9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 18th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Arctic amplification: What is causing Arctic warming?
• Urbanisation’s different strokes

GS Paper 2

• India-U.S. maritime relationship: This maritime partnership is still a work in progress
• The Centre vs State tussle over IAS postings
• Data opportunity at the G20
• Facilitating adoption in India: Finding a home

GS Paper 3

• The woes of power: A moderate approach to the discom sector might be the answer
• Solutions to India’s jobs problem lie in creating better regulatory conditions for private sector while protecting rights of workers
• Soldiers, The Silent Partners of Indian Democracy

GS Paper 4

• Indian philanthropy has a worthy record that could shine brighter

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Cabinet approves widening access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database to users, besides patent offices
• Italy’s Lake Garda Shrinks to Near-Historic Low Amid Drought
• Voters prefer to earn a dignified earning over freebies: Supreme Court
• India won’t make sovereign commitment on future digital services tax
• Over 7.9 million enrolled under Bal Aadhaar initiative
• Government lost ₹8,000 crore due to five cases: NITI Aayog
• Union Minister launches India’s first saline water LED lamps ‘Roshni’

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Arctic amplification: What is causing Arctic warming?

News: A recent study points out that the Arctic is heating four times faster than the rest of the planet. The warming is more concentrated in the Eurasian part of the Arctic, where the Barents Sea north of Russia and Norway is warming at an alarming rate — seven times faster than the global average. This is affecting the monsoons and climate conditions around the world.

What is Polar and Arctic amplification?

Global warming has hastened due to anthropogenic forces or human activities since pre-industrial times and has increased the planet’s average temperature by 1.1 degrees Celsius.

Polar amplification: Any change in the surface air temperature and the net radiation balance tends to produce larger changes at the north and south poles. This phenomenon is known as polar amplification

Arctic amplification: The above changes are more pronounced in the northern latitudes than in the southern latitudes. This is known as Arctic amplification.

What are the causes of Polar and Arctic amplification?

Primary causes: Ice-albedo feedback, lapse rate feedback, water vapour feedback and ocean heat transport. Among these, the ice-albedo feedback and the lapse rate feedback are responsible for 40% and 15% of polar amplification respectively.

Ice-albedo feedback: Sea ice and snow have high albedo, implying that they are capable of reflecting most of the solar radiation compared to water and air. Global warming is resulting in diminishing sea ice. As the sea ice melts, the Arctic Ocean will be more capable of absorbing solar radiation.

Lapse rate feedback: The lapse rate or the rate at which the temperature drops with elevation decreases with warming.

What are the consequences of Arctic amplification?

The causes and consequences of Arctic amplification are cyclical, which means what might be a cause can be a consequence too.

Melting of Greenland ice sheet: Greenland’s old and thicker ice sheets are getting replaced by young and thinner ice sheets.

In 2019, the melting of this icesheet was the single biggest cause for the rise in the sea level, about 1.5 metres. If the Green land ice sheet melts completely, the sea level would rise by seven metres.

Note: The Greenlandic ice sheet holds the second-largest amount of ice, after Antarctica, and therefore it is crucial for maintaining the sea level.

Impact on biodiversity: The warming of the Arctic Ocean results in the acidification of water by changing the salinity levels. This impacts biodiversity, including the marine species and the dependent species.

Further, it also increases the amount of rainfall. This affects the availability and accessibility of lichens to the reindeer. This is causing widespread starvation and death among the Arctic fauna.

Impact on permafrost: The permafrost in the Arctic is thawing and in turn releasing carbon and methane which are among the major greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

Experts fear that the thaw and the melt will also release the long-dormant bacteria and viruses that were trapped in the permafrost and can potentially give rise to diseases.

What are the impacts of Arctic amplification on India?

Arctic ice and Indian monsoon: A study found that the reduced sea ice in the Barents-Kara sea region can lead to extreme rainfall events in the latter half of the monsoons in India. The changes in the atmospheric circulation due to diminishing sea ice combined with the warm temperatures in the Arabian Sea contribute to enhanced moisture and drive extreme rainfall events.

