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Table of Contents, 1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE ________________4, , 3.11. News in Shorts ________________________ 49, , 1.1. Digital Rights ____________________________ 4, 1.2. Online Campaigning ______________________ 6, 1.3. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) __________ 7, 1.4. Local Reservation in Private Sector __________ 9, 1.5. News in Shorts _________________________ 11, , 3.11.1. Oil Rises Past 7-year High on Supply Fears ___ 49, 3.11.2. Smart Cities and Academia Towards Action &, Research (SAAR) Program ______________________ 49, 3.11.3. Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme _________ 49, 3.11.4. NASSCOM Report on Startups _____________ 50, 3.11.5. RBI Releases Framework for Offline Digital, Payments____________________________________ 50, 3.11.6. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), ____________________________________________ 50, 3.11.7. Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), ____________________________________________ 50, 3.11.8. Airtel Payments Bank as a Scheduled Bank ___ 50, 3.11.9. India to use Supreme Court (SC) Order to Counter, Devas’ Arbitration Cases Abroad _________________ 50, 3.11.10. India on Track to Surpass China as Third Largest, Ethanol Consumer by 2026: International Energy Agency, (IEA) ________________________________________ 51, 3.11.11. Ministry of Textiles Release Operational, Guidelines for PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and, Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme _______________ 51, 3.11.12. KABIL under Ministry of Mines Engaging with, Countries for Exploring Possibilities of Mineral Asset, Acquisition Abroad ____________________________ 52, 3.11.13. America COMPETES Act _________________ 52, , 1.5.1. Hyderabad Declaration’ on e-Governance Adopted, ____________________________________________ 11, 1.5.2. District Good Governance Index (DGGI) Released, ____________________________________________ 11, 1.5.3. Corruption Perception Index _______________ 11, 1.5.4. Open Data Week (ODW) ___________________ 12, 1.5.5. Revised Rural Area Development Plan Formulation, and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines Released __ 12, 1.5.6. States Oppose Rule Change on Central Posting of, IAS Officers __________________________________ 12, 1.5.7. Cabinet Approves Extension of Tenure of the, National Commission for SafaiKaramcharis (NCSK) for, Three Years Beyond 2022 _______________________ 13, , 2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ______________14, 2.1. India-China Border Dispute _______________ 14, 2.2. Geopolitics of India-Sri Lanka-China Triangle _ 17, 2.3. India-Israel ____________________________ 18, 2.4. World Health Organisation (WHO) _________ 20, 2.5. Ukraine crisis __________________________ 22, 2.6. News in Shorts _________________________ 25, 2.6.1. Pakistan Launches First Ever National Security, Policy (NSP) 2022-2026 _________________________ 25, 2.6.2. India Pakistan Exchange List of Nuclear, Installations, Prisoners _________________________ 25, 2.6.3. India-Central Asia ________________________ 25, 2.6.4. At World Trade Organization (WTO), China a, ‘developing’ Country ___________________________ 25, 2.6.5. 5 United Nations Security Council (UNSC) States, Pledge to Avoid Nuclear War ____________________ 26, 2.6.6., Counter-terrorism, Committee, Executive, Directorate (CTED)_____________________________ 26, 2.6.7. Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) _ 26, 2.6.8. Taliban, Afghan Civil Society Members begin Oslo, Talks ________________________________________ 27, 2.6.9. Sherpa _________________________________ 27, 2.6.10. Henley Passport Index ___________________ 27, , 3. ECONOMY _____________________________28, 3.1. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Estimates ____ 28, 3.2. Retail Direct Scheme ____________________ 30, 3.3. Unemployment in India __________________ 31, 3.4. Agricultural Exports _____________________ 34, 3.5. Railway Safety _________________________ 36, 3.6. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme _______ 38, 3.7. Telecom Sector _________________________ 41, 3.8. General Network Access (GNA) ____________ 42, 3.9. City Gas Distribution (CGD) Network________ 44, 3.10. Sugar Mills ___________________________ 46, 1, , 4. SECURITY _____________________________ 53, 4.1. Defence Exports ________________________ 53, 4.2. Regional Cyber Security __________________ 55, 4.3. News in Shorts _________________________ 56, 4.3.1. Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), ____________________________________________ 56, 4.3.2. Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant ______ 57, 4.3.3. Operation Sard Hawa _____________________ 57, , 5. ENVIRONMENT ________________________ 58, 5.1. India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 _____ 58, 5.2. Indian Environment Service _______________ 61, 5.3. Cheetah Reintroduction Plan ______________ 62, 5.4. Red Sanders ___________________________ 64, 5.5. Carbon Inequality and Climate Policy _______ 66, 5.6. Indian Agriculture Post-CoP26: Green Revolution, 2.0_______________________________________ 68, 5.7. Zero-budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) _______ 71, 5.8. BiodiverCities by 2030 ___________________ 72, 5.9. News in Shorts _________________________ 73, , www.visionias.in, , 5.9.1. Earth is Witnessing its Sixth Mass Extinction,, Humans to be Blamed: Study ____________________ 73, 5.9.2. India Meteorological Department (IMD) Launches, 1st Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India__ 74, 5.9.3. Global Risks Report 2022 __________________ 74, 5.9.4. Record Ocean Warming in 2021, Coastal, Communities should be on Alert: Study ___________ 75, 5.9.5. 4th Asia Ministerial conference (AMC) on Tiger, Conservation _________________________________ 75, ©Vision IAS

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5.9.6. Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Scheme Shows, Laggard Growth _______________________________ 75, 5.9.7. National Water Awards (NWA) 2020 _________ 76, 5.9.8. Zoji La Pass______________________________ 76, 5.9.9. Indonesia _______________________________ 76, 5.9.10. Peru (Capital Lima) ______________________ 77, , 7.5.3. China’s Chang’e 5 Lunar Probe finds first on-site, Evidence of Water on Moon’s Surface____________ 101, 7.5.4. Magnetic Field on an Exoplanet ____________ 101, 7.5.5. Telecom Player Opposes Satellite Players’ Demand, for Separate Earth Station Licenses ______________ 101, 7.5.6. Conditional Market Authorization (CMA) ____ 102, 7.5.7. OmiSure ______________________________ 102, 7.5.8. (IHU, or University Hospital Institutes): New CoVID, Variant _____________________________________ 102, 7.5.9. 5G Technology Poses a Serious Threat to the Airline, Safety _____________________________________ 102, 7.5.10. Solar Fare Causes Radio Blackout Over Indian, Ocean _____________________________________ 103, , 6. SOCIAL ISSUES _________________________78, 6.1. Globalization: Slowdown or Mutating?______ 78, 6.2. Hate Crime ____________________________ 79, 6.3. Marital Rape and Conjugal Rights __________ 81, 6.4. India’s Performance in Sports _____________ 83, 6.5. Organ Transplantation ___________________ 85, 6.6. News in Shorts _________________________ 88, 6.6.1. Census first phase, National Population Register, (NPR) Data Collection put off till September 2022 ___ 88, 6.6.2. Padhe Bharat ____________________________ 88, 6.6.3. Ministry of Education Launches NEAT 3.0 to Provide, best-developed ed-tech Solutions ________________ 88, 6.6.4. National Health Mission Launches Project Niramay, in Assam _____________________________________ 89, 6.6.5. Swachhata Start-Up Challenge and Greywater, Management Under Swachh Bharat Mission ________ 89, 6.6.6. Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2021-22 ____ 90, , 8. CULTURE ____________________________ 104, 8.1. Adi Sankaracharya _____________________ 104, 8.2. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose ____________ 106, 8.3. News in Shorts ________________________ 108, 8.3.1. Jallikattu ______________________________ 108, 8.3.2. Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) ____ 108, 8.3.3. India’s First Open Rock Museum ___________ 108, 8.3.4. Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage, Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) ________________ 108, 8.3.5. Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP), ___________________________________________ 108, 8.3.6. Various Awards Announced on Republic Day _ 108, 8.3.7. Veer Baal Diwas ________________________ 108, 8.3.8. Living Root Bridges ______________________ 109, 8.3.9. Highest Motorable Road in the World _______ 109, , 7. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ______________91, 7.1. Gaganyaan ____________________________ 91, 7.2. Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR)___________ 93, 7.3. Electric Vehicles ________________________ 95, 7.4. Internet of Things _______________________ 98, 7.5. News in Shorts ________________________ 100, 7.5.1. Dark Genome __________________________ 100, 7.5.2. Indian Space Research Organisation’s Small, Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to have Maiden Flight in, April _______________________________________ 101, , 9. ETHICS ______________________________ 110, 9.1. Ethics of Metaverse ____________________ 110, , 10. SCHEMES IN NEWS ___________________ 113, 10.1. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) _ 113, 10.2. Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA), Scheme__________________________________ 114, , Copyright © by Vision IAS, All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any, form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Vision, IAS., 2, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE, 1.1. DIGITAL RIGHTS, Why in News?, European Commission, in a global first,, proposed a set of digital rights and principles, recently., More on News, •, , •, , •, , It is an extension of the Berlin, declaration on Digital Society and ValueBased Digital Government of EU council., o Declaration aims to contribute to a, value-based digital transformation, by addressing and ultimately, strengthening digital participation, and digital inclusion in our societies., Aim is to, o Protect people's rights, support, democracy and ensure a fair and safe, online environment., o Provide a guide for policymakers, and companies when dealing with, new technologies., o Promote these principles as a, standard for the world countries., Principles outlined are (refer image), , About Digital Rights, •, •, •, , Digital rights, closely linked to freedom of expression and privacy, are those that allow people to access, use, create, and publish digital media, as well as access and use computers, other electronic devices and communications, networks., Digital rights are merely an extension of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the, United Nations as applied to the online world., It is a broad term implying right to privacy and data protection; it can be related to trolling, online threats and hate, speech; it can address broader issues of equitable Internet access regardless of economic backgrounds and, disabilities., , Need for Digital Rights, •, •, •, •, •, , 4, , Protection of privacy and control of personal data as governments, companies and cyber criminals can easily collect, our personal data and track our movements and communications., Digital transformation of businesses by supporting MSMEs and entrepreneurs in harvesting the benefits of the digital, transformation including fair and secure access to data., Enhancing trust of individuals whether as students, learners, workers, jobseekers, consumers etc. in digital ecosystem, to stimulate their involvement in a fair, sustainable, inclusive, democratic and competitive digital transformation., Supporting workers in adjusting to changes brought on by digitalisation to the labour market, including their working, conditions, wellbeing, while being able to reap its opportunities, notably through education, training and re-skilling., Tackling Pandemics as COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the fact that connectivity, access to data and digital, technologies are a vital resource for governmental, educational, research, economic activity and innovation and will, be central for the recovery efforts, including social and societal well-being., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Aligning R&D initiatives with the infrastructure and digitalization plans, thus promoting fundamental and applied, research, enhancing the links between civil society, academia, the public and the private sector., • Supporting isolated, remote, low density, low-income and outermost regions and communities in the digital, transformation process in order to improve territorial cohesion, digital inclusion and local economic development., • Promoting digital democracy by Promoting children’s participation, Promoting women’s and girls’ participation and, leadership, Ensuring the rule of law online through equal access to justice etc., • Promoting responsible and secure data management by the public and private sector and promoting cybersecurity, awareness to equip all citizens with knowledge of how to use Internet and digital technologies., Concerns/Challenges faced to avail Digital Rights, •, , Digital Divide: Lack of connectivity or inadequate digital skills can lead to the creation of a new divide between the, connected and digitized people, business and regions and those who remain disconnected and not-digitized., • Vulnerable to misuse: Digitalization also bears the risk of deepening existing inequalities or being misused to, undermine democracies, spread dangerous misinformation and fuel discrimination, xenophobia and racism., • Rising inequalities: Digital technology can also worsen economic and other inequalities. In 2019, close to 87 per cent, of individuals in developed countries used the Internet, compared with only 19 per cent in the least developed, countries., • Privacy issue: Data-intensive technologies contribute to creating a digital environment to track, analyze, predict and, even manipulate people’s behavior to an unprecedented degree thereby posing significant risks for human dignity,, autonomy and privacy., • Digitally facilitated repression: Authoritarian governments now have enhanced capacities to censor expression, block, or filter access to information, monitor online activity, and control populations than they did in the pre-digital world., • Violation of human rights: Use of digital technologies to surveil or crack down on protesters can lead to human rights, violations, including infringement of the right to peaceful assembly., • Lack of focus on Child rights: Policy approach to, Initiatives taken for digital rights, children’s digital rights is frequently cautious and, • By Governments, reactionary, as many governments are limiting, o Internet Bill of Rights (Brazil), children’s rights in the name of protection., o Christchurch Call to eliminate terrorist and violent, o Surveillance systems that monitor and direct which, extremist content online (New Zealand)., websites children can access also give parents, o Paris Call for safe and secure cyberspace., o India’s Personal Data Protection Bill, overreaching control of their children’s devices., o National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility, Way forward, •, , •, , •, •, •, •, , 5, , (India)., , Human-centered technology: Digital infrastructures,, o General Data Protection Regulation (EU), digital products and services, networks must be in line, • By Civil Society, with international law and should be human-centered,, o Manila Principles for intermediaries’ liability., o Report of the Secretary-General on Road map for, human-controlled, promote human well-being and, digital cooperation., human dignity., o, Delhi Declaration for just and equitable internet., Limit the collection and use of personal data: Data, o, Charter of Human Rights and principles for internet., collection and use should be limited to what is, o Universal guidelines for Artificial Intelligence., reasonably necessary to provide a good or service, • Others, requested by an individual. Purpose specification, o Asilmoar AI Principles, should be strictly enforced., Upholding human rights, ethical values and democratic participation in the context of the digital era by fighting, discrimination, disinformation and other malicious online activities., Promoting multi-stakeholder and wider international cooperation in the digital context, in fields such as standards,, infrastructure, data flows, R&D and secure and trustworthy online services., Recognising the importance of green and digital technologies, as a key element to a new paradigm of economic, growth, balancing innovation and competitiveness with social and environmental sustainable development., Establish a data protection agency: dedicated to privacy and data protection, oversight, and enforcement, with the, authority and resources to address emerging privacy challenges., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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1.2. ONLINE CAMPAIGNING, Why in News?, Due to the ongoing pandemic and associated health risks, recently EC put temporal restrictions on physical rallies for, upcoming state elections while allowing virtual campaigns through social media platforms., About online election campaigning, •, , Election campaigns are the means by which candidates and political parties prepare and present their ideas and, positions on issues to the voters., Online campaign not only includes promoting political and electoral campaign material on social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it also includes reaching out to voters with audio message, phone calls,, videos and LED screen-mounted vans from small town to remote villages., The preferred modes of election messaging include audio-video animation with text, and digital banner and posters, for targeted assembly constituencies., , •, •, , Concerns, raised, campaigning, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , 6, , against, , online, , Regulation of online campaigning:, Monitoring of e-Campaign and other, applicable rules (election silence on, days before election, Opinion polls,, exit polls etc) will be a challenge due, to limited EC resources and diverse, social media platform., Transparency concern: Social media, platforms might favour a specific, party and accord prominence to its, content over others through its, algorithms. Bots are being used for, targeted disinformation campaigns., Campaigning on wedge issues: In, online, campaigning,, candidates/parties are more likely to, campaign on wedge issue such as, matters on immigration and welfare, as messages are being played out, largely in secret., Tracking the source of financing:, Expenditure on campaigns run from, outside the country can pose serious, challenges for regulating expenditure as well as for message dissemination., Role of intermediaries: Methods used to curate and, Social media regulations by EC in India, display information on these sites are opaque which, • Candidates need to submit authentic social media, means it is impossible to independently authenticate their, account details at the time of nomination., claims., • Rules of pre-certification of political advertisements, are applicable on social media platforms., Disadvantage to smaller parties: Disparities in knowledge, • Provisions of Model Code of Conduct are applicable, of and access to online technologies will put the smaller, on content posted., and regional parties in a fix as they do not wield the same, •, Inclusion of Social media expenditure in final, influence on social platforms like bigger parties., expenditure statement on advertisement., o Large national parties with more money and resources, •, Social Media Cell set up by ECI for monitoring., may be able to create bigger and deeper campaigns., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, •, , Digital divide: There still exists a massive digital divide in India and a digital election means that the poor and the, lower castes will be at a disadvantageous position compared to the urban, middle and richer classes, and the upper, castes., Privacy: An online sphere where every conversation, comment or post is recorded and can be analysed for its, commercial and political use could have negative repercussions on privacy and free expression and exchange of, views., Other Concerns: Monitoring proxies used by political parties; control hateful campaigns, fake news etc., , Way forward, •, , Personal data: Use of personal data in the context of electoral campaigns should be scrutinised by relevant agencies, in collaboration with EC to ensure that it complies with national laws., Responsibility of social media platforms: to store the relevant recordings from the campaigns to enable EC to review, any complaints regarding violation of the Model Code of Conduct., Update regulation methods: This should include selection of media for monitoring (content monitoring); revision of, spending monitoring, and transparency and data requirements for platforms and intermediaries., Maintain a level playing field in political campaigns. There is a need for new and innovative measures to ensure that, new, less well resourced, and minority political campaigns can be heard should be sought., Self-regulatory bodies in journalism should be encouraged to collaborate with internet intermediaries for fact, checking independently from the state, and also to prevent deliberate misinformation likely to impact electoral, processes., , •, •, •, •, , Related news, Election Commission has enhanced the existing election expenditure limit for candidates in Parliamentary and Assembly, constituencies., • Reasons cited: substantial increase in the number of electors, Cost Inflation Index for the hike etc., • Expenditure limit for Lok Sabha constituencies has been raised from 70 lakh to 95 lakh rupees in bigger states and 54 lakh to, 75 lakhs in smaller states., • For Assembly constituencies, expenditure limits have been enhanced from 28 lakh rupees 40 lakh rupees in bigger states and, from 20 lakhs to 28 lakhs in smaller states., Election Commission of India (ECI) postponed Punjab Assembly polls, • The move comes following the request to ECI to postpone the election in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations., • Under Section 153 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, the ECI can “extend the time” for completing an election., o However, such extension should not go beyond the date of the normal dissolution/term of the House (Lok Sabha or State, Assembly)., • Term of the House can only be extended in an emergency declared by Parliament., o Constitution restricts this emergency to only two situations — war and breakdown of law and order., , 1.3. ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES (EVMS), Why in News?, Citizens’ Commission on Elections’ Report on EVMs and, VVPAT was released recently., About Electronic voting machine (EVM), •, •, •, , 7, , EVM is a microcontroller-based portable instrument, designed to modernise the election procedure of, conducting elections., EVM consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a, Balloting Unit. These units are joined together by a, cable., EVMs do not require electricity. EVMs run on an, ordinary battery assembled by Election Commission (EC), in collaboration with two Public Sector undertakings:, , About Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), • VVPAT is another independent machine attached to the, EVM which helps the voter verify the vote., • After casting the vote, a slip is printed which contains, the serial number, name, and symbol of the candidate, and is visible through a window for seven seconds., • Post this, the printed slip automatically falls in the, sealed drop box of the VVPAT., Concerns raised against VVPAT, • Reports suggest that VVPATs are vulnerable to, malfunction when subjected to extreme weather, conditions., • Also as VVPAT is a simple processor, a memory and a, printer unit, it is prone to hacking., • Response time for electors to verify his/her vote is less., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , •, , •, , •, •, •, , Bharat Electronics, Ltd, (BEL).,, Bangalore, (Ministry, of, Defence),, o Electronic, Corporation, of, India Ltd (ECIL).,, Hyderabad, (Department, of, Atomic Energy)., EVMs were first used, in Parur Assembly, Constituency of Kerala, in the year 1982., Use of EVMs in an, election is legal. In, 1988, a new Section, 61A was inserted in the, Representation of the, People Act, 1951, empowering ECI to use, electronic, voting, machines., An EVM being, used, by ECI can record a, maximum of 2,000 votes., EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates (including NOTA). There is provision for 16 candidates in one Balloting, Unit., The arrangement of names of candidates in the ballot paper is in alphabetical order, first candidates from national, political parties’ figure and then from other state registered parties., , Concerns raised against EVMs, •, •, •, •, , Susceptibility to fraud: many software programmers have claimed that EVMs are vulnerable to malicious, programming and if it gets affected then any hacker can hack the machine and can tamper the vote counts easily., Global precedence: German constitutional court ruling (2009) forced the country to scrap EVMs and return to paper, ballot. Other technologically advanced nations such as the Netherlands and Ireland have also abandoned EVMs., Lack of secrecy: With the paper ballot, ballots from all the booths were mixed up before counting so that the, candidates could not get any idea about which booths voted for or against them. In the case of EVMs, the candidates, know how they fared in each booth, and this knowledge can be misused by a candidate., Storage and Counting concerns: EVMs are stored in a decentralized manner in different locations. Security experts, say that voting machines must remain in a secure environment throughout their life cycle., , Conclusion, Time and again political parties have cast doubts on EVMs, alleging they can be hacked or tampered with and thereby, questioning the credibility of EVMs., In electoral democracies, free and fair elections convert voters’ preferences into a political mandate that forms the basis, for policymaking. More precise and efficient voting procedures boost the strength of democratic institutions., EC should address the concerns raised by various stakeholders and should bring in more transparency regarding credibility, of EVMs in conducting free and fair elections., 8, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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ECI initiatives to improve EVMs credibility, • Use of VVPAT machines along with the EVMs in all polling, stations to bring utmost transparency and credibility., • ECI has also taken into account suggestions made by various, political parties regarding counting of VVPAT slips and will count, VVPAT slips up to a definite percentage., • ECI held a challenge and offered opportunity to political parties, to demonstrate that EVMs can be tampered., • EC ensures continuous participation of all parties in all crucial, steps during elections such as First Level Checking (FLC),, randomisation of EVMs/VVPATs, mock poll, EVM sealing and, storage etc., , 1.4. LOCAL RESERVATION IN PRIVATE SECTOR, Why in news?, The Haryana government has challenged in Supreme Court, the order by the Punjab & Haryana High Court, to halt 75%, quota in private jobs for locals., More on news, •, •, , The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020, came into force on January 15, 2022., It provides for 75% reservation to local youngsters in private sector jobs that offered a monthly salary of less, than ₹30,000. It covers private companies, societies, trusts and partnership firms., • Haryana is not the first state in India to push for such a move. Others like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh have already tried to reserve private jobs for locals. But, all of them have run into hurdles., Arguments in support of local reservation in private sector, •, •, , •, •, 9, , Step to provide right to employment: The Haryana government had argued that the law merely makes “geographical, classification”, which is permitted under the Constitution. It is to protect the right to life/livelihood of people, domiciled in the state and to protect their health, living condition and their right to employment., Dealing with shrinking employment opportunities: According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),, Haryana’s unemployment rate has been in excess of the national average since the past four years. In April 2020,, around 40% of job seekers from the state returned empty-handed., o Industrialisation and urbanisation in the state of Haryana has led to huge land acquisition which resultantly has, reduced growth and employment opportunities in the agriculture sector., Curbing the selectively discriminating corporations: Many business entities reluctant to employ local workers., Employers believe the local workers lack work discipline, are unwilling to learn new trades, are inclined towards, political and trade unions — seen as pressure tactics by businesses., Skewed Resource Allocation: With successive Finance Commissions according a higher weightage to poverty and, population vis-a-vis development, States like Bihar and UP end up receiving a generous share of the resources pie., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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This would seem to deprive the income-generating States of the resources needed to manage a growing migrant, population, while not incentivising the poorer States to get their act together., o For example, the gap between the per capita incomes of, say, Bihar and Tamil Nadu has not narrowed over the, last decade. In 2015-16, Bihar’s per capita net State domestic product at constant prices was ₹24,572, against, Tamil Nadu’s ₹1.11 lakh., Arguments against local reservation in private sector, •, , In contravention of the Constitution: The clause providing for preference in jobs to the local candidates domiciled in, Haryana was in contravention of Article 14 and Article 16 of the Constitution pertaining to Right to Equality and, Article 19 (1)(g) which provides for protection of certain rights to practice any profession, or to carry on any, occupation, trade or business., Fuels sons-of-the-soil syndrome: Employment is one of the principal factors behind migration and shutting the doors, on employment to non-domiciles would be a gross violation of not just the Fundamental Rights of citizens but would, also open a Pandora box where other states follow the same., Stifle the labour market: Such reservation may push businesses to migrate, as their skilled workforce is not sufficiently, ‘local’. Additionally, the smaller entities may find it difficult to carry on, once the new law comes into force as their, compliance costs may rise., Revival of license raj: Many experts believe that allowing reservations in the private sector would be akin to, nationalization of the private sector and it would result in the revival of license-raj., No solution to core issues:, o Skewed geographical development: Investors prefer to stick to States where a governance ecosystem (which, includes a level of social infrastructure such as education and health) is already in place. This institutional deficit, needs to be addressed., o Low quality of education and skills., , •, •, •, •, , Related information on the issue of legislation for “sons of the soil”, The Madhya Pradesh government in 2020 reserved all government jobs for “children of the state”. This raised questions relating, to the fundamental right to equality., • Constitutional provisions on the issue of legislation for “sons of the soil”, o Article 16: Guarantees equal treatment under law in matters of public employment & prohibits the state from, discriminating on grounds of place of birth or residence., o Article 16(2): “No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of, them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect or, any employment or office under the State”., ▪ The provision is supplemented by the other clauses in the Constitution that guarantee equality., o Article 16 (3): It provides an, exception by saying that Parliament, may make a law “prescribing” a, requirement of residence for jobs, in a particular state. This power, vests solely in the Parliament, not, state legislatures., o Why does the Constitution prohibit, reservation based on domicile?, ▪ As, India, has, common, citizenship, which gives citizens, the liberty to move around, freely in any part of the, country, the requirement of a, place of birth or residence, cannot be qualifications for, granting public employment in, any state., • Judicial stand on the issue of legislation, for “sons of the soil”, 10, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Way ahead, •, , •, •, •, , Bridging the regional inequalities: the rise in regional inequalities (east vis-a-vis west and south) since the 1990s has, deepened social divisions, with migration largely headed towards the western and southern States where, infrastructure is better developed. The setting up of educational and skills institutions in backward areas can bridge, the gap. These regions can turn into hubs of economic activity. This, in turn, will check the advance of parochial, economics., Promote labour intensive industries: More job creation and industrialization would make use of the labour surplus, in the country., Focus on education and skilling: There is need to invest more in education, health and skill development. The, medium-term spin-offs from that could be an enhancement in the quality of public goods which in turn would attract, investors, create jobs and boost incomes., Incentive’s route: Governments should provide incentives to industries for more investments and create an enabling, environment for employing local people., , 1.5. NEWS IN SHORTS, 1.5.1. HYDERABAD DECLARATION’ ON EGOVERNANCE ADOPTED, •, , •, , •, , 24th National e-Governance conference unanimously, adopted the Hyderabad declaration., o Conference was jointly held by Ministry of, Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY),, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public, Grievances, in collaboration with Telangana, Government., e-Governance is use of Information and, Communication Technology (ICT) at all level of, Government to transform relations with citizens,, businesses, and other arms of government., o It has helped Government to enhance coverage,, increase transparency, improve response to, citizens and lower costs and has facilitated citizens, to have better access, equity & social, empowerment., Key highlights of Hyderabad Declaration, o Transform citizen services by using Aadhaar, UPI,, DigiLocker, UMANG, e Sign etc., o Fast track implementation of national level public, digital platforms in key social sectors viz. Health,, Education, Agriculture, etc., o Foster responsible use of emerging technology, such as AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, 5G etc., o Robust technological solutions to withstand, pandemic like disruptions., o Make digital the primary aspect of government, service design and delivery., o National, e-Governance, Service, Delivery, Assessment (NeSDA) to be adopted in, collaboration with MeITY., , Some e-governance initiatives, •, •, •, •, •, , 1.5.2. DISTRICT GOOD, INDEX (DGGI) RELEASED, •, , •, , •, , GOVERNANCE, , Department of Administrative Reforms and Public, Grievances (DARPG) in partnership with J&K, administration launched DGGI for 20 districts of, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)., o Jammu district topped the list followed by Doda,, Samba, Pulwama and Srinagar., DGGI has helped identify the impact of various, governance interventions at district level and provide, a futuristic roadmap for improving district level, governance with targeted interventions., It provides a roadmap for similar benchmarking of, Governance at District level for all States and UTs., , 1.5.3. CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX, •, •, •, •, , 11, , Bhoomi Project for (Karnataka): Online Delivery of, Land Records., eSeva (Andhra Pradesh), Gyandoot (MP): Service delivery initiative., Lokvani (UP): For handling of grievances, land record, maintenance and providing a mixture of essential, services., FRIENDS (Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for, the Disbursement of Services) in Kerala., , www.visionias.in, , It was released by Transparency International., India ranked at 85th among 180 countries with a score, of 40. (Ranked 86th last year)., Report said while India’s score has remained stagnant, over past decade, some mechanisms that could help, reign in corruption are weakening., Denmark, New Zealand and Finland have topped index, jointly., ©Vision IAS

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•, , o, , Index ranks countries by their perceived levels of, public sector corruption according to experts and, business people., o It uses a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very, clean.), , o, , 1.5.4. OPEN DATA WEEK (ODW), •, , •, , •, , Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), launches the ODW to encourage adoption of open, data and promote innovation across India’s urban, ecosystem., o Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used, and redistributed by anyone., All 100 Smart Cities will participate in ODW where high, quality datasets and data blogs will be published on the, Smart Cities Open Data Portal., The event aims to show the benefits of open data such, as increased efficiency, transparency, spur in, innovation and economic growth., , 1.5.5., REVISED, RURAL, AREA, DEVELOPMENT PLAN FORMULATION, AND, IMPLEMENTATION, (RADPFI), GUIDELINES RELEASED, •, •, , •, , •, , 12, , Released by: Ministry of Panchayati Raj., RADPFI guidelines aim is to have planned spatial, development for overall integrated development of, villages., Need of Spatial Planning, o Unplanned spatial development in Gram, Panchayats, o Extended Urbanisation Area,, o Emergence of Census Towns,, o Improve the Quality of Life & Sustainability of, Gram Panchayats,, o Integration of Reforms/programs (SVAMITVA,, RURBAN, New changes in State Acts &, Amendments, re-emphasis on Disaster, Climate, Change, Resilience Codes, etc.), o Need to be linked to Agro-Climatic Regions/zones, linked to SDGs, New Guideline (2021) is Focused on, o To prepare the spatial development plan, focus on, Typology of villages i.e population, agro-climatic, zones, Hill areas, disaster occurrence etc;, o Village Town Planning Scheme (VPS) – Through, community based on Collaborative Planning., o Linking 15th Finance Commission with State, Finance commission with respect to village level, planning., , o, o, , Integrating/Consolidation of GP Development with, RURBAN CLUSTERS/Block/District Plan, as per the, 73rd and 74th Constitutional Development Act, (CAA) and Gram Panchayat Development Plan, (GPDP)., Improving the E-Governance through Spatial Data, Infrastructure., Use of SVAMITVA (and other digital tools) for the, Abadi area (linking to land records)., Planning for environmental benefit and disaster, preparedness., , 1.5.6. STATES OPPOSE RULE CHANGE ON, CENTRAL POSTING OF IAS OFFICERS, •, , •, , •, , •, , www.visionias.in, , Centre has proposed amendments to the IAS (Cadre), Rules 1954 in order to exercise greater control in, central deputation of IAS officials., o At present, a cadre officer may, with the, concurrence of the State Governments concerned, and the Central Government, be deputed for, service under Central Government or another, State Government etc., What amendments propose?, o Each State Government shall make available for, deputation, such number of eligible officers of, various levels, adjusted proportionately by the, number of officers available with State, Government vis-à-vis total authorized strength of, State cadre at a given point of time., o In case State does not give effect to Central, government’s decision within specified time,, “officer shall stand relieved from cadre from date, as may be specified by Central government.”, o In specific situation where services of cadre officers, are required by Central government in “public, interest” State shall give effect to its decisions, within a specified time., Why do states oppose?, o States are arguing that the amendment is against, spirit of cooperative federalism and state’s power, to veto an IAS or IPS officer’s central deputation,, or issue an objection or no objection notice, stands, ‘defunct’., Rules have been brought as Centre has been facing a, huge crunch of IAS and IPS officers as the states do not, want to release their cadre officers easily., o According to DoPT, number of central deputation, reserve of IAS officers has gone down from 309 in, 2011 to 223 presently., , ©Vision IAS

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o, , 1.5.7. CABINET APPROVES EXTENSION, OF, TENURE, OF, THE, NATIONAL, COMMISSION FOR SAFAIKARAMCHARIS, (NCSK) FOR THREE YEARS BEYOND 2022, •, , •, , 13, , NCSK was established in the year 1993 as per the, provisions of the NCSK Act 1993 initially for the period, upto 31.3.1997., o Later validity of the Act was extended upto 2004., o However, after 2004, the tenure of NCSK has been, extended as a non-statutory body from time to, time through resolutions. The tenure of present, Commission is upto 31.3.2022., Role of NCSK, o Giving recommendations to Government, regarding specific programmes for welfare of, SafaiKaramcharis., , •, , www.visionias.in, , Monitor implementation of Prohibition of, Employment as Manual Scavengers and their, Rehabilitation Act, 2013., o Enquire into complaints regarding contravention, of the Act., Significance of extension, o Though the government has taken many steps for, the upliftment of the SafaiKaramcharis, the, deprivation suffered by them in socio-economic, and educational terms is still far from being, eliminated., o Also, hazardous manual cleaning of sewer/septic, tanks continues to be an area of work., o Thus, the body will continue to work towards, achieving the goal of complete mechanization of, sewer/septic tanks cleaning in the country and, rehabilitation of manual scavengers., , ©Vision IAS

