A Monthly Publication SEPTEMBER 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021A Monthly Publication

the

Sivarajavel IAS Academy ‘s The CATALYST is a monthly magazine for current affairs which tries to give aspirants an in-depth comprehension of certain topics which appeared in different sources over the month. The Magazine has been designed in such a way that the reading experience is enriching and insightful for the readers.

DIRECTOR: S. SIVARAJAVELEDITOR: P. MohanSUB-EDITOR: S. Suresh Kumar & S. VivekanandanEDITORIAL TEAM:J.J. Deepak, S. Infency, P. Mathan Prasad, N. Shanmuga Priya, M. Ravimuthu.DESIGNERS: R. Kalai Selvi, D.Reeta Mary.COVER DESIGN: K.V. Kunal

SEPTEMBER 2021SEPTEMBER 2021 The CATALYST

*New sections will be added or removed based on the new updates we include in the forthcoming issues.

Information contained in this work has been obtained by sources believed to be reliable. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither Sivarajavel IAS Academy nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information.

The contents have been grouped into a thematic structure to help aspirants focus on the overall GS syllabus.

Section I contains theme based Current affairs Analysis:

Within the Sub themes first few topics will be Prelims oriented followed by indepth coverage of Mains Topics.

A Section with an Essay Topic is also added.

The last section will have Questions for practice*.

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POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

LONG WAIT FOR A DEPUTY SPEAKER FOR LOK SABHA 10KARBI ANGLONG PEACE AGREEMENT 10GST TRIBUNAL 11“SANSAD TV”: A MERGER OF LSTV AND RSTV 11FASTER SYSTEM 12SPIRIT OF FEDERALISMLIES IN CONSULTATION 13

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR REACTOR DEVELOPMENTS 16“RESOLUTION 2593” OF UNSC 16NINE DASH LINE 17PALESTINE, GAZA STRIP, GOLAN HEIGHTS, WEST BANK. 18CHINA OPENS FIRST ROAD-RAIL TRANSPORT LINK TO INDIAN OCEAN 18SOUTH KOREA ANTI GOOGLE LAW 19AUKUS SECURITY PARTNERSHIP 20FOOD EMERGENCY IN SRI LANKA 21BRICS SUMMIT 23TRANS NATIONAL AGREEMENTS 25

SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

WORLD SOCIAL PROTECTION REPORT 2020–22 275-STAR "EAT RIGHT STATION" CERTIFICATION 28CRIME REPORT- NCRB 28KASTURI RANGAN COMMITTEE FOR NCF 29PEARL FARMING IN TRIBAL AREAS 29MARITAL RAPE 30

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURE

RBI LICENSE FOR SMALL FINANCE BANKS 33PURCHASER MANAGING INDEX 33WHAT’S TAXABLE UNDER

NEW EPF RULES 34REVISED “TRANSPORT AND MARKETING ASSISTANCE” (TMA) SCHEME 34VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS 35ACCOUNT AGGREGATOR 36PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME FOR THE TEXTILES 36MSP FOR RABI CROPS 37UDAN SCHEME 37T+1 SETTLEMENT SYSTEM FOR SHARES 38STATE FOOD SAFETY INDEX 38REVISED GUIDELINES FOR TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE 39PLI SCHEME FOR AUTO AND DRONE SECTOR 40SPIN SCHEME BY KVIC 41ANTI DUMPING DUTY ON A PHARMA RAW MATERIAL 41INDIA SINGAPORE DIGITAL PAYMENT AGREEMENT 42WORLD BANK TO STOP ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’ 42AROMA MISSION 43SCHEME FOR PROMOTION OF MEDICAL DEVICE PARKS 43GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2021 44NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM PORTAL 44BAD BANK 45FOOD PROCESSING IN INDIA 46NATIONAL MONETISATION PLAN 47

GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

LADAKH’S NEW STATE BIRD AND STATE ANIMAL 50BEHLER TURTLE CONSERVATION AWARD 51BLUE STRAGGLER – BIGGER AND BLUER STAR 52HAWAII’S KILAUEA VOLCANO 52GLOBAL ERADICATION OF LEADED PETROL: UNEP 53THREAT TO BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK 53LATHAM’S SNIPE 54

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT ON WEATHER DISASTER: WMO 55STATE OF THE WORLD’S TREES REPORT 56KOMODO DRAGON 57INDIA’S FIRST DUGONG CONSERVATION RESERVE 57GROUNDSWELL REPORT: WORLD BANK 58TARBALLS 58SLAUGHTER OF WHITE DOLPHINS IN FAROE ISLAND 59ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN FOOD CHAIN: STUDY 59SHOONYA CAMPAIGN 60MURA-DRAVA-DANUBE: 5-COUNTRY BIOSPHERE RESERVE 61MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK 62BLACK TIGERS 62GLOBAL METHANE PLEDGE 63CLIMATE ACTION AND FINANCE MOBILISATION DIALOGUE 63WHO UPDATED AIR QUALITY NORMS? 64WORLD RHINO DAY 64HUMBOLDT PENGUIN 65BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION 65HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN HIMALAYAS 66GREEN HYDROGEN 68SEA LEVEL RISE 70

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NIPAH VIRUS 72DENGUE 73INDIA RANKINGS, 2021- NIRF 74CHANDRAYAAN 2 74TECH BASED ON CRISPR TO CONTROL GROWTH OF MOSQUITOES 75SALINE GARGLE RT-PCR TESTING 75INDEMNITY WAIVER FOR COVID-19 VACCINES 76

SECURITY

NAVAL AVIATION GETS PRESIDENT’S COLOUR 79DEFENCE EXPO 2022 80ZAPAD, 2021 80CENTRE - NSCN (K) CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT 81SIMBEX 2021 81NEW TEJAS MK2 82EXERCISE SURYA KIRAN 82EXERCISE SAMUDRA SHAKTHI 83ARJUN MK-1A 83HELINA 84C-295 MW MEDIUM TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT 84ARMED ROBOT IN WARFARE 85POLICE REFORMS IN INDIA 86HAQQANI NETWORK 8820 YEARS OF TWIN TOWER ATTACK 89

HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE

CHAM DANCE 91JALLIANWALA BAGH RENOVATION 91PASCHIMA SHAWLS 92BATTLE OF SARAGARHI 93MANDA BUFFALO 93

ESSAY: INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0 94

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 97

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. LONG WAIT FOR A DEPUTY SPEAKER FOR LOK SABHA

2. KARBI ANGLONG PEACE AGREEMENT

3. GST TRIBUNAL4. “SANSAD TV”: A MERGER

OF LSTV AND RSTV5. FASTER SYSTEM

What's Inside?

SPIRIT OF FEDERALISM LIES IN CONSULTATION

State governments have raised concerns about Centre’s increasing nature of unilateralism by enacting critical laws on subjects in the

Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution

Pg 13

THECATALYST www.sivarajavelias.com

Polity & GovernanceSeptember 2021

Long Wait For A Deputy Speaker For Lok Sabha

While over two years have passed since the elections to the 17th Lok Sabha and since the post of Deputy Leader of Lok Sabha, which as per the convention goes to a member of the Opposition, has been lying vacant.

Keeping the post of Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha vacant is a violation of Article 93 of the Indian Constitution. It states that the office of the Deputy Speaker should never be empty.

Provisions for Deputy Speaker Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker is also

elected by the Lok Sabha itself from amongst its members. The Deputy Speaker may vacate his office earlier in any of the following three cases:

i. If he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha; ii. If he resigns by writing to the Speaker; and iii. If he is removed by a resolution passed by a

majority of all the then members of the Lok Sabha (effective majority).

It should be noted here that the Deputy Speaker is not subordinate to the Speaker. He is directly responsible to the House.

The Deputy Speaker has one special privilege, that is, whenever he is appointed as a member of a parliamentary committee, he automatically becomes its chairman.

The Deputy Speaker enjoys the same legislative powers as the Speaker. And in the absence of the Speaker because of death, illness or any other reason, the Deputy Speaker assumes the administrative powers of the speaker.

Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, while presiding over the House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise a casting vote in the case of a tie.

Since the 11th Lok Sabha, there has been a consensus that the Speaker comes from the ruling party (or ruling alliance) and the post of Deputy Speaker goes to the main opposition party.

Karbi Anglong Peace AgreementWhy in News?

Recently, a historic Karbi Anglong Agreement to end the decades old crisis ensuring Assam’s territorial integrity was signed among five insurgent groups of Assam, the Centre and the state government with the vision of “Insurgency free prosperous North East” in New Delhi.

Salient features of the AgreementThis Memorandum of Settlement will ensure greater

devolution of autonomy to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, protection of identity, language, culture, etc. of Karbi people and focussed development of the Council area, without affecting the territorial and administrative integrity of Assam.

A Special Development Package of Rs. 1000 crores over five years will be given by the Union Government and Assam Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Karbi areas.

Polity & Governance

THECATALYST www.sivarajavelias.com11

September 2021

The Karbi armed groups have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land. The Agreement also provides for rehabilitation of cadres of the armed groups.

The Government of Assam shall set up a Karbi Welfare Council for focussed development of Karbi people living outside KAAC area.

The Consolidated Fund of the State will be augmented to supplement the resources of KAAC.

Overall, the present settlement proposes to give more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to KAAC.

The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) is an autonomous district council, protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Karbi Anglong CrisisLocated in central Assam, Karbi Anglong

is the state’s largest district and a melting pot of ethnicities and tribal groups — Karbi, Dimasa, Bodo, Kuki, Hmar, Tiwa, Garo, Man (Tai speakers), Rengma Naga. Its diversity also generated different outfits and fuelled an insurgency that did not allow the region to develop.

The Karbis are a major ethnic group of Assam, dotted by several factions and splinters. The history of the Karbi group has been marked by killings, ethnic violence, abductions and taxation since the late 1980s.

The Karbi have been demanding a separate state since 1946. Later, their movement took the shape of an insurgency which intensified in the 1990s.

GST TribunalWhy in news

A PIL in the Supreme Court has sought directions to the Centre for setting up of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal, as mandated under the Central Goods and Services Act, 2017, to avoid hardships caused to litigants and to curb huge backlog of cases.

Section 109 of CGST Act • The Government shall, on the recommendations

of the Council, by notification, constitute with effect from such date as may be specified

therein, an Appellate Tribunal known as the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by the Appellate Authority or the Revisional Authority.

• The powers of the Appellate Tribunal shall be exercisable by the National Bench and Benches there of State Bench.

• The National Bench of the Appellate Tribunal shall be situated at New Delhi which shall be presided over by the President and shall consist of one Technical Member (Centre) and one Technical Member (State).

“SANSAD TV”: A Merger of LSTV and RSTV

The government of India has announced the Sansad TV by merging the erstwhile Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV.

Lok Sabha TV (LSTV) was the first Parliamentary channel of India, in operation since 2006 with the objective to familiarise citizens with the functioning of Parliament.

Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) was launched in 2011, and it will telecast the live proceedings of the Rajya Sabha. It also brings analyses of parliamentary affairs and provides a platform for knowledge-based programmes.



Merger of LSTV and RSTVIn 2019, a committee was set up under former

Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash to look into the merger of two channels, to avoid duplicity of efforts, resources and to reduce the financial burden.

RecommendationsThe committee has suggested to have two

separate channels— Sansad 1 and Sansad 2, to telecast the live proceedings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.

When Parliament is not in session, the first channel can air Hindi content and the second channel can air English content. This will result in better branding and increased viewership of Sansad TV.

FASTER SYSTEM In a big fillip to the fundamental rights of life, dignity and personal liberty, the Supreme Court has intro-duced a new system by which its crucial decisions, including orders on bail and stay of arrest, can be communicated electronically to prison authorities and investigating agencies through a secure channel. The apex court has introduced the “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FAST-ER) system. The system is meant to ensure that under-trials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders were late to reach the prison. The system would also prevent unnecessary arrests and custody of people even after the court has already granted them its protection. It may even

communicate a stay on an execution ordered by the final court on time. A report submitted by Supreme Court’s Sec-retary General Sanjeev S. Kalgaonkar to the Bench explained that the Rules and Handbook on Practice and Procedure enable the Registry to transmit a cer-tified copy of the judgment or order either in physi-cal or electronic form.E-Authenticated Copies

“It is proposed that the e-authenticated copies of the record of proceedings/orders, digitally signed by the authorised officer may be transmitted through FASTER [Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records] system to the duty holders of the justice system.

Polity & Governance


September 2021

SPIRIT OF FEDERALISM LIES IN CONSULTATION

(GS-II Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure)

Why in News?Recently, various State

governments have raised concerns about Centre’s increasing nature of unilateralism by enacting critical laws on subjects in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

BackgroundCentre has passed many

bills which were in the concurrent list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Many state governments have called it against the spirit of federalism and even passed resolutions against such bills.

Kerala Chief Minister said, “Unilateral legislation on the subjects in the Concurrent List is not in the essence of federalism.”

Tamil Nadu has also raised the issue by calling on other States against the Union government usurping powers under the State and Concurrent Lists.

What is Federalism?Federalism means the

independence of the different levels of government of a country and division of powers between them.

It essentially means that both the Centre and the states have the freedom to operate in their spheres of powers, in coordination

with each other.

The Indian model of federalism is called a ‘quasi-federal’ system as it contains major features of both a federation and a union.

Types of Federalism: Cooperative Federalism and Competitive Federalism

Principles of Federalism in the Constitution: Separation of Power, and Check and balances.

Concerns related to spirit of Federalism

As per the Government of India Act, 1935 both Union and the State Legislatures have concurrent powers regarding subjects in the Concurrent List.

The fields in the Concurrent List are to be of common interest to the Union and the States. The power to legislate on such subjects need to be shared with the Union so that there would be uniformity in law across the country.

However, whenever there will be strong governments in the centre, there will be tendencies of high-handedness on their part by transferring subjects in the Concurrent List to the union list.

Recent examples of Centre’s Unilateralism

1. Farm laws by the Parliament

without consulting the States:

State List says, the laws, essentially related to Entry 14 (agriculture clause) belonging to the State List.

However, Parliament passed the law citing Entry 33 (trade and commerce clause) in the Concurrent List.

2. Major Port Authorities Act 2021 and Indian Ports Bill:

Coastal States like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu Kerala and Goa have objected to this legislation stating that it would lead to the redundancy of several local laws and seize the power of the State government with respect to non-major ports.

Concurrent list (Entry 31) deals with the legislation on matter regarding non-major ports. Indian Ports Act, 1908 currently governs the field related to non-major ports. This act empowers state government to regulate and control the minor ports.

However, the new draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021, proposes to change the status quo by transferring the



powers related to the non-major ports to the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC), which is overwhelmingly controlled by the Union government.

Electr icity (Amendment) Bill, 2020:

Various States like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also come forward against the Bill.

The field related to electricity is traceable to Entry 38 of the Concurrent List. The power to regulate the sector was vested with the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), members of which were appointed by the State government.

The proposed amendment seeks to establish National Selection Committee, dominated by members nominated by the Union government that will make appointments to the SERCs.

The amendment also proposes the establishment of a Centrally-appointed Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA).

In effect, the power to

regulate the electricity sector would be taken away from the State government.

What is the Supreme Court Judgement?

In State of Bombay vs F.N. Balsara case, the SC ordered that in case of conflict between Centre and State, after employing the Doctrine of “pith and substance”, the laws of the State Legislature must prevail.

In S.R. Bommai vs Union of India case, the SC told that the States are not mere appendages of the Union. The Union government should ensure that the power of the States is not trampled with.

Various Committee Recommendations

Sarkaria Commission: “There should be mutual c o n s u l t a t i o n , g u i d e d by coordination in all areas of concurrent or overlapping jurisdiction.” It was further recommended that the Union government, while exercising powers under the Concurrent list, should limit itself to the purpose of ensuring uniformity in basic issues of national policy and not more.

National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), or the Venkatachaliah Commission: “Individual and collective consultation with the States should be undertaken through the Inter-State Council established under Article 263 of the Constitution.”

So, the essence of cooperative federalism lies in consultation and dialogue, and not in unilateral legislation.

ConclusionGrabbing the rights of the

states in taking decisions regarding the subjects related to them will weaken the fundamentals of the federal structure. The rushed laws which are out of the ambit of centre, lack consultation and are without progressive deliberation will always create discontentment. Federalism is the basic structure of the Indian constitution and the essence of cooperative federalism lies in consultation and dialogue.

What's Inside?

1. NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR REACTOR DEVELOPMENTS

2. “RESOLUTION 2593” OF UNSC 3. NINE DASH LINE 4. PALESTINE, GAZA STRIP,

GOLAN HEIGHTS, WEST BANK5. CHINA OPENS FIRST ROAD-RAIL

TRANSPORT LINK TO INDIAN OCEAN

6. SOUTH KOREA ANTI GOOGLE LAW

7. AUKUS SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Pg 21

Pg 23

FOOD EMERGENCY IN SRILANKA

A long-term economic crisis in Sri Lanka will threaten India’s strategic interests.

BRICS SUMMITThe primary source of the Taliban’s funds has been the

drug trade,

Pg 25TRANSNATIONAL

AGREEMENTSStates sould ensure that their bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are compatible with international

human rights obligations.


International RelationsSeptember 2021

North Korea Nuclear Reactor Developments Why In News

The annual report by the International Atomic Energy Agency refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang.

The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium.

About IAEAThe International Atomic Energy Agency is the

world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field.

It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. IAEA monitors North Korea the International Atomic Energy Agency has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009.

The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons programme and soon resumed nuclear testing.

Its last nuclear test was in 2017. The IAEA now monitors North Korea from afar, largely through satellite imagery.

“Resolution 2593” of UNSCRecently, the India-led United Nations

Security Council (UNSC) adopted a Resolution 2593 on Taliban.

The adoption of the resolution is a strong signal from the Security Council and the international community on its expectations in respect of Afghanistan.

i. It reiterates the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including those individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), and

ii. It called for the Taliban to facilitate safe passage for people wanting to leave Afghanistan, allow humanitarians to access the country, uphold human rights, including for women and children and inclusive and negotiated political settlement.

The resolution was sponsored by France, UK and the US and adopted with 13 members, including India, voting in favour.

However, two of the permanent and veto-wielding members Russia and China abstained the resolution.

About Resolution 1267Adopted unanimously in 1999; It designated

Osama bin Laden and associates as terrorists and established a sanctions regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located.

Since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 which ended recently, the sanctions have been applied to individuals and organizations in all parts of the world.


International Relations September 2021

Nine Dash LineOrigins Of Nine-Dash Line and What It Means

China currently claims ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over the South China Sea, and refer to it as the country’s ‘blue national soil’ — a term used to refer to the country’s offshore waters.

• The origins of the nine-dash line can be traced back to the official maps made by the Nationalist Kuomintang (also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party) government before and after World War II, according to the book, Asia’s Cauldron, by US scholar and strategist Robert D. Kaplan.

• Eventually, Mao Zedong’s Communist forces defeated the Kuomintang government, who then fled to Taiwan, establishing their rule there.

• As a result, both the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan officially claim ownership over the South China Sea.

• The nine-dash line was originally an 11-dash line, and Chinese geographer Yang Huairen helped etch it. Yang was born in 1917 and pursued his education in the UK before being employed by China’s Nationalist government.

China’s ‘historical’ claims over the South China Sea• For long, China has argued that its claim over the South China Sea is historical in nature.

• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands, has ruled that China’s claims of historical rights over South China Sea (SCS) has no legal basis.

• The case against China was initiated by the Philippines. The Hague-based PCA ruled that China has no legal basis to claim historical rights to islands in the SCS, and has violated Philippines’ sovereign rights.

• The ‘nine-dash line’ stretches hundreds of kilometers south and east of its southerly Hainan Island, covering the strategic Paracel and Spratly Island chains. China buttresses its claims by citing 2,000 years of history when the two island chains were regarded as its integral parts.



Palestine, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank.

China opens first road-rail transport link to Indian OceanWhy in News?

Recently, a new sea-road-rail link providing Chengdu (China) with access to the Indian Ocean via Yangon (Myanmar) was opened.

The trade corridor is China’s first to link western China with the Indian Ocean.

About the corridorThe new trade corridor passage connects

the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China, and is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China.

The railway line currently ends in Lincang on the Chinese side opposite the Myanmar border trade town of Chin Shwe Haw.

Plans are underway to develop Chin Shwe Haw as a “border economic cooperation zone” under the Belt and Road Initiative.

China also has plans to develop another port in Kyaukphyu in the Rakhine state, Myanmar including a proposed railway line from Yunnan (China) directly to the port, but the progress there has been stalled by unrest in Myanmar.



It is expected to become the lifeblood of international trade for China, while providing a source of income for Myanmar.

This trade corridor is another direct Chinese outlet to the Indian Ocean. The first one being at the Gwadar port in Pakistan.

This trade route is also China’s alternative to the “Malacca Dilemma”.

Malacca Dilemma is a word coined in 2003, by the then Chinese President Hu Jintao.

This refers to China’s fear of a maritime blockade at the Straits of Malacca. Since most of China’s oil imports pass through the Straits of Malacca, a maritime blockade here could paralyze China’s economy.

What is ‘2+2’ Dialogue?2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.

It is a format of dialogue where the defence and foreign ministers/secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.

India holds such talks with Australia, Japan and the USA.

INDIA-AUSTRALIA 2+2 DIALOGUE Recently, the foreign and defence ministers of

India and Australia held the first India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi.

The agenda for the Dialogue will cover a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest; and also expanding the bilateral cooperation in areas of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s growing military assertiveness in the region is another area of focus.

Both Australia and India are part of Quad coalition that resolved to work towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Earlier, both India and Australia have elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support.

The Australian Navy was part of the recent Malabar naval exercise that also featured navies of India, the US and Japan.

SOUTH KOREA ANTI GOOGLE LAWWhy in news

South Korea’s National Assembly has approved a landmark law changing the way platform companies operate their app stores. Nicknamed the “Anti-Google law”,

What is new lawSouth Korea becoming the first jurisdiction

to legally ban the monopolies that Apple and Google hold over payments on in-app purchases.

The country’s National Assembly passed amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act nicknamed ‘Anti- Google law’ in a landmark decision that could globally change how platform companies like Google and Apple force developers to use their billing systems for in-app purchases.

The app ecosystem is a booming revenue stream for platforms such as Apple and Google, which run the most prominent app stores and mandate that all in-app payments go through their own processing system, on which they charge commissions ranging between 15% and 30%.

It also prevents app marketers from unfairly delaying the review of mobile content or deleting such content from their markets.

Google and Apple charge developers a fee for selling in-app items, like subscriptions, through their app stores.

Many developers, including billion-dollar startups, have approached governments to intervene and stop this practice.



AUKUS SECURITY PARTNERSHIP Why in news

The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia announced a new defence deal on under which America and Britain will help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific region.

What is the agreementAustralia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison

announced that the “new enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States”, named “AUKUS”, will be a “partnership where our technology, our scientists, our industry, our defence forces are all working together to deliver a safer and more secure region that ultimately benefits all”.

The first major initiative of AUKUS, would be to deliver a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia. The nuclear-powered submarines will give Australia naval heft in the Pacific, where China has been particularly aggressive.

• While the US and Britain have had the capability for decades, Australia has never had an n-sub. China has nuclear-powered submarines, as well as submarines that can launch nuclear missiles.

• The three signatories to the AUKUS deal have made it clear though, that their aim is not to arm the new subs with nuclear weapons. China has been one of Australia’s biggest trading partners, but the relationship has soured over the last few years.

• It was in consideration of Chinese sensibilities that Australia had pulled out of the Malabar Naval Exercise with the US, India, and Japan after participating in the 2007 edition (of which Singapore too, was part).

• Australia came back to Malabar in 2020, which marked the first time in 13 years that the navies of the four Quad nations war-gamed together.



FOOD EMERGENCY IN SRI LANKA(GS-II India and its neighborhood- relations. Effect of policies and politics of

developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.)

ContextRecently, Sri Lanka’s

government declared an economic emergency amid rising food prices, a depreciating currency, and rapidly depleting forex reserves. The emergency was declared under the Public Security Ordinance on the supply of essential goods.

The regulations sought to empower authorities to provide essential food items at a “concessionary rate” to the public by purchasing stocks of essential food items, including paddy, rice and sugar, at government-guaranteed prices, and prevent market irregularities and hoarding.

Causes for the crisisThe tourism

industry, which represents over 10% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and brings in foreign exchange, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, forex reserves have dropped from over $7.5 billion in 2019 to around $2.8 billion in July this year.

With the supply of foreign exchange drying up, the amount of money that Sri Lankans have had to shell out to purchase the foreign exchange necessary to import goods has risen. So the value of the Sri Lankan rupee has depreciated by around 8% so far this year.

The country depends heavily on imports to meet even its basic food supplies, such as sugar, dairy products, wheat, medical supplies. So the price of food items has risen in tandem with the depreciating rupee.

Sri Lankan Government’s recent decision to ban import of chemical fertilizers and adopt an “organic only” approach. This overnight shift to organic fertilizers could impact food



production severely.

Criticisms The danger is that given the

present government’s propensity to stifle dissent, emergency regulations would be used to curb protests and other democratic action.

Sri Lanka does not have a universal public distribution system or ration cards that can ensure essential goods reach all consumers.

The current regulations do not address its fundamental economic problem, and instead pose the risk of creating black market.

There are concerns over the increasing militarization of state institutions.

Implications for IndiaColombo assumes

importance for India since almost 70% of all container cargo for and from India is trans-shipped there, mostly at Chinese-operated terminals. Thus, a long-term economic crisis in Sri Lanka will threaten India’s strategic interests.

The growing economic crisis in Sri Lanka offers more opportunities for China to increase its dominance in the Indian Ocean region. Allowing this to continue will adversely affect India’s strategic interests. The economic crisis may further push Sri Lanka to align its policies with Beijing’s interests. This comes at a time when India is already in a difficult situation diplomatically with Afghanistan

and Myanmar.

Decreasing forex reserves of Sri Lanka has Indian exporters worried about the possible payment of dues by Sri Lankan importers.

Thus, considering the strategic and economic implications for India, it should invariably help Sri Lanka to tide over the present economic crisis by whatever means necessary.



Why in newsPrime Minister chaired the

13th BRICS Summit virtually on September 09,2021.

The Summit saw the participation of all other BRICS Leaders - President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

BRICS Summit: The origins, and now

• On November 30, 2001, Jim O’Neill, a British economist who was then chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, coined the term ‘BRIC’ to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

• BRICS now brings together five economies accounting for 42% of the world’s population, 23% of the global GDP and an around 17% share of world trade.

• As a formal grouping, BRIC started after the meeting of the leaders of Russia, India and China in St Petersburg on the margins of the G8-Outreach Summit in July 2006.

• The grouping was formalised during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of the UNGA in New York in September 2006.

• The first BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 16, 2009.

BRICS SUMMIT: WHAT IT MEANS FOR INDIA IN THE GLOBAL ORDER

(GS-II Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests)

• It was agreed to expand BRIC to BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York in September 2010.

• South Africa attended the third BRICS Summit in Sanya on April 14, 2011.

India & the current BRICS Summit

• From the Indian perspective, BRICS has emerged the voice of developing countries, or the global south.

• As these countries face an aggressive club of developed countries, raising challenges on issues from WTO to climate change, New Delhi believes BRICS has to protect the rights of the developing countries. The five BRICS countries are also members of G-20.

New Delhi Declaration 2021

• On the landmark occasion of the 15th anniversary of BRICS, India commitment to enhancing intra-BRICS cooperation under the three pillars - political and security, economic and financial, and cultural & people-to-people exchanges.

• India recognizes that the 15th anniversary milestone is an opportune moment for us to take pride in our many achievements, including the creation of successful mechanisms such as the New Development Bank (NDB),

the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), the Energy Research Cooperation Platform, Partnership for New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) and the Science, Technology and Innovation Framework, to name but a few, while also reflecting on the way forward.

Global Health Challenges & COVID-19

• India reaffirm strong commitment to continue our ongoing efforts in supporting countries around the world to combat the pandemic, through financing, donation, local production and facilitating export of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other lifesaving equipment and welcome the contribution made by BRICS countries in providing over a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, including grants and donations, bilaterally, to international organisations and to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility.

Strengthening and Reforming of the Multilateral System

• India endorses the BRICS Joint Statement on Strengthening and Reforming the Multilateral System adopted by foreign ministers that the task of strengthening and reforming multilateral system.



• Peace, Security and Counter-Terrorism Cooperation BRICS has continued its active dialogue on topical issues of peace and security in relevant mechanisms and meaningful discussions on counter-terrorism, security in the use of ICTs, threats to global, regional and national security, prospects for cooperation among law enforcement agencies and prospects for cooperation among BRICS Member States on health safety and healthcare.

Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges

• The importance of BRICS people-to-people exchanges in enhancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation amongst our nations and people.

• The progress made under this pillar under India’s Chairship in 2021, including in the fields of governance, culture, education, sports, arts, films, media, youth and academic exchanges, and look forward to further cooperation in these areas.



TRANS NATIONAL AGREEMENTS (GS-I Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

GS-III Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth).

Why in newsThe UN working group on ‘human rights, transnational corporations (TNCs) and other businesses’ has published a new report on human rights compatible international investment agreements. It urges states to ensure that their bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are compatible with international human rights obligations.

Holding TNC's Accountable Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in 1975 in the UN General Assembly that the international community should articulate standards of conduct for TNCs. Subsequently, an audacious effort was made at the UN to develop a multilateral code of conduct on TNCs. However, due to differences between developed and developing countries, it was abandoned in 1992. However, after the 2011 report of John Ruggie, UN Special Rapporteur on business and human rights, the issue of holding TNCs accountable gathered momentum again.In 2014, the UN Human Rights Council established an open-ended working group with the mandate to elaborate on an international legally binding instrument on TNCs and other businesses concerning human rights.Since then, efforts are being made towards developing a treaty and

finding ways to make foreign corporations accountable. The latest UN report is a step in that direction.

Bilateral investment treaty BITs can be harnessed to hold TNCs accountable under international law. The issue of fixing accountability of foreign investors came up in an international law case, Urbaser v. Argentina (2016). Urbaser brought a claim against Argentina alleging breach of its rights guaranteed under the Argentina-Spain BIT. Argentina filed a counter claim charging the investors for floundering in ensuring the required level of investment in the services provided and thus violating the international human right to water. The tribunal held that corporations can be subjects of international law and are under a duty not to engage in activities that harm or destroy human rights. However, as regards the question of whether the foreign investor was under an international law obligation to provide drinking water and sanitation, the tribunal held that only states have a positive obligation to meet the human right to water; corporations only have a negative obligation in this regard unless specific human rights obligations are imposed on the foreign investor as part of the BIT. The case played an important role

in bringing human rights norms to the fore in BIT disputes. It also opened up the possibility of using BITs to hold TNCs accountable provided the treaty imposes positive obligations on foreign investors.In the last few years, states have started recalibrating their BITs by inserting provisions on investor accountability.

Lessons for India The recent UN report has important take aways for India’s ongoing reforms in BITs. India’s new Model BIT of 2016 contains provisions on investor obligations. However, these exist as best endeavour clauses.They do not impose a binding obligation on the TNC. India should impose positive and binding obligations on foreign investors, not just for protecting human rights but also for Imperative issues such as promoting public health. The Nigeria Morocco BIT, which imposes binding obligations on foreign investors such as making it mandatory for them to conduct an environmental impact assessment of their investment, is a good example. These reforms would help in harnessing BITs to ensure the answerability of foreign investors and creating a binding internation al legal framework to hold TNCs to account.

SSOCIETYOCIETY &&

What's Inside?

1. WORLD SOCIAL PROTECTION

REPORT

2. 5-STAR “EAT RIGHT STATION”

CERTIFICATION

3. KASTURI RANGAN COMMITTEE

FOR NCF

4. NCRB CRIME REPORT

5. PEARL FARMING IN TRIBAL

AREAS

MARITAL RAPE The marital rape exception is an insult to the constitutional goals

of individual autonomy, dignity and of gender equality

Pg 30

27

Society & Social Justice


September 2021

World Social Protection Report 2020–22Why in News?

Recently, a International Labour Organization report titled ‘World Social Protection Report 2020–22’ has revealed that, globally 4.1 billion people are living without any social safety net of any kind.

The report highlighted that the pandemic response was uneven and insufficient. Thereby, Covid-19 has further underscored the critical importance of achieving universal social protection.

What is Social Security?It is a comprehensive approach designed to

prevent deprivation, give assurance to the individual of a basic minimum income for himself and his dependents and to protect the individual from any uncertainties.

Social protection includes access to health care and income security measures related especially to old age, unemployment, sickness, disability, work injury, maternity or the loss of the main breadwinner in a family, as well as extra support for families with children.

Highlights of the ReportGlobal Population with Social Protection: In

2020, only 46.9% of the global population benefitted from at least one protection under the ambit of social security.

Challenges Put Forward by Covid-19 Pandemic: Pervasive challenges such as high levels of economic insecurity, persistent poverty, rising inequality, extensive informality and a fragile social contract have been exacerbated by Covid-19.

Persisting Inequalities: There are significant regional inequalities in social protection, with Europe and Central Asia having the highest rates of coverage - 84% of people are covered by at least one benefit. The America is also above the global average, with 64.3%, while Asia and the Pacific (44%), the Arab States (40%), and Africa (17.4%) have marked coverage gaps.

Disparity in Social Security Expenditure: Countries spend on average 12.9% of their GDP on

social protection (excluding health), but this figure masks staggering variations.

High-income countries spend on average 16.4%, upper-middle-income countries 8%, lower-middle income countries 2.5%, and low-income countries 1.1%.

Limited Protection to Women, Children And Disabled Peoples: Globally, the vast majority of children still have no effective social protection coverage – only one in four children (26.4%) receives a social protection benefit.

Just 45% of women with newborns receive a cash maternity benefit.

Only one in three people with severe disabilities (33.5%) worldwide receive a disability benefit.

Limited Unemployment Protection: A mere 18.6% of unemployed workers worldwide have effective coverage for unemployment and thus actually receive unemployment benefits.

This remains the least developed branch of social protection.

Barriers to Accessing Healthcare: Significant progress has been made in increasing population coverage. However, barriers to accessing healthcare remain in the form of: Out-of-pocket payments on health services, Physical distance, Quality and acceptability of health services, Long waiting times, Opportunity costs such as lost working time, etc.


Society & Social JusticeSeptember 2021

5-STAR "EAT RIGHT STATION" CERTIFICATION Indian Railways' Chandigarh Railway Station

has been awarded a 5-star 'Eat Right Station' certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.

This certification is granted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices.

Chandigarh Railway Station becomes the fifth station in India to get this recognition.

The other railway stations with this certification include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station; (Delhi),

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station; (Mumbai) and Vadodara Railway Station, Gujarat.

Shortly, Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) will be undertaking Facility

Management of 90 more stations in a phased manner.

Recently, National Crime Report Bureau (NCRB) released Crime in India Report 2020.

Key FindingsDue to the complete lockdown from March 25

and May 31 last year, the number of cases registered for crimes against women, children and senior citizens, theft, burglary, robbery and dacoity, among others, dropped by about 2 lakh.

Murder registered a marginal increase of 1% even as offences falling under the category of “violent crimes” decreased by 0.5%.

The rate of cybercrime (incidents per lakh population) also increased from 3.3% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2020.

Cases under the ‘environment-related offences’ category increased by 78.1% in the country in 2020.

The year also saw a significant drop in cases related to ‘Offences against the State’, with a drop of 27% over 2019.

UP was the only major state to record an increase in this category, mostly due to the large number of ‘Damage to Public Property’ cases registered by the state, many of them during the anti- CAA protests.

Crimes against Scheduled Castes, with a total

of 50,291 cases, showed an increase of 9.4%.

In all, 8,272 cases were instituted for offences against Scheduled Tribes, an increase of 9.3% over 2019.

There was an 8.30% decline in cases of crime against women. A majority of the cases were related to “cruelty by husband or his relatives” (30.0%), followed by “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty” (23.0%), “kidnapping & abduction of women” (16.8%) and “rape” (7.5%).

The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 56.5 in 2020 in comparison with 62.3 in 2019.

A total of 29,768 cases were registered against juveniles during 2020, showing a decrease of 7.8%. The

authorities apprehended 35,352 juveniles in 29,768 cases. A majority of the juveniles apprehended under the IPC and SLL crimes were in the 16-18 age group.

CRIME REPORT- NCRB

29



September 2021

Human trafficking cases declined from 2,208 to 1,714 cases. The agencies rescued 4,680 victims and arrested 4,966 persons.

The number of missing persons was decreased by 15%. During 2020, over 3.32 lakh such persons, including 2.24 lakh female and 142 transgender, were traced or recovered.

KASTURI RANGAN COMMITTEE FOR NCFThe Government initiated the process to

revise the NCERT textbooks, which are taught in CBSE-affiliated schools across the country, by setting up a committee for drafting the document that will lay down the broad guidelines for changes in the curriculum.

The 12-member National Steering Committee will be headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, who also headed the drafting committee of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The document, known as the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), was last prepared in 2005 under the UPA government, and before that, it was revised in 1975, 1988 and 2000.

The committee also includes National Book Trust chairman Govind Prasad Sharma, Sharma remains a member of Vidya Bharti’s central executive committee.

The formation of the committee comes a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that school students will study under a new curriculum drawn from the NEP by 2022 when the country celebrates the 75th year of Independence.

Significantly, the NEP also states that elements such as knowledge from ancient India “will be

incorporated in an accurate and scientific manner throughout the school curriculum wherever relevant” and that “Indian Knowledge Systems, including tribal knowledge and indigenous and traditional ways of learning, will be covered and included in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, yoga, architecture, medicine, agriculture, engineering, linguistics, literature, sports, games, as well as in governance, polity, conservation”.

Traditionally, the state governments also follow the NCF in revising their respective school curriculum through the participation of the State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which draw up the State Curriculum Frameworks (SCF).

The Committee will finalise National Curriculum Frameworks after incorporating suggestions received from various stakeholders, i.e., states/UTs and also in the meetings of Executive Committee (EC) and General Body (GB) of the NCERT and Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE).

The committee, which will have a tenure of three years, would also “reflect upon the implications of situations such as Covid-19 pandemic” on respective areas for future in drawing up the NCF.

PEARL FARMING IN TRIBAL AREAS The Trifed (Tribal Co-operative Marketing

Development Federation of India) inked an agreement with the Jharkhandbased Purty Agrotech for the promotion of pearl farming in tribal areas.

The Trifed operates under the Union ministry of tribal affairs. As part of the agreement, Purty Agrotech pearls will be sold through 141 Tribes India outlets, apart from various ecommerce platforms.

Purty Agrotech’s centre will be developed into a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Cluster (VDVKC). Besides,

there is a plan to develop 25 such VDVKCs for pearl farming in Jharkhand.

The breeding of oysters and development of pearls was a sustainable mode of business and can be easily practised by tribals who have access to nearby water bodies.

The Trifed has also signed an MoU with e-grocery platform Big Basket to promote and sell natural ‘Van Dhan’ product


Society & Social JusticeSeptember 2021

MARITAL RAPEGS-I Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental

issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Introduction Marriage is a legally

sanctioned contract between a man and woman.

The sexual intercourse between husband and wife is legal.

Due to legality of sex, husband gain right over wife which become the sole reason of marital rape.

While the legal definition varies, marital rape can be defined as any unwanted sexual intercourse or penetration obtained by force, threat of force, or when the wife is unable to consent.

In proper perception, the husband cannot be held guilty of raping his wife on account of presumed matrimonial consent to cohabit.

However, despite the increasing number of cases of marital rapes in our country, marital rape is not defined in any statute or law.

In Indian Constitution, Article 14 talks about Right to Equality but women face infringement in their right in cases of marital rape.

Indian legislation on rape

The definition of rape codified in Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code [IPC] includes all forms of sexual assault involving non-consensual intercourse with a woman.

Having sexual intercourse without consent can be stated as violation of dignity and thus can be considered as a criminal offence.

The act considering this violation as a civil offence has provided with few civil remedies such as fine, protection etc.

The Provisions under Indian Constitution

Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees protection of life and personal liberty.

Right to live in Human Dignity

In Bhodhisathwa Gautam v Subhra Chakraborthy [5], SC held that Rape is a crime against basic human rights and is also violative of victim’s most cherished of the fundamental right.

A married woman too has the right to live in human dignity, right to privacy and rights over her own body. Marriage can in no way take away these rights.

Right to Sexual PrivacyIn Justice K.S Puttaswamy v

Union of India [7] held the right to privacy as a fundamental right and includes decisional privacy reflected by an ability to make intimate decisions primarily consisting of one’s sexual or procreative nature and decisions in respect of intimate relations.

However, Exception 2 to Section 375 exempts unwilling sexual intercourse between a husband and wife over fifteen years of age from Section 375’s definition of rape and thus immunizes such acts from prosecution.

Section 376 of IPC provides punishment for rape. According to this Section, the rapist should be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than 7 years but which may extend to life or for a term extending up to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine.

Justice Verma Committee report (2013) had recommended removal of exception of marital rape. Fortunately, in November 2017 a division bench of the Supreme Court of India, in the case of Independent Thought v. Union of India read down Exception 2 to Section 375, IPC as being violative of Article 14 and 21 of Indian Constitution.

India is one of the thirty-six countries that still have not criminalized marital rape.

The Supreme Court and various High Courts are currently working on various writ petitions challenging the legality of marital rape.

Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 consist the reasonable civil remedies for the violence against women which includes marital rape too.

31



September 2021

Recent observation of Chhattisgarh High court

The High Court of Chhattisgarh recently decided a criminal revision petition challenging the charges framed against the applicant husband.

Based on the allegations of his wife, charges were framed by a trial court under Section 376 (rape), Section 377 (carnal inter course against the order of nature) and Section 498A (cruelty towards wife by husband or his relatives) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The High Court upheld charges under Sections 498A and 377 but discharged the husband un

der Section 376 on the ground that by virtue of Exception 2 to Section 375 (the definition of rape), sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife (provided she is over the age of 18) would not amount to the offence of rape.

Since the High Court was bound by the law, which exempts husbands from being tried or punished for raping their wives by creating the legal fiction that all sex within marriage is consensual, no other conclusion was open to the Court.

Conclusion The continuous exemption

of marital rape from the purview of criminal law sustains the

assumption of the wife as exclusive property of the husband.

It is conceded that changing the law on sexual offences is a formidable and sensitive task, and more so in a country like India, where there is presence of a varied and differentiated system of personal and religious laws that might come into conflict with the new amendments in the statutory criminal law.

The marital rape exception is an insult to the constitutional goals of individual autonomy, dignity and of gender equality enshrined in funda mental rights such as Article 21 (the right to life) and Article 14 (the right to equality).

Economic Development

&

Agriculture

Pg 46

Pg 45

Pg 47

FOOD PROCESSING IN INDIA India’s share in export of processed food in global trade is only

1.5 %;

BAD BANK While recapitalisation and such guarantees are often desig-

nated as “reforms”, they are band aids at best.

