

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY):- This scheme is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

This is a central sector scheme funded from the Senior Citizens‘ Welfare Fund. Under the RVY scheme, aids

and assistive living devices are provided to senior citizens belonging to BPL category who suffer from age-

related disabilities such as low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth and locomotor disabilities

The Ministry of Rural Development runs the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) that extends

social assistance for poor households for the aged, widows, disabled, and in cases of death where the

breadwinner has passed away

The Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana:- Scheme was launched in2017 to provide social security during

old age. This is a simplified version of the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana and will be implemented by the

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India.Under the scheme, on payment of an initial lump sum amount

ranging from Rs 1,50,000 for a minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month to a maximum of Rs 7,50,000/- for a

maximum pension of Rs 5,000 per month, subscribers will get an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate

of return of 8% per annum payable monthly/quarterly/half-yearly/annually

Vayoshreshtha Samman:- Conferred as a National award, and given to eminent senior citizens & institutions

under various categories for their contributions on International day of older persons on 1st October

PRANAM Act by Assam govt. making mandatory for State Govt employees to look after their parents &

unmarried Differently abled siblings who do not have their own sources of income.

P a g e | 19

Task Force on age of Marriage for Women (Source:- TOI, IE)

Context The task force set up under Jaya Jaitley to take a re-look at the age of marriage for women has submitted its

report to the Prime Minister‘s Office and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Currently, the law prescribes that the minimum age of marriage is 21 years and 18 years for men and women

respectively.

About the Committee The Union Ministry for WCD had set up a task force to examine matters pertaining to the age of motherhood,

imperatives of lowering MMR and the improvement of nutritional levels among women.

The task force would examine the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with health, medical well-

being, and nutritional status of the mother and neonate, infant or child, during pregnancy, birth and

thereafter.

It will also examine the possibility of increasing the age of marriage for women from the present 18 years to 21

years

Reason behind Relooking of the Minimum Age Criteria To bring gender-neutrality and to reduce the risks of early pregnancy among women.

Early pregnancy is associated with increased child mortality and maternal mortality rates.

Evidence shows that delay in marriage has positive economic, social and health effects for families, women,

children and the society at large

There is no reasoning in the law for having different legal standards of age for men and women to marry. The

laws are a codification of custom and religious practices

The Law Commission consultation paper has argued that having different legal standards contributes to the

stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands.

Women‘s rights activists have argued that the law also perpetuates the stereotype that women are more

mature than men of the same age and, therefore, can be allowed to marry sooner.

The international treaty Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), also calls

for the abolition of laws that assume women have a different physical or intellectual rate of growth than men

It is argued that Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee the right to equality and the right to

live with dignity, were violated by having different legal ages for men and women to marry.

Two significant Supreme Court rulings can act as precedents.

In 2014, in the ‗NALSA v Union of India‘ case, the Supreme Court, while recognising transgenders as the third

gender, said that justice is delivered with the ―assumption that humans have equal value and should,

therefore, be treated as equal, as well as by equal laws‖.

In 2019, in ‗Joseph Shine v Union of India‘, the Supreme Court decriminalized adultery, and said that ―a law

that treats women differently based on gender stereotypes is an affront to women‘s dignity‖.

Provisions for the minimum age for marriage Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting customs

For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride

and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.

In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years

as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively.

Additionally, sexual intercourse with a minor is rape, and the ‗consent‘ of a minor is regarded as invalid since

she is deemed incapable of giving consent at that age.

Issues with the proposal It will end up criminalising and exacerbating the existing vulnerabilities of Dalit and Adivasi girls in rural

India, because they as a matter of practice are married at a very young age

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Several studies have also shown how parents often misuse the minimum age law to punish couples marrying

without their approval, especially in cases of inter-caste marriages. The above-18 boys in such cases are liable

to even face a life term

Marriage has also a link with the education of the girl and hence it would create class divides.