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2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, 2.1. INDIA-CHINA BORDER DISPUTE, Why in News?, China’s new law on land borders has come into effect from, 1st January, 2022., More on News, •, , This has happened at a time when the border standoff, in eastern Ladakh remains unresolved and also when, China has renamed several places in Arunachal, Pradesh as part of its claim on the Indian state., o New “standardised” names are used for 15 places, (including residential areas, mountains, rivers etc), along with their exact coordinates and a map., , India’s Concerns against the new law, • India described new law as matter of concern as it can, affect existing bilateral pacts on the management of the, border and the overall boundary question., • Law could formalize some of China’s recent action in, disputed regions with India and Bhutan., • There is also the possibility of China limiting the water, flow in the Brahmaputra or Yarlung Zangbo river as the, law calls for measures to protect the stability of crossborder rivers and lakes., • China might endeavour to prevent India’s infrastructure, development using military and diplomatic coercion, under the umbrella of the new law., , About the Land Borders Law, •, , •, , It lays down provisions for border protection and integration, of border areas., o It designates the responsibilities of various agencies in, China, from the military to local authorities, in guarding, the frontiers., o It empowers state to engage in activities such as, improvement in public services and infrastructure along, borders for overall border defence, economic and social, development., China shares its land boundary with 14 countries including, India, third longest after Mongolia and Russia., o With India and Bhutan China is yet to finalise the border, agreements., , Disputed border with China, •, , 14, , Border is not clearly demarcated throughout and there is no mutually agreed Line of Actual Control (LAC)., o LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. India, considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , LAC is divided into three sectors:, o Western sector (Ladakh): Boundary, dispute in this sector pertains to the, Johnson Line proposed by the British in, the 1860s that extended up to the, Kunlun Mountains and put Aksai Chin in, the then princely state of Jammu and, Kashmir., ▪ India used the Johnson Line and, claimed Aksai Chin as its own. China,, however, doesn’t recognise it and, instead accepts McDonald Line, which puts Aksai Chin under its, control., o Middle Sector (Himachal Pradesh and, Uttarakhand): In this sector dispute is a, minor one. Here LAC is the least, controversial except for the precise, alignment to be followed in the Barahoti, plains., ▪ India and China have exchanged, maps on which they broadly agree., o Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh and, Sikkim): disputed boundary in this, Possible impact of unresolved border dispute on India, sector is over the McMahon Line, (in Arunachal Pradesh) decided in • Economic fallout: India is concerned about economic overdependence on, and exposure to China and inroads that Chinese companies have made into, 1914, in, a, meeting, of, certain sensitive Indian economic sectors., Representatives of China, India,, • Strengthening China’s alliance with Pakistan: It is leading to a reality of a, and Tibet in Shimla., two-front conflict with hostile neighbors- and all three are nuclear armed., ▪ Though, the, Chinese • Strengthening alliances: India will work towards strengthening its, representatives, at, the, partnership with all major powers, including the US, Europe, Japan and, meeting, initiated, the, Russia, and enhancing its own standing in the great power constellation., agreement,, they • Impact on Perceptions: Indian public sentiment on China, already turning, subsequently refused to, sour due to the pandemic, is further deteriorating. Among other things, this, has resulted in calls to boycott Chinese products, partners and sponsors., accept it. The Tawang tract, claimed by China was, taken over by India in, 1951., India’s, consistent, and, principled position is that, Arunachal Pradesh and the, entire UTs of J&K and Ladakh, have been, are and shall be, an integral part of India., , Reasons for unresolved border, dispute, •, , 15, , Resourceful/strategic sections: Ladakh is valuable to India as it helps supply freshwater and as it connects the Chinese, Xinjiang province with western Tibet, Ladakh is also of great significance to China., o Moreover, the area is rich in geothermal resources, and links important political and economic zones from the, Middle East to Central and Southern Asia., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , Growing power imbalance, How is the LAC different from the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan?, with, China:, Chinese, • LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the UN after the Kashmir War., military is better funded, o It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the, and equipped. Also, China,, two countries., with an economy five times, o It is delineated on a map signed by DGMOs of both armies and has the international, the size of India’s, is also, sanctity of a legal agreement., investing heavily in the • LAC, in contrast, is only a concept – it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither, region, countering Indian, delineated on a map nor demarcated on the ground., influence., Perceived threat from India’s, geopolitical interests: India’s, Neighborhood First policy, and closer ties with the, United States and its allies, were perceived negatively in, China. Also, India’s growing, influence in the Indian Ocean, region stemmed from its, position as a burgeoning, international power was not, accepted by China., Inability to comprehend, each, other’s, regional, ambitions: India sees itself as, the regional hegemon in, South Asia, and China is, definitely challenging India’s, position, especially with, CPEC, and also with its, investments and growing, relationship with India’s, neighbors., , Way forward, •, , •, , 16, , Better understanding of, each, other’s, regional, initiatives through open, dialogue is important to build, trust., o The Indo-Pacific vision is, as much a developmental, necessity for India as the, BRI may be to China., Mutually demilitarising the, armed forces deployed by, both countries will help to, pave the way to build more, trust through increased, diplomatic relations and, reduced threat perceptions., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , A balanced trade and economic, relationship might lay a solid, foundation for future relations, given, the size of both economies., Acknowledgment, of, India’s, multilateral aspirations by China can, allow both to collaborate on a range, of issues from global health and, climate change to standard setting in, new technologies., Accommodate, the, legitimate, interests on key partnerships:, China’s with Pakistan and India’s with, the United States., , External Affairs Minister outlined eight broad principles and three mutuals to, mend strained ties between India and China, , 2.2., GEOPOLITICS, OF, INDIA-SRI LANKA-CHINA, TRIANGLE, Why in news?, China’s growing presence in Sri Lanka is, generating concerns about the Indo-Sri, Lanka bilateral relationship., How China’s influence is rising in Sri, Lanka?, Over the last few years, Chinese footprint has, increased dramatically in the island nation with, China providing economic, cultural, military and, technical assistance to Sri Lanka., How the growing clout of China affects India-Sri, Lanka bilateral relationship?, •, , •, , 17, , Threat to maritime security: A permanent, People's Liberation Army (PLA) presence in the, eastern Indian Ocean will certainly inhibit the, Indian Navy’s deployment options and will, neutralise the geographical advantage it enjoys in, these waters., o For instance, recently, Sri Lanka has approved, a Chinese firm – Sinosar Etechwinee Joint Venture –, Is all well with Sri Lanka-China relationship?, to instal hybrid renewable energy systems in islands, • Sri Lanka has been forced into a debt trap, and has had, located in Palk Bay, barely 50 km from Tamil Nadu, to sell its strategic assets though debt-equity swaps, coast. These Chinese assets can become hotbeds of, leading to creation of zones where its own sovereignty, Chinese intelligence and be used to eavesdrop and, has been negated., interfere with Indian communication, track ship • It owes China more than $5 billion in debt and last, year took an additional $1 billion loan from Beijing to, movements and enhance electronic warfare capacity., wean off its acute financial crisis, which is being paid in, Favouring China over India: China is viewed as a more, instalments., reliable partner in enabling domestic economic, development timely completion of projects, cost-effectiveness and quality of infrastructure etc. This as per experts is, leading to undermining India’s influence in the island nation., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , For instance, Last year, Indian government took five months to approve a loan moratorium sought by Colombo, while Beijing approved an additional US $500 million loan from its development bank in no time., Impact on trade: The recent import restrictions policy imposed by the Sri Lankan government to control foreign, currency outflows does not seem to have affected China as much as it impacted India. Chinese imports were reduced, by 8 percent in 2020, while in contrast, imports from India went down by approximately 19 percent., o For instance, the availability of textile raw materials, such as yarn and fabric, at a low price from Chinese suppliers, is the major reason for Sri Lanka to import these goods from China instead of from India or Pakistan, which, previously used to be major importers of textile materials to Sri Lanka., , •, , India-Sri Lanka Relations, Areas of Cooperation, • Political: The 2020 virtual summit issued a joint statement “Mitratva Magga”, covering all areas of bilateral relations., • Economic: Sri Lanka remains among the largest trade partners of India in SAARC., • Cultural: Buddhism, spread by Ashoka is one of the strong pillars connecting both, Nations. Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Scheme, Study in India, tourism etc also played their part in strengthening cultural connect between the, two nations., • Development Projects: Sri Lanka is India’s one of the major development partners., For e.g. India housing Project in Sri Lanka., • Military Exercises: MITRA, SHAKTI, IN-SLN etc., Recent developments, • India inks deal with Sri Lanka to jointly develop Trincomalee, oil tank farm., • Renewable energy projects and investments in information, technology in Sri Lanka by India., • Credit lines for fuel and food., • India and Sri Lanka extended the existing S&T cooperation for, 3 more years, with focus on new areas like waste-water, technologies, biotech, sustainable agriculture, big data etc., • India provided a $ 400 m credit swap facility to Sri Lanka and, deferred Asian Clearing House settlement of $515.2 million., • Sri Lankan government prepared a roadmap to repair its ties, with India., , Way ahead to reinvigorate India-Sri Lanka Ties, As close friends and maritime neighbours, both India and Sri Lanka stand to gain from closer economic interlinkages., •, •, •, •, •, , Exploring new domains: In education, healthcare, and tourism, India is a far stronger partner than China., Leveraging India’s Soft Power: In the technology sector, India could create job opportunities by expanding the, presence of its information technology companies in Sri Lanka thereby boosting the island nation’s service economy., Sharing experience: As Sri Lanka embarks on the arduous project of drafting a constitution, India can lend its own, experience in managing minority rights and diverse populations., Strengthening cultural relations: The two countries can look to create a Buddhism knowledge and tourism corridor., o India recently announced US $15 million grant for promotion of Buddhist ties with Sri Lanka., Cooperation in maritime security: As maritime countries in the Indian Ocean, India and Sri Lanka have a shared, interest in ensuring maritime security and safety., , 2.3. INDIA-ISRAEL, Why in news?, India is in dialogue with Israel for concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the, establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries., 18, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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India-Israel Bilateral Relations: Areas of Cooperation, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , 19, , Political Relations: Full diplomatic relations were, established in 1992, which were upgraded to a strategic, level in 2017. Increased high-level exchanges and ministerial, visits on both sides have expanded cooperation in different, functional areas., o Recently India and Israel along with US and UAE formed, the ‘New Quad’ or the ‘Middle-Eastern Quad’ to work, on furthering the economic and political ties between, the four countries., Economic and Commercial Relations, o Bilateral merchandise trade: US$ 5.6 billion (excluding, defence) in 2018-19 (grew by 30 times since 1992) , with, the balance of trade being in India’s favour., o India is Israel's third largest trade partner in Asia and, seventh largest globally., o Trade in diamonds constitutes close to 40% of bilateral, trade. In recent years, the bilateral trade, has diversified into several sectors such as, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT and, telecom, and homeland security., o India has benefited from Israeli expertise, and, technologies, in, horticulture, mechanization, protected cultivation,, orchard and canopy management, nursery, management, micro- irrigation and postharvest management particularly in, Haryana and Maharashtra., Defence & Security, o India imports critical defence technologies, from Israel along with joint production and, development of key defence items such as, Barak missile ., o Joint Working Group on CounterTerrorism., o Agreements on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Cooperation in Homeland Security, and Protection, of Classified Material., Culture and Education, o India is known in Israel as an ancient nation with strong cultural traditions and is an attractive, alternative tourist, destination., o New funding programme of joint academic research has been launched with the University Grants Commission, and the Israel Science Foundation as nodal organizations., o Two countries share values of democracy and pluralism. We also share some of our guiding civilizational, philosophies: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in India, or the world is one family, and Tikun Olam in Israel, or heal the, world., Indian Community, o There are approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian-origin in Israel (majority is from Maharashtra)., o On the other hand, the Jewish diaspora in India coexisted peacefully in India for hundreds of years and, contributed in the nation building process and enriching India's literature and arts., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Areas of Concern, •, , Radicalism and terrorism: India has been facing major threats emanating from across the border from Pakistan and, Israel is also surrounded by hostile neighbours such as Palestine and Lebanon., Trade and investment potential is not harnessed fully: Trade is mainly confined to diamonds and defence. Free Trade, Agreement talks are stagnated for more than a decade. The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) signed in 1996 was also, terminated later due to differences between the two countries dampening the investment climate., Emerging fissures in the West Asian region: With Israel and Saudi Arabia coming close with an aim to stop the rise of, Iran, it will be tough for India to balance its relations with the three main poles of the West Asian region., Human Rights violation by Israel against Palestine: India has been vocal about human rights violations, however, India faces strategic dilemma in dealing with the issue. For instance, recently, India abstained on the resolution that, calls on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to set up a permanent commission to probe human rights violations, in Gaza, West Bank and Palestine., Connectivity between two countries is still poor which has led to limited people to people ties., Israel’s close ties with China: China is the second largest trading partner of Israel. Also, Israel is the second largest, weapon supplier to China and recently agreed to take part in China’s One Belt -One Road Initiative., , •, •, •, , •, •, , Way ahead for strengthening the relationship, •, , Enhancing people to people connect: There is a strong need to use soft power diplomacy to build people-to-people, bridges and to add to economic benefits through robust inter-country tourism., Education: India’s world-class institutes of higher India’s De-Hyphenated Policy: Israel and, education could benefit from the strong culture of, Palestine, research and innovation that thrives in Israel. Israel hosts • In international politics, de-hyphenation means dealing, R&D centres of more than 300 multinational companies, with two countries, having adversarial relationship, and has the highest number of patents per capita., between them, in an independent manner., Learning, from, Israel’s, Water, Management • Traditionally, India’s foreign policy towards Israel and, Palestine has been a hyphenated foreign policy., Technologies: Technologies focus on reduction of water, However, hyphenating the ties with Israel – linking, consumption and on recycling of wastewater. India can, them to ties with the Palestinian Authority –, benefit from the same to deal with climate change and, essentially prevented India from pursuing a pragmatic, its disruptive impact, strategic issues related to the, policy of what was in India’s best interests., waters of the Brahmaputra and Indus and the rapid, • India in the recent year has been following a deurbanisation in India., hyphenation policy between Israel and Palestine. It, Semiconductor Manufacturing: Israel is one of the few, means India’s relationship with Israel would stand on, countries that can help India in achieving self-reliance in, its own merits, independent and separate from India’s, the production of semiconductors., relationship with the Palestinians. The de-hyphenation, is a balancing act, with India shifting from one side to, Mutual learnings on community practices: For example,, as as, theagriculture, situation demands., India needs to learn a lot from the inspirational role Kibbutz andanother, Moshav, cooperatives play in nationbuilding in Israel. Similarly, Israel can benefit from the transformational journeys of many self-help womens’, collectives in India., , •, , •, , •, •, , Related News, India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F), • Experts from India Israel approved 3 joint R&D projects worth 5.5 million $ under I4F., o I4F is a cooperation between India, and Israel to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects between, companies from India and Israel to address the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’., o It is aimed to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D between India & Israel, which would lead to the codevelopment and commercialization of innovative technologies benefiting both countries., , 2.4. WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO), Why in news?, The USA, is resisting the proposed sustainable financing model by WHO., 20, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Current financing model of WHO, •, •, •, •, , WHO budget largely consists of two funding types,, namely assessed contributions and voluntary, contributions., WHO’s work was previously funded entirely by, assessed contributions from Member States., By 1990, voluntary contributions had increased to, 54% of total funds, and they now make up over 80%, of WHO’s total income., While WHO’s budget has increased substantially –, from US$ 1.4 billion for 1990–1991 to US$ 5.8 billion, for 2020–2021 – assessed contributions have, remained more or less static at about US$ 1 billion., , About the proposed Sustainable Financing Model, A proposal by the WHO's working group on sustainable, financing calls for members' mandatory contributions to rise, gradually to account for 50 per cent of agency's core budget by, 2028, from less than 20 per cent now., What is the take of countries on the proposal?, • USA: U.S. government is opposing the reform because it, has concerns about the WHO's ability to confront future, threats, including from China., o It is pushing instead for the creation of a separate, fund, directly controlled by donors, that would finance, prevention and control of health emergencies., • Brazil: WHO needed to investigate other ways to raise, funds, such as charging for its services, cutting costs or, relocating operations to cheaper countries., , Need for Sustainable Financing Model, , Having only 17% of WHO’s budget funded from sustainable sources poses numerous challenges. WHO Director General, highlighted the need for a paradigm shift in the way the global health body is funded for the following reasons:, •, , •, , •, , 21, , Limited, funding: Other persisting challenges with WHO, WHO’s, annual • Lack of defined functions-There is no single document which comprehensively describes its, operating budget is, responsibilities, obligations and powers with respect to infectious diseases., smaller than that of, o A collection of documents, such as treaties, regulations like International Health, Regulations (IHR), WHA resolutions and operational practices manifest WHO’s powers., many, university, •, Recommendatory, powers- The WHO’s authority is recommendatory in nature and include, hospitals,, and, proposing, conventions,, agreements, public health practices and international nomenclatures., diversified among an, o, Unlike, bodies, like, World, Trade Organisation (WTO), it has no ability to bind or sanction, array of public health, its members., and research projects., • Capacity to work in an outbreak- The organisation’s responsibilities during a pandemic, Over reliance on, include surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, developing guidance for member states., voluntary, o Its coordinating authority and capacity are weak and it merely works as a technical, contribution, from, organisation., member states and, o It relies on bureaucracy and regional offices for control., charities, forces the, o It lacks the ability to direct an international response to a life-threatening epidemic., agency to focus on, priorities set by funders, and makes it less able to criticise members when things go wrong. These restrictions create, a bureaucratic mess, slowing down the WHO., Persisting pockets of poverty: The voluntary contributions are often for programs that are in line with national, interests, with restrictive conditions, and are often short-term in nature. this leads to a situation of under and, overfunding across Programme budget segments., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , •, , •, , •, , •, , For instance, there is a chronic, underfunding, of, areas, including, noncommunicable diseases, emergency, o preparedness, and data and science, functions., Timely response to the changing public health, environment: Sustainable funding is critical to, respond to and address areas such as, emergency preparedness, noncommunicable, diseases and universal health coverage that, traditionally do not appeal to a broad spectrum, of voluntary contributors., Human Resource: Owing to the fact that the, bulk of WHO’s current financing is strictly, earmarked and not predictable, it impedes the, Organization’s ability to attract and retain the, best professionals in global health., Donor reliance: Top five donors of voluntary contributions represent between 30% and 60% of the financing for WHO, Programme budget. Withdrawal of any of these major donors leaves an immediate, substantial funding gap that, cannot be bridged easily due to the very limited amounts of sustainable, flexible and predictable financing., o For instance, U.S. funding had declined by 25 percent during the COVID pandemic., To make long-term planning possible and to strengthen WHO’s ability to deliver on work to lead and coordinate, global health., , Conclusion, COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the fundamental importance of the global detection, response and coordination roles, that only WHO can play across all Member States. But delivery on this mission relies on WHO itself being in sound financial, health. Committing to the more sustainable financing of WHO is to invest in a healthier and safer world for all of us., , 2.5. UKRAINE CRISIS, Why in News?, Recently, The United States has warned Russia not to invade Ukraine and, urged both countries to return to a set of agreements designed to end a, separatist war by Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine., More in News, •, , •, , Over the past several months, Russia has amassed more than 100,000, troops at Ukraine's eastern border and, according to U.S. officials,, mounted an aggressive influence campaign., o Its actions have prompted concerns among Western and, Ukrainian officials that an invasion could occur., However, Russia denies that it is planning to invade Ukraine and says, its deployment of troops and equipment close to the borders is an, exercise., , Background, •, •, •, 22, , In 2013, Ukraine's then-President, Viktor Yanukovich, decided against signing an association agreement (AA) with, the European Union (EU), sparking major pro-European protests in Ukraine., In February 2014, the Ukrainian parliament voted to impeach Yanukovich, who fled Kyiv., Subsequently, in March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, an autonomous peninsula in southern Ukraine with strong, Russian loyalties, on the pretext that it was defending its interests and those of Russian-speaking citizens., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , •, , Shortly afterwards, pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared their independence, from Kiev, prompting months of heavy fighting., o The EU, the United States and other countries Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), • The OSCE is security organization with 57 member states in, imposed sanctions on Russia. The EU-Ukraine, North America, Europe and Asia., AA entered into force in September 2017., • It deals with a wide range of security-related concerns,, In 2014, a peace plan for eastern Ukraine (the Minsk, including arms control, nonproliferation, counterterrorism,, Protocol I) was signed. However, the agreement, democratization, and human rights., quickly broke down, with violations by both sides., • The OSCE provides support in capacity-building, policy, o Its provisions included prisoner exchanges,, advice, awareness raising and advocacy, as well as dialogue, support. Key policy areas in addressing migration include:, deliveries of humanitarian aid and the, o, Regulating migration: border management, travel, withdrawal of heavy weapons, document security, countering transnational threats,, As fighting continued, in 2015, Representatives of, including human trafficking along migration routes;, Russia, Ukraine, the Organisation for Security and, o Facilitating legal migration: labour migration governance, Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the leaders of, and research, data collection and harmonization;, two pro-Russian separatist regions signed a 13-point, o Supporting people and communities: freedom of, agreement in February 2015 in Minsk., movement,, tolerance, and, non-discrimination,, o The leaders from France, Germany, Ukraine and, integration, refugee referral., Russia (the 'Normandy Four') agreed to a new, ceasefire and a package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements (the 'Minsk II', agreement)., o The agreement includes provisions for a cease-fire, withdrawal of heavy weaponry, and full Ukrainian government, control throughout the conflict zone., o However, efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement and satisfactory resolution have been unsuccessful., ▪ A major blockage has been Russia’s insistence that it is not a party to the conflict and therefore is not bound, by its terms., According to UN figures, there have been more than 3,000 conflict-related civilian deaths in eastern Ukraine since, March 2014., , Concerns with escalation of Ukrainian conflict, •, 23, , Deteriorating relations with USA: The conflict in Ukraine risks further deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations and, greater escalation if Russia expands its presence in Ukraine or into NATO countries., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, •, , Shift NATO focus to Europe again: An, Reasons for Russia’s interest in Ukraine, escalating crisis in Ukraine threatens to • NATO’s support to Ukraine: Russia is not happy with efforts by the US, upend recent efforts by the United, and European Union to induct Ukraine into the US-led military alliance of, States and NATO to shift the alliance’s, NATO and keep it out of Russian control. Ukraine acts a crucial buffer, attention to the security challenge posed, between Russia., by China, and would push it back toward, o Russia views the growing support for Ukraine from NATO - in terms, of weaponry, training and personnel - as a threat to its own security., its traditional role of protecting Europe, o, In October 2018, Ukraine joined the United States and seven other, and, by extension, North America., North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in a series of, Imposed sanctions: The West imposed, large-scale air exercises in western Ukraine., sanctions on Russia after the seizure of, o It has also accused Ukraine of boosting its own troop numbers in, Crimea and could add painful new, preparation for an attempt to retake the Donbas region, an, measures, such as preventing it from, allegation Ukraine has denied., pumping Russian gas through the newly • Historical ties: Russia has deep cultural, economic, and political bonds, built Nord Stream 2 pipeline to, with Ukraine, and in many ways Ukraine is central to Russia’s identity and, Germany., vision for itself in the world., o Nord Stream 2 is one of two • Russian Diaspora: Among Russia’s top concerns is the welfare of the, approximately eight million ethnic Russians living in Ukraine,, pipelines that Russia has laid, according to a 2001 census, mostly in the south and east. Moscow, underwater in the Baltic Sea in, claimed a duty to protect these people as a pretext for its actions in, addition to its traditional land-based, Ukraine., pipeline network that runs through, •, Superpower image. After the Soviet collapse, many Russian politicians, eastern Europe, including Ukraine., viewed the divorce with Ukraine as a mistake of history and a threat to, Energy crisis: In any conflict- Europe, Russia’s standing as a great power. Losing a permanent hold on Ukraine,, worries Russia will turn down gas and oil, and letting it fall into the Western orbit, was seen by many as a major, supplies- driving energy prices up., blow to Russia’s international prestige., Global peace: The conflict has, heightened tensions in Russia’s relations with both the United States and Europe, complicating the prospects for, cooperation elsewhere including on issues of terrorism, arms control, and a political solution in Syria., , Concerns for India due to Ukraine crisis, •, , To maintain balance between Russia and US: India has good relations with both Russia and the US and siding with, one of these countries could cost India its relationship with the other., o However, India has maintained its neutrality from distant conflict in Eastern Europe. Indian government has, abstained from the procedure vote on Ukraine at the UN Security Council., ▪ India’s position on the ongoing Ukraine crisis undergirded by the desire to keep clear of the crosshairs of big, power rivalry is reminiscent of its quintessential ‘strategic autonomy’., • S-400 delivery and US waiver: The crisis comes precisely as India’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system is, under way- and India hopes for a waiver of U.S. sanctions on this. Conflict will complicate both the delivery of the, system, and the possibility of a presidential waiver., • Brings Russia China closer: The Crisis will make Moscow more dependent on friends like China and build a regional, bloc of sorts that India is not a part of., o Russia is already averse to the Indo-Pacific concept and the Quad as a revival of Cold War bloc politics and views, them as being against its Asia-Pacific interests. Any Ukraine conflict and a resulting breakdown of Russia-West ties, will strengthen Russian opposition to these concepts and forums which are binding us to the US., • India’s Investment in Russia: India’s plans in Russia’s energy sector and in the development of its Far East, in general,, would become problematic, especially by the reluctance of the private sector to fall afoul of the complex US sanctions., The new sanctions could exclude Russia from the Swift payments system., Conclusion, For many analysts, the conflict marked a clear shift in the global security environment from a unipolar period of U.S., dominance to one defined by renewed competition between great powers. However, a solution to the conflict is at hand,, in the form of the Minsk II agreement of 2015 calling for autonomy for a demilitarized Donbas within Ukraine, under, international guarantees., 24, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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2.6. NEWS IN SHORTS, 2.6.1. PAKISTAN LAUNCHES FIRST EVER NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY (NSP) 2022-2026, •, , It seeks to co-locate Pakistan in emerging global trends and articulate Pakistan’s national security vision and interests., o It places economic security as the core element of national security., ▪ A stronger economy would create additional resources which would then be distributed to further bolster military, and human security., Issue, On, J&K, , On, border, issues, , Trade, , Pakistan NSP, India’s decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in, August 2019 was illegal and unilateral and alleged that Indian, security forces were behind human rights abuses and oppression in, Kashmir., special attention is required to manage persistent border disputes, which continue to pose security threats, particularly along the Line, of Control and Working Boundary where ceasefire violations by India, threaten civilian lives and property while endangering regional, stability., It is aimed at normalising trade ties with India (which is on backstep since 2008 Mumbai Terror attack) and other neighbours., , India’s stand, Kashmir is an "integral part" of the country and the, welfare of people in the valley lies in their integration, with India. India also said Statehood to Jammu and, Kashmir would be granted at an appropriate time, India agreed to abide by all agreements on ceasefire, along the Line of Control (LoC) and the sectors of the, International Border "in the interest of achieving, mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the, borders"., India desires normal relations, including on trade with, all countries, including Pakistan., , 2.6.2. INDIA PAKISTAN EXCHANGE LIST, OF, NUCLEAR, INSTALLATIONS,, PRISONERS, , Key highlights of the summit, , •, , •, , •, , Lists of nuclear installation were exchanged as per the, Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear, Installations and Facilities, signed in 1988 and ratified, in 1991., o As per agreement, both countries have to inform, each other of the nuclear facilities., Lists of prisoners include civilians, defence personnel, and fishermen., , •, , •, •, , •, , It was attended by Presidents of all five central Asian, republics;, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,, Tajikistan,, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan., The Leaders agreed to institutionalise the Summit, mechanism by deciding to hold it every 2 years., India – Central Asia Centre would be set up in New, Delhi which could act as the Secretariat for the India –, Central Asia Summit., Countries agreed to further cooperation in areas of, trade and connectivity, development cooperation,, defence and security through:, o Showcasing of Buddhist Exhibit\ions, o Joint counter-terrorism exercises, To setup joint working groups on Afghanistan and use, of Chabahar port., , For more details with regard to India-Central Asia overall, relations, refer to Vision IAS Monthly Current Affairs,, October 2021 edition., , 2.6.4. AT WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, (WTO), CHINA A ‘DEVELOPING’ COUNTRY, •, o, , These are exchanged under the Agreement on, Consular Access signed in 2008 which require two, countries to exchange comprehensive lists on, prisoners on January 1 and July 1 every year., , 2.6.3. INDIA-CENTRAL ASIA, •, 25, , India hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit in, virtual format., , •, , www.visionias.in, , China’s status as a ‘developing country’ at the WTO has, become a contentious issue since China is deriving, benefits reserved for developing countries under WTO, norms., o China is an upper middle-income country., o Further, China allegedly uses unfair trade practices, such as preferential treatment for state, enterprises and data restrictions, Therefore, many nations have called on China to either, refrain from seeking benefits available to developing, ©Vision IAS

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countries or forego its classification as a developing, country., Developing countries at WTO:, o There are no WTO definitions of “developed” and, “developing” countries., o Members announce for themselves whether they, are “developed” or “developing” countries., o However, other members can challenge the, decision of a member to make use of provisions, available to developing countries., Benefits of claiming Developing countries:, o Developing countries enjoy special rights through, ‘special and differential treatment’ (S&DT), provisions., o WTO pacts set more lenient target for developing, nations and grant them more time to achieve, certain targets., o It allows other countries to offer preferential, treatment like Generalized System of Preferences, (GSP)., ✓ GSP is a non-reciprocal preferential tariff, system which provides for exemption from the, Most Favored Nation principle of WTO., , •, , •, , Least Developed Country (LDC) at WTO, • WTO recognises LDCs relying on a classification by the UN, based on a criteria that is reviewed every three years., • The identification of LDCs is currently based on three, criteria: per capita gross national income (GNI), human, assets and economic vulnerability to external shocks., • Recently concerns have also been raised over LDC status, assigned to Bangladesh although it has surpassed India, in terms of GDP per capita., , •, , 2.6.6., COUNTER-TERRORISM, COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORATE, (CTED), •, , •, , 2.6.5. 5 UNITED NATIONS SECURITY, COUNCIL (UNSC) STATES PLEDGE TO, AVOID NUCLEAR WAR, •, , •, , 26, , In a joint statement, UNSC’s Permanent members, (Britain, China, France, Russia and U.S.) pledged to, prevent further spread of nuclear weapons and to, avoid a nuclear war., o They also emphasized importance of preserving, and complying with bilateral and multilateral, non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control, agreements and commitments., Development came ahead of a five-yearly review, conference (now postponed) for Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)., o NPT came to force in 1970 to:, ✓ prevent spread of nuclear weapons &, weapons technology, ✓ foster peaceful uses of nuclear energy,, ✓ further goal of disarmament., o India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea are not part, of NPT., , Other multilateral treaties for preventing nuclear, proliferation and for promoting progress in nuclear, disarmament:, o Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in, Atmosphere, In Outer Space and Under Water, also, known as Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT). India has, ratified it., o Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), that bans all nuclear weapons test explosions. It, was signed globally in 1996 but has yet to enter, into force. (India has not signed it), o Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, (TPNW) includes a comprehensive set of, prohibitions on participating in any nuclear, weapon activities. India is not part of TPNW., , •, , India, which will chair the UNSC Counter-Terrorism, Committee (CTC) in 2022, voted in favour of a, resolution to renew CTED’s mandate until December, 31, 2025., o As CTC chair, India will make determined efforts to, further enhance the role of CTC in strengthening, multilateral response to counter terrorism., o India will also ensure that global response to threat, of terrorism remains unambiguous, undivided, and effective., CTED was established by UNSC Resolution 1535 in, 2004 as an expert body to support CTC., o CTED conducts country visits on CTC’s behalf to, assess Member States' counter-terrorism efforts,, including progress made, remaining shortfalls,, priority areas for technical assistance needs etc., CTC was established by UNSC resolution 1373 (2001),, to implement measures intended to enhance their, legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist, activities at home, in their regions and around the, world., o It was established after the 9/11 terror attack to, bolster the ability of UN member states to prevent, terrorist acts both within their borders and across, regions., , 2.6.7. COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY, ORGANIZATION (CSTO), •, •, , www.visionias.in, , Thousands of troops from CSTO arrived in Kazakhstan, to restore order amid spiraling unrest in Kazakhstan., CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance that promotes the, collective defence of any member that comes under, external aggression., ©Vision IAS

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o, , o, o, , o, , CSTO originates from Collective Security Treaty, signed in 1992 by Russia and few Central Asian, states., CSTO is based on the principle of collective, defense just like NATO., Current members: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,, Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian and the Tajikistan., , o, , 2.6.8. TALIBAN, AFGHAN CIVIL SOCIETY, MEMBERS BEGIN OSLO TALKS, •, •, , Discussions, which are being facilitated by Norway, are, to focus on human rights and the humanitarian crisis, in Afghanistan., Humanitarian situation has deteriorated drastically, since August 2021, when Taliban stormed back to, power 20 years after being toppled., , o, , 2.6.10. HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX, •, , 2.6.9. SHERPA, •, •, , 27, , First BRICS Sherpas meeting of 2022 was held virtually., About Sherpas:, , A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader, of a member country at an international Summit, such as the G8, G20 etc., ✓ The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa, people, who serve as guides for mountaineers, in the Himalayas., They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus, and, participate in a series of pre-Summit, consultations to help negotiate their leaders’, positions., There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each, member country., , •, , www.visionias.in, , Index lists the world’s passports according to the, number of destinations their holders can access, without a prior visa., o It is released by Henley & Partners, a global leader, in residence and citizenship planning., India’s passport power has improved this quarter, compared to 2021. It now ranks 83rd (90th rank last, year)., o Japan and Singapore top the index., , ©Vision IAS

