9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – July 8th, 2022

Posted on July 8th, 2022 Last modified on September 8th, 2022 Comments Views 18

Dear Friends,

We have initiated some changes in the 9 PM Brief and other postings related to current affairs. What we sought to do:

Ensure that all relevant facts, data, and arguments from today’s newspaper are readily available to you.
We have widened the sources to provide you with content that is more than enough and adds value not just for GS but also for essay writing. Hence, the 9 PM brief now covers the following newspapers:
1. The Hindu
2. Indian Express
3. Livemint
4. Business Standard
5. Times of India
6. Down To Earth
7. PIB
We have also introduced the relevance part to every article. This ensures that you know why a particular article is important.
Since these changes are new, so initially the number of articles might increase, but they’ll go down over time.
It is our endeavor to provide you with the best content and your feedback is essential for the same. We will be anticipating your feedback and ensure the blog serves as an optimal medium of learning for all the aspirants.
- For previous editions of 9 PM Brief – Click Here
- For individual articles of 9 PM Brief– Click Here

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Mental health issues of LGBTQIA++ community: A community and a health issue of concern

Source: The post is based on the article “A community and a health issue of concern” published in “The Hindu” on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Relevance: To understand the mental health issues of LGBTQIA++ community.

News: Recently Pride month (June) has been celebrated successfully. However, India’s class, caste and regionally diverse LGBTQIA++ communities remain at risk of life-long mental illnesses and challenges.

What is the status of mental illnesses among LGBTQIA++ communities?

This relentless dissonance and alienation can result in internalised homophobia, often leading to anxiety, loneliness and substance use. For instance, LGBTQIA++ youth are likely to suffer 1.75 times more anxiety and depression than the rest of society. On the other hand, the transgender community is even more vulnerable as its members suffer 2.4 times higher anxiety and depression.

Read more: Madras High Court guidelines for mainstreaming LGBTIQA+ community

What is the reason for increasing mental illnesses among LGBTQIA++ communities?

Dissonance and stigma: This is caused by life-long dissonance, deep-rooted stigma, discrimination and often abuse, that the community experiences. This often leads to extreme distress and poor self-worth, resulting in self-hate and suffering.

Less discussions: Sexual orientation and gender identity are rarely discussed in Indian social, educational or familial environments. Even done, these discussions are stigmatising. in nature.

Marginalisation: Society marginalises LGBTQIA++ people throughout life, no matter how accomplished they may be.

Inadequate access to health services: A large majority of the psychiatrists in India still consider diverse sexual orientations and gender identities as a disorder and practice ‘correctional therapy’.

A private study also found that numerous trans and gay men preferred to pay and seek help in the private sector rather than access government health care due to harassment and stigma.

Read more: End discrimination, frame specific policies for LGBTIQ+ workers: ILO

What should be done to improve the mental health of LGBTQIA++?

Destigmatise diverse gender and sexual identities: India needs comprehensive long-term solutions that make queer mental health a priority and address community needs. This can be done by ensuring every aspect of mental health work in India must include aspects of queer mental health issues, especially in schools and universities.

Community building: facilitate the LGBTQIA++ community’s engagement with all stakeholders, including educational institutions, communities, health-care providers, mental health professionals, police personnel and families who are often a key source of mental health stress.

Further, India needs to create supportive, safe and educative spaces, access points for health care and information on mental health

Read more: India’s 1st LGBT+ workplace equality index launched

Without addressing both the preventive and support aspects of the mental health of LGBTQIA++ people India will compound an already neglected problem of mental illness that will be hard to handle in the future.

GS Paper 3

Just Fine – On amending environmental laws

Source: This post is created based on the article “Just Fine – On amending environmental laws” published in The Hindu on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Indian Environment – Environment Degradation and Protection

News: Union Environment Ministry has proposed an amendment to the sections of key environmental legislation.

Read: Government’s Proposal to amend the environment laws and associated issues

What is the current legal framework, and what is the proposal to change?

India’s present environment regulatory framework ensures that natural resources are not exploited unnecessarily and polluters are punished.

The present framework punish violators by imprisonment up to five years or with a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both. There is also a provision for the jail term to extend to up to 7 years in case of repeated violations. It deters or discourages the violators from harming the environment.

However, the proposed amendments are looking for simple monetary fines instead of imprisonment for simple violations. However, it retains imprisonment as punishment for the grave injury to the environment.

(Read more in the article link given above)

Could fines act as a deterrent against pending cases?

A monetary fine is not a unique proposal given in India. Research on environmental crime in the United States and Europe suggests that fining is the most common mode of punishment.

Indian courts took between 9-33 years to clear a backlog of cases for environmental violations. In 2018, close to 45,000 cases were pending for trial and in that very year, 35000 more cases were added.

Fines could theoretically help with faster redress. However, large environmental fines will continue to be contested in courts, adding to the prevailing practice of tardy justice.

The threat of imprisonment might have acted as a deterrent in India, where the effectiveness of environmental regulation is under par.

Defending the rupee

Source: The post is based on an article “Defending the rupee” published in the Business Standard on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 Indian Economy;

Relevance: Macroeconomic Conditions; Stabilization of the Indian Rupee

News: The Indian rupee and the currencies across the world, including in the developed economies, are under pressure. The Indian rupee has depreciated by about 4.4%. Therefore, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced measures.

The RBI’s foreign exchange reserves have come down by over $37 billion since the beginning of the year. Therefore, the RBI aims to boost foreign exchange inflows to support the Indian Rupee.

What are the reasons behind the RBI decision?

The rupee is under pressure because of a variety of reasons. They are as below:

(1) Higher commodity prices and increasing imports have pushed up demand for foreign currency.

(2) In June 2022, the trade deficit expanded to $25.6 billion. The current account deficit (CAD) is expected to cross 3 percent of gross domestic product this fiscal year.

(3) India is witnessing large outflows on the capital account. The FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors) have been selling Indian assets on account of rising risk aversion in the global financial system as well as increasing interest rates in the US. For example, the FPIs have taken out over $30 billion since the beginning of the year, from India.

What are the measures that RBI is taking, to control the fall in currency value?

Following are some of the measures announced by RBI:

Banks will be exempted from maintaining the CRR and SLR for incremental non-residential external and foreign currency non-resident bank deposits for a limited period.

Banks have been given more freedom in terms of offering interest rates on the above-mentioned deposits.

The rules for FPIs in the debt market have been relaxed. The Indian firms have been allowed to borrow abroad in more liberal terms.

Why would the above steps have a limited impact?

At present, there is a global environment for the overall global risk aversion.

The companies may not be willing to borrow abroad because of the pressure on the rupee.

The overall policy direction may end up increasing risks. It may not be a wise step to increase the foreign debt of short-term nature, in order to defend the currency.

The global environment is likely to remain uncertain for some time. Therefore, the RBI’s move to defend the currency may become increasingly costly and perhaps unsustainable.

The Way Forward

The RBI has ample reserves ($593 billion) to quell excess volatility. Therefore, it should allow the rupee to depreciate in an orderly way. It would benefit in the following ways:

(1) It would protect the tradable sectors

(2) It would also make Indian assets more attractive to foreign investors

(3) It will help stabilize the overall external account and the currency.

Further, the RBI should address the inflation problem through monetary policy.

In addition to the above, the RBI should encourage firms to hedge foreign currency risks.

Out on a wing – On Issues Faced by Indian Airlines

Source: The post is based on an article “Out on a wing” published in the Business Standard on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 Infrastructure, Transportation Sector

Relevance: issues in Indian Aviation industry

News: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet airline for its “failure to establish safe, efficient and reliable” services.

In recent months, SpiceJet aircrafts have witnessed eight malfunctions in 18 days. Consequently, the aircrafts either had to turn back or land at their destination “with degraded safety margin”.

In addition to the above, the SpiceJet airline also suffered three technical problems in 24 hours, recently.

SpiceJet is not the only airline that is facing such problems. In Recent days, aircraft of Vistara, the Tata-Singapore Airline-owned carrier, suffered engine failure on landing in Delhi from Bangkok.

Is the DGCA’s move rationale?

As per some experts, three technical glitches do not amount to a crisis. On an average, 30 incidents of go-arounds, diversions, technical snags and medical emergencies occur in a day, but few of them have safety implications.

The DGCA took a long time to take action. Further, it has restricted itself to a show-cause notice that does not prevent the carrier from continuing operations.

What are the causes behind slipping safety standards?

This has happened because the aircraft carriers are following challenging turnaround times, i.e. one after another flight within a short period of time. This is being done to maximize profits after a pandemic-induced slowdown.

Further, the expansion of Indian domestic airlines for international operations is adding a burden upon them.

What should be done?

As per the Civil Aviation Minister, even the smallest error hindering safety should be investigated and course correction measures should be taken soon.

The DGCA should impose more vigilance measures and stringent consequences on airlines for such incidents, even if they do not result in casualties.

Barring restaurants from levying service charge is unfair, reeks of discrimination

Source: The post is based on an article “Barring restaurants from levying service charge is unfair, reeks of discrimination” published in the Indian Express on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 Indian Economy, Government Industrial Policies

Relevance: Service Charges and Issues in the Hospitality Industry

News: In recent days, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued guidelines wherein it has barred hotels and restaurants from levying service charges on the food bills of the customers.

What is the service charge?

A service charge is a charge linked to the sales of the restaurant, which is independent of wages. It isn’t revenue for the restaurant since it is distributed among workers.

What are the arguments for the continuance of the service charge?

The SC (Supreme Court), HCs (High Courts), the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal has upheld the legality of levying of service charge in various judicial pronouncements.

The different businesses have different pricing models.

Service Charge formalizes equitable and fair distribution among the restaurant’s workforce. Restaurants have many people working in the background that do not interact with the customer. These workers have a distinct disadvantage, from an earning perspective, in comparison to workers who interact with customers (getting tips or other incentives).

Service charge induces price transparency to the customer as well as the restaurant worker. There are different costs for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery services for a particular restaurant. So, in addition to a baseline menu price, a uniform service charge adds transparency to the pricing system.

If the service charge is removed, the restaurants will have to increase the menu prices. Further, the restaurant owners will have to renegotiate rental contracts because of the butterfly effect. This is because, nowadays, other than the fixed rent, the restaurants also enter into “revenue share” clauses built into their lease contracts. Service charge is kept outside the mandate of shared revenues. But, if the service charge would be included in the menu, it will have to be shared, accordingly.

There has to be a robust conversation around service charges as it actually helps restaurant workers to earn their fair share and further, it also optimizes operations for a business owner.

Welfare of the urban poor cannot be an afterthought in economic growth plans

Source: The post is based on an article “Welfare of the urban poor cannot be an afterthought in economic growth plans” published in the Indian Express on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Inclusive Growth

Relevance: Urban Poor Wellbeing

News: In recent period, many migrants have come back to cities in search of work. They went back to their villages during the covid pandemic-induced lockdown.

What are the issues facing the urban poor?

The social protection-related registration of informal workers has increased, but the nature of opportunities continues to be insecure.

At present, mechanisation is resulting in the greater displacement of people dependent on farms.

The trail of migrants in search of livelihoods is going to increase in the coming future. For example, half of India is expected to urbanize by 2030 and at least half of that population would be such migrants.

There are challenges of access to public services, for migrants in urban areas. For example, healthcare costs have gone up, and the cost of essential commodities, other than free food grains, has also increased. Further, nearly half the urban population does have access to cheap food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Most migrants including domestic help received lower than the minimum wages in the urban areas.

India’s large cities are among the most segregated. This is in contrast to B R Ambedkar’s hope that urbanisation will break caste hierarchies.

What can make the lives of the urban poor better in the short to medium term?

(1) There is a strong case for elected leadership in urban local bodies (ULB) at the slum cluster level. The Article 243S (5) of the Constitution allows the State Legislature(s) to make provision for the Constitution of Committees in addition to the Ward Committees in a ULB.” Therefore, the government can establish such a committee at the level of basti or the slum cluster.

(2) In addition to the portability of names and cards to access grains, there is a need to identify the deprived households without access to the NFSA list. This can be done through a participatory identification of the poor through a community connect process. Further, non-entitled beneficiaries of NFSA should also be deleted.

(3) After the identification of the deprived households, the special community connects campaigns should be started to ensure access to social welfare schemes. For example, LPG connection, bank accounts, etc.

(4) The government should form SHGs of the deprived households under the National Urban Livelihood Mission. Access to credit for diversification of livelihoods should be promoted.

(5) The government needs to establish Migration Support Centres, for easing the arrival process of migrants to cities in search of work. Here, services for easy rental housing, etc. be provided.

(6) There is a need for skilling, upskilling, and re-skilling poor households in ways that enable them to combine work with skill up-gradation. In addition, apprenticeships should be provided.

(7) The urban local bodies set up specially designated teams for the poor. They can increase property tax for it. To implement it, the ULB requires governance reforms and professionals with specialized skill sets.

(8) The government should leverage census towns and many rural growth clusters that were developed as part of the Rurban Mission. They can be developed as robust growth centres. Specific economic activity can be started at the clusters.

(9) Efforts should be made for human development through the improvement of schools, health facility expansion, etc. The Atmanirbhar Health Infrastructure Yojana has been launched, which has prioritized strengthening urban health centers and the creation of frontline health teams.

(10) There is a need to enforce minimum wages. For example, domestic help needs support for wages.

(11) Master Plans must factor in the housing, wellbeing, and welfare needs of the working class or the urban poor.

To make rapid economic progress, India needs to improve the well-being of the workforce that migrates to cities in the hope of a better life.

GS Paper 4

Don’t Be a Boris

Source: The post is based on an article “Don’t Be A Boris” published in The Times of India on 8^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 4 Ethics – in Private and Public Relationships; Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration:

Relevance: The Boris Johnson Case

News: Recently, senior cabinet ministers in Britain resigned. Further, Boris Johnson also resigned as the leader of the Conservatives.

About Boris Johnson

He led his party to a landslide parliamentary majority in December 2019, biggest since 1987. He was also involved in Brexit.

Issues

He was involved in a scandal. Therefore, he was tumbled out of the PM’s office with farcical regularity.

Since Brexit, the incomes aren’t up and Britain isn’t stronger.

What are the morality lessons that should be learnt by other democracies?

Even leaders with massive mandates need to be mindful of the fact that the office needs to command at least a measure of respect and authority.

The political parties must respond faster when they sense their leaders are proving to be a liability.

The world’s elected leaders keep in mind that they shouldn’t take the governed for granted.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Bharat NCAP: The proposal for an India-specific norm for assessing vehicular safety in collision

Source: The post is based on the article “The proposal for an India-specific norm for assessing vehicular safety in collision” published in “The Hindu” on 8^th July 2022.

What is the News?

Recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways approved a Draft GSR (general statutory rules) Notification to introduce the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat-NCAP).

What is the purpose of NCAP?

NCAPs will provide globally reliable information about the crash safety of a vehicle based on certain common criteria and procedures. They are separate from country-specific motor standards.

Global NCAP: It is a standardised platform establishing cooperation and coordination among NCAPs internationally.

Regional NCAPs: This takes into account specific local conditions. Due to separate manufacturing origins and quality, the car’s NCAP rating also varies from place to place.

What is Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat-NCAP)?

Must read: Union Minister approves Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program)

Bharat NCAP would assign vehicles between one and five stars on parameters such as Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), Child Occupant Protection (COP) and Safety Assist Technologies (SAT).

Need: The existing regulations adhere to United Nations Regulation 94 for collision testing. However, the absence of domestic testing norms, and inadequate side protection in vehicles (such as airbags), has been often cited as reasons for the poor performance of Indian vehicles at NCAPs.

Implementation: If cleared, the NCAP would be applicable from April 1, 2023.

What is the process of Bharat NCAP?

Bharat NCAP would study the frontal impact, side-impact and the possibility of a door opening after a crash. The potential impact is studied with the help of dummies, of pre-specified measurements.

Adult protection: After the test collision, the dummy would be checked for injuries on the head, neck, chest, knee, pelvis area, lower leg, foot and ankle. There must not be any rib compression or injury to the knee joint.

Child protection: For assessing child protection, the NCAP would evaluate the impact to a child restraint system (CRS) and airbag safety.

The child must not be ejected from the CRS and his/her head must be contained within the shell of the CRS preventing any outside blow following a crash.

Note: CRS are portable seats designed to protect children during vehicle collisions.

Testing speed: The car is crashed into an aluminium deformable barrier impersonating an opposing force of the same magnitude — a crash-like situation, with a 40% overlap.

Bharat NCAP would conduct its frontal-offset crash testing at 64 kmph instead of the prevailing 56 kmph norm.

What is the benefit of Bharat NCAP for the domestic automobile industry?

The testing would emerge as a turning point in the domestic automotive sector in terms of product, technology and safety. Further, the rating would provide a platform that would test vehicular safety as per Indian conditions.

Consumers will face an increase in vehicle prices, but will also get safer vehicles.

The grading system should be made mandatory for all OEMs so that the choice is entirely left to the customer.

Explained: Sub-categorising OBCs

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: Sub-categorising OBCs” published in “Indian Express” on 8^th July 2022.

What is the News?

The Centre extended the tenure of The Commission to Examine Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) headed by Justice G Rohini, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. The present extension is provided until January 31 next year.

Must read: Union Cabinet approves Commission on sub-categorisation of OBCs

What is sub-categorisation of OBCs?

This is to create sub-categories within the larger group of OBCs for the purpose of reservation. OBCs are granted 27% reservation in jobs and education under the central government.

There is a perception that only a few affluent communities among the over 2,600 included in the Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of the 27% reservation. Hence, the sub-categorization aims to ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.

To fulfil that, the government constituted Rohini Commission on October 2, 2017.

Read more: Judgment on the eligibility of Horizontal reservation candidates

About the commission’s extensions and progress

The Commission was given 12 weeks to submit its report but has since been given 10 extensions. According to the RTI query, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had said that until December 2020, over Rs 1.92 crore had been spent on the Commission including salary, consultant fees and other expenses.

In 2019, the Commission wrote that it is ready with the draft report on sub-categorisation. The Commission now began studying the list of communities in the central list.

The major challenge faced by the commission is the absence of data for the population of various communities to compare with their representation in jobs and admissions.

Read more: Reservation Policy in India – Explained, Pointwise

What are the findings of the commission so far?

Read here: Findings of Rohini Commission on Sub-Categorisation

What is the extent of OBC recruitment in central jobs?

Sub-categorising OBCs — Source: Indian Express

According to data tabled in Parliament, the total number of Group A to Group C employees (including safai karmacharis) was 5.12 lakh.

Further, “Out of 91 Additional Secretaries, the number of officers belonging to SC/ST and OBC communities are 10 and 4 respectively and out of 245 Joint Secretaries, the number of officers belonging to SC/ST and OBC communities is 26 and 29 respectively in various Ministries/Departments under Central Staffing Scheme.”

These data cover 43 departments and government offices including the Cabinet Secretariat, UPSC and Election Commission, but excluding the largest central government employers such as Railways and Department of Posts.

Read more: Caste based census in India – Explained, pointwise

Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022: Covid-19 pandemic pushed 93 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020: UN SDGs report

Source: The post is based on the article “Covid-19 pandemic pushed 93 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020: UN SDGs report” published in TOI on 8th July 2022.

What is the News?

The United Nations has released a report titled “Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022”.

What is the purpose of the report?

The report provides a global overview of progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, using the latest available data and estimates. It tracks the global and regional progress toward the 17 Goals with in-depth analyses of selected indicators for each Goal.

What are the key findings of the report?

Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 — Source: TOI

3Cs: SDGs are in grave jeopardy due to multiple, cascading and intersecting crises predominated by COVID-19, Climate Change and Conflict.

Hunger: About one in every 10 persons worldwide is suffering from hunger as geopolitical conflicts, combined with the effects of the pandemic and climate change are converging to undermine food security worldwide.

Deaths due to Covid-19: Deaths, directly and indirectly, attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic reached 15 million by the end of 2021.

Impact of Covid-19 on SDGs: The pandemic wiped out more than four years of progress on poverty eradication and pushed 93 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020.

– Disrupted essential health services resulted in a drop in immunization coverage for the first time in a decade and a rise in deaths from tuberculosis and malaria.

– More than 24 million learners, from pre-primary to university level, are at risk of never returning to school.

On Climate Change: The report repeats the “code red warning” on climate change earlier issued by the IPCC, highlighting that rising global temperatures continue unabated leading to more extreme weather events around the world and that energy-related emissions have increased 6% in 2021 reaching the highest level ever.

– To avoid the worst effects of climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and then decline by 43% by 2030, falling to net-zero by 2050.

-However, under current voluntary National Commitments(NDCs) to climate action, greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise nearly 14% over the next decade.

Conflicts: The war in Ukraine is creating one of the largest refugee crises of modern time. In addition, it is causing food, fuel and fertilizer prices to skyrocket and fueling a threat of a global food crisis.

What are the positive trends highlighted by the report?

Electricity: Around 91% of the world population gained access to electricity, leaving 733 million people in the dark in 2020 compared to 1.2 billion in 2010.

Clean Water and Sanitation: On goals pertaining to clean water and sanitation, the report noted progress saying the proportion of the global population using safely managed drinking water services increased from 70% in 2015 to 74% in 2020.

— Moreover, over the same period, the population practising open defecation decreased by a third, from 739 million people to 494 million. Hence, the world is on track to eliminate open defecation by 2030.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister unveiled the Statue of Peace of Swami Ramanujacharya

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Home and Cooperation Minister unveiled the Statue of Peace of Swami Ramanujacharya” published in PIB on 7th July 2022

What is the News?

The Union Home Minister has unveiled the Statue of Peace of Swami Ramanujacharya in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

About Swami Ramanujacharya

Swami Ramanujacharya was born in Tamil Nadu in Vikram Samvat 1074. He was the child of Keshavacharya and Mata Kantimani.

He is known to have revolted against the discrimination of untouchability and played a role in bringing a big change in society. Sri Ramanuja named subjugated classes as “Thirukkulathar– Born Divine”.

Seeing his compassion towards the oppressed, his delighted guru honoured him with the coveted title “ Em-perum- anar” you are ahead of us.

He is believed to be the first Hindu acharya to initiate women into ‘sanyasa’ (renunciation of the world).

The Yathiraj Math of Yadugiri located in the Mandya district of Karnataka is the only original Math in Melkot that has existed since the time of Ramanujacharya. This math was established by Ramanujacharya on the orders of his Guru Yamunacharya.

Narsi Mehta, the famous poet of Gujarat, composed ‘Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye Je Peer Parai Jaane Re‘, with the message of Ramanujacharya.

He was an inspiration for mystic poets like Kabir, Meerabai, Annamacharya, Bhaktha Ramdas, Thyagaraja and many others.

Click Here to read more about him

India gets elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Source: The post is based on the article “India gets elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” published in PIB on 7th July 2022

What is the News?

India has been elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.

What is UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage?

Click Here to read about it

What is the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention?

Composition: The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation.

Duration: The members are elected for a term of four years.

Functions: Some of the core functions of the committee include 1) Promoting the objectives of the Convention, 2) Providing guidance on best practices and 3) making recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

– The Committee also examines requests submitted by States Parties for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects.

Note: In the past, India has served two terms as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of this Convention. One from 2006 to 2010 and the other from 2014 to 2018

When did India ratify this convention?

India ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in September 2005.

Currently, India has 14 inscriptions on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

After the inscription of Durga Puja in 2021, India submitted the nomination for Garba of Gujarat to be discussed in 2023.

Dragon Fruit: Centre to promote dragon fruit cultivation in 50,000 hectares

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre to promote dragon fruit cultivation in 50,000 hectares” published in The Hindu on 8th July 2022

What is the News?

The Government of India has decided to promote the cultivation of dragon fruit, known as a “super fruit” for its health benefits.

At present, Dragon fruit is cultivated in 3,000 hectares.The plan is to increase cultivation to 50,000 hectares in five years.

What is Dragon Fruit?

Dragon Fruit is the fruit of a species of wild cactus indigenous to South and Central America, where it is called pitaya or pitahaya.

Climatic Condition: Dragon Fruit grows in all kinds of soil, and does not require much water. The plant doesn’t need productive land as it can give maximum production from non-productive, less fertile areas also.

Note: All the States in India except cold areas are suitable for dragon fruit cultivation.

Largest Producer: The world’s largest producer and exporter of dragon fruit is Vietnam. The Vietnamese call it “Thanh long” which translates to “dragon’s eyes”.

– In India, Mizoram tops among the States that cultivate Dragon Fruit.

Benefits of Dragon Fruit: Dragon fruit is considered to be one of the tropical superfoods due to its nutrient richness. It is rich in nutrients and low in calories. It is believed to help in the control of chronic illnesses, improve the health of the alimentary canal and boost the body’s immunity.

Steps taken by State Governments to promote Dragon Fruit: Gujarat Government recently renamed dragon fruit as kamlam (lotus) and announced an incentive for farmers who cultivate it.

– The Haryana Government also provides a grant for farmers who are ready to plant this exotic fruit variety.

Experts suggest updating vaccines for new variants. How does it work & what are the challenges?

Source: The post is based on the article “Experts suggest updating vaccines for new variants. How does it work & what are the challenges?” published in Down To Earth on 7th July 202

What is the News?

Experts have recommended updating the vaccines to protect against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

How are vaccines updated?

mRNA vaccines: For updating the mRNA vaccines, one needs to replace the existing antigen with a new antigen and this can be done with any new pathogen as well. Essentially, two key ingredients are required — genetic sequence of the spike protein from a new variant of concern and a DNA template to build the mRNA.

– The genetic sequence has already been published by scientists and is available. So, manufacturers need only to make the DNA template which is a three-day process.

– Hence, it’s easier to update mRNA vaccines compared to others. However, they are not the most widely administered vaccine across the world.

Viral Vector Vaccines: Updating viral vector vaccines such as Janssen by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca by the University of Oxford is also possible. Here, genetic material from the COVID-19 virus is placed in a modified version of a different virus. Once this enters human cells, the immune system is triggered.

– The biggest potential issue with updating the viral vector vaccine is that people previously immunized with this vaccine will develop immune responses to the carrier viral vector that could reduce immunogenicity in future doses.

Protein-Based Vaccines: It has to first go through a similar step as the mRNA vaccine (update the sequence) but unlike the mRNA vaccines (which are ready to go into arms once the sequence is updated), a protein based vaccine has to undergo additional time-consuming steps to get cells in the lab to produce the protein and then that protein has to be purified and validated to be intact.

Global Findex Report 2021: India still among countries with poor access to banking: Report

Source: The post is based on the article “India still among countries with poor access to banking: Report” published in Down To Earth on 5th July 2022.

What is the News?

The World Bank has released ‘The Global Findex Report 2021’.

What is the purpose of the Global Findex Report 2021?

The report surveys over 125,000 adults in 123 economies during Covid-19 to better understand how people use formal and informal financial services and digital payment.

What are the key findings of the report?

Increase in Bank account Ownership: Account ownership worldwide increased by 50% to reach 76% of the global adult population.

Access to Formal Banking: Large shares of the global population without formal banking lives in India and China because of their size.

– India is among seven countries home to half the world’s 1.4 billion adults without access to formal banking.

Gender Gap: Women are often excluded from formal banking services because they lack official forms of identification, do not own a mobile phone or other forms of technology and have the lower financial capability.

For instance, 74 % of men had an account in developing countries whereas women account for just 68%.

Covid-19 and Digital Payments: Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed growth in the use of digital payments. In developing countries in 2021, 18% of adults paid utility bills directly from an account. About one-third of these paid bills online for the first time.

Mobile Money: Mobile money has become an important enabler of financial inclusion —especially for women e.g., in Sub-Saharan Africa.

What are the recommendations given by the report?

As one expands access to digital banking services, Government policies must factor in protections for the most vulnerable, including women, the poor and those with limited educational attainment or financial literacy.

Moreover, the gender gap in mobile access must also be addressed to ensure equitable progress on financial inclusion.

Chