9 PM Daily Brief – October 22nd, 2020

Good evening dear reader.

Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today

GS-1

1. The plight of Sanitation workers

GS-2

2. NEP: Computational Thinking
3. Precautions during festive season

GS-3

4. Digital payment system in India
5. Durga Puja and Economy
   

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9 PM for Preliminary examination

FACTLY

1.The plight of Sanitation workers

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-1- Society

Context: Despite the laws, Sanitation workers still face stigma and are devoid of essential rights.

What were the demands of civil society? How did the government respond?

• Civil society started a movement in the 1990s to eradicate dry latrines, the focus now is on manhole deaths and provision of safety equipment to sanitation workers.
• Several State governments and the previous Central governments have reacted to these civil society demands by introducing different laws to stop manual scavenging and provide incentives to build toilets.

What are the issues with various government and civil society initiatives?

• Act barring the construction of unhygienic dry latrines and employing manual scavengers,1993: It defined ‘manual scavenger’ as a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta.
• It defined dry latrine as “latrine other than a water-seal latrine”.
• Manual scavenging was not just a practice related to dry latrines, but also to unhygienic latrines and open excretion.
• The Safai Karamchari Andolan which was a social movement that campaigned against manual scavenging filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court along with other organisations.
• The demand was to direct State governments and Union Territories to strictly enforce the law to stop the practice of manual removal of human excreta.
• The central government’s survey on manual scavengers (2013): The survey found that dry latrines and manual removal of human excreta still existed.
• The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act (2013): Though the construction of dry latrines has drastically reduced, the number of deaths in manholes, sewers and septic tanks continues to remain high.
• The issue of labour safety is not addressed in any amendments.
• The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, limits the issue of labour rights and the stigma attached to sanitation. For instance, in Tamil Nadu, all political parties have trade unions for government servants, except for sanitation workers.
• No permanent job status for sanitation workers: Most sanitation contracts are given to private contractors or self-help groups, and such staff hardly have ID cards, leave alone the protection of medical insurance policies.
• Particular caste members approached for hiring: During the last Chennai floods, sanitation workers from the Nilgiris district were made to travel in garbage trucks to Chennai.
• This situation has continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic as sanitation workers are asked to work in newly formed COVID-19 wards.

The issue of dignity of workers

• Unlike other labour forces, sanitation workers do not have a separate rule-book that lays down guidelines for their work timings, holidays, a proper place for roll call, removal from duty, etc. This is against the laws and ethics.
• There are no vehicles for sanitation workers to travel to their designated workspaces, and they have to either walk for kilometres or use garbage vehicles.
• This is a forced choice and is connected to the dignity of a worker as no supervisor would stand and travel with the sanitation workers.

Way forward

• In India, sanitation work is caste-ridden and hence, there is an urgent need to dissociate caste from labour.

2. NEP: Computational Thinking

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-2- Education

Context: The NEP 2020 must take a larger view of computational thinking and move beyond just data science and AI.

What is algorithms? How does it translate in the NEP?

• The notions of calculation and algorithms are as old as mathematics and date back to the early stages of representing numbers and geometrical figures and manipulating them for various uses.
• All early learning of counting and arithmetic is method-based, and hence algorithmic in nature, and all calculations involve computational processes encoded in algorithms.
• The framing in the NEP appears to put algorithms at the same level as instrumental ‘coding’. It is considered as a towards the functional goals of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.

How is coding and algorithm different?

• The form of expressions of algorithms and the coding have been different however the fundamental principles of classical algorithm design have remained same.
• The use of algorithmic ideas is not limited only to calculations with numbers, or even to digitisation, communication or AI and data science in the modern world. It is used in:
• They play a crucial role in modelling and expressing ideas in diverse areas of human thinking including the basic sciences of biology, physics and chemistry, all branches of engineering.
• In understanding disease spread.
• In modelling social interactions and social graphs.
• In transportation networks, supply chains, commerce, banking and other business processes.
• In economic and political strategies and design of social processes.
• Coding is merely the act of encoding an algorithmic method in a particular programming language, which provides an interface such that the computational process can be raised in a modern digital computer. Thus, it is less fundamental.
• Coding certainly can provide excellent opportunities for experimentation with algorithmic ideas, they are not central or essential to algorithmic thinking.

Why is it important to learn the fundamentals?

• It is important at an early stage of education to develop an understanding of the basic algorithmic processes behind manipulating geometric figures, computing with numbers, solving systems of equations, modelling road networks and social graphs, and applying algorithmic ideas to everyday problems.
• An overemphasis on learning of specific programming languages prematurely may distract from focusing on the development of algorithmic creativity.