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3. ECONOMY, 3.1. GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) ESTIMATES, Why in News?, Recently, the National Statistical, Office (NSO) released the first, advance estimates of GDP for, 2021-22 with GDP growth rate, pegged at 9.2%., More on News, •, , First Advance Estimates of, GDP were introduced in 201617 to serve as essential inputs, to the Budget exercise., • It uses the Benchmarkindicator, method, i.e.,, extrapolating previous year, estimates by using relevant, indicators on performance of, different sectors of economy., • Key Estimates (Base year for Constant Prices- 2011-12):, ○ Real GDP is estimated to grow at 9.2% and Nominal GDP at 17.6%,, ○ Real GVA is estimated to grow at 8.6% and Nominal GVA at 17.4%., Why is measurement of GDP important?, Calculated through different approaches (Production, Expenditure and Income), GDP data became the primary yardstick, for sizing up a country’s economy during World War II., •, , Amalgamation of traditional economic indicators: Based on empirical analysis, the classical economists link higher, GDP growth with higher individual satisfaction as it represents increasing satisfaction (utility), higher jobs etc., o E.g., Okun’s Law suggests a linear relation between unemployment and GDP with every 3-point rise in GDP, leading to 1 percentage point fall in unemployment., • Acts as a marker of growth: GDP enables policymakers and central banks to judge whether the economy is contracting, or expanding and promptly take necessary action., o It is believed that high GDP growth will trickle down to people at the bottom of the ladder, i.e., the poorest, people will gradually benefit as a result of increasing wealth of the richest., • Used to analyze the impact of variable: It also allows policymakers, economists, and businesses to analyze the impact, of variables such as monetary and fiscal policy, economic shocks, and tax and spending plans., Limitations of GDP Statistics, GDP statistics have evolved with time to resolve various issues. Still, GDP is not an appropriate measure of the overall, standard of living or well-being of a country’s development. It suffers from statistical limitations and other concerns, which limit GDP data utility to measure development such as:, Statistical, Limitations, , •, , •, 28, , Nature of Statistics: Statistics lag behind the actual happening in the economy, increasing time to capture and, understand the major structural change. E.g., o In India, the most accurate GDP data, i.e., revised estimates comes after a lag of almost 3 years., o Much of the Digital Economy isn’t part of it due to investment in intangibles (e.g. software, brand equity,, innovation or R&D etc.), Capturing Unpaid Work: GDP statistics fail to capture the unpaid labour (e.g., childcare), limiting GDP and its, use to compare between countries., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , •, , Other, Concerns, , •, , •, •, , It also fails to, measure the free, online, services,, unorganized, sector,, capital, depreciation etc., Economic Behavior:, Unlike, classical, economist’s, assumption of people, making, rational, choices in a market, situation, people make, irrational choices as, well due to emotional, and social elements., Rising Inequalities: The trickle down of benefits failed in most nation’s with rise in inequalities in almost all, major economies. These inequalities are further pushed by the recent pandemic., o E.g., According to Oxfam Inequality report 2021, ‘Inequality Kills’, 84% Indian households had a decline, in income while wealth of 100 richest people more than doubled. The share of the bottom 50% was, merely 6% of national wealth and over 4.6 crore Indians fell into extreme poverty in 2020., Environment Impact: Focus on economic growth leads to serious undermining of environment and resource, exploitation, leading to environmental degradation., Weak relationship between money and well-being: People’s sense of well-being is governed not just by, money but other factors as well., o It includes factors like personal and family relationships, physical and mental health, security, and, satisfaction at work etc., , What can be the additional indicators to measure well-being more effectively?, With growth still a key policy target, GDP helps to measure, economic performance and guide policy making for efficient use of, available resources. At the same time, its limitations on well-being, and problems caused by using growth alone as indicator has, motivated indicators such as:, •, , •, •, , •, , •, , 29, , Gross National Happiness (GNH): Coined by the 4th king of, Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970’s, GNH focuses, on four pillars- good governance, sustainable socio-economic, development, cultural preservation and environmental, conservation., Human Development Index (HDI): Launched in 1990 by the, United Nations (developed by Mahbub ul Haq) to measure, factors such as education, income, and health., Bare Necessities Index (BNI): Introduced by the Finance, Ministry in 2020-21, it assesses the fulfillment of bare, necessities of life such as housing, water sanitation, electricity, etc., Green GDP: Also known as environmentally adjusted domestic product, it allows the cost of natural resource, depletion and environmental degradation to be subtracted from GDP., o Gross Environment Product: A component of Green GDP, it measures the ecosystem services or the benefits, derived from natural resources and processes such as food, clean water etc., Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI): Used to measure the economic growth of a nation, GPI takes into account the GDP, as well as its negative social and environmental costs such as crimes, resource depletion, etc., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Conclusion, Though each of them had their own criticism over methodology or other reasons, they can complement GDP dataset for, a wider set of objectives. In essence, the most appropriate measure of well-being would be a combination of reduced, inequality, well-being of people, systemic resilience and environmental sustainability alongside economic growth., , 3.2. RETAIL DIRECT SCHEME, Why in news?, RBI notified the market making scheme to promote, retail participation in government securities by, providing prices/quotes to retail direct gilt (RDG), account holders enabling them to buy and sell, securities under the Retail Direct Scheme., More about news, •, , •, , Under the market making arrangement, the, primary dealers shall be present on the NDS-OM, platform (odd-lot and Request for Quotes, segments) throughout market hours and respond, to buy/sell requests from Retail Direct Gilt, Account Holders (RDGAHs)., Primary dealers will rely on the Know Your, Customer (KYC) verification of the RDG account, holders done under the retail direct scheme., , Retail participation in G-sec: Background, •, •, •, •, , Definition of important terms, • Retail investors: Term retail investor refers to individual, investors or retail traders. These are non-professional, investors who purchase assets such as stocks, bonds,, securities, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs)., • Primary dealers: A primary dealer is a bank or other financial, institution that has been approved to trade securities with a, national government., • Gilt Account: A "Gilt Account" means an account opened and, maintained for holding Government securities, by an entity or, a person., • “NDS-OM” or Negotiated Dealing Segment – Order Matching:, It means RBI’s screen based, anonymous electronic order, matching system for trading in Government Securities in the, secondary market., • G-sec: These are debt instruments issued by the government, to borrow money. Two key categories are:, o Treasury bills: Short-term instruments which mature in, 91 days, 182 days, or 364 days, and, o Dated securities: Long-term instruments, which mature, anywhere between 5 years and 40 years., , In the Union Budget for FY 2021-22, the government proposed to consolidate various statutory Acts like the, Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992, and the Government Securities Act 2007, etc. into a rationalised, single securities markets code., Consequently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed retail investors to participate in the government securities, (G-Sec) market (both primary and secondary) through ‘Retail Direct’, an online portal for trading., o India became the third country, after the US and Brazil, in enacting such a provision., Though, the RBI has been allowing small investors to participate in G-Sec market since 2001, it has not gained, significant traction and is mostly confined to institutional investors as it is a high-volume game and specialised in, nature., In November 2021, RBI came up with Retail Direct scheme., , About Retail Direct scheme, •, •, •, , •, •, •, 30, , It is a one-stop solution to facilitate investment in Government Securities by Individual Investors., Under the scheme, retail investors can buy G-Sec directly and free of cost. Earlier investors could buy government, securities through gilt mutual funds., The scheme provides the following facilities to retail investors in government securities market through an online, portal:, o Open and maintain a ‘Retail Direct Gilt Account’ (RDG Account);, o Access to primary issuance of Government securities;, o Access to NDS-OM., Non-Resident retail investors eligible to invest in Government Securities under Foreign Exchange Management Act,, 1999 are also eligible under the scheme., Primary market participation: Participation and allotment of securities will be as per the non-competitive scheme for, participation in primary auction of government securities., Secondary market transaction: Registered investors can access the secondary market transaction link on the online, portal to buy or sell government securities through NDS-OM (odd lot segment/RFQ)., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Providing online access to retail investors to invest in both primary and secondary government securities (G-Sec), markets will further encourage and deepen retail investor participation in this segment., , Benefits of the scheme, •, , For investors: Retail investors will get a new window, in addition to the existing small savings schemes, to directly, invest in fixed income instruments with sovereign guarantee. Currently, G-sec market is dominated by institutional, investors such as banks, mutual funds, etc. which trade in lot sizes of Rs 5 crore or more., o So, there is no liquidity in the secondary market for small investors who would want to trade in smaller lot sizes., • For RBI: The move will help the central bank to keep down the costs of funds in light of government’s mammoth, borrowing programme of ₹12 lakh crore in 2021-22., • For Government: Increase in the investor base will enable the government to raise resources for financing its, increased budgetary spending and bridge its burgeoning fiscal deficit. It will also enable better price discovery in the, G-Sec market., Strengthening the pillars of retail G-sec market to make it more successful, •, , •, •, , Return on investment: Investors generally evaluate different investment options based on safety, liquidity, and ‘yield, to maturity’. Yields on G-Secs are a function of inflation, government borrowings, liquidity and volatility in the, international markets, crude oil prices, and overall risk sentiment., o While G-Secs usually fare better in terms of safety, and offer higher yields than fixed deposits (FDs) in banks,, they provide lower after-tax returns compared to other small savings instruments such as deposits in post office,, public provident fund (PPF), SSY etc., o Therefore, the government needs to suitably compensate the retail investors, including senior citizens, by issuing, tax-free bonds/price discounts and the like., Robust infrastructure: Recent outage in online digital services of HDFC Bank highlighted the need for robust trading, infrastructure, cyber security and customer protection to build confidence among the retail investors and enhance, usage of Retail-Direct., Financial and Digital literacy: As public awareness about G-Secs is relatively lower, Retail-Direct will be successful, when financial and digital literacy are imparted in simple, clear and Indian languages. 76 per cent of adults in India, do not even understand the basic financial concepts like interest rate, inflation, yield to maturity, etc. (Standard &, Poor’s, 2015)., , 3.3. UNEMPLOYMENT IN INDIA, Why in news?, India’s unemployment rate went up to 7.91 per cent in December 2021 from 6.3 per cent in 2018-2019 and 4.7 per cent, in 2017-18., More about news, •, •, •, , Unemployment is more in the urban areas as compared to the rural areas., Unemployment among women is higher than men, both in urban as well as rural areas., Further, of the women willing to seek work in urban areas, 92.1 per cent don’t get any work. This count for rural, women stands at 54.8 per cent., , About unemployment, •, , The term unemployment refers to a situation when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to, find work. Unemployment is considered to be a key measure of the health of the economy., • The unemployment rate refers to the unemployed who are willing to work and are actively looking for a job expressed, as a per cent of the labour force., • Labour force consists of persons who are of 15 years of age or more and are either of the following two categories:, o are employed;, o are unemployed and are willing to work and are actively looking for a job., 31, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Causes of unemployment in India, •, , •, , •, •, , •, , •, , 32, , Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), • Considering the importance of availability of labour force data at, more frequent time intervals, National Statistical Office (NSO), launched Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) on April 2017., • On the basis of PLFS, Quarterly Bulletins are brought out,, corresponding to different quarters of the survey period, giving, estimates of labour force indicators, viz., Labour Force Participation, Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate, (UR), distribution of workers by broad status in employment and, industry of work in the Current Weekly Status (CWS) for the urban, areas., Key Terms, • Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is defined as the percentage, of persons in labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for, work) in the population., • Worker Population Ratio (WPR): WPR is defined as the percentage, of employed persons in the population., • Unemployment Rate (UR): UR is defined as the percentage of, persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force., • Activity Status- Usual Status: The activity status of a person is, determined on the basis of the activities pursued by the person, during the specified reference period. When the activity status is, determined on the basis of the reference period of last 365 days, preceding the date of survey, it is known as the usual activity status, of the person., • Activity Status- Current Weekly Status (CWS): The activity status, determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days, preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status, (CWS) of the person., o As per CWS status, a person is considered as unemployed in a, week if he did not work even for at least one hour on any day, during the reference week but sought or was available for work., , Workers are moving off Indian farms: There, has been a dramatic reduction in prime, working-age (age group of 20 to 59 years), Indians engaged in agriculture, with their, share falling to 23.3% in 2018-19 from 40%, in 2004-05., o But this decline is not mirrored in a, corresponding, increase, in, the, proportion of prime-age adults taking up, non-farm jobs. Rather, it is reflected in, an increase in the share of prime adults, leaving the labour market., Low participation of women in the, workforce: This is because of reasons like:, o Mechanisation of agriculture has had a, huge adverse impact on female labour, force participation in the agriculture., o India’s manufacturing sector is not, labour-intensive which has made it, difficult to compensate women who got, displaced from agricultural jobs., o Women’s role as primary caregivers,, cultural norms and deep roots of, patriarchy., o If family incomes increase, women may, drop out of work, which is a cultural, phenomenon in India., o NITI Aayog’s 2017-20 agenda says that, women tend to be paid less, work in less, productive, jobs, and, are, overrepresented in unpaid care work, and engaging in vulnerable forms of, employment., Decline in manufacturing jobs: Automation, and multi-skilling has reduced the need for, human resources., Poor quality of jobs: According to a ILO, report (2018), while there has been a strong, job creation in some ICT- intensive services,, a significant portion of these jobs have been, in traditional low value-added services,, where informality and vulnerable forms of, employment are often dominant., Shrinking public sector: Government jobs, which were 19.5 million in 1996-97, were about 17 million in 2016. There, has been a decline of 89 per cent in the direct recruitment in central government ministries and departments in 2015, as compared to 2013., o Union and state governments are either reducing posts or going for contract workers., Inadequate attention to small and medium enterprises (SMEs): SMEs are more labor intensive than that of large, firms. However, big companies remain the main beneficiaries of the fiscal policy of the government., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Rise in voluntary unemployment: Voluntary unemployment refers to a situation where people choose not to work, below a certain income level after ‘investing’ in education. CMIE data based on a household survey has shown, dramatic rise in voluntary unemployment., Lack of employability: According to India Skills Report (ISR), less than half of the Indian graduates are employable., In 2021, as many as 45.9 per cent of graduates are employable, a decline from 46.21 per cent in 2020 and 47.38 per, cent in 2010., , •, , Impact of COVID-19 on employment, Key trends observed, Unemployment rate remains, notably higher than the preCOVID period, Recovery, post-national, lockdown uneven in case of, females, Marginal changes in Labour, Force Participation Rate (LFPR), , Details, • During the October-December quarter of 2020 (latest data available), unemployment rate, had reduced to 10.3% from 20.9% during the April-June quarter. However, it was notably, higher than the unemployment rate in the same quarter last year (7.9%)., • Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalent male-female gap seems to have, widened. During the October-December quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate for, females was 13.1%, as compared to 9.5% for males., • The LFPR saw only marginal changes throughout 2019 and 2020., • During the April-June quarter (where COVID-19 restrictions were the most stringent), the, LFPR was 35.9%, which was lower than same in the corresponding quarter in 2019 (36.2%)., , Great Resignation, • Great Resignation is an idea that predicts a large number of people leaving their jobs after the COVID pandemic ends and life, returns to normal. Thus companies have to navigate the ripple effects of the pandemic and re-evaluate how to retain talent., • Estimates indicate that in 2021, 75.5 million people in America resigned in 2021 leading some analysts to describe this, phenomenon., • Reasons: Low salary, burnouts, limited opportunities, poor employee benefits, toxic corporate culture, instability etc., • What can be done?: Healthy work culture, creating a better workplace by hosting more cooperate social events, providing, employees with benefits like happy hours and organising more excursions outside the office., , Few Recent initiatives taken by the central government to support workers, •, •, , •, , •, , •, , Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY): Under scheme, central government contributed both 12%, employer’s share and 12% employee’s share under Employees Provident Fund (EPF)., Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojna (ABRY) Scheme: Launched in October 2020 to incentivise employers for the, creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of loss of employment during the, COVID-19 pandemic., Increase in unemployment benefits: The unemployment benefit under the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, (launched in July 2018) was enhanced from 25% to 50% of the average earning for insured workers who have lost, employment due to COVID-19., Prime Minister’s Street Vendor’s Aatma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme: As part of scheme, the central, government provided an initial working capital of up to Rs 10,000 to street vendors. As of June 2021, Rs 2,130 crore, disbursed to 21.57 lakh beneficiaries., Interlinking of databases: In Union budget 2022, it has been announced that portals such as Udyam, e-Shram,, National Career Service (NCS) and Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping (ASEEM) will be interlinked to, act as live, organic databases, providing G2C, B2C and B2B services., o These services will relate to credit facilitation, skilling, and recruitment with an aim to further formalise the, economy and enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for all., , What more can be done to overcome the challenges?, •, •, , 33, , Need of a comprehensive national employment policy: National employment policies seek to explicitly link growth, and economic strategies to employment creation and diagnose the challenges and opportunities for productive job, creation., Transformation of rural economy: Economic returns from States initiatives in transforming the rural economy from, traditional agriculture to more value-added activities like horticulture has been demonstrated well in states such as, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , Another area requiring attention is tackling the bottlenecks in the availability of business services institutions, like training, banking, insurance, storage facilities etc., o A massive improvement in infrastructure is required to promote growth of rural industries on a sustainable, basis., Recommendations of Standing Committee on Labour (2021 report):, o The Committee recommended central and state governments to:, ✓ Encourage entrepreneurial opportunities,, ✓ Attract investment in traditional manufacturing sectors and developing industrial clusters,, ✓ Strengthen social security measures,, ✓ Maintain a database of workers in the informal sector, and, ✓ Promote vocational training., o To increase women participation, it recommended:, ✓ Increasing government procurement from women-led enterprises,, ✓ Training women in new technologies,, ✓ Providing women with access to capital, and, ✓ Investing in childcare and linked infrastructure., , •, , Related news, World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2022 Report, • Published by International Labour organization, report details effects of COVID-19 crisis on the world of work., • Key highlights, o Global unemployment is projected to stand at 207 million in 2022, surpassing 2019 level by some 21 million., o In 2020, an additional 30 million adults fell into extreme poverty (living on less than US$1.90 per day)., o Pandemic is deepening various forms of inequality (gender inequity, digital divide etc)., o Report recommends a Human-centred recovery based on four pillars: inclusive economic growth and development;, protection of all workers; universal social protection; and social dialogue., , 3.4. AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS, Why in news?, According to the commerce ministry, country's agricultural exports are anticipated to exceed US$ 50 billion for the "first, time" this fiscal year., More about news, •, •, •, •, , Rice exports are expected to reach 21-22 million tonnes this year. Non-basmati rice, wheat, sugar, and other grain, exports have also seen healthy growth., Marine product exports are expected to exceed US$ 8 billion for the "first time" this fiscal year., Coffee exports have registered a healthy growth of around 35%., Government had taken number of steps to increase exports like:, o Extending the validity of various certifications/accreditations beyond their expiration dates;, o Establishing control rooms to handle issues;, o Issuing online certificates for exports; and, o Enabling the opening of more testing facilities., , About India’s Agricultural Exports, •, •, •, 34, , Share in world trade: India has been a net exporter of agri products since the economic reforms began in 1991. As, per WTO’s Trade Statistics, share of India’s agricultural exports and imports in the world agriculture trade in 2017, was 2.27% and 1.90%, respectively., Share in overall domestic exports: India’s total exports have an 11 per cent contribution from agricultural and, processed food products., Key Exported commodities: Among key agriculture commodities exported from India were marine products, basmati, rice, buffalo meat, spices, non-basmati rice, cotton raw, oil meals, sugar, castor oil and tea., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , Key Destinations: Indian agricultural/horticultural and processed foods are exported to more than 100, countries/regions., o For the agriculture and allied products exports, USA was the largest export destination during 2020-21 and China, was the second largest. Other major destinations were Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia., Export as percentage of GDP: The agricultural exports as a percentage of India’s agricultural GDP has increased from, 9.4 % in 2017-18 to 9.9 % in 2018-19., , Constraints in Agricultural exports, •, , •, , •, •, , •, •, •, , •, , 35, , Poor backward integration: The, backward integration in India, especially for perishables is, inefficient and unorganized,, resulting in quality and, longevity issues., High cost due to poor logistics:, Poor logistics are estimated to, add 6-8% to the Free On Board, (FOB) cost when compared to, developed, countries, like, Germany, Singapore, and Hong, Kong., o FOB costs include transportation of the goods to the port of shipment, loading the goods onto the shipping, vessel, freight transport, insurance, and unloading and transporting the goods from the arrival port to the final, destination., Lack of synergy: There is a lack of synergy between the state and central government as agriculture is a state subject,, while “trade and commerce” are in the Union list., Lack of Training & Skill development:, o At farm level: Unregulated input (chemicals) usage at the farm level and Inadequate harvest and post-harvest, management affects quality and shelf life of the produce., o At exporters’ level regarding documentation and procedures to be followed for exports and lack of awareness on, existing schemes and policies related to exports., Low Value addition: India has remained at the lower end of the global agri export value chain given that majority of, its exports are low value, raw or semi-processed and marketed in bulk. The share of India’s high value and value, added agri produce in its agri export basket is less than 15% compared to 25% in US and 49% in China., Non-tariff barriers (NTBs): Indian agriculture exports face NTBs in attractive markets such as Europe (e.g., more, stringent inspections than for other top exporting countries). NTBs and lack of strong trade agreement with target, markets are key inhibitors to dramatically increasing Indian agriculture exports., Quality issues: Indian agriculture commodities meet the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards of the domestic, market but encounter issues in US and EU. SPS issues lead to at-port rejections, especially for shrimps and spices, and limit India’s ability to significantly penetrate the European market., o For instance, India has the highest number of US notifications and refusals between 2014 and 2018,, underscoring the quality challenges India will need to grapple with to grow exports., Other constraints:, o Uncertain government policies (e.g., export bans, policies that artificially impact the prices of commodities,, inward-looking policies that focus more on food security etc), o Competitiveness challenges vis-à-vis countries such as Vietnam;, o Low yields, rain fed farms and high wastage leading to higher production costs and limited buffer for exports;, o Unable to export its vast horticultural produce due to lack of uniformity in quality, standardization and its, inability to curtail losses across the value chain., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Road Ahead, •, , •, , •, , •, , Agriculture Export Policy, , Policy alignment: Domestic policies and A comprehensive Agriculture Export Policy has been brought in 2018, with a, schemes would need to align with the focus on agriculture export oriented production, export promotion and, disruptive modifications that Artificial synchronization within policies and programmes of Government of India., Intelligence, IoT, and Blockchain will Objectives:, • To diversify our export basket, destinations and boost high value and, bring to the field in the coming days., value added agricultural exports, including focus on perishables., The policies relating to Minimum, • To promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and nonSupport Price (MSP) will also have to be, traditional Agri products exports., made WTO compliant., • To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access,, o Tweaking of products to meet, tackling barriers and dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary issues., specific consumer tastes, scouting • To strive to double India’s share in world agri exports by integrating with, potential, markets,, and, global value chains., understanding the requirements • Enable farmers to get benefit of export opportunities in overseas market., will also need to be taken up, scientifically., Addressing SPS issue: A unified body that can handle all Sanitary-Phyto Sanitary (SPS) issues from a single window, can be considered., o The USDA and USFDA in the US and the FSVPS in Russia are examples of how international authorities deal with, market access requests for imports and exports, keeping them in a dominating position to make an adequate, quid pro quo., Recommendations made by HLEG set up by 15th FC: These include, inter alia:, o Centre should be an enabler;, o Create State led export plan with participation from stakeholders., o Need for higher investments in R&D, technology with regulatory clarity around IP issues., o Create a sharper, more coordinated investment strategy specifically for promotion of agricultural exports, with, a focus on value addition., Strengthening agri-food supply chain: To emerge as a top global exporter, various elements of the agri-food supply, chain like Agri-production practices, Supply chain and logistics, delivering transparency and traceability using, technology etc needs attention., o The quality regimen system needs to be strengthened end to end, from the choice of seeds to production, practices, to better planning and storage, to ensure reliable and unbroken supply to global clients., , 3.5. RAILWAY SAFETY, Why in News?, After a recent train accident in West Bengal killing at least 9 people, the Railway Board Chairman asked for a thorough, probe to identify all aspects related to the accident., Indian Railways and the importance of safety, Indian Railways is one of the largest railway systems in the world, carrying nearly 23 million passengers per day (Pre, COVID-19) and around 1.1 billion tonnes of freight; passing through nearly 8700 railway stations., With fast, safe, and secure mobility being a key concern over such a long network, a number of committees and, subsequent initiatives are taken by Indian Railways. This includes dedicated Committees on Safety as well as other, committees making recommendations to ensure safe and secure travel such as:, •, •, •, •, , 36, , Railway Safety Review Committee (Khanna Committee) in 1998,, High Level Safety Review Committee (Kakodkar Committee) in 2012, Expert Group for Modernization of Indian Railways (Pitroda Committee) in 2012,, Committee for Mobilization of Resources for Major Railway Projects and Restructuring of Railway Ministry and, Railway Board (Debroy Committee) in 2015., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Presently, review/approval of safety aspects in, railways is done by the Commission of Railway, Safety, an independent institution under the, Ministry of Civil Aviation., What has been the outcome of these initiatives?, •, •, , •, •, , Commission of Railway Safety, • It is a statutory body (HQ: Lucknow) established under the, Railways Act, 1989., • It deals with matters pertaining to safety of rail travel and train, operation including investigation on serious rail accidents., , Train Collisions and Derailments: Between 2014-15 and 2019-20, the number of such accidents and number of deaths, reduced from 135 to 55 and from 292 to 5 respectively., Passenger Safety: As per NCRB, as compared to 27,987 accidents in 2019, 13,018 accidents happened in 2020 leading, to death of nearly 12,000 railway passengers., o Around 8,400 people or 70% lost their lives either due to falling off from the train or while crossing the railway, track., Road Users Safety: Around 1,014 accidents reported at various railway crossings with 1,185 deaths., Rescue from Human Trafficking: Over 2,000 women and children during 2017-21., o Indian Railways launched ‘Operation AAHT’, a nationwide operation to curb human trafficking (with traffickers, often using Indian Railways network)., , Gaps in creating a Safe and Secure Railway Network, Statistically, the Indian Railways performance on fast, safe and secure mobility count has been steadily improving. But a, large number of safety concerns still remain. As the density of traffic is increasing with trains becoming heavier and faster,, Indian Railway Network faces number of gaps in safe and secure mobility such as:, •, , •, 37, , Structural gaps: Huge backlog of renewal and replacement of over aged assets for safe running of railways. According, to the Standing Committee on Railways (in 2019), Indian Railways network has 1,47,523 number of bridges with, serious issues over care as:, ○ 92% of them are classified as minor bridges and 37,689 bridges are 100 years or older., Operational gaps: Lack of Fire Detection System; issues of maintenance of tracks with some of the railway network, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, •, , being in extreme weather conditions., Financial Gaps: The severely underwhelmed railway finance due to poor internal resource generation for capital, expenditure (around 3-3.5% of total capex) limits the financial capabilities of Indian Railways., o For instance, from 1950 to 2016, only 23% increase in rail network while passenger and freight traffic increased, by 1344% and 1642% respectively., Railway Staff Lapses: Out of 13,018 accidents in 2020, 12,440 accidents happened due to locomotive pilot fault. Rest, was due to errors on part of the signalman, mechanical errors, poor track repair infrastructure, bridge/tunnel collapse, etc., Other Gaps/Issues: All States/Union Territories are yet to form State Level Security Committee for Railways; Gaps in, providing Safe Drinking Water and other amenities to passengers; issues of water Logging in Railway Under Bridges, (RUBs); yet to accept important recommendations of various committees such as creation of railway safety authority., , Way Forward, Safety is not an attribute but an ethos that should be instilled and nurtured. Like the National Rail Plan with an objective, to create capacity ahead of demand, Indian Railways should have a safety plan for qualitative and quantitative, improvement in its network safety. This includes steps like:, •, , •, •, •, , •, •, , Renewal or Replacement of railway network to ensure structural safety of old tracks/bridges to meet dynamics of, heavier and faster trains of present and future., o E.g. Re-evaluating existing classification of bridges or classifying old bridges as special/separate segments to, ensure separate inspection and maintenance., Augmentation of internal resources to replace obsolete technology and materials while creating new infrastructure., o Also, ensure full utilization of various funds to meet the objectives of the creation., Encouraging Indigenous R&D in railway safety to make optimum use of indigenous technology for safety as well as, to reduce passenger casualties, road users casualties etc., Set up of Rail Safety Authority to co-ordinate with various railways departments, helping the concerned departments, to discharge their safety functions effectively., o It can also help to address upcoming challenges like cyber-attacks/data theft to the Passenger Reservation, System., Set up of State Level Security Committee for Railways by all states/UTs at the earliest for increased co-ordination, and addressing misuse of railway network by criminal elements., Creating a code of conduct for safety to infuse the safety ethos among employees, helping to address human errors, as well through behavioral changes., , 3.6. DESIGN LINKED INCENTIVE (DLI) SCHEME, Why in News?, Recently, the central government invited, applications from domestic companies, start-ups, and MSMEs under its Design Linked Incentive, (DLI) Scheme., About Semiconductors Industry, Semiconductors, which are the elemental parts of, integrated circuits, microchips or just chips are the, brains of modern electronics., •, , 38, , Applications: They are the driving force, behind the next phase of digital, transformation under Industry 4.0 with, Medical devices, communication systems,, computing, defense, transportation, clean, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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energy etc. or the future technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced wireless, networks, all requiring semiconductors., Market Distribution: It is a very complex and technology-intensive sector with dominance of few companies and, nations (see image)., Highly significant: Due to their vital role, demand and supply imbalance, talent shortage etc., the move to localize, the semiconductor industry has gained momentum to solve supply chain issues., , •, •, , About DLI Scheme, and its Components, •, , DLI Scheme is, part of Indian, semiconductor, localization, move, announced last, year as part of, ₹76,000 crore, ($10, billion), Programme for, Development of, Semiconductors, and, Display, Manufacturing, Ecosystem, in, India., DLI aims to, nurture at least, 20 domestic companies involved in semiconductor design and facilitating them to achieve turnover of more than, ₹1500 Crore in the next 5 years., Nodal Agency: C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing)., The scheme has three Components:, , •, , •, •, , S., No., 1., 2., 3., , Component, , Support Mechanism, , Chip Design Infrastructure, Support, Product Design-linked, Incentive, Deployment Linked Incentive, , C-DAC to set up India Chip Centre to host the state-of-the-art design infrastructure and, facilitate its access to supported companies., A reimbursement of up to 50% of the eligible expenditure, subject to a ceiling of ₹15 crore, per application will be provided to the approved semiconductor designing applicants., An incentive of 6% to 4% of net sales turnover over 5 years, subject to a ceiling of ₹30, Crore per application will be provided to approved applicants whose semiconductor design, for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and, semiconductor linked design are deployed in electronic products., , The scheme will encourage companies to retain their domestic status (for 3 years) after claiming scheme incentives and, take a graded and pre-emptive approach to identify the products of national priorities and implement strategies towards, their Indigenisation & deployment., , 39, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Challenges to the Scheme, •, •, , •, •, , •, , 40, , Moore’s Law, , Rapid changes in technology: In line with Moore’s law, the • It refers to Gordon Moore’s prediction on, chips are becoming more complex with shrinking structures, exponential growth of number of transistors on a, chip, doubling every two years with decrease in, on chips; compel companies to create new products., relative costs., Industry Dynamics: High Risk sector with few winner-take•, Although the pace has slowed recently, but faster,, all dynamic, making leading-edge capabilities vital within, smaller, and affordable chips are rapidly changing, several segments. E.g., if a product or service is marginally, the modern-day electronic industry., better than competitor’s, it captures an outsize portion of, industry revenue., Need deep specialization and expertise: Increasing product complexity with growing nanometer scale integrated, circuits; requiring highly advanced electronic design automation (EDA) software and reusable architectural building, blocks (“IP cores”)., Threats to Supply Chain: Due to Covid-19 crisis and geopolitical tensions, the semiconductor supply chain faces many, obstacles including tariffs enacted on the industry., o According to Accenture and Global Semiconductor Alliance study, each segment of the semiconductor value chain, has, on average, 25 countries involved in the direct supply chain and 23 countries involved in supporting market, functions., Other Challenges: Large capital investment requirement, availability of raw material, long gestation and payback, periods, and needs of global innovation for success of technology., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Way Forward, With 20% of world's semiconductor design engineers and support under National Policy on Electronics 2019, India can, achieve self-reliance and technology leadership in semiconductor ecosystem (refer infographic) through:, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Promotion of leading-edge research through collaboration between industry and academia., Work on supply-chain resilience to ensure availability of components and equipment from suppliers around the, world., Improve patent environment to protect Intellectual Property as the payback has a long gestation period., Create a positive business environment through long-term policy, provision of tax benefits, establishment of, industrial clusters etc. to prompt firms to move operations to India., Increase government investment in skill development to provide necessary talent in all parts of ecosystem., Create trade-facilitating conditions to make domestic companies, start-ups and MSMEs part of global value chains., Improve logistics facility with reduction in costs (port costs, freight and insurance costs etc.) as semiconductor, industry involves geographic dispersion of operations., , 3.7. TELECOM SECTOR, Why in News?, Recently, several telecom companies opted for government offer to convert interest on deferred spectrum auction, payments and adjusted gross revenues (AGR) into equity., Indian Telecom Sector, •, 41, , It is the 2nd largest telecom sector of the world with- tele-density of 86.89% or 118.9 crore telephone connections, (September 2021) including 116.59 crore mobile connections., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, , ○ Tele-density represents the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals., In terms of Urban-Rural India, around 66 crore connections are in Urban India and 53 crore in Rural India (Rural teledensity of 59%)., Total internet connections were 83.37 crore (June 2021) with total FDI in telecom sector rising from ₹62,386 crore (in, 2002-14) to ₹1,55,353 crore during 2014-21., , Background of the issue, •, , •, , Increased Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR): In 2019, Supreme Court upheld the Department of Telecommunications, (DoT) definition of adding Non-telecom revenue also in AGR; adding nearly ₹1.4 lakh crore as dues on Telecom Service, Providers (TSPs) due to the AGR definition., o AGR is the revenue amount used to calculate the license fee and spectrum charges required to be paid by TSPs, on their revenue., Poor revenue streams: Lower Average Revenue Per Subscriber (ARPU) per GB wireless data (reduced from ₹268.97, in Dec. 2014 to ₹9.8 in June 2021, i.e. 96% reduction., o Also, Over the top (OTT) services to send messages, make call etc. has reduced revenue from core services of, call and message, , These financial issues alongside other issues like poor infrastructural availability etc. led to a Huge debt of over ₹3.6 lakh, crore over TSPs with some suffering much more than others., As a way out of this, government offer to convert interest on deferred spectrum auction payments and adjusted gross, revenues (AGR) into equity, which has been accepted by some TSPs., Potential Benefits of Reform, Under this, the companies will issue shares to the, government on a preferential basis through the Specified, Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI)., This can lead to benefits such as:, •, •, •, •, •, , About SUUTI, • It was formed by restructuring the erstwhile Unit Trust of, India (UTI) into UTI Trustee Company Private Limited and, the SUUTI., • It came into effect on 1 February, 2003 on the passing of, the Unit Trust of India (Transfer of Undertaking and, Repeal) Act, 2002., , Promotion of healthy competition, by keeping at least, three private players in the market,, Protecting Consumers interest by avoiding Duopoly or monopoly which reduces competition and decreases the risk, of higher prices & poor services., Space for cash-strapped firms, helping them to retain the ability to continue and improve its business to clear dues, over a longer period;, Employment protection of existing people and generate future employment opportunities, encourage investment, and reduce regulatory burden on Telecom Service Providers (TSPs);, Infuse liquidity in the sector to continue with investment in far-flung areas by raising funds and pave the way for the, entry of new players., o It can boost 4G growth and create an enabling environment for investment in 5G networks., , Way Forward, The move has helped the TSPs ward off a financial crisis for the time being, but it cannot be a substitute for the structural, reforms in the sector such as adoption of the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP)-2018., To know more about the Telecom Sector, refer to our September 2021 Monthly Current Affairs article 3.7. Telecom, Sector., , 3.8. GENERAL NETWORK ACCESS (GNA), Why in news?, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission issued draft Connectivity and General Network Access to the inter-State, Transmission System Regulations, 2021., 42, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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What is General Network Access (GNA)?, •, •, •, , GNA means open and non-discriminatory access to the inter-State transmission system. This is in keeping with the, concept of “one nation, one grid”., The system does away with unnecessary contracts between power producers and the bulk consumers for delivery, of power. Any producer will have right to access to any consumer as far as the quantum contracted is met., Central Electricity Authority initiated the idea of GNA for:, o Proper planning of transmission system and, o Assured recovery of transmission charges from the applicant., , About the Regulations, •, , •, •, , •, , •, •, , Regulations provide for a regulatory framework to facilitate non-discriminatory open access to licensees or, generating companies or consumers for use of inter-State transmission system (ISTS) through General Network, Access and consolidate the related regulations., o These regulations shall come into force on such date as the Central Commission may notify., Entities eligible for connecting to ISTS: Eligible entities include types of Generating stations, Captive generating, plants, Standalone Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and Renewable Power Park Developer., Dedicated transmission lines: If the connectivity is granted to a generating station or a captive generating project,, or a standalone ESS, the dedicated transmission lines should be established, operated, and maintained by such, entities., o In the case of a renewable power park developer, the dedicated transmission lines will be developed, owned,, and operated by the developer., Eligibility for GNA: The following entities shall be eligible for grant of GNA:, o State Transmission Utility on behalf of distribution licensees connected to intra-State transmission system and, other intra-State entities;, o A buying entity connected to intra-State transmission system;, o A distribution licensee or a Bulk consumer, seeking to connect to ISTS;, o Trading licensees engaged in cross border trade of electricity;, o Transmission licensee connected to ISTS for withdrawal of auxiliary power;, o Entities connected to the inter-State Transmission or for whom Connectivity granted under Connectivity, regulations has become effective, shall be eligible for applying for grant of GNA., Grant of GNA to entities other than STU: Entities granted connectivity to ISTS will be deemed to have been granted, GNA, equal to the quantum of connectivity from the start date of connectivity., Temporary GNA (T-GNA): Certain entities like Distribution licensee or Bulk consumer directly connected to ISTS,, Captive generating plant etc are eligible to apply for T-GNA to ISTS., , Benefits of GNA, •, , •, , •, , 43, , For power generators and consumers: It will ensure that a generator focusses only on producing power. Currently, a, power generator has to work out how the supply will be done due to the point-to-point access concept which is, restrictive. GNA will allow them to supply from any point., o For Consumers will not have to be worried about where the supply will come from and what energy source it, will come from. The quantum contracted for will be transmitted to the consumer., Will support country's Renewable Energy programme: At present, power evacuation from renewable energy projects, is hampered by transmission constraints in renewable-rich states., o For instance, the intra-state grid in Tamil Nadu is not capable of accommodating the peak wind generation, during the monsoon season due to low demand in the state, while the excess power cannot be transmitted to, other states due to the few interconnections with the ISTS., Encourage investments: GNA is expected to increase investments in the transmission segment by providing hasslefree access to the ISTS network to renewable energy generators. An ICRA note stated that an Investment of Rs 1.8, trillion is expected from FY2021 to FY2025 in the transmission segment at the all-India level, driven by the need for, evacuation infrastructure for renewable energy projects., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Other benefits:, o Ensure reliable transmission access to power utilities;, o Empower state power distribution and transmission companies to determine their transmission requirements, and build them;, o States will be able to optimise their power purchase costs;, o Enable the country to develop deeper power markets., , Challenges in utilizing the GNA, •, , Difficult to forecast demand: It may not be possible for states to accurately estimate GNA requirements because of, uncertainty in the assessment of demand, which has become quite variable., o Also, demand forecasting is becoming increasingly complex due to the growth of decentralised generation, net, metering, and greater focus on energy efficiency., Emerging areas of demand: A growing trend towards the electrification of transport, agriculture and cooking is, further likely to increase demand uncertainty in the coming years., Variability in consumer’s choice: State discoms also find it challenging to assess the number of open access, customers that may source power from outside the state, thereby impacting accurate assessment of GNA, requirements., Supply Variability: Demand variability, coupled with supply variability due to the growth of renewables will present, a double whammy for system planners and may lead to overplanning of the ISTS., , •, •, •, , Way Forward, The idea to enable One Nation, One Grid through ideas like General Network Access (GNA) have to be incorporated in the, system. But the system is financially fragile and therefore, it is essential that the cost implications of transmission planning, are studied thoroughly for various load generation scenarios., Also, in the case of default by generating companies, care must be taken that the additional expenditure on the, transmission system is not passed on to the beneficiaries. Ensuring financial robustness in the system will ensure wider, adoption as well as long-term resilience., , •, , Related news, Cabinet approves ₹12,000-cr for second phase of Green Energy Corridor (GEC) for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS), • GEC project aims at synchronizing electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional, power stations in the grid., o Purpose is to evacuate large-scale renewable power, by installing transmission lines and substations and improvement of, grid in implementing states., • GEC- Phase II will help supply 20 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy (RE) to national grid from Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh., o GEC- Phase I, under implementation in 8 states (above mentioned 7 and Madhya Pradesh), will help supply around 24GW, of RE by 2022., • Significance, o Will help in achieving 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030., o Help in long term energy security and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing carbon footprint., o Generating opportunities for both skilled and unskilled personnel in power and other related sectors., o Huge injection of electricity into the national grid from intermittent RE sources doesn’t threaten the grid., Recently, India achieved its 2030 milestone (Committed at COP-21 in Paris) of 40% installed capacity of RE (157.32 GW out of, 392.01 GW)., , 3.9. CITY GAS DISTRIBUTION (CGD) NETWORK, Why in news?, Recently, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), invited electronic bids under ‘11A CGD Bidding, Round’., , 44, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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More on news, •, , •, , The oil regulator PNGRB invited bids for CGD, network in five geographical areas (GAs), covering 27 districts across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal., Upon finalisation of bids under these rounds,, 88% of the country’s area would be authorised, for development of CGD Network to provide, access to natural gas to approximately 98% of, the country's population, , About CGD Network, •, , •, , •, , •, , CGD refers to transportation or distribution of, natural gas to enable the supply of cleaner, cooking fuel (like Piped Natural Gas or PNG) to, households, industrial and commercial units as, well as transportation fuel (like Compressed, Natural Gas or CNG) to vehicles through a, network of pipelines, Under the PNGRB Act 2006, PNGRB grants the, authorization to the entities for developing a, CGD network (including PNG network) in a, specified GA of the country., CGD sector has 4 distinct segments: CNG, predominantly used as, auto-fuel, and PNG used, in domestic, commercial, and Industrial segments., o Benefits of CNG: Very, low, levels, of, emissions, unlikely to, Initiatives taken to promote CGD network, ignite due to high ignition temperature,, • The Reserve Bank of India has accorded the status of infrastructure, lowest injury and death rate per vehicle, to CGD projects which enables financing from commercial banks, mile etc., and other financial institutions., o Benefits of PNG: Safe and assured supply, • Changes in methodology for awarding licence: The tariff to be, convenient to use, no wastage, no hassle, charged for transportation of the priority fuel, i.e. CNG and PNG –, for replacement of cylinder or cylinder, which was previously the sole basis for awarding a licence – now, booking etc., has a mere 10% weightage, with primacy given to infrastructure, creation in three major segments of steel pipeline length, CNG, CGD network is being seen as a major push for, stations and domestic connections in order to achieve maximum, India’s evolving gas based economy (refer to, network penetration in the market., the box), •, , Challenges in establishing CGD network, •, , 45, , Incentives to bid winner, o Market exclusivity for a period of eight years, extendable up, to ten years for performers, as compared to the previous, rounds, which granted exclusivity of merely for a period of five, years., o Right to first use, provides a greater incentive for the bidders, to enjoy monopoly, and to make good off their investments., , Issues in creating demand, o Low, Penetration, of, Gas-Based, Equipment and Appliances: The market, penetration of gas-based equipment such, as gas generators, water heaters, and gasbased pumps is quite low in the Indian market which has downsized the end market of the CGD value chain., o Consumer Preference Although CGD end product is an economical and safer fuel, some consumers do not opt, for PNG connections for many attributable reasons. For example, most of the time, the person staying in a house, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, •, •, , are staying in a rented accommodation, and they prefer to use bottled gas, as their jobs are transferable in, nature., Different types of clearances: The preference of allotment of GA depends on the monopoly of PNGRB which makes, land use by entity difficult as clearance needs to be taken from the Gram Panchayat, district authorities, state level, permissions and permission of other entities who have laid pipelines for water usage, telephones and cable network., Subsidy and Under Recovery on LPG: Domestic PNG competes directly with the subsidised LPG, whereas CNG, competes with diesel. Under these circumstances, CGD based on Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) will be, difficult to compete with artificially low price of LPG., Gas Pricing methodology: India’s natural gas pricing policy factors are dependent upon other countries’ consumption, and prices, such as the total annual volume of natural gas consumed in the USA, Mexico, Canada, European Union;, and annual average of daily prices at Henry Hub (HH), National Balancing Point (NBP), Alberta Hub and Russia., Safety concerns in CGD network: Another challenge is hazards in gas supply leak or rupture of pipeline resulting in, uncontrolled gas release. The gas leaks can prove hazardous if mishandled or not properly disposed-off., , Ways for ensuring successful implementation of CGD network, •, •, •, , •, , Coordination amongst all stakeholders: All stakeholders – government, PNGRB, transporters and gas suppliers, CGD, entities and vendors – must work cohesively. Overcoming operational challenges and maintaining revenue efficiencies, for the suppliers would ensure uninterrupted service to the general public., Operation and maintenance. The safety of the system and the surrounding areas is of paramount importance in city, area. This could be ensured by frequent safety audit and inspection, behaviour based safety and training,, implementation of control & monitoring activities, risk analysis, etc., Leveraging technology: The scalable, data-driven solution can enable the operators to recognize the peak hour, consumption patterns based on which differential pricing during peak hours can be introduced. It could also support, the customer to reduce operational cost, increase operational safety, and provide uninterrupted, safer and affordable, PNG supply to thousands of consumers., Financing Research & Development (R&D): The recognition of innovative cost-effective technological solutions,, which will mitigate the costs of pipeline replacement and excavation, thus reducing overall cost and service, disruptions, are pivotal for the development of infrastructure of the industry., , 3.10. SUGAR MILLS, Why in news?, Recently, the Department of Food and Public Distribution issued guidelines for restructuring under Sugar Development, Fund (SDF) Rules 1983., More on news, •, , •, •, , 46, , The restructuring of SDF rules is aimed to facilitate rehabilitation of financially weak but economically viable sugar, mills which have availed loans under the Sugar Development Fund (SDF) Act, 1982., o The SDF is being utilized presently to grant loans to the sugar mills for facilitating the rehabilitation and, modernization/ Bagasse based co-generation power projects/ production of anhydrous alcohol or ethanol from, alcohol/ conversion of existing ethanol plant into Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plant and development of Sugar, cane., o The loans are provided at a concessional rate of 2% below the prevailing bank rate., The outstanding amount of default of SDF loans is Rs. 3068.31 crores (as on 30.11.2021)., Key highlights of the new guidelines, o These guidelines are uniformly applicable for SDF loans availed by all types of concerns, including Co-operative, Societies, Private Limited Companies and Public Limited Companies., o Eligibility:, ✓ A sugar factory that has been incurring cash losses continuously for the last 3 financial years or, ✓ Sugar factory’s net worth is negative, and the sugar factory is not closed/has not ceased to crush cane for, more than 2 sugar seasons, excluding the current sugar season is eligible to apply for re-structuring., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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o, , Benefits, ✓ Two years moratorium and then five years of repayment which is expected to provide big relief to financially, weak sugar mills which have availed SDF loans., ✓ Waiver of additional interest in full will be given to the eligible sugar factories., ✓ The rate of interest will be changed to the interest rate as per the prevailing bank rate on the date of approval, of the rehabilitation package as per SDF Rule 26 (9) (a)., , General policy, • Sugarcane pricing policy, o Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP): With the amendment of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 in 2009, the concept of, Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of sugarcane was replaced with the FRP., ▪ The FRP is the minimum price that sugar mills have to pay sugarcane farmers to insulate them from increasing input, costs., ▪ The FRP is linked to a basic recovery rate of sugar, with a premium payable to farmers for higher recoveries of sugar, from sugarcane., ▪ It is determined on the basis of recommendations given by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP),, an expert body under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and in consultation with state governments., o State-Advised Prices (SAPs): Some States including Uttar Pradesh declare SAP for sugarcane considering the cost of, production and productivity levels. The SAP is generally higher than the FRP., • Sugar pricing policy, o Minimum Selling Price (MSP): In exercise of the powers conferred by the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, Centre notified, Sugar Price (Control) Order, 2018 under which the Centre fixes the MSP after taking into account the FRP of sugarcane, and minimum conversion cost of the most efficient mills., ▪ The MSP was introduced to ensure industry may get at least the minimum cost of production of sugar, so as to enable, them to clear cane price dues of farmers., • Public Distribution System: At present, sugar is distributed at a subsided rate of Rs 13.5 per kg to 2.5 crore families under the, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)., • Export policy: India’s export subsidy includes Production Assistance Scheme, Buffer Stock Scheme and Marketing and, Transportation Scheme., , Why sugar mills face liquidity crunch so frequently?, •, , 47, , High sugarcane production due, to combination of factors like, o Fixed prices for sugarcane:, The government has fixed, sugarcane prices to support, farmers’ revenues. The, current price is well above, that of alternative crops., o Controlled domestic prices, for sugar: Such prices are, well above well above, international levels of sugar, prices. It means the sugar, acreage will remain high and, immune to any international, price. This again act as an, incentive for cane growers, to keep growing sugarcane., o High yield sugarcane varieties: The introduction of higher yielding sugarcane varieties (CO 238 developed for, use in UP) in some key producing states has taken production in those regions to fresh heights. Those gains will, most probably be maintained as farmers also have a strong incentive to yields, given their payment is dependent, on the sucrose levels., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , Cane reservation area and bonding: Every designated mill is obligated to purchase from cane farmers within the cane, reservation area, and conversely, farmers are bound to sell to the mill. This ensures a minimum supply of cane to a, mill, while committing the mill to procure at a minimum price., o However, this arrangement reduces the bargaining power of the farmer who is forced to sell to a mill even if, there are cane arrears (occurs when sugar mill owners delay payment to farmers for the sugarcane supplied)., o Mills, on their part, lose flexibility in augmenting cane supplies, especially when there is a shortfall in sugarcane, production in the cane reservation area. Mills are also restricted to the quality of cane that is supplied by farmers, in the area., Minimum distance criterion: Under the Sugarcane Control Order, the central government has prescribed a minimum, radial distance of 15 km between any two sugar mills. This regulation is expected to ensure a minimum availability of, cane for all mills., o However, this criterion often causes distortion in the market. The virtual monopoly over a large area can give, the mills power over farmers, especially where landholdings are smaller. In addition to restricting competition,, the regulation inhibits entry and further investment by entrepreneurs., Trade policy for sugar: The government has set controls on both exports and imports. As a result, India’s trade in the, world trade of sugar is small. Also, it has resulted in considerable instability for the sugar cane industry and its, production., , What steps have been taken for resolving the liquidity crunch of sugar mills and how effective they are?, •, , •, , National Policy on Biofuels – 2018: The policy proposed a 20% target blending rate for ethanol by 2030. Previously,, India had a 10% ethanol blending target for 2022. To raise its ethanol blending rate, the Indian government allowed, sugar mills and distilleries to expand its feedstock from C-heavy molasses to include sugarcane juice, B-heavy, molasses, and damaged food grains, and it has increased the ethanol procurement price., o A tripartite agreement: To ensure that enough ethanol is available to achieve this, the government has helped, the sugar industry with an innovative scheme — a tripartite agreement between sugar companies, banks and Oil, Marketing Companies (OMCs). The banks fund ethanol capacity addition and the money from ethanol sales will, be used to repay the debt through a separate escrow account. However, the effectiveness of EBP scheme is being, questioned by the experts due to following reasons, ✓ Sugarcane has to compete with other feedstock: Currently feedstock competition for other alcohols is very, strong as potable liquors are very important sources of tax revenues in certain cane-producing states. These, state governments are not keen to see higher percentages of molasses being diverted to fuel ethanol, production and some control the use of molasses very strictly., ✓ So, even though the sugarcane industry is generally supportive of ethanol and believes it could help resolve, the sugar surplus, the impact of ethanol may remain fairly limited., Export subsidy for sugar: Without subsidies Indian exports are unviable as cost of producing sugar (due to high cane, price) is way above the international sugar price. This was promptly contested by other countries in the WTO. India, has been allowed to continue with the subsidies till December 2023., , What could be done to resolve the liquidity crunch being faced by sugar mills?, •, , 48, , Recommendations by C. Rangarajan committee (‘Report on the Regulation of Sugar Sector in India: The Way Forward’, [submitted in 2012])., o Phase out cane reservation area and bonding: over a period of time, states should encourage development of, market-based long-term contractual arrangements, and phase out cane reservation area and bonding. Such, individual contracts with farmers would give them the flexibility to decide which mill they want to sell their, produce to., o Distance norm be reviewed: Removing the regulation will ensure better prices for farmers and force existing mills, to pay them the cane price on time., o Trade policy: All existing quantitative restrictions on trade in sugar should be removed and converted into tariffs., Appropriate tariff in the form of a moderate duty on imports and exports, not exceeding 5-10%, should be applied., Such a trade policy will be neutral to consumers and producers. The tariff can be changed when world prices are, very high or low., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Other recommendations: To find long-term solutions for the sugar industry and sugarcane farmers, a Task Force was, constituted by NITI Aayog under the chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog. Some of the major, recommendations of the Task Force include, o Adoption of revenue sharing formula,, o Diversification towards less water intensive crops,, o Enhanced ethanol blending,, o Revision in Minimum Selling Price of sugar,, o Redesigning of export incentives to make them WTO compliant,, o Discontinuation of buffer stocks, promotion of jaggery, etc., ▪ In order to examine the recommendations of the Task Force and CACP, and to evolve mechanism to, implement these recommendations, a Working Committee has been constituted in Department of Food, and Public Distribution (DFPD)., , 3.11. NEWS IN SHORTS, 3.11.1. OIL RISES PAST 7-YEAR HIGH ON, SUPPLY FEARS, , o, , •, , o, , •, , Oil prices rose more than $1 to a more than seven-year, high on worries about possible supply disruptions due, to escalating hostilities between the Iran-aligned, group (Houthis in Yemen) and a Saudi Arabian-led, coalition., Like most commodities, the fundamental driver of oil's, price is supply and demand in the market., Other Supply side factors for oil, price rise, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , 49, , Less drillingby shale gas, producers in the US and a, disruption in crude supplies, due to hurricanes in the Gulf, of Mexico., Cartelization, by, Organization, of, the, Petroleum, Exporting, Countries (OPEC) to fix, prices, in, a, manner, favourable to them., Lower, than, expected, natural gas supplies from, Russia, after OPEC has been, working with Russia, as, OPEC+ to fix the global prices, and supply., Geopolitical tensions in the, middle east, that comprises, most of the oil producing, nations., , Demand, side, factorsfor oil price, rise, • Supply, chain, issues regarding, coal in China has, increased the, demand for oil,, aggravating the, situation., • Winter tends to, put pressure on, prices in normal, times too., • Galloping, demand for fuel, as, global, economies open, up after the, devastating, Covid-19, pandemic, , 3.11.2. SMART CITIES AND ACADEMIA, TOWARDS ACTION & RESEARCH (SAAR), PROGRAM, •, , •, , SAAR program has been launched under the Smart, Cities mission., o Under the program, 15 premier architecture &, planning institutes of the country will be working, with Smart Cities to document landmark projects, undertaken by the Smart Cities Mission., o The Institutes will document the outcomes of, these projects, on how they are impacting the, lives of urban citizens., It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Housing and Urban, Affairs (MoHUA), National Institute of Urban, Affairs(NIUA) and leading Indian academic institutions, of the country., , 3.11.3. CHIPS, PROGRAMME, •, , •, , Impact of rise in crude oil prices:, o Increase the country’s import bill (nearly 20% of, India’s import), and further disturb its current, account deficit., o Increase inflationary pressures in the overall, economy., , Government is forced to cut taxes on petroleum, and diesel which may cause loss of revenue and, impact fiscal balance., Rise in crude oil prices impact input raw material, cost of refining, lubricants, aviation and tyres etc,, thus their profitability comes under pressure., , •, , www.visionias.in, , TO, , STARTUP, , (C2S), , Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, (MeitY) invited applications from 100 academia, R&D, organisations, start-ups and MSMEs under its C2S, Programme., C2S Programme aims to train 85 thousand high-quality, and qualified engineers in the area of Very large-scale, integration and Embedded System Design., Under C2S, project would be initiated in certain key, areas including Energy & Environment, Healthcare,, Agriculture, Disaster management etc., ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , It would be implemented at about 100 academic, institutions (Start-ups and MSMEs can also participate), across the Country, including IITs, NITs, and IIITs., o C-DAC will be the nodal agency., Also, recently PM announced that 16 January will be, celebrated as National Startup Day., , •, , 3.11.4. NASSCOM REPORT ON STARTUPS, •, , According to the report, more than 2,250 startups in, India were added in the year 2021, over 600 more than, what was added in the previous year., o Startups raised USD 24.1 billion in 2021, a two-fold, increase over pre-COVID levels., o Startups provided 6.6 lakh direct jobs and more, than 34.1 lakh indirect jobs., o Indian startups in 2021 had the highest growth, rate in terms of deals, and number of startups in, comparison to UK, US, Israel, and China., , •, , 3.11.7., DOMESTIC, SYSTEMICALLY, IMPORTANT BANKS (D-SIBS), •, •, , 3.11.5. RBI RELEASES FRAMEWORK FOR, OFFLINE DIGITAL PAYMENTS, •, •, , •, , •, , Framework has been released under Payment and, Settlement Systems Act, 2007., Offline Payment refers to a transaction which does not, require internet or telecom connectivity to take effect., o It includes any channel or instrument like cards,, wallets or mobile devices, with certain Conditions, for Authorised Payment System Operators (PSOs), and Payment System Participants (PSPs)., Framework is aimed at pushing digital transactions in, rural and semi-urban areas., o It will allow offline payments of up to Rs 200 per, transaction, subject to the total limit of Rs 2,000., o It will enable small value digital payments in offline, mode using cards, wallets and mobile device and, allowed face-to-face mode only., o Offline payment transactions may be offered, without an additional factor of authentication, (AFA)., o RBI’s integrated ombudsman scheme, will be, applicable for grievance redressal., Benefits of Offline Mode Payments, o Enable retail digital payments in remote areas, with low speed or no internet connectivity., o Boost the adoption of digital payments and, encourage technological innovations in payment, system., , 3.11.6., EMERGENCY, CREDIT, GUARANTEE SCHEME (ECLGS), •, , 50, , ECLGS was announced as part of the Aatma Nirbhar, Bharat Package to provide fully guaranteed and, collateral free additional credit to MSMEs, business, enterprises, individual loans for business purposes and, MUDRA borrowers., o Since then government has extended ECLGS to, cover various industries (till now four extended, versions have come out)., ECLGS provides 100% guarantee coverage to Member, Lending Institutions (banks, financial institutions and, Non-Banking Financial Companies) on Guaranteed, Emergency Credit Line., , •, , SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank continue to remain D-SIB., D-SIB means that the bank is too big to fail. According, to the RBI, some banks become systemically important, due to their size, cross-jurisdictional activities,, complexity and lack of substitute and interconnection., o Banks whose assets exceed 2% of GDP are, considered part of this group., As per the framework, from 2015, the central bank has, to disclose names of banks designated as D-SIB., , 3.11.8. AIRTEL PAYMENTS BANK AS A, SCHEDULED BANK, •, •, , •, , Airtel Payments Bank has been categorised as a, scheduled bank by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)., All banks which are included in the Second Schedule to, the RBI Act, 1934 are Scheduled Banks., ○ These banks comprise Scheduled Commercial, Banks and Scheduled Co-operative Banks., Benefits of being a scheduled bank:, ○ Becomes eligible for debts/loans at the bank rate, from the RBI, ○ Automatically acquires the membership of, clearing house, ○ Rediscount of first class exchange bills from the, RBI, , 3.11.9. INDIA TO USE SUPREME COURT, (SC) ORDER TO COUNTER DEVAS’, ARBITRATION CASES ABROAD, •, , LINE, , According to a SBI report, ECLGS has helped save, almost 13.5 lakh units and 1.5 crore jobs in MSME, sector., www.visionias.in, , SC in its recent ruling had upheld National Company, Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order of winding up, Devas Multimedia Private Limited., o Previously, under a 2005 agreement, Antrix, the, commercial arm of ISRO had agreed to build,, launch and operate two satellites and lease out, 90% of satellite transponder capacity to Devas., ©Vision IAS

