9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – December 8th, 2021

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Mediation Bill: Not getting the Act together
• Surveillance as governance
• India-Russia summit recognised that each needs the other, and that the drift in bilateral ties needs to be arrested
• About Swacch Bharat Mission 2.0: Being free of old waste
• What schools need to do during pandemic
• Health account numbers that require closer scrutiny

GS Paper 3

• How to regulate crypto, minus a crypto-specific law
• NFTs are overhyped, but useful for a creative economy
• India’s labour market distress
• On fiscal deficit: The turn of the Centre
• Karnataka Government objects to implementation of Kasturirangan Report
• Check stubble burning, monitor policy implementation
• What PLFS tells us about India labour market
• Aiming for a high, quality of life does influence investment decisions, India needs to loosen up

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• NITI Aayog and CSE release ‘Waste-wise cities’ – compendium of best practices in municipal solid waste management
• World Inequality report 2022: World’s most extreme inequality increase in India
• CURTAIN RAISER PANEX-21
• Successful Flight Test of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile
• Explained: What are the Minsk agreements on the Ukraine conflict?
• NCW Launches a Pan-India Capacity Building Programme ‘She is a Changemaker’ for Women in Politics
• Explained: AFSPA and the Northeast
• Explained: What is NASA’s new communications system LCRD; its importance
• New research: A plant-based chewing gum that ‘traps’ coronavirus

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Mediation Bill: Not getting the Act together

News: The Ministry of Law and Justice has placed the Draft Mediation Bill, 2021 in public domain seeking feedback and suggestions from all stakeholders.

What is the significance of the bill?

Firstly, it recognises that mediation has to be treated as a profession. This is a significant development compared to the previous mediated schemes.

Secondly, it acknowledges the importance of institutes to train mediators, and service providers to provide structured mediation under their rules.

Thirdly, it’s designed for easy implementation. Parties are required to have at least one substantive session with the mediator where the process is explained to them. Thereafter, they are free to continue or terminate the mediation and follow the litigation path if they so decide.

Further, if any urgent interim order is needed, they can bypass mediation at the first stage and return to it after resolving the interim relief issue.

Fourthly, it does away with the confusion arising from using both expressions “mediation” and “conciliation” in different statutes.

The bill has defined mediation widely in accordance with international practice.

Conciliation has been included under the wider definition of mediation.

Fifthly, it provides for enforcement of commercial settlements reached in international mediation as per the Singapore Convention on Mediation

What are the concerns associated with the bill?

Firstly, it treats international mediation, when conducted in India, as a domestic mediation. This will have the following implications:

– It would hamper India’s dream to become a hub for international mediation in the commercial disputes field. Because, the settlement under the domestic mediation is given the status of a judgment or decree of a court.

– This will be good for cases between Indian parties, but disastrous when one party is foreign.

– The reason is that the Singapore Convention does not apply to settlements which already have the status of a judgment or decree. Accordingly, if cross-border mediation is conducted in India, parties may lose out on the tremendous benefits of worldwide enforceability. So, parties are forced to go elsewhere other than India to conduct mediation.

– If this drafting mismatch is not remedied, dreams of becoming robust hubs and ease of doing business in India will be impaired.

Secondly, the governing mechanism is flawed. The Council has three members, a retired senior judge, a person with experience of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) law and an academic who has taught ADR. However, it doesn’t have a single mediator.

Thirdly, the bill provides for a long list of disputes which should not be mediated. By doing so, it provides that any settlement of disputes involving them needs the court’s approval there by denying the possibility of a beneficial mediated settlement in these cases.

For example, Fraud, Disputes relating to claims against minors, Patents and copyright cases, proceedings before the TRAI etc.

Surveillance as governance

News: Recently, Amnesty International raised concerns that extensive surveillance of Hyderabad is putting human rights at risk.

How surveillance is carried out in Hyderabad?

It largely follows a three-pronged approach.

– Wide web of CCTV cameras: For example, CCTV coverage in two cities (Kala Pathar and Kishan Bagh) is 53.7% and 62.7% respectively according to the surveys of Amnesty.

Moreover, Telangana’s Nenu Saitham project aims to transform the Hyderabad City Police into a Global City Police. To help achieve this aim, the public has been encouraged to install CCTV cameras and share footage when required.

Further, the construction of a Command-and-Control Centre, has the capability to support the processing of 6 lakh CCTV cameras from the tri-commissionerates.