NATIONAL MONETISATION PLANunlock value in brownfield projects by engaging the private sector, transferring

to them revenue rights and not ownership

1. RBI LICENSE FOR SMALL FINANCE BANKS2. PURCHASER MANAGING INDEX 3. WHAT’S TAXABLE UNDER NEW EPF RULES4. REVISED “TRANSPORT AND MARKETING

ASSISTANCE” (TMA) SCHEME5. VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS6. ACCOUNT AGGREGATOR7. PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI)-

TEXTILES8. MSP FOR RABI CROPS 9. UDAN SCHEME10. T+1 SETTLEMENT SYSTEM FOR SHARES 11. STATE FOOD SAFETY INDEX 12. REVISED GUIDELINES FOR TRADE CREDIT

INSURANCE 13. PLI SCHEME FOR AUTO AND DRONE SECTOR14. SPIN SCHEME BY KVIC15. ANTI DUMPING DUTY ON PHARMA RAW

MATERIAL16. INDIA SINGAPORE DIGITAL PAYMENT

AGREEMENT17. WORLD BANK TO STOP ‘EASE OF DOING

BUSINESS’18. AROMA MISSION19. SCHEME FOR PROMOTION OF20. MEDICAL DEVICE PARKS21. NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM 22. GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2021

What's Inside?

33THECATALYST www.sivarajavelias.com

Economic Development & Agriculture September 2021

RBI LICENSE FOR SMALL FINANCE BANKSWhy in news

• Cosmea Financial Holdings Pvt Ltd and Tally Solutions Pvt Ltd are two entities which have applied for on tap licensing of small finance banks (SFB).

• The two companies have applied under the RBI’s on-tap licensing guidelines released by the central bank in December 2019.

Objectives of SFB • The objectives of setting up of small finance

banks will be to further financial inclusion by

• provision of savings vehicles, and

• supply of credit to small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and other unorganised sector entities, through high technology-low-cost operations.

Eligible promoters• Resident individuals/professionals with 10

years of experience in banking and finance; Companies and societies owned and controlled by residents will be eligible to set up small finance banks.

• Existing Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), and Local Area Banks (LABs) that are owned and controlled by residents can also opt for conversion into small finance banks.

• Promoter/promoter groups should be ‘fit and proper’ with a sound track record of professional experience or of running their businesses for at least a period of five years in order to be eligible to promote small finance banks.

PURCHASER MANAGING INDEX Why in news

About PMI A purchasing managers index (PMI) is an economic indicator comprised of monthly reports and surveys from private sector manufacturing firms.

The index surveys product managers, who are the individuals that buy the materials needed for a company to manufacture its products.

How does a purchasing managers index work?

• A purchasing managers index works by compiling data from purchasing managers in the manufacturing sector.

• This data is used it to assess industry conditions and provides an insight into the possible future growth – or lack of – in the sector.

• One prominent organisation which produces PMIs is the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

• For its PMI, the ISM contacts purchasing managers at more than 300 manufacturing firms of various sizes, and which are based in different locations.

What are the benefits of using PMIs?• One of the benefits of using PMIs is the fact that

they are composed of data-based responses to questions about actual business conditions.

• This means that the findings in a PMI are based on hard data rather than opinion or confidence-based measurements.

• PMIs can be effective indicators of economic health thanks to the insights into employment, orders, inventories and growth provided by purchasing managers.

• Another benefit of using PMIs is that they are often the first batch of economic data to be released each month, meaning that they are an early indicator for industry growth from the previous month.


Economic Development & AgricultureSeptember 2021

WHAT’S TAXABLE UNDER NEW EPF RULESWhy in news

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified new rules that specify how the interest on the provident fund contribution of an employee over a certain threshold will be taxed.

As per the notification, issued on August 31, contributions above ₹2.5 lakh in the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) per year will be taxed. In cases where there is no employer contribution in the EPF account, the threshold will be ₹5 lakh a year.

Furthermore, the CBDT has also notified that organisations need to maintain two independent PF accounts.

One of the accounts will pertain to taxable contributions, while the other will be for non-taxable contributions starting the ongoing financial year 2021-22.

What does the separate EPF accounts mean? • The CBDT notification said that to calculate

“taxable interest under sub-rule (1),” separate

accounts within the provident fund account have to be maintained during the 2021-22 fiscal and all “subsequent previous years for taxable contribution and non-taxable contribution made by a person.

• The non-taxable contribution account will constitute the closing balance of the PF account till March 31, 2021 along with any contribution made by an individual in the current fiscal and in later years within the threshold of ₹2.5 lakh or ₹5 lakh – depending on the employer’s contribution.

• The PF contributions above the threshold will be deposited in the taxable account and the interests accrued on it will be taxed.

• As per government estimates nearly 123,000 high-income earners in India are making more than ₹50 lakh every year in tax-free interest on an average from the provident fund.

• Moreover, these high-net worth individuals (HNIs) make up for about 0.27% of the total 4.5 crore EPF account holders in the country.

Why in News?Recently, Centre has revised “Transport and

Marketing Assistance” (TMA) scheme for ‘Specified Agriculture Products’.

Transport and Marketing Assistance Scheme

In February 2019, the Department of Commerce had introduced ‘Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products Scheme’ to provide assistance for the international component of freight, to mitigate disadvantage of higher freight costs faced by the Indian exporters of agriculture products.

The scheme was initially applicable for exports effected during the period from 01.03.2019

Revised “Transport and Marketing Assistance” (TMA) scheme

to 31.03.2020 and was later extended for exports effected up to 31.03.2021.

Now, the Department has notified ‘Revised Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products Scheme’ for exports effected on or after 01.04.2021 up to 31.03.2022.

The existing scheme will remain in operation for exports effected up to 31.03.2021.

Following major changes have been made in the revised scheme:

Dairy products, which were not covered under the earlier scheme, will be eligible for assistance under the revised scheme.

Rates of assistance have been increased, by 50% for exports by sea and by 100% for exports by air.



Vande Bharat express, earlier it was known as Train 18 is India’s first indigenously built engineless semi-high speed train by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.

The train is a 100% ‘Make in India’ project and is claimed to be built at half the cost of a similar train set that is imported.

The maiden run of the Vande Bharat train was inaugurated on the New Delhi-Varanasi route in 2019.

Why in news?Recently, the Indian

Railways plans to operate 102 Vande Bharat trains by March 2024. These trains will be manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (Chennai), Modern Coach Factory (Rae Bareilly) and Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala).

New features: Four emergency windows for easy evacuation of passengers in case of an emergency; disaster lights in all coaches, more emergency push buttons and “pushback arrangement” for better reclining of seats among others.

VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS



Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the textiles

Why in News?Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a

Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the textiles sector worth Rs 10,683 crore.

PLI for Textiles along with RoSCTL, RoDTEP and other measures of Government in the sector e.g. providing raw material at competitive prices, skill development etc will herald a new age in textiles manufacturing.

Features of the PLI Scheme for TextilesAims to promote the production of high value

Man-Made Fibre (MMF) fabrics, garments and technical textiles.

To attract fresh investment of Rs 19,000 crore in the sector for production of in-demand textiles,

and additional turnover of Rs 3 lakh crore over five years.

This is part of a larger PLI scheme for 13 sectors, with a total budgetary outlay of 1.97 lakh crore.Incentives to eligible producers in two phases:

First: Any person or company willing to invest a minimum of Rs 300 crore in plant, machinery, equipment and civil works (excluding land and administrative building cost) to produce products of MMF fabrics, garments and products of technical textiles will be eligible to participate.

Second: Investors willing to spend a minimum of Rs 100 crore under the same conditions (as in the case of the first phase) shall be eligible to apply.

What is an Account Aggregator?• According to the Reserve Bank of India, an

Account Aggregator is a non-banking financial company engaged in the business of providing, under a contract, the service of retrieving or collecting financial information pertaining to its customer.

• It is also engaged in consolidating, organising and presenting such information to the customer or any other financial information user as may be specified by the bank.

• The AA framework was created through an inter-regulatory decision by RBI and other regulators including Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) through and initiative of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).

• The licence for AAs is issued by the RBI, and the financial sector will have many AAs The AA framework allows customers to avail various financial services from a host of providers on a single portal based on a consent method, under

ACCOUNT AGGREGATORwhich the consumers can choose what financial data to share and with which entity.

How does it work?• It has a three-tier structure: Account Aggregator,

FIP (Financial Information Provider) and FIU (Financial Information User).

• An FIP is the data fiduciary, which holds customers’ data. It can be a bank, NBFC, mutual fund, insurance repository or pension fund repository.

• An FIU consumes the data from an FIP to provide various services to the consumer.

• An FIU is a lending bank that wants access to the borrower’s data to determine if the borrower qualifies for a loan. Banks play a dual role – as an FIP and as an FIU.

What data can be shared?• An Account Aggregator allows a customer to

transfer his financial information pertaining to various accounts such as banks deposits, equity, mutual fund and pension funds to any entity requiring access to such information.



MSP FOR RABI CROPSWhy in news

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime minister has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi crops for Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2022-23.

MSP • MSP is an integral component of Agriculture

Price Policy and it targets to ensure support price to farmers and affordable prices to the consumer. Based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the Government of India declares MSP after considering the views of State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned for agricultural crops such as cereal, Pulses, Oilseeds and commercial crops every year at the beginning of the sowing season.

• MSP is announced for the Kharif crops of Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Arhar, Moong, Urad, Cotton, Groundnut, Sunflower Seed, Soyabean, Sesamum. The Rabi crops for which MSP is

announced are Wheat, Barley, Gram, Masur, Rapeseeds& Mustard, Safflower and Toria.

• Apart from this, MSP is announced for Copra, De-husked Coconut, Jute and Fair Remunerative Prices (FRP) is announced for Sugarcane.

MSP 2022 • The increase in MSP for Rabi Crops for RMS

2022-23 is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSPs at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average cost of production, aiming a reasonably fair remuneration for the farmers.

• The expected returns to farmers over their cost of production are estimated to be highest in case of wheat and rapeseed & mustard (100% each), followed by lentil (79%); gram (74%); barley (60%); safflower (50%). Concerted efforts were made over the last few years to realign the MSPs in favour of oilseeds, pulses and coarse cereals to encourage farmers shift to larger area under these crops and adopt best technologies and farm practices, to correct demand supply imbalance.

Minister of Civil Aviation announced a 100-day plan for the country’s civil aviation sector, including policy measures and development of airports as well as heliports.

About Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) was launched

as a regional connectivity scheme under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.

It is an innovative scheme to develop the regional Aviation market.

The objective of the scheme is to create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.

The scheme envisages providing connectivity to un-served and underserved airports of the country through the revival of existing air-strips and airports. The scheme is operational for a period of 10 years.

UDAN SCHEMEFinancial incentives

from the Centre, state governments and airport operators are extended to selected airlines to encourage operations from unserved and under-served airports, and keep airfares affordable.

UDAN 4.0Launched in 2019 with a special focus on

North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States, and Islands. Under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopters and seaplanes is also been incorporated.

The airports that had already been developed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) are given higher priority for the award of VGF (Viability Gap Funding) under the Scheme.

Till date, 325 routes and 56 airports including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes have been operationalised under the scheme.



Recently, SEBI allowed stock exchanges to start the T+1 system as an option in place of T+2.

If the stock exchange opts for the T+1 settlement cycle for scrip, the stock exchange will have to mandatorily continue with it for a minimum 6 months. Scrip is a substitute or alternative to the legal tender.

Thereafter, if it intends to switch back to T+2, it will do so by giving one month’s advance notice to the market. Any subsequent switch (from T+1 to T+2 or vice versa) will be subject to a minimum period.

Settlement SystemIn the securities industry, the trade settlement

period refers to the time between the trade date that an order is executed in the market and the settlement date when a trade is considered final. On the last day of the settlement period, the buyer becomes the holder of record of the security.

T+1 vs T+2 SettlementIn T+2, if an investor sells shares, the settlement

of the trade takes place in two working days (T+2) and the broker who handles the trade will get the

T+1 settlement system for sharesmoney on the third day, but will credit the amount in the investor’s account only by the fourth day.

In effect, the investor will get the money only after three days.

In T+1, settlement of the trade takes place in one working day and the investor will get the money on the following day.

The move to T+1 will not require large operational or technical changes by market participants, nor will it cause fragmentation and risk to the core clearance and settlement ecosystem.

Advantages of T+1cycleA shortened cycle not only reduces settlement

time but also reduces and frees up the capital required to collateralise that risk.

T+1 also reduces the number of outstanding unsettled trades at any instant, and thus decreases the unsettled exposure to Clearing Corporation by 50%.

The narrower the settlement cycle, the narrower the time window for a counterparty insolvency/bankruptcy to impact the settlement of a trade.

The shortened settlement cycle will help in reducing systemic risk.

In an effort to galvanize States to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare released Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s 3rd State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety. The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare felicitated nine leading States/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2020-21 for their impressive performance. This year, among the larger states, Gujarat was the top ranking state, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Among the smaller states, Goa stood

STATE FOOD SAFETY INDEXfirst followed by Meghalaya and Manipur. Among UTs, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and New Delhi secured top ranks. The Union Minister released the results of PAN-India survey for identifying the presence of industrially produced trans fatty acid content in the selected foods. Samples of various packaged food items under six pre-defined food categories were collected from 419 cities/districts across 34 States/UTs. Overall, only 84 samples, i.e. 1.34%, have more than 3% industrially produced trans fats from the total of 6245 samples; India is on the right track of becoming industrial trans fats free in the 75th year of India’s independence.



Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued revised guidelines for trade credit insurance that will come into effect on 1 November 2021.

Aim: to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the trade credit insurance business and improve economic stability by labelling trade losses because of credit risks.

These guidelines will apply to all insurers transacting general insurance business, registered under the Insurance Act, 1938. However, ECGC Ltd (formerly Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd) is exempted from the application of these guidelines.

Trade credit insuranceIt protects businesses against the risk of non-

payment for goods and services.

Revised guidelines for Trade Credit InsuranceIt usually covers a portfolio of buyers and

indemnifies an agreed percentage of an invoice or invoices that remain unpaid as a result of protracted default or insolvency.

It contributes to the economic growth of a country by facilitating trade and helps improve economic stability by addressing trade losses because of payment risks.

CoverageIt can be issued to sellers or suppliers of

goods or services, factoring companies as defined in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011 and banks and financial institutions.

For banks and financial institutions and factoring companies, it covers the loss on account of non-receipt of payment from a buyer, due to commercial or political risks, against the bills and invoices purchased or discounted.

Commercial risks include insolvency or extended default of the buyer, rejection by the buyer after delivery subject to conditions of contract, and rejection before shipment and non-receipt of payment on account of the collecting bank’s failure.

Political risk is available only in case of buyers outside India and will include occurrence of war between the buyer’s country and India and also war, hostilities, civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection or other disturbances in the buyer’s country.



In line with India’s quest for ‘Atma Nirbharta’ To improve India’s manufacturing capacity, the Union Cabinet has authorised an Rs. 26,058 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the auto, auto-components, and drone industries.

It is a part of Rs 1.97 lakh crore package of production-linked incentives announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 for 13 industries.

It will allow the country to join the ranks of the world’s top auto and drone manufacturers.

What is the PLI scheme?The PLI scheme (came into

effect in March, 2020) intends to encourage local enterprises to set up or expand existing manufacturing units, in addition to inviting foreign corporations to set up shop in India.

Why PLI for the Auto industry?PLI for the auto industry aims to promote new

technology and the use of clean fuels in the economy.

Because of India’s ample capacity, it excludes conventional petrol, diesel, and CNG (Internal Combustion Engine) categories.

Only sophisticated automotive technology or car components with weak, dormant, or non-existent supply networks are being rewarded.

ComponentsOEM (Original Equipment

Manufacturers) Scheme Champion: It is a Sales Value Linked approach that applies to all sectors of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles.

Incentive Program for Champions: It is also a Sales Value Linked plan for sophisticated technology components, Complete and Semi-Knocked Down (CKD/SKD) kits, 2-wheeler, 3-wheeler, passenger, commercial, and tractor aggregates.

PLI SCHEME FOR AUTO AND DRONE SECTORSignificance

This programme, together with the PLI for Advanced Chemistry Cell and the FAME (Faster Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) Scheme, will provide a significant boost to the production of electric vehicles.

It will help to reduce carbon emissions as well as oil imports.

It will support the use of advanced technologies in the production of car components, boosting localization, domestic manufacturing, and attracting international investment.

It will aid in the establishment of new facilities and the creation of more jobs.

What is PLI for the Drone Industry?It will inspire entrepreneurs to work on

developing global drones, components, and software. It will also expand the number of verticals where drones may be used.

It will aid in the reduction of imports. Currently, 90 percent of India’s drones are imported.

By 2030, the government wants India to be a global drone hub.



Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched the SPIN (Strengthening the Potential of India) scheme to make potters self-sustainable.

Under the scheme, KVIC will facilitate the registered potters to get easy loans from banks under the Pradhan Mantri Shishu Mudra Yojana This will help them in diversifying their activities and enhance their income.

Featuresi. It is a no-subsidy program.ii. KVIC facilitates potters to get bank loans

under Pradhan Mantri Shishu Mudra Yojana.

SPIN SCHEME BY KVICiii. No financial burden on the exchequer.iv. Beneficiaries can repay the loans in easy

installments.

Kashi Pottery ClusterKVIC has also set up a pottery cluster under

SFURTI Scheme.

It was the first pottery cluster in the Varanasi district set up by KVIC under the SFURTI Scheme.

The cluster is equipped with modern equipment like furnaces, electric pottery wheels, blunger machines, pugmills and other modern equipment for higher production of clay pottery.

Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI)Launched by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).

It aims to organize traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and increase their income.

KVIC is the nodal agency for the promotion of Cluster development for Khadi as well as for Village Industries products.

The commerce ministry has recommended imposition of anti-dumping duty on a pharma raw material Ceftriaxone Sodium Sterile from China to guard domestic players from cheap imports.

Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended the duty after concluding in its probe that the API (active pharma ingredient) from China has been exported at dumped prices into India, which impacted the domestic industry.

Ceftriaxone Sodium Sterile is an API used in formulation for treating disease like lower respiratory tract infection, skin and skin structure infection, and surgical prophylaxis.

ANTI DUMPING DUTY ON A PHARMA RAW MATERIAL

DGTR had conducted the probe following a complaint from Nectar Life Sciences and Sterile India about the dumping of the chemical.

The imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.



Why in news The central banks of India and Singapore will

link their digital payment systems for “instant, low-cost fund transfers”. The linkage, which is targeted for operationalisation by July 2022, is expected to incentivise more retail investors to access global markets and make fund transfer cheaper.

Benefits of partnership• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the

Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced a project to link their respective fast payment systems — Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and PayNow.

• The UPI-PayNow linkage will enable users of each of the two fast payment systems to make instant, low-cost fund transfers on a reciprocal basis without a need to get onboarded onto the other payment system.

• Singapore, a global financial hub, has emerged as a leading centre for fintech. The-partnership will not only support our two nations’ progress in fintech, but also help drive our international competitiveness and success in this area.

• This is not the first time the two countries have partnered on financial innovation. For example, NETS and national payments corporation of India (NPCI) entered a partnership to establish a cross-border payment linkage between Singapore’s PayNow and India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).

• This cross-border linkage aims to facilitate the real-time transfer of funds between the bank accounts in India and Singapore with the intention of supporting trade, tourism and remittance.

• The panel was headed by former Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash, and its members included additional secretary to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat A.A. Rao, Ganpati Bhatt of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, RSTV financial adviser Shikha Darbari, Manoj Kumar Pandey, and Dr Aashish Joshi, former LSTV CEO.

• The committee held several sessions with parliamentarians across parties. It will reduce additional burden on finances by pooling in the resources of both the channels and synergising the broadcast of parliamentary proceedings through an integrated channel that will not compete with any private channel and will have a different mandate.

INDIA SINGAPORE DIGITAL PAYMENT AGREEMENT

The World Bank would discontinue the practice of issuing Doing Business report following an investigation prompted by internal reports of “data irregularities” in its 2018 and 2020 editions (released in 2017 and 2019, respectively) and possible “ethical matters” involving bank staff.

According to an investigation conducted by Washington-based law firm WilmerHale, World Bank staff members changed data on China to improve its ranking on the ease of doing business, under pressure from the office of the then-World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and the then-chief executive Kristalina Georgieva and one of her advisers. The reports were flagged by the World Bank for certain “improper data changes” made in case of four countries China, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE at the behest of senior executives at the bank.

After data irregularities on Doing Business 2018 and 2020 were reported internally in June 2020, World Bank management paused the next Doing Business report and initiated a series of reviews and

WORLD BANK TO STOP ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’audits of the report and its methodology.

In addition, because the internal reports raised ethical matters, including the conduct of former Board officials as well as current and/or former Bank staff, management reported the allegations to the Bank’s appropriate internal accountability mechanisms,” Notably, in three reports, released in 2017, 2018 and 2019, India ranked among the top 10 economies showing “the most notable improvement”.

The latest report, published in October 2019, placed India at 63rd in Doing Business, compared with 77th in 2018 and 100 in 2017. The report published in 2019, which mentioned India and China being among the top 10 improvers, stated that the leaders of these countries adopted the Doing Business indicators as a core component of their reform strategies. The scores for India used to be based on coverage of just two cities, with Mumbai carrying a weight of 47 per cent and Delhi a weight of 53 per cent.



• In 2016, the Centre launched Aroma Mission to boost cultivation of plants like lavender which have aromatic medicinal properties.

Purple Economy• Lavender oil sells for at least Rs 10,000 per

litre, according to scientists from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu (IIIM Jammu), the two bodies responsible for taking the Aroma Mission forward.

• Under the mission, which was launched to move from imported aromatic oils to homegrown varieties, first-time farmers were given free lavender saplings and those who have cultivated lavender before were charged Rs 5-6 per sapling.