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However, government cancelled the deal in 2011, owing to security concerns., o Devas challenged the decision at multiple, international arbitration forums including, International Chambers of Commerce (ICC), India, Germany Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and, India Mauritius BIT., ✓ India lost all three disputes and has to pay a, total of USD 1.2 billion in damages., About International Arbitration, o It is a means of settling international commercial, and business disputes to support trade and, investment through arbitrators., o In choosing arbitration, the parties opt for a, private dispute resolution procedure instead of, going to court., o Its principal characteristics are: Arbitration is, consensual, parties choose the arbitrators,, Arbitration is neutral, Arbitration is a confidential, procedure, the decision of the arbitral tribunal is, final and easy to enforce., o Arbitration awards are more widely and readily, enforceable due to the Convention on the, Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral, Awards1958(New York Convention) and through, BIT., , •, , Arbitration in India, • Regulated by the Arbitration and Conciliation Act,, 1996., • Based on the 1985 UNCITRAL (The United Nations, Commission on International Trade Law) Model Law, on International Commercial Arbitration., • Arbitration Council of India established under, Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019, as an independent body for promotion of arbitration., , •, , •, , •, , 3.11.11., MINISTRY, OF, TEXTILES, RELEASE OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES, FOR PM MEGA INTEGRATED TEXTILE, REGION AND APPAREL (PM MITRA), PARKS SCHEME, •, , 3.11.10. INDIA ON TRACK TO SURPASS, CHINA AS THIRD LARGEST ETHANOL, CONSUMER BY 2026: INTERNATIONAL, ENERGY AGENCY (IEA), •, , •, 51, , The IEA report also noted that ethanol demand in India, tripled between 2017 and 2021 with consumption, expected at 3 crore liters in the last calendar year., o Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from various, plant materials collectively known as "biomass.", o It is a clear, colourless liquid that has a higheroctane number (ON) than gasoline, providing, premium blending properties., ▪ ON is a measurement of the quality or, performance of gasoline. The higher the, number, the better the fuel burns., India in its pursuits of becoming carbon neutral by, 2070, brought forward its 20% ethanol blending target, , with gasoline from 2030 to 2025 and is aiming to start, selling 20% blends in 2023., o India is on track to achieve 10% blending this, calendar year., Significance of ethanol blending:, o Helps reduce oil imports, o Cut down air pollution, o Offers economic and employment opportunities, for farmers., Challenges:, o Vehicle compatibility: Existing vehicle fleet may, have compatibility issues with fuel blends above, E10., o Greenhouse gas (GHG) and sustainability criteria, o Feedstock availability, o Maintaining incentives at the right level, Steps taken to promote ethanol economy, o A guaranteed prices per litre of ethanol according, to feedstock;, o Established financial support for new ethanol, capacity;, o Planning to mandate flex-fuel vehicles that can, operate on higher ethanol blends., , •, , www.visionias.in, , As per the guidelines,, o Sites for the parks will be selected on basis of 5, metrics✓ Connectivity to site (25% weightage), ✓ Existing ecosystem for textiles (25%, weightage), ✓ Availability of utilities services at site (20%, weightage), ✓ State industrial /textile policy, ✓ Environmental and social impact., o State govt will transfer land to the Special Purpose, Vehicle (51% equity of state and 49% of centre)., o Competitive Incentive Support (CIS) provision of, Rs 300 crore per park for incentivising, manufacturing units, PM MITRA aims to develop integrated large scale and, modern industrial infrastructure facilities for the, entire value-chain of the textile industry, o It is envisaged to help India in achieving the SDG, 9(“Build resilient infrastructure, promote, sustainable, industrialization, and, foster, innovation”)., o It reduces logistics cost by housing entire value, chain at one location., ©Vision IAS

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•, , Other Government initiatives for promotion of, textiles Industry, o Allowed 100% FDI in the sector under the, automatic route., o Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme’, (A-TUFS)., o National Technical Textiles Mission., o Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for, Textiles., Indian Textile: Key facts:, • Employment to 4.5 crore workers including 35.22 lakh, handloom workers;, • The industry contributed 7% to the industry output (by, value) in 2018-19;, • The Indian textiles and apparel industry contributed 2% to, the GDP, 12% to export earnings and held 5% of the, global trade in textiles and apparel in 2018-19., , o, , •, , Critical Minerals, 1. Beryllium, 2. Germanium, 3. Rare earths (heavy and light), 4. Rhenium, 5. Tantalum, 6. Graphite, 7. Zirconium, 8. Chromium, 9. Limestone, 10. Niobium, 11. Silicon, 12. Strontium, , 3.11.12. KABIL UNDER MINISTRY OF, MINES ENGAGING WITH COUNTRIES FOR, EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES OF MINERAL, ASSET ACQUISITION ABROAD, •, , •, , •, , •, , 52, , KhanijBidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) is a joint venture, company set up with the participation of 3 Central, Public Sector Enterprises namely, National Aluminium, Company Ltd.(NALCO), Hindustan Copper Ltd.(HCL), and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd. (MECL)., KABIL is mandated to identify and acquire overseas, mineral assets of critical and strategic nature such as, lithium, cobalt, nickel, Copper, Neodymium, other rare, earths etc., o KABIL is already engaging with countries like, Australia, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile which are, endowed with cited critical and strategic minerals., Significance of the initiative, o Ensure mineral security and attain self-reliance, (AtmaNirbhar Bharat) in the area of critical &, strategic minerals., o Cater to requirements of crucial sectors such as emobility, renewable energy, medicine, aerospace,, aviation etc., Critical and strategic minerals, , A mineral is labelled as critical when the risk of, supply shortage and associated impact on the, economy is (relatively) higher than the other raw, materials., o These minerals are termed strategic due to the, limited availability of substitutes and their, demand in high-technology products such as, hybrid cars, wind turbine magnets, and defence, equipment., Issues with availability of such minerals: Complex, global supply chains (High degree of monopoly), supply, risks (due to domestic factors and interruptions in, international trade) etc., Strategic Minerals, 1. Antimony, 2. Molybdenum, 3. Borates, 4. Nickel, 5. Chromium, 6. Cobalt, 7. Silver, 8. Copper, 9. Titanium, 10. Diamond, 11. Tungsten, 12. Germanium, 13. Vanadium, 14. Lithium, 15. Zinc, 16. Rare earths, , 3.11.13. AMERICA COMPETES ACT, •, , •, •, , www.visionias.in, , United States unveiled America Creating, Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in, Technology, and Economic Strength Act, or the, America COMPETES Act of 2022., It proposes procedures for foreign nationals with, an ownership interest in a start-up entity to selfpetition for classification as a W-1 non-immigrant., It is expected to open more opportunities in the US, for Indian talent, and for skilled workers., , ©Vision IAS

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4. SECURITY, 4.1. DEFENCE EXPORTS, Why in News?, Recently, Philippines signed a $375, million deal for BrahMos supersonic, cruise missiles., About BrahMos, •, , Other similar missile systems, • Chinese HD-1 supersonic missile is a comprehensive weapon system consisting of, missile, launch, command and control, target indication and comprehensive support, systems., o Missile platform can be adapted to aircraft and ships as well as the basic groundbased vehicle version., o HD-1’s needs less fuel than its competitors, rendering the lighter missile able to, fly faster and farther., • Tomahawk (used by U.S and its allies) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise, missile that launches from ships and submarines and can strike targets precisely from, 1,000 miles away., • Israel’s Sea Breaker, the 5th generation long range, autonomous, precision-guided, missile system, is meant to hit high-value maritime and land targets, P-800 Oniks/Yakhont is a Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles that has an effective, guidance system and is a fire-and-forget missile., , BrahMos is a universal long range, supersonic cruise missile system, that can be launched from land,, sea and air against surface and, sea-based targets., o BrahMos, is, a, joint, collaboration between India, (Defence, Research, and, Development Organisation (DRDO)) and, Russia (NPO Mashinostoyenia)., o Name represents Brahmaputra and, Moskva rivers., It is a two stage missile with a solid propellant, booster engine as first stage and liquid ramjet, as second stage., o It operates at fire and forget principle., The range of the missile was originally, capped at 290 km as per obligations of the, Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)., o Following India’s entry in MTCR in 2016,, it was decided to extend the range to 450, km and to 600 km at a later stage., , •, , •, , Key goals and Objectives of DPEPP, • To achieve a turnover of Rs 1,75,000 Crores, (US$ 25Bn) including export of Rs 35,000, Crore (US$ 5 Bn) in Aerospace and Defence, goods and services by 2025., • To reduce dependence on imports and take, forward "Make in India" initiatives through, domestic design and development., • To promote export of defence products and, become part of the global defence value, chains., • To create an environment that encourages, R&D, rewards innovation, creates Indian IP, ownership and promotes a robust and selfreliant defence industry., , 53, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Reforms/steps taken up to boost Defence exports in recent times, Indigenisation, Support to MSMEs, , •, •, , Simplified defence, industrial licensing, , •, •, , Investment, Promotion and, Ease of Doing, Business (EoDB), , •, •, •, •, , Scheme for, Promotion of, Defence Exports, , •, , Specific role of, Ministry of, External Affairs, (MEA), , •, •, , Offset Policy, reforms, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Others, , •, •, •, , Government had issued two “positive indigenisation lists” consisting of 209 items that cannot be, imported and can only be procured from domestic industry., In addition, a percentage of the capital outlay of the defence budget has been reserved for, procurement from domestic industry., Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has delegated its authority and notified Department of, Defence Production (DDP) as the Licensing Authority for export of various items., MHA has delegated its powers to DDP making it single point of contact for exporter for export of parts, and components of Small Arms & Ammunitions., Open General Export License permits the industry to export specified items to specified destinations., A completely end-to-end online portal for receiving and processing export authorisation permission, has been developed., In Intra-Company business, the earlier requirement of getting End User Certificate (EUC) from the, Government of importing country has been done away., Powers have been delegated to DRDO and CMDs of DPSUs for exploring export opportunities and, participation in global tenders., To provide an opportunity to the prospective exporters an option to get their product certified by the, Government., Provides access to the testing infrastructure of Ministry of Defence for initial validation of the product, and its subsequent field trials., MEA has facilitated Lines of Credit for countries to import defence product., In addition, defence attaches in Indian missions abroad have been empowered to promote defence, exports., For the repeat order of same product to different entity, the consultation earlier done with all, stakeholders is now limited only with MEA., Offset is an important mechanism available to the domestic industry to enhance export capability., o Offset is an obligation by an international player to boost India’s domestic defence industry if India, is buying defence equipment from it., This helps in acquisition of critical technologies required for high end weapons/platforms so that the, same can be leveraged for export., Reforms in Offset policy have been included in DAP 2020., Specific incentives were introduced under the foreign trade policy (2015) to give a boost to exports of, defense and hi-tech items., Government has proposed two defence industrial corridors to promote domestic production and boost, investment in the defence sector., , Challenges, •, , •, , •, , 54, , Red tapism: Even when fielding competitive, world-class products, PSUs are hamstrung by red, tape and a poor global impression of their ability, to deliver on time and on cost, to say nothing of, through-life support., Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Issues: Indian, defence industry has been manufacturing some, weapon platforms (Tank T-90, Su-30 fighter, aircraft etc) that are licensed productions with, IPR held by foreign Original Equipment, Manufacturer (OEMs). IPR issues need to be, resolved with foreign countries/OEMs to enable, export to friendly nations., Pricing and Technology issue: Due to lack of, well-established processes and infrastructure,, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, •, •, , the domestic defence industry suffers from disadvantages in terms of less competitive price and lack of high, technology., Low productivity: It is issue for mmost public enterprises, leading to higher per unit cost making the end product, costlier and thus, less attractive to the prospective foreign buyer., Identification of target countries: Indian export is mainly focused on assemblies/sub-assemblies/components of, military equipments thus making it difficult to establish a pattern about target countries which inhibits aggressive, export marketing efforts., The economic challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic faced by potential customers of Indian defence equipment, are also expected to pose a challenge., Other issues: Absence of designing and development capabilities (especially in critical technologies), Limited, participation of the private sector, Lack of industry-academia-defence linkage etc., , Way forward, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Focusing on new markets, especially developing nations, as they do not intend to focus on the development of, defence equipment and technology and most of their defence demand is met through imports., o Enhancing role of Defence Attaches, a defence specialist cadre in MEA can be focused., Exemption from duties and taxes should be provided to Defence products that are exported to make them price, competitive., India can regularly conduct military exercises with several nations as such exercises may act as opportunities to, understand the requirements of those nations and filling those gaps with our defence exports., Defence Export promotion/facilitation agency should be set up with a mandate to monitor actual progress of exports, vis-à-vis planned targets., A ‘full package export’ is needed as potential buyer will look not only an individual weapon but a ‘full package’, consisting of a life cycle support for spares, repairs, upgrades, overhauls, simulator back up etc., Other steps include establishing exported oriented “Model Manufacturing plants”, adopting consortium approach for, research/design/development/manufacturing, Defence exhibition in foreign countries etc., , 4.2. REGIONAL CYBER SECURITY, Why in News?, First Colombo Security Conclave Virtual, Workshop on Developing Regional Cyber, Security Capabilities on Defensive, operations, Deep/Dark web handling and, Digital Forensics was held recently., About Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), •, , •, , 55, , Some Initiatives taken at regional level, • Pacific Cyber Security Operational Network (PaCSON) for sharing, cybersecurity threat information and tools between the member states., • Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members agreed to, subscribe in principle to the 11 voluntary, non-binding norms recommended, by the 2015 Report of the U.N. Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE)., o In 2004, the UN General Assembly established GGE to examine the, impact of developments in ICT on national security and military affairs., o It comprises experts from 25 States (including India) working in their, personal capacity., • Singapore-ASEAN Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) helps to, foster a common understanding of cybersecurity through technical capacitybuilding., • YAKSHA, an EU-ASEAN partnership that develops cybersecurity solutions, tailored to specific national needs leveraging EU Know-How and local, knowledge., • The 2016 Singapore-initiated ASEAN Cyber Capacity Program and the, newly launched ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Center in, Bangkok are both meant to address obstacle to ASEAN cohesion on cyberrelated issues., , CSC is the renamed version of, National Security Advisor (NSA) Level, Trilateral on Maritime Security (of, 2011) with India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as members and Bangladesh,, Mauritius and Seychelles as observer, states and Secretariat at Colombo., It helps member nations to build, capacity on common security threats, effectively through its four pillars of, cooperation:, o Maritime Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalization, Trafficking and Organized Crime and Cyber Security, and Protection of Critical Infrastructure., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Major cybersecurity issues faced by South Asia, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Digital economy: Region’s digital economy is projected to rise at a massive pace. This makes South Asian nations more, prone to cyberattacks resulting in a data breach or system failure., o As per reports, organizations in Asia are 80 percent more likely to be targeted by hackers., Knowledge gap: i.e., lack of instrumental, practical guidance on existing good practices, policies, security baselines,, and frameworks relating to cybersecurity, Lacking capabilities and infrastructure: Many South Asian countries lack a strategic mind-set, policy preparedness,, and institutional oversight over cybersecurity. Region has a shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals, while staff, retention remains an issue., Lack of regional coordination: South Asian nations have limited sharing of threat intelligence, often because of, mistrust and a lack of transparency. Absence of a unifying framework often results in significant underinvestment., Rapid technological advancement: It makes threat monitoring and response more difficult, especially with more, powerful encryption, cloud computing, and the widespread growth of the Internet of Things (IoT)., Weaponisation of social media: continually evolving cyber-attacks coupled with the use of disinformation,, concealment, and deception instigate strategic uncertainty on the magnitude and scope of potential cyberwars., Potential use by states: A number of States are developing ICT capabilities for military purposes. The use of ICTs in, future conflicts between States is becoming more likely., Threat from non-state actors: diversity of malicious non-State actors, including criminal groups and terrorists, their, differing motives may threaten regional peace and security., , Why need for regional grouping?, •, •, •, •, , Lack of global consensus: The lack of a breakthrough in the implementation of global cyber norms highlights the need, to focus efforts at the regional level., Incubators for new ideas: Regional organizations provide the ideal platform for consolidating efforts in capacitybuilding and confidence-building., Better threat perception: Regional organizations also have better knowledge of the regional and national, cybersecurity landscapes of member states., Improved Coordination: countries in the Asia-Pacific are plagued with uneven levels of cyber maturity and a, transparency deficit, which in turn undermine trust in information-sharing as well as the ability to cooperate, effectively., , Way forward, •, •, •, •, •, , Cyber norm implementation should be prioritized in regional organizations through a multi-stakeholder approach, that also involves non-state actors, such as civil society organizations., Regional endeavors should enhance cooperation with relevant capacity-building organizations, such as the Global, Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), to focus protection of critical infrastructure, information sharing and reduction of, conflict risks., Launching awareness-raising campaigns and/or developing guidelines and/or supporting educational programs for, educating mainstream users about basic cybersecurity hygiene., Increased responsibility of relevant actors in adopting and/or implementing dynamic management of cybersecurity, (vulnerability management, vulnerability handling processes, bug bounty programs etc.)., Ensuring harmonization across emerging national regulatory and industry approaches; creating incentives for, security-focused behavior for both the public and private sector., , 4.3. NEWS IN SHORTS, 4.3.1. MAN, PORTABLE, ANTI-TANK, GUIDED MISSILE (MPATGM), , •, , •, , •, , 56, , DRDO successfully flight tested the final deliverable, configuration of MPATGM., , www.visionias.in, , The indigenously developed anti-tank missile is a low, weight, fire & forget missile and is launched from a, man portable launcher, integrated with thermal sight., The missile has miniaturised infrared imaging seeker, and advanced avionics for on-board control and, guidance., ©Vision IAS