Way forward The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data 2015-16 establishes a direct causal link between education

levels and delayed age of marriage as educated women tend to marry late. So there is a need to provide

quality education to even the most vulnerable and backward societies

The 18th Law Commission report (2008) asked for uniformity in the age of marriage at 18 years for both men

and women and lowering the age of consent to 16 years, which was seconded by Justice Verma Committee

Efforts to address child marriage in India should be in consonance with the socio-economic realities that

demand investment in education, welfare, and opportunities for women.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs virtually launches “Shramshakti (Source:- PIB; TOI)

Context Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched ―ShramShakti‖- a National Migration Support Portal, to smooth the

formulation of state and national level programs for Tribal migrant workers.

About The portal The portal has been launched to collect data related to tribal migrant workers and link them with the existing

welfare schemes.

A training manual ―ShramSaathi‖ was also launched for migrant workers.

Various data will be recorded via Shram Shakti include demographic profile, livelihood options, skill

mapping and migration pattern.

Need for a portal The lack of real time data of migrants was the biggest challenge for state and national governments in

formulating effective strategies and policy decisions for welfare of migrant workers at both source and

destination states.

The migration of tribal population during the lockdown was distress-driven and the migrants were exposed

to difficult and unsafe conditions. The tribal migration repository, Shram Shakti would be able to successful

able to address the data gap.

Benefits of the Portal It would also help the government for linking the migrant population with existing Welfare Scheme- under

Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

Data driven scheme and policies can be formulated for the welfare of the migrant workers.

Migrants can demand and access services, rights and entitlements related to livelihood and social security at

origin as well as destination places. • It will help tackle the issues faced by migrants like trafficking, wages

harassment issues and occupational hazards at the workplace.

Other Govt. Initiatives to help Migrant workers ASEEM Portal:- portal was launched by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to help

skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities. Database of labour migrants in Indian states and

overseas citizens, who returned to India under the Vande Bharat Mission and filled SWADES Skill Card, has

been integrated with the ASEEM portal

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed an online dashboard called ‗National

Migrant Information System (NMIS)‘. The system will maintain a central repository of migrant workers and

help in speedy inter-state communication to facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workers to their

native places.

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STARS Project (Source:- IE, PIB, Hindustan times)

Context Maharashtra Cabinet approved Govt. of India‘s agreement with World back under STARS project to develop

educational outcomes. With this Maharashtra set to implement STARS project.

STARS Project Stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States, the project would be implemented as a

new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of

Education (MoE) with a total project cost of Rs. 5,718 crore with the financial support of World Bank

amounting to about Rs. 3,700 crore in 6 states of India — Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.

The overall focus and components of the STARS project are aligned with the objectives of National Education

Policy (NEP) 2020 of Quality Based Learning Outcomes.

The STARS project will be implemented under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. A seven-member committee will

overlook the working of the initiative across districts in the state.

Around 25 crore students (between the age of 6-17) in 15 lakh schools and over 1 crore teachers will benefit

from the programme.

Project has 2 major components.

At National level:- To strengthen MOE‘s national data systems to capture robust and authentic data on

retention and to establish a National Assessment Center (PARAKH).

And, India‘s participation in the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

survey will also be funded by this project.

At State level:- It seeks to support the states in developing, implementing, evaluating and improving

interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes and school to work transition strategies

for improved labour market outcomes.

Unique Components of the project Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) :- The project includes CERC under the National

Component which would enable it to be more responsive to any natural, man-made and health disasters.

A major component of the project is the establishment of PARAKH (performance Assessment, Review, and

Analysis of Knowledge For Holistic Development ) as a national Assessment Centre.

Vigyan Jyoti Programme (Source:- TOI, PIB)

Context The second phase of Vigyan Jyoti programme was commenced on the occasion of International Day of

Women and Girls in Science

About the programme 1st phase of the programme was launched by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) in December

2019

It aims to create a level-playing field for the meritorious girls in high school. It will encourage them to pursue

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM) in their higher education and make them self-

reliant

This programme started at school level for meritorious girls of Class IX to Class XII

The activities under the programme include student-parent counselling, visit to labs and knowledge centres,

partners role model interactions, science camps, academic support classes, resource material distribution and

tinkering activities

The second phase of the Vigyan Jyoti aims to spread the program to 50 more districts. It will be in addition to

the existing 50 districts across the country.