Way forward

• While the NEP guideline of introducing algorithmic thinking early is a welcome step, it must be ensured that it does not degenerate and get bogged down with mundane coding tricks at a budding stage in the education process.

3. Precautions during festive season

Source- The Hindu

Syllabus- GS 2 – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context – Necessary to take extra precautions during upcoming festive season, amid COVID- 19 Pandemic.

What are the views of experts amid festive season?

1. Committee warning – A government-appointed committee of doctors and scientists warned of a rapid surge of 26 lakh Coronavirus cases within a month if people show laxity in following COVID-19 protocol during the upcoming festive season and winter days.

• Kerala festive example– The epidemic curve of Kerala changed completely due to Onam festivities, when there were huge congregations of people convened in large numbers didn’t take precautions.

2. States highlight recoveries over risk- States, anxious to present a picture of near-normality to boost economic activity, highlight recoveries over risk, which may lead the people to lower their guard.

• However, there are five States (Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal) and 3-4 Union Territories (UTs), where there is still a rising trend in daily cases.

What are the possible measures required to control the 2^nd wave of COVID-19?

1. Commercialized health system- The Centre should launch policy reform to transform a predominantly commercialized health system into one providing universal coverage.
2. Self-discipline – If precautions are not taken, the situation can go out of hand with sudden rise of Covid-19 cases. Besides, people need to be extra cautious during the festival season and practice social distancing.
3. Action against those found without masks at all public places.

Way forward-

• With loss of income and steep rise in health insurance premium, the cheapest protection against disease and financial loss is prevention.
• Government needs to make proper market arrangement for residents during the festival season and issue guidelines for social distancing and safety protocol.

4. Digital payment system in India

Source-The Hindu

Syllabus- GS 3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

Context- The government has a crucial role to play in protecting consumers against exploitation in the digital payment system.

What is the role of RBI in the evolution of digital payment in India?

1. RTGS- This system enables transfer of money from one bank account to another on a “real time” and on “gross” basis.

• Settlement happens in real time.
• The large value payments on stock trading, government bond trading and other customer payments were covered under the RTGS, providing finality of settlement, thereby reducing huge risks.

2. NEFT- NEFT facilitates funds transfer across all computerized branches of banks (member / sub-member of NEFT) across the country.

• Settlement happens in batches, and the system is available around the clock and RTGS will follow from December 2020.

3. SEBI T+1 settlement– The market regulator SEBI is considering lowering the settlement cycle for completion of share transactions to T+1 (trade plus one day) to boost liquidity, improve efficiency and reduce payment-related risks to brokers and the system.

NPCI: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an “Not for Profit” umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of RBI and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India. It aims in bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology for achieving greater efficiency in operations and widening the reach of payment systems.

What steps taken by government to promote digital payment?

1. Zero merchant discount rate– In a bid to promote digital transactions, the government exempted merchants from paying merchant discount rate (MDR) cost for payments made through RuPay and UPI platforms.

Read also:-  Daily Current Affair

Issues in Zero MDR –

1. Discriminatory approach– For now, MasterCard and Visa cards are permitted to charge MDR. This has led the banks to switch to Visa and Master cards for monetary gains.
2. The European Central Bank imposed a ceiling on MDR for all to protect consumer interest.
   2. NPCI must supply retail fee providers at discounted value. This will result in a fee system community and infrastructure in rural and semi-urban areas in partnership with Fin-Tech firms and banks.

Way forward: Government needs to take corrective action in the next Budget to ensure a level playing field and to relieve the NPCI from such policy-induced market imperfection.

5. Durga Puja and Economy

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: Gs3: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Context: Economy of Durga Puja being affected due to the pandemic.

How important are festivals for the economy?

• In 2020, the projected size of the Durga Puja economy could be about 2 lakh crores (13-14% of West Bengal’s GDP).
• Puja shopping for apparel, shoes, electronic gadgets, spending over idols, pandals, and tourism, all contribute to the economy.
• Contribution of Durga puja festival to the economy is bigger than any other festival around the world such as the Rio Carnival (Rio de Janeiro), Mardi Gras (New Orleans), Oktoberfest (Munich), Hanami (Japan).
• Corporate funding and outdoor advertisings account for about 90% of the funding. The traditional five-day festival usually extends to 10-12 days giving additional business opportunity.

What is the impact of pandemic on Durga pooja?

• The festival and the economy of the Puja will be reduced because of the fear of contagion. It will result in job losses and reduction in income.
• The order of Calcutta High Court to not allow visitors within a radius of five metres for small pandals and 10 metres for big pandals, many of the big Pujas will be offered virtually.
• It has jeopardised Puja-trips of Bengali people, reduced the expenditure on community worship there by affecting livelihood of millions who are dependent on this Puja economy.

9 PM for Preliminary examination

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