Arctic ice and sea level rise: According to the World Meteorological Organization’s report, the sea level along the Indian coast is rising faster than the global average rate. One of the primary reasons for this rise is the melting of sea ice in the polar regions, especially the Arctic.

Urbanisation’s different strokes

News: Recently, the United Nations released the World Urbanisation Prospects: 2018 Revision.

Trends of Urbanization

Global Trend

Since the 1960s, Urbanization has grown from around 33% in the 1960s to 55% in 2020.

Further, as per projections, urbanization is going to accelerate in the next few decades,

The correlation between the transformation from a rural to an urban economy and an increase in the urban proportion is expected to increase in the coming period.

Regional trajectories of urbanization

Developed Countries

In 1950, approx 64% of the population was living in urban areas in North America. In 2020, North America has become the most urbanised region, with 82% of its population living in urban areas.

Other regions

In the 1950s, around 17.5% and 14% of the population were living in Urban areas in Asia and Africa respectively.

In 2020, Asia had an urbanization rate of 50% and Africa had an urbanization rate of 43%. Further, Central Asia has higher urbanization than any other Asian region (48%). Further, East Asia has a greater urban proportion (64.8%t). Moreover, in East Asia, more developed countries like China and Japan have higher urbanization rates.

In South Asia, 16% of the population was living in urban areas in 1950. This was increased to about 36.6% (2020). Further, the Indian urbanization rate was more than the South Asian average.

What are the reasons for variation in urbanization across the world?

The presence of sub-regional and inter-regional disparities exists due to different levels of development and industrialization in different countries.

There are other reasons for the variations, which range from different rates of natural population growth in rural and urban areas, uneven rural-to-urban migration, international migration, and the growth of urban settlements.

Administrative changes like reclassification or changing the definition of what constitutes an urban area also impact the level of urbanization in a country.

Moreover, economic change and spatial planning, which includes housing, infrastructure, and service delivery, are strongly related to the extent and pace of urbanization as well as the underlying demographic dynamics.

Importance of Urbanization

According to the World Bank’s feature on urban development, almost 80% of global gross domestic product (GDP) is being generated in cities

Urbanization led to higher development, shared prosperity, and welfare, as well as a rise in formal employment and labor productivity in a country.

What should be done?

The urbanization trajectory of developing countries like China and Nigeria must be watched. These countries contribute at least 33% to the global urban population by 2050.

To trigger urbanization, policymakers should focus on equipping our cities with infrastructure facilities to cater to the needs of a rising population. For this, the impetus should be to attract investment and opportunities in infrastructural development and a greater focus on ease of living for its people.

There should be equitable development to avoid the concentration of population in only a few cities, and to narrow the rural-urban disparity and the disparity among cities and megacities.

GS Paper 2

India-U.S. maritime relationship: This maritime partnership is still a work in progress

News: Recently, the United States cargo ship has halted for repairs at an Indian facility in Chennai. This marks an important step in the India-U.S. maritime relationship.

Why has a US Naval Ship come to India for repair?

During the bilateral 2+2 dialogue held in April this year, the two countries agreed to explore the possibilities of using Indian shipyards for the repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC).

Later, the MSC carried out an exhaustive audit of Indian yards and cleared the facility at Kattupalli for the repair of U.S. military vessels.

What are the implications of repairing the US Ship in the India-U.S. maritime relationship?

Functional implications

a) It signals a more efficient leveraging of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). With the arrival of a U.S. military vessel, the template of logistics cooperation seems to have broadened, b) Repairing the US Naval Ship in India is seen as a global endorsement of Indian shipbuilding and ship-repair capabilities, c) At a time when the Indian Navy has taken delivery of the INS Vikrant, the repairing the US Naval Ship will further boost ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India’.

Geopolitical implications

For India: a) It signals a consolidation of the India-U.S. partnership and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, b) India in the past has not offered access to foreign warships to Indian facilities to prevent an impression of an anti-China alliance. But the recent move suggests greater Indian readiness to accommodate the maritime interests of India’s partners, c) India recently became an associated member of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Together, the move demonstrates India’s commitment towards the collective responsibility of ensuring security in the shared commons.