P a g e | 22

Need of Such scheme There is a huge Under-representation of Women in STEM. Data compiled by the DST shows that females

comprised 24 per cent of the total pass-out students in STEM subjects in engineering, 22 per cent at the post

graduate level, 28 per cent at M Phil and 35 per cent at the PhD level.

There are only 10 per cent of girls in the IITs and the number has remained static over the years

Other Govt. initiatives to bring Gender parity in Science & Technology Women Scientists Scheme to help women by providing opportunities to women scientists and technologists

(27-57 years of age) who had a break in their career but desired to return to the mainstream .

Indo-US Fellowship for Women in STEMM (WISTEMM) program where women scientists can work in

research labs of USA.

Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence in Women Universities (CURIE)

programme for improving R&D infrastructure and establishing state-of-the-art research facilities in order to

create excellence in S&T in women universities ( Part of much larger KIRAN Scheme of DST)

Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing(KIRAN): It aims to bring gender

parity in the Science & Technology sector by inducting more women talent in the research & development

domain through various programmes.

Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) program in pilot mode. GATI aims to develop a

comprehensive charter and a framework for assessing gender inequality in STEM

SERB - POWER (Promoting Opportunities For Women in Exploratory Research) program was also launched

recently.

Government has established AI labs in women‘s universities with the goal to foster AI innovations. It will

prepare skilled manpower for AI-based jobs in the future.

Green Shoots in Indian Environment Recent data from UNESCO points out a decline in gender gap in tertiary education. The proportion of women

enrolled in tertiary education in India is almost on a par with that of males

About 46.3 per cent of Indian women are pursing tertiary education in 'information and communication'

compared with 23 per cent in the US.

India could be a role model for the world if the current increase in female participation continues

Cabinet approves Amendments to Juvenile Justice Act (Source:- Livemint ; PIB; IE)

Source Union Cabinet has recently approved major amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act.

Juvenile Justice Act The Act provides that minors in the age group of 16-18 years should be treated as adults in case of heinous

crimes.

The Act changes the nomenclature from Juvenile to child or ‗child in conflict with law‘. Also, it removes the

negative connotation associated with the word ―juvenile‖

It mandates setting up Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees in every district. Both must

have at least one-woman member each.

Also, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)was granted the status of a statutory body to enable it

to perform its function more effectively.

The Act included several new offences committed against children (like, illegal adoptions, use of child by

militant groups, offences against disabled children, etc.) which are not adequately covered under any other

law.

All Child Care Institutions, whether run by State Government or by voluntary or non-governmental

organizations are to be mandatorily registered under the Act within 6 months from the date of

commencement of the Act.

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Amendments passed by Cabinet Included for the first time the category of ―serious crimes‖ differentiating it from heinous crimes, while

retaining heinous crimes. Both heinous and serious crimes have also been clarified for the first time, removing

any ambiguity. This provision has been made to ensure that children, as much as possible, are protected and

kept out of the adult justice system

Heinous crimes with a minimum imprisonment of seven years pertain mostly to sexual offences and violent

sexual crimes. Crime like the possession and sale of an illegal substance, such as drugs or alcohol, will now

fall under the ambit of a ―serious crime‘‘

Additional power to DMs:- DM and ADMs will monitor the functioning of various agencies under the JJ Act

in every district. This includes the Child Welfare Committees, the Juvenile Justice Boards, the District Child

Protection Units and the Special juvenile Protection Units. Amendment says that no new children‘s home can

be opened without the sanction of the DM.

The DM will also carry out background checks of Child Welfare Committee members

To hasten the process of adoption and ensure the swift rehabilitation of children into homes and foster homes,

the amendment further provides that the DM will also now be in charge of sanctioning adoptions, removing

the lengthy court process

Increased scope for protection of children - Children who have suffered trafficking, drug abuse or have been

rescued or children abandoned by their guardians too will come under child in need of protection or CARE

Juvenile Delinquency

It refers to the antisocial or criminal activity of the child which violates the law

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile delinquency is fostered by a wide range of factors which include:

Poverty: Poverty is one of the major reasons for juvenile delinquency. Juveniles indulge themselves in

delinquent acts in order to meet and satisfy the primary wants of their life.