– Facial recognition technology

– Cordon and search operations

What are the issues/challenges associated with the surveillance measures that were undertaken in Hyderabad?

Firstly, according to Amnesty, facial recognition technologies can act as a tool of mass surveillance and pose a risk to disadvantaged communities.

Secondly, it leads to alleged violation of privacy by the police. For instance, during a crackdown against ganja, the Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department teams checked the phones of people to verify if the word ‘ganja’ was used in their chats. Such incidents underscore crucial issues, the need for a data protection law and the concept of informed consent.

Thirdly, Cordon and search operations target lower rungs of society, and are an infringement of privacy. A fact-finding team from Hyderabad which probed cordon and search operations in some areas recently underscored the vulnerability of residents.

Fourthly, policing and surveillance is done when no prohibitory orders were in force. For example, Operation Chabutra.

Chabutra is a raised surface outside houses where people gather for social interactions. The police have stopped and “counseled” youths to not to take part in such activity. Though there were no prohibitory orders were in force.

What is the way forward?

While upkeep of law and order is paramount, the right to privacy and informed consent cannot be compromised. They need to be protected by a law that defines the limits of use of citizen’s data by the state.

India-Russia summit recognised that each needs the other, and that the drift in bilateral ties needs to be arrested

News: Recently, 21st India – Russia Annual summit took place. The summit highlighted the “all-weather” partnership between India and Russia.

What are the challenges in India-Russia relations?

1. Despite considerable progress with vaccinations, both countries still face public health concerns and face challenges in controlling the pandemic, 2. Issues with US-Russia ties: Most recently, U.S. President mentioned that Russia will face “economy-jarring sanctions” if it seeks to occupy Ukraine, 3. An uneasy truce between India and China on the border.

Other issues such as 1. India-Russia Relations remains primarily state-led with limited involvement of private players, 2. There are no agreements between India and Russia on the new-economy front such as fintech, renewable energy, telecom, etc in the recent meeting, 3. As the Taliban took Kabul, Russia became part of a new axis with Pakistan, China, Iran and Turkey, presenting a serious security challenge to India.

Why does Russia need India?

After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia is not particularly welcomed in many parts of the world beyond China. Not Europe, US or Japan or Australia. Further, India is the most welcoming US ally nation and the only real friend among the Quad nations for Russia.

Russia’s close relations with China undermines its own interests in Asia. So, India can prevent Russia from falling into the Chinese basket.

Why does India need Russia?

Indian equipment is mostly of Russian extraction, so it requires spares, upgrades, and other forms of service back up.

What should be done?

Russia has to ensure a proper focus on confidence-boosting cooperative initiatives with India.

A 2019 agreement to re-operationalise a defunct sea route between Chennai and Vladivostok, could be a game-changer, both for trade and for the strategic relationship. So, both nations have to implement it at a faster pace.

About Swacch Bharat Mission 2.0: Being free of old waste

News: Main focus of Swacch Bharat Mission 2.0 is to work on solid waste management.

About Swacch Bharat Mission 2.0

The mission aims to provide financial assistance to set up fresh waste processing facilities and bioremediation projects across all the ULBs. Financial assistance is limited to chosen large cities that have a population of over 5 lakh and it also varies according to the states.

SBM 2.0 allocates funding only to set up waste processing facilities. Requests for buying vehicles for collection of waste, issuing bins for source segregation, or modernizing the collection and transportation system are not covered in its scope.

Key components of SBM 2.0

What are the problems in SBM 2.0?

1) Lack of funding, 2) Lack of techno process knowledge,  3)  Delayed DPR (Detailed Project Report)approvals.

This all resulted in unprocessed waste being dumped in several sites, which needs to be processed through bioremediation before space can be created for new waste processing plants.

What schools need to do during pandemic

News: School life during and after the Covid-19 pandemic is not going to be the same. The coming of a new sub-variant, Omicron, triggered concerns worldwide on what measures should adopt to protect children.

What is the exposure rate of adults and children?

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study, both adult and child populations are almost equally exposed to the virus. The natural infection rates in adults and children are very similar, so staying at home cannot prevent children from getting exposed to the virus.

The data from both waves confirm that although infection rates are similar, symptomatic disease in children is much less and the incidence of severe disease requiring hospitalization and possibilities of death are also very rare. The infected children, therefore, may not show symptoms but become part of the chain of the spread of the virus in the community.

What safety measures should be adopted to protect children from getting exposed to virus?

Vaccination: All adults in homes and schools, including teachers and staff members, should receive a vaccination on priority, if not already immunized. The aim is to have children in a vaccine-protected adult environment.

Follow the advisories: Schools should work on

1) Administrative (attendance and entry rules) 2)  cohorting (keeping students and teachers in small groups that do not mix) 3) Having safety bubbles or capsules 4) staggering the breaks in schools.

Infrastructure: Schools should work on strengthening the infrastructure and resources like ventilation, water supply and toilets. Proper provisions of handwashing facilities should be there and schools should also have separate entry and exit points.

Safety measures: Proper precaution should be exercised when students will be on the playground or on school transportation. For children aged 12 years and above, Teachers and support staff should keep at least one-metre distance from each other. They should also wear masks and wash their hands regularly.

What are the World Health Organization recommendations?

-The Covid-related “stay-at-home when sick” policy should be promoted and effectively practised.

– WHO said that decision of opening or closing the school should be taken by the local administration, according to the data available or the situation there.

-Districts with no cases are advised to keep all schools open and implement Covid-19 prevention and control measures.

-Districts with cluster transmission can keep most schools open and consider closing schools in areas experiencing an expansion in clusters.

-Areas with community transmission should close schools, especially when there are increasing trends of Covid-19 cases that require hospitalization.

Health account numbers that require closer scrutiny

News: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the National Health Accounts Report for 2017-18.

How does NHA capture data? 

NHA captures health data like out-of-pocket expenditure, insurance premiums from various sources like the “Household social consumption in India: Health” survey of the National Sample Survey Organization.

What are the challenges associated with the credibility of NHA data?

NHA estimate shows that out-of-pocket expenditure as a share of GDP has reduced. But this does not mean improved financial protection. NSSO 2017-18 data shows that utilization of hospitalization has declined, which has resulted in reduced Out-of-pocket expenditure.

This could also be due to the fact that the NSSO survey happened immediately after demonetization and GST, which had reduced the purchasing power of the people. Another factor that could explain this is the fact that NSSO estimates fail to capture the richest 5% of the population. Thus, it could be an underestimate.

What is the government spending on health? What do the NHA data signify?

India’s total public spending on health as a percentage of GDP or in per capita terms has been one of the lowest in the world. The share of current health expenditure has gone down to 88% compared to 92.8% in 2016-17.

Since NHA 2017-18 the expenditure on health has increased and the majority of the increase has been from the contribution of the union government. But the overall increase has only been from 0.27% in 2016-17 to 0.32% of GDP.

Much of this increase is because of the tripling of expenditure of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). This increase benefits only a particular section and not the general population, especially the health of women in the reproductive age group and children below five years who need it the most.

Several policies suggested increasing the public spending to at least 2.5% of GDP. However, it still continues to hover around 1-1.2% of GDP.

GS Paper 3

How to regulate crypto, minus a crypto-specific law

News: Bringing a new legislation for Crypto regulation may not be necessary in India until Cryptocurrency transactions reach a widespread adoption.

Till then, a more prudent approach would be to extend our current regulatory frameworks, along with the associated enforcement apparatus, to regulate cryptos as yet another class of assets.

What are the challenges the Indian Crypto regulation need to address and possible solutions?

The following complexities and challenges need to be addressed by the proposed Crypto regulation:

In light of the above challenges, a much better approach for the government would be to simply amend existing anti-money laundering, taxation and securities regulations to ensure that they additionally cover the cryptocurrencies and assets.

What is the issue with this approach?

This approach leaves out all those transactions through which certain goods and services can be directly purchased using cryptocurrencies.

At present, most governments have chosen to ignore this category of transactions, relying on the fact that these ‘currencies’ are still not widely accepted. Further, most people who want to spend the cryptocurrencies in their possession would have to first convert them into regular fiat currency.

NFTs are overhyped, but useful for a creative economy

News: The hype around NFTs may be a gold rush, but it has made an important idea mainstream: Creators need to take back control from Big Tech.

Are NFTs a speculative bubble?

Couple of factors due to which some experts believe to be speculative bubbles:

– Relation of NFTs to Cryptocurrencies, which are in itself based on speculation: Many NFT-based projects have issued their Crypto tokens and like Cryptocurrency, these tokens are also trading at very high prices depending upon the hype the marketing teams of such projects are able to garner.

– Uncertainty over Crypto regulation in India: With the proposed Cryptocurrency Bill to be introduced in the winter session of the Parliament, the regulatory uncertainty that looms over Crypto assets, prevails over NFTs too.

What is the main idea behind NFTs?

Over the years, there has been a relentless centralization and growth in power of Big Tech at the cost of everyone else.

NFTs have emerged as a way out of this Big Tech led monopoly wherein instead of creators, the platforms control everything. For instance: Take TikTok. Even if a creator is able to attract millions of followers, the ultimate authority rests with the platform. The platform controls how much a creator is paid. There is no direct relation with the fans, with the platform always being in the middle, like an intermediary, a gatekeeper.

What are the potential benefits of NFTs?

– Creators are connected directly with fans willing to pay for their creations

– Gives strength to the underlying idea of direct creator-to-audience platforms

– Presently, only a few select creators with millions of followers earn a sizeable income, and the rest earn peanuts or nothing at all. With the emergence of the ‘paid internet‘ mechanisms like NFTs, a far wider array of creators could earn a good wage.

– Moreover, it also frees creators from the tyranny of chasing scale, wherein they’re not always running after the subscriber count. Just 1000 true fans, will be enough for individual creators to be able to earn a decent wage. This will also ensure that we have truly creative content instead of repeated rehashing of old ideas. This also increases the likelihood of the emergence of novel and revolutionary ideas.

For more on NFTs, please read these articles:

– Is Non-Fungible Token (NFT), what digital art needs?

– The use of NFTs by cyber games can explain their utility

– Similarities between Non-Fungible Tokens and worldwide web

India’s labour market distress

News: Data from various employment surveys indicates that India’s growth model is in trouble.

On what basis it is said that India’s growth model is in trouble?

Labour participation has dropped: The recent data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), suggests that, the labour participation rate has slipped for consecutive months.

As per CMIE, pandemic has made a structural transformation in India’s labour participation rate, bringing it down by 3 percentage points to 40%. This is well below comparable levels, including in other middle-income developing economies.

Concern about the quality of jobs available: The CMIE data suggests that job growth in recent times has been concentrated in rural areas, and salaried jobs have been falling.

This is particularly disappointing, given the aspirations of India’s youthful workforce for such jobs.

Thirdly, the revelations from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is in line with the findings of  CMIE. PLFS data has made the following revelations

– The proportion of the non-agricultural workforce in the informal sector went up to nearly 70 per cent.

– There has been a notable increase in those who are working without pay for household enterprises.

– The workers in agriculture had, for the first time in recent memory, increased.

What is the way forward?

Short term measures: increase in welfare measures and social protections.

Long-term measures: sustained increases in productivity, wages, and job security for the vast mass of Indians

On fiscal deficit: The turn of the Centre

News: The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her 4^th consecutive Budget in just about eight weeks from now.

It is expected that Ms Sitharaman would achieve a 2.7 percentage point reduction in the deficit from 9.5% in 2020-21 to 6.8% in 2021-22.

This steep reduction will provide a lot of flexibility in managing the Budget not only for 2022-23, but also for the following couple of years.

Even targeting a reduction of just about 0.75 percentage point in each of the next four years will be sufficient to stay ahead of the target of 4.5% by 2025-26.

But it would become worse if she adopts a slow process of fiscal consolidation in the coming years, taking advantage of the easy target for the Centre by 2025-26. That is because the condition of the state finances does not look good.

In this context, it is said that Centre should take more responsibility by achieving a faster pace of fiscal consolidation and give  states more room to cut down their deficit reduction.

What were the revised fiscal deficit targets for the centre and state?

Centre: Need to reach a fiscal deficit level of 4.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025-26 from the current level of 9.5 per cent.

States: The target for the combined fiscal deficit of the states has been set at 4 per cent of GDP for 2021-22. Further, they must reach a deficit level of 3 per cent of GDP by 2023-24.

Why states should be given more room to cut down their deficit reduction?

Firstly, the states have been given a tougher target of fiscal consolidation. They must reach a deficit level of 3 per cent of GDP by 2023-24, while the Centre would reach 4.5 per cent two years later in 2025-26.

It appears unfair that while the Centre should enjoy a more relaxed fiscal consolidation schedule, the states should be expected to be more fiscally responsible.

Secondly, there is also an equity issue. Before the pandemic struck, the states kept their combined fiscal deficit below the target of 3 per cent, which gave the Centre some space to extend the fiscal deficit. This also helped to bring down the overall government deficit. Now, it is time for the Centre to return the favour.

What is the way forward?

The states should be given a longer period of time to cut down their deficit reduction to 3 per cent of GDP.

Karnataka Government objects to implementation of Kasturirangan Report

Topic– Conservation, Environmental Pollution and degradation 

News – Karnataka Government has submitted its opposition to the Centre against the Kasturirangan Committee report as it can adversely affect the livelihood of people in the region. 

What are the important recommendations under the report 

1. a)It proposes 37 per cent of the total areaof Western Ghats be declared as Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA). 

(Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are notified by Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change, MoEFCC) around Protected areas. These are declared under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas. They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection) 

1. b)Itrecommended a blanket ban on mining, quarrying, setting up of red category industries and thermal power projects. 

What are the concerns regarding report implementation 

Some States of are of concern that it may lead to; 

-Loss of livelihood for people dependent on forest resources. 

–displacement of locals. 

What will be the implications if the recommendations are not implemented 

Climate change has grave repercussions for all of the globe and specially India, thus, it is prudent that governments accept these recommendations. Otherwise, it can lead to not just an ecological loss but also an economical one, as the cost of conserving these ecosystems will be much lower than their restoration and rejuvenation. State governments should focus on long term benefits . 

What is the way forward? 

Central Government can firstly focus on implementation of clauses that have wide acceptability and then engage in consultative process with all stakeholders on other recommendations of the report, that are cause of concern. 

About Western Ghats 

Spread across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 

It is a UNESCO World heritage site and one of the eight biodiversity hotspots in the world. 

Check stubble burning, monitor policy implementation

Topic– Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation and Agriculture 

What is stubble burning-  

Stubble burning is the practice of intentionally setting fire to the straw stubble that remains after grains, such as rice and wheat, have been harvested. Farmers resort to the practice due to the limited time they have between the harvesting of kharif paddy and sowing of the rabi wheat. They find it cost-effective and quick. 

What are the drawbacks of this method 

1. a) It is also one of the key causes for pollution in North Indiaspecially in winter season.
2. b) It reduces soil fertilityin the long run.

Government Initiatives against stubble burning and their effectiveness 

–Ministry of Power has made biomass pellets mandatory in some coal-fired thermal power plants that would utilise the agricultural waste usually burnt by farmers. 

–Crop residue management machinery has been supplied to farmers. However, reports suggest low utilisation as farmers perceive the purchase or rent of such machineries to be an additional expense. Farmers prefer ex-situ management of crop residue through equipment such as balers as opposed to in-situ machinery.  

Although Government efforts have given some positive outcomes but these are mainly short lived and also need a comprehensive approach to significantly reduce stubble burning. 

What is the way forward – 

-Awareness generation and trust building exercises should be undertaken with the support of local civil society organisations. 

–As Stubble burning is fairly concentrated in regions within states so a targeted and cluster-based approach can be undertaken. Districts with a higher number of stubble burning incidents can be identified and concentrated upon. 

–Introduction of a dynamic monitoring system, which maps stubble burning events to beneficiaries of the schemes. 

–Ex-situ management of crop residue can also be explored under the schemes covering products such as bales and pellets for biomass power generation and supplementary feedstock in coal-fired power plants. 

What PLFS tells us about India labour market

Topic– Indian economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, development and employment. 

News– Periodic Labour force survey (PLFS) data shows that the unemployment rate is close to pre-covid levels that as was in the year 2020. 

What is PLFS  

It was launched by National statistical office (NSO). 

It has two objectives -a) To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Unemployment Rate) quarterly for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS). b) To estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually. 

What current data shows  

Although the unemployment rate is same for men for both quarters (pre covid and 2021 first quarter) but it has increased for women compared to last quarter. 

Higher unemployment rate in the recent report again shows that women bore the brunt of economic and social fallout caused by the pandemic. 

Low LFPR for Women can have four key explanations 

1) Rising educational enrolment of young women-India has made considerable progress in increasing access to education for girls. 

2) lack of employment opportunities– the nature of economic growth in the country has meant that jobs were not created in large numbers in sectors that could readily absorb women, especially for those in rural areas. 

3) Effect of household income on participation-Despite inadequate job creation, household incomes did rise, which potentially reduced women’s participation, especially in subsidiary activities (“income effect”) due to change in preferences. 

4) Measurement– Finally, though most women in India work and contribute to the economy in one form or another, much of their work is not documented or accounted for in official statistics, and thus women’s work tends to be under-reported. 

What is the Way forward 

This Problem requires a comprehensive approach to improving labour market outcomes for women through improving access to education and training programs, maternity protection, along with the promotion of a pattern of growth that creates job opportunities. 

1. How are LFPR and WPR defined (Focus should be on constituents of formula and not the whole formula as such)

-LFPR (%) = (Persons employed + persons unemployed x 100) / (Working-age population) 

-Worker Population Ratio-(WPR) = No. of employed persons x 1000 /Total population. 

Aiming for a high, quality of life does influence investment decisions, India needs to loosen up

Topic–Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources. 

News– GIFT(Gujarat International finance tech city) management is seeking relaxation in liquor laws in special economic zone (SEZ) area of GIFT city. Gujarat had banned alcohol consumption since 1960 as a homage to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.  

1. Why did such demand arose 

Investment decisions are influenced by the ease with which people can adapt to a new destination. Allowing people to lead their regular lives, without banning their usual habits will indeed attract investments from the people of other areas.  

1. What action should the government take  

As per the article, the Gujarat government should respond positively to the GIFT management’s request if it wants to actualise its vision of a vibrant international financial centre. It might take business to a new high. 

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

NITI Aayog and CSE release ‘Waste-wise cities’ – compendium of best practices in municipal solid waste management

Source: This post is based on the article “NITI Aayog and CSE release ‘Waste-wise cities’ – compendium of best practices in municipal solid waste management” published in PIB on 7th December 2021.

What is the news?

Niti Aayog and the Center for Science and Environment(CSE) has released a report titled “Waste-wise Cities: Best practices in municipal solid waste management”. The report is a comprehensive knowledge repository of how Indian cities are managing their solid waste. 

Note: Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM) 2.0 was launched in September 2021. The mission focuses on source segregation, material reprocessing, and zero-landfills. 

Municipal Solid Waste

It is estimated that urban India generates between 1.3 lakh to 1.5 lakh metric tons(MT) of municipal solid waste every day. This adds up to roughly 50 million MT per year. At current rates, this will jump to some 125 million MT a year by 2031. 

What are some best examples of cities in managing municipal solid waste?

Indore: The city had a robust communications strategy to bring about behavioural change at the mass level. The aim was to motivate citizens to embrace segregation. This was followed by a robust monitoring system and enforcement through a series of by-laws. 

Ambikapur (Chattisgarh): It adopted a zero-landfill model which ensures that maximum quantities of waste are subjected to scientific treatment and recycling measures and negligible waste is generated as residual solid waste or rejects, thereby minimizing the need to construct new landfills.

Bengaluru: It employed several Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) solutions, including an RFID-based attendance system and geotagging of collection routes to monitor the waste management services.

Pune: The city introduced the Red Dot campaign to manage sanitary waste. It is a one-of-its-kind initiative where citizens, workers and administration unanimously accepted their responsibility, making it a lesson for other cities in India. This was achieved through a well-planned mechanism of collection, channelisation and disposal.  

What are the key learnings from the practices adopted by cities in managing municipal solid waste?

Firstly, Jan Andolan (Mass Movement) for Swachhta should be organized to understand the importance of source segregation and overall waste management operations.

Secondly, Frontier technologies have to be used for converting waste to the highest form of energy.

Thirdly, governance capabilities especially in the municipalities and other Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) should be strengthened to achieve zero waste cities.

Fourthly, innovative models of circular economy in municipal waste management should be implemented.

Lastly, advanced data management and technology like GIS tracking of waste transportation vehicles should be adopted.

World Inequality report 2022: World’s most extreme inequality increase in India

Source: This post is based on the following articles: 

• “World’s most extreme inequality increase in India” published in Down To Earth on 8th December 2021.
• “India ‘very unequal’, top 10% hold 57% of national income: Inequality Report” published in Indian Express on 8th December 2021.
• “India ‘poor and very unequal’ with affluent elite: Inequality Report” published in Business Standard on 8th December 2021.

What is the News?

World Inequality report 2022 has been released. The report is authored by Lucas Chancel, co-director of the World Inequality Lab and coordinated by famed French economist Thomas Piketty among others.

What are the key findings of the World Inequality Report 2022 related to India?

National Income: In India, the top 10% and top 1% hold respectively 57% and 22% of total national income. On the other hand, the bottom 50% share is just 13% in 2021.

Wealth Inequality: The inequality widens when it comes to wealth in India. The bottom 50% of the households own almost nothing. The middle class is also relatively poor owning 29.5% of the total wealth as compared with the top 10% and 1% who hold 65% and 33% of the total wealth respectively.

Gender Inequality: ​​Gender inequalities in India are very high compared to the regional average. The female labour income share is equal to 18%, which is significantly lower than the 21% average in Asia.

Carbon Emitter: India is a low carbon emitter. The average per capita consumption of greenhouse gas is equal to just over 2 CO2e. These levels are typically comparable with carbon footprints in sub-Saharan African countries.

Private Wealth: There has been a rise of private wealth in emerging countries such as China and India. China has had the largest increase in private wealth in recent decades. The private wealth increase seen in India over this time is also remarkable (up from 290% in 1980 to 560% in 2020).

What is the significance of these findings for India?

India stands out as a poor and very unequal country with an affluent elite.

After independence, socialist-inspired five-year plans contributed to reducing inequality to 35-40%.

However, since the mid-1980s, deregulation and liberalization policies adopted by India have mostly benefited the top one percent.

What are the findings globally?

The richest 10% of the global population currently takes 52% of global income whereas the poorest half of the population earns 8% of it.

Global wealth inequalities are even more pronounced than income inequalities. The poorest half of the global population barely owns any wealth at all, possessing just 2% of the total. In contrast, the richest 10% of the global population own 76% of all wealth. In fact, 2020 marked the steepest increase in global billionaires share of wealth on record.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are the most unequal regions in the world, whereas Europe has the lowest inequality levels.

The report also notes that inequalities within countries are now greater than those observed between countries. 

What are the suggestions given by the report?

The report has suggested levying a modest progressive wealth tax on multimillionaires. If progressive wealth tax is levied, around 1.6% of global incomes could be generated and reinvested in education, health and the ecological transition.

CURTAIN RAISER PANEX-21

Source: This post is based on the article “CURTAIN RAISER PANEX-21” published in PIB on 7th December 2021.

What is the News?

The Indian Army is organizing an exercise named “PANEX-21” for the member nations of Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries.

Click Here to read about BIMSTEC

About Exercise PANEX-21

Exercise PANEX is a multi-nation Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise.

Participants: The exercise will involve BIMSTEC Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and India.

Aim: To foster joint planning and build regional cooperation for responding to natural disasters.

The exercise will look at analyzing the capabilities of member states and share best practices for response to disasters, including capability development and training. Protocols for military-to-military cooperation will also be discussed.

Successful Flight Test of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile

Source: This post is based on the article “Successful Flight Test of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile” published in PIB on 7th December 2021.

What is the News?

India has successfully test-fired the Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

About VL-SRSAM

VL-SRSAM missile has been indigenously designed and developed by Defense Research and Development Organization(DRDO) for the Indian Navy.

Purpose:  It is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.

Note: Sea skimming is a technique of flying as close as possible to the sea surface to avoid being detected by the radars onboard warships.

Features: The missile has an operational range of 50 to 60 km. It also features mid-course inertial guidance through fiber optic gyroscope and active radar homing in the terminal phase.

Explained: What are the Minsk agreements on the Ukraine conflict?

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What are the Minsk agreements on the Ukraine conflict?” published in Indian Express on 8th December 2021.

What is the News?

The United States has warned Russia not to invade Ukraine and urged both countries to return to a set of Minsk agreements designed to end a separatist war by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

What are Minsk Agreements?

Minsk agreements were signed to stop the ongoing conflict between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukraine administration in the Donbas region of Ukraine. 

There were total 2 Minsk Agreements signed:

Minsk I

It was signed by Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists. Its provisions included prisoner exchanges, deliveries of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of heavy weapons. However, the agreement broke down with violations by both sides.

Minsk II

It was signed by Russia, Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the leaders of pro-Russian separatist regions. The agreement set out a series of military and political steps that remain unimplemented. 

About Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization. 

Purpose: Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections.

Member States: It consists of 57 participating States from North America, Europe and Asia.

Secretariat: Vienna, Austria.

NCW Launches a Pan-India Capacity Building Programme ‘She is a Changemaker’ for Women in Politics

Source: This post is based on the article “NCW Launches a Pan-India Capacity Building Programme ‘She is a Changemaker’ for Women in Politics” published in PIB on 7th December 2021.

What is the News?

National Commission for Women(NCW) has launched a pan-India capacity building programme named ‘She is a Changemaker’.

About ‘She is a Changemaker’ Programme

Objective: To undertake capacity building of women political leaders and improve their decision-making and communication skills including, oration, writing etc.

Target Group: The programme is for women representatives at all levels, gram panchayats to parliament members and political workers including office bearers of National/State political parties.

Implementation: The programme will be undertaken by NCW in association with region-wise training institutes.

Significance: The programme will benefit every woman who wishes to make an identity for herself in politics and help her to claim her rightful space in politics.

Explained: AFSPA and the Northeast

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: AFSPA and the Northeast” published in Indian Express on 8th December 2021.

What is the News?

Nagaland Cabinet has recommended that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 be repealed from the state after the incident in Mon district in which security forces gunned down 13 civilians.

What is AFSPA?

AFSPA was originally promulgated by the British in response to the Quit India movement in 1942. 

After Independence, India decided to retain the Act, which was first brought in as an ordinance and then notified as an Act in 1958.

Where is AFSPA currently invoked?

AFSPA can be imposed by the Center or the Governor of a state on the state or parts of it after it is declared “disturbed’’ under Section 3 of AFSPA Act.

The Act defines Disturbed as areas that are “disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary’.

Currently, the AFSPA Act is in force in Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, J&K, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

What are the powers granted by the AFSPA Act to armed forces?

The Act gives sweeping powers to the armed forces.

Firstly, It allows them to ‘open fire’, even causing death, against any person in contravention to the law or carrying arms and ammunition.

Secondly, It gives them powers to arrest individuals without warrants, on the basis of reasonable suspicion and also search premises without warrants.

Thirdly, It also provides blanket immunity to security personnel involved in such operations. There can be no prosecution or legal proceedings against them without the prior approval of the Center.

What are the safety nets provided under the AFSPA Act?

The Act gives powers to security forces to open fire. But this cannot be done without prior warning given to the suspect. 

The Act further says that any suspects apprehended by security forces should be handed over to the local police station within 24 hours.

Moreover, it also says that armed forces must act in cooperation with the district administration and not as an independent body.

Explained: What is NASA’s new communications system LCRD; its importance

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What is NASA’s new communications system LCRD; its importance” published in Indian Express on 8th December 2021.

What is the News?

NASA has launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD).

What is Laser Communications Relay Demonstration(LCRD)?

LCRD is NASA’s first-ever laser communications system.

Purpose: It has been launched to help demonstrate the benefits of space-to-ground laser communications also called optical communications.

Orbit: The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6). It will be in a geosynchronous orbit over 35,000 km above Earth.

Location of the Laser Systems: Unlike radio frequency communications, optical signals cannot penetrate cloud coverage. That’s why, LCRD will transmit data to two ground stations, located in California and Hawaii. These locations were chosen for their minimal cloud coverage. 

Significance: Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data. But with the LASER communications capability further proven, NASA can start to implement laser communications on more missions, making it a standardized way to send and receive data.

What is the difference between Laser vs Radio Communications?

Firstly, laser communications and radio waves use different wavelengths of light. The laser uses infrared light and has a shorter wavelength than radio waves. This will help the transmission of more data in a short time.

Examples:

• It would take roughly nine weeks to transmit a completed map of Mars back to Earth with current radio frequency systems. With lasers, it can accelerate that to about nine days.
• Using lasers, LCRD can send data to Earth at 1.2 gigabits-per-second (Gbps). At this speed, it will take less than a minute to download a movie.

Secondly, Optical or Laser communication systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments. A smaller size means more room for science instruments. Less weight means a less expensive launch. Less power means less drain on the spacecraft’s batteries. Hence, LCRD enabled missions will have unparalleled communications capabilities.

New research: A plant-based chewing gum that ‘traps’ coronavirus

Source: This post is based on the article “New research: A plant-based chewing gum that ‘traps’ coronavirus” published in PIB on 7th December 2021.

What is the News?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a chewing gum that can potentially reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. 

How does the covid virus spread?

When a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 sneezes, coughs or speaks, some of the viruses can be expelled and reach others.

This virus then enters the human body, usually through nose and mouth cavities, by inhaling or swallowing the virus-laden fluid or saliva.  

What role does ACE-2 protein play in this?

ACE2 is a protein on the surface of body cells. It is present in many cell types and tissues including the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. 

When SARS-CoV-2 comes in contact with this ACE2 protein, it uses the spike-like protrusions on its surface to bind itself with the host cell. 

Hence, ACE2 effectively acts like a cellular doorway through which the virus gains entry into the cell. 

How does this chewing gum reduce the Covid Virus load?

The chewing gum is laced with a plant-grown protein that reduces the viral load in saliva and potentially lowers transmission.

The gum does this by blocking the ACE2 receptor on the cells or binding directly to the spike protein, effectively preventing the viral particles from entering cells.