• Lavender water, which separates from lavender oil, is used to make incense sticks. Hydrosol, which is formed after distillation from the flowers, is used to make soaps and room fresheners.

• The farmers get help from IIIM-Jammu to sell their produce. Mumbai-based companies like Ajmal Biotech provate limited, Aditi International and Navnetri Gamika, which manufacture aromatic products like candles and aroma oils are their primary buyers.

AROMA MISSION• These companies procure lavender extracts from

the farmers in Doda and other J&K districts like Rajouri, Ramban and Pulwama where Aroma Mission was introduced in 2018.

• There are four distillation units set up by CSIR-IIIM Jammu in Doda and two more have been proposed to meet the increased demand.

• Farmers from remote locations of district Doda reach these plants for extraction of lavender oil.

• Apart from increasing farm incomes, lavender cultivation also provided employment to the district’s women farmers.

The next phase• On February 9, 2021, CSIR-IIIM-Jammu

announced Aroma Mission phase 2 after the success of the first phase.

• The inauguration was attended by farmers from Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Assam. Impressed by the success of Doda’s lavender farmers, the Uttarakhand authorities invited some of them to train their farmers.

• The mission is to increase lavender cultivation to 1,500 hectares within three years from now.

• The Indian Government has identified the medical devices as a priority sector for the flagship ‘Make in India’ program and is committed to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem. India is the fourth largest medical devices market in Asia.

• Currently, the Indian market has high reliance on imports but in recent times the exports have seen a surged. ‘Atma Nirbhar’ Bharat mission is providing an impetus to India’s vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub for medical devices.

• Recent initiatives for instance, The Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) and Promotion of Medical Devices Parks Scheme, are a

SCHEME FOR PROMOTION OF MEDICAL DEVICE PARKS

testimony to this. These schemes have been cogently constructed to incentivize large-scale manufacturing and to build required infrastructure for developing manufacturing clusters within India.

Overview • The Production Lined Incentives Scheme (PLI)

Scheme for Medical Devices manufacturing proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investment in medical devices segments such as cancer care devices, radiology and imaging devices, anaesthetics devices, implants etc.

• Production Linked incentives of up to INR 3,420 Crore will be awarded in the scheme tenure.



About the Global Innovation Index• Since its inception in 2007, the GII has shaped the

innovation measurement agenda and become a cornerstone of economic policymaking, with an increasing number of governments systematically analysing their annual GII results and designing policy responses to improve their performance.

• The 2021 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) presents the latest global innovation ranking of 132 economies, relying on 81 different indicators.

• While tracking the most recent global innovation trends in the new Global Innovation Tracker, this edition also focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on innovation.

Which are the most innovative economies in 2021?

• The world’s most-innovative economy in 2021 is Switzerland followed by Sweden, the United States of America (U.S.), the United Kingdom

GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX 2021(U.K.) and Republic of Korea, according to the GII 2021 rankings.

Tracking Innovation through the COVID-19 Crisis

• In spite of the human and economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and enterprises in many parts of the world have increased their investments in innovation.

• Scientific output, expenditures in research and development (R&D), intellectual property filings and venture capital (VC) deals continued to grow in 2021, building on strong precrisis peak performance.

• Published anually, the core of the GII provides performance measures and ranks 132 economies on their innovation ecosystems. The Index is built on a rich dataset the collection of 81 indicators from international public and private sources going beyond the traditional measures of innovation since the definition of innovation has broadened.

Launch of National Single Window System, is a giant leap, towards making India Aatmanirbhar. NSWS would usher in Azadi from legacy of running to Govt. offices, i.e. Ease of doing business & Ease of living Azadi from paperwork, duplication & information asymmetry Azadi from Windows within Window. The portal as of today hosts approvals across 18 Central Departments & 9 States, another 14 Cen-tral depts & 5 states will be added by Dec’ 21 . This would bring Transparency, Account-ability & Responsiveness in the ecosystem and all in-formation will.be available on a single dashboard. An applicant Dashboard would be there to

apply, track & respond to queries. Services include Know Your Approval (KYA), Common Registration & State registration Form, Document repository & ECommunication Subsequently, DPIIT along with Invest India initiated the process of developing the portal as a National Single Window System (NSWS), which will provide a single platform to enable inves-tors to identify and obtain approvals and clearances needed by investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses in India.

NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM PORTAL



Why in news• Following through with one of key

announcements in the Budget, Finance Minister has announced the formation of India’s first-ever “Bad Bank”.

• “National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited” (NARCL) has already been incorporated under the Companies Act. It will acquire stressed assets worth about Rs 2 lakh crore from various commercial banks in different phases. Another entity India Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL), which has also been set up will then try to sell the stressed assets in the market. The NARCL-IDRCL structure is the new bad bank.

WHAT IS A BAD BANK? WHY WAS IT NEEDED?

• In every country, commercial banks accept deposits and extend loans. The deposits are a bank’s “liability” because that is the money it has taken from a common man, and it will have to return that money when the depositor asks for it.

• Moreover, in the interim, it has to pay the depositor an interest rate on those deposits. In contrast, the loans that banks give out are their “assets” because this is where the banks earn interest and this is money that the borrower has to return to the bank.

• The whole business model is premised on the idea that a bank will earn more money from extending loans to borrowers than what it would have to pay back to the depositors. In normal functioning, as the proportion of bad loans they are typically calculated as a percentage of the total advances (loans) rise, two things happen.

• One, the concerned bank becomes less profitable because it has to use some of its profits from other loans to make up for the loss on the bad loans. Two, it becomes more risk-averse.

• In other words, its officials hesitate from extending loans to business ventures that may remotely appear risky for the fear of aggravating

BAD BANKGS-III Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth,

development and employment.

an already high level of non-performing assets (or NPAs).

How will the NARCL-IDRCL work? • The NARCL will first purchase bad loans from

banks. It will pay 15% of the agreed price in cash and the remaining 85% will be in the form of “Security Receipts”. When the assets are sold, with the help of IDRCL, the commercial banks will be paid back the rest.

• If the bad bank is unable to sell the bad loan, or has to sell it at a loss, then the government guarantee will be invoked and the difference between what the commercial bank was supposed to get and what the bad bank was able to raise will be paid from the Rs 30,600 crore that has been provided by the government.

Will a bad bank resolve matters? • From the perspective of a commercial bank saddled

with high NPA levels, it will help. That’s because such a bank will get rid of all its toxic assets, which were eating up its profits, in one quick move.

• When the recovery money is paid back, it will further improve the bank’s position. Meanwhile, it can start lending again. From the perspective of the government and the taxpayer, the situation is a little more muddled.

• After all, whether it is recapitalising PSBs laden with bad loans or giving guarantees for security receipts, the money is coming from the taxpayers’ pocket.

• While recapitalisation and such guarantees are often designated as “reforms”, they are band aids at best. The only sustainable solution is to improve the lending operation in PSBs.



Introduction• Food Processing refers to

various techniques and operations by which raw foodstuffs are transformed into food that are suitable for consumption, cooking, or storage. It consists of processes like the basic preparation of foods, the alteration of a food product into another form (as in making preserves from fruit), and preservation and packaging techniques.

Advantages• Processing of food has lot of

advantages over raw food like longer shelf life, increased availability to farm produce and improved availability of the product throughout the year.

• On one hand, India food processing sector has strong base because of the abundant production of raw food articles, aromatic and medicinal plants. On the other hand, the level of food processing is not up to the mark as lot of wastage in post-production handling and management take place.

• In order to realise this, food processing in Indian economic context is considered as a sunrise industry. It serves as a crucial link between Agriculture and Industry.

• Hence, the growth of this sector helps in the growth of agriculture sector through backward linkages and also to the industry sector of

FOOD PROCESSING IN INDIA GS-III Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and

downstream requiraements, supply chain management.

which it is itself an important constituent and therefore to the overall GDP growth.

• The average rate of growth of food processing sector during the first four years of the 10th Plan Period was @13.25 per cent at the current prices and @6.75 per cent at 1999-2000 prices.

• India’s food processing sector was growing at about 6% four years ago and is now expanding at nearly 15% annually, according to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

• However, India’s share in export of processed food in global trade is only 1.5 %; whereas the size of the global processed-food market is estimated at Rs. 190 trillion and nearly 80 per cent of agricultural products in the developed countries get processed and packaged

The Policy Action of the Government of India

• Indian government notified an integrated food law on 24th August 2006 i.e. Food Safety and Standards Act providing single window to food processing sector.

• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries was set up in July, 1988 to give an impetus to development of food processing sector in India. The Ministry has taken Policy Initiatives for development of the food processing industry.

• In order to make this sector vibrant, coordinated action both on the part of government at various levels and the industry is required. Public investment in providing critical infrastructure storage, integrated cold-chain infrastructure (with only 5,386 stand-alone cold storages which together have a capacity of 23.6mt) and processing infrastructure must step up.

• Industry at the same time should come up with new processing technologies, new products, innovative packing, such that nutritional value, natural flavour, aroma of the raw food is retained along with the need for convenience, attractiveness and choice of the end user can be met through processed product. R&D through PPP could be explored.

• The awareness and education of the consumer with regards to the qualities of the processed food stuffs becomes equally important.

• Also, linkages between industry and the farmers should be developed and for this contract farming and other such arrangements can be made that could ensure the quality of farm produce. On farm processing and value addition should be encouraged.



Why in news • The government unveiled a four-year

national monetisation plan (NMP) worth an estimated Rs 6 lakh crore.

• It aims to unlock value in brownfield projects by engaging the private sector, transferring to them revenue rights and not ownership in the projects, and using the funds so generated for infrastructure creation across the country.

What is the government’s plan?• Roads, railways and power sector

assets will comprise over 66% of the total estimated value of the assets to be monetised, with the remaining upcoming sectors including telecom, mining, aviation, ports, natural gas and petroleum product pipelines, warehouses and stadiums.

• In terms of annual phasing by value, 15% of assets with an indicative value of Rs 0.88 lakh crore are envisaged for rollout in the current financial year. The NMP will run co-terminus with the National Infrastructure Pipeline of Rs 100 lakh crore announced in December 2019.

• The estimated amount to be raised through monetisation is around 14% of the proposed outlay for the Centre of Rs 43 lakh crore under NIP.

What is the list of assets?• The assets on the NMP list include:

26,700 km of roads, railway stations, train operations and tracks, 2,8608 Ckt km worth of power transmission lines, 6 GW of hydroelectric and solar power assets, 2.86 lakh km of fibre assets and 14,917 towers in the telecom sector, 8,154 km of natural gas pipelines and 3,930 km of petroleum product pipelines.

• In the roads sector, the government has already monetised 1,400 km of national

NATIONAL MONETISATION PLANGS-III Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth,

development and employment.

highways worth Rs 17,000 crore.

• Another five assets have been monetised through a PowerGrid InvIT raising Rs 7,700 crore. Also, 15 railway stations, 25 airports and the stake of central government in existing airports and 160 coal mining projects, 31 projects in 9 major ports, 210 lakh MT of warehousing assets, 2 national stadia and 2 regional centres, will be up for monetisation.

• Redevelopment of various government colonies and hospitality assets including ITDC hotels is expected to generate Rs 15,000 crore.



What are the challenges? • Among the key challenges that may affect the

NMP roadmap are: lack of identifiable revenues streams in various assets, level of capacity utilisation in gas and petroleum pipeline networks, dispute resolution mechanism, regulated tariffs in power sector assets, and low interest among investors in national highways below four lanes.

• While the government has tried to address these challenges in the NMP framework, execution of the plan remains key to its success. Structuring of monetisation transactions is being seen as key.

• The slow pace of privatisation in government companies including Air India and BPCL, and less-than-encouraging bids in the recently launched PPP initiative in trains, indicate that attracting private investors interest is not that easy.

• The MNP framework notes that other key impediments to the monetisation process are asset-specific challenges such as presence of an identifiable revenue stream.

• This is specifically relevant to the railway sector, which has seen limited PPP success as a mode of project delivery. GS PAPER 3:Economic development in India

HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN HIMALAYAS

It is recommended that there should be no hydropower

development beyond an elevation of 2,200 metre in the

Himalayan region.

GREEN HYDROGENFinance minister announced the launch of a Hydrogen Energy

Mission in 2021-22 for generating Hydrogen from green power

sources.

SEA LEVEL RISEWhile sea level rise in the last century was mainly due to thermal

expansion, glacier and ice sheet melt are now big contributors.

BBIODIVERSITY ANDIODIVERSITY AND

DISASTER DISASTER MANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

Pg 68

Pg 70

Pg 661. LADAKH’S NEW STATE BIRD AND

STATE ANIMAL 2. BEHLER TURTLE CONSERVATION

AWARD3. BLUE STRAGGLER – BIGGER AND

BLUER STAR 4. HAWAII’S KILAUEA VOLCANO5. GLOBAL ERADICATION OF LEADED

PETROL: UNEP 6. THREAT TO BHITARKANIKA

NATIONAL PARK 7. LATHAM’S SNIPE 8. REPORT ON WEATHER DISASTER:

WMO9. STATE OF THE WORLD’S TREES

REPORT10. KOMODO DRAGON 11. INDIA’S FIRST DUGONG

CONSERVATION RESERVE12. GROUNDSWELL REPORT: WORLD

BANK13. TARBALLS 14. SLAUGHTER OF WHITE DOLPHINS IN

FAROE ISLAND15. ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN FOOD

CHAIN: STUDY16. SHOONYA CAMPAIGN17. MURA-DRAVA-DANUBE: THE FIRST

5-COUNTRY BIOSPHERE RESERVE18. MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK19. BLACK TIGERS

What's Inside?

20. GLOBAL METHANE PLEDGE21. CLIMATE ACTION AND FINANCE

MOBILISATION DIALOGUE22. WHO UPDATED AIR QUALITY NORMS?23. WORLD RHINO DAY24. HUBOLDT PENGUIN 25. BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION


Geography, Environment, Bio-Diversity & Disaster Management September 2021

LADAKH’S NEW STATE BIRD AND STATE ANIMALRecently the Union Territory of Ladakh has

adopted snow leopard and black-necked crane, as the State animal and the State bird, two years after it was carved out as a separate Union Territory (UT) from the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir which had the black-necked crane and Kashmir stag (Hangul) as its state bird and animal respectively.

Black-Necked CraneIt is a medium-sized crane that is mostly grey

with a black head and neck with a red crown on the head; and which is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau.

Both the sexes of Black Necked Crane are almost of the same size, but the male is slightly bigger than the female.

The largest populations of the bird are in China with smaller numbers extending into Vietnam, Bhutan, and India.The high altitude wetlands in the Tibetan plateau are the main breeding ground of the species.

The major wintering breeding grounds are in Tibet, Yunnan and Guizhou (China), and Bhutan. A small wintering population is also found in the Sangti and Zimithang valleys of Arunachal Pradesh.

The black-necked crane is central to Buddhist mythology and culture. According to a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), previous incarnations of the Dalai Lama were carried from monastery to monastery on the backs of these holy birds.

Snow LeopardThe snow leopard (Panthera uncia), also

known as the ounce, native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.

It is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction following infrastructural developments.

It inhabits alpine and s u b - a l p i n e zones at e l e v a t i o n s from 3,000 to 4,500 m

(9,800 to 14,800 ft), ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China.

In India, their geographical range encompasses:

i. Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.

ii. Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh. Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.

It is also the State animal of Himachal Pradesh.

The Snow Leopard (also known as Ghost of the mountains) acts as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live. It is because of their position as the top predator in the food web.

Protection status

Black-necked Crane

Snow Leopard

IUCN Near Threatened

Vulnerable

CITES Appendix I Appendix IIndian

Wildlife (Protection)

Act, 1972

Schedule I Schedule I

Convention on Migratory

Species (CMS)

- Appendix I

www.sivarajavelias.com51

Geography, Environment, Bio-Diversity & Disaster Management

THECATALYST

September 2021

BEHLER TURTLE CONSERVATION AWARDRecently, Indian biologist Shailendra Singh

has been awarded the Behler Turtle Conservation Award for bringing three critically endangered turtle conservation species back from the brink of extinction.

i. The Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska), conserved at Sunderbans;

ii. The Red-crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga) at Chambal;

iii. The Black Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) at different temples in Assam.

About the awardBehler Turtle Conservation Award is also

referred as the “Nobel Prize” of Turtle Conservation, established in 2006.

It is a major annual international award honoring excellence in the field of tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation and biology, and leadership in the chelonian conservation and biology community.

Co-presented by Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, and Turtle Conservation Fund.

Red-crowned roofed turtle

Northern river terrapin Black soft-shell turtle

Distribution Native to India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Currently in India, the National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with a substantial population of the species.

Found in India and Bangladesh (Sundarbans), Myanmar, Malaysia (peninsular), Indonesia (Sumatra), Thailand, and Cambodia.

Found in ponds of temples in northeastern India and Bangladesh.

Its distribution range also includes the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries.

Characteristics Freshwater turtle species; found in deep flowing rivers with terrestrial nesting sites.

Diet: Water plants.

Lives in coastal mangrove estuaries and creeks, but ventures far upstream during the breeding season.

Freshwater turtle species.

IUCN Critically endangered Critically endangered Critically EndangeredCITES Appendix II Appendix I Appendix I



BLUE STRAGGLER – BIGGER AND BLUER STAR Indian researchers have done a comprehensive

analysis to understand the formation of blue stragglers.

What are Blue Stragglers?They are a class of stars on open or globular

clusters formed when one star eats up another. They stand out as they are bigger and bluer than the rest of the stars.

A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity giving them their spherical shapes and high concentrations of stars toward their centers.

Blue stragglers were first discovered by Allan Sandage in 1953.

About the study by Indian ResearchersIndian Researchers have studied 228 clusters

with a total of 868 blue stragglers. They compared the mass of the blue stragglers to the mass of the turnoff stars (which are the most massive ‘normal’ stars in the cluster) and predicted the formation mechanisms. They have found that:

i. Half of the blue stragglers are formed through mass transfer from a close binary companion star,

ii. One third are likely formed through collisions of 2 stars and

iii. The remaining are formed through interactions of more than 2 stars.

The study will help improve understanding of the stellar systems. It will help uncover exciting results in studies of large stellar populations including galaxies.

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcanoWhy in News?

Recently, Geologists had detected a swarm of earthquakes at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, though it was not erupting.

About KilaueaKilauea is one of the world’s most active

volcanoes, having erupted 34 times since 1952.

Kilauea, also called Mount Kilauea (“Much Spreading” in Hawaiian), is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, US.

Kilauea’s slopes merge with those of the nearby volcano Mauna Loa on the west and north.

It is an elongated dome built of lava eruptions from a central crater and from lines of craters extending along east and southwest rifts, or fissures. The volcano’s 4,090-foot summit has collapsed to form a caldera.

A caldera is a depression created after a volcano partially collapses after releasing the majority of its magma chamber in an explosive eruption.



THECATALYST

September 2021

Global Eradication of Leaded Petrol: UNEPWhy in News?

Recently, the use of leaded petrol has been eradicated from the globe, said the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

It is a milestone that will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths and save world economies over $2.4 trillion annually.

UNEP warned that fossil fuel use in general must still be drastically reduced to stave off the frightening effects of climate change.

Leaded vs Unleaded PetrolThe main difference between leaded and

unleaded fuel is the additive tetraethyl lead.1. The combustion of leaded petrol causes the

lead to be released into the air.2. Lead is a heavy pollutant that does damage

not only to the environment but also to the people who are exposed to it.

Background of Leaded PetrolUntil the 1970s, almost all the gasoline sold

across the globe contained lead.

When UNEP launched its campaign named Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) against leaded petrol in 2002, many major economic powers had already stopped using the fuel, including the United States, China and India. But the situation in lower-income nations remained dire.

More than 100 countries around the world were still using leaded petrol, despite studies linking it to premature deaths, poor health and soil and air pollution. Concerns were first raised as early as 1924.

In July 2021, it was eradicated from Algeria - the last country using leaded petrol.

Significance of eradicationEradication of leaded petrol is expected

to support realization of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) like good health & well-being, clean water, clean energy, sustainable cities, climate action and life on land.

Threat to Bhitarkanika National ParkWhy in News?

Recently, environmentalists expressed concern over the massive planned diversion of fresh water from the Brahmani riverbasin, which could pose a grave threat to the famous mangrove vegetation in Odisha.

ConcernsThe Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), an

environmental pressure group, had drawn public attention on the excess water allocation for industries, which is likely to reduce fresh water discharge to the sea.

“The Talcher-Angul coal mines, steel and power plants as well as the Kalinganagar steel and power hub are drawing enormous quantities of fresh water from the Brahmaniriver.

Stating that the lack of normal flow of fresh water would increase saline ingression upstream, it would affect the local flora and fauna as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and fishermen dependent upon the Brahmani and the Kharasrota.

There could be a quantum increase in the man–crocodile conflict since the estuarine crocodiles



would leave the core sanctuary area and migrate upstream once salinity increases, he said.

Favourable wetland for Mangroves

Mangroves grow in brackish water.

Proportionate fresh water flow from the Brahmani river basin and the Kharasrotariver keep the salinity level of the water along the shore down.

The brackish water becomes ideal for the mangroves to grow and stay healthy.

BhitarkanikaIt has the second-largest mangrove forest

in India and is a Ramsar site. It was declared as a Bhitarkanika National Park in the year of 1988.

Bhitarkanika is located in the estuary of Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, and Mahanadi river systems. It is located in Kendrapara district of Odisha.

It is one of Odisha’s finest biodiversity hotspots and is famous for its mangroves, migratory birds, turtles, estuarine crocodiles, and countless creeks.

It is said to house 70% of the country’s estuarine or saltwater crocodiles, conservation of which was started way back in 1975.