For US: a) Strengthen US’s military presence in the Eastern Indian Ocean, b) Underline the increased role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the Asian region.

What should be done to improve the India-U.S. maritime relationship further?

The India-U.S. maritime relationship remains a work in progress. U.S. MSC has no warships. The MSC is charged with delivering supplies to U.S. bases, and deals only with transport vessels of the U.S. Navy. India should promote strategic cooperation further with the U.S. Navy to facilities for repair and replenishment of U.S. destroyers and frigates

The Centre vs State tussle over IAS postings

News: All India Services (AIS) structure is unique to India and is too delicate to handle during a crisis. The majority of AIS officers working in the States were not coming forward to opt for tenure with the Centre. At present, many officers willing to go to Delhi on deputation are those assigned to the Northeastern States.

About All India Services(AIS) and their rules for deputation

What are the advantages of working on deputation with the Centre?

1) Psychological satisfaction of contributing to the formulation of national policy on many critical issues, 2) Many opportunities for foreign travel and a chance to be deputed to work for international agencies.

Why are officers reluctant to work on deputation with the Centre?

1) Long hours of work and the need for extreme clinical care in the preparation and submission of reports, 2) Officers need to operate far away from their native State or the state in which they are more comfortable.

What are the impacts of non-deputation with the Centre?

a) There is an increase in manpower demands of GOI ministries, especially at the level of Deputy Secretaries and Directors who generally come from the IAS. This is not able to be filled even with the lateral entry scheme, b) There are far too many vacancies in the Central Police Establishment comprising the paramilitary forces such as the CRPF, BSF and CISF, and investigating agencies like the CBI and NIA.

About the tussle between Centre and State for deputation with the Centre

There are many instances of the tussle between the State and the Centre regarding deputing an officer. Recently, in West Bengal senior officers were greatly embarrassed due to the tussle between the state and the Centre.

Situations like these arise due to ignorance of prudent and mature governance. This poses a threat to the foundation of All India Services.

What should be done to improve the deputation with the Centre?

There are simpler, more effective, and less contentious solutions to the shortage of officers for central deputation than amending the IAS (Cadre) Rules. India needs a stable system of civil services to bolster democratic and responsive public administration in the country.

Data opportunity at the G20

News: The global politics of data is rapidly evolving. Leading and emerging digital economies like the European Union (EU), the U.S., India, Indonesia, and South Africa all strive to protect, monetise, and leverage data collected within their territories for domestic purposes.

Note: With the proposed Data Act, the EU hopes to become an unparalleled data power by creating a single data market, setting robust standards and deploying the EU’s collective data for their own use.

Why do the nations want to regulate data within territories?

According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), data localisation laws have more than doubled from 2017 to 2021. This is because,

1) Increasing privacy and security concerns coupled with economic interests, 2) The sheer amount of data being generated and shared globally and its implications on global trade and commerce forced nations to govern and restrict cross-border data flows, 3) States seek and want increasing levels of regulatory control over data.

Why is G-20 an ideal place to discuss and regulate data within territories?

The G-20 appears as a viable platform to discuss and regulate data because, a) Converging positions on data governance amongst major G-7 powers and emerging economies as the state finds a greater role in regulating data, b) G-20’s track record as the apex forum to discuss global economic issues gives it legitimacy, c) The G-20 platform comprises of top (digital) economies, d) The G20 does not create binding rules but serves as a platform to catalyse and inject new thinking around critical current issues.

How does India aim to regulate data within its territory?

Since 2017, India has attempted to incubate governance of non-personal data, personal data, e-commerce regulation and artificial intelligence (AI) with a preference to harness “India’s data for India’s development.”

Hence, one can assume that India was way ahead of the ‘data sovereignty’ curve.

What should be done to regulate data within India’s territory?