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4.3.2. INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER, (IAC) VIKRANT, •, •, , •, , 57, , IAC Vikrant is heading out for the next set of sea trials., o India currently operates a solitary aircraft carrier,, INS Vikramaditya., Vikrant, a STOBAR (short take-off but arrested, landing) aircraft carrier, has an indigenous content of, 76%., o Designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval, Design, Vikrant has been built at the state-owned, Cochin Shipyard Limited., Apart from India, only US, UK, Russia, France and, China have the capability to build aircraft carriers., , 4.3.3. OPERATION SARD HAWA, •, , •, •, •, •, , www.visionias.in, , Border Security Force (BSF) launched operation ‘Sard, Hawa’ at the international border of Rajasthan, under, which vigil will be beefed-up to check the instances of, infiltration due to the dense fog in the area., The operation will be carried out from January 23 to 28., BSF conducts “Operation Garam Hawa” in summer, and “Operation Sard Hawa” in winter every year., BSF is a central armed police force (CAPF) that, functions under the Union government. It was raised, in 1965., BSF is deployed along the Pakistan and Bangladesh, borders. It is also deployed in areas affected by Left, Wing Extremism etc., , ©Vision IAS

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5. ENVIRONMENT, 5.1. INDIA STATE OF FOREST REPORT (ISFR) 2021, Why in News?, The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, (MoEFCC) recently released the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2021., About India State of Forest Report (ISFR), •, , It is an assessment of India’s forest and tree cover, published, every two years by the Forest Survey of India under the, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change., The first survey was published in 1987, and ISFR 2021 is the 17th report., With data computed through wall-to-wall mapping of India’s forest cover through remote sensing techniques, the, ISFR is used in planning and formulation of policies in forest management as well as forestry and agroforestry, sectors., New Chapters introduced in ISFR, 2021:, o Forest Cover assessment in Tiger reserves and Tiger corridor areas of the country., o Above Ground Biomass Estimation using Synthetic Aperture Radar data, based on a study carried out by FSI in, collaboration with Space Application Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad., o Mapping of Climate Change Hotspots in Indian Forests based on a study carried out by FSI in collaboration with, BITS Pilani, Goa campus., , •, •, •, , Key Findings, *Trends below are in comparison to the previous assessment i.e. ISFR 2019, unless otherwise mentioned., Forest cover, , •, •, , •, •, Tree cover, , Trees, Outside, Forests (TOF), Forest, Cover, w.r.t. Recorded, Forest Area (RFA), 58, , •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Total forest cover: 7,13,789 sq km (21.71% of the geographical area of India), Trends:, Total forest, Increase of 1,540 sq, cover, km (0.22%), Very Dense, Increase of 501 sq km, Forest (VDF), Moderately, Decrease of 1,582 sq, Dense Forest, km, (MDF), Open Forest (OF), Increase of 2,621 sq, km, Scrub, Increase of 242 sq km, Top 5 states in Total Forest cover: Madhya Pradesh,, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra., Top 5 states by percent of State’s Geographic Area under Forest Cover: Mizoram (84.53%), Arunachal, Pradesh (79.33%), Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland., Total tree cover: 95,748 sq km (2.91% of the geographical area), State with Maximum Tree cover: Maharashtra., Trend: Increase of 721 sq km (0.76%), TOF: 29.29 million hectares (36.18% of the total forest and tree cover of India)., States having largest extent of TOF: Maharashtra followed by Odisha and Karnataka., States/UTs having maximum percentage of TOF: Lakshadweep, followed by Kerala and Goa., Trends:, o Forest cover inside the RFA/GW: increase of 31 sq km, o Forest cover outside the RFA/GW:, increase of 1,509 sq km, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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or Green Wash, (GW), Area, Specific, Forest Cover, , Forest Cover in, Tiger, reserves, (TR) and Tiger, corridor (TC), , Growing stock of, wood, Mangrove cover, , Bamboo, resources, , Forest cover in the hill districts, • Total Forest Cover: 40.17% of the total geographical area of these districts., • Trend in forest cover:, decrease of 902 sq km (0.32%) in 140 hill districts., Tribal districts, • Total forest cover: 37.53% of the geographical area of these districts., • Trend in forest cover:, o, decrease of 655 sq km inside the RFA/GW in the tribal districts, o, increase of 600 sq km outside the RFA/GW in the tribal districts., North Eastern region, • Total forest cover: 64.66% of its geographical area., • Trend in forest cover: decrease of 1,020 sq km (0.60%)., • Forest cover in the TR: 55,666.27 sq km (7.80% of the country's total forest cover and 74.51% of the total, area of TRs), o TR with Largest Forest Cover: Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh, • Forest cover in the Tiger corridors:, 11,575.12 sq km (1.62 % of the country's, total forest cover), Decadal Changes between 2011 and 2021, assessments:, • Forest cover in TR: Decreased by 22.6 sq, km (0.04%)., • Forest cover in TC: Increased by 37.15 sq, km (0.32%)., • TR with Highest Gain in Forest cover:, Buxa, West Bengal., • TR with Highest Losses in Forest cover:, Kawal, Telangana., • Total growing stock of wood: 6,167.50 million cum comprising 4388.15 million cum inside forest areas, and 1779.35 million cum outside recorded forest areas (TOF)., • Average growing stock per hectare in forest: 56.60 cum., • Total Area: 4992 sq km (0.15% of country’s geographical area), • Top states & UTs with Mangrove Cover: West Bengal, Gujarat, A&N Islands, Andhra Pradesh,, Maharashtra, Odisha., • Trends:, o Total Area: Increased by 17 sq km (0.34%), o States showing increase in mangrove cover: Odisha and Maharashtra, • Total bamboo bearing area: 15 sq km., , •, , 59, , Trends:, o Total area: Decrease of 10,594 sq km., o State with highest increase in bamboo bearing area: Mizoram, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Forest, stock, , carbon, , •, •, , •, , Fire prone forest, areas, , •, •, , Climate Hotspots, , •, , •, •, •, , o State with highest decrease in bamboo bearing area: Madhya Pradesh., Top state in terms of Bamboo Bearing Area (%): Madhya Pradesh., Total carbon stock in forest: 7,204.0, million tonnes., o Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) represents, the largest pool of carbon stock in, forests., Trend:, Increase of 79.4 million tonnes, in the carbon stock of the country., , 22.27% of the forest cover of the country is highly to extremely fire prone., Top 3 States according to number of forest fire detected by FSI: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and, Chhattisgarh., As per the Climate Hotspot projections for the studied periods i.e. 2030, 2050 and 2085- States/UTs, projected to witness highest temperature increase: Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and, Uttarakhand ., States/UTs projected to witness the least temperature rise: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, West Bengal,, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh., Regions projected to experience the highest increase in rainfall: The North-Eastern States and Upper, Malabar Coast of India., Regions projected to experience least increase and sometimes even decline in rainfall: part of NorthEastern States like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim; North-Western parts of the country namely Ladakh, Jammu, & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh., , Concerns based on the findings of the report, •, •, , •, , 60, , Decline in forest cover in Northeast India: The total forest cover in India’s biodiversity-rich north-eastern states has, dropped owing to natural calamities, particularly landslides and heavy rains, in the region as well as to anthropogenic, activities such as shifting agriculture, pressure of developmental activities and felling of trees., Survey results could be misleading: The definition of ‘forest cover’ includes plantations and monocultures plantations, – such as coffee, coconuts or mango and other orchards., o These plantations are distinctly different from natural forests where one hectare would be home to hundreds of, species of trees, plants and fauna, whereas such plantations house only one species of tree., Slow increase in dense forests: The net increase in forest cover is mostly aided by gains in Open forests rather than, Dense Forests., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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5.2. INDIAN ENVIRONMENT SERVICE, Why in news?, The Supreme Court asked the Centre whether it was planning a dedicated Indian Environment Service in the national, bureaucratic set-up, as recommended by a committee headed by former Cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian in 2014., More on news, •, •, , The Court was hearing a PIL that alleged destruction of environment and forests and also executive apathy that had, resulted in measures for environment protection emerging mostly from judicial intervention., The court recounted the recommendations of the TSR Subramanian Committee, which had been rejected by a, parliamentary standing committee on the ground that a dedicated all-India service may lead to multiplicity of, institutions and won’t serve the desired purpose., , Background, •, •, •, •, •, , The high-level committee was constituted in 2014 under the chairmanship of Subramanian by the Ministry of, Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to review environmental laws in the country, and to bring, them in line with the current requirements., The report recorded the fact that India had a strong environmental policy and legislative framework but weak, implementation has resulted in environmental governance being criticised by conservation experts and the judiciary., As a step for the future, the committee said, “An Indian Environment Service may be created, as an all-India Service,, based on qualifications and other details prescribed by MoEF&CC/ DoPT/ UPSC.”, The committee also proposed that necessary institutional framework be created for this purpose., Officers dealing with environment clearances and policies currently come from the all India civil services conducted, by the UPSC., , Need for the All India Environment Services, •, , •, •, , •, , Need of specialisation in environment governance: The public sector, including the Central and State Governments,, and various other quasi-official bodies, such as corporations, municipal boards, enforcement agencies, as well as the, industrial sectors will require reliable expertise of a high order in the management of environmental issues. Current, approval systems and monitoring mechanism function in a quasi-amateurish manner, leading to sub-optimal, management of environmental issues., Paucity of time with bureaucrats in existing institutions: Looking at the current administrative set-up, it can be, inferred that the government servants might not be able to spare special time for environmental causes., Need of proactiveness in resolving environmental issue: The country’s response to environmental issues has mostly, been reactive, with action being taken only when a problem arises. Environmental issues need an active approach, which includes harnessing of resources, ensuring sustainability, creating awareness and an early warning system to, minimise risks., Inadequacy of the current system: The country has a dedicated Indian Forest Service along with a number of agencies,, like the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Commission for Air Quality Management, that have come up to deal, with environmental issues. Yet time and again degradation of environment has been reported across the country. All, these points to the inadequacy of the existing system., , Way ahead, •, •, •, , 61, , Keeping states on board: The All India Services would contribute in vital spheres to the modernisation of, administration for rapid socio-economic development of the country and strengthen national integration. The Union, Government should persuade State Governments to agree to the constitution of the Indian Environment Service., Planned policy: Effective steps need to be taken to strengthen the upcoming Indian Environment Service. This can be, achieved through well-planned improvements in selection, training, deployment, development and promotion, policies and methods. Training and career development policies should be geared to this objective., Coordinated efforts: There should be greater coordination and periodical dialogue between the authorities in the, Union and the State Governments who are responsible for the management of All India Services. Also, All the agencies, should have the necessary powers and resources at their disposal to enforce the rules., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Bridge the socio-economic inequality: To get the best talent for the Environment Services, there is a need for creating, conditions in which the larger masses of the people particularly those in the rural areas, can have an equal opportunity, to compete in the Civil Services examination with candidates belonging to the urban elite., , 5.3. CHEETAH REINTRODUCTION PLAN, Why in News?, Recently, The Government of India has decided to reintroduce Cheetahs in National Parks over five years, under 'Action, Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’., More in News, •, •, , •, , •, , •, , 'Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’ was launched at the 19th meeting of the National Tiger, Conservation Authority (NTCA)., Action Plan aims to establish viable cheetah metapopulation in India that allows the cheetah to perform its, functional role as a top predator and provides space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historical range, thereby contributing to its global conservation efforts., o Cheetah is the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India in 1952, mainly due to over-hunting, and habitat loss., As per the action plan, a cohort of around 10-12 young African Cheetahs- a different subspecies (Acinonyx jubatus), that are ideal for reintroduction will be sent from Namibia or South Africa to the grassland habitats that the Asiatic, cheetahs occupied in the past as a founder stock during the first year., o The locally extinct cheetah-subspecies of India is found in Iran and is categorized as critically endangered. Since, it is not possible to source the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah from Iran without affecting this sub-species,, India will source cheetahs from Southern Africa, which can provide India with substantial numbers of suitable, cheetah for several years., Amongst the 10 surveyed sites of the central Indian states, Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh has, been rated the highest. This is because of its suitable habitat and adequate prey base., o KNP is 748 sq. km. in area, devoid of human settlements, forms part of Sheopur-Shivpuri deciduous open forest, landscape and is estimated to have a capacity to sustain 21 cheetahs., o Kuno also offers the prospect of housing four big cats of India - tiger, lion, leopard and cheetah - and allowing, them to coexist as in the past., The other sites recommended for holding and conservation breeding of cheetah in India, in controlled wild conditions, are:, o Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (1,197 sq. km, habitat 5,500 sq.km), Madhya Pradesh, o Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary - Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary complex (~2500 sq.km), Madhya Pradesh, o Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (4,220 sq.km), o Mukundara Tiger Reserve as fenced enclosure (~80 sq.km),, Rajasthan., , Significance of Reintroduction of cheetah, •, , •, •, , 62, , Restoration of wildlife habitat: Carnivore reintroduction/conservation, translocation is an appropriate conservation strategy to restore the, integrity of ecosystems., o Locally cheetah as a flagship would evoke a greater focus on the, predicament of the much abused dry-open forest/savanna, ecosystems and the need to restore and manage them., Genetic diversity: A top-down effect of a large predator that enhances, and maintains the diversity in lower trophic levels of the ecosystems., Additional habitat for other species: Reintroducing cheetahs in India will, help relieve pressure on the species by creating additional habitat, which, the cheetah desperately needs to survive., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , Economic benefits: Having cheetahs in India will boost ecotourism and enhance livelihood options and living, conditions among the local communities where the cheetah is introduced., o Among large carnivores, conflict with human interests is lowest for cheetahs, as they are not a threat to humans, and usually do not attack large livestock,, Support global effort to conserve cheetah: Cheetah as a species are constrained by space across their range,, protected landscapes of India offer to extend the range of the cheetah and contribute to global efforts in conserving, them., o India would like to assist the Government of Iran and the world conservation community with conservation efforts, of the Iranian cheetah., Support climate change mitigation goals: It will help to enhance India’s capacity to sequester carbon through, ecosystem restoration activities in cheetah conservation areas and thereby contribute towards the global climate, change mitigation goals., , Concerns, •, •, •, , •, •, •, •, , Coexistence of large predators: There is no science available currently to suggest that cheetahs, lions, tigers and, leopards can coexist comfortably in the same habitat. It has never occurred anywhere else before, so there is no reallife experience to draw upon., Size of Indian parks: some experts have noted that the cheetah is a wide-ranging species, known to travel across, areas up to 1,000 sq km in a single year. Indian parks tend to be much smaller than those in Africa, offering less chance, for such free movement., Protection of grassland: Several environmentalists observe that a single species imported from a foreign country, cannot serve as the ambassador for the conservation of all grasslands occurring in India., o India has different types of grasslands across the country: the Himalaya, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, grasslands, in the Northeast, and those in Central and Western India. They are extremely diverse and home to unique native, fauna., May harm the current species: Some wildlife experts are on the view that the introduction of African cheetah may, act as an alien species to the native ecosystem, which might generate negative effects on indigenous wildlife species., Impact other wildlife protection efforts: Attention to the new cheetahs may take away resources from wildlife, protection efforts that are already struggling to protect endangered animals., Human-Wildlife Conflict: Farmers often try to protect their resources, often trapping or shooting them as cheetahs, hunt more during the daytime, they are seen more often than the nocturnal predators which contribute to a higher, rate of persecution on the cheetah., Rehabilitation of people: Many villages will have to be shifted to make sufficient space for Cheetah's habitat., , Way forward, •, , •, •, •, •, , 63, , Community Participation: No landscape level conservation program can be sustained without the help of local, communities. Confidence of local villagers would be won through various outreach & awareness programs., o To spread awareness among local people and sensitize the youth, eco-clubs, nature education camps, teacher, training camps, street plays etc. would be organized regularly., Capacity Building: Regular in-house training of the forest officials, veterinary team, frontline staff and cheetah, tracking teams need to be organized periodically to manage the released cheetahs and other carnivores., Inter-sectorial collaborations: Collaboration with police and revenue department is essential to design conservation, friendly land policy and strengthening protection in and around Kuno., Wildlife Tourism and revenue generation: Sustainable and conservative tourism subservient to the conservation, needs of the NP and of the project need to be encouraged so that jobs and business opportunities for the local people, can be created, Annual Review and Monitoring: After the cheetahs are released, the progress of the project need to be reviewed, regularly by both the cheetah research team and the Forest Department team for informed management., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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5.4. RED SANDERS, Why in news?, Recently, Red Sanders (Red Sandalwood) has fallen back into, the ‘Endangered’ category in the International Union for, Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List., More about news, •, •, •, , It was earlier classified as ‘Near Threatened’ in 2018 and, has again been classified as Endangered., The IUCN has assessed that over the last three, generations, the species has experienced a population, decline of 50-80 per cent., In 2019, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an, agency of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, revised, its export policy to permit the export of red sander timber,, if it is obtained from cultivated land., , About Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus), •, , •, 64, , It is an Indian endemic tree species, with a restricted, geographical range in the Eastern Ghats of India., o It is endemic to a distinct tract of forests in Andhra, Pradesh., It has been assessed as ‘Endangered’ as per the IUCN, criteria and scheduled in appendix II of CITES and Wildlife Protection Act., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , It is also known as: Almug, Saunderwood, Red Sanders, Red Sanderswood, Red Saunders, Rakta chandana (Indian),, Lal Chandan, Ragat Chandan, Rukhto Chandan, Undum., , Significance of Red Sanders, • Timber industry: The timber of Red Sanders is highly demanded domestically and internationally, and especially in, East Asian countries like China and Japan. Red Sandalwood timber is used for making furniture, woodcraft and musical, instruments., o The rare wavy grain variant is highly valued in Japan for its acoustic properties., • Medicinal value: The wood at the center of the trunk (heartwood) is used as medicine. It is used for treating digestive, tract problems, fluid retention, cough and for blood purification., o It can be used for removal of tan, blemishes, dullness and acne. In Ayurveda, it is used to treat eye disorders. It, can be used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic agent. It is also used in cosmetics., • Food Industry: It is used as a flavoring in alcoholic beverages. In addition, the timber is also exploited for the, extraction of santalin (a red pigment used as dye and colorant in food)., , 65, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Concerns, • Over-harvesting: The over-harvest of the species has left the population structure skewed, with less than 5 per cent, of the trees remaining in the wild., o The slow growth of the species and continued harvesting leaves no time for the species to recover naturally., • Illegal Trade: The harvest of the tree is restricted but the illegal trade like smuggling etc continues to meet the global, demand., o This is evidenced by the large volume of timber and Red Sanders products seized by authorities at all stages of, the illegal supply Red List’s summary on Red Sanders., • Habitat fragmentation: Anthropogenic habitat loss caused by Cattle grazing and use of the forest for local timber and, fuelwood. These trees may also be outcompeted by invasive species and diseases., Conclusion, Red Sanders smuggling continues despite the physical deterrents and patrols in place in Andhra Pradesh, as well as, international, national and state-level laws preventing the cutting and transport of species. Conservation efforts need to, be strengthened and developed to protect the species. The cultivation of the species in plantation should be promoted, and needs monitoring to be able to better support the legal trade to relieve pressure on the wild Red Sanders., , 5.5. CARBON INEQUALITY AND CLIMATE POLICY, Why in News?, A study has found that Wealthy people have disproportionately large, carbon footprints and the percentage of the world’s emissions they are, responsible for is growing., More about News, •, , •, , As per the study, in 2010, the most affluent 10% of households, emitted 34% of global CO2, while the 50% of the global population, in lower-income brackets accounted for just 15%., o By 2015, the richest 10% were responsible for 49% of, emissions against 7% produced by the poorest half of the, world’s population., The resulting policy neglect of high consumers was a “missed, opportunity” to address carbon inequality and opportunities for, carbon reduction., , What is Carbon inequality?, •, •, , 66, , It refers to the phenomena of the highly unequal, distribution of carbon emissions throughout the, world., Carbon equality today exists between countries as, well as within countries, reflected in the findings of, the World Inequality Report (WIR), 2022:, o Carbon Inequality Between Nations: A small, number of developed countries are responsible, for substantially higher share of the CO2 emitted, globally., ✓ For instance, of the total 2,450 billion tonnes, of carbon released since 1850, North, American and European region are responsible for about 50% of these emissions. (see infographic), o Carbon Inequality within Nations: Within countries, carbon emissions of higher income groups are significantly, higher compared to other citizens. (see infographic), www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , According to WIR 2022, in 1990, 63% of the global carbon inequality was due to ‘between country’ inequality but in, 2019, 63% of global carbon inequality was due to ‘within country’ inequality., Impacts:, o Makes existing climate policies ineffective and undermines ability to meet the targets set out in the Paris, Agreement., o Leads to social and economic inequity, since Global carbon budget is being rapidly depleted, not for the purpose, of lifting all of humanity to a decent standard of living, but to a large extent to expand the consumption of a, minority of the world's richest people., , •, , Status of Carbon inequality in India, • Inequality within India: The, bottom 50%, middle 40% and, top 10% respectively consume, 1, 2, and 9 tCO2e/capita., • Comparison, with, other, nations:, o India is a low carbon, emitter with the average, per capita consumption of, greenhouse gas is equal to, just over 2 tCO2e lower, than the Global average of, 6.6 tCO2e., o Moreover, a person in the, bottom 50% of the, population in India is responsible for, on average, 5 times fewer emissions than the average person in the bottom 50%, in the European Union and 10 times fewer than the average person in the bottom 50% in the US., , Significance of addressing Climate Inequality, •, •, , •, , •, , Strengthen India’s case on multilateral platforms for addressing between country carbon inequality: India has been, advocating for the just transition for the developing countries with adequate time frame and financial assistance for, climate adaptation and mitigation based on historical responsibilities., Standard climate measures are unjust in unequal societies: Climate policies have been disproportionately borne by, low-income consumers over the past decades, in particular via carbon and energy taxes., o For instance, uniform carbon taxation across individuals leads to giving more polluting rights to wealthy, individuals, who are less affected by an increase in carbon prices. This leads to high emissions whose effects are, mostly borne by poorer sections., Designing effective climate policies: The scale of transformation required to cut greenhouse gas emissions drastically, cannot be attained if environmental and social inequalities are not integrated into the design of climate policies., o For instance, to effectively meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, emissions of the top 10% must fall by 58%, per person which highlights the need of, Case Study: Examples of climate policies that effectively address, targeted policies directed towards wealthier, inequality exist across the world., sections., • Canada: A tax was implemented along with a significant, Productive use of public investment: Instead of, package of transfers to low- and middle-income households,, large financial and other incentives to the private, which ensured the social viability of the reform., sector, public investment should focus on, • Indonesia: Energy subsidies reforms were coupled with, transition to affordable green energy., substantial investments in the public health system, largely, financed by increased revenues from energy taxes., o This will help reduce emissions of carbon, •, Sweden: Decades of large-scale public investments in lowconsumers from low- and middle-income, carbon infrastructure made it possible for low-income groups, groups, who are locked-in carbon intensive, to access affordable, clean energy sources. When a carbon tax, infrastructures systems due to constrained, was eventually introduced, low-income groups had the choice, energy choices., between greener and fossil options., , 67, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Ways to address carbon inequality, •, , Proper tracking of individual emissions within countries with a systematic assessment of the beneficiaries and losers, of climate policies should be carried out by public authorities., Policy instruments targeting investments in polluting and fossil activities: Progressive wealth taxes on the ownership, of polluting activities could accelerate divestments, reduce pollution levels of the wealthiest and generate much-need, resources to scale-up investments in low-carbon infrastructures., Scaling up public investments in low-carbon energy production infrastructures, transport and energy efficiency in, order to ensure a fair transition and enable lower income groups to take greener decisions., Global carbon incentive (GCI): It was suggested by Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India to, address global carbon inequality., o Under GCI, every country that emits more than the global average of around 5 tCO2 per person would pay, annually an amount calculated by multiplying the excess emissions per person by the population and the GCI, into a global GCI fund. Countries below the global per person average would receive a commensurate pay-out., , •, •, •, , Conclusion, Tackling extreme inequality and targeting the excessive emissions linked to the consumption and investments of the, world’s richest people is vital to keeping the 1.5⁰C Paris goal alive., Related news, Oxfam released “Inequality Kills’’ report, • Key global findings, o World’s ten richest men more than doubled their fortunes during first two years of pandemic., o Pandemic has set gender parity back from 99 years to now 135 years., o Richest 1% emit more than twice as much CO2 as the bottom 50% of the world., • Findings related to India, o Income of 84% of households declined in 2021 but number of Indian billionaires grew from 102 to 142., o In 2021, share of the bottom 50% of the population in national wealth was a mere 6%., o More than 4.6 crore Indians are estimated to have fallen into extreme poverty in 2020., , 5.6. INDIAN AGRICULTURE POST-COP26: GREEN REVOLUTION 2.0, Why in News?, Significant discussions took place at, COP26 in the direction of aligning, agriculture policies with climate action, agenda, warranting a second green, revolution along with next-generation, reform., Green Revolution 2.0: The need for, reforms in Agriculture sector of India, •, , 68, , Reducing emissions: Agriculture, sector amounts to around 14% of, Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of, India. Thus, reductions of emission, from the sector can play a crucial role, in fulfilling commitments by India, made in COP26 under pledge, of Panchamrit (five-fold strategy) to, fight climate change, during the, COP26., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Build climate resiliency: Climate change, induces increase in temperatures,, rainfall variation and the frequency and, intensity of extreme weather events are, predicted to severely impact the, agriculture sector., o The rise of carbon dioxide levels and, temperature in the atmosphere, have direct correlation on crop, productivity, grain quality, pest and, disease incidence, as well as on the, cropping system., Making food systems more sustainable:, While Green Revolution in India made, the country self-reliant in food grain, production, and, contributed, to, tremendous growth in the sector, it had, certain fallouts that threaten overall, sustainability of India’s food systems., Developing comprehensive policy to, deal with persistent issues: like low, crop productivity, post-harvest loss,, poor water use efficiency, food inflation, and volatility in prices, fragmented, landholdings,, lower, farm, mechanisation, scarce public and private, investment in agriculture etc., Addressing ‘food–energy–water’ (FEW) nexus:, It is important to incorporate FEW in future, agriculture policies for effective trade-offs and, synergies between energy, water and food,, considering, cross-sectoral, policies,, environmental and social impacts., o The FEW nexus depicts the significant, interconnection between the three, essential, resources., For, instance,, Agricultural accounts for majority of India’s, groundwater withdrawals through use of, electric motors. Thus, water use efficiency, in agriculture will not only help, groundwater resources to rejuvenate but, also reduce energy demand from the, sector., , •, , •, , •, , Progressive steps taken in India, • Climate resiliency, o National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), one of the 8 missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change,, aims at making agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient., o National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme is in place to enhance the resilience of Indian, agriculture, covering crops, livestock and fisheries to climatic variability and climate change., o National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) supports adaptation action, in, inter alia, agriculture, water,, forestry, livestock and ecosystems., 69, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , Resource use efficiency:, o Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) aims to Introduce sustainable water conservation practices, among, others., o Soil Health Cards scheme: to improve Soil Health by providing nutrients information to the farmers., o Micro Irrigation Fund corpus of Rs. 5000 crore created with National Bank of Agricultural and Rural Development, (NABARD)., Greener approaches:, o Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana aims at promotion of commercial organic production through certified organic farming., o Active promotion of Zero Budget Natural Farming, a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian, practices., o Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar, Pradesh and NCT of Delhi., o Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati Programme (BPKP) promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass, mulching, use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations, periodic soil aeration and exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs., Other Stepso Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme of the government aims to, improve irrigation access and raise farmers’ income through solar-powered irrigation., o Promotion of millet production through hike in Minimum support price (MSP)., o Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) developed 35 special trait varieties including biofortified and, stress tolerant varieties of field and horticulture crops during 2021-22., , Strategies/pathways to make Indian agriculture resilient and sustainable post COP26, Diversification to more nutritious, and environment-friendly crops, like millet, pulses, vegetables and, fruits etc., Agro-ecological, approaches, promoting Nature-positive and, regenerative, agriculture, practices, , •, •, , Water-use efficiency by moving, away from a supply-based to, demand-based system, , •, , Expansion of Renewable energy, usage to address water-energyfood nexus, Digital technology and extension, services, , Research, and, investments, , innovation, , •, •, , •, •, •, •, , •, •, , Promote Agroforestry., Encourage production of diversified crops like sorghum and millet through price, incentives, marketing etc., Raise awareness about diversified diets among Indian consumers., Encouraging practices likeo Organic farming, No-till farming, crop rotation, mulching, zero-till planters etc., o In situ residue crop harvest management, viz., briquetting and conversion of wastes, into fuel forms, various industrial usages and recent intervention of microbial, decomposing solution etc., Reduce water intake in cultivation of paddy through techniques like system of rice, intensification (SRI), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), direct seeded rice (DSR) and, furrow irrigation., Incentive mechanism to enhance usage of micro-irrigation practices (sprinkler and drip)., Setting up of solar power plants on farmlands, wherever possible., Reduce agriculture’s power subsidy bills and divert the money towards sustainable farm, sector investments like solar power., Promoting new agri-tech start-ups and farm enterprises for developing ICT based tools, in fields likeo delivery of farm-based information and services, o market integration and intelligence, o weather advisories etc., Increased resource allocation to agricultural research and innovation, especially in the, field of developing climate resilient varieties., Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies need to be done for products or services in the, livestock sector for robust measurement systems as tools for national GHG inventory and, monitoring emission reduction targets., , Conclusion, There is an urgent need for a transition towards sustainable and climate-resilient food systems, taking into consideration, food security, as well as to achieve climate objectives such as emission reductions., , 70, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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5.7. ZERO-BUDGET NATURAL FARMING (ZBNF), Why in news?, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) committee, highlighted that ZBNF would result in tremendous reduction, in production of agricultural crops thus compromising, India’s food security., More on news, •, •, •, , ICAR had set up a committee, under V Praveen Rao in, 2019 to empirically validate the results of ZBNF., The committee is likely to submit its report soon., Reportedly,, o the committee has stressed for need to conduct longterm field trials on ZBNF., o the committee suggested that future research on, ZBNF should be carried out only in rainfed regions, instead of irrigated zones which produce the biggest, chunk of agricultural crops production in the country., o the committee has also recommended adoption of an, integrated production system through usage of, farm practices such as, o promoting conservation agriculture through, usage of farmyard manure, inter-cropping, crop, diversification, and, integrated, nutrient, management for improving soil health., , About ZBNF, •, , •, , •, •, 71, , It is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing, from traditional Indian practices., o The word ‘budget’ refers to credit and expenses,, thus the phrase 'Zero Budget' means without, using any credit, and without spending any, money on purchased inputs. 'Natural farming', means, farming with Nature, Initiatives to promote ZBNF, and without chemicals., It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist • Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP): It is a sub, scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) of, and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar, who, the Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare since, developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the, 2020-21. It focuses on promoting traditional, Green Revolution., indigenous practices including ZBNF. Under BPKP, an, o Because of the Green Revolution initiated in early, area of 4.09 lakh hectares has been covered., 1970s through introduction of high yielding seeds, • Inclusion of ZBNF in Agriculture university curriculum:, ICAR has decided to develop a curriculum in, application of chemical fertiliser and assured, consultation with agriculture universities and subject, irrigation, India has emerged as one of the biggest, experts for inclusion of ZBNF in the syllabus at both, producers of several agricultural crops such as rice,, undergraduate and postgraduate levels., wheat, pulses and oilseeds., o However, in the last four decades or so there has been gradual degradation of soil health because of excessive, use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides., It is a natural farming technique in which farming is done without use of chemicals and without using any credits, or spending any money on purchased inputs., ZBNF was mentioned in two budget speeches of the Central government in 2019-20 and 2020-21., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Significance of ZBNF, •, , •, , •, , Eco-friendly: ZBNF processes require, 50%–60% less water and less electricity, (than non-ZBNF) for all the selected, crops. ZBNF reduces methane emissions, significantly through multiple aeration. It, also has the potential to avoid residue, burning by practising mulching., Improving soil health: The ZBNF method, also promotes soil aeration, minimal, watering, intercropping, bunds and, topsoil mulching and discourages, intensive irrigation and deep ploughing., All these factors results in improving soil, health., Doubling farmers’ income: According to, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), data, almost 70% of agricultural, households spend more than they earn, and more than half of all farmers are in, debt., o In order to achieve the Central, government’s promise to double, farmers income by 2022, one aspect, being considered is natural farming, methods such as the ZBNF which reduce farmers’ dependence on loans to purchase inputs they cannot afford., Meanwhile, inter-cropping allows for increased returns., , 5.8. BIODIVERCITIES BY 2030, Why in News?, The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently, published a report titled ‘BiodiverCities by 2030:, Transforming cities’ relationship with nature’, developed as an output of the BiodiverCities by 2030, initiative., About BiodiverCities by 2030 initiative, •, •, •, , It is a joint initiative of the World Economic, Forum and the Government of Colombia., It aims to support city governments, businesses, and citizens, to enable cities to live in harmony, with nature by 2030., The initiative brings together multidisciplinary, expertize, combines existing initiatives and surfaces innovative solutions to promote sustainable, inclusive and, nature-positive urban development at a global scale., , Key observations of the report, The report examines the relationship between cities and nature and provides a clear path for city leaders to embrace, the BiodiverCities by 2030 vision and increase urban competitiveness and liveability through nature:72, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , Impact of cities on nature: Cities are responsible for the destruction of natural habitat and global biodiversity loss,, directly through the rapid expansion of the built environment and indirectly through rising in Urban footprint to, sustain resource demand of urban population and Climate change., o For instance, urban areas are responsible for over 75%, About Nature-based solutions (NbS) for infrastructure, of global carbon emissions and climate change is one, NbS seek to restore or utilize the existing natural extent,, of accounts for 11-16% of global biodiversity loss., connectivity and diversity of cities’ natural ecosystems to, Socioeconomic risks posed by degraded nature to the, provide key functions of infrastructure., cities: 44% of global GDP in cities is estimated to be at risk, of disruption from nature loss, through impacts likeo Compromised water supplies causing water scarcity,, droughts etc., o Heat island effect, often related to a lack of green areas, or smart surface, impacting citizens’ health and leads, to high energy expenditure on cooling., o Loss of coastal habitats, such as carbon-rich and, biodiverse mangrove forests, significantly increases, the risk from floods and hurricanes for cities within, coastal zones., o Poor air quality and lack of urban green space, impacting human health and cities’ productivity., Steps to transform cities to be in harmony with nature:, BiodiverCities can restore balance between cities and, nature byo Increasing nature in their infrastructure and built, environment through nature-based solutions (NbS) for infrastructure., o Improving urban governance models to support by mainstreaming biodiversity data in decision-making and, adopting a systems approach to urban governance., ✓ A systems approach cultivates a conditional view of development, in which complex interactions between, systems (e.g. healthcare, education and environment,) are mapped, and the outcomes of each action are, measured and reported in totality (as opposed to ad-hoc)., o Forging positive links between urban and rural settings and helping to safeguard global biodiversity., o Prioritizing bio-circular economy and bio-inspired innovations for economic competitiveness., o Nurturing nature-positive values in citizens for health and wellbeing., o Utilizing novel investment models like Debt-for-nature swaps., , 5.9. NEWS IN SHORTS, 5.9.1. EARTH IS WITNESSING ITS SIXTH, MASS EXTINCTION, HUMANS TO BE, BLAMED: STUDY, •, , •, , 73, , A recent study states that earth is going through its, sixth mass extinction., o Mass extinction event is usually defined as about, 75% of the world's species being lost in a 'short', amount of geological time - less than 2.8 million, years., There have been five mass extinctions so far (see, infographic)., o However, all of those were caused by natural, phenomena. This time, it is being caused entirely, , •, , •, , www.visionias.in, , by humans and hence referred to as, Anthropocene extinction., Evidence of 6th mass extinction, o More than 400 vertebrate species went extinct, in the last century., o 29,400 species of terrestrial vertebrates are on, the brink of extinction because they have fewer, than 1,000 individuals., o More than 30% of animals with a backbone fish,, birds, mammals are declining in both range and, population., Causes of mass extinction:, o Rising climate change activities i.e., extreme, temperature changes, rising or falling sea levels,, depletion of oceanic oxygen etc., ©Vision IAS

