9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 27th, 2021

Mains Oriented Articles 

GS Paper 2

• What happens to India’s ‘plurilateralism’ after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
• Higher education in regional languages won’t be easy
• Explained: The Malabar Exercise of Quad nations, and why it matters to India
• Beyond courts: Vendetta politics muddies the logic for speedier resolution of cases against MPs, MLAs
• Covering the gaps in the game of data

GS Paper 3

• Negotiating the new global climate policy
• Financing India’s green future
• The clean-up crew we need (On vulture conservation)
• Protecting consumers, the heart of finance
• Dealing with the discarded: E-Waste management in India

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Govt gives wing to drone policy (On new drone rules 2021)
• Government prepares plan to hive off surplus land of PSUs (On NMP project)
• Organic and conservation farming boost multifunctionality of ecosystems: Study
• Smog control: Another symbol over substance
• The world may soon get a vaccine against Chikungunya
• Loan Mela Mindset (On lending by PSBs)
• 100 days ‘SUJALAM’ Campaign begins
• Government of India launches the e-Shram Portal
• NITI Aayog Releases North Eastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard
• What signing of the $500m India-Maldives mega-infra project means
• MoE’s Innovation Cell, AICTE and BPR&D launched MANTHAN- 2021 hackathon
• Inaccessible UIDAI system leaves Aadhaar users in lurch
• IT Minister vision for startups takes shape of SAMRIDH Scheme
• NITI Aayog partners with Cisco to foster women entrepreneurship in India
• What’s happening with Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano?
• Union Agriculture Minister launches National Food and Nutrition Campaign for farmers

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

What happens to India’s ‘plurilateralism’ after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

Context

In his recent book titled The Indian Way, the Indian Foreign Minister wrote: “It is time for us to engage America, manage China, cultivate Europe, reassure Russia, bring Japan into play, draw neighbors in, extend the neighbourhood and expand traditional constituencies of support.” This plurilateralism is expected to bring numerous benefits to India.

What is plurilateralism?

Plurilateralism refers to the negotiations between three or more countries. In a plurilateral agreement or arrangement, the countries agree to new terms and conditions on a voluntary basis.

About the recent developments that facilitate the plurilateralism

• Recently, India revived the Quad arrangement.
• India also took membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
• India at present has a longstanding trilateral relation with Russia and China. This coexists with one involving the US and Japan. For instance,
  • Indian PM visited the US and conducted a Howdy Modi gathering in 2019. In the same year, the Chinese President and Indian PM met in Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu.
  • Similarly, recently India participated actively in the RIC (Russia-India-China) meeting and the Vladivostok Summit (India-Russia). With the same energy and enthusiasm, India also participated in the JAI (Japan-America-India) trilateral meeting.
• Further, India also maintains cordial relations with the nations even when they fight among themselves. For instance,
  • Relations with Iran and Saudi Arabia,
  • Relations with Israel and Palestine.

About India’s relations in South Asia

Regarding India’s region, the foreign minister reflected in the motto “Neighbourhood First” in the book. He recalled the priority of South Asia and presented India as the country that can “rebuild a fractured region”.

What is driving India’s plurilateralism strategy?

India’s willingness to look beyond dogma and enter the real world of convergences help India to evolve these relationships without any troubles. He provides an example of “calculus, not just as arithmetic.” to explain this.

The defence minister defined this strategy of India as “a parallel pursuit of multiple priorities”. He also mentions that some countries did not understand the Indian initiatives and relations with multiple countries. He explains this as a hallmark of the new “Indian way”.

About the recent developments in Afghanistan

Read the following articles to know about the developments in Afghanistan.

1. The script of the new endgame in Afghanistan
2. Return of Taliban has implications for India

Christophe Jaffrelot seems that “plurilateralism” is not feasible anymore, as two blocks (East and West) are crystallising on the occasion of the Afghan crisis. He provides the following examples.

East bloc Supporting Taliban

• Russia is prepared to recognise the Taliban.
• China is willing to hold talks with the Taliban.
• Pakistan is helping the Taliban without necessarily controlling them
• India invested a considerable amount of resources in developing Chabahar port and connect Afghanistan from Iran. But Iran also said it was ready to deal with the Taliban.
  • Further, Iran is also moving closer to China while distancing itself from India. This is witnessed ever since India adhered to the US Sanctions on Iran.

Contrary to the Eastern bloc, the western bloc opposes the Taliban. But, India geographically in the East aligned its ideology with the west regarding the Taliban. This creates challenges for India.

Other challenges to India’s plurilateralism

The developments in Afghanistan might create a new Cold War against the backdrop of “Belt and Road Initiative vs. Indo-Pacific”.

Furthermore, India also moving its attention towards the West from the East. This is visible from India’s move to back out from Regional Comprehensive Economic partnership (RCEP), setbacks in Act East policy, and conducting trade negotiations with the Western Countries.

Higher education in regional languages won’t be easy

Synopsis: Need for promoting the use of mother tongue in teaching at higher educational institutions and challenges associated with it.

Need

The following reasons indicate that teaching in vernacular is indeed helpful and should be considered.

1. Substantial demand: A quick check on YouTube reveals a high viewership count for content explaining math and science concepts in Hindi and other Indian languages. This indicates substantial demand for vernacular-language educational material. Several edtech startups have also tapped this market.
2. Better performance: Performance in science and math, in particular, has been found to be better among students studying in their native language compared to English, other things being equal.
3. Higher motivation: Further, educational psychology literature reports additional benefits of instruction in the native language, including higher attendance and motivation among students and improved parental involvement and support in studies.
4. Can bridge the divide: It can narrow the divide in access to higher education between the marginalized and the privileged.