Family: It has been widely accepted that families of delinquents are characterized by discords, desertions and

other problems .Such families have been pointed out as one of the main causes of delinquency.

Neighbourhood: The immediate environments of a child also affect the trend he will adopt in connection with

his personality. Juvenile delinquents largely belong to areas of poor living conditions.

Lack of value based education affects their personality & behaviour

Stressed Mental health contribute to juvenile delinquency. For example: Conduct disorder.

Virtual world: Constant exposure to aggression – verbal and physical – on television news, videos and games

also contributes to increasing juvenile delinquency.

Substance abuse is associated with both violent and income-generating crimes by youth.

Bad Peer Group: Juvenile delinquency is often caused or worsened by peer pressure

High Financial aspirations which remain unfulfilled by parents

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Challenges with Juvenile Justice in India There is no logical or scientific reason which shows that total and complete rehabilitation can be achieved by a

child in conflict with the law within a maximum period of three years.

Absolute lack of implementation of the provisions of the JJ Act after a juvenile completes his sentence is a

major concern. India‘s massive population makes it impossible to track and ensure that a juvenile once

released continues with his therapy or even reports regularly to his parole officer.

Juveniles in Adult jails: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a number of probable

juveniles are found in adult jails. Further, the police subvert the guidelines of JJ Act and lodge juveniles into

adult jails.

Lack of trained staff and financial corruption is a major concern in juvenile homes across India

In most of the juvenile homes, there is complete lack of vocational training, counselling and individual care

plans

Way Forward Child guidance clinics should be established in order to give appropriate treatment to the disturbed and mal-

adjusted children.

Families should be educated through counselling to realize the importance of giving proper attention to the

needs of their young children. Investments in strengthening parenting skills and support can go can serve as

preventive measures.

Proper assistance to under-privileged children should be given to build in them good character and law-

abiding attitude.

Social environment -slum areas, busy market places, gambling centres, etc., should be improved

The general economic standards of the people must be increased to prevent children from becoming-

delinquent due to economic exigencies

Measures should be taken to improve conditions of juvenile homes, correctional homes through regular

inspection, adequate funds and imparting training to staff.

The aftercare system should be strengthened to ensure that a juvenile once released continues with his

therapy and is effectively rehabilitated in the society.

Jail Term, Fine for „Unlawful‟ Religious Conversions in U.P (Source:- The Hindu, IE)

Context UP government passed ordinance outlining strict action on unlawful religious conversions.

Right to choose partner irrespective of religion is intrinsic to right to life and personal liberty: Allahabad HC

The U.P. Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Ordinance, 2020 Commonly the Ordinance is being called as against ―love jihad‖, a legally unrecognized term.

In 2019, a report by the UP State Law Commission recommended a special law to address incidents of forced

conversion.

Provisions It makes religious conversion a non bailable offence inviting penalties up to 10 years in prison if found to be

affected for marriage or through misrepresentation, force, undue influence or other ―fraudulent means‖.

In case of conversion done by a woman for the sole purpose of marriage, the marriage would be declared null

and void

Violation of the provisions of the law would invite jail term of not less than one year extendable to five years

with a fine of ₹15,000.

However, if a minor woman or a woman from the SC/ST communities was converted through the said

unlawful means, the jail term would be a minimum of three years and could be extended to 10 years with a

fine of ₹25,000.

The ordinance also lays down strict action, including cancellation of registration of social organizations

conducting mass conversions.

Mass conversions would invite jail term of not less than three years up to 10 years and a fine of ₹50,000, reads

the operative statement on the ordinance

P a g e | 25

Burden to prove that a conversion was not done through misrepresentation would be on the person

converting or those who facilitated it.

A person seeking to convert to another religion for marriage would have to inform the district magistrate two

months prior to it through a prescribed form.