1) The Indian government should present a holistic agenda to G-20 which embeds data collection and sharing within a broader framework that prioritises digital security, innovation, and citizen rights, 2) The Reserve Bank of India’s data localisation directive has been in place for four years now. An empirical assessment of how this has impacted both start-ups, big technology companies, and users could serve as a useful example.

3) India’s digital economy stewardship must transcend data localisation by highlighting best practices on data protection, competition law, etc both in India and other G20 countries, 4) India should consider redrafting the Personal Data Protection Bill with a ‘more comprehensive framework’ as an urgent domestic priority.

Facilitating adoption in India: Finding a home

News: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice have tabled the report titled “Review of Guardianship and Adoption Laws” in Parliament. The report highlighted the huge mismatch between the number of people wanting to adopt children and the number of children legally available for adoption.

What are the major findings of the committee on the status of adoption in India?

There were 6,996 orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children residing in childcare institutions considered adoptable, but only 2,430 were declared legally free for adoption by Child Welfare Committees.

On the other hand, there are around 27,939 prospective parents registered with the Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) for adoption.

The total number of children adopted in 2021-22 was only 3,175.

What are the suggestions of the committee for facilitating adoption in India?

What is the other challenge associated with adoption?

The process of adoption in the country was tightened — procedurally and legally — in response to rampant malpractices and inter-country adoption rackets. The government installed CARA as the nodal body for in-country and inter-country adoptions

What should be done for facilitating adoption in India?

Policy intervention without knowledge of the ground realities often results in little or no benefit for the intended target group. Hence, a ground-level study has to be conducted as suggested by the Parliamentary Committee to bring out child-centric policies in adoption.

The government has to ensure that orphan and abandoned children found begging on the streets are made available for adoption at the earliest.

The government has to address the imbalance in the number of children available for adoption and the number of persons seeking to adopt the children.

GS Paper 3

The woes of power: A moderate approach to the discom sector might be the answer

News: The Government has launched the latest Revamped Distribution Sector scheme (RDSS),

About the scheme

The government has allowed the states to access some central government resources based on certain conditions like adhering to regular revision in tariffs, smart metering, and committing to a reduction in the AT&C losses.

Some findings about the state of affairs of the power sector.

(1) The problem of discoms is considerably worse than recognized because true losses of Rs 3 lakh crore exceed substantially the headline number of Rs 78,000 crore.

(2) The state government finances (due to power woes) have deteriorated, i.e., true state government deficits are about 5.5% of GSDP, not 4.7%, and the true debt is 34.5% of GSDP, not 31.0%.

(3) unsustainable discom operations are increasingly financed not by public sector banks, but by the Power Finance Corporation/Rural Electrification Corporation (PFC/REC).

What are the political economy implications or issues in the power sector reforms?

(1) On the one hand, the Ministry of Finance is concerned about the financial situation of the discoms. Therefore, it is trying to induce state governments to make reforms through incentives. On the other hand, the Ministry of Power (MOP) has the mandate to pursue objectives that are politically popular (access and quality) and increase renewable capacity, important for international acknowledgment. For example, the MOP has given higher priority to infrastructure building over financial sustainability, which has become a major concern for the MOF.

(2) Discoms owe increasing amounts of money to PFC/REC. Further, any default by discoms will jeopardize the functioning of the PFC/REC.

(3) There are issues in the regulation of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC)/ Rural Electrification Corporation (REC). On the one hand, these are regulated by the RBI as non-bank financial companies (NBFC). But such regulatory oversight is lighter compared to that involving the PSBs. On the other hand, these have been used to pursue the government’s quantity targets on access, quality, and renewable capacity. Therefore, the MOP will be reluctant to impose hard budget constraints on the discoms, which creates moral hazard and disincentives for discoms reforms.

(4) The state governments are involved in greater freebie-ism like offering free electricity, in the power sector. Therefore, lending to discoms has become a Ponzi dynamic which leads to under-recovery by the discoms.

What should be done to resolve the above issues?

(1) There should be a comprehensive attempt at institutional changes and financial performance. The latest RDSS scheme along with proposed changes to the electricity law steps in this direction.

Unlike the UDAY scheme, the RDSS desires frontload of the actions that discoms and state governments need to take. Further, the proposed legal provisions under the Electricity Bill may help make the RDSS provisions more effective.

(2) There should be greater transparency. For this, the next finance commission should recommend that the state government should ensure that discoms losses and debts are reflected in their state government balance sheet.

(3) There should be simplicity in power tariffs in India. For example, most states have more than a hundred tariff rates, which leads to large costs and zero benefits. The central government and the central regulator should nudge/persuade their respective state government counterparts to have tariff schedules with no more than say 5-6 rates. For example, one for agriculture, one for industry and commerce, and say 3-4 for households.

(4) There should be a target for smart metering of the entire system, including agriculture. This has the potential to improve financial performance and reduce inefficiency and corruption.

(5) The principle of no cross-subsidization must be accepted. The state government must eliminate rampant cross-subsidization. For example, Industrial and commercial consumers should pay tariffs close to the costs of procuring power by the discoms and not the costs that make up for losses elsewhere in the system, like below-cost pricing for agricultural consumers and households consumer in a state.

Solutions to India’s jobs problem lie in creating better regulatory conditions for private sector while protecting rights of workers

News: In the recent past, the prime minister’s office (PMO) had instructed that the recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the government in a mission mode in the next year and a half. Further, the new Bihar government has also promised its people to create 10 lakh jobs within the government fold.

Some findings related to job creation in the Financial Year 2021-22

Private Sector

Most of the job creation that happened in India in the FY was in the private sector. For example, eight out of the top ten private sector firms by market capitalisation added to their workforce in this financial year. In terms of number, together these firms added 3 lakh new jobs in the last financial year.

Public sector undertakings (PSUs)

The government-owned enterprises or public sector understanding saw a decline in the total number of people they employed during this FY. The top 15 listed PSUs by market capitalisation like State Bank of India, Coal India, ONGC, NTPC, BPCL, and HAL, saw a reduction in the number of people employed.

Challenges in Job Creation

The PSUs are not able to solve India’s joblessness. These firms failed to create jobs, even when India’s GDP was growing at almost 9% (last year).

The Way Forward

As per analysis, the private sector has a greater role to play in the creation of jobs in the Indian Economy.

Soldiers, The Silent Partners of Indian Democracy

Context: Over the last 75 years, India has acquired the tag of being a responsible military power.

What are the issues facing the Indian Military?

India has been a diffident power when it comes to the application of military force as an instrument of statecraft. This has held back the Indian state from deploying the military on a number of occasions.

History of Indian armed forces contributions

(A) Phase of vital contribution to nation building

(a) Soon after Independence, it helped in the restoration of peace and communal harmony in several places in northern and eastern India.

(b) It fought a land-air battle for over a year across two fronts in the Srinagar Valley-cum Ladakh sector, and the Jammu and Poonch sectors.

(c) Helped to quell a potential secessionist rebellion by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

(B) Phase of declined contribution

The political class had misplaced fear of militarisation of Indian society. Therefore, they gradually stopped listening to the Indian military. For example, the ruling class ignored Generals Thimayya and Thorat’s warnings and assessments of Chinese intentions and were side-lined for their views which were termed, alarmist. As a result, India experienced its only major military defeat in 1962.

The military took an eternal 14 years for evicting the Portuguese from Goa.

(C) Post 1962 resurgence phase

PMs and Defence Ministers started understanding the Indian military and allowed service chiefs to speak truth to power in the nation’s interest.

The political executives started focusing on an indigenous defense manufacturing and licensed manufacturing ecosystem.

As a result, India’s military revived and won the Indo-Pak War in 1965 and 1971 conflicts. Another manifestation was India’s ‘fighting fire with fire’ response at Nathu La in 1967.

(D) The post-1972 period

This time Indian forces learnt new lessons as they faced challenges of ‘Full Spectrum Conflict’.

The Indian forces carried out Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus in the Maldives, and Operation Bluestar at Golden Temple, Amritsar.

In the realm of ‘No War and No Peace,’ and strategic coercion, change was made in the strategies and structures for national security. These were aimed to allow India to flex its military muscle, which could act as a credible instrument of deterrence. India won the Indo-Pak Kargil war of 1998. However, it was a costly victory.

(E) New Paradigm- Limited military action used as a means of political signaling

In recent years, Indian forces carried out military action along and across the Myanmar-India border against insurgents; and also had a face-off at Doklam.

The Special forces and IAF carried counter-terrorist strikes after the Uri and Pulwama attacks.

What is the issue in India’s ongoing paradigm?

There is a reactive approach to external security challenges at present.

What should be done?

India must migrate from a reactive approach to a more proactive and preventive strategy.  This can only be achieved through the following steps:

(1) The military should be nimble in its thought and action across the spectrum

(2) It must have cutting-edge technology and synergised joint strategies across the land, maritime, aerospace, and cyber domains.

(3) The military is an instrument of the state and a strong pillar of democracy. It cannot rest in a complex and unpredictable global security environment with powerful adversaries

(4) The Indian state has applied military power, ensuring it remains non-expansive and non-intrusive. This is part of a robust and resilient democracy.

GS Paper 4

Indian philanthropy has a worthy record that could shine brighter

News: Recently, the India Philanthropy Report 2022 was published by Bain and Company and Dasra.

The Findings

According to the report, Indian family philanthropy is expected to grow at a robust 26% compound annual growth rate from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

There is still substantial scope to unlock an additional corpus of ₹60,000 crores to ₹1 trillion.

Family philanthropists are willing to contribute and increase their giving over time to social causes.

A Brief History of Family Philanthropy in India

India has had a rich culture of giving, primarily through social networks and religious institutions.

Pre-1920 Phase

(1) The process of industrialization that began in the 19th century, led a number of families like the Tatas, Birlas, Hamieds, and Bajajs, to create a significant amount of wealth. These families have played an important role in India’s advancement and philanthropic projects.

(2) Sir Jamsetji Tata established the J.N. Tata Endowment Scheme in 1892, much before similar foundations were founded in the West. Tata pledged half his wealth to establish the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), which was founded five years after his passing

Post-1920 During Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership – The next major shift

(1) Mahatma Gandhi inspired prominent industrialists that believed that ownership of wealth must be held primarily in trusteeship for the benefit of the poor. Therefore, industrialists like Jamnalal Bajaj, G.D. Birla, Ardeshir Godrej, and Dr. K.A. Hamied. Ardeshir Godrej contributed a sum of ₹3 lakh to the Tilak Swaraj Fund established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.

(2) In 1935, Dr. K.A. Hamied established Cipla to make India self-reliant in quality healthcare.

(3) Family philanthropists also supported Mahatma Gandhi’s other objectives, like non-violence and the promotion of khadi.

(4) Philanthropic families helped found educational institutes, such as the Birla Institute of Technology in Pilani (G.D. Birla), the Indian Institute of Management (Kasturbhai Lalbhai), and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Sir Dorabji Tata).

Post-Independence India

(1) Many families have established foundations and trusts that work directly with non-profit organizations and local communities to address critical issues like healthcare, quality education, skill building, etc.

(2) Business families upheld social responsibility as a core value long before corporate social responsibility (CSR) was a legal mandate. For example, Godrej’s ‘good and green’ approach to building a more inclusive and greener India is one such.

Post-1991 Era

(1) New age role models such as Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar Rohini Nilekani, and various others who are setting an example for strategic family giving and inspiring others to follow suit.

(2) At present, the family philanthropists are pooling resources for collaborative efforts. For example, Social Compact, a multi-stakeholder platform was founded with the support of philanthropists such as Rati and Farhad Forbes, Anu Aga, and Meher Pudumjee.

Why does India need philanthropic contributions?

The covid pandemic has shown various unmet needs and systemic inequalities in our society. For example, there was a migrant crisis; in which millions of daily-wage workers were forced to travel long distances with little to no sustenance and support. There is enormous potential for the family philanthropist to help address these issues.

What should be done?

The future of giving: They should come together as a community and collaborate for the purpose of strategic giving to the nation.