Challenges

• Industry placements of graduates trained in regional languages might remain a question mark. For instance, many public sector units accept Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE, conducted in English) scores for entry-level positions.
• The availability of faculty for regional-medium courses. Given the English-medium legacy of higher education in India, attracting and retaining quality teachers who are willing and able to teach in regional languages would be a challenge.
• There are also globalization trends to consider. The NEP encourages the internationalization of education by facilitating the movement of faculty across borders. But regional-medium students may be unable to reap the benefits of knowledge transfers on account of a language barrier.
• Disadvantage at global level: Finally, delivering technical courses in regional languages may prevent students from competing in global labour and education markets, where fluency in English yields a distinct edge.

Way forward

• Mother tongue plus English approach: We need to Shift from Mother tongue vs English approach to Mother tongue plus English approach. Research has shown that small children quickly grasp new languages, given their neuroplasticity in early years. Hence, this is an appropriate age to be exposed to a foreign language as a means of communication.
  • Neuroplasticity means the capacity of brain cells to change in response to intrinsic and extrinsic factors
• Quality control of initiatives: To counter the challenge of availability of study material in regional language, the AICTE has launched an artificial intelligence-powered tool to translate books, academic journals and videos. However, quality control of these translations should be given utmost importance. We need further efforts in linguistics and machine learning to serve the cause.

Explained: The Malabar Exercise of Quad nations, and why it matters to India

Synopsis: Malabar exercise, which now involves all navies of QUAD countries, is the centrepiece of the emerging security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region.

Context:

Navies of the four-member nations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue(Quad) — India, USA, Japan, and Australia — are participating in the 25th edition of the Malabar Exercise. The 25th edition began off the coast of Guam in the Pacific Ocean on August 26.

What is Malabar Exercise and how it has evolved

• It is a multilateral war-gaming naval exercise that started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the USA.
• After successful editions in 1995 & 1996, there was a break until 2002 in the aftermath of India’s nuclear tests.
• It has been conducted every year after 2002
• Japan and Australia first participated in 2007, and since 2014, India, the US and Japan have participated in the exercise every year.
• Japan joined in 2015 as a permanent member, and Malabar became a trilateral exercise.
• In 2020, for the first time in over a decade, Australia joined the exercise and all QUAD navies were seen together in action.

What does Malabar exercise include?

• It includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvres.
• It includes complex exercises including anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills.
• These combat drills will enhance synergy and mutual understanding among the four navies.

Why did Australia return and what is the significance of the Malabar exercise

• Australia had first participated in 2007, however, in 2008 government in Australia changes, and it stopped participating after that.
• Now, the assertive rise of China is acting unifying cause for the region.
• Australia remarked that Malabar exercises will help in upholding the rules-based international order and territorial integrity of all nations.
• Experts view that the Malabar exercise will strengthen QUAD, which will act as an instrument of deterrence against China.

India’s other naval exercises with QUAD countries

Indian Navy conducted a number of Passage Exercises (PASSEX) with the navies of Japan, Australia, and the US. These are basic exercises to increase operability between the navies.

Way Forward

Malabar exercise adds the military dimension to QUAD. Though QUAD will not emerge as an alliance like NATO, but moves like Malabar exercises will create sufficient deterrence.

Beyond courts: Vendetta politics muddies the logic for speedier resolution of cases against MPs, MLAs

Synopsis: Given the rise in the number of politicians with criminal cases, there is a need for reform in political and judicial systems.

Introduction

The Supreme Court’s push to fast-track criminal cases against politicians isn’t making great progress. In fact, a rise of 18% has been seen in criminal cases pending against sitting and former MPs and MLAs.

Constitutional Provision

In the 2013 judgement, SC ruled that the Representation of people act should have provisions to instantly disqualify convicted lawmakers.

This had given urgency to tackle the criminalization of politics, but after 8 years the progress is still disappointing.

What can be done

There are a lot of cases related to different categories like riots, unlawful offences, corruption etc which are pending against the politicians. We need to

• Prioritize the most heinous crimes like sexual offences, corruption, economic offences
• Close the cases which are pending with CBI & Enforcement Directorate (ED) , which are never going to reach the trial

Challenges in closing the pending cases:

However, one should not be overzealous in this regard. We have to keep in mind that:

• First, Politicians may frame their opponents for vendetta. The exercise of fast-tracking mustn’t descend into a witch-hunt against the opposition parties.
• Secondly, there are problems of political favouritism. This is evident when the government of the day withdraws cases against its favourite. Recently, the SC has ruled that state governments must take high court approval before the withdrawal of cases.

Way forward:

Further, there is also a problem of pendency and the slow pace of the Indian judiciary. This is compounded by a lack of a sufficient number of judges. So setting up special courts may comprise hearing of matters of ordinary citizens.

• India must make arrangements for retired Judges with meritorious records to help in speeding the disposal of cases.
• Then there is need for Judicial, investigation and police reforms.

Covering the gaps in the game of data

Synopsis: The “statistical vaccum” in India can be bridged with decentralization and if states build their own quality databases

Introduction

The e-Governance and penetration of the internet have made data the new talking point in Governance. The role of data and politics has long been established by thinkers like Foucault. But the government’s recent denials about having data on Covid casualties showed how data can be used to manipulate the narrative.

What is Data Based policymaking?

It is an idea in public policy proposing that policy decisions should be based on, or informed by, rigorously established objective evidence (data).

Advantages of data-based policymaking

• Data helps in formulating programmatic policy decisions.
• Data-based decisions can help address inter and intra-district inequalities.

However, this has to be supported with the existence of reliable, rigorous and validated data.

Challenges with data-based policy-making

• States and their various departments collect an enormous amount of data. So, there is a need to link databases of various departments, but this is stalled by factors like Jurisdiction issues.
• Issues like household data that would vary from department to department also prevent the data linking.
• Accurate collection, measurement and interpretation of data are crucial for evidence-based policymaking.
• Standardization of data formats and procedures is important as manipulation of data can lead to abuse of data. For example,
  • During the Covid crisis, some States in North India were not testing enough, and it created an impression that States in South India were unable to control the infection.
• There can also be issues like the consistency of data, assimilation and calculation of data. For e.g. recent data released by the Union government showed Tamil Nadu having 27 educationally backward districts. On the other hand, the same report ranks Tamil Nadu in fourth place on educational attainment. This shows that the data needs proper scrutiny.

Way forward

The challenges require efforts on two fronts during data collection:

1. Homogenize the data sets
2. Validate the data through urban local bodies and rural local bodies

We are in a data-driven world, so the move towards data-based governance is the next natural step. Scholars like Jean Dreze and others have called for decentralized data collection systems.

GS Paper 3

Negotiating the new global climate policy

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS3 – Environment

Relevance: issues with the current global climate change dialogue

Synopsis: Global climate change policy negotiations require a new framework that is based on cumulative emissions by taking into account the legacy emissions of the developed world, esp North America and European countries. This is necessary as developing countries still need to pull out a considerable chunk of their population from the clutches of poverty.

Context

The recent report of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly states that reaching net-zero alone is not enough.

It is the cumulative emissions up to net-zero which determine the temperature that is reached. A global policy that considers only current emissions will not limit global warming and its adverse effects.

Hence, suitable changes need to be made to the current climate change framework.

Important stats

Per capita GHG emissions (tonnes of CO₂)

Per capita here means the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the country as a consequence of all relevant human (production and consumption) activities, divided by the population of the country.

• World = 6.55 tonnes of CO₂ per person
• USA, Canada, and Australia = more than two-a-half times of the world
• China = 6.4 tonnes (just below the global average)
• India = 1.96 (less than 1/3rd)

Global carbon budget

The total amount of carbon the world can emit to limit global warming to 1.5° C, is referred to as the carbon budget.

• Remaining carbon budget = 400 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide

Issues 

The present framework has created an imbalance between countries sharing global carbon space and suffers from the following issues:

• Unfair to developing countries: Merely achieving net-zero of current emissions by 2050 — the proposal of the G7 — restricts well-being. Varying levels of per-capita emissions leading to a common point of net-zero is unfair to developing countries. It allows those who have already used more than their fair share of the carbon space a larger share of the remaining space too.
• Ignores cumulative emissions: By contributing over 60% of global cumulative emissions, with just one-fourth of the global population, North America and Europe are responsible for nearly 970 billion tonnes of carbon emissions. Whereas, the world’s remaining carbon budget is only 400 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, and the U.S. alone has contributed this amount for its high standard of living. The current approach of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations ignores the fact that developing countries will need some flexibility here.
• Doesn’t account for different civilizational values: With different civilizational values, consumption of the middle class in developing countries is less wasteful than in the first phase of urbanization.

Implications

Pressure on developing countries: Development has depleted carbon space, causing the climate change problem, and developing countries are now being pressured to limit their use of the remaining space as the solution.

Accepting ‘net-zero’ emissions by 2050, based on current emissions, effectively prevents India’s urbanization and shift of the rural population into the middle class.

Suggestions/Changes needed

• Bring emissions to global average: At the G20 Climate and Energy Ministerial meeting in July 2021, India proposed that major economies bring down their own per capita emissions to the global average by 2030. This ensures that they do not use up more than their fair share of the remaining carbon budget.
• Flexibility for essential emissions: Developing countries should be allowed flexibility for ‘essential emissions’. Infrastructure, or construction, essential for urbanization and quality of living is responsible for two-fifths of global carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion and 25% of emissions overall. These emissions arise from energy-intensive cement production and half of the steel produced which is used in construction, both having no substitutes
• Sharing prosperity should be the objective of new intergovernmental mechanisms, with the involvement of the private sector, for example, supporting solar energy, joint research in new crop varieties and exchanging experiences on infrastructure viability.

Financing India’s green future

Synopsis: India’s is among one of the few countries to achieve its target under Paris Commitment. However, we still require investment in green future to promote sustainable development.

Context

Currently, India is moving ahead of its target of reducing 33-35 % emissions intensity of 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) before 2030 under Paris commitment. However, India needs to consider even lower carbon pathways, including Net-Zero emissions.

Each of these development pathways require enormous financing requirements which will come through, commercial (purely financial returns-driven), impact (both financial and social returns- driven) and public (social returns-driven) capital.

How much capital is required?

According to the International Energy Association (IEA) India requires $1.4 trillion over the next two decades in financing green energy technologies alone. This is half of India’s GDP for financial year 2020-21.

The recently announced PM Gati Shakti investment programme is sized at Rs 100 trillion, or about $1.3 trillion.

Need of commercial capital

• Commercial capital drives the global economy and is many times larger than public funds or impact capital
• Green investments must therefore compete with brown (non-green) investments to find large markets and generate attractive returns.

Role of government

Government can play a crucial role to promote Government and market collaboration:

• Public investment should absorb the initial capital expenditure of demonstration or pilot projects
• Government can offer subsidies for part of the capital or operating costs
• It can incentivise off take of the final product
• Government can help push for and create technology transfer initiatives between countries
• It can offer connecting infrastructure or distribution for the new technology.

Role of Impact capital

Three different categories of impact capital providers assist in jumpstarting green industries to complement the role played by government and the market.

• First, advanced countries are deploying capital (grants, aid, loans, equity) to help commercialize new technologies.
• Second, philanthropic capital, which is concerned about long-term social impact and does not judge its performance solely by financial returns.
• And, finally, there are many firms that are committing to net-zero targets: Their cash flows are being channelized into green investments.

Conclusion

India will require huge amount of investment to get to the Green Frontier. These immense funding requirements will necessitate that we fully mobilize domestic and global sources of capital. Our financing system will have to be geared up to support these capital flows.

The clean-up crew we need (On vulture conservation)

Synopsis: Vultures play a very important role in an ecosystem by acting as its scavengers. However, their declining population has increased various concerns. Let’s have a brief look into it.

Context

India lost more than 95% of its vulture population through the 1990s and by the mid-2000s. Today, the country requires urgent conservation efforts to save vultures from becoming extinct

About vultures

• Vultures belong to the Accipitridae family, whose members include eagles, hawks and kites
• They are relatively social birds with an average lifespan of 10-30 years in the wild, nest on tall trees or rocky cliffs
• Vultures are slow breeders and so the survival of every individual is very crucial
• They have excellent eyesight and strong sense of smell, and hence can detect the presence of dead animals from great distances
• Vultures don’t have a voice box, and so they cannot sing. They communicate via grunts and hisses
• Unlike other raptors, vultures have weak legs and claws (talons)
• They do not carry food; instead, they regurgitate food and feed their young ones
• Vultures have a highly acidic stomach that helps them digest a rotting carcass and kill disease-causing bacteria

Reason behind decline

• Use of drug Diclofenac– Diclofenac, which relieves cattle of pain, is toxic to vultures even in small doses and causes kidney failure and death
• Hunting– Myths about the medicinal healing powers of vultures’ body parts has led to the hunting of vultures.
• Quarrying and blasting– of stones where vultures nest have also caused their decline

Impact of the decline

• Inefficient clearing of carcasses– Removing vultures from the ecosystem leads to inefficient clearing of carcasses and contaminates water systems
• Giving rise to disease-causing pathogens– If dead animals are left to rot for long durations, it may give rise to disease-causing pathogens.

Steps taken

• India banned diclofenac for veterinary use in 2006.
• Five States are to get vulture breeding centers under the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation for 2020-2025.
• Vulture ‘restaurants’, which exist in some countries, which provides diclofenac-free carcasses of cattle to feed the vultures.

Protecting consumers, the heart of finance

Synopsis: Competitive markets in financial services are the best bulwark against consumer fraud in the long run. In the medium term, dedicated legislation could be the answer

Context

In the recent Budget, several initiatives were announced to develop and deepen the country’s financial markets. For instance, the announcement of a unified securities market code, an investor charter to assimilate the rights of investors across all financial services.

Issues with consumer protection in India

• Very little is being done to protect and educate consumers from financial frauds. Very minimal actions have been taken in this regard. For instance, a year ago, a National Strategy for Financial Education (2020-2025) prepared by the financial sector regulators was released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This strategy document thinks deeply about consumer protection and education.
• Also, India has only few legislations for governing consumer protection for financial services. For instance, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (COPA). Moreover, it is fundamentally oriented towards consumers of non-financial goods and services. This has resulted in the various forms of consumer abuse in Indian finance.
• The present financial laws do not establish a precise legal framework for consumer protection in finance.
• The working of the existing regulators on quasi-legislative and quasi-executive functions has shortcomings, which feeds through into their work on consumer protection also.
• Invisible infrastructure on problems such as privacy is lacking. A consumer-friendly redress mechanism is lacking.
• Finally, the present inter-connected systems of financial repression and debt management generate financing for public debt in ways that are unfair to the users of formal finance in India.

FSLRC’s contribution

The creation of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) was announced in the 2010 budget. It explicitly mandated an examination of issues of data privacy and protection of consumer financial services in the Indian context.

• The FSLRC drafted the “Indian Financial Code version 1.1” that provided a strategy for consumer protection through prevention and cure. The prevention is done by solving the problems of financial regulatory architecture, the working of regulators, and setting a clear set of principles defining consumer protection.
• Further, it proposed a unified and independent Financial Redress Agency (FRA)  a one-stop forum for complaint settlement for all financial consumers. This does away with the multiplicity of redress forums (internal forum of the FSP, sectoral ombudsman, consumer dispute redressal forums, civil courts) and allied costs.

The work of FSLRC ended in 2015. In many respects, when we look at the various forms of consumer abuse in Indian finance, then we can see that the institutional reforms proposed by the FSLRC would have delivered better outcomes.

Way forward

A deep and liquid market is the best protection for ordinary consumers, better than the protection of interventionist regulators. Too often in India, we are interested towards a more socialistic and centrally-planned system, in the name of protecting consumers.

But this reduces gross domestic product growth and increases poverty, this is the greatest form of consumer abuse.

Conclusion

Our biggest task in consumer protection should be to break away from the system of regulators.

Dealing with the discarded: E-Waste management in India

Synopsis: Technology plays a dominant role in our lives. But the increase in its use, coupled with extreme consumerist behaviour has come with some ill-effects on the environment, like generation of e-waste. Analysis of the e-waste issue, associated problems and measures needed.

Context

India is the third-largest producer of e-waste after China and the United States. More than 95% of this waste is handled by informal sector.

According to a Central Pollution Control Board report, in financial year 2019-2020, India generated 1,014,961.2 tonnes of e-waste for 21 types of EEE. This unprecedented generation of e-waste is a cause of concern.

What is e-waste?

The International Telecommunication Union defines e-waste as,

all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.

Such items include cooling and freezing equipment like refrigerators, televisions, monitors, laptops, notebooks and tablets etc.

Challenges

1. First problem lies with the nature of the material used. The e-waste stream contains hazardous substances such as lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), mercury, polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and valuable substances such as iron, steel, copper, aluminum and plastics.
2. Second, hazardous materials require special treatment and cannot be dumped in landfill sites.
3. Third, decomposing e-waste is an expensive process.
4. Fourth, E-waste releases harmful chemicals, such as lead, on burning, which adversely impacts human blood, kidney and the peripheral nervous system.
5. Lastly, a Comptroller and Auditor General of India report found that over 75 per cent of state bodies were not implementing hazardous waste laws.

Measures needed

By consumers:

1. Efficient use of electronic devices by regularly maintaining them.
2. There is a need to break consumerist patterns.
3. Revaluate choices and use one multi-purpose device.

By Tech-giants:

1. All tech companies should mandate their customers to buy new technology only after exchanging old electronic products for the new ones.
2. Hardware stores and companies should offer incentives and discounts to customers who give away their old electronic devices.
3. Tech companies and sellers should collaborate with e-waste disposing companies for their proper disposal.
4. Adopt smart ways to recycle old products by outsourcing contracts to e-waste disposal.

By the government:

1. Activities such as recycling, exchange and incentives can be sanctioned by government laws where in they can provide companies tax benefits for recycling of e-waste.
2. Implementations of legislations to regulate the disposal and management of e-waste in India, like
   • Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003
   • Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste, 2008
   • E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Govt gives wing to drone policy (On new drone rules 2021)

Source: Business Standard, TOI, Livemint, TH

What is the news?

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified Drone Rules, 2021, under which the coverage of all-up weight of an unmanned aircraft system has been increased from 300 kg to 500 kg to include heavy payload-carrying drones for use in the logistics and transportation sectors. It will also cover drone taxis.

Background

In July this year, govt had released draft drone rules 2021. These draft rules have been notified now.

Newly notified Drone rules 2021 will replace, much criticized, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) rules 2021 that had come into effect this March only.

Significance 

The issuance of these rules marks a new era in the Indian drone ecosystem, which has a market potential of more than Rs 50,000 crore and can create 500,000 professional jobs in the next five years.

• The regulations, which cover drones up to 500 kg, shall open up opportunities for indigenous manufacturing of delivery drones and drone taxis, making India future-ready.
• Under the new rules, the Centre may promote the adoption of drones and unmanned vehicles through the constitution of an Unm­anned Aircraft Systems Prom­otion Council. This would facilitate development of a business-friendly regulatory regi­me, including automated per­­mis­sions, establishment of incubators and other facilities for the development of unman­ned aircraft system technologies etc.
• Rules will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to transform India into a drone hub of the world.
• They would enable start-ups and small and medium enterprises to create innovative-use cases and applications in various sectors like e-commerce, agriculture, mining, healthcare, emergency response and logistics.

More reforms in order

Simultaneously, the government is working on giving approval to the Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) operations for drones. While Visual Line of Sight flights are dependent upon and operated within the pilot’s line of sight, BVLoS allows drones to fly beyond the visual range, lowering the cost of operation and making it feasible to deploy drones for commercial purposes like food or medicine delivery or air taxi.

What now?

An interactive airspace map with green, yellow, and red zones (depending upon national security) will have to be developed on the digital sky platform.  Central govt has started working with states and defence organizations for them to identify the red, green, and yellow zones. This will take another two months, following which the digital sky platform will be live.

Government prepares plan to hive off surplus land of PSUs (On NMP project)

Source: The Hindu, TOI

What is the news?

After unveiling the Rs 6-lakh-crore asset monetization programme, the government has accelerated efforts to separate surplus land and will soon seek Cabinet approval for setting up a specialized entity (special purpose vehicle, or SPV) to undertake such transactions for state-run companies, ministries and departments. The entity will also handle land transactions of state-run firms that have closed or are facing closure

Background

• Read here: National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) project – Explained

Why a specialized entity?

Monetizing of land can either be by way of direct sale or concession, or by similar means. This requires special abilities and expertise. Hence, for this purpose, a special purpose vehicle was proposed in the budget speech this February.

• The new entity will be staffed with domain experts as well as people who are trained in complex transactions.

Mandate of the specialized entity

This entity will be in the form of a company to monetize non-core assets, which is largely surplus land of ministries, departments and PSUs.

• The new entity will undertake land transactions for PSUs and other government agencies for a fee and will act as an agency where land assets will be pooled before being sold off.

Organic and conservation farming boost multifunctionality of ecosystems: Study

Source: Down to Earth

What is the news?

A recent study has found that the organic and conservation farming has the potential to boost multiple functions of an ecosystem. 

About the study:

• The study assessed the overall performance of important cropping systems in Europe within adapted ecosystem services and using the ecosystem multifunctionality (the ability of ecosystems to provide multiple functions and services simultaneously)
• Researchers evaluated and compared the agronomic, economic and ecological performance of the arable cropping systems in Europe — organic, conservation and conventional agriculture.

Conservation agriculture

It is characterized by no tillage or reduced tillage. Conventional no tillage and organic reduced tillage systems are considered to reflect conservation agriculture, as the three pillars of conservation agriculture — minimum tillage, six-year crop rotation and permanent soil cover with crop residues and cover crops — are largely fulfilled.

Findings of the report

• Less environmental impact– Organic farming has less environmental impact, with a 46-51% lower global warming potential and an 80-85% reduced aquatic eco-toxicity potential per hectare
• Less yield compared to conventional farming– Conventional systems with intensive tillage showed improved performance, because of increased weed control and a better availability of applied nutrients
• Weed cover – Weed cover was six to nine times higher in the organic systems, whereas reduced and no tillage had a negative impact on summer crops like maize and beans.
• Use of fertilizers– The use of mineral fertilizers and herbicides in conventional systems led to higher yields for wheat and maize compared to organic systems.
• High income– The loss of productivity in organic systems did not mean reduced economic performance, as the highest income was obtained under organic production.
• Promotes soil biodiversity– Organic farming and reduced tillage intensity in particular had a positive impact on soil biodiversity and the abundance of macro and micro-biota. Beneficial soil biota, such as earthworms and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, were promoted under organic management and conservation agriculture.
• Increases soil carbon content– Soil fungi and bacteria responded positively to conservation tillage and was associated with soil carbon content increase
• Greater soil protection– Organic management and conservation tillage significantly reduced sediment delivery and contributed greatly to soil protection
• Area– The largest adoption of conservation agriculture is seen in North and South America, followed by Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe and Africa

Significance

One of the main challenges facing agriculture is to produce sufficient food with minimal environmental impact. Studies like this indicate that the agricultural practices rooted in conservation agriculture and organic farming can help us achieve the desired balance.

Smog control: Another symbol over substance

Source: Livemint

What is the news?

Earlier this week, Delhi installed Anti-smog tower in the city to purify the polluted air in the city. The step has received both positive and negative responses. There are concerns surrounding the Anti-smog tower as an effective tool to address the air pollution.

Global experience

• China– China made a minor show of a 7-metre high anti-smog tower erected in Beijing. It promised to use green energy to clean up 70% of the locality’s breathable particles. However, the concept was trashed by experts there for its lack of efficacy in a megacity. So, China’s policy focus shifted to emission clamps and reforestation efforts such as great green wall.
• Los Angeles– It took similar measures and is now focusing on improving energy efficiency

Way forward

• Clearly, Anti-smog towers are not a solution for air pollution. Smog requires reduction at source. We need a broad action plan that includes incentives at the level of farm stubble.
• Equitable coverage is needed to make anti-smog tower work effectively
• We must move beyond this small approach to actual mitigation of the crisis

The world may soon get a vaccine against Chikungunya

Source: Down to Earth

What is the news?

A multi-country Phase II / III clinical trial of a vaccine led by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) has begun in Costa Rica.

It is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with support from the Ind-CEPI mission of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India.

BBV87 vaccine

• IVI is increasing the speed of clinical development of the vaccine named BBV87 through Phase II / III randomized, controlled trials.
• BBV87 vaccine is an inactivated whole virion vaccine based on a strain derived from an East, Central and South African genotype.
  •  Virion is a complete virus particle that consists of an RNA or DNA core with a protein coat
• Inactivated virions technology has a safety profile that potentially makes this vaccine accessible to special populations, such as the immunocompromised and pregnant women

Funding

• The funding is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme
• CEPI first partnered with IVI and BBIL for providing up to $14.1 million for vaccine manufacturing and clinical development of the BBV87 vaccine candidate
• It is also supported with a grant of up to $2.0 million from the Indian Government’s Ind-CEPI initiative

About GCCDP

• The Global Chikungunya Vaccine Clinical Development Programme (GCCDP) seeks to develop and manufacture an affordable Chikungunya vaccine to achieve WHO prequalification
• It aims to enable its distribution in low- and middle-income countries
• It is also consistent with CEPI’s core commitment to equitable access, affordability, and sustainability.

Loan Mela Mindset (On lending by PSBs)

Source: Business Standard

What is the news?

Union Finance Minister recently asked public sector banks (PSBs) to give credit through outreach programmes in every district of the county and referred to the 2019 “loan melas” undertaken by banks across 400 districts.

Finance Minister also asked PSBs to reach out to different sectors to address their needs. The idea clearly is to keep the economic recovery going.

Rationale

Although economic activity has recovered with a decline in Covid-19 cases, the overall demand condition in the economy is weak.

Hence, a higher flow of credit to various segments of the economy will help push consumption and investment.

Why credit offtake is weak in India?

Credit offtake means demand for credit. Slow growth of credit offtake is due to the following reasons:

1. First, the overall demand is weak and there is spare capacity in the system. Hence, companies are unwilling to invest significantly at this stage.
2. Second, lower overall demand and capacity utilisation mean that the demand for working capital is also low.
3. Third, firms that have capital needs are raising funds from the market through debt and equity due to lower interest rates and significantly higher liquidity. It is easier for firms to raise money from the debt market.
   • Read here: Financial markets in India – Explained
4. Fourth, with higher profits and improved balance sheets, the corporate sector is expected to be able to meet investment needs through internal accruals to some extent.
5. Fifth, consumers are also not keen to borrow at the moment. The decline in income because of Covid-related disruption and the given medium-term economic uncertainty are unlikely to encourage households to accumulate more debt.
6. Lastly, PSBs are not known for following very high lending standards. They get further compromised when banks are directed to lend by the government. The objective of managers in PSBs shifts from quality to meeting lending targets. This affects the overall asset quality and lending capacity of PSBs. A higher level of non-performing assets then requires capital infusion from the government.

Way forward

Hence, in the given circumstance, the idea of pushing credit is unlikely to work and the government must stop treating PSBs as an extension of the finance ministry. For now, the policy priority should be to start the bank privatisation process.

100 days ‘SUJALAM’ Campaign begins

Source: PIB

What is the news?

Ministry of Jal Shakti has recently launched “Sujalam”, a 100 days campaign as part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahaotsav”. The campaign is meant for Greywater management & ODF sustainability.

About the Sujalam campaign

Aim of the campaign: It aims to achieve Open defecation free(ODF) plus status for Villages across the Country in an accelerated manner

• It seeks to create more ODF Plus Villages by Undertaking Waste Water Management at Village Level
• This will be done by creating 1 million Soak-pits and other Greywater management activities.

Focus Area of the campaign

• Organizing Community consultations and Gram Sabha meetings to analyze the current situation
• Pass resolution to maintain ODF sustainability
• Develop a 100 days plan to undertake sustainability and soak pit construction-related activities
• Construction of 1 million soak pits
• Retrofitting of toilets
• Access to toilets for new households

What is the need for this campaign?

Villages often struggle with the problem of wastewater and clogging of water bodies. The campaign will help villages in the management of wastewater and the revival of water bodies.

Significance

• It will boost the momentum of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Grameen activities through community participation
• It will increase awareness about Open Defecation Free (ODF)-plus activities.

About Greywater:

• Greywater refers to domestic wastewater that is generated in households or office buildings from streams without faecal contamination. Greywater includes all streams of water except wastewater from toilets. The sources of greywater include showers, sinks, baths, dishwashers and washing machines.

Government of India launches the e-Shram Portal

Source: PIB

What is the News?

The Minister for Labour and Employment has formally launched the e-Shram portal.

About e-Shram portal:

• e-Shram portal has been developed for creating a National Database of the Unorganized Workers(NDUW).
• Key Objective: To implement social security schemes for the unorganized workers.

Key Features of the Portal:

1. There are no income criteria for registering on e-SHRAM as an unorganized worker. However, one should not be an income tax payee.
2. Any worker who is unorganized and aged between 16-59 is eligible to register on the e-SHRAM portal.
3. Documents like the Aadhaar Number, mobile number, Aadhaar linked bank account will be required by the worker to register on the portal.
   • If a worker does not have an Aadhaar linked mobile number, he can visit the nearest Common Service Centre(CSC) and register through Biometric authentication.
4. After registering, workers shall be issued an e-Shram card with a 12 digit unique Universal Account Number (UAN), It will be used to access the benefits of the various social security schemes through this Card anywhere anytime.
5. Moreover, the workers registered on the portal would be given accidental insurance cover. They will be also eligible for Rs 2 lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1 lakh in case of partial disability.

Who is an Unorganized worker?

1. Any worker who is a home-based worker, self-employed worker or a wage worker working in the unorganized sector and not a member of ESIC or EPFO, is called an unorganized worker.
2. There are varying estimates of the number of unorganised workers. According to the Economic Survey (2018-19), 93% of the total workforce in India is in the Unorganized Sector.

NITI Aayog Releases North Eastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard

Source: PIB (Article 1 and Article 2)

What is the News?

NITI Aayog has released the first edition of the North Eastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard 2021–22.

About North Eastern Region District SDG Index:

• Developed by: NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The index has been developed with the technical inputs from the United Nations Development Programme.
• Purpose: To measure the performance of the districts of the eight North Eastern States on the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) and their corresponding targets and ranks the districts based on the same.
  • Eight states include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura
• Based on: The index is based on NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index –the principal and official tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs at the national and State/ Union Territory levels.
• Indicators used: The index utilizes 84 indicators that cover 15 Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) across 50 targets.

Rankings:

• East Sikkim district ranks first in the index, followed by districts Gomati and North Tripura in the second position.
• Out of the 103 districts considered for the ranking, 64 districts belonged to the Front Runner category while 39 districts were in the Performer category in the composite score and ranking of districts. 
• All districts in Sikkim and Tripura fall in the Front Runner category, and there are no districts in the Aspirant or Achiever categories.

Significance of the index:

1. Firstly, the index is the first of its kind in the country, as it focuses on a specific region.
2. Secondly, the index offers insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the region and the districts in their march towards achieving the SDGs. 
3. Thirdly, the index will help in evidence-based planning, resource allocation both financial as well as others. It will also help in effective supervision and monitoring of developmental efforts for focused and balanced regional development.

What signing of the $500m India-Maldives mega-infra project means

Source: Indian Express and The Hindu

What is the News?

India and Maldives have signed a pact for the construction of a $500 million Greater Male Connectivity Project.

About Greater Male Connectivity Project:

1. Greater Male Connectivity Project is the largest ever infrastructure project in the Maldives.
2. The project involves the construction of a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link that will connect the Maldives capital Malé with the neighbouring islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi. 
3. The project was funded by India in a grant of $100 million with a line of credit of $400 million.

Significance of the Project:

1. The project is significant because it facilitates inter-island connectivity in the country.
2. This is needed as 40% of the entire population of the Maldives lives in Malé making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
3. Hence, the development of other inhabited islands by inter-connectivity and equipping them with civic facilities would incentivise people to relocate to other islands, reducing the burden on Malé.

Note: Sinamalé Bridge is a 1.39 km long bridge built by the Chinese Government. The bridge connects Malé with the islands of Hulhulé and Hulhumalé.

MoE’s Innovation Cell, AICTE and BPR&D launched MANTHAN- 2021 hackathon

Source: PIB

What is the News?

Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have jointly launched MANTHAN-2021.

About MANTHAN-2021:

• Organized by: Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in coordination with the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education and AICTE.
• Purpose: Manthan is a hackathon based on national interests and challenges faced by our intelligence agencies in the fields such as Fake Content Detection, Cybercrime, Image, Video and Data Analytics, etc.

About BPR&D:

1. BPR&D was established in 1970 with the objective of modernisation of police forces. It functions under the aegis of Union Home Ministry. It replaced the Police Research and Advisory Council formed in 1966.
2. Purpose: It is a nodal national police organisation to study, research and develop on subjects and issues related to policing.
3. Headquarters: New Delhi

About Innovation Cell:

1. Innovation cell is an initiative of the Ministry of Education to foster the culture of Innovation in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country.
2. It has been established at All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) premises.
3. Mandate: To encourage and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas resulting in innovative activities in their formative years, fostered through Network of Innovation Clubs (NIC) in Higher Educational Institutions.

Inaccessible UIDAI system leaves Aadhaar users in lurch

Source: The Hindu

What is the News?

The IT systems of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) have been down over the past week. This is creating problems for the Aadhaar cardholders as deadlines are approaching to link their UIDAI identity details with their Employees Provident Fund and the Income Tax Departments Permanent Account Number(PAN). 

About UIDAI:

1. The Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
2. Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
3. Purpose: To issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as “Aadhaar”, to all residents of India.
4. Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

About Aadhar:

1. Aadhaar number is a 12-digit random number issued by the UIDAI (“Authority”) to the residents of India after satisfying the verification process laid down by the Authority. 
2. Eligibility: Any individual, irrespective of age and gender, who is a resident of India, may voluntarily enrol to obtain an Aadhaar number. 
3. Documents: A person willing to enrol for Aadhar has to provide minimal demographic and biometric information during the enrolment process which is totally free of cost. 

IT Minister vision for startups takes shape of SAMRIDH Scheme

Source: PIB

What is the News?

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology(MeitY) has launched the SAMRIDH Scheme.

About SAMRIDH Scheme:

1. Full-Form: Start-up Accelerators of MeitY for pRoduct Innovation, Development and growth (SAMRIDH).
2. Aim: To create a conducive platform for Indian Software Product start-ups to enhance their products and secure investments for scaling their business.
3. Implementation: MeitY Start-up Hub (MSH).

Key Features of the Scheme:

1. Firstly, the scheme will focus on accelerating the 300 start-ups by providing customer connect, investor connect, and international immersion in the next three years. 
2. Secondly, an investment of up to ₹ 40 lakh to the start-up based on the current valuation and growth stage of the Start-Up will be provided through selected accelerators. 

Significance of the Scheme:

1. India is currently the third-largest Unicorn hub globally, with 63 Unicorns having a total valuation of 168 Billion USD.
2. The programme aims to further the Indian start-up growth and create at least 100 unicorns out of the selected startups.

NITI Aayog partners with Cisco to foster women entrepreneurship in India

Source: PIB

What is the News?

NITI Aayog and Cisco have launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) called “WEP Nxt”.

About WEP Nxt:

• WEP Nxt is the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform(WEP). It will use Cisco’s technology and experience working with India’s startup ecosystem to enable more women-owned businesses across the country.

About Women Entrepreneurship Platform(WEP):

1. Launched by: NITI Aayog in 2017
2. Purpose: It is a one-of-its-kind, unified information portal for women entrepreneurs.
3. The portal brings together women from diverse backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support and learning.
4. Focus Areas: The platform caters to six focus areas: 
   • Funding & Financial Management, 
   • Incubation Connects, 
   • Taxation & Compliance Support, 
   • Entrepreneur Skilling & Mentorship, 
   • Community & Networking and 
   • Marketing Assistance.

What’s happening with Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano?

Source: Indian Express

What is the News?

Scientists are on alert for a possible eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

About Kilauea Volcano:

1. Kilauea, also called Mount Kilauea, is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, U.S.A.
2. It is an active shield volcano. Historically, it is the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the Big Island of Hawaii.

What is Volcano?

1. A Volcano is an opening on the surface of a planet or moon that allows material warmer than its surroundings to escape from its interior. 
2. When this material escapes, it causes an eruption. An eruption can be explosive, sending material high into the sky. Or it can be calmer, with gentle flows of material.

Types: Volcanoes can be active, dormant, or extinct. 

1. Active volcanoes are volcanoes that have had recent eruptions or are expected to have eruptions in the near future. 
2. Dormant volcanoes no longer produce eruptions, but might again sometime in the future. 
3. Extinct volcanoes will likely never erupt again.

Causes of Volcano: There are three reasons why magma might rise and cause eruptions onto Earth’s surface:

1. Firstly, Magma can rise when pieces of Earth’s crust called tectonic plates slowly move away from each other. The magma rises up to fill in the space. When this happens underwater volcanoes can form. 
2. Secondly, Magma also rises when these tectonic plates move toward each other. When this happens, part of Earth’s crust can be forced deep into its interior. The high heat and pressure cause the crust to melt and rise as magma. 
3. Lastly, a final way that magma rises is over hot spots. Hot spots are exactly what they sound like–hot areas inside of Earth. These areas heat up magma. The magma becomes less dense. When it is less dense, it rises.

Union Agriculture Minister launches National Food and Nutrition Campaign for farmers

Source: PIB

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Agriculture has launched the National Food and Nutrition Campaign for the farmers.

About National Food and Nutrition Campaign for the farmers:

• Organized by: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
• Objectives of the campaign:
  1. To make agriculture and farmers connected with new technology
  2. To expertise in production and also ensure products are of better quality and meet global standards. 
  3. To attract farmers towards cultivating costly crops.

Note: 2023 will be celebrated as the International Year of Millets under the leadership of India.