Issues with such laws Enacting laws to regulate matrimonial relationships between two consenting adults would not be just against

the constitutional guarantees but would offend the very notion of individuality and basic freedoms

Interference of the law in an individual‘s choice of marriage violates the existing constitutional rights such as

the Right to equality, Right to Freedom & Personal Liberty, Freedom of Religion and Right to Life

It infantilises women and perceives them as lacking any agency, as if they are property that needs to be

recovered. Hence consider women as a commodity.

Can lead to communal issues in religious sensitive regions.

There is no data produced by the state government on any harm from inter-faith marriage

Have potential to be misuse in order to disturb Religious harmony in the country by anti-social people.

Recent Allahabad HC Verdict Quashing FIR Against Muslim Man By Father-in-law (Salamat Ansari-Priyanka Kharwar case 2020) The right to live with a person of his or her choice irrespective of religion is intrinsic to the right to life and

liberty.

Interference in a personal relationship would constitute a serious encroachment into the right to freedom of

choice of two individuals.

The High Court quashed the FIR of kidnapping, forcible conversion and POCSO against the man.

And they Stressed that the courts and the constitutional courts in particular were enjoined to uphold the life

and liberty of an individual guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Allahabad HC on Earlier Judgements Given in Defense of F.I.R ―The judgments in Noor Jahan and Priyashi cases

didn‘t deal with the matter of individual life and

liberty in choosing their partner or right to

freedom of choice‖.

Counsel for the father-in-law said that ―conversion

for the sake of marriage is prohibited and such

marriage has no legal sanctity‖.

The decision of an individual who is of ―age of

majority‖, to live with an individual of his/her

choice is his/her fundamental right to life and

liberty.

Supreme Court on Marriage and Conversion SC in its various judgments, has held that faith, the

state and the courts have no jurisdiction over an

adult‘s absolute right to choose a life partner.

India is a ―free and democratic country‖ and any

interference by the State in an adult‘s right to love

and marry has a ―chilling effect‖ on freedoms

K.S. Puttuswamy or ‗privacy‘ Judgment 2017:

Autonomy of the individual was the ability to

make decisions in vital matters of concern to life

Along with UP, 2 other states, Madhya Pradesh

and Himachal Pradesh passed similar law that

outlaws religious conversion solely for the purpose

of marriage

While a common feature of all three laws is the

P a g e | 26

declaration of such marriages as ―null and void‖ and the penalising of conversions done without the prior

approval of the state, they differ in the quantum of punishment prescribed, and in attributing the burden of

proof that a conversion is lawful. Also, the MP law seeks to protect the rights of women of such marriages.

At least 10 states including MP and Himachal Pradesh already have anti-conversion laws. However, the key

difference in the new laws is that they seek to criminalise conversions solely for the purpose of marriage

Way forward Instead of inclusion of any new laws, there should be acceptance of the special marriage act, 1954 at letter and

spirit

The rights should not be exploited;

conversion of religion for marriage

only is not at all wise.

The freedom of decision of his/

her marriage shall lie with the

person only. The need is to accept

the fact.

UP Govt. eying tourism in Tharu Tribals region (Source:- IE)

Context The Uttar Pradesh government has recently launched a scheme to promote the unique culture ethnic Tharu

tribe across the world.

Home Stay Scheme: UP Forest Department UP government is working to connect Tharu villages in the districts of Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur and

Pilibhit bordering Nepal, with the home stay scheme of the UP Forest Department.

The idea is to offer tourists an experience of living in the natural Tharu habitat, in traditional huts made of

grass collected mainly from the forests.

The intention: The intention is to put Tharu villages on the tourism map, and to create jobs and bring

economic independence to the tribal population.

How Govt is planning to do that? Training:-The Uttar Pradesh Forest Corporation will train the Tharu people to communicate effectively with

visitors, and encourage villagers to acquaint them with aspects of safety and cleanliness, and with the rules of

the forest. (On the model of Ethiopian Tribal Tourism)

Tharu homeowners will be able to charge tourists directly for the accommodation and home-cooked meals.

Win-Win: Tharus-Tourists The UP government expects both domestic and international tourists to avail of the opportunity to obtain a

taste of the special Tharu culture by staying with them, observing their lifestyle, food habits, and attire.