Protected Areas: The Bhitarkanika is represented by 3 Protected Areas which are:

1. Bhitarkanika National Park.2. Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.3. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

River BrahmaniIt is a river in northeasternOdisha state,

eastern India. Formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers in southern Bihar state, the Brahmani flows for 300 miles.

It winds generally south-southeast past Bonaigarh and Talcher and then turns east to join northern branches of the Mahanadi River, which then empties into the Bay of Bengal at Palmyras Point.

It is one of the few rivers that cut across the Eastern Ghats, and it has formed a minor gorge at Rengali, where a dam has been built.

Latham’s SnipeWhy in News?

Urban development continues to threaten Latham’s Snipe habitats. Several snipe sites in eastern Australia are at risk from housing developments and large infrastructure projects.

Latham’s Snipe flies non-stop for five days over thousands of kilometres of ocean,twice a year.

Unfortunately, their wetland habitat is now being lost to development and other pressures, putting this tough little bird at risk.



THECATALYST

September 2021

About Latham’s SnipeIt is a migratory shorebird, similar in size to

a blackbird, completes this gruelling migration to warmer climes, where it prepares itself for its return flight and the next breeding season.

Latham’s Snipe breeds in northern Japan and parts of eastern Russia during May-July and spends its non-breeding season (September to March) along Australia’s eastern coast.

Like other migratory shorebirds, it has incredible endurance, undertaking a non-stop, over-ocean flight between its breeding and non-breeding grounds.

Their exceptional eyesight helps them constantly scan for dangers at night, when they forage for food in open wet and muddy areas.

Latham’s Snipe is the ultimate sun-seeker. It breeds in the northern hemisphere when the snows have melted and the weather is warm, then returns to the southern hemisphere to take advantage of spring rains, warmer weather and food-rich wetlands.

It spends its entire time in Australia feeding, resting and growing new flight feathers in preparation for the long haul back to Japan in autumn.

Hunting and wetland loss during the 20th century have contributed to a decline in Latham’s Snipe in south-eastern Australia.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

Report on Weather Disaster: WMOWhy in News?

Recently, the World Meteorological Organization released a report which stated that the number of disasters, such as floods and heat waves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than 2 million people and costing $3.64 trillion in total losses.

Findings of the ReportNo. of Disasters: The number of disasters has

increased by a factor of five over the 50-year period, driven by climate change, more extreme weather and improved reporting.

From 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards accounted for 50% of all disasters, 45% of all reported deaths and 74% of all reported economic losses.

More than 91% of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

Droughts, storms, floods and extreme temperature were the leading causes.

Decreasing Number of Deaths: Due to improved early warning systems and disaster management, the number of deaths decreased almost threefold between 1970 and 2019.

Spiralling Costs: During the 50-year period, US$ 202 million dollars in damage occurred on average every day. Economic losses have increased sevenfold from the 1970s to the 2010s.

Storms, the most prevalent cause of damage, resulted in the largest economic losses around the globe.

Climate Change Footprints: The number of weather, climate and water extremes is increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change.

More water vapor in the atmosphere has exacerbated extreme rainfall and flooding, and the warming oceans have affected the frequency and extent of the most intense tropical storms.

This has augmented the vulnerability of low-lying megacities, deltas, coasts and islands in many parts of the world.

Failure of Sendai Framework: The report also warned that the failure to reduce disaster losses as set out in the 2015 Sendai Framework is putting at risk the ability of developing countries to eradicate poverty and to achieve other important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sendai Framework 2015 was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.

The present Framework applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.



State of the World’s Trees ReportWhy in News?

Recently, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) publisheda report titled, “State of the World’s Trees”.

BGCI is a membership organisation, representing botanic gardens in more than 100 countries around the world. It is an independent UK charity established in 1987 to link the botanic gardens of the world in a global network for plant conservation

Findings of the reportSpecies under Threat:

The report warns that almost a third of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction, while hundreds are on the brink of being wiped out.

17,500 tree species – some 30% of the total – are a risk of extinction, while 440 species have fewer than 50 individuals left in the wild.

Overall the number of threatened tree species is double the number of threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.

Most At-Risk Trees:Among the most at-risk trees are species including magnolias and dipterocarps – which are commonly found in Southeast Asian rainforests. Oak trees, maple trees and ebonies also face threats.

Countries with Highest Risk:Thousands of varieties of trees in the world’s

top six countries for tree-species diversity are at risk of extinction the report found.The greatest single number is in Brazil, where 1,788 species are at risk.The other five countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Colombia and Venezuela.

Threats:The top three threats facing tree species

are crop production, timber logging and livestock farming, while climate change and extreme weather are emerging threats.

At least 180 tree species are directly threatened by rising seas and severe weather, the report said, especially island species such as magnolias in the Caribbean.

Island Trees:Though megadiverse countries see the greatest

numbers of varieties at risk of extinction, island tree species are more proportionally at risk.

This is particularly concerning because many islands have species of trees that can be found nowhere else.

Recommendations byBGCIExtend protected area coverage for threatened

tree species that are currently not-well represented in protected areas.

Ensure that all globally threatened tree species, where possible, are conserved in botanic garden and seed bank collections.

Increase availability of Government and corporate funding for threatened tree species.

Expand tree planting schemes, and ensure the targeted planting of threatened and native species.

Increase global collaboration to tackle tree extinction, by participating in international efforts such as the Global Conservation Consortia.



THECATALYST

September 2021

Komodo dragonWhy in News?

Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) moved the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) from vulnerable to endangered on the IUCN Red List.

About Komodo Dragon Growing up to 3 metres long and weighing

more than 150kg, komodos feed mainly on forest-dwelling pigs, deer, buffalo and fruit bats which hang in the low-lying mangrove trees.

Habitat: Endemic to a handful of Indonesian islands, the komodo dragon lives on the edge of forest or in open savannah, rarely venturing higher than 700 metres above sea level.

Their habitat range on the island of Flores in south-eastern Indonesia is thought to have shrunk by more than 40% between 1970 and 2000.

ThreatsThe species is threatened by the impacts of

climate change and, according to IUCN, the rise in sea level is expected to reduce their habitat by at least 30 per cent in the next 45 years.

Like many tropical island endemics, increased global temperatures are predicted to either directly

(e.g. reduce daily activity) or indirectly (e.g. changes in vegetation that influence Komodo dragon prey) impact island Komodo dragon populations.

These potential impacts could occur well before any sea-level rise leads to the flooding of low-lying coastal valleys that currently offer good habitat for this species.

Protected Areas: Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Komodo National Park, located in the center of the Indonesian archipelago, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, is composed of three major islands (Rinca, Komodo, and Padar) and numerous smaller ones, all of them of volcanic origin.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

India’s first Dugong Conservation ReserveWhy in News?

Recently, the Tamil Nadu State government announced that a 500-sqkm dugong conservation reserve will be set up in the Palk Bay.

About the dugong It is also called as the sea cow, and a herbivorous

mammal.

They can grow upto three meters long, weigh about 300 kilograms, and live for about 65 to 70 years, grazing on sea grass and coming to the surface to breathe.

Habitats in India: Dugongs are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.

Conservation StatusCITES: Appendix I

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable

Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I

ThreatsThe loss of sea grass habitats, water pollution

and degradation of the coastal ecosystem due to developmental activities has made life tough for these slow-moving animals.



Dugongs are also victims of accidental entanglement in fishing nets and collision with boats, trawlers.

The Palk BayIt is a narrow strip of water separating

the state of Tamil Nadu in India from the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

The bay, which is 137 km in length and varies from 64 to 137 kilometres in width, is divided by the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Bordering it are five Indian districts and three Sri Lankan districts.

Groundswell report: World BankRecently, the World Bank’s updated

Groundswell report was released. Climate change is a powerful driver of internal migration because of its impacts on people’s livelihoods and loss of livability in highly exposed locations, the report stated.

Findings of the reportClimate change can force some 216 million

people in six world regions to move within their own countries by 2050.

Hotspots of internal climate migration can emerge as early as 2030 and continue to spread and intensify by 2050.

Immediate and concerted action to reduce global emissions and support green, inclusive and resilient development, could reduce the scale of climate migration by as much as 80 per cent.

Internal Climate Migrants: By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa could see as many as 86 million internal climate migrants; east Asia and the Pacific, 49 million; south Asia, 40 million; north Africa, 19 million; Latin America, 17 million and eastern Europe and Central Asia, five million.

TarballsRecently, black oil-emanating balls also called

as ‘Tarballs’ lying on the shore of Mumbai Beach.

Based on a study of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Tarballs are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. Tarballs are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments.

They are transported from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves.

Tarballs are usually coin-sized and are found strewn on the beaches. However, over the years, they have become as big as basketballs and can weigh as much as 6-7 kgs.

All the oil spilt in the Arabian sea eventually gets deposited on the western coast in the form of

tarballs in the monsoon season when wind speed and circulation pattern favour transportation of these tarballs.



THECATALYST

September 2021

Slaughter of White Dolphins in Faroe IslandRecently, the practice of dolphin

hunting (“grindadrap” hunt) in the North Atlantic Islands has come under scrutiny after more than 1,400 of the mammals were killed.

1,428 white-sided dolphins were slaughtered at Faroe Islands.

White-Sided Dolphins Scientific Name: Lagenorhynchus acutus

Characteristics: Their common name comes from the prominent white stripes on their sides, which span from below the dorsal fin to their tail, where it turns into a yellow or amber color.

Habitat: The distribution of the Atlantic white-sided dolphin is the cool temperate and subarctic waters of the north Atlantic Ocean from southern Greenland to Massachusetts, and from the British Isles to western Norway.

It has also been reported as far as the southern Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Azores, and the Adriatic Sea.

Conservation StatusIUCN: Least Concern

CITES: Appendix II

Arsenic contamination in food chain: StudyA recent study in Bihar has found Arsenic

contamination not only in groundwater but in the food chain as well.

The research study was a part of the Project Nature and Nurture in Arsenic Induced Toxicity of Bihar jointly funded by the British Council in the United Kingdom and Department of Science and Technology in India.

Key FindingsArsenic contamination in groundwater has

been a growing concern in several parts of the country.

Three common eatables — rice, wheat and potato — have elevated levels of arsenic that increases the disease burden in exposed persons.

Arsenic is present in the groundwater as it is used on a large scale for irrigation by farmers. That is how it finds its way into the food chain as well.

Food had more arsenic content than drinking water, even when arsenic levels in drinking water was above the World Health Organization (WHO) provisional guide value of 10 micrograms per litre (μg / L).



This is the first study where a detailed dietary assessment was conducted on arsenic exposed populations of Bihar to estimate the arsenic exposure from the three major staple foods, cooked rice, wheat flour and potato.Arsenic

It is an odourless and tasteless metalloid widely distributed in the earth’s crust.

It is naturally present at high levels in the earth crust and groundwater of a number of countries. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form.

Arsenicosis is the medical word for arsenic poisoning, which occurs due to accumulation of large amounts of arsenic in the body.

It leads to adverse health effects through inhibition of essential enzymes, which ultimately leads to death from multi-system organ failure.

Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.

SHOONYA CAMPAIGNRecently, NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain

Institute (RMI) and RMI India have launched the Shoonya Campaign.

RMI is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1982.

About The campaign aims to accelerate adoption of

electric vehicles (EVs) in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery by working with consumers and industry.

Urban freight vehicles account for 10 percent of freight transportation-related CO2 emissions in India, and these emissions are expected to grow by 114 percent by 2030.

EVs emit no tailpipe emissions, which can contribute immensely to an improved air quality. Even when accounting for their manufacture, they emit 15-40 percent less CO2 compared to the internal combustion engines and have lower operational cost.

Shoonya Brand is being launched to promote industry’s efforts towards transitioning to EVs for final-mile deliveries. It will help the e-commerce companies to distinguish their offerings from those of their competitors.

An online tracking platform will share the campaign’s impact through data such as vehicle kilometers electrified, carbon savings, criteria pollutant savings and other benefits from clean delivery vehicles.



THECATALYST

September 2021

MURA-DRAVA-DANUBE: THE FIRST 5-COUNTRY BIOSPHERE RESERVE

UNESCO has designated Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve’.

The biosphere reserve covers 700 kilometres of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers and stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.

The total area of the reserve - a million hectares - in the so-called ‘Amazon of Europe’ makes it the largest riverine protected area on the continent.

SignificanceThe reserve is home to floodplain forests,

gravel and sand banks, river islands, oxbows and meadows.

It is home to continental Europe’s highest density of breeding white-tailed eagle, as well as

endangered species such as the little tern, black stork, otters, beavers and sturgeons.

It is also an important annual resting and feeding place for more than 250,000 migratory birds, according to WWF.

The reserve is inhabited by almost 900,000 people too.

Why MDD was designated as a biosphere reserve?

It will advance the protection and revitalisation of the Mura-Drava-Danube area and boost sustainable business practices. It will also enhance cross-border cooperation.

The aim is to revitalize 25,000 km of rivers and protect 30 per cent of the European Union’s land area by 2030.



MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARKRecently, the official length of Mammoth Cave

has been extended to 420 miles.

AboutMammoth Cave National Park, located in the

state of Kentucky (US).

It has the world's largest network of natural caves and underground passageways, which are characteristic examples of limestone formations (karst topography).

It is a World Heritage Site (designated in 1981). It became an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990.

BLACK TIGERSRecently, scientists resolved the genetic

mystery of Simlipal’s so-called black tigers.

About The black tigers, also known as the melanistic

tiger are actually Bengal tigers with pseudo-melanism.

The species derives its name because of a gene defect, which means that their thick black stripes, with little space between them, hide the orange fur.

It is believed that inbreeding results in their thick black stripes. Due to Geographic Isolation, genetically related individuals have been mating with each other for many generations in Similipal, leading to inbreeding.

It should be noted that this has important implications for tiger conservation as such isolated and inbred populations are prone to extinction over even short periods of time.

The Simlipal Tiger Reserve is the only tiger habitat in the world with melanistic tigers.

According to the 2018 Tiger Census report, there has been a drastic reduction in black-striped tigers.

What is pseudo-melanism? It is a condition characterised by unusually

high deposition of melanin, a dark pigment. Truly melanistic tigers are yet to be recorded.

This pseudo-melanism is linked to a single mutation in Transmembrane Aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep), a gene responsible for similar traits in other cat species.



THECATALYST

September 2021

GLOBAL METHANE PLEDGE

CLIMATE ACTION AND FINANCE MOBILISATION DIALOGUE

U.S. President Joe Biden recently announced the Global Methane Pledge at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF).

AboutGlobal Methane Pledge is a joint US-European

Union (EU) pledge to cut global methane emissions by nearly 30% in the next decade.

The pledge will help in rapidly reducing the rate of global warming.

It will also produce a very valuable side benefit, like improving public health and agricultural output.

The pledge will be formalized at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.

Significance Methane is the second most abundant human-

caused greenhouse gas (GHG) and is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years in the atmosphere, and 34 times more powerful over 100 years.

Because it exists for a relatively short time in the atmosphere, cutting methane provides a quick benefit in terms of limiting near-term temperature rise.

Most human-caused methane emissions stem from three sectors: agriculture (40%), energy (35%) and waste (20%).

Studies estimate that ambitious actions to reduce methane can avoid 0.30 C of warming by 2050.

Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF)MEF was launched in 2009. It is aimed at facilitating candid dialogue among major emitting countries, both developed and developing, to garner the political leadership needed to advance efforts against climate change.

Why in news India and the United States of America

(USA) launched the “Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD)”. The CAFMD is one of the two tracks of the India-U.S. Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership launched at the Leaders' Summit on Climate in April 2021, by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and US President Mr. Joseph Biden.

ABOUT CAFMDCAFMD will provide both countries an

opportunity to renew collaborations on climate change while addressing the financing aspects and deliver climate finance primarily as grants and concessional finance, as envisaged under Paris Agreement to strengthen climate action.

The dialogue will not only strengthen India-US bilateral cooperation on climate and environment but also help to demonstrate how the world can align swift climate action with inclusive and resilient economic development.

The partnership will aim to mobilise finance and speed clean energy deployment; demonstrate and scale innovative clean technologies needed to decarbonise sectors including industry, transportation, power, and buildings; and build capacity to measure, manage, and adapt to the risks of climate-related impacts, according to the India-US joint statement in following the launch of the partnership. It will build on and subsume a range of existing processes.



WHO UPDATED AIR QUALITY NORMS?

WORLD RHINO DAY

Why in news The World Health Organisation (WHO)

released stringent air quality guidelines, lowering the recommended levels of pollutants that can be considered safe for human health.

New normsWhile a PM2.5 concentration of 25

micrograms per cubic metre in a 24-hour period was considered safe earlier, the WHO has now said that a concentration of over 15 micrograms is not safe.

The recommended levels of six most common air pollutants — PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide , and carbon monoxide – have all been revised downwards from the existing norms that have been in place since 2005. PM2.5 and PM10 refer to particulate matters of sizes 2.5 microns or less, and 10 microns and less, respectively (micron

is one millionth of a metre), and are the most common pollutants, as well as causes of respiratory diseases.

The new guidelines take into account several scientific studies in recent years that have suggested that air pollution is much more damaging to human health than earlier known.

By WHO’s own estimates, nearly 7 million deaths every year can now be attributed to diseases that are a direct cause of air pollution.

The new air quality guidelines mean that nearly entire India would be considered a polluted zone for most of the year.

But India is not alone. By WHO’s own admission, more than 90 per cent of the world’s population lived in areas which did not meet its 2005 pollution standards.

With the norms now being made even more stringent, this proportion would go up.

World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22 every year! This special day provides the opportunity for cause related organizations, NGOs, zoos, and members of the public to celebrate rhinos in their own unique ways.

History World Rhino Day was first announced by

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - South Africa in the year 2010.

It was popularized by two dedicated women, identified as Rhishja Cota and Lisa Jane Campbell. A year after its announcement, World Rhino Day largely grew into an international success and message to the people encompassing both Asian and African Rhinos.

Lisa, who was from Zimbabwe’s Chishakwe Ranch, was already planning to look for collaborators to go ahead with World Rhino Day in 2011.

As the two shared a common goal, they began working towards making World Rhino Day a celebration for all five species of Rhinos.

World Rhino Day: Significance There are five species of Rhinos that are found

in Africa and Asia.

"Some species of rhinoceros are among the world’s most endangered animals, threatened by both habitat loss and poaching.



THECATALYST

September 2021

HUMBOLDT PENGUIN

BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION

Recently, Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo announced the addition of two new Humboldt penguin chicks. Mumbai’s byculla zoo announced the addition of two new Humboldt penguin this year.

At Byculla, the seven adult penguins were brought to the zoo in 2016 from Seoul.

Humboldt penguins are a medium-sized species among at least 17 species. The exact number of distinct species is debated, but it is generally agreed that there are between 17 and 19 species, according to the Smithsonian Institute.

The largest, the Emperor penguin, stands at over 4 ft tall while the Little penguin has a maximum height of 1 ft. Humboldt penguins have an average height of just over 2 ft.

Penguins are divided into six genera .The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) belongs to a genus that is commonly known as the ‘banded’ group.

Humboldt penguins are endemic to the Pacific coasts of Chile and Peru. They are so named because their habitat is located near the Humboldt Current, a large oceanic upwelling characterised by cold waters.

Humboldt penguins have large, bare skin patches around their eyes, an adaptation to help keep them cool, according to the Smithsonian Institute.

Their breeding season in the wild is either March-April or September-October depending on the location of the colony.

The Humboldt is one of the most popular zoo penguins due to its ability to withstand warmer climates.

The unnamed chick is being looked after by its parents Flipper, the oldest female penguin at the zoo, and Mr Molt, the youngest among the males, through a process called ‘brooding’. Its sex is yet to be known.

Why in newsTwo more beaches in India have been awarded

'Blue Flag' certification, an international eco-level tag, taking the total number of such beaches in the country to 10. The two beaches to receive the certification this year are Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry.

What is the ‘Blue Flag’ certification? The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be

obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label.

The certification is awarded by the Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education, which sets stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria that applicants must meet and maintain.

It is awarded annually to beaches and marinas in FEE member countries. The Blue Flag programme was started in France in 1985 and in areas out of Europe in 2001.

The programme promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas through four main criteria: water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety. Forty-seven countries currently participate in the program, and 4,573 beaches, marinas, and boats have this certification.

In its July 2019 notification, the Environment Ministry identified the following beaches in India for Blue Flag certification: Shivrajpur (Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat), Bhogave (Sindhudurg, Maharashtra), Ghoghla (Diu, Daman and Diu), Miramar (Panjim, Goa), Kasarkod (Karwar, Karnataka), Padubidri (Udupi, Karnataka), Kappad (Kozhikode, Kerala), Eden (Puducherry), Mahabalipuram (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Puri, Odisha), and Radhanagar (Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar).



HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN HIMALAYASGS-III Disaster and disaster management. Gs-I Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes,

Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.

ContextThe Environment Ministry

recently has permitted seven hydroelectric power projects, which are reportedly in advanced stages of construction, to go ahead. One of them is the 512 MW Tapovan Vishnugadh project, in Joshimath, Uttarakhand that was recently damaged by a flood in February.

The seven projects are the1. Tehri Stage 2: 1000 MW on

Bhagirathi river2. Tapovan Vishnugadh: 520

MW on Dhauliganga river3. Vishnugadh Pipalkoti: 444

MW on Alaknanda river4. Singoli Bhatwari: 99 MW

on Mandakini river5. Phata Bhuyang: 76 MW on

Mandakini river6. Madhyamaheshwar: 15

MW on Madhyamaheshwar Ganga

7. Kaliganga 2: 6 MW on Kaliganga river

History of hydropower projects in the Himalayas

In the aftermath of the Kedarnath floods of 2013 that killed at least 5,000 people, the Supreme Court had halted the development of hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand

Ravi Chopra Committee reported that 23 projects would have an “irreversible impact” on the ecology of the region.