Philanthropic families have an opportunity to shape the next 75 years of India. They should draw inspiration from their rich tradition of giving during India’s formative years and help build an inclusive India where a billion thrive with dignity and equity.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Cabinet approves widening access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database to users, besides patent offices

Source: The post is based on the article “Cabinet approves widening access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database to users, besides patent offices” published in PIB on 17th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the “Widening access of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library(TKDL) database to users, besides patent offices”.

What is Traditional Knowledge Digital Library(TKDL)?

Established in: 2001

Established by: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H, now Ministry of AYUSH).  

Purpose: It is a first-of-its-kind database on Indian systems of medicine for preventing bio-piracy and misappropriation of our traditional knowledge.

Features: The TKDL currently contains information from existing literature related to Indian Systems of Medicine(ISM) such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga.  

– The information is documented in a digitized format in five international languages which are English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish.  

– TKDL provides information in languages and formats understandable by patent examiners at Patent Offices worldwide, so as to prevent the erroneous grant of patents.  

Who can access the TKDL database?

Until now, access to the complete TKDL database is restricted to 14 Patent Offices worldwide for the purposes of search and examination.

But from now on the TKDL database can also be accessed by users. This would be through a paid subscription model with a phase-wise opening to national and international users.

Significance: This will help drive research and development and innovation based on India’s valued heritage across diverse fields.

Italy’s Lake Garda Shrinks to Near-Historic Low Amid Drought

Source: The post is based on the article “Italy’s Lake Garda Shrinks to Near-Historic Low Amid Drought” published in VoaNews on 13th August 2022.

What is the News?

Italy’s worst drought in decades has reduced Lake Garda to near its lowest level ever recorded.

About Lake Garda

Lake Garda is also known as Benaco. It is the largest lake in Italy.

Why has Lake Garda reached its lowest level?

Northern Italy saw significantly lower rainfall for months and snowfall in 2022 was also down 70%, drying up important rivers like the Po, which flows across Italy’s agricultural and industrial heartland.

The parched condition of the Po, Italy’s longest river, caused billions of euros in losses to farmers who normally rely on it to irrigate fields and rice paddies.

To compensate for the loss, authorities allowed more water from Lake Garda to flow out to local rivers.

But in late July 2022, they reduced the amount to protect the lake and the financially important tourism tied to it.

With huge amounts of water being diverted to rivers, Lake Garda recorded its lowest level.

Voters prefer to earn a dignified earning over freebies: Supreme Court

Source: The post is based on the article “Voters prefer to earn a dignified earning over freebies: Supreme Court” published in The Hindu on 18th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court while hearing a petition to curb the practice of offering freebies has said that the term “freebie” should not be confused with genuine welfare measures.

What are the Supreme Court’s views on Freebies?

Freebies vs Welfare Measures

The term “freebie” should not be confused with genuine welfare measures. There is a distinctive difference between television sets, consumer electronics and welfarist offers.

For example, MGNREGA offered dignified earnings and also created public assets in rural areas.

Hence, voters, if given a chance, will prefer to earn dignified earnings through welfare schemes. Moreover, there are also instances of parties not being elected despite their promises.

Constitution on welfare measures

Article 38 of the Constitution mandates that States should ensure the welfare of the people, minimize inequalities in income and endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations.

Hence, the court observed that a political party or an individual cannot be prevented from making promises that are aimed at fulfilling this constitutional mandate.

India won’t make sovereign commitment on future digital services tax

Source: The post is based on the article “India won’t make sovereign commitment on future digital services tax” published in Business Standard on 18th August 2022.

What is the News?

In a move that could delay the implementation of a Global Tax Deal, India and other developing countries under the G24 grouping have objected to the proposal of making sovereign commitments to not introduce any future digital services tax like an equalisation levy. 

What is the Global Tax Deal?

Click Here to read

What are developing countries’ objections to the deal?

On Digital Services Taxes: Under Pillar One of the deal, all signing countries are required to withdraw their existing digital services taxes and other unilateral measures with respect to all companies and also commit not to introduce any new unilateral measures in the interim period.