This is expected to create jobs and bring economic independence for the tribal population

The homestay scheme will be expanded to include the Tharu villages in times to come.

Who are Tharu people? The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism.

The community belongs to the Terai lowlands, amid the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas.

Most of them are forest dwellers, and some practice agriculture.

Tharu is scheduled tribe community which is scattered across the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh,

Uttarakhand and Bihar in India, and along the southern forested regions in Nepal.

Uttar Pradesh has a total of five Scheduled Tribes. Out of five STs, Tharu is the most populous tribe, having a

population of 83,544. They constitute 77.4% of the total tribal population of the state, according to the 2011

census.

According to the 2011 census, the Scheduled Tribe population in Uttar Pradesh was more than 11 lakh; this

number is estimated to have crossed 20 lakh now.

P a g e | 27

Economy: The economy

of Tharu community is

based on agriculture and

forest. Members of the

tribe survive on wheat,

corn and vegetables

grown close to their

homes. A majority of

them still lives off the

forest.

Language: They speak

various dialects of Tharu,

a language of the Indo-

Aryan subgroup, and

variants of Hindi, Urdu,

and Awadhi. In central

Nepal, they speak a

variant of Bhojpuri, while

in eastern Nepal, they

speak a variant of

Maithili.

Culture: Tharus worship

Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and call their supreme being ―Narayan‖, who they believe is the provider of

sunshine, rain, and harvests.

Despite their patrilineal system Tharu women have stronger property rights than is allowed to women in

mainstream North Indian Hindu custom.

Food: Most Tharu tribals consume alcoholic beverages, and some eat beef. Bagiya or dhikri is a steamed dish

of rice flour that is eaten with chutney or curry.

.

Tribal Tourism Tribal tourism is a form of travel where the tribes allow the outer population to visit and stay with them in

form of tourists. They are exposed to tribal culture and experiences and is an opportunity to experience

authentic indigenous life.

Tribal tourism is a unique way of restoration of the culture of the region. It brings out the history to the front

restricting the inter-cultural differences in various region.

Issues with Tribal tourism Various Tribal Tourism model across Globe have failed like in Ethiopia, Congo, etc mainly because of‗tribal

tours‘ offering travel agencies are money making giants that do not take a culturally sensitive and ethical

approach to tourism. For instance, Guardian reported in 2012 that some agencies are willing to ‗force‘ contact

with Mashco-Piro (isolated indigenous tribe in Peru‘s Amazonian rainforest), if the customers are willing to

pay enough money.

Many tourists like to play with Tribal people‘s life. For instance, According to reports, tourists gave naked

Jarawa men and women in A&N islands money, throw empty water bottles at them, and some offered

cigarettes to small Jarawa children. This led to the Jarawa children becoming addicted to smoking and the

adults dancing naked in exchange for money

Increase Tribal tourism In Ethiopia led to culture-shock, exploitation, objectification, humiliation,

undermining one‘s culture and an increase in inter-tribe conflicts.

But, Good examples are also there The Hornbill festival of Nagaland is an excellent example of tribal tourism. This festival is an initiative of the

Government of Nagaland to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Nagaland and its people. People from all

over the world come together in the first week of December to take part in the celebrations

P a g e | 28

Similar ethical tourism festivals are catching up the Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra and Odisha‘s tribal

tourism areas.

Conclusion Tribal tourism has been instrumental in creating various financial opportunities for the tribes living in the

hinterlands.

Most of the tribal community is economically backward, hence to open new avenues of income for the Tharu

tribal community is a welcome step

It has helped foster awareness about the indigenous people in India, many of whom face oppression, lack of

opportunities and social exclusion

But, there is a requirement of good infrastructure for holistic development of the community.

Carefully formulated tribal tourism can act as a powerful medium towards social and economic inclusion of

tribals. Similarly, it would also provide for the tribals to have a sense of belonging to the nation and live a life

of dignity and respect.

Constitutional Safeguards for STs Article 366 (25) of the Constitution refers to Scheduled Tribes as those communities, who are scheduled in

accordance with Article 342 of the Constitution

The list of Scheduled Tribes is State/UT specific and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in a State

need not be so in another State.

Educational & Cultural Safeguards Art. 15(4): Special provisions for advancement of other backward classes (which includes STs);

Art. 29: Protection of Interests of Minorities (which includes STs);

Art. 46: The State shall promote, with special care, the educational and economic interests of the weaker

sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes, and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect

them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

Art. 350: Right to conserve distinct Language, Script or Culture;

Art. 350: Instruction in Mother Tongue.

Economic Safeguards Art.244: Clause (1) Provisions of Fifth Schedule shall apply to the administration & control of the Scheduled

Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any State other than the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura

which are covered under Sixth Schedule, under Clause (2) of this Article.

Art. 275: Grants in-Aid to specified States (STs&SAs) covered under Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the

Constitution.

There are certain Scheduled Tribes, 75 in number known as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs),

who are characterised by:- a) pre-agriculture level of technology; b) stagnant or declining population; c)

extremely low literacy; and d) subsistence level of economy.

Initiatives like The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006 (FRA); The Provision of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996; Minor Forest

Produce Act 2005; SC And ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act; and the Tribal Sub-Plan Strategy are focused on

the socio-economic empowerment of STs.

National Family Health Survey-5 (Source:- IE, Health Ministry )

Context The Health Ministry released partial data from the fifth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).

What is NFHS Data? The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative

sample of households throughout India once in five years.

P a g e | 29

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai is the nodal agency for responsible for

providing coordination and technical guidance for the NFHS.

It contains detailed information on population, health and nutrition for India and its states and union

territories.

Phase 2 of the survey (covering remaining states) was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its results

are expected to be made available in May 2021.

NFHS Components The health survey will cover data on-

Fertility; maternal and Child health; perinatal mortality, adolescent reproductive health; adult health; family

planning, nutrition, immunisation, tuberculosis, and malaria, non-communicable diseases, domestic violence

and education.

The NFHS-5, however, includes some new topics, such as

o Preschool education

o Disability

o Access to a toilet facility

o Death registration

o Bathing practices during menstruation

o Methods and reasons for abortion.

Who Releases NFHS Data? It is released by the ministry of health and family welfare once in 5 years.

NFHS was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with supplementary

support from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Previous Rounds of Survey The first survey was conducted in 1992-93, Second survey in 1998-99, third survey in 2005-06, fourth survey in

2015-16, the latest (fifth) survey in 2018-19.

The Latest NFHS Survey -5 The latest edition lacks a national comparison (unlike earlier ones) and instead only has tables listing out data

from the 17 States and five UTs.

It provides an indicator for tracking 30 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the country aims to

achieve by 2030

In 2019, for the first time, the NFHS-5 sought details on the percentage of women and men who have ever

used the Internet.

Like other versions, the newest edition too has information on population, health and nutrition for India, and

is based on statistics gleaned from 6.1 lakh households.

Key Findings Sex ratio at birth (SRB) has remained unchanged or increased in most States/UTs

Majority of the states are in normal sex ratio of 952 or above

Vaccination in Children: The survey found considerable improvement in vaccination coverage among

children aged 12-23 months across all States/UTs.

Institutional Births: In West Bengal, institutional births of children increased from 75% to 91%.

Maternal & Child Health: Substantial improvement in maternal and child health indicators over NFHS-4 was

recorded in the present survey.

Child nutrition indicators show a mixed pattern across states. While the situation improved in many

States/UTs, there has been minor deterioration in others

Malnutrition has worsened. Stunting has risen in 11 out of 18 states. Wasting was going up in 14 states

Infant and child mortality rates across most Indian states have declined.

Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Meghalaya and Manipur Recorded a spike in all three categories of

child mortality (neonatal mortality rate (NMR), infant mortality rate (IMR) and under-five mortality rate

(U5MR) )

P a g e | 30

Child Marriages: There has been an increase in child marriages in Tripura (40.1% from 33.1% in 2015-16),

Manipur (16.3% from 13.7% in 2015-16) and Assam (31.8% from 30.8 % in 2015-16).₹

States such as Tripura, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have also shown an

increase in teenage pregnancies

Women Based Indicators :-The fertility rate has further declined, and contraceptive use has increased in most

Phase I States.

Women‘s empowerment indicators (including women with bank account) also portray considerable progress.

The NFHS-5 showed that 20 states and UTs have recorded a rise in the percentage of children under 5 years

who are overweight.

Comparison between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 The Total Fertility Rates (TFR) Declined since NFHS-4 in almost all the Phase-1 States and UTs.Only 3 states

viz. Manipur (2.2), Meghalaya (2.9) and Bihar (3.0) have TFR above replacement levels

Use of modern methods of contraception has increased in almost all States/UTs

Unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a declining trend in most of the Phase-1 States/UTs

Institutional births have increased substantially with over four-fifth of the women delivering in institutions in

19 States and UTs

The percentage of households with improved sanitation facilities and clean fuel for cooking has increased in

almost all the 22 States/UTs over the last four years (from 2015-16 to 2019-20).

Key Terminologies Neonatal death:- It is defined as a death during the first 28 days of life, while neonatal mortality rate is

defined as the number of neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is defined as the ‗number of deaths of children under the age of 1 year per 1000

live births for a given year. The country‘s average IMR stands at 32 per 1,000 live births

Sex ratio at birth (SRB) is defined as the number of female births per 1,000 male births. The SRB is a key

indicator of a son's preference vis-à-vis daughters

Total Fertility Rate: TFR indicates the average number of children expected to be born to a woman during her

reproductive span of 15-49 years

The replacement level is the number of children needed to replace the parents, after accounting for fatalities,

skewed sex ratio, infant mortality, etc. Population starts falling below this level.

PM unveils project for affordable housing (Source:- The Hindu, PIB)

Context Hon‘ble PM laid the foundation of six Light House Projects (LHPs), as part of the Global Housing Technology

Challenge-India (GHTC-India) initiative

2019-20 - „Construction Technology Year‟ Hon‘ble PM declared the year 2019-20 as ‗Construction Technology Year‘.

An E-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India has already been launched as part of the ‗Construction

Technology Year‘.

Global Housing Technology Challenge-India The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has

conceptualized a Global Housing Technology

Challenge - India (GHTC- India) which aims to

identify and mainstream a basket of innovative

technologies from across the globe for the housing

construction sector that are sustainable, eco-friendly

and disaster-resilient.

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Respite to Migrant Labourers during COVID through Affordable Renting Houses Complex (ARHCs) COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reverse migration of urban migrants/ poor in the country.

Urban migrants stay in slums/ informal settlements/ unauthorised colonies/ peri-urban areas to save cost on

housing.

They need decent rental

housing at affordable

rate at their work sites.

In order to address this

need, MOHUA initiated

Affordable Rental

Housing Complexes

(ARHCs), a sub-scheme

under Pradhan Mantri

AWAS Yojana- Urban

(PMAY-U).

The creation of

Affordable Rental

Housing Complexes

(ARHCs) is a part of the

government‘s economic

package to address the

Covid-19 crisis

Special incentives like

concessional loan at

priority sector lending

rate, etc. will be offered

to private/ public

entities to develop

ARHCs on their own

available vacant land for 25 years.

Significance of ARHCs It will create a new ecosystem in urban areas making housing available at affordable rent close to the place of

work. Hence, cutting down unnecessary travel, congestion and pollution

Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in massive reverse migration of workers/ urban poor. Investment under

ARHCs is expected to create new job opportunities.

It would create a conducive environment for entities to

develop AHRCs on their own vacant land which would

enable new investment opportunities and promote

entrepreneurship in the rental housing sector.

ANGIKAAR- A Campaign for Change Management It is a three-month campaign for social behaviour change

focusing on creating awareness on best practices in

water & energy conservation, waste management,

health, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of PMAY

(U).

Angikaar adopts a 3Cs Strategy - (Convergence,

Community Engagement, Communication) to create a

360-degree approach for behaviour change management.