Following this, six private project developers, impleaded themselves on the ground that since their projects had already been cleared for construction before the Kedarnath tragedy, they should be allowed to continue.

Vinod Tare committee which was directed by the Supreme Court concluded that these projects could have a significant environmental impact.

The Das committee, 2015 recommended all six projects to continue with design modifications.

By 2019, the renamed Jal Shakti Ministry had changed its stance to accommodate seven out of the 24 projects. Its current position however is that barring these, it is “not in favour” of new projects in the Ganga river basin.

Though hearings in the SC are ongoing, this is the first time that the government has a formal uniform position on hydropower projects in the Uttarakhand region.



THECATALYST

September 2021

Challenges to Hydropower projects in Himalayas

Glacier retreat and permafrost thaw are projected to decrease the stability of mountain slopes and increase the number and area of glacier lakes.

Climate change has driven erratic weather patterns like increased snowfall and rainfall.

The thermal profile of ice was increasing, which means that the temperature of ice that used to range from -6 to -20 degree C, was now -2 degree C, making it more susceptible to melting.

With increased instances of cloudbursts, and intense spells of rainfall and avalanches, residents of the region were also placed at increased risk of loss of lives and livelihood.

Stance of Uttarakhand government: It pays over ₹1,000 crore annually to purchase electricity and therefore, the more such projects are cancelled, the harder for them to meet their development obligations.

Concerns of environmentalists: The proposed projects being built by private companies allot only a limited

percentage of their produced power for the State of Uttarakhand itself. Thus the State takes on massive environmental risk without being adequately compensated for it or its unique challenges accounted for.

Way ForwardIt is recommended that

there should be no hydropower development beyond an elevation of 2,200 metre in the Himalayan region. Considering population growth and required industrial and infrastructure growth, the government should be serious in development of hydro power which is essential for the sustainable growth of the economy, but in a more ecological manner.



GREEN HYDROGENGS-III Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

IntroductionIn budget speech, the finance minister

announced the launch of a Hydrogen Energy Mission in 2021-22 for generating Hydrogen from green power sources.

Accordingly, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has drafted a National Hydrogen Energy Mission document which would inter-alia aim to scale up Green Hydrogen production and utilization across multiple sectors, including transportation

WHAT IS GREEN HYDROGEN AND HOW IS IT OBTAINED?

This technology is based on the generation of hydrogen a universal, light and highly reactive fuel through a chemical process known as electrolysis.

This method uses an electrical current to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in water.

If this electricity is obtained from renewable sources we will, therefore, produce energy without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

As the IEA points out, this method of obtaining green hydrogen would save the 830 million tonnes of CO2 that are emitted annually when this gas is produced using fossil fuels.

Likewise, replacing all grey hydrogen in the world would require 3,000 TWh/year from new renewables equivalent to current demand of Europe.

However, there are some questions about the viability of green hydrogen because of its high production cost; reasonable doubts that will disappear as the decarbonisation of the earth progresses and, consequently, the generation of renewable energy becomes cheaper.

HYDROGEN AS CLEAN ENERGYHydrogen is the most abundant chemical

element in nature. As noted by the IEA, the global demand for hydrogen for use as a fuel has tripled since 1975 and reached 70 million tonnes a year in 2018.

In addition, it is a clean energy source that only emits water vapour and leaves no residue in the air, unlike coal and oil. Hydrogen has a long-standing relationship with industry.

This gas has been used to fuel cars, airships and spaceships since the beginning of the 19th century.

The decarbonisation of the world economy, a process that cannot be postponed, will give hydrogen more prominence.



THECATALYST

September 2021

In addition, if its production costs fall by 50 % by 2030, as predicted by the World Hydrogen Council, we will undoubtedly be looking at one of the fuels of the future.

India initiative on green hydrogen production

Minister of new and renewable energy informed that India proposes to green industry sectors to replace Grey Hydrogen (drawn from imported natural gas) with Green Hydrogen and for this it will come out with a Green Hydrogen Purchase Obligation for different sectors like petroleum and fertilizer.

This will also provide huge demand for domestically manufactured solar and wind equipments as well as storage.

NTPC is pioneering Green Hydrogen Initiatives in India. NTPC which is undertaking extensive study, experimentations in the areas of Carbon Capture & Hydrogen have also announced a few pilot projects on Green Hydrogen. Green hydrogen is of great topical interest to all the countries including BRICS as it has a great amount of potential to ensure sustainable energy

supply, increase the level of energy availability and minimize the negative impact on the environment.

India, the transition to a hydrogen economy will not only reduce India’s import dependency on hydrocarbon fuels but also provide clean air to its citizens, reduce GHG emissions in absolute terms and fulfil India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.



SEA LEVEL RISE GS-III Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Gs-I Important Geophysical phenomena

Why in news The recently published

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report from Working Group I ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ is a clarion call for climate action. It provides one of the most expansive scientific reviews on the science and impacts of climate change.

Sea level riseClose to 700 million people

worldwide live along the coast and there continue to be plans to expand coastal cities. Therefore, understanding the risks involved from climate change and sea level rise in the 21st and 22nd centuries is crucial.

Sea level rise will continue after emissions no longer increase, because oceans respond slowly to warming.

The centennial scale irreversibility of sea level rise has implications for the future even under the low emissions scenarios.

Sea level rise occurs mainly due to the expansion of warm ocean waters, melting of glaciers on land, and the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

Global mean sea level (GMSL) rose by 0.2m between 1901 and 2018. The average rate of sea level rise was 1.3 mm/year (19011971) and rose to 3.7 mm/year (20062018).

While sea level rise in the last century was mainly due to thermal expansion, glacier and ice sheet melt are now big contributors.

In the low emissions scenario, GMSL is expected to be 0.19m in 2050 and 0.44m by 2100.

In the very high emissions scenario, GMSL is expected to be about 0.23m in 2050 and 0.77m in 2100.

These increases are relative to 19952014 and do not include uncer tainties in ice sheet processes.

Scientists rely on ice sheet models to estimate future glacier melt. While these models have improved over the years, there are shortcomings in the knowledge and representation of the physical processes.

According to the UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report, the world is heading for a temperature rise above 3°C this century, which is double the Paris Agreement aspiration and there is deep uncertainty in sea level projections for warming above 3°C.

Vulnerability in India Communities along the

coast in India are vulnerable to sea level rise and storms, which will become more intense and frequent. They will be accompanied by storm surges, heavy rain and flooding.

Even the 0.1m to 0.2m rise expected along India in the next few decades can cause frequent coastal flooding. A speculator might think that if less than a metre sea level rise by 2100 is the likely scenario, they have another 60-80 years to continue developing infrastructure along the coast.

That would not, however, be the right way to interpret the IPCC data. Adaptation to sea level rise must include a range of measures, along with coastal regulation, which should be stricter, not laxer, as it has become with each update of the Coastal Regulation Zone.

The government should not in sure or bail out speculators, coastal communities should be alerted in advance and protected during severe weather events, natural and other barriers should be considered in a limited manner to protect certain vulnerable areas, and retreat should be part of the adaptation strategies for some very low-lying areas.

Pg 76

What's Inside?

SSCIENCE & CIENCE &

TTECHNOLOGYECHNOLOGY

NIPAH VIRUS

DENGUE

INDIA RANKINGS, 2021- NIRF

CHANDRAYAAN 2

TECH BASED ON CRISPR

TO CONTROL GROWTH OF

MOSQUITOES

SALINE GARGLE RT-PCR

TESTING

INDEMNITY WAIVER FOR COVID-19 VACCINES In the absence of indemnity waiver, overseas manufacturers may load the

risk onto the price of the vaccines, making each dose more expensive.


Science and TechnologySeptember 2021

NIPAH VIRUSWhy in News?

After a gap of over three years, a case of the zoonotic Nipah virus infection was reported in Kozhikode district of Kerala.

Nipah virus It is a zoonotic infection, which means these

infections are transmitted from animals to humans or vice versa.

The transmitter of the disease can be a pig, a fruit bat, dogs, goats, cats or even horses.

It can also be passed on through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person.

Symptoms include acute encephalitis (swollen brain) and respiratory illnesses.

The first outbreak was reported in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998-99 and nearly 300 people were infected with the virus, and around 100 people succumbed to it.

In India, it was first detected in Siliguri, West Bengal in 2001, and around 45 people had died from the virus. Kerala also reported several cases of Nipah virus in 2018.

NIPAH VIRUS (NiV) OUTBREAKAfter a gap of over three years, the

zoonotic Nipah virus infections are rising in the southern states of India.

AboutNipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus

i.e. it transmits from animals to humans.

The organism which causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus.

Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal disease in both infected horses and humans.

First Nipah outbreak was in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 - 1999.

It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.

The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses.

The human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death.

Currently, there are no vaccines for both humans and animals.


Science and Technology September 2021

DENGUEDengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted

by the bite of an infected female Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It is a daytime feeder and breeds in clean stagnant water.

These mosquitoes are also vectors of chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika viruses.

Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person. The mosquito becomes infected when it feeds on the blood of a person infected with the virus, then it can transmit the virus while biting a healthy person.

There are four types of dengue strains, and type II and IV are considered to be more severe and normally require hospitalisation.

Infection with one strain will provide life-time protection only against that particular strain. However, it is still possible to become infected by other strains and develop into severe dengue.

Dengue causes flu-like symptoms and lasts for 2-7 days. Dengue fever usually occurs after an incubation period of 4-10 days after the bite of the infected mosquito.

There is no vaccine or specific medication for dengue fever.

Most cases occur in tropical areas of the world, including the Indian subcontinent.



INDIA RANKINGS, 2021- NIRF

CHANDRAYAAN 2

The Ministry of Education has released the sixth edition of the India Rankings, 2021 instituted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

About NIRFIt was launched by the Ministry of Education

in 2015, to rank higher educational institutions in the country based on objective criteria to promote competitive excellence.

The education institutions are ranked under NIRF as per 5 different parameters:

1. Teaching, Learning & Resources: Checks the core activities in the education institutions.

2. Research and Professional Practice: Excellence in teaching and learning is closely associated with the scholarship.

3. Graduation Outcome: Tests the effectiveness of learning/core teaching.

4. Outreach & Exclusivity: Lays special emphasis on the representation of women.

5. Perception: Importance is also given to the perception of an institution.

The institutions were ranked across 11 categories: overall national ranking, universities, engineering, college, medical, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, dental and research.

Why in news Although the soft landing on the Moon

failed, the Orbiter has been doing its job. 2 years on, ISRO has released the information gathered, from confirmation of the presence of the water molecule to data about solar flares.

MissionThe failure of Chandrayaan-2, India’s second

mission to the Moon, to make a soft-landing on the lunar surface had led to much disappointment. The lander and rover malfunctioned in the final moments and crash-landed, getting destroyed in the process.

But that did not mean the entire mission had been wasted. The Orbiter part of the mission has been functioning normally, and in the two years since that setback, the various instruments on board have gathered a wealth of new information that has added to our knowledge about the Moon and its environment.

What is the information gathered? The Orbiter is carrying eight instruments.

Through different methods, these instruments are meant to carry out a few broad tasks study in more detail the elemental composition of the lunar surface and environment, assess the presence of different minerals, and do a more detailed mapping of the lunar terrain.

While the Orbiter payloads build upon existing knowledge of the Moon in terms of its surface, sub-surface and exosphere, it also paves the path for future Moon missions.

Four aspects mineralogical and volatile mapping of the lunar surface, surface and subsurface properties and processes involved, quantifying water in its various forms across the Moon surface, and maps of elements present on the moon will be key for future scope of work.



TECH BASED ON CRISPR TO CONTROL GROWTH OF MOSQUITOES

Leveraging advancements in CRISPR-based genetic engineering, researchers have created a system that restrains populations of mosquitoes that infect millions each year with debilitating diseases.

The “precision-guided sterile insect technique” (pgSIT), alters genes linked to male fertility creating sterile offspring and female flight in Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for spreading diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika,.

The pgSIT uses CRISPR to sterilise male mosquitoes and render female mosquitoes (which spread disease) flightless. The system is self-limiting

and is not predicted to persist or spread in the environment, two safety features that should enable acceptance for this technology.

pgSIT eggs can be shipped to a location threatened by mosquito-borne disease or developed at an on-site facility that could produce the eggs for nearby deployment.

Once the pgSIT eggs are released in the wild, sterile pgSIT males will emerge and eventually mate with females, driving down the wild population as needed.

The Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has transferred the technology of indigenously developed saline gargle reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique for testing Covid-19 sample.

The technology that also provides instant test results and is well-suited for rural areas with poor connectivity, given its minimal infrastructure requirements, has been transferred to the Union ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).

It is supposed to be simple, cost-effective, patient-friendly, and comfortable. As part of the technology transfer deal, the licensees are expected to set up manufacturing facilities for commercial production in the form of compact, easy-to-use kits.

The principal inventor of this is NEERI scientist Dr Krishna Khairnar and a team of research

scholars of environmental virology at CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur. Swab collection requires time.

Moreover, since it is invasive, it is a bit uncomfortable for patients. Time is also lost in transporting a sample from the collection centre to the laboratory. The saline gargle RT-PCR method is instant, comfortable and patient-friendly.

Sampling is done instantly and results are generated within three hours. The method is non-invasive and simple enough for a patient to collect his/her own sample for testing.

A simple collection tube filled with a saline solution is used. The patient gargles with the solution and rinses it inside the tube. The sample is then taken to a laboratory where it is kept at room temperature in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI. An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for RT-PCR test.

SALINE GARGLE RT-PCR TESTING



INDEMNITY WAIVER FOR COVID-19 VACCINES

GS-III Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

With the emergence of new novel coronavirus variants, there is no effective herd immunity target that we can count on. Vaccinating as many citizens as possible is the best way forward.

There is a substantial supply-demand gap of vaccines that is yet to be resolved. To this end, the government has waived the requirement for foreign vaccines to complete bridging trials in India and the need for quality control checks of individual vaccine batches.

Earlier, the USA had announced the distribution of 80 million doses to countries including India, as part of its “COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework”. Despite this announcement, the vaccines are being held up by regulatory issues over indemnity i.e. the waiver of liability.

What is the issue?The scientific community

has developed COVID-19 vaccines at a swift pace, with limited trial cohorts and durations. As a result, vaccine doses can have rare yet serious side effects, generally called “Adverse Events Following Immunisation” (AEFIs).

Under the “indemnity clause” for vaccines, the vaccine recipients have a legal right to sue the vaccine’s manufacturer for

compensation. And mass litigation over unexpected side-effects can land the manufacturer in severe financial and legal troubles.

‘Bridging trials’ are localised clinical trials which generate data related to the impact of foreign medicines/vaccines on the indigenous population before they are rolled out for the public, to ascertain the efficacy and potential side-effects related to the medicine/vaccine.

This prospect often discourages the manufacturers from supplying their vaccines in countries where they don’t have protection against such legal action.

Example: In the 1980s, numerous cases against manufacturers of the DPT vaccine and healthcare providers in the US resulted in vaccine deficiency.

“The indemnity waiver” will protect the manufacturers from any potential civil-legal liability or immunity from being sued by people for any unforeseen complications arising from their COVID-19 vaccine.

Demand of vaccine manufacturers

Vaccine manufacturers, Moderna and Pfizer are ready to supply their COVID-19

vaccines to India provided the Government of India gives them indemnity against any liabilities from the usage of their vaccines.

Pfizer enjoys such immunity in the US, UK and most other countries where it is supplying COVID-19 vaccines. Local manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) is also seeking the same.

The "indemnity clause" is one of the main reasons why the two vaccine manufacturers have stayed out of India despite a staggering shortage of vaccines in the country, and independent tenders being floated by several state governments across India.

Present status in IndiaIf the Indian government

gives an indemnity to foreign vaccine makers to roll out their vaccine in the country, the government, and not the vaccine maker, would be liable to compensate any citizen who claims



to have side effects after taking the vaccine jab.

Section 124 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 defines the “Contract of Indemnity” as a contract by which one party guarantees to save the other person from loss caused to him by the action of the guarantor himself, or by the action of any other person.

What happens in case the Government allows indemnity?

In case people suffer from a grave injury, disability and death linked to the vaccine, indemnity

doesn’t stop people from suing the manufacturer.

Liability under the legislation will be intact. They can recover the losses contractually from the government.

In the absence of indemnity waiver, overseas manufacturers may load the risk onto the price of the vaccines, making each dose more expensive.

Way Forward The government needs

to set up the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) as a remedial measure, under which

vaccine-manufacturers wouldn’t be held responsible for compensating for any vaccine-related injury claims.

The system will help to maintain an adequate supply of vaccines at a stable cost, and maintains a forum in which eligible individuals can receive compensation reasonably quickly. Unfortunately, VICP doesn’t cover COVID-19 vaccines.

There is a need to strengthen adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) reporting and investigations.

The real options before us are, no indemnity to any company on COVID-19 vaccines or indemnity for all vaccine manufacturers in the national programme.

Pg 88

Pg 86

Pg 89

Police Reforms in IndiaChange in nature of crime with threats of cyber-crime, suicide

bombings, and out-dated police force need modernisation.

HAQQANI NETWORKThe Haqqani Network has emerged as the most powerful

group in the new Taliban government,

20 YEARS-TWIN TOWER ATTACKSThough partial gains have been met, the 20 year war is an incon-

clusive war on Terror.

What's Inside?

1. NAVAL AVIATION GETS PRESIDENT’S COLOU

2. DEFENCE EXPO 2022 3. ZAPAD, 20214. CENTRE - NSCN (K)

CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT5. SIMBEX 20216. NEW TEJAS MK2 7. EXERCISE SURYA KIRAN8. EXERCISE SAMUDRA

SHAKTHI9. ARJUN MK-110. HELINA11. C-295 MW MEDIUM

TRANSPORT AIRCRAF12. ARMED ROBOT IN

WARFARE


Security September 2021

NAVAL AVIATION GETS PRESIDENT’S COLOURWhy in news

The 70-year-old Naval aviation, which started as a fledgling Fleet Requirement Unit with ten amphibian Sealand aircraft in 1953, is set to be awarded the President’s Colour, the highest honour bestowed on a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation.

Naval aviation The Indian Navy was the first amongst the

three Services to be awarded the President’s Colour on 27 May 1951 by the then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad.

the Navy is often associated with the ships, the aviation wing has emerged as an integral part of the naval operations, both defensive and offensive in nature.

For supremacy or control of the Indian Ocean, naval aviation is very important. A ship can detect a submarine at a range of 3-4 miles, a submarine can detect a surface vessel from about 20-30 miles.

However, a naval aviation aircraft can detect both from much further distances.

There is the sea-borne aviation that includes the fighters and the helicopters.

Then there is the land -borne naval aviation that includes the P8I aircraft which has huge reach and is used for both surveillance and anti-submarine operations

History of Naval aviation The Indian Naval Aviation came into being

with acquisition of the first Sealand aircraft, an amphibious plane, on 13 January 1951. The formal birth of Naval Aviation was the Commissioning of the INS Garuda, a Naval Air Station at Kochi, on 11 May 1953

The first Sealand (IN101) joined the Fleet Requirement Unit, which later became the first Indian Naval Air Squadron, INAS 550, on 17 June 1959 with 10 Sealand, 10 Firefly and three HT-2 aircraft.

India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned in 1961, with her integral squadrons of British Sea Hawk Jets, French Alize ASW aircraft and French Alouette III helicopters.

Induction of INS Viraat along with legendary Sea Harriers in the mid-1980s brought new strength to the carrier operations of the Navy. Now the MiG 29Ks on the INS Vikramaditya lead the way for India’s carrier operations.

The Indian Naval Aviation at present has nine air stations and three naval air enclaves along the Indian coastline and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It now is a force with more than 250 aircraft comprising carrier-borne fighters like the MiG 29K, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

Naval Aviators have been decorated with one Mahavir Chakra, six Vir Chakras, one Kirti Chakra, seven Shaurya Chakras, one YudhSeva Medal and a large number of Nao Sena Medals (gallantry) over the years.


SecuritySeptember 2021

DEFENCE EXPO 2022

ZAPAD, 2021

About defence expoIt is biennial show flagship military expedition. DefExpo was traditionally held in Delhi until 2014 after which it has seen a string of new venues - Goa (2016), Chennai (2018) and Lucknow (2020). The venue was shifted to Goa when late Manohar Parrikar was the defence minister, it moved to Chennai when Nirmala Sitharaman held the portfolio and it was staged in Lucknow with Rajnath Singh as the defence minister.

Defence expo 2020Defence manufacturing firms from across the

world participated in the five-day mega event held in Lucknow.

From raising foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence manufacturing to creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware and notifying two lists of weapons/equipment that cannot be imported, the government has taken a raft of measures to boost self-reliance in the defence sector over the last two years.

India has set aside ₹70,221 crore this year for domestic defence procurement, accounting for 63% of the military’s capital budget. Last year, the ministry spent over ₹51,000 crore, or 58% of the capital budget, on domestic purchases.

The report on international arms transfers attributed the drop in India’s arms imports mainly to an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms and complex procurement processes.

Defence expo 2022 India’s flagship military exhibition, Def Expo, will be held at Gandhinagar in Gujarat in March 2022, with a focus on projecting the country as an emerging defence manufacturing hub, one of the top priorities for the government in the defence sector.

The biennial show will be held in Gandhinagar from March 11-13, the department of defence production announced.

It comes at a time when the government has sharpened its focus on promoting self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector and positioning India as an exporter of military hardware.

Indian army will participate in multi-lateral exercise Zapad 2021 which is a multi-national military exercise going to be held in Russia in September 2021.

It is one of the theatre level exercises of the Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists.

In all, 17 countries have been invited by Russia for the exercise from the Eurasian and South Asian regions.

i. Nine Participating countries: Mongolia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Russia, India and Belarus.

ii. Eight Observer States: Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.

From India, the NAGA Battalion group participating in the exercise will feature an all Arms combined task force.

The exercise aims to enhance military and strategic ties amongst the participating nations while they plan & execute this exercise.

China and Pakistan are also expected to take part in the exercise as observers.

Naga RegimentIt is one of the fiercest infantry regiments of the

Indian Army. It is amongst the youngest regiments of the Indian Army – the first battalion raised in Ranikhet 1970. The regiment recruits mainly from Nagaland, in northeast India.



Centre - NSCN (K) Ceasefire Agreement

SIMBEX 2021

Why in News?Recently, the Central government on Wednesday entered into a one-year ceasefire agreement with the

National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) Niki Group.

This initiative is a significant boost to the Naga peace process and in line with Prime Minister of India's vision of 'insurgency free, prosperous North East'.

Vision of Insurgency Free, Prosperous North East

Recognises that the North East is very important for the country from the aspects of security.

Thus, the aim is to end all disputes in the Northeast by 2022 and usher in a new era of peace and development in the Northeast in 2023.

Under this, the Government is enriching the dignity, culture, language, literature and music of the Northeast.

Why in News?Recently, the 28th edition of Singapore-India

Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) was conducted from 02 to 04 September 2021.

The Indian Navy deployed its guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvijay, anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan and guided-missile corvette INS Kora and one P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the 'SIMBEX' exercise.

The Singapore Navy was represented by formidable class frigate RSS Steadfast, victory

class missile corvette RSS Vigour, one Archer class submarine and one Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft.

Initiated in 1994, SIMBEX is the Indian Navy's longest uninterrupted bilateral maritime exercise with any foreign navy.

28th edition of SIMBEX was a mega naval war game in the southern fringes of the South China Sea, in reflection of their growing congruence of interests in the strategically key region.



NEW TEJAS MK2

EXERCISE SURYA KIRAN

Why in newsThe Aeronautical Development Agency

(ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will unveil the Tejas Mark II with a heavier stand-off weapon capacity in the 75th year of India’s independence, in 2022, and the long-awaited indigenous fighter, which will be manufactured by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), will go into production by 2025-2026.

About Tejas MK2DRDO’s ADA finalised the design of the 17.5

ton Tejas Mark II (Mk-II) in December 2018, and is expected to lock in the design of the fifth generation twin-engine stealth fighter for Indian Air Force (IAF) by the end of the year.

The qualitative requirements were frozen in late 2018, in full consultation and with the approval of the IAF, two years after the project was redesigned. The 4.5 generation fighter will go into production after the Tejas LCA (light combat aircraft) order of 123 aircraft to replace the air force’s ageing MiG-21s is completed.

Sanctioned by the government in 2009, the Mk II will be equipped with state-of-the-art AESA radar with the indigenously developed air-to-air missile Astra, which has a range of 70km.

The beyond visual range missile is currently being tested on the IAF’s Su-30 MKI fighters. ADA and IAF are also moving rapidly on the development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA).

The 25-ton fighter will have all weapons in its belly and be powered by two engines capable of super-cruise speeds. AMCA will have complex S-shaped serpentine intakes. These hide the spinning turbine blades in the engine and are a key stealth feature.

The super cruise feature allows the aircraft to accelerate without the use of after burners. Both features ensure minimum radar signatures. The Tejas will be lightest member of the family; the LCA weighs just around 11 tonnes.

Designed as a fifth-generation stealth fighter using composite material, the AMCA will be unveiled by ADA in 2024. With a weight equivalent to the F-18 fighter, AMCA will be powered with a new engine, the search for which has already started.

15th Edition of Indo - Nepal Joint Military Training, Exercise Surya Kiran between Indian Army and Nepali Army is commencing from 20 September 2021 at Pithoragarh (UK).

During this exercise, an Infantry Battalion from Indian Army and an equivalent strength from Nepali Army would be sharing their experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over a prolonged period in their respective countries.

As part of the exercise, both the Armies would familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques and procedures of operating in a counter-insurgency environment in mountainous terrain. Also, there would be a series

of Expert Academic Discussions on various subjects such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, High Altitude Warfare, Jungle Warfare etc.

The joint military training would culminate with a gruelling 48 hours exercise to validate the performance of both the armies in counter-insurgency in mountainous terrain.

The exercise is part of an initiative to develop inter-operability and sharing expertise between the two nations.

This joint military training will go a long way in improving bilateral relations and also will be a major step towards further strengthening the traditional friendship between the two nations. Last edition of Exercise Surya Kiran was conducted in Nepal in 2019.



EXERCISE SAMUDRA SHAKTHI

ARJUN Mk-1A

Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Jakarta, Indonesia on 18 Sep 21 to participate in the 3rd edition of Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ with the Indonesian Navy scheduled off the approaches to Sunda Strait from 20 Sep to 22 Sep 21.

The exercise aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship, enhance mutual understanding and interoperability in maritime operations between the two navies.

The exercise will also provide an appropriate platform to share best practices and develop a common understanding of Maritime Security Operations.

The participating Indian Navy ships Shivalik and Kadmatt are amongst the latest indigenously designed and built multirole Guided Missile Stealth Frigate and Anti-Submarine Corvette respectively, and form part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, based at Visakhapatnam, under the Eastern Naval Command.

Indian Navy’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Capable Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft P8I is also participating in the exercise.

KRI Bung Tomo, KRI Malahayati and Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft CN-235 are representing Indonesian Navy.

In pursuance of India’s Act East Policy, Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ was conceived in 2018 as a bilateral IN-IDN exercise.

The exercise has matured in complexity over the last two editions and will involve conduct of complex maritime operations including Military Interdiction Operations (MIO), Cross Deck Landings, Air Defence serials, Practice Weapon Firings, Replenishment Approaches and Tactical Manoeuvres.

Under the extant policies, the 3rd edition of Exercise Samudra Shakti exercise is being conducted in a COVID safe environment and seeks to bolster the maritime cooperation between the two navies and forge strong bonds of friendship across the Indo Pacific.

What is the Arjun Main Battle Tank?The Arjun Main Battle Tank project was

initiated by DRDO in 1972 with the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) as its lead laboratory. The objective was to create a “state-of-the-art tank with superior fire power, high mobility, and excellent protection”.

During the development, the CVRDE achieved breakthroughs in the engine, transmission, hydropneumatic suspension, hull and turret as well as the gun control system. Mass production began in 1996 at the Indian Ordnance Factory’s production facility in Avadi, Tamil Nadu.

What are the features of the Arjun tank? The Arjun tanks stand out for their ‘Fin

Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)’ ammunition and 120- mm calibre rifled gun.

It also has a computer-controlled integrated fire control system with stabilised sighting that works in all lighting conditions. The secondary weapons include a co-axial 7.62-mm machine gun for anti-personnel and a 12.7-mm machine gun for anti-aircraft and ground targets.

How many Arjun tanks have been inducted so far?

The Indian Army received the first batch of 16 tanks in 2004 and they were inducted as a squadron of the 43 Armoured Regiment.

In 2009, the first Arjun regiment of the Indian Army had 45 tanks. By 2011, over 100 tanks had been delivered.

In 2010, the Indian army ordered another 124 Arjuns. The Ministry of Defence ordered another 118 units of the Arjun Mk-1A.



These are the units being inducted now at a revised cost of over Rs 8,400 crore.

How is the Mk-1A different?The Mk-1A version has 14 major upgrades on

the earlier version. It is also supposed to have missile firing capability as per the design, but this feature will

be added later as final testing of the capability is still on.

However, the biggest achievement with the latest version is 54.3 per cent indeginous content against the 41 per cent in the earlier model.

HELINAWhy in news

The helicopter-launched version of the Nag anti-tank guided missile, ‘Helina’, and its Air Force variant ‘Dhruvastra’ underwent a joint user trial in the desert ranges recently.The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

About HelinaHelina, which is the helicopter-launched

version of the Nag missile system, is a third-generation fire and forget class anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system mounted on the ALH.

The system has all- weather day and night operational capabilities and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour (ERA).

The Helina missile can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.

While the Helina weapon systems has been developed for the Indian Army, its IAF variant Dhruvastra has also been developed by the DRDO and now both variants are ready for induction into services.

The Helina has also undergone successful trials in 2018. Both Nag and Helina were part of the DRDO’s Republic Day display, which showcased its entire anti-tank missile family.

C-295 MW MEDIUM TRANSPORT AIRCRAFTRecently, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

About C-295 AircraftIt is a Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) of

20 tonnes which will replace Avro-748 transport aircraft procured in the 1960s with a 6-tonne freight capacity.

C-295 Aircraft has a 5-10 tonne capacity, and also has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.

All 56 aircraft will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite.

16 C-295 aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition by Airbus Defence and Space SA.

Remaining 40 C-295 Aircrafts will be manufactured in India by a consortium of the Airbus

Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).

This will provide a major boost to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ as it offers a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter into the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation Industry.



Armed Robot in WarfareRecently, an Israeli defence contractor unveiled a

remote-controlled armed robot named “REX MKII”.

The unmanned vehicle is the latest addition to the world of drone technology, which is rapidly reshaping the modern battlefield.

About the “REX MKII”It can patrol battle zones, track infiltrators and

open fire.

It is operated by an electronic tablet and can be equipped with two machine guns, cameras and sensors.

The robot can gather intelligence for ground troops, carry injured soldiers and supplies in and out of battle, and strike nearby targets.

It is the most advanced of more than half a dozen unmanned vehicles developed by Aerospace Industries, over the past 15 years.

Proponents say such semi-autonomous machines allow armies to protect their soldiers, while critics fear this marks another dangerous step toward robots making life-or-death decisions.



POLICE REFORMS IN INDIAGS-III Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

ContextPolice reforms have been

debated in India for over three decades. However, little has changed in the past many decades in the country. Change in nature of crime with threats of cyber-crime, suicide bombings, and out-dated police force need modernisation. More trained staff and new technological investigating methods are needed for the hour.

Police ReformsPolice reforms aim to

transform the values, culture, policies and practices of police organizations. It envisages police to perform their duties with respect for democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.

It also aims to improve how the police interact with other parts of the security sector, such as the courts and departments of corrections, or executive, parliamentary or independent authorities with management or oversight responsibilities.

Police come under the state list of schedule 7 of the Indian constitution.

Need and significance of police reforms

The basic framework of the Indian police system was made in 1861 in the form of the Police Act, 1861, in the aftermath of the 1857 revolt. However, society has made tremendous strides, especially in

the years after independence, and the public’s expectations from the police forces have changed dramatically.

The global average ratio of police-population is 270 to 100,000, where it’s 120 in India. With far less police –ill-equipped and most of them posted to protect the political representatives, people of India are the least secured people on the globe.

The recent social and technological changes fuelled by the internet and the new social media are fast changing the nature, intensity and the reach of crime leading to unprecedented lawlessness and frightening dimensions of global terrorism.

The lack of effective accountability mechanisms and periodic review of performance has misplaced the public’s confidence in the police. Recent attack on police by mob indicates citizens losing trust in police.

One of the reasons for low conviction rates in India is poor quality of investigation by police. Police lack modern technological capabilities necessary to perform quality investigations.

In the Indian police force, the lower ranks of police personnel are often verbally abused by their superiors or they work in inhuman conditions. This non-harmonious work environment ultimately affects their relationship with the public.

The Second ARC has noted that police-public relations is in an unsatisfactory state because people view the police as corrupt, inefficient, politically partisan and unresponsive. Further, citizens in general fear going to a police station or dealing with the lower ranks of the police forces.

Representation of women and depressed caste is low which makes them insensitive towards them. Escalating violence resulting from caste conflicts including the most recent Dalit uprising, farmers woes across the country.

Apart from the core function of maintaining law and order, police personnel carry out various other functions such as traffic management, disaster rescue and removal of encroachments. These extra obligations lead to overburdening of the police force which have negative consequences on their efficiency and performance.



Why an erosion of public trust in the police is not unusual?As per The Status of Policing in India Report for 2018, police personnel have inherent biases.

Bias against minorities: Police personnel have an inherent bias against minorities and marginalized sections of the society in the sense that it is believed that these sections are prone to violence.

Bias towards violent justice: A section of police personnel felt that it was better to put dangerous criminals to death than on trial.

Thus, an erosion of trust in the police is, thus, highly probable in the country.

Various Commissions/Committees on Police Reforms

The 2006 SC directives are1. Constitute a state security

commission to make sure that the state does not exercise undue influence on the police.

2. The DGP should be appointed a transparent and merit-based process and have a minimum tenure of two years.

3. Other police officers on operational duties should also be given a minimum two-year tenure.

4. The ‘law and order’ and ‘investigation’ functions of the police should be separated.

5. A Police Establishment Board should be set up to decide transfers, promotions, postings

and other service-related matters of the police.

6. Set up police complaints authorities at the state and district levels to enquire into complaints of the public against police officers of and above the DSP rank for serious misconduct including custodial rape and death.

7. Establish a National Security Commission at the central level for preparing a panel for the selection and placement of Chiefs of the Central Police Organisations with a minimum tenure of 2 years.

It is seen that even after 14 years of these SC directives, no state is fully compliant with the reforms.

Way ForwardDespite many commissions

and even the SC giving explicit directions to the governments over the issue of police reforms, nothing concrete has materialised in this area. The reason is a clear lack of political will owing to the deep aversion to change in the status quo by the police establishment and the political make-up. If the police forces are truly to be a representative force, and truly be a service-oriented one fit for a democracy, many of the recommendations have to be implemented. Newer technologies like AI, Machine Learning, etc. have to be included in the future changes being discussed in the policing system in the country.



HAQQANI NETWORKGS-III Security challenges and their management in border areas - linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

Why in news The Haqqani Network has

emerged as the most powerful group in the new Taliban government, with four of the clan nominated as cabinet members.

Introduction The Haqqani Network takes

its name from the leader of the group, Jalaluddin Haqqani, who first fought the Soviet Army in Afghanistan as a loyal ally of the CIA and the ISI, and then fought the US and NATO forces, while he led a protected existence in North Waziristan, where Pakistan gave him and the entire group safe haven.

Haqqani Network’s deep roots in Af-Pak

Jalaluddin Haqqani, a Zadran tribesman from the Loya Paktia (Paktia, Paktika and Khost) area in eastern Afghanistan close to the border with Pakistan, was a member of the anti-communist, anti-Soviet Hizb-e-Islami, and became active as a mujahideen in the 1970s.

Haqqani joined hands with the Taliban in 1995, and he and his men fought alongside the Islamist movement against the various warring factions of the mujahideen.

When the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Jalaluddin became the Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs. The relationship between him and Mullah Omar was one of common interests, but it was hardly smooth, with Haqqani resentful of the prominence Mullah Omar gave to his inner circle from Kandahar.

Haqqani Network post-2001

After the ouster of the Taliban regime by the US and allied forces in 2001, the Haqqani family fled to Pakistan, where they are believed to have taken refuge in their old stronghold of Miramshah in North Waziristan.

They were running a parallel administration there, taxing people and making money off construction contracts and investments in real estate in the area. Another source of income was from fund-raising in the Gulf.

Kidnapping for ransom was a major source of income, as was smuggling timber from Afghanistan into Pakistan. In 2003, when the Taliban began regrouping, the Haqqani clan was central to their efforts.

By then, Sirajuddin had taken over most of the operational aspects of the Haqqani Network from his father Jalaluddin.

Haqqani Network and India

The 2008 Indian Embassy bombing in which a senior diplomat and a military official posted at the Embassy were killed among dozens others, mostly Afghan civilians, was blamed by US and Afghan intelligence on the Haqqani Network.

The National Directorate of Security, the intelligence agency of the erstwhile Afghan government, had provided communication intercepts to Indian authorities that pointed to Haqqani involvement, allegedly with ISI support.

A similar claim was made by the CIA. Other reports pointed to a Lashkar-e-Taiba involvement, with support from the Haqqani Network.

The Haqqani Network is also said to have been behind the attacks on Indian construction workers in Afghanistan in the years 2009-2012. The group’s long relationship with and loyalty to the ISI make it an invaluable asset for Pakistan, according to security officials.

There is considerable disquiet in the Indian security establishment that Sirajuddin Haqqani is a member of the new government of Afghanistan.



20 YEARS OF TWIN TOWER ATTACKGS-III Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

IntroductionOn September 11, 2001, 19

militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States.

Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

Osama bin laden The hijackers were Islamic

terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by the al Qaeda terrorist organization of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military presence in the Middle East.

American responseOperation Enduring Freedom,

the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there, began on October 7,2001.

Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the

Taliban from operational power, but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, then-President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan; it took until August 2021 for all U.S. forces to withdraw.

Economic Impact of 9/11The 9/11 attacks had an

immediate negative effect on the U.S. economy. Many Wall Street institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange, were evacuated during the attacks.

War on al-Qaeda When the 9/11 attack was

planned and executed, al Qaeda had a permanent base in the Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

The U.S. invasion toppled the Taliban regime and killed many alQaeda terrorists and disrupted their network in Afghanistan.

It was the heaviest blow to Alqueda, which had carried out multiple bombings in the past targeting the U.S., including the Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the attack on USS Coleoff Aden, Yemen, in 2000. Alqueda would find an opportunity to regroup and rebuild

its organisation in Iraq after the 2003 American invasion. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordan born Alqaeda leader, established Alqaeda in Iraq (AQI), capitalising on the chaos Iraq fell into after the invasion. 20 years on, it is still an inconclusive war on terror

The rise of IS Zarqawi was killed in 2006

and AQI suffered setbacks as Iraqi Sunnis, backed by U.S. forces and the central government, formed local militias to take on the terrorists.

This calmed Iraq, but it did not last long. When Arab regimes were rocked by protests in 2011, jihadists found a new opportunity amid the chaos that followed. Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, who was the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, announced the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), involving his group in Iraq and alNusra in Syria.

For a few years, the IS would reign as the world’s most dangerous terrorist outfit, but it would be defeated by concerted attempts by several players, including Kurdish and Shia militias,US,Russia,Iran and Iraq. Boko Haram, a jihadist group that came up in Nigeria, declared its loyalty to the IS, allowing the group to expand its operations in Africa.

In Africa, both Alqaeda and the Islamic State (IS Greater Sahara and IS West Africa Province) have set up units, which have carried out brutal at tacks in recent years, especially in the Sahel region. In Somalia, alShabab still remains strong.

What's Inside?

HISTORY

ART & CULTURE

1. CHAM DANCE

2. JALLIANWALA BAGH RENOVATION

3. PASCHIMA SHAWLS

4. BATTLE OF SARAGARHI

5. MANDA BUFFALO


History, Art & Culture September 2021

CHAM DANCE

JALLIANWALA BAGH RENOVATION

Buddhist Cham Dance is a ritual dance that is performed in various monasteries in the Himalayas – especially in regions like Ladakh.

Every monastery follows its own calendar and celebrates its own Gustor festival. In fact, this is one of the key festivals of Ladakh.

Cham dance is a total antidote of Buddha and Buddhism. It is a colorful dance performed by the lamas with strict rituals and rules –who are otherwise seen praying and living in monasteries located on hilltops. The Himalayan monasteries that are usually a quiet spot come alive with these festivals.

Dressed in colorful bright elaborate costumes lamas move rhythmically with live music. It is an

ancient dance tradition with origins probably in Tibet.

A legend links the tradition to Guru Padmasambhava who lived in late 8th CE. It is said that the then king of Tibet Trishong Detsen called Guru Padmasambhava.

He needed help to get rid of the spirits that did not allow him to build the Samye monastery. Spirits used to destroy everything that was built during the day every night.

Guru performed the rituals to get rid of destructive spirits. This ritual over a period of time became elaborate. It is performed today as Cham Dance. This is a practice specific to Mahayana Buddhism.

Why In News Prime Minister inaugurated Jallianwala Bagh

complex in Amritsar.Prime minister who also the chairperson of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust, dedicated the memorial to the public.

Monument The monument was first opened by then

President Dr Rajendra Prasad on April 13, 1961, as a grateful nation’s tribute to the victims of the massacre on April 13, 1919, when a large crowd had gathered at the Bagh to protest the arrest of nationalist leaders Saifuddin Kitchlu and Satya Pal.

What has changed In 2019, approximately Rs 20 crore was

earmarked by the Centre for the commemoration of 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Restoration and conservation work, and the building of facilities such as toilets, ticketing counters, and drinking water, have been undertaken by the Ministry of Culture. The memorial has been shut for the public since February 2019 for the makeover, implemented by the government-owned NBCC Ltd.

What’s new at Jallianwala BaghA 28-minute Sound and Light show re-enacted

the events of April 13, 1919, to be shown free of cost every evening.

Salvation Ground has been built for visitors to sit in silence to honour the martyrs.

Several new sculptures of martyrs have come up on the high walls of the narrow lane through which visitors enter the complex. These represent ordinary Punjabis from different walks of life, who walked into the park on that fateful day, but never returned.

Four new galleries have been created through adaptive re-use of underutilised buildings in the complex to showcase the historical value of events that took place in Punjab during that period. The galleries depict the history of Punjab, history of the freedom movement, and the Gadar movement.

It also has a sculpture of Guru Nanak Dev, Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur, and a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.


History, Art & CultureSeptember 2021

PASCHIMA SHAWLSWhy In News

New initiative in J&K to restore lost glory of Pashmina shawls

Plans are afoot to re-engage women artisans in critical production process by doubling wages and announcing MSPs for GI-certified products

Tradition of shawl When Pashmina was discovered for the very

first time in 16th century Kashmir, it was in its purest form.

The reason behind purity was that synthetic fibre did not exist. And that machines had not taken over.

But as soon as greedy and dishonest traders began dealing with the luxury craft, they introduced machines like power looms into the manufacturing. Power looms need stronger threads and hence strong fibres like nylon would be mixed with Pashmina to be processed by power looms.

And the beauty of Kashmiri Pashmina - which was its premium quality and finesse began to be compromised. Pashmina was produced by many regions, but it was only Kashmiri Pashmina that would have international patrons and admirers.

Present Scenario of Kashmiri PashminaThe present scenario differentiates Kashmiri

Pashmina from its counterparts.

While there is lesser production of Pashmina from Kashmir, big giants like China have taken over the market.

China produces 70 percent of the world's cashmere production, while Mongolia produces 20 percent.

The remaining 10% is produced in other Cashmere producing regions like Afghanistan, India, Nepal, the United States of America, and elsewhere.

Based on the types of Cashmere, there are three main breeds that are reared over the Mighty Himalayas in Tibet, Nepal, and Central Asia the Geographical Indication Kashmiri Pashmina was given the Geographical Indication (GI) as an authenticity certification.

It is a mark corresponding to a specific geographical location or origin. The Geographical Indication acts as a certification that the product has some unique qualities not found anywhere else, enjoys a certain reputation due to its geographical origin, and is crafted according to traditional methods.

And since Kashmir Pashmina is the only Pashmina in the world that uses the traditional Charkha (locally known as the tinder) to spin, and traditional handloom to weave the Pashmina, it is hence the most original of all.


History, Art & Culture September 2021

BATTLE OF SARAGARHIWhy in news

September 12 marks the 124th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi that has inspired a host of armies, books and films, both at home and abroad.

What is the Battle of Saragarhi? The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of

the finest last stands in the military history of the world. Twenty-one soldiers were pitted against over 8,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals but they managed to hold the fort for seven hours. Though heavily outnumbered, the soldiers of 36th Sikhs (now 4 Sikh), led by Havildar Ishar Singh, fought till their last breath, killing 200 tribals and injuring 600.

What was Saragarhi, and why was it important?Saragarhi was the communication tower

between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. The two forts in the rugged North West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan. were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British. Though Saragarhi was usually manned by a platoon of 40 soldiers, on that fateful day, it was being held by only 21 soldiers from 36th Sikh (now 4 Sikh) and a non-combatant called Daad, a Pashtun who did odd jobs for the troops. Saragarhi helped to link up the two important forts which housed a large number of British troops in the rugged terrain of NWFP.

MANDA BUFFALOWhy in news

Koraput’s Manda buffalo in Odisha gets unique, indigenous tag.

About Manda buffalo The National Bureau of Animal Genetic

Resources (NBAGR) has recognised the Manda buffalo, found in the Eastern Ghats and plateau of Koraput region of Odisha, as the 19th unique breed of buffaloes found in India.

The Manda is resistant to parasitic infections, less prone to diseases and can live, produce and reproduce at low or nil input system.

This buffalo germ-plasm was first identified through a detail survey conducted by the Animal

Resource Development (ARD) department of Odisha in collaboration with Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) The NBAGR, affiliated to Indian Council of Agriculture Research, made an assessment and recognised it as indigenous and unique buffalo.

The small, sturdy buffaloes are used for ploughing in their native habitat of Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. Four breeds of cattle Binjharpuri, Motu, Ghumusari and Khariar and two breeds of buffalo Chilika and Kalahandi and one breed of sheep, Kendrapada, have already received NBAGR recognition.

www.sivarajavelias.com

From the first industrial revolution, mechanization through water and steam power to the mass production and assembly lines using electricity in

the second, the fourth industrial revolution will take what was started in the third with the adoption of computers and automation and enhance it with smart and autonomous systems fuelled by data and machine learning. Industry 3.0

When computers were introduced in Industry 3.0, it was disruptive thanks to the addition of an entirely new technology. Now, and into the future as Industry 4.0 unfolds, computers are connected and communicate with one another to ultimately make decisions without human involvement. A combination of cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things and the Internet of Systems make Industry 4.0 possible and the smart factory a reality. As a result of the support of smart machines that keep getting smarter as they get access to more data, our factories will become

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0

Essay/FEATURE

“We cannot wait until there are massive dislocations in our society to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Robert J. Shiller, 2013 Nobel laureate

@sivarajavel ias academywww.sivarajavelias.com

95

more efficient and productive and less wasteful. Ultimately, it's the network of these machines that are digitally connected with one another and create and share information that results in the true power of Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 applications today

While many organizations might still be in denial about how Industry 4.0 could impact their business or struggling to find the talent or knowledge to know how to best adopt it for their unique use cases, several others are implementing changes today and preparing for a future where smart machines improve their business. Here are just a few of the possible applications:Identify opportunities: Since connected machines collect a tremendous volume of data that can inform maintenance, performance and other issues, as well as analyse that data to identify patterns and insights that would be impossible for a human to do in a reasonable timeframe, Industry 4.0 offers the opportunity for manufacturers to optimize their operations quickly and efficiently by knowing what needs attention. Optimize logistics and supply chains: A connected supply chain can adjust and accommodate when new information is presented. If a weather delay ties up a shipment, a connected system can proactively adjust to that reality and modify manufacturing priorities. Autonomous equipment and vehicles: There are shipping yards that are leveraging autonomous cranes and trucks to streamline operations as they accept shipping containers from the ships. Robots: Once only

possible for large enterprises with equally large budgets, robotics are now more affordable and available to organizations of every size. From picking products at a warehouse to getting them ready to ship, autonomous robots can quickly and safely support manufacturers. Robots move goods around Amazon warehouses and also reduce costs and allow better use of floor space for the online retailer. Additive manufacturing (3D printing): This technology has improved tremendously in the last decade and has progressed from primarily being used for prototyping to actual production. Advances in the use of metal additive manufacturing have opened up a lot of possibilities for production. Internet of Things and the cloud: A key component of Industry 4.0 is the Internet of Things that is characterized by connected devices. Not only does this help internal operations, but through the use of the cloud environment where data is stored, equipment and operations can be optimized by leveraging the insights of others using the same equipment or to allow smaller enterprises access to technology they wouldn’t be able to on their own.

Disruptive Technology

Industry 4.0 is gaining popularity due to rapid improvements made in the cyber-computing capabilities in the last few decades. The gap between the virtual and the real world has narrowed by advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and others so as to create an interoperable platform between Information Technology (IT) and actual physical operations. The term Industry 4.0 refers to the

leveraging of cyber physical domains in association with latest technologies like AI, IoT, Cloud computing, AR, 3D printing etc. to enhance productivity. The industry 4.0 is already influencing sectors like manufacturing, supply chain management, construction, shipping etc. and shall impact all the aspects of our day-to-day activities. It is truly considered to be a disruptive technology.

Industry 4.0 Evolution

The first industrial revolution (popularly called Industry 1.0) commenced in the 18th century with the use of steam generated power and mechanization of production. This was an important transition from manual labour based industry to the use of steam powered engines to increase human productivity. Textile industry was one of the early beneficiaries of this mechanization, with the steam engine powered weaving looms replacing the traditional handmade textile products for mass production. A century later, the Second Industrial Revolution (Industry 2.0) began with advent of electricity and the assembly line production using the conveyor belts. The tipping point for the industry was when Henry Ford utilized the assembly line concept for mass production in automobile manufacturing. Further, Industry 3.0 was marked with innovation in the electronics world, when the memory-programmable controls and computers came into existence in the later part of 20th Century. The fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 was triggered by the hi-tech innovations which brought the cyber physical systems together i.e. smart machines capable of exchanging real time information over the industrial internet of things (IIOT)

@sivarajavel ias academy www.sivarajavelias.com

Sep 202196

for decision making process. Industry 4.0 is the ambit of various modern technologies like Cloud Computing, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data science, 3D printing, 5G, Drones, Communications etc., all leveraged for the ability to enhance the productivity in the manufacturing processes.

Indian Perspective

In 2018, the World Economic Forum setup its Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in India to work in collaboration with the GoI. The National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog is the designated nodal agency to interact with the World Economic Forum for elaborating the new policy frameworks for emerging technologies. The GoI has already made the enabling policy framework and set up incentives for infrastructure development on a PPP (Public Private Partnership) model. Samarth Udyog Bharat 4.0 (Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hubs) under the Department of Heavy Industries (Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises) is the India’s initiative to push for Industry 4.0 implementation with an aim to propagate technological solutions to Indian manufacturing units by 2025 through steps like awareness programme, training, demo centers etc. The industry, academia and international cooperation in the field of technologies related to Industry 4.0 is the policy formulated by the government. India’s National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) has been promulgated which aims at enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% and Industry 4.0 is the only way ahead to achieve this task.

Smart manufacturing for MSMEs: How small businesses can overcome barriers to Industry 4.0 adoptionEase of Doing Business for MSMEs: As the pandemic propels a speedy shift towards automation, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) need to be made part of this transition to ensure more inclusive growth and faster poverty alleviation. Indeed, digitally savvy companies have been part of the ongoing Industry 4.0 paradigm from its early days, introducing automation in their traditional manufacturing and industrial activities by deploying smart technologies. Besides automation, smart business and manufacturing practices comprise big data capabilities the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Despite multiple advantages of Industry 4.0, one crucial segment is missing the digital journey – MSMEs. Significantly, MSMEs play a pivotal role in India’s economic development by driving employment, exports, and inclusive growth opportunities.A silent pillar of India’s socio-economic progress, with about 60 million players the segment contributes to 45 per cent of the total industrial production and 40 per cent of its total exports. As per a report by the SME Chamber of India, MSMEs, manufacturing segment accounts for 7.9 per cent of GDP while its total contribution to GDP is 37.54 per cent and it also contributes to 30.50 per cent of services. Not just India, MSMEs are crucial for the global economy too, where they have made sizeable contributions over the decades. In the era of automation, however, these smaller players are

steadily ceding ground to larger companies, because of technology, the adoption of which will help them scale up and stay competitive.

Inclusive Development

Given their role in promoting inclusive development, if MSMEs miss the global automation journey, it will exacerbate economic inequality. In addressing this issue, MSMEs need to leverage the support that the government and industry ecosystem offers to work for the common cause in overcoming these challenges. Integrating MSMEs into the smart manufacturing realm is also required because the world of connected devices and sensors offers a treasure trove of data that can drive better business outcomes through substantial insights. Moreover, connected gadgets make up the edge devices of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), which is the fountainhead of Industry 4.0. In emerging economies such as India, inclusive development is particularly pertinent in addressing COVID-19’s impact. MSMEs are critical for ensuring that economically vulnerable people have suitable opportunities to rise above the poverty line. These cohorts include women, migrants, and minorities, who have a better chance of exiting poverty by taking up employment in MSMEs spread across India. The sector assumes a pivotal role in driving the government’s Make in India initiative for an Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Contributed by,Mathan Prasad.P


September 2021

1. Rule of law index’ is released by which of the following

a) Amnesty international b) International court of justice c) UN commissioner for human rights d) World justice project

2) Consider the following statements regarding “Zapad 2021 exercise”:1. It is one of the theatre level exercises of

US Armed Forces and focuses primarily on operations against terrorists.

2. India is a participating country, whereas Pakistan and China are observer states.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only b) 2 only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

3) Which of the following statements are correct regarding Small Finance Banks:1. Minimum paid up capital required to set up a

small finance bank is 100 crore.

2. It can issue credit cards.

3. It cannot accept time deposits.

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

a) 1 only b) 1 and 2 only c) 3 only d) 2 and 3 only

4) Consider the following statements with respect to the Deputy Speaker for Lok Sabha:1. He/she is appointed by the Speaker of Lok

Sabha.

2. He can be removed from office by a resolution passed in the Lok Sabha by a simple majority.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS3. Whenever he is appointed as a member of a

parliamentary committee, he automatically becomes its chairperson.

Which of the statements given above is/are Correct? a) 3 only b) 1 and 3 only c) 2 and 3 only d) None

5) “Blue Straggler” which is recently seen in news is related to?

a) Society for the conservation of Blue Whales under the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

b) Weather phenomena which occurs over the sky during the onset of monsoon.

c) New plant species discovere d in Antarctica.

d) Class of stars on open or globular clusters.

6) With reference to the 'Eat Right Station' certification, consider the following statements:1. This certification is granted by FSSAI to

railway stations.

2. The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5.


a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) Both 1 and 2d) Neither 1 nor 2

7) What is Hycean worlds, recently seen in news?a) A new class of exoplanetsb) Cryptocurrencyc) Mini satellites launched by European

Space Agencyd) None of the above


September 2021

8) World Social Protection Report 2020-22, recently seen in news, is published by:

a) World Bankb) International Labour Organization

(ILO)c) International Monetary Fundd) None of the above

9) Recently, a tripartite agreement was signed with the vision of Insurgency free prosperous North East. It is related to which of the following north eastern districts?

a) Dima Hasaob) Karbi Anglongc) Chakmad) Jaintia

10) Which of the following sea borders the country Croatia?

a) Baltic Seab) Adriatic Seac) Black Sead) Norwegian Sea

11) Recently declared Guru Ghasidas tiger reserve located in the state of

a) Madhya Pradeshb) Jharkhandc) Bihar d) Chhattisgarh

12) Recently which country implemented ‘anti google law’ to ban monopolies over payments on in-app purchases

a) Germanyb) United Kingdomc) Singapored) South Korea

13) With reference to production of Hydrogen for energy purpose, consider the following statements1. Coal is one of the important sources for making

grey hydrogen

2. Brown hydrogen is produced from natural gas.

Select the correct answer from above statementsa) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) Both 1 and 2d) Neither 1 nor 2

14) Manda buffalo native to Eastern Ghats, National bureau of animal genetic resources declared it as unique breed of buffaloes found in state of

a) Andhra pradeshb) Tamilnaduc) Chattisgarhd) Odisha

15) Consider the following statements regarding Dengue:1. The mosquitoes that transmit Dengue are also

vectors of Chikungunya and Zika viruses.

2. The symptoms of Dengue are similar to that of Measles.

3. The mosquitoes that cause Dengue and Chikungunya do not breed in clear water.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 1 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2, 3

16) “E-Shram Portal” which is recently seen in news is related to?

a) Database of unorganised sector workers.

b) For the purpose of resolution of consular grievances.

c) Registration of pilgrims desirous of undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

d) Facilitating the Know India Program which is a three-week internship programme for Diaspora youth.


September 2021

17) Consider the following statements:1. The National Institutional Ranking Framework

(NIRF) ranks all the international Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

2. The Research Institution category is included for the first time in the NIRF Ranking 2021.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) Both 1 and 2d) Neither 1 nor 2

18) Consider the following statements regarding the UDAN scheme:1. Launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,

aimed at enhancing connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country and making air travel affordable.

2. It focuses on helicopters and seaplanes as well.

3. The scheme will be jointly funded by the central government and state governments.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

a) 1 onlyb) 2 only c) 3 onlyd) None

19) The term “Precision-guided Sterile Insect Technique” recently seen in news is,

a) To suppress wild population of mosquitoes.

b) To control the Bed bug population.c) To increase the production of flowering

plants using pollinators.d) None of the above

20) Recently, which state government announced India’s first dugong conservation reserve to be built?

a) Gujaratb) Odishac) Andhra Pradeshd) Tamil Nadu

21) “PRANA portal” recently seen in news, isa) To provide employment for the migrant

labourersb) to provide real-time availability of

health care suppliesc) To monitor the implementation of the

National Clean Air Programmed) None of the above

22) Consider the following statements regarding LCATejas-Mk21. It is a 4.5 generation aircraft which will be used

by the Indian Air Force.

2. It is a replacement for the Mirage 2000 class of aircraft.

Which of the following statements are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) Both 1 and 2d) Neither 1 nor 2

23) With reference to the Saline Gargle RT-PCR technology, consider the following statements:1. It was developed by National Environmental

Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

2. NEERI is an institute under the DRDO.


a) 1 only b) 2 only c) Both 1 and 2d) Neither 1 nor 2

24) Recently which of the following country has unveiled a remote-controlled armed robot- “REX MKII” for patrolling battle zones?

a) Iranb) Israelc) North Koread) China


September 2021

25) The mechanism “Energy Research Cooperation Platform, Partnership for New Industrial Revolution” (PartNIR) initiated by which of the following summit

a) BRICSb) SCO c) SAARC d) ASEAN

26) Talle wildlife sanctuary, sometimes in news located at

a) Mizoram b) Manipurc) Meghalaya d) Arunachal Pradesh

27) India recently launched a new initiative climate action and financial mobilisation dialogue (CAFMD) with which of the following country

a) UKb) USA c) Germanyd) Japan

28) With reference to Account aggregator network consider the following statements 1. Account Aggregator Framework was created

by NPCI

2. Account aggregators are allowed to store, process and sell the customer data.

Select the correct answer from above statementsa) 1 only b) 2 only c) both 1 and 2 d) neither 1 nor 2

29) Recently India linked digital payments system with which of the following country

a) Singapore b) Germany c) UAE d) UK

30) With reference to the PLI Scheme for Drone industry, consider the following statements:1. The PLI Scheme for the Drones and

Drone components industry addresses the strategic, tactical and operational uses of this revolutionary technology.

2. The total amount allocated for the PLI scheme for drones and drone components is Rs. 120 crore spread over three financial years.



31) Shoonya campaign, recently seen in news, is an initiative of:

a) DRDOb) CSIR c) Green peace Internationald) None of the above

32) Consider the following statements regarding Bad Banks:1. Bad Banks takes over the bad loans of

commercial banks, manages them and finally recovers the money over a period of time.

2. The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits.

3. The takeover of bad loans is normally above the book value of the loan.

Which of the statements given above are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 1 and 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 3


September 2021

33) Which of the following statements are correct?1. The ‘Doing Business’ report is brought out by

the World Economic Forum.

2. Its publication has been recently discontinued due to data irregularities and ethical concerns.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:


34) With reference to the 'Global Methane Pledge', which of the following statement is not correct?

a) It is an US-Russia led effort. b) Sets a target of cutting at least 30%

from global methane emissions, based on 2020 levels, by 2030.

c) It will help to achieve the targets of the Paris climate deal.

d) Methane is a greenhouse gas with 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in global warming capacity.

35) Consider the following statements regarding the “SPIN Scheme”:1. Khadi and Village Industries Commission

(KVIC) have launched this scheme to facilitate the potters to avail easy loans from banks.

2. The scheme facilitates potters to get bank loans under the SIDBI Make In India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) scheme.



36) With reference to Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) Biosphere Reserve, consider the following statements:1. UNESCO has designated Mura-Drava-Danube

(MDD) as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve’.

2. The reserve is uninhabited.

3. It is known as the ‘Amazon of Europe’.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

a) 2 onlyb) 1 and 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) None

37) With reference to Black tigers, consider the following statements:1. Black coat colouration and patterning is due to

a single mutation in the Taqpep gene.

2. The melanistic tiger species is found only in India.



38) Global Innovation Index (GII), recently seen in news, is published by

a) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

b) World Bankc) World Economic Forumd) None of the above

39) Logistics performance index released by which of the following

a) World trade organisation b) World bank c) United nation conference on trade and

developmentd) Organisation of economic cooperation

and development


September 2021

40) Humboldt penguin sometimes in the news endemic to coast of which of the following

a) Sumatra islands b) Carribean islands c) Pacific and Galápagos Islands d) Madagascar

41) ‘HELINA’ which recently seen in news is a:a) Anti-submarine missileb) Short-range air to air missilec) Medium range surface to air missiled) Anti-tank guided missile

42) State Food Safety Index (SFSI) is released by which of the following organization?

a) World Health Organization (WHO)b) Food and Agricultural Organization

(FAO)c) Food Safety and Standard authority of

India (FSSAI)d) World Trade Organization (WTO)

43) Which of the following committee was recently formed to devise a New Curriculum Framework?

a) Kelkar Committee b) Malimath committee c) Kothari Commissiond) Kasturirangan Committee

44) WHO’s new Global Air Quality Guidelines (GAQGs) recommends air quality levels for which of the following pollutants?1. Ozone

2. Nitrous Oxide

3. Carbon Dioxide

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 3

45) With reference to ‘Medical Devices Park’, consider the following statements:1. They have been set up in Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

2. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the Scheme for "Promotion of Medical Device Parks".

3. The easy access to standard testing and infrastructure facilities via medical device parks.

Which of the following statements are correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 3

46) Recently announced India’s largest animal passage corridor project lies in which of the following national park

a) Corbett national park b) Panna National Park c) Bandhipur National Park d) Sanjay Gandhi National Park

47) Consider the following statements about System of air quality and weather forecasting (SAFAR) framework 1. SAFAR frame work was implemented in 2010

first time in Delhi

2. SAFAR consider only PM10 and PM 2.5 pollutants level

Select the correct answer a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

48) Which state declared man-animal conflict as state disaster

a) Karnataka b) Kerala c) Uttar Pradesh d) Bihar


September 2021

49) With reference to Ayushman Bharat digital mission consider the following statements 1. It involves creation of unique health ID of

every citizen and healthcare professionals

2. Aadhaar is mandatory for creating unique digital ID

Select the correct answera) 1 only b) 2 only c) Both 1 and 2 d) neither 1 nor 2

1. D 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. B

11. D 12. D 13. D 14. D 15. C 16. A 17. B 18. D 19. D 20. D

21. C 22. C 23. A 24. B 25. A 26. D 27. B 28. D 29. A 30. C

31. D 32. B 33. B 34. A 35. A 36. A 37. C 38. A 39. B 40. C

41. D 42. C 43. D 44. A 45. C 46. D 47. A 48. C 49. A 50. A

ANSWERS

50) Which state created Asia’s first state level bird atlas

a) Kerala b) Maharashtra c) Karnataka d) Tamil Nadu

Documents

A Monthly Publication SEPTEMBER 2021