– However, India and other developing countries have objected to the proposal of making sovereign commitments to not introduce any future digital services tax like an equalisation levy. 

– The developing countries are of the view that any commitment to not enact future measures should be in the nature of political commitments only.

Outsourcing Audit Functions: G24 countries including India have raised objections to outsource audit functions to independent experts in the proposed dispute resolution panel. 

– They pointed out that panels are expected to be privy to very sensitive non-public information of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. Further, the group is concerned about the confidentiality, impartiality and conflict of interest of such independent experts.

What is G24?

G-24 was established in 1971 by the Group of 77(G-77) as one of its Chapters.

Mandate: To help coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues as well as to ensure that their interests are adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters.

Secretariat: It is based in Washington D.C. in the IMF Headquarters.

Over 7.9 million enrolled under Bal Aadhaar initiative

Source: The post is based on the article “Over 7.9 million enrolled under Bal Aadhaar initiative” published in Hindustan Times on 16th August 2022.

What is the News?

Over 7.9 million children aged up to five were enrolled under the Unique Identification Authority’s Bal Aadhaar initiative from April to July.

What is Bal Aadhar?

Baal Aadhaar is a blue-coloured variant of the Aadhaar Card. It is issued for children below the age of 5 years.

How is Bal Aadhar different from Aadhar Card?

Biometrics to establish uniqueness for the Bal Aadhar is not collected unlike in the case of Aadhaar. A facial image of a child is instead taken for enrolment. 

Moreover, biometric authentication of the parent/guardian and a proof of relationship document, preferably a birth certificate, are collected at the time of enrolment.

What happens to the Baal Aadhar after the children turn five?

On attaining the age of five, the child is required to furnish his or her biometrics at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra to complete a process called mandatory biometric update(MBU). 

The MBU process goes through a de-duplication process. After completion of this process, the child is issued a normal Aadhaar without any change in the Aadhaar number.

Government lost ₹8,000 crore due to five cases: NITI Aayog

Source: The post is based on the article “Government lost ₹8,000 crore due to five cases: NITI Aayog” published in The Hindu on 16th August 2022.

What is the News?

Niti Aayog has commissioned a report titled “Economic Impact of Select Decisions of the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal of India”.

What is the purpose of the report?

Prepared by: Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), a Jaipur-based policy research and advocacy group. 

Objective: To build a narrative to support better sensitivity to the economic impacts of judgments by the judiciary and will serve as useful inputs for the training of judicial officers.

Key Findings of the report: The report has estimated that five orders of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal between 2018-2021 favouring larger protection for the environment had cost the government around ₹8,000 crores in revenue. Around 16,000 workers also lost their jobs due to these judgments.

What are the recommendations given by the report?

Firstly, the Court should undertake an economic-impact analysis based on forecasts put together by a group of experts to address and adjudicate public interest cases involving economically sensitive matters. 

Secondly, Judicial officers to be exposed to (basic) economic issues so as to enable them to recognise the need for a holistic and balanced decision and approach. 

Thirdly, in cases where strict adherence to legal provisions may lead to substantive economic losses, the decision-making of the SC should be guided by the larger public good.

Fourthly, the judiciary should institutionalize the idea of a cost-benefit analysis as part of their decision-making.

Union Minister launches India’s first saline water LED lamps ‘Roshni’

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister launches India’s first saline water LED lamps ‘Roshni’” published in Business Standard on 14th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister has launched India’s first saline water lantern named ‘Roshni’.

What is Roshni?

Roshni is India’s first saline water lantern which uses seawater as the electrolyte between specially designed electrodes to power the LED lamps.

Developed by: National Institute of Ocean Technology(NIOT)

Significance: This is expected to bring ‘ease of living’ to the poor and needy, particularly the fishing community living along the 7500 Kilometers long coastal line of India.

– Moreover, this lantern can also be used in hinterlands, where seawater is not available, as any saline water or normal water mixed with the common salt can be used to power the lantern, which is not only cost-effective but very easy to operate.