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o, o, o, o, , Geologic catastrophes (volcanic eruptions,, asteroid hitting Earth)., Invasive species., Overconsumption of resources., Agriculture, leading to diminishing wild spaces, and driving out species from their natural, habitats., , •, , Vulnerability: It is the extent to which a community,, structure, service or geographic area is likely to be, damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular, hazard., , 5.9.3. GLOBAL RISKS REPORT 2022, •, , The Report is published annually by the World, Economic Forum (WEF)., It is based on Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS), and highlights key risks emanating across five, categories: Economic, Environmental, Geopolitical,, Societal, and Technological., Key findings, o Vaccine inequality and resultant uneven, economic recovery risk has compounded social, fractures and geopolitical tensions., ✓ E.g. Poorest 52 countries with 20% world, population have only 6% vaccination., o Economic Stagnation: By 2024, developing, economies (excluding China) will have fallen by, 5.5% below their pre-pandemic expected GDP, growth., o Growing dependence on digital systems with, increasing cybersecurity threats., ✓ E.g. 435% increase in ransomware in 2020., o Worsening of Climate change impact with 200, million projected climate refugees by 2050., o Space as a new frontier of divergence with 5 new, government-developed space stations by 2030., o Increasing pressure to transition to net-zero, economies could have severe short-term impacts,, such as putting millions of carbon-intense industry, workers out of jobs or triggering societal and, geopolitical tensions., Implications of risks, o Increasing polarisation and resentment within, societies on income disparities., o Drive for regional convergence among countries at, the expense of global integration., o Worker deficits and demand shocks from, constrained migration., , •, , •, , 5.9.2., INDIA, METEOROLOGICAL, DEPARTMENT (IMD) LAUNCHES 1ST, CLIMATE HAZARDS AND VULNERABILITY, ATLAS OF INDIA, •, , •, , •, , 74, , Atlas is based on several extreme weather events, (extreme rainfall, drought, coldwave, heatwave,, thunderstorm, cyclones, lightning etc) and the risks, they pose to the local population, livelihoods and, economy of each district., o The atlas provides a range of vulnerability with, risks ranging from nil, low, moderate, high and very, high categories for every Indian district., Significance, o Impact-based warnings can be issued for various, regions. Atlas will help in understanding region, specific impact of certain extreme weather events., o Help disaster management sectors to identify the, vulnerable districts for taking preventive and, adaptive measures., o Aid in disaster preparedness as extreme weather, events rise in the wake of the climate crisis., o Planning climate-resilient infrastructure., o Changes in the hazard-prone areas in recent times, have also been incorporated., o Supporting monitoring and forecasting, Improving, public health facilities i.e. emergency response, capabilities, better early warning systems etc., Hazard: defined as physical phenomena that pose a, threat to the people, structures or economic assets and, which may cause a disaster., , •, , Top 5 Global Risks, • Climate Action Failure,, • Extreme Weather,, • Biodiversity loss,, • Social Cohesion Erosion, and, • Livelihood crisis, Top 5 India Risks, • Fracture of interstate relations,, • Debt crises in large economies,, • Widespread youth disillusionment,, • Failure of technology governance, and, • Digital inequality, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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5.9.4. RECORD OCEAN WARMING IN 2021,, COASTAL COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE ON, ALERT: STUDY, , 5.9.5., 4TH, ASIA, CONFERENCE, (AMC), CONSERVATION, , •, , •, , According to recent annual Ocean Heat Content (OHC), study:, o Oceans have been experiencing an unambiguous, increase in heat since the late 1980s with an eightfold increase in warming rates in 1986-2021 in, comparison to 1958–85., o Upper 2,000 metres of the ocean absorbed 235, zettajoules (ZJ) of heat in 2021 relative to the, 1981-2010 average., About Ocean warming:, o Ocean absorbs most of the excess heat from GHG, emissions, leading to rising ocean temperatures., o Ocean heat is a better indicator of climate crisis in, comparison to air temperature because natural, cycles like El Niño and La Niña play a relatively, smaller role in ocean warming as✓ During El Niño oceans release heat,, contributing to a mini global warming, and, ✓ During La Niña oceans take up heat and bury, it at depths away from the surface., Impact of Ocean Warming, o Sea-level rise due to accelerated ice melting and, thermal expansion of water., o More powerful storms and hurricanes; increased, precipitation and flood risk., o Increase ocean stratification or separation,, o Effects on marine life because less oxygen, penetrates to depths, and all organisms are, affected., , •, , •, , •, , •, , What needs to be done for reducing ocean warming?, • Include ocean warming in climate risk assessments,, adaptation, and mitigation., • Reach net-zero carbon emissions at the earliest., • Need to achieve the mitigation targets set by the Paris, Agreement., • Establishing marine protected areas and putting in, place adaptive measures., 75, , MINISTERIAL, ON, TIGER, , Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, released its statement on 4th AMC hosted by Malaysia, in collaboration with Global Tiger Forum (GTF)., o AMC is a meeting of thirteen tiger range countries, (TRC) to discuss the plight and plans for, conservation of the wild Tiger population., ▪ TRCs consist of Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bhutan,, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos,, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and, Vietnam., o According to the St. Petersburg Declaration on, Tiger Conservation (2010), TRC agreed to Global, Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) which, envisages doubling the wild tiger population by, 2022., Tiger Conservation efforts of India:, o Under Project Tiger (launched in 1973), India has, achieved the remarkable feat of doubling the, tiger population in 2018 itself, 4 years ahead of the, 2022 target., ▪ India has 70% of the world’s tiger population., o Conservation Assured Tiger Standards CA|TS: It is, a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if, their management will lead to successful tiger, conservation., ▪ 14 Tiger Reserves in India have already been, awarded, with, international, CA|TS, accreditation., o Tiger Reserves (TRs) increased to 51 TRs,, spreading over 18 tiger range states., Significance of Conservation, o The Successful model of India’s tiger governance, is now replicated for other wildlife conservation, like Lion, Dolphin, Leopard, Snow Leopard and, other small wild cats like Cheetah., o Tiger guarantees the wellbeing of forested, ecosystems and habitats they inhabit in Indiahigh mountains, mangroves swamps, tall, grasslands, dry and moist deciduous forests and, evergreen forest systems., o Being top predators in an ecosystem, Tigers are, vital in regulating and perpetuating ecological, processes., , 5.9.6. RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE, (REC), SCHEME, SHOWS, LAGGARD, GROWTH, •, , www.visionias.in, , REC is a market based instrument introduced in 2010, to facilitate compliance of renewable purchase, obligations (RPO) andpromote Renewable Energy (RE)., ©Vision IAS

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o, , It is aimed at addressing the mismatch between, availability of RE resources in state and the, requirement of the obligated entities to meet RPO., ✓ As per Indian Electricity Act2003, RPO, mandates that all electricity distribution, licensees should purchase or produce a, minimum specified quantity of their, requirements from RE Sources., o 1 REC is equivalent to 1 MWh (megawatt hour), generated from a renewable energy resource., o 2 categories of RECs: Solar RECs and Non-solar, RECs., Current status of REC Scheme, o Only 4% of the installed RE capacity stands, registered as on December, 2021., o Wind and solar power account for 58% and 21%, share, respectively, of the total registered, capacity., o States with attractive renewable resources such as, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat, account for 73% share of total registered capacity., Reasons behind slow uptake under the scheme, include:, o Owing to low RPO targets in some states, lax, enforcement by regulators and virtually nonexistent voluntary market., o Concentration of RE potential in a few states,, hence expensive cross-border procurement., , •, , •, , Plausible steps for REC, • Government needs to lay out a clear RPO trajectory, until 2030 and seek consistency between national and, state RPO targets., • State government should ensure no waiver or carry, forward of RPO targets are provided to discoms., • Merge solar, non-solar and hydro power RPO targets, into one consolidated target and allow more, technologies including solar-wind hybrid, rooftop, solar, and green hydrogen to participate in the scheme., , 5.9.7. NATIONAL WATER AWARDS (NWA), 2020, •, •, , •, , 76, , In the 3rd NWA-2020, Uttar Pradesh has been awarded, the first prize, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu., These awards were instituted to recognize and, encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States,, districts, individuals, organizations, etc. across the, country in attaining the government's vision of a 'Jal, Samridh Bharat’., It is given with the objective of encouraging the, stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach towards, water resources management in the country as well as, create awareness among people., , •, , It has been instituted by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, since 2018., , 5.9.8. ZOJI LA PASS, •, •, , •, •, , For the first time Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has, kept the Zoji mountain pass open beyond 31st, December., Zoji La Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of, 3,528 m (11,575ft) above the sea level, located in the, Kargil district of Ladakh., ○ It is the strategic link connecting Ladakh to, Srinagar and the rest of India., To provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh, the, Zojila Tunnel is being constructed., Once completed, at 14.15 km, it will be India’s longest, road tunnel, and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel., , 5.9.9. INDONESIA, •, •, •, , •, •, , www.visionias.in, , Recently, Indonesia has announced to shift its capital, from Jakarta to East Kalimantan., New capital will be called Nusantara, meaning, "archipelago" in Javanese., Indonesia is the largest archipelago of the world with, over 17,000 islands straddling the equator in, Southeast Asia, It is located in the Indian and Pacific Ocean., It is the fourth most populous nation of the world and, shares:, o Land border with Malaysia (on the island of, Borneo), with Papua New Guinea (on the island of, New Guinea), and with Timor-Leste (East Timor), on the island of Timor,, o Maritime borders with Australia, India, Palau, the, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam., , ©Vision IAS

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5.9.10. PERU (CAPITAL LIMA), •, •, , •, , 77, , www.visionias.in, , Peru government has declared a 90 day environmental, emergency in the coastal area of Lima due to the recent, oil spill., Political boundries: 3rd largest South American country, and shares its land borders with Ecuador, Colombia,, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile., o It is also home to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu, Picchu, centre of Inca Civilization (last great, Andean Civilization) and a World Heritage Site., Geographical features: It is located just South of the, Equator and Mount Huascaran is its highest peak in, Cordillera Blanca (part of Andes Ranges)., , ©Vision IAS

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6. SOCIAL ISSUES, 6.1. GLOBALIZATION: SLOWDOWN OR MUTATING?, Why in News?, With global interconnectedness emerging as an essential mechanism behind the spread of changing coronavirus variants,, the world is going through debate on the future of globalization., Globalization and its Growth, Globalization is defined as ‘a process associated with increasing openness, growing economic interdependence and, deepening economic integration in the world of economy’., Such economic integration and interdependence are not new. But in the last 3 decades, the global economic conditions, have encouraged the spread of Globalization•, •, •, •, •, •, , Greater mobility of goods and people due to faster and safer transportation with sharp decline in costs., Global flow of Information through advancements in communication and technology due to the Internet and IT, Revolution., Rule-based global trade system with help from World Trade Organization (WTO) towards reduction in tariff and nontariff barriers to establish open markets., McDonaldization of Society, Spread of Multinational Companies (MNCs) with, • McDonaldization of society is a phenomenon which occurs, global supply chains spread across nations based on, when society, its institutions, and its organizations are, demand and supply., adapted to have the same characteristics that are found in, Promotion of Privatization for Innovation and, fast-food chains., competition with by creation of level-playing field • Some of its characteristics include efficiency, calculability,, between local and global players., predictability and standardization, and control., Easy flow of capital between different economies., , Slowdown of Globalization: Dissatisfaction and Reducing Significance, The rapid growth in globalization has given rise to multiple domestic and international problems as well., Prevalence of these reasons was further aggravated with rising concerns over use of global infrastructure E.g., ‘Belt and, Road’ initiative and threat to sovereignty arising from deeper global economic integration., COVID-19 and Globalization: Phase of Slow Down or Mutation, In almost two years of its, existence, Covid-19 pandemic, had a significant influence on the, economic, social, and political, dimensions of globalization, visible in various forms., •, , •, , 78, , Economic, Globalization:, Increased, domestic, restrictions, breakdown of, global supply chains due to, lockdowns., Social Globalization: Travel, restrictions on domestic and, international, travelers,, especially tourists and, students. Reduced migrant’s, remittances due to job loss., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Political Globalization: Increased blame game among nations (USA-China), expansionism (e.g. China) leading to global, tensions as well as cooperation (e.g. AUKUS, QUAD). Some countries have also worked to fight the pandemic jointly, (e.g., Vaccine Maitri by India)., The outbreak of COVID-19 and its repercussions, have acted like an inflection point for the, already fragile ecosystem of globalization. These, trends point towards a different form of, globalization., Future of Globalization: Globalization 4.0, •, , •, •, •, , Structural shifts in the Global Value Chain, (GVC):, o Goods-producing value chains have, grown less trade-intensive which is, indicated by the falling value of trade, intensity (that is, the ratio of gross, exports to gross output)., o Trade in services has grown faster than, trade in goods with the former growing, almost 60% faster., o Share of trade based on labor-cost, arbitrage has been declining., o GVCs are growing more knowledge, intensive and are becoming more regional and less global., Geography of global demand is continuously shifting towards developing countries with rising domestic, consumption in countries such as India and China., Technological developments like growth of digital platforms, 5G technology, 3D Printing, artificial intelligence could, boost trade and simultaneously change the nature of trade., Fundamental shift in the definition and behavior of a customer in a highly digitized world., , Globalization will need to be built on exchanges and learning on a more equal footing, stressing more on diversity, rather, than in contrast to erstwhile single-minded homogenization of societies., , 6.2. HATE CRIME, Why in News?, Recently, perpetrators of mobile apps, which featured a humiliating mock auction of more than a hundred Muslim women, active in public life, were arrested., About Hate Crimes, •, •, •, •, , Hate crimes, or bias-motivated crimes, are defined as offenses motivated by hatred against a victim based on his or, her race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, or national origin., Hate crimes are the most extreme expression of prejudice. Compared to other crimes, hate crimes have a more, destructive impact on victims and communities because they target core aspects of our identity as human beings., Hate incidents may result in severe harms, and/or escalate over protracted periods of time into more serious forms, of emotional, sexual and/or physical abuse., Perpetrators of hate crimes are not always motivated by a single type of prejudice or hatred but can be influenced, by a combination of different prejudices., , Causes of hate crime, •, 79, , Prejudices: Perpetrator may have intense feelings of prejudice against an entire identity group leading to him or her, feeling disgust and even hatred towards members of that group., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Lack of Understanding about, differences among people, and, their traditions, contributes to, fear and intolerance. Left, unaddressed, these sentiments, can lead to acts of intimidation, and hate-motivated violence., Perception of threats: Realistic, threats consist of tangible, conflicts of interest – such as, perceived competition over, jobs, housing and other, resources. Immigrants and, disabled people are two groups, often targeted., o Other symbolic threats, relate to people’s social, identities, such as different, way of life, including, culturally important values, and norms., During armed conflict: Political, tensions and armed conflicts, can pit communities, defined, by ethnicity, origin, language or, religion, against one another, Administrative Failure: Given, the state of the police and judiciary in the country, there is a, wide-ranging perception that ‘culprits’ go unpunished and that, there is a chance that the accused in hate crimes will go scotfree., Political Patronage: In the competitive electoral politics, the, culture of political mobilization based on social faultlines for, polarization of electorate into votebanks and use of violence for, garnering support and intimidating opponents, has gained, strength., , Impact of hate crimes, •, , •, , •, 80, , Fear Psychosis: emotional and psychological trauma caused by, hate crime is heightened compared with other types of crime, and affects not just the person experiencing it, but the, community to which they belong., Attacks on core of victim’s identity: Hate crimes increase, feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, anger, and sometimes shame;, these emotional reactions motivate specific behavioural, responses:, o Anger leads to pro-active behaviours and less avoidance, o Anxiety leads to avoidance and security concerns, o Shame is linked to avoidance, pro-active behaviours, security concerns, and uniquely to retaliation, Hate crimes tend to increase in numbers: If law/community does not effectively punish and repudiate hate crimes,, perpetrators are encouraged to continue their activities, and the number of hate crimes will increase., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , Hate crimes tend to escalate: Offenders who, start by committing minor crimes often go on, to commit increasingly violent acts if they are, not caught and stopped., Hate crimes tend to spiral: If victims and their, communities feel unsafe and unprotected by, state authorities, they are likely to retaliate., This can lead to further attacks, creating a spiral, of violence that leads to serious social, breakdown., , Way forward for responding to hate crimes, •, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , In Tehseen S. Poonawala judgement, Supreme Court set out, ‘preventive’, ‘remedial’ and ‘punitive’ measures for the Central, state, governments as well as law enforcement agencies to deal with the, increasing incidents of lynching., • Measures included, o States to designate a senior police officer in every district to, prevent incidents of mob violence and ensure that the police, take prompt action;, o Set up fast-track courts in such cases;, o Take action against policemen or officials who failed to, comply., o State governments shall immediately identify districts, subdivisions and villages where instances of lynching and mob, violence have been reported in the recent past, o State governments shall prepare a lynching/mob violence, victim compensation scheme., o To set a stern example, the trial court must ordinarily award, maximum sentence upon conviction of the accused person, , Where a hate crime is proven, the punishment, should be increased to recognize the potential, impact of the crime on the community, beyond, the victim, Direct disciplinary action against concerned, police and administration officials for their failure to prevent hate crimes within their territorial jurisdiction after, holding an enquiry by an independent commission of enquiry., Hold registered political parties and other registered entities accountable for the acts of commission or omission by, their members involved in hate crimes and direct suitable penal action against them;, Prohibit those holding constitutional and public offices including as ministers, Members of Parliament or state, assemblies, panchayat/municipal office bearers from identifying themselves with lynch-mob accused publicly in any, manner., Sensitise subordinate judiciary dealing with such hate crimes by holding seminars and workshops at regular intervals, involving social activists, psychologists, other activists, lawyers from all communities., Promoting school projects to educate students about hate crimes and counter possible bias-motivated bullying., There is a need for systematically educating all students about prejudice and intolerance., Civil society plays an indispensable role in raising awareness about hate crime. The relevant authorities can work, with civil society to improve the identification, registration and monitoring of hate crimes/incident., , 6.3. MARITAL RAPE AND CONJUGAL RIGHTS, Why in News?, Recently, the Centre sought reasonable time from Delhi High Court to share government opinion on Marital Rape after, consultation with all stakeholders., About Marital Rape and Legal position in India, •, •, •, , •, •, 81, , Rape represents any nonconsensual sexual intercourse or consent gained by using any kind of fear, fraud or under, situation of unsoundness of mind, intoxication etc., Such sexual intercourse or Rape between non-spouses is illegal but Marital Rape, i.e., the act of having nonconsensual, sexual intercourse with one’s own wife, is kept outside the definition of rape in many countries., In India also, under Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), nonconsensual sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a, man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is kept as exception outside the definition of, rape., ○ Section 376-A criminalizes the rape of judicially separated wife., Also, the either spouse carries the right for ‘Restitution of Conjugal Rights’ under Divorce Act, 1869 (related to the, divorce of persons belonging to the Christian religion), Special Marriage Act (SMA) of 1954 and Hindu Marriage Act, (HMA) of 1955 etc., Although Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence, 2005 contradicts the exception provided, by section 375 and considers any physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse as Domestic Violence., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Conjugal Rights (Right to Stay Together), Conjugal means relating to marriage. So, conjugal rights represent the ‘rights relating to marriage or created by marriage’., • It traces its roots in medieval ecclesiastical law of England when women lacked individual identity and were treated as, husband’s personal possession., • Conjugal rights are part of Indian laws dealing with marriage, divorce etc., allowing a spouse to move to court for restitution, of conjugal rights in case wife or husband withdraws from society without reasonable excuse., • Though a gender-neutral law with utility in saving marriage, the restitution provisions were recently challenged in Supreme, Court (Ojaswa Pathak versus Union of India) as:, o It goes against the individual dignity, bodily autonomy and privacy (in Joseph Shine judgement, 2018- SC held that State, can’t exercise authority in a person’s private affairs)., • Decree of restitution of conjugal rights goes against individual right to autonomy and self-determination and a coercive act, from state., • It goes against individuality and empowers courts to attach the property if the restitution order isn’t complied., , Negative impact of exception to Marital Rape in Section 375 of IPC, •, , •, , •, •, •, , On Individual: It forces the wife to live in an environment that is emotionally unsupportive, physically violent, and, strongly patriarchal, limiting her individuality and dignity., o E.g., As per National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-2016), 7% of ever-married women experienced spousal sexual, violence with 83% reporting it from current husband., On Relationship: It indirectly makes husband the master of wife, which affects the behavior, choices and thinking of, wife as well as the sanctity of marriage., o Justice Verma Committee set up in the aftermath of Nirbhaya Case recommended for removal of this exception., It pointed out that the acceptance for marital rape stems from the outdated notion of wives as property and goes, against the institution of marriage in modern times as a partnership of equals., On Children: It also forces the children to live in an atmosphere of sexual abuse and violence, carrying risks of serious, developmental issues., On Society: It increases the societal inequalities based on gender and weakens community sanctions against, perpetrators. Thus, creating an environment of tolerance towards sexual assault from husband., On Institutions: It limits the ability of institutions such as the police and judicial system to provide support to, vulnerable women., , The negative impact created by this exception points towards criminalization of marital rape. But the implementation of, the same has some issues., Concerns over criminalization of Marital Rape, Marriage is considered as a sacred bond in India by a large section of society. It is an important institution for the survival, of the family with living together at its foundation. For long, State’s approach was largely of non-intervention in family, life due to their concerns such as:, •, •, •, •, , Threat to the Institution of marriage as it may amount to excessive interference with the marital relationship (172nd, Report of the Law Commission on Review of Rape Laws in 2000)., Risk of its misuse as a tool to harass husband, if criminalized., Subject the entire Family System to great stress (Standing Committee on Home Affairs, 2013)., High Subjectivity, as it is difficult to prove in a court of law whether the sex was consensual or not., , Way Forward, The civility of a civilization earns warmth and respect when it supports the individuality of a woman. In the last few years,, several laws have gone through progression to ensure real spirit of equality and make individual dignity a sacred realm, of Indian Society., Marital Rape is also one such exception which should go as- Consent in marriage can’t be consent forever and at the cost, of dignity of one individual. Therefore, all stakeholders must come together, especially state to end all forms by sexual, assault or violence through:, 82, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, •, •, , Proper definition of marital rape under criminal laws in order to remove provisions, which lead to inequality and allow wife to take up the issue as a criminal offense., E.g., o In Independent Thought vs Union of India (2017), Supreme Court criminalized, the marital rape with wife between 15-18 years of age., o Similarly, the Kerala High Court allowed Marital Rape as a valid ground for, Divorce., Progressive interpretation of the Civil and Criminal laws of the Indian Constitution, and Fundamental Rights for comprehensive amendments to criminal laws related, to rape., Study laws of other country who have abolished the immunities of marital rape made it a criminal offence i.e. goes, against right to bodily self-determination., Create awareness in society on violence in order to change attitude towards women and modify the old socio-cultural, practices which allow woman to be treated as property and lead to violence in private spaces., , 6.4. INDIA’S PERFORMANCE IN SPORTS, Why in News?, Recently, the PM called youth to consider careers in sports and others to encourage the youth in the country to foster a, sports culture in the country., How has India’s performance been in Sports?, Despite sports being an integral component of all-round human personality development and entertainment, India has, very little to show as achievement in international sports. This can be evidently seen through the following•, •, , Limited international participation: India has had very few big names in international sports except in some sports, like cricket., Poor performance in Olympics: At the recent Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics, India had its best, performance till date with 7 and 19 medals respectively., o Overall, India has won only 35 medals at the summer Olympics since 1900 edition., o In the Winter Olympic Games India is yet to win a, medal. Similarly, it qualified only once for FIFA World, Cup in 1950., , This poor performance from Indian athletes at international, competitions can be attributed to a number of reasons (see, image)., What are the steps that have been taken to address the poor, performance?, With sports being an important means to promote bonding, among people and gain national pride and prestige,, government has taken number of initiatives to promote sports, in India such as:, •, •, , 83, , Policy Initiatives: National Sports Policy for broad basing, of sports and achieving excellence in sports at national and, international level., Administrative Initiatives: Set up of Sports Authority of, India (SAI) as an autonomous organization to provide, training facilities to athletes and to identify and develop young talent., o E.g., Special Area Games Scheme to identify sporting talent at young age from the tribal, backward, and hilly, areas., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , •, , Support and Promotion Schemes: The, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has, started number of flagship Central, Sector Schemes such as:, o Target Olympic Podium Scheme, (TOPS) to provide assistance to a, selected set of athletes., o Khelo India - National Programme, for Development of Sports to infuse, sporting culture and achieve, sporting excellence in the country, through various initiatives (see, image)., Digital Initiatives: Development of, National Sports Repository System, (NSRS) as a digital platform for online, registration of athletes, coaches, and, sports training centers., Sports Education Development: Setting, up of institutions to provide higher, education in branches of knowledge related to Physical Education and Sports Science. E.g., Lakshmibai National, Institute of Physical Education., Incentives to Sportspersons: National Sports Award to recognize outstanding performances. E.g., Major Dhyan Chand, Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award etc., , What are the foundational issues and limitations of existing Initiatives?, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Poor Health: Due to malnutrition, i.e., deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or, nutrients, the interest and performance in sports suffer., Low participation at the base: Due to lack of resources, a large section of the Indian population doesn’t take sports, seriously or lack participation in sports., Lack of Sports Culture: Except few states (e.g., Haryana), sports are seen as an extracurricular activity or passion., Therefore, children are encouraged to devote majority of their time on studies and treat sports as a leisure activity,, not to be taken very seriously., No Assured Career Progression: In India, except athletes who excel at national and international level, others leave, sports early due to absence of career opportunities at state or local level., Governance Issues: In day-to-day functioning of sports federations, training centers etc. a number of sports, federations/bodies face issues of political interference, maladministration etc. such as corruption, nepotism or, discrimination in sports selection. E.g., Commonwealth Games (CWG) Scam., Lack of Recognition: Except few sports like Cricket, most sports and players lack recognition and encouragement from, government, broadcasters, media and most importantly from people around them., Lack of Technology and Support System: In comparison to other nations, Indian athlete’s face issues of outdated, technology, lack of coaching, limited medical facilities etc., , Way Forward, To create international athletes and foster a sports culture in the country, India will have to take steps toward:, •, •, •, 84, , Creation of world-class sports infrastructure to provide necessary training facilities., ○ Big sports infrastructure will also help in creation of new job opportunities for the youth and encourage them to, pursue sports as a career., Building of Institutions, i.e., School, colleges, and universities to develop dedicated staff, infrastructure, competitions, to foster the culture of sports., Governance reforms in sports federations/bodies to reduce political interference and ensure transparency in their, www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, •, •, •, , functioning ensuring fair selection., Use of scientific knowledge (e.g., Kinanthropometry) in the process of early identification of talent and training them, for sports., o Kinanthropometry is defined as the study of human size, shape, proportion, composition, maturation, and gross, function, in order to understand growth, exercise, performance, and nutrition., Engaging the private sector in sports promotion. E.g., Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) with corporate participation has, helped Kabaddi as a sport and its players to gain recognition., Develop an assured Career Progression for athletes with clearly identified opportunities. This can be done by, supporting a complete ecosystem which includes coaches, infrastructure, trainers and leagues at every level., Promotion of Physical Fitness among people through sports by encouraging existing players to interact with people., E.g., the recent call from PM to Olympians for visit to 75 schools by the 2023 Independence Day., Develop India as a manufacturing hub for sports to ensure availability of equipment. It will also help in promotion of, R&D to aid in performance of athletes., , 6.5. ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION, Why in News?, Recently, the world’s first pig-to-human transplant took place in USA., More in News, •, •, , Recently, the world’s first pig-to-human transplant took place in USA., A team at the University of Maryland Medicine transplanted a heart, from a pig with 10 modifications into a terminally ill man., o The patient had been deemed ineligible for a human, transplant, hence went for pig heart transplant., • The pig used in the transplant had been genetically modified to, knock out several genes that would have otherwise led to the organ, being rejected., o These pigs are bred to lack genes that can cause rejection. They, are reared until they reach an age where their organs are big, enough to be harvested for transplantation., o Also, in October 2021, Doctors in New York announced had, successfully transplanted a pig's kidney into a person., • The possibility of using animal organs for Xenotransplantation is to meet, the demand for organs and pig heart valves are already widely used in, humans, and pig skin is grafted on human burn victims., o Xenotransplantation has seen significant advances in recent years with, the advent of CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing, which made it easier to, create pig organs that are less likely to be attacked by human immune, systems., About Organ transplant, •, , 85, , Organ donation and transplantation is removing an organ from one person, (the donor) and surgically placing it in another (the recipient) whose organ, has failed., o Organs must be removed as soon as possible after the determination, of brain death, while circulation is being maintained artificially. Tissues, may be removed within 12 to 24 hours., ▪ Brain death results from a severe, irreversible injury to the brain. All areas of brain are damaged and no longer, function due to which a person cannot sustain his/her own life, but vital body functions may be maintained, by an artificial support system., o People who have a cardiac death cannot be organ donors however they can donate tissues after death., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , ▪ Cardiac death results when the heart and breathing cease to function., Benefits: The benefits of an organ transplant depend on the organ a person receives. Some benefits may include:, o Avoiding medical procedures such as dialysis, o Living a longer life, o Living a healthier or less painful life, o Gaining an improved quality of life, such as when a cornea, transplant restores a person’s sight, o Correcting congenital disabilities that endanger a, person’s life, o Spending less time in the hospital, needing fewer, surgeries, or taking fewer medications, Risks: Some risks associated with organ transplant surgery, Trusted Source include:, o Complications related to the use of anesthesia, including, death, o Bleeding or other complications during the procedure, o Postsurgical complications, such as infection, o A higher risk of infections and other illnesses due to antirejection or other transplant-related drugs, o Organ rejection, o Organ failure, Transplants from other people, •, , Challenges in Organ Transplantation, •, •, •, , •, , •, , •, , 86, , A transplant between two people who are not, genetically identical is called an allotransplant, and the process is called allotransplantation., Donor organs and tissues can be from people, who are living, or people who have died because, of a significant brain injury or lack of circulation., , Shortage of organs: The shortage of organs is a major problem, worldwide. There are many more patients awaiting •, transplantation than there are organ donors., Socioeconomic Factors: Low socioeconomic status is a big, hurdle for organ transplantation., Cultural, and, Religious, Aspects:, Superstitions such as being born with a, missing organ (that has been donated); and, that tampering with the body will not free, their dead relatives from the cycle of life–, death–rebirth are some of the prevalent, superstitions., Organizational Support: The lack of an, adequate number of transplant centers, with staff as well as transplant coordinators, who are adequately educated and well, versed with the procedures required to, conduct an organ donation program is, acting as a significant roadblock to the, deceased organ donation program., Organ Transport: Sometimes, organs are, transported from the donor hospital to the, transplant center where the recipient is located. There have been many instances where valuable organs have been, wasted due to delay in the transportation process., Illegal organ trade and trafficking: The increasing demand for organs pushed profiteers to exploit poverty-stricken, parts of India to offer cash for organs., o Organ trafficking, according to World Health Organization (WHO), is a commercial transplantation, where there, is profit, or transplantations occur outside of national medical systems., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Way Forward, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, •, , •, , •, , 87, , Legislative framework for organ transplantation in India, • Transplantation of Human Organ Act (THO) was passed in India in 1994 to, streamline organ donation and transplantation activities. Broadly, the act, accepted brain death as a form of death and made the sale of organs a, punishable offence., • The Government of India enacted the Transplantation of Human Organs, (Amendment) Act, 2011 and the title was revised as Transplantation of Human, Organs and Tissues Act, 1994. The rules were notified in 2014., • This amendment introduced several important changes to the Act, o This allows swapping of organs and widens the donor pool by including, grandparents and grandchildren in the list., o The Act allows unrelated live donors by reason of affection or attachment, towards recipient or for any other special reason with the approval of, Authorization Committee., o The Act regulates the hospitals where removal, storage or transplantation, human organs are performed by constituting the Appropriate Authority, assisted by an Advisory Committee., o The Act mandates the appointment of a transplant coordinator in every, registered hospital., o The Act also directs for the setting up of a National Network for, coordination of several registered hospitals and maintenance of a data, bank of donors and prospective recipients., , The Use of Stem Cells and Cloning, in Transplantation: Some of the, very recent developments in, transplanta- tion have been the, use of stem cells from bone, marrow, cord blood, and from fetal, and adult tissue, including somatic, cells and neural cells. These cells, have the great potential for, differentiation and proliferation, into other types of body cells, including, neuronal,, hepatic,, hemopoietic and muscular and, thus help many patients with organ, failure after their transplantation, into the patients., Reduce shortage: Reducing the, shortage of organs by promoting, deceased organ donation with, presumed consent and by, National Organ Transplant Programme, educating the public., Curb treatment cost: Reducing the problem of • Directorate General of Health Services is implementing, National Organ Transplant Programme for carrying out, finances by bringing in insurance, roping in, the activities as per amendment Act, training of manpower, philanthropists, getting some government help and, and promotion organ donation from deceased persons., requesting pharmaceutical companies to reduce the, cost of medicines., Organisational support: Hospitals should have a clear, protocol for declaring brain death and intensive care, staff including paramedics should be aware of the, protocols., Curb illegal trade: Strict policing for illegal transplants, and punishment of all the persons involved., Cultural and Religious Aspects: Religious leaders, should be made familiar with the concept of brain, death and organ allocation policies of the country. It, will indirectly percolate within the community through, the spiritual leaders and will in turn increase the faith, in organ donation and allocation policies., Organ Allocation: In a study, about 59% of the study, participants believed that there was a potential, danger of donated organs being misused, abused, or, misappropriated. Hence, it is very important to have a, transparent system of organ allocation., Organ Transport: The government can help by providing financial help by collaborating with air carriers to help in, mobilizing the donated organ to different parts of the country and thereby preventing organ wastage. Green corridor, concept should be taught in the school curriculum to make the next generation aware of the process., o A ‘green corridor' is a special route that is managed in a way that all the traffic signals that come in the route of, the hospital where an organ is harvested and the hospital where it is to be transplanted., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Challenges in Animal to Human transplantation, • Adequate study: Experts suggest that it is important to study the transplants in humans. Pig hearts are anatomically similar, to human hearts but not identical. It's not ideal, compared to swapping in a human donor heart., • Commercialisation: Several companies are engineering pigs for solid organ transplants with different genetic modifications,, although none yet has medical-grade facilities. There are concerns regarding the unknown long-term effects of genetic, modification on the pig's health., o E-Genesis in Cambridge is making pigs that cannot pass on retroviruses that are present in all pig genomes., o NZeno in Auckland, is breeding miniature pigs whose kidneys remain human-sized., • Animal Rights: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has condemned pig heart transplant as ‘unethical,, dangerous, and a tremendous waste of resources. They contest that animal have a right to live their lives, without being, genetically manipulated and bear trauma only to be killed for their organs harvested., , 6.6. NEWS IN SHORTS, o, , 6.6.1. CENSUS FIRST PHASE, NATIONAL, POPULATION REGISTER (NPR) DATA, COLLECTION PUT OFF TILL SEPTEMBER, 2022, •, , •, , •, , •, •, , Exercise was scheduled to be held from AprilSeptember, 2020 but was postponed indefinitely due, to pandemic., o Census involves a detailed questionnaire eliciting, particulars of every person, including age, sex,, birthplace, mother tongue, religion etc., o NPR collects basic demographic data and, biometric particulars., NPR is a Register of all usual residents of the country, regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens, of India., o A “usual resident of the country” is one who has, been residing in a local area for at least last 6, months or intends to stay in a particular location, for next 6 months., It is prepared at local (village/ward of town), subdistrict, district, state and national levels under, provisions of Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship, (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity, Cards) Rules, 2003., Data collected under NPR is shared with States and, used by Central government for various welfare, schemes at individual level., According to Citizenship Rules (2003), NPR is first step, towards compilation of National Register of Indian, Citizens (NRIC) or NRC., o NRC is a register containing names of all genuine, Indian citizens. At present, only Assam has such a, register., , •, , 6.6.3., MINISTRY, OF, EDUCATION, LAUNCHES NEAT 3.0 TO PROVIDE BESTDEVELOPED ED-TECH SOLUTIONS, •, , •, , 6.6.2. PADHE BHARAT, •, •, , 88, , It will focus on children studying in Balvatika to, Grade 8., o It aims to have participation of all stakeholders, including children, teachers, parents, community,, educational administrators etc., Campaign will also focus on Indian languages including, mother tongue/local/regional languages., o Also, 21st February which is celebrated as, International Mother Tongue Day, has been, integrated with this campaign., , Launched by: Department of School Education &, Literacy, It is a 100 days reading campaign (starting from, 1st January) to support and encourage students to, read for joyful learning experience., www.visionias.in, , National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT), 3.0 will serve as a single platform to provide the bestdeveloped ed-tech solutions and courses to students, of the country., o It aims to:, ✓ Provide the use of best-developed, technological solutions in the education, sector, ✓ Enhance the employability of the youth on a, single platform for learners' convenience., o Solutions use Artificial Intelligence for a, personalized and customized learning experience, for better learning outcomes and skill, development in the niche areas., o During the first phase, the portal was launched as, a pilot phase in AICTE (All India Council for, Technical Education) approved Government, Colleges of India only., Benefits of NEAT 3.0 and EdTech:, o Bridging the digital divide, particularly amongst, economically disadvantaged students, o Enables scale and speed using a direct to the, device model,, o Breaks down geographical barriers helping, students access high-quality education,, o Teachers become facilitators and curators,, managing remotely., ©Vision IAS

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•, , o, , In related news, government also launched AICTE, prescribed technical books in regional languages., o Learning in regional languages is one of the, features of National Education Policy 2020., o Diverse languages helps to strengthen at grass, root level in building an innovative society., , Challenge is open to start-ups registered in India, and French actors collaborating with an Indian, start-up., , 6.6.4. NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION, LAUNCHES PROJECT NIRAMAY IN ASSAM, •, , •, , •, , Project was launched in collaboration with Piramal, Swasthya (NGO) and Cisco (tech company) to, demonstrate the integration of digital health, technology to strengthen the public health care, delivery in the state., About Niramay Project, o It is a digital health project that will provide teleconsultation, patient’s health records, digital, health infrastructure in three aspirational districts, in Assam., o It aims to leverage the learnings of the pilot to, facilitate Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, (ABDM) roll out in the state to develop a digital, backbone on transforming healthcare delivery in, the state and nation., ✓ ABDM is a voluntary healthcare programme, that aims to reduce the gap among, stakeholders such as doctors, hospitals,, citizens etc by connecting them in an, integrated digital health infrastructure., o It is based on the integrated technology platform AMRIT (Accessible Medical Records via Integrated, Technologies)., ✓ AMRIT is an indigenous integrated health, technology platform, enables beneficiary, management and clinical decision-making, through technology platform, ✓ It will integrate unique, cost-effective, and, lightweight hardware and software to deliver, quality healthcare at low-cost, to the vast, underserved population of the country., Significance of the initiative: Reduce out of pocket, expenditure on health, increase health service, outreach to remote area etc., , 6.6.5., SWACHHATA, START-UP, CHALLENGE, AND, GREYWATER, MANAGEMENT UNDER SWACHH BHARAT, MISSION, •, , 89, , o, , •, , •, , •, , Swachhata Start-Up Challenge was launched by, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in collaboration, with AFD (Agence Française de Development) to, nurture the evolving ecosystem of the Indian waste, sector, www.visionias.in, , Solutions are invited across four thematic areas social inclusion, zero dump (solid waste, management), plastic waste management and, transparency through digital enablement., Recently, Haryana also stepped up ODF+ activities with, greywater management by adopting waste, stabilization pond, construction of community leach, pits etc., Greywater is wastewater being discharged from a, house including water from showers, bathtubs, sinks,, kitchen, dishwashers and washing machines., o It makes 50% to 80% of the wastewater from a, household., Principles of Greywater management:, o Reduce: Judicious use of fresh water which will, result in generation of minimum quantity of, Greywater., o Reuse: Using Greywater for purposes such as, kitchen garden, vehicle washing, toilet flushing etc., ©Vision IAS

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o, , 6.6.6. SWACHH VIDYALAYA PURASKAR, (SVP) 2021-22, •, •, •, , 90, , o, , Recharge: Recharge of ground water with, Greywater by adopting technologies such as, soakage pit, leach pit etc., •, •, , Launched by: Ministry of Education., It was first instituted by the Department of School, Education and Literacy (Ministry of Education) in 201617., Its emphasis on promoting safe and appropriate, hygiene practices in schools and behaviour among, children., , www.visionias.in, , Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) have a, significant role for students in their attendance,, dropout rate, and learning outcomes., It is open to all categories of schools., Schools will be assessed on virtually on 6 subcategories:, o Water, o Sanitation, o Hand Washing with soap, o Operation Maintenance, o Behaviour Change and Capacity Building, o COVID-19 Preparedness and Response., , ©Vision IAS

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7. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 7.1. GAGANYAAN, Why in news?, Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), plans to launch Gaganyaan before Independence Day, in 2022., About Gaganyaan, •, •, , •, , •, •, , •, , 91, , The current status of Gaganyaan programme is as follows:, • The astronaut training facility is getting established at, Bengaluru and in advanced stage of completion. Basic, Aeromedical training and flying practice completed as part of, Indian leg of training., • The design of all systems of Gaganyaan has been completed., Realisation of various systems are in different stages of progress., Ground qualification tests of human rated launch vehicle, propulsion stages have been already commenced and, successfully progressing., • The configuration and design of ground infrastructure has been, completed and modifications needed are being implemented., • The MoU, contracts and Implementation arrangement (IA), related activities with both national and international agencies, are progressing well., o Receipt of deliverables has commenced against contracts, with M/s Glavkosmos (Russian Space Agency) for space suit,, crew seat and View port. Also receipt of deliverables under, various work packages of CNES (French Space Agency) IA, has commenced., • The activities related to development of microgravity, experiments have commenced, the conceptual design for, experiments is under review., , The word ‘Gaganyaan’ is derived from Sanskrit,, meaning ‘sky-vehicle’., The, Gaganyaan, Programme, envisages, undertaking the demonstration of indigeneous, capability to undertake human spaceflight to, Low Earth Orbit (LEO)., As part of this programme, two unmanned, missions and one manned mission will be, carried out., o ISRO is planning to launch the first uncrewed, mission under Gaganyaan in 2022, following, which the second unmanned mission, “Vyommitra” will carry a robot and this will, then be followed by the manned mission., ▪ The uncrewed missions are for, technology demonstration, safety and, reliability verification and will aim to About GSLV Mark III, • It is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO., study the performance of systems, o The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and, before crewed flight., a cryogenic upper stage., ▪ The robot will mimic the space crew, o, The two strap-on motors of GSLV Mk III are located on either, activities set for the human flight, side of its core liquid booster. It is designated as ‘S200’., mission in order to assess all the, • It is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous, possible challenges prior to the final, Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO),, mission., which is about twice the capability of the GSLV Mk II., The overall programme co-ordination, systems, engineering and implementation will be carried out by ISRO., The major new technologies required for Gaganyaan, programme are as follows:, o Human rated launch vehicle, o Crew escape systems, o Habitable orbital module, o Life support system, o Crew selection and training and associated crew, management activities, The Gaganyaan orbital module has two parts the Crew, Module (CM) and the Service Module (SM) and weighs about, 8000 kg., o The Crew Module (CM) is a double walled system and a, habitat of astronauts. It has an ablative thermal, protection system (TPS) to protect it during the intense, aerodynamic heating during the flight., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , The Orbital module (OM) will be, launched by a human-rated GSLV, MK-III vehicle and will orbit the, Earth with a velocity of about 7,800, metre/second., For the first crewed mission of, Gaganyaan programme, astronaut, trainees are selected, based on, selection criterion jointly defined, by ISRO and Indian air force which, comprises of: flying experience,, fitness,, psychological, and, aeromedical evaluation., o The crew will undergo training, in weightlessness condition by, flying in special aircraft through, a parabolic path that will give, 25 to 30 seconds duration of, weightlessness., o To familiarise the crew with, rescue under abort conditions,, they will undergo special, survival training in sea, snow, mountain and desert conditions., Gaganyaan would be smaller in size than the current manned missions of Russian Soyuz, Chinese Shenzhou and, NASA's planned Orion spacecraft., , Challenges, •, , •, , •, •, •, , •, , 92, , Hostile environment: The ‘Gaganyaan’ has to, create an atmosphere like Earth inside a small, volume and ensure that adequate supply of, oxygen, removal of carbon-dioxide and, comfortable temperature and humidity levels are, maintained throughout the mission., Gravity field: Transitioning from one gravity field, to another has impact on the physical bodies. It, affects hand- eye and head-eye coordination., NASA has learned that without gravity working on, the human body, bones lose minerals., Isolation: Due to isolation, one may encounter, depression, fatigue, sleep disorder and, psychiatric disorders., Radiation: In space stations, astronauts receive over ten times the radiation than what people are subjected to on, Earth. Radiation exposure may increase the risk of cancer. It can damage the central nervous system and cause, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and fatigue., Rockets: These are extreme machines. Travelling in a rocket is like sitting on an exploding bomb which will push your, speed from 0 kmph to 29,000 kmph in less than 30 minutes. Many safety features have to be built into rocket systems, to ensure the probability of loss of life is minimized. However, testing of all these systems in an actual operating, environment is difficult., Physiologic and metabolic requirements: An astronaut requires approximately 5 kgs of oxygen, food and water per, day to perform the standard activities. These levels can vary with the activity of a specific mission. Water use may, also be double. A composite management system has to be designed to minimize and store the waste efficiently., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Launch escape system: Space flight requires much higher velocities than air transportation which in turn requires, high energy density propellants. This requires high amount of energy through the Earth’s atmosphere. Anything may, go wrong during the prelaunch, launch and post launch phase including the expolsion of rocket into a fireball. Launch, escape systems safety features have to be built to minimize the losses., Re-entry and Recovery: The mastering of the highly complicated reentry and recovery technology is needed. When a, spacecraft reenters Earth’s atmosphere, it would have to withstand high temperatures of thousands of degrees due, to friction with air. The spacecraft’s re-entry into the atmosphere has to be very precise, even the slightest deviation, could lead into a disaster., , •, , Conclusion, The Gaganyaan mission could propel India to the centre of human space exploration. The manned missions will push, India further in exploration beyond Earth's orbit as countries are eager to control the next space race, which has the, potential to trigger major changes in the global order., Upcoming, Space Missions, Small Satellite, Launch Vehicle, (SSLV), , Expected date of launch, , Key features, , • Scheduled for launch in the, first quarter of 2022, , • It has been built to carry a 500 kg payload to an altitude of 500 km., • It is a three-stage, all-solid vehicle to carry multiple satellite-like nano,, micro and small ones., • It would help to meet the demand of the global launch services market for, small satellites., , Radar Imaging, Satellite, (RISAT)-1A, (EOS-4), Aditya-L1, , • It is likely be launched in, early 2022., , • It will be the sixth in the series of RISAT satellites developed by ISRO., • It is a remote sensing satellite has been built to map terrains and study, Earth’s different land areas and oceans., , • ISRO plans to launch it by, the middle of 2022., , • This is the first mission designated by ISRO to study the Sun’s atmosphere., • ISRO has selected L1, or Lagrangian point 1, between the Earth and the Sun, to place the Aditya satellite., • The spacecraft will travel a long journey of 1.5 million km from the Earth for, this task., • It will conduct comprehensive research on the processes that occur in the, Sun’s atmosphere, which would enable us to decipher the outstanding, problems in solar physics., • The space agency is aiming to achieve a soft landing on the south pole of, the lunar surface, which is the least explored region of the Moon to date., • Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan 3 will not carry an orbiter—but will, include a lander and a rover to study the lunar surface, • It is optimised for studying hazards and global environmental change and, can help manage natural resources better., • It will provide information to scientists to better understand the effects and, pace of climate change., , Chandrayaan 3, , •, , It is likely to be launched, during the third quarter, of 2022., , NASA-ISRO, Synthetic, Aperture Radar, (NISAR), mission, Shukrayaan-1, , •, , It is scheduled for launch, in 2023., , • It is expected to be, launched either in 2024 or, 2026., , • It is a proposed orbiter to Venus., • It will be the first visit to the brightest planet in solar system, Venus., , 7.2. ANTI-MICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR), Why in News?, According to a study by Lancet, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now the leading cause of death across the world., Key Facts/Findings regarding AMR, •, 93, , Young children were found to be particularly affected by AMR. In 2019, 1 in 5 deaths attributable to AMR occurred, in children under the age of five., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , While resistance levels continue to, grow, antibiotic development has, not., o While 63 new antibiotics were, approved between 1980 and 2000,, only 15 new drugs have been, approved between 2000 and 2018., o Out of the seven deadliest drugresistant bacteria, vaccines are, only available against bacteria, causing, pneumonia, and, tuberculosis., , What is AMR?, •, , •, , •, •, , Antimicrobials are used to fight, diseases in humans, animals and plants AMR in India, and include antibiotic, antiviral, • As the largest producer and consumer of antibiotics in the world, India, has been labelled the “epicentre” of AMR, with both substandard, antifungal and antiparasitic medicines., healthcare practices and poor water quality and sanitation contributing, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs, to the problem, when bacteria, viruses, fungi and, parasites change over time and no • The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) identified AMR as, one of the top 10 priorities for the ministry’s collaborative work with, longer respond to medicines making, WHO., infections harder to treat and increasing, • In 2012, India’s medical societies adopted the Chennai Declaration, a set, the risk of disease spread, severe illness, of national recommendations to promote antibiotic stewardship., and death., • India’s Red Line campaign demands that prescription-only antibiotics be, Microorganisms that develop AMR are, marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of, referred to as “superbugs”., antibiotics., Reasons for the occurrence of AMR, • National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR) (2017-21) was adopted, with, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) as the nodal ministry, o Unnecessary and injudicious use of, and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as the key, antibiotic fixed-dose combinations surveillance body., It leads to the emergence of, •, A separate Schedule H-1 has been incorporated in Drug and Cosmetic, bacterial strains resistant to multiple, rules to regulate the sale of antimicrobials in the country., antibiotics. Also, patients leaving, • Government has capped the maximum levels of drugs that can be used, treatment mid-way contributes to, for growth promotion in meat and meat products., AMR., o Antibiotic Consumption in Food Animals - Antibiotics that are critical to human health are commonly used for, growth promotion in poultry. For e.g. Colistin is used as a growth supplement in poultry and animals., o Pharmaceutical Industry Pollution - The wastewater effluents from antibiotic manufacturing units contain a, substantial amount of antibiotics, leading to the contamination of rivers and lakes., o Infection Control Practices in Healthcare Settings - poor infection control in hospitals promotes the development, of AMR., o Social factors - including self-medication, access to antibiotics without prescription and lack of knowledge about, when to use antibiotics., o Cultural Activities- Mass bathing in rivers as part of religious mass gathering occasions., , Impacts of AMR, •, •, •, 94, , Inability to treat common infections: New resistance mechanisms make it difficult to treat infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability and an increase in death rate., Increased threat to medical procedures: Medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy,, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements) become very risky., Increased cost of healthcare: Owing to lengthier stays in hospitals, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs., This also increases the cost of AMR to national economies., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, , •, , Adverse impact on animal health: As it undermines the effectiveness of veterinary medicines., Impact on agriculture and livelihood: Beyond more direct implications for food production and food safety, it is, estimated that in ten years’ time, 24 million more people may be forced into extreme poverty because of AMR., o It will also increase the number of people, Global Efforts towards controlling AMR, suffering from malnutrition., • One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Endangers Sustainable Development Goals, (AMR): Launched by Food and Agriculture Organization, World, (SDGs): Antimicrobial resistance is putting the, Organisation for Animal Health and World Health Organization., gains of the Millennium Development Goals at, o It works for polices and legislation to govern the importation,, risk and endangers the achievement of the, manufacture, distribution and use of quality antimicrobial, SDGs., drugs across all sectors at global and regional levels., •, , Shortcomings in fighting AMR, •, , Lack of holistic approach: A cross-cutting, programme dealing with antimicrobial, resistance across multiple microbes has been, lacking., • Lack of regulatory mechanism: The absence of, stringent framework to limit the use of, antimicrobials in livestock and food animals,, especially for non-therapeutic purposes, has, resulted in antibiotic overuse at the community, level., • Absence of a One Health Approach in, addressing AMR – which recognizes that, human well-being is inextricably tied to the, health of animals and the environment., • Awareness - Limited capacity development and, awareness among stakeholders., • Effluent standards - In India, current effluent, standards do not include antibiotic residues,, and thus they are not monitored in the, pharmaceutical industry effluents., Way Forward, •, , •, •, •, , •, , •, , Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) by, WHO., AWaRE tool by WHO: It is aimed at guiding policy-makers and, health workers to use antibiotics safely and more effectively. It, classifies antibiotics into three groups:, o Access- antibiotics used to treat the most common and, serious infections, o Watch- antibiotics available at all times in the healthcare, system, o Reserve- antibiotics to be used sparingly or preserved and, used only as a last resort, Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance aims to ensure, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with safe and, effective medicines., , Related development, Researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are working on two, approaches to tackle AMR • Use bacteriophages, or ‘phages’, to kill bacterial cells., o Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria., • Block the transporters that ‘throw out’ antibiotics from bacterial, cells., o Transporters help move nutrients from the environment into, cells and remove toxic metabolites., o Multi-drug resistant pathogens have evolved transporters, that are capable of moving out (or ‘effluxing’) antibacterial, compounds from bacterial cells and membranes, thereby, protecting pathogens (bacteria)., o Researchers are developing certain type of antibody that, could inhibit the transporters in bacteria., , Conducting Research and Development o Conducting national-level surveillance of, antibiotic residues in food from animals & in, environment., o Development of antibiotic resistance breakers (ARBs) to restore the efficacy and efficiency of antibiotics in the, population., For agriculture sector - Only give antibiotics to animals under veterinary supervision, vaccinate animals to reduce the, need for antibiotics, prevent infections through improved hygiene and animal welfare., Cross Sectoral Response - Since AMR is a systems failure that requires a cross-sectoral response, it is important to, look beyond the biomedical or health sectors for solutions., One Health Approach - To restrain AMR, there is need for a One Health Approach through coherent, integrated, multi, sectoral cooperation and actions, including policy makers, farmers, veterinarians & food producers and Health, workers & patients., , 7.3. ELECTRIC VEHICLES, Why in News?, NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and RMI India released Banking on Electric Vehicles in India report., 95, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Key highlights of the report, •, , •, , About Priority Sector Lending (PSL), • RBI introduced PSL guidelines in 1972 to expand financial access to, vulnerable sections of society by enhancing credit for “priority”, sectors with high employment and poverty alleviation potential but, low bankability., • Guidelines mandate that banks subjected to the regulation direct a, specified target percentage of credit to priority sectors., • Current priority sectors that can receive this credit include, agriculture; micro, medium, and small enterprises (MSMEs); housing;, renewable energy; education; social infrastructure; export credit;, self-help groups and startups; and weaker sections of society., , Report provides considerations and, recommendations to inform the inclusion of, Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the Reserve Bank of, India’s (RBI’s) priority-sector lending (PSL), guidelines., Inclusion in PSL guidelines will, o Increase investor confidence by, providing an additional market signal, that complements central and state, governments’ existing planning and, policies., o Institutionalising the importance of EVs in India’s, financial industry, o Ensure a swift and equitable transition by guiding, Financial Institutions to increase credit penetration in, credit-deficient segments and use cases., , About electrical vehicle, •, •, , An electric vehicle (EV) is one that operates on an electric, motor, instead of an internal-combustion engine that, generates power by burning a mix of fuel and gases., While some EVs used lead acid or nickel metal hydride, batteries, the standard for modern battery electric vehicles, is now considered to be lithium-ion batteries as they have, a greater longevity and are excellent at retaining energy,, with a self-discharge rate of just 5% per month., , Need/Opportunities for Electric Vehicles (EVs) push, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , 96, , To minimise GHG emissions: Transport sector in India is, the second largest source of CO2 emissions worldwide., Within transportation, road transport has been the highest, contributor to the GHG emission in the country., To reduce crude oil import bill: Currently, Indian, transportation sector accounts for one-third of the total, crude oil consumed in the country, where 80% is being, consumed by road transportation alone., To meet Paris agreement goals: To achieve the GHG, emission target committed under Intended Nationally, Determined Contributions (INDCs), it is inevitable that, India transits to greener mobility technologies in, transport., Rising motorization rates: With one of the lowest, motorization rates in the world (22 cars per 1,000, people), India is among the fastest growing countries in, transportation sector., o India has also set the national target of achieving 30% EV sales penetration by 2030., Economic opportunities: Many start-ups have entered into manufacturing of EVs in past 5-7 years and conventional, vehicle manufacturers, both domestic and global, are also launching EVs in Indian marketplace., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Steps taken by India to promote Electric Vehicles, •, •, •, •, •, •, , •, , •, , •, , India launched E-Amrit portal (at COP26 Summit in Glasgow) as a one-stop destination for all information on electric, vehicles., National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 seeks to enhance national energy security, mitigate adverse, environmental impacts from road transport vehicles and boost domestic manufacturing capabilities for Electric, Vehicles., FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles) scheme was first launched in 2015, under NEMMP 2020 to enhance hybrid and electric technologies in India, Phase-II of FAME scheme to stimulate the market of EVs in the country, de-licensed the charging infrastructure, business and specified guidelines & standards for charging infrastructure for electric vehicle., Several states (including Delhi, UP, MP, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh etc) have notified their EV policies aimed at, promoting manufacturing and increasing demand of electric vehicles in their respective states., Recently, Ministry of Power released the, guidelines on EV charging infrastructure, which addresses the need for adequate, availability of charging stations., In 2019, Ministry of Housing and Urban, Affairs notified Amendments in Model, Building Bye-Laws - 2016 for EV charging, infrastructure., ISRO has commercialized indigenously, developed lithium-ion battery technology, and has selected 14 companies for transfer, of technology., NITI Aayog’s initiative to provide a Model Concessionaire Agreement (MCA) document for introducing Electric-Bus, Fleet in Cities for Public Transportation on PPP mode on Operational Expenditure (per km basis) Model rather than, paying upfront capital cost., , Challenges and gaps existing in the EV ecosystem, , 97, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Way forward for uptake of electric mobility in India, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Phased Manufacturing Program, AatmaNirbhar Bharat, and incentives announced by several states in their EV policy, should be leveraged to strengthen the battery manufacturing in medium to long run., Discoms need to actively participate in planning for EV charging infrastructure because of their inherited capability, of existing infrastructure, existing consumer base and superior technical skills., Need policy guidance on standardization of battery for EVs, and strategies to address huge upfront capital, requirement for a massive uptake of battery swapping business model., Financial Institutions should be encouraged to extend their lending facility to electric mobility sector., Creation of non-financial incentives such as priority lanes, reserved parking for EV only vehicle, EV Purchase subsidy, over and above FAME II subsidy etc. for better response from consumers., Online portal and single window clearance system for availing clearances and subsidies/rebate in transparent, manner., , 7.4. INTERNET OF THINGS, Why in news?, Recently,, Telecommunication, Engineering, Centre (TEC) released ‘Code of Practice for, securing consumer Internet of Things (IoT)'., More about news, •, , •, •, •, , Guidelines for securing consumer IoT, 1. All IoT device default passwords shall be unique per device and/or, require user to choose a password that follows best practices, during, device provisioning., 2. Disclosed vulnerabilities should be acted on in a timely manner, 3. Software components in IoT devices should be securely, updateable. Updates shall be timely and should not adversely, impact the functioning of the device., 4. Unused functionality should be disabled; hardware should not, unnecessarily expose access (e.g. unrequired ports both network, and logical should be closed)., 5. Security-sensitive data, including any remote management and, control, should be encrypted in transit, appropriate to the, properties of the technology and usage of the device. All keys should, be managed securely., 6. In case the device collects or transmits personal data, such data, should be securely stored., 7. Installation and maintenance of IoT devices should employ, minimal steps and should follow security best practice on usability., , In order to secure Consumer Internet of, Things (IoT) devices, TEC, under Department, of Telecommunications, Ministry of, Communications, has released a report, ‘Code of Practice for Securing Consumer, Internet of Things (IoT)’ as a baseline, requirement aligned with global standards, and best practices., The Code guidelines aim to help in securing, consumer IoT devices and ecosystem as well, as managing vulnerabilities., This report is intended for use by IoT device, manufacturers, Service providers/system integrators and application developers etc., As per the projections, there may be 26.4 billion IoT devices in service globally by 2026., , About Internet of Things (IoT), •, , •, 98, , International Telecommunication Union, has defined Internet of Things (IoT) “As a, global infrastructure for the information, society, enabling advanced services by, interconnecting (physical and virtual), things based on existing and evolving, interoperable, information, and, communication technologies”., , It is a seamless connected network of embedded objects/ devices, with, identifiers, in which Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, without any human intervention is possible using standard and, interoperable communication protocols., o In general terms, it includes any object or thing that can be, connected to an Internet network, from factory equipment and cars, to mobile devices and smart watches., ▪ Phones, Tablets and PCs are not included as part of IoT., o It specifically come to mean connected things that are equipped with sensors, software, and other technologies, that allow them to transmit and receive data., ▪ Traditionally, connectivity was achieved mainly via Wi-Fi, whereas today 5G and other types of network, platforms are increasingly able to handle large data sets with speed and reliability., It is widely being used to create smart infrastructure in various verticals such as Power, Automotive, Safety and, Surveillance, Remote Health Management, Agriculture, Smart Homes and Smart Cities etc, using connected devices., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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How does IoT work?, •, , •, , •, •, , An IoT ecosystem, consists of webenabled, smart, devices, use, embedded systems,, such as processors,, sensors, and, communication, hardware,, to, collect, send and act, on data they acquire, from, their, environments., These share the, sensor data they collect by connecting to an IoT, gateway or other edge device where data is sent, to the cloud to be analyzed locally., Sometimes, these devices communicate with, other related devices and act on the information, they get from one another., The devices do most of the work without human, intervention, although people can interact with, the devices for instance, to set them up, give, them instructions or access the data., , Significance of IoT, •, , •, •, •, •, •, , Communication:, IoT, encourages, the, communication between devices, also known as, M2M communication. The physical devices are, able to stay connected and hence the, transparency, is, available, with lesser, inefficiencies and greater quality., Automation and Control: Due to physical objects getting connected and controlled digitally there is a large amount, of automation and control in the workings. Without human intervention, the machines are able to communicate with, each other leading to faster and timely output., Better monitoring of devices: M2M communication helps to maintain transparency in the processes. It leads to, uniformity in the tasks and maintain the quality of service., Improve efficiency: The M2M interaction provides better efficiency, hence, accurate results can be obtained fast., This results in saving valuable time. Instead of repeating the same tasks every day, it enables people to do other, creative jobs., Saves Money: Optimum utilization of energy and resources can be achieved by adopting this technology and keeping, the devices under surveillance. One can be alerted in case of possible bottlenecks, breakdowns, and damages to the, system., Better Quality of Life: The applications of IoT in increased convenience, better management, thereby improving the, quality of life., , Challenges of IoT, •, , 99, , Data Breach: Personal data gets more exposed. For instance: A credit card number being compromised, followed by, a debit card number is stressful. Companies also worry about them and can lose trust if their details are compromised, by their clients., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Dependence on Technology: IoT is mainly dependent on the internet connection. When there is none, it can’t be, used. On the other hand, we have become primarily dependent on the IoT’s everyday usage., o IoT has contributed to the great decrease in our attention spans. Today’s generation is already using technology, for every little work to be done making our daily lives mechanized and being controlled by technology., Complexity in Operation: IoT manage tasks with ease, but a lot of complex operations are involved in it. If by mistake, the software makes a wrong calculation, this will affect the rest of the process which can be very critical., o For instance: If one doesn’t know how to deal with the wrong temperature in home. An error code in water dam, software could cause a disastrous flood. That is the reason, many times a mistake in IoT is not always easy to, debug., Measures taken by the government to promote IoT, Security: As all the household, • In 2015, the Government of India had formulated a Draft IoT Policy with a vision, appliances, industrial machinery,, to develop connected and smart IoT based system for our country's economy,, public sector services like water, society, environment and global needs., supply and transport etc. are, o The policy would be implemented through a multi pillar approach, such as, connected to the Internet, thus, a, capacity building and incubation, R&D, and incentives and engagements., lot of information is available on, o On Indian context, the various initiatives proposed to be taken under the, Smart City concept and the Digital India Program to setup Digital, IoT. This information is prone to, Infrastructure in the country would help boost the IoT industry., attack by hackers., o The, hacking, of, the • Centre of Excellence for IoT was set up in Bangalore by GOI and NASSCOM. The, COE will act as a springboard for budding entrepreneurs to leverage new age, devices/networks being used, technologies and address issues such as waste management, women’s safety,, in daily life would harm, parking, electricity, water management., companies,, organisations,, o Also, Andhra Pradesh will become an IoT hub with first-of-its-kind policy, nations, therefore securing • The government came up with the National Digital Communications Policy, the IoT eco-system is very, (NDCP) 2018, released by Department of Telecommunications (DoT), to satisfy, important., the modern realities of the telecom such as 5G technology, IoT, M2M, Inter-Compatibility: As devices, communication, etc., o As per the NDCP, an eco-system is to be created for 5 billion connected, from various manufacturers will, devices by 2022. Therefore, it is expected that around 60% of 5 billion i.e., be interconnected to each other,, 3 billion connected devices may exist in India by 2022., the issue of compatibility in, tagging and monitoring increases. • In October 2021, the Government notified 100% foreign direct investment (FDI), via the automatic route from previous 49% in the telecommunications sector., Compatibility issues may result in, This will help in the development and growth of the IoT., people buying devices from a, different manufacturer, leading to its monopoly in the market., Lesser Employment of Menial Staff: The non-educated workers and helpers may lose their jobs as an effect of, automation of daily activities. This can lead to unemployment in society. With daily activities getting automated,, there will be fewer requirements of human labor, primarily, workers and less educated staff., , Conclusion, In view of the anticipated growth of IoT devices, it is important to ensure that the IoT comply to the safety and security, standards and guidelines in order to protect the users and the networks that connect IoT devices. However, it is one of, the fastest emerging technology, providing enormous beneficial opportunities for society, industry, and consumers and, it will continue to pick up as more people realize the potential of connected devices to keep them competitive., , 7.5. NEWS IN SHORTS, o, , 7.5.1. DARK GENOME, •, , •, 100, , Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes (the, 'dark genome) have discovered recently evolved, regions that code for proteins associated with, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder., Dark genome refers to ‘DNA outside of the regions, conventionally defined as genes’., www.visionias.in, , o, , They are genes/proteins for which there is, minimal knowledge on biological function and,, allied to this, limited tools for their analysis (such, as antibodies)., Thus, it adversely affects the precision medicine, initiative., , ©Vision IAS

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7.5.2., INDIAN, SPACE, RESEARCH, ORGANISATION’S, SMALL, SATELLITE, LAUNCH, VEHICLE, (SSLV), TO, HAVE MAIDEN FLIGHT IN APRIL, •, •, , •, , •, , SSLV-D1 Micro SAT is scheduled for launch in April, 2022 after the project was delayed in July 2019 owing, to COVID 19 pandemic., About SSLV, o It has been designed to meet “Launch on, Demand” requirements., o It is a three stage all solid vehicle with capability, to launch up to 500 kg satellite mass into 500 km, low earth orbit., ▪ Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle can launch, satellites weighing above 1000 kg, o It is the smallest vehicle at 110-ton mass at ISRO, o Reduced turnaround time (take only 72 hours to, integrate, unlike the 70 days taken now)., o Cost effective (cost will be only around Rs 30, crore)., o Multiple satellite mounting options for nano,, micro and small satellites., o Minimum infrastructure requirement, It aims to cater to the market for the launch of small, satellites into Earth’s low orbits that has emerged in, recent years to cater to the need of developing, countries, universities for small satellites, and private, corporations., NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a PSU, will be the sole, nodal agency responsible for providing end-to-end, SSLV Launch services for customer satellites from, contractual,, technical,, programmatic,, launch, campaign, launch and post launch activities., , 7.5.3. CHINA’S CHANG’E 5 LUNAR PROBE, FINDS FIRST ON-SITE EVIDENCE OF, WATER ON MOON’S SURFACE, •, , •, , •, •, , •, , Presence of water had been confirmed by remote, observation but the lander has now detected signs of, water in rocks and soil., o It also revealed that the moon had turned drier,, owing probably to the degassing of its mantle, reservoir., Earlier, India’s Chandrayaan-1 (2008) data showed, evidence for water in the exosphere of Moon, on the, surface of Moon and also sub-surface., o Also, Chandrayaan-2 (2019) confirmed the, presence of water ice in the permanently, shadowed regions on the Moon., In the coming years, several countries, including India,, are planning to launch their lunar missions., Reasons for renewed interest, o Economic: Helium-3 (an isotope of the element, helium) is abundant on the Moon, but rare on, Earth. It is a potential fuel for nuclear fusion., o Base for future space exploration: It is the best, place to test how life reacts to harsh conditions of, space., o To study Earth: Moon and Earth share a common, past, studying it will reveal how earth’s early past., Other lunar missions: Artemis (NASA), Volatiles, Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (NASA), Korea, Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (South Korea), Chandrayaan3 (India)., , 7.5.4., MAGNETIC, EXOPLANET, •, , •, , FIELD, , ON, , AN, , Researchers have identified the first signature of a, magnetic field surrounding an Exoplanet HAT-P-11b, (123 light-years from Earth)., o An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar, system., o Most orbit other stars, but free-floating, exoplanets, called rogue planets, orbit galactic, center and are untethered to any star., Earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield against, energetic particles from the sun known as the solar, wind., o Magnetic fields could play similar roles on other, planets., , 7.5.5., TELECOM, PLAYER, OPPOSES, SATELLITE PLAYERS’ DEMAND FOR, SEPARATE EARTH STATION LICENSES, •, , 101, , www.visionias.in, , Telecoms has opposed satellite players’ demand for, delinking license of satellite earth stations from, service licenses., ©Vision IAS

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o, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Earth, stations, are, essentially, a, telecommunications port on the ground to, connect the satellite communication network in, space with the terrestrial network on earth., At present, service providers hold the license to set up, earth stations under the unified licensing framework., o In opposition to this, satellite players, especially, those looking to provide high-speed internet, are, asking for a separate license regime for satellite, earth stations., About Satellite based connectivity:, o They operates by sending and receiving, broadband signal to a satellite in space rather, than using an underground copper/fibre network,, o Satellite-based low-bit-rate connectivity is possible, using Geo Stationary, Medium and Low Earth, orbit Satellites., Models for satellite-based connectivity include:, o Hybrid (LPWAN + Satellite) or Indirect Model: In, this, each sensor and actuator in a network may, communicate with the satellite through an, intermediate sink node, i.e., Low Power Wide-Area, Network (LPWAN) gateway., o Direct to Satellite Model: allows devices to directly, communicate with the satellite without the need, of any intermediate ground gateway., Advantages: Easier to deploy and wide coverage,, stronger bandwidth capabilities, boosting internet, coverage in rural areas, Enabler for Internet of Things, (IoT) etc., , •, •, , These vaccines will be available for private hospitals, and private clinics to procure against required, documentation and payment., However, they will still not be available in regular, pharmacies., , 7.5.7. OMISURE, •, •, , It is made in India kit to detect the omicron, recently, got approval by Indian Council of Medical Research., It is developed by The Tata Medical and Diagnostics, that can detect the Omicron in nasopharyngeal/, oropharyngeal specimens during the RT-PCR tests., o Omicron patients are detected only after genome, sequencing. But this test can help eliminate that, step and detection can be done during the testing., , 7.5.8. (IHU, OR UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, INSTITUTES): NEW COVID VARIANT, •, , •, , •, , France reported new variant of CoVID - called IHU., o A variant is a viral genome (genetic code) that may, contain one or more mutations., It can be detected a polymerase chain reaction analysis,, hence lesser need of genome sequencing for its, identification., The IHU variant that the researchers mention is, B.1.640 which, according to global databases, was first, discovered way back in January last year., o The one that the French researchers found among, people in November has now been classified as a, sub-lineage B.1.640.2., , 7.5.9. 5G TECHNOLOGY POSES A SERIOUS, THREAT TO THE AIRLINE SAFETY, •, •, , 7.5.6., CONDITIONAL, AUTHORIZATION (CMA), •, •, •, , 102, , MARKET, , Drugs Controller General of India has granted, conditional market authorization of Covaxin and, Covishield vaccines for the country's adult population., CMA is a new category of market authorization that, has emerged during the COVID19., It approves medicine that addresses unmet medical, needs of patients on the basis of less comprehensive, data than normally required., , •, , www.visionias.in, , Amid growing concerns over the aviation crisis in the, USA over deployment of 5G services, Air India and, other carriers have curtailed flights to US., About the concern, o US auctioned mid-range 5G bandwidth to mobile, phone companies in the 3.7-3.98 GHz range on the, spectrum., o This bandwidth is close to the airwaves the, altimeters use, giving rise to concerns about, potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft, electronics like radio altimeters., o Interference can prevent engine and braking, systems from transitioning to landing mode and in, the event of bad weather, cloud cover or even, heavy smog pilots will be left with visual, approaches only., Potential solutions for this technological concern:, o Set lower frequency standards for 5G services., E.g. EU has a 5G range of 3.4-3.8 GHz., ©Vision IAS

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o, •, , Including a buffer band to separate the new 5G, signals from those used by radar altimeters., 5G represents the newest generation of cellular, network operating at higher frequencies to offer a, new kind of network that is designed to connect, virtually everyone and everything together including, machines, objects, and devices., o It offers advantages such as higher speeds, low, latency, hyperconnectivity etc., , o, •, , •, , •, •, , 7.5.10. SOLAR FARE CAUSES, BLACKOUT OVER INDIAN OCEAN, •, , 103, , SDO studies how Sun creates solar activity and, drives space weather., Solar flares are a sudden explosion of energy caused by, reorganizing of magnetic field lines near sunspots., o Solar magnetic cycle that works in deep interior of, Sun creates regions that rise to surface and, appear like dark spots. These are sunspots., o They appear dark because they are cooler than, other parts of Sun’s surface., In a solar flare, energy stored in sun’s magnetic, structures is converted into light and heat energy. This, causes emission of high energy x-ray radiation and, highly accelerated charged particles to leave the sun’s, surface., Sometimes solar flares also cause hot plasma to be, ejected from Sun, causing a solar storm, and this is, called Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)., Energy, radiation and high energy particles emitted by, solar flares can trigger intense lights in the sky, called, Auroras (for other possible effects refer image)., , RADIO, , Recently, sun emitted a large solar flare that was, observed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, (SDO)., , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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8. CULTURE, 8.1. ADI SANKARACHARYA, Why in news?, Adi Sankaracharya’s birthplace Kaladi in Ernakulam,, Kerala will likely be declared as national monument., More about news, •, , About Archeological Survey of India (ASI), • It is the premier organization for archaeological research,, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites,, conservation and preservation of protected monuments., • It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham., • It is an attached office under Ministry of Culture., Time period, , Significance of Adi Sankaracharya’s birthplace stems from, a legend as per which Sankaracharya was caught by a, crocodile that refused to leave him until his mother let him, accept Sanyas (renunciation)., o This location is called Crocodile Ghat and holds, 788 and 820 CE, religious value., o The place is blessed with important temples dedicated to Sri Sankara, Sarada Devi, Sri Krishna and Sri, Ramakrishna., About National Monument status o It is designated by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) under Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 which, authorizes the central government to “maintain, protect and promote the site”., o Currently, there are around 3,600 monuments of national importance being protected by the ASI., , •, , About Adi Sankaracharya (788 and 820 CE), •, , He was an Indian philosopher and theologian,, Sankara (Jagatguru) and was a firm believer in, ancient Hinduism., He is considered as an incarnation of Lord Shiva.., He took guidance from guru Govinda Bhagavatpada, under whom he studied ‘Gaudapadiya Karika’,, ‘Brahmasutra’, Vedas, and Upanishads., He propagated ‘Advaita Vedanta’ and ‘Dashanami, Sampradaya., Shankara came to be known as Shankaracharya, among his disciples. His 4 main disciples were:, o Padmapada,, o Totakacharya,, o Hasta Malaka,, o Sureshvara., , •, •, •, •, , Contributions of Adi Sankaracharya, Philosophical, contributions, , •, •, , Literary, contributions, , •, •, •, •, , 104, , About Sanakracharya’s philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, • It is a version of Vedanta translated as non-dualism., • According to it, Brahman - the ultimate, transcendent and, immanent God of the latter Vedas - appears as the world, because of its creative energy (māyā)., • The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman., • The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of, the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (both are, Brahman), though the individual self seems different as, space within a container seems different from space as such., • These cardinal doctrines are represented in the verse, “brahma satyam jagan mithya; jīvo brahmaiva na aparah”, (Brahman is alone True, and this world of plurality is an error;, the individual self is not different from Brahman)., • Plurality is experienced because of error in judgments, (mithya) and ignorance (avidya)., • Knowledge of Brahman removes these errors and causes, liberation from the cycle of transmigration and worldly, bondage., , Formulated the six sect system of worship ( ‘Shanmata’) which brought to the fore five main godheads –, Vishnu, Siva, Shakti, Muruka, Ganesha and Surya, Empowered the sannyasa tradition by revitalizing the dasanami structure (Dashanami Sampradaya,’), wherein monks were organized under 10 titles., Composed 72 devotional and meditative hymns like Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Nirvana Shalkam, etc., He authored books on the fundamentals of Advaita Vedanta including Viveka Chudamani, Atma Bodha,, Vaakya Vritti, Upadesa Sahasri., Wrote 18 commentaries on the major scriptural texts including the Brahma Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and, 12 major Upanishads., His review of ‘Brahma Sutra’ is known as ‘Brahmasutrabhasya’, and it is the oldest surviving commentary, on ‘Brahma Sutra’., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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Healing of a, religion, , •, •, , •, , Four ashrams, , •, •, , •, , •, , •, , 105, , By the time of Shankara’s birth, Hinduism had become paralysed by its own inflexible practice of orthodoxy,, ritualism and formality, and was in retreat., It was challenged by rise of ascetic Mahavira Jaina (c. 599 BCE-527 BCE) and Gautama Buddha (c. 563 BCE483 BCE), whose followers branched out into new religions distinct from Mimamsa Brahminism practised by, mainstream Hindus., Adi Shankara’s Advaita Vedanta was the philosophically robust response to that era of confusion,, integrating diverse thoughts and Hindu practices into a philosophy based on the Vedic dictum of ‘One Truth,, Many Expositions’., He established 4 ashrams in four, corners of India., Jyotir Matha in Badrinath,, Uttarakhand - It advocates, ‘Ayamatma Brahma’ (This Atman is, Brahman) and was formed on the, basis, of, Atharva, Veda., Totakacharya was the head of this, matha, Govardhana Matha in Puri, Odisha, - part of the famous Jagannath, temple, it advocates ‘Prajnanam, Brahma’, (Consciousness, is, Brahman). It was formed on the, basis of Rig Veda. Padmapada was, made the head of this monastery., Sringeri Matha in Sringeri,, Karnataka - Located along the, banks of Tunga, it advocates ‘Aham, Brahmasmi’ (I am Brahman) and, was formed on the basis of Yajur, Veda. Sureshvara was made the, head of this matha., Sarada Matha in Dwarka, Gujrat It advocates ‘Tattvamasi’ (That, thou art) and was formed on the basis of Sama Veda. Totakacharya was made the head of this matha, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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8.2. NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE, Why in news?, Recently, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 125th birth, anniversary ('Parakram Diwas') was celebrated., More about news, •, , On the occasion, a holographic statue of Netaji was, unveiled at central Delhi’s India Gate., • It will later be replaced by a 28-feet high and six-feet, wide granite statue of the freedom fighter., • The statue is symbolic of exhorting citizens to build a, new India before the 100th year of Independence in, 2047., About Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Early life, , •, , Towards a life of Politics, , •, •, •, , •, •, •, Netaji in mainstream, politics and clash of, views with Gandhiji, , •, , •, •, , •, , •, •, •, Towards establishment, of Indian National Army, , •, •, •, •, , 106, , Related News, Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar, • Award is to honour invaluable contribution and selfless, service rendered by individuals and organizations in, India in the field of disaster management., • It is announced every year on 23rd January, birth, anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose., • The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 51 lakh and a, certificate in case of an institution and Rs. 5 lakh and a, certificate in case of an individual., o There are up to three awards (every year)., • For 2022, Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management, and Professor Vinod Sharma have been selected., , Born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa, to father Janaki Nath Bose (lawyer) and mother, Prabhavati Devi., He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda's teachings., In 1920 he qualified the Indian Civil Service competitive examination., Netaji’s career took a turn after the horrific incident of Jallianwala Bagh where the Lieutenant, Governor of Punjab, Michael O Dwyer opened fire on a peaceful crowd in Amritsar in April, 1919, and little to no action was taken against him., Shook by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, Netaji left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to, return to India in 1921., After returning to India, Netaji came under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi and joined the, Indian National Congress., On Gandhiji's instructions, he started working under Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (C.R Das),, whom he acknowledged as his political guru., In 1928, the Motilal Nehru Committee appointed by the Congress declared in favour of Domination, Status, but Netaji along with Jawaharlal Nehru opposed it, and asserted complete independence, for India., In 1931, he protested against the Gandhi-Irwin pact and opposed the suspension of Civil, Disobedience movement specially when Bhagat Singh and his associates were hanged., He was elected President of the Haripura Congress Session in 1938., o As the President he mentioned the need of a comprehensive scheme of industrial, development under state-ownership and state-control., He talked of economic development of the country through planning and was instrumental in, setting up a National Planning Committee (under the Chairmanship of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru), later., He was also relected president for the Tripuri Congress session defeating Dr. Pattabhi, Sitaramayya who was backed by Mahatma Gandhi and Congress Working Committee., In the backdrop of World War II, he brought a resolution to give British six months to hand India, over to Indians or else face revolt., This was opposed by many following which Netaji resigned as president and formed a progressive, group known as the Forward Block., In 1941, Netaji disappeared from his home in Calcutta and reached Germany via Afghanistan., Working on the maxim that "an enemy's enemy is a friend", he sought cooperation of Germany, and Japan against the British Empire., After reaching Germany in 1942, Netaji started ‘Azad Hind Radio’ and established ‘Free India, Centre’ (a precursor of the Azad Hind Government)., In Singapore, he formed an Indian government-in-exile ‘the Azad Hind Government’. This, provisional government also had its own currency, court, civil code, Army (the INA) and national, anthem., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, , •, •, , Other Significant, Contributions of Netaji, , •, , •, , •, , In 1943, as the Head of the State of the Provisional Government, he declared war on Britain for, the liberation of India., The INA under the clarion call of “Chalo Delhi” reached Moirang in Manipur and shook the British, confidence., o The INA was able to win back Rangoon, Imphal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands., o Netaji renamed Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Island as Shaheed and Swaraj., o In 2018, the Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island of (A&N) Islands were renamed as, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively., However, defeat of Japan and Germany in World War II, forced INA to retreat., Subhas Chandra Bose was reportedly killed in an air crash over Taipeh, Taiwan (Formosa) on, August 18, 1945., Literary Contributions, o In 1921, Bose edited the newspaper ‘Forward’ and later started his newspaper ‘Swaraj’., o He authored the book ‘The Indian Struggle’, which covered the country’s independence, movement in the years 1920–1934., Women upliftment, o He worked towards ‘Gender Equality’., o Netaji establishing an all Women Regiment within the INA in 1943 and named it “The Rani, Jhansi Regiment.”, Promoted Secularism, o He introduced common worship and celebrations of all religious festivals in the INA., o Many from the minority Communities occupied high positions in the Provisional Government, of Free India and the Azad Hind Fauj., , Gandhiji vs. S.C. Bose - A Comparison, •, •, •, , Gandhi and Bose were legendary personalities, gigantic in their political, moral and ethical stature., Their relationship was one that was marked with deep mutual respect., Bose hailed Gandhiji as the ‘Father of Nation’. He recognised and admitted Gandhi as the undisputable, unrivalled, leader of the masses., Gandhiji honoured Bose as a patriot among patriots.’ Gandhi wrote in Harijan: ‘Netaji was like a son to me.’, Similarities between Bose and Gandhiji:, o They were internationalists and humanists. They were secular in approach and anti-racial in outlook., o Both considered socialism to be the way forward for Independent India., o They worked against untouchability and for women’s emancipation., Though their dream was to free India from the British, they differed in the means they wanted to adopt., , •, •, , •, , Difference, Mentorship, , Gandhiji, Gandhi belonged to the tradition of discussion and talks, with the British like his mentor Gokhale and Tagore., , Means vs, end debate, , Gandhi had a moralistic stand of opposing the Nazi, regime. To him, the means were as important as the, ends., • Gandhi called non-violence "satyagraha" which, means 'truth force.' In this doctrine the aim of any, non-violent conflict was to convert the opponent;, to win over his mind and his heart and persuade, him to your point of view. Gandhi’s non-violence, had three main elements:, o self-improvement (the effort to make oneself, a better person),, o “constructive programme” (concrete work to, create the new social order aimed at),, o campaigns of resistance against evils that, blocked the way forward, such as the caste, system and British colonial exploitation., , Non Violence, , 107, , www.visionias.in, , S.C. Bose, Young Bose, deeply influenced by the Russian revolt and, rise of the Japanese empire, was a firebrand nationalist, who believed in the tradition of Tilak and Aurobindo., Bose, on the contrary, was more pragmatic and wanted, to work with Germany and Japan to destabilize the, British., • Netaji believed that non-violence could be an, ideology but not a creed. Netaji believed that the, national movement should be free from violence, but, if need be, people could resort to arms., o According to Bose, violent resistance alone, could oust the alien imperialist rule from India., o He considered the Gandhian civil disobedience, campaign as an effective means of paralysing, the administration, but did not think it to be, efficacious unless accompanied by a, movement aimed at total revolution that was, prepared, if necessary, to use violence., ©Vision IAS

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8.3. NEWS IN SHORTS, sites across India for enriching the religious tourism, experience. It aims:, o to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a, prioritised, planned and sustainable manner., o at infrastructure development to envisage world, class infrastructural development of the sites with, special emphasis on Tourist Facilities., , 8.3.1. JALLIKATTU, •, •, •, , •, , Jallikattu is a bull-taming sport of Tamil Nadu that has, traditionally been part of the festival of Pongal., The festival is a celebration of nature, and, thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest, of which cattleworship is part., There are references to Jallikattu in Sangam literature, too. Also, a reference to bull taming is found in a seal, discovered at Mohenjodaro, which is dated between, 2,500 BC and 1,800 BC., Other states will similar sports include–Kambala, (Andhra Pradesh), Bullock Kart races (Maharashtra),, Cock Fight (Andhra and other states), Camel Race, (Rajasthan)., , 8.3.2. CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL, TAMIL (CICT), •, •, , •, , •, , PM will inaugurate a new campus of CICT in Chennai., CICT is an autonomous organization under Ministry of, Education and contributes to promotion of classical, Tamil so as to establish the ancientness and, uniqueness of Tamil language., CICT is constituted specifically for carrying out higher, research Classical Tamil at international levels., o It also aims to translate and publish Thirukkural, (written by Thiruvalluvar) in various Indian as well, as 100 foreign languages., Classical languages in India: Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit,, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia., , 8.3.3. INDIA’S, MUSEUM, •, •, •, , FIRST, , OPEN, , •, 108, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , It was inaugurated at campus of CSIR-National, Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad., Museum displays around 35 different types of rocks, gathered from different states with ages ranging from, 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years., Also, on the occasion, Union Minister of State for, Science & Technology also released the earthquake, risk maps of Lucknow and Dehradun cities., , It is awarded by Government of India to children, between the ages of 5 and 18 to recognise their, exceptional abilities and outstanding achievement., It is given in in six fields of innovation, scholastic, achievements, sports, art and culture, social service, and bravery., Each awardee of PMRBP is given a medal, a cash prize, of Rs 1 Lakh and a certificate., Formerly known as the National Child Award for, Exceptional Achievement, it is India's highest civilian, honour for exceptional achievers under the age of 18., It has two categories – Bal Shakti Puraskar and Bal, Kalyan Puraskar., Award is administered by Ministry of Women and, Child Development., , 8.3.6. VARIOUS AWARDS ANNOUNCED ON, REPUBLIC DAY, •, , ROCK, , 8.3.4. PILGRIMAGE REJUVENATION AND, SPIRITUAL HERITAGE AUGMENTATION, DRIVE (PRASHAD), •, , 8.3.5. PRADHAN MANTRI RASHTRIYA, BAL PURASKAR (PMRBP), , •, •, , Padma Awards:Highest civilian awards in the country,, instituted in 1954 and are awarded to citizens of India, for their distinguished contribution in various fields of, activity including education, arts, literature, science,, acting, social service and public affairs., o They comprise of three categories based on the, scale of the awardee's achievement - The highest, being Padma Vibhushan, followed by Padma, Bhushan, and Padma Shri., Gallantry awards- Param Vir Chakra (Highest Military, decoration), Mahavir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashoka, Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra., President’s Police Medals for meritorious service to, law enforcement personnel in the country., , 8.3.7. VEER BAAL DIWAS, •, , Recently, Ministry of Tourism inaugurated various, projects at Govardhan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh under, PRASHAD Scheme., PRASHAD scheme is a Central Sector Schemes, focussing on developing and identifying pilgrimage, www.visionias.in, , PM announced 26th December as ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ to, mark martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and, Fateh Singh Ji., o While all four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji were, martyred, date has been chosen as it was the day, observed as the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas, ©Vision IAS

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Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, who were killed at, the tender age of six and nine in Sirhind by Mughal, forces., , •, , PM described this as fitting tribute to the courage of, the Sahibzades who preferred death instead of, deviating from the noble principles of Dharma., , 8.3.8. LIVING ROOT BRIDGES, •, •, •, •, , UNESCO Heritage tag is being sought for the bridge., Living root bridges are Ficus elastica-based suspension bridges within dense tropical, rainforests of Meghalaya., o Ficus elastica – a tree that grows abundantly in the subtropical terrain of Meghalaya., Ranging in span from 15 feet to 250 feet, these bridges are grown by indigenous Khasi, tribes over a time period of 15 to 30 years, and last for several centuries., Significance: minimal material and maintenance cost, no environmental damage, carbon sequestration, exceptional, robustness under extreme climatic conditions including storm surges and flash floods., , 8.3.9. HIGHEST MOTORABLE ROAD IN THE WORLD, •, •, , 109, , Several projects built by Border Roads Organisation,, including a bridge on world’s highest motorable road,, were inaugurated recently., Road is in south Ladakh, connecting Chisumle and, Demchok. It passes through Umling La pass, which is, at a height of over 19,000 feet., o It betters previous record of a road in Bolivia,, which connects volcano Uturuncu., , •, •, , www.visionias.in, , Demchok has been an India-China flashpoint. New, road will make it easier to mobilise troops and, equipment., It was built under Project Himank, a project to keep, lines of communication open throughout the year (in, Ladakh/Siachin sector)., , ©Vision IAS

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9. ETHICS, 9.1. ETHICS OF METAVERSE, Introduction, In Tamil Nadu, a couple hosted India’s first wedding reception in Metaverse. The bride’s father had passed away but attended, and blessed the couple in a digital avatar at the wedding., “Not only was I groped last night, but there were other people there who supported this behaviour which made me feel isolated, in the Plaza.” The Plaza here is a digitally created space in the Metaverse., These two instances highlight the level of integration that can happen between the digital and physical spaces, obviating the, need for understanding and evolving Ethics for Metaverse., What is metaverse?, Metaverse can be understood as a combination of multiple elements of technology, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and video where users "live" within a digitally enhanced surrounding., To understand how it works and the impact that it may create, it is important to have clarity on following ideas and technologies•, , Virtual Reality: VR can be understood as the use of computer modelling and simulation, that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other, sensory environment. E.g., games like World of Warcraft., Augmented Reality: Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real physical, world that is achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other, sensory stimuli delivered via technology. E.g., games like Pokémon Go., Hologram: Holograms are virtual three-dimensional images created by the interference, of light beams that reflect real physical objects. E.g., Holograms used by BJP in the runup of 2014 elections., Avatar: An avatar in the metaverse is a representation of an individual in the virtual, world, this digital avatar enables the person to function like an actual human being in a digitally created world., Platform/Developer/User distinction: In metaverse, digital engagement will get very personal and tailormade for the user. In this context, it is important that role played by the platform, the developers and the, users is clearly understood., , •, •, •, •, , How it works?, Using the aforementioned digital tools, the idea of, metaverse aims to connect people, places and things, in multiple environments., The metaverse enables this by merging virtual,, augmented, and physical reality, and blurs the line, between your interactions online and in real life. It, would enhance our abilities to express pieces of, ourselves through avatars in ways that we may not, have been able to test out before., , What are the potential changes that it may bring?, •, , 110, , Opening up new virtual worlds including virtual economies: Metaverse showcases introduction of multiple virtual, environments designed specifically for and sometimes by the user. This could create dedicated environments such as family, spaces, workspaces, recreation spaces etc., o Creation of virtual world would translate to creation of virtual economies such as digital assets such as Non-Fungible, Tokens (NFTs), virtual environment developers etc., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , •, •, , •, , •, , Development of new digital cultures: Occupation of a new space by people in physical or digital form leads to creation of, a new culture in that space. How people act and what their preferences are in the metaverse could be totally different than, how they behave in real life., o Also, these cultures may evolve very differently as they would operate outside direct governmental regulation., Usage and processing of data will increase exponentially: Data will be extracted from new sources like behavioural, patterns, idiosyncrasies of physical movement among others. This will increase the volume of data and the amount of, processing it is subjected to., Affecting Mental health in both ways: There have been evidences, of virtual world nourishing mental health by aiding in confidence, development, increased tolerance etc. But at the same time, the, seamless integration of the real and virtual worlds has the potential, to aggravate issues such as addiction, anxiety, depression among, others., Another dimension to cybercrime and cybersecurity: Metaverse, increases the degree of freedom experienced by its users. This opens, several dimensions of crime i.e., theft of virtual assets, identity theft, in metaverse alongside the already prevalent cybercrime issues., Rising environmental burden: The technologies that embody the, metaverse i.e., Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Blockchain and, Big Data among others require significant among of energy. This may, increase pressure on already stressed carbon emissions., , What kind of ethical issues these changes could create?, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Translation of Laws and Rights from Real to Digital space: In the, absence of a regulatory framework in the form of laws or a constitution, it is difficult to understand what are the Rights, that will be protected and how will they be protected., Misuse and unfair ownership of data: In a seamless environment such as metaverse, it would be difficult to implement the, current consent based permission structure for private data resulting in muddled ownership of data and increased, vulnerability to misuse., Multiplication of the prevalent toxicity: People engage in toxic behaviours such as trolling, bullying and hate speech on, social media. This would multiply further in the metaverse where people will be able to hide behind their avatar or “digital, twin”., Psychological issues with multiple Identities: Metaverse would enable the individual to create a digital identity without, the pushes and pulls of the society and the situation one is born in. This could create more identification with the digital, identity leading to issues like self-pity and dissatisfaction with oneself in reality., Understanding and managing the intangibility of assets: The idea of virtual assets creates several questions like- who will, own these assets, are these assets transferable across platforms and what about the associated copyright issues., Protecting the vulnerable: The vulnerable section, i.e., children, senior citizens and digitally unaware among others are, more vulnerable to influences of the metaverse environment. E.g., hyper-reality experiences could trigger a sensory, overload and induce fits or seizures in users who have a disorder like epilepsy., Creating a new class of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’: The current rate of technological adoption in the form of Internet of Things, (IoT), 5G Technology etc. has aggravated the socio-economic divide. The prevalence of metaverse could create further, divide due to economic capacity, urban-rural gaps etc., , The most important ethical issue among these is to ensure that the digital lives of the participants and connectedly their real, life is not sub-consciously dictated by the platform or the interacting interface., Principles that could guide ethics of the metaverse, It is evident that the rights, principles and doctrines of the real world may not completely translate to the digital realm. But, following principles could make metaverse a more understandable, safe and inclusive space•, , 111, , Do no harm: Enabling testing environments which ensure that the effects of its experience are not harmful., o A corollary of this principle is to avoid creating content that objectifies, demeans, or violates the rights of humans or, animals., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, , Secure the experience: Use the best security protocols and protection to ensure that malicious actors cannot alter or harm, users while they are in the VR experience., o For example, a community member might get voted off the island if enough token holders think someone is not, operating in a way that adheres to the community guidelines., Be transparent about data collection: Ensuring that privacy policies specifically mention Metaverse data and how that data, will be used, shared, and protected., Ask for permission: Include permission requests for sensitive data such as eye-tracking, health, and other biometric, information including movement-derived data., Diversify representation: Provide a diverse set of avatars to users and ensure that representations of groups and characters, do not perpetuate stereotypes and are free of discriminatory moulds such as racism, casteism, communalism etc., Regulate social spaces: Preventing cyberbullying and sexual harassment and ensuring inclusivity through community, guidelines and privacy protections. Projects involving children or other vulnerable populations should be given special, consideration., Consider accessibility for all: Include options for those without standard vision, hearing, or movement to enable them to, participate meaningfully in Metaverse experiences. For example, allow users to integrate additional software or hardware, as needed through modular design., , •, •, •, •, •, , Conclusion, In this dynamically evolving domain, to ensure that these principles are incorporated in both letter and spirit, the platform,, developers and users will have to innovate continuously and proactively., It is said- ‘In the digital realm, code dictates life’. The time has come when life should dictate the code., , 112, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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10. SCHEMES IN NEWS, 10.1. PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA (PMJDY), Why in news?, The total balance in approximately 44.23 million Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts was Rs 1,50,939.36, crore at the end of December 2021, according to the latest finance ministry statistics., Objective, • Ensuring, access to, various, financial, services like:, o Availability, of basic, savings, bank, account,, o Access to, need based, credit,, remittances, facility,, o Insurance, and, pension to, the, excluded, sections., • Ensure access, of financial, products and, services at an, affordable cost, • Use of, technology to, lower cost and, widen reach, , 113, , Salient Features, • It, was, launched in, 2015., • It is under, Ministry of, Finance., • PMJDY was, launched, initially for, a period of, 4 years (in, two, phases) on, 28th, August, 2014., In, 2018, the, scheme was, extended, with new features., o It is the National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services., • The intended beneficiaries are Persons not having any other account., • Basic tenets of the scheme:, o Banking the unbanked: Opening of basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal, paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges., o Securing the unsecured: Issuance of Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals and payments at, merchant locations, with free accident insurance coverage of Rs. 2 lakh., o Funding the unfunded: Other financial products like micro-insurance, overdraft for consumption,, micro-pension & micro-credit., o A minimum monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000 to business correspondents who will provide the last, link between the account holders and the bank., o One basic savings bank account is opened for unbanked person., o There is no requirement to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts., o Interest is earned on the deposit in PMJDY accounts., • Extension of PMJDY with New features – The Government decided to extend the comprehensive PMJDY, program beyond 28.8.2018 with some modifications:, o Focus shift from ‘Every Household’ to Every Unbanked Adult’., o RuPay Card Insurance - Free accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards increased from Rs. 1 lakh to, Rs. 2 lakh for PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.2018., o Rupay Debit card is provided to PMJDY account holder., o Enhancement in Overdraft (OD) facilities – Earlier, all bank accounts opened under the scheme had, an overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 for Aadhar-linked accounts after satisfactory operation in the account, for 6 months. OD limit has now doubled to Rs 10,000/., o Increase in upper age limit for OD from 60 to 65 years, • Operative PMJDY Accounts: As per extant RBI guidelines, a PMJDY account is treated as inoperative if, there are no customer induced transactions in the account for over a period of two years., www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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•, •, , Jan Dhan Darshak App: A mobile application, was launched to provide a citizen centric platform for, locating banking touch points such as bank branches, ATMs, Bank Mitras, Post Offices, etc. in the country., PMJDY accounts are eligible for: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), MUDRA scheme., , 10.2. UNNAT JYOTI BY AFFORDABLE LEDS FOR ALL (UJALA) SCHEME, Why in news?, Recently, UJALA scheme has successfully completed 7 years in 2022, Objectives, • To set up a, phase-wise, distribution of, LEDs all over, the country., • To promote, awareness, among, the, general public, regarding the, importance of, energy, efficiency., • To promote, the efficient, use of energy, at a residential, level all over, India., • To bring about, the message, of how energy, efficiency, impacts the, preservation, of, the, environment, in the long, run., , Salient Features, • It is under the Ministry of Power., • It is being implemented by the Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited, (EESL)., • Under UJALA scheme, LED bulbs, LED Tube lights and Energy efficient fans are being provide to domestic, consumers for replacement of conventional and inefficient variant., o It is the world’s largest zero subsidy domestic lighting programme., o It was first introduced as the DELP (Domestic Efficient Lighting Program), then relaunched as UJALA., o UJALA has been adopted by all the states., • Under the programme, the government has ensured transparency and encouraged competition by eprocurement of goods and services., • Eligibility of acquiring LED bulbs: Every grid-connected consumer having a metered connection from, their respective Electricity Distribution Company can get the LED bulbs at about 40% of the market price, under the UJALA Scheme., o Consumers also have the option of paying for the LEDs in equated monthly installments., • Procuring LED bulbs: The bulbs will be distributed through special counters set up at designated places, in the city. These will not be available at any other location including shops etc., o As part of its inclusive growth strategy to enable growth in lower income communities, EESL has also, enrolled Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for distribution of LED bulbs under UJALA programme., o In case of faulty bulbs/LED bulb fuses: LED bulbs have very long life (> 15 years if used of 4-5 hours, every day) and are not likely to fuse. However, if the LED bulb stops working due to a technical defect,, EESL will be providing free of cost warranty for all technical faults for three years., o Any EESL LED bulb can be replaced with any other company’s EESL LED bulb., • Consumers can avail from a, minimum of 2 to a maximum of, 10 LED bulbs, depending on the, region., • Significance, o UJALA succeeded in bringing, down the retail price of LED, bulbs from Rs 300 to 350, per bulb to Rs 70-80 per, bulb., o It has helped in reducing, annual, household, electricity bills. Consumers, have been able to save, money, improve their quality of life, and contribute to India's economic growth and prosperity., , Copyright © by Vision IAS, All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any, form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Vision, IAS., 114, , www.visionias.in, , ©Vision IAS

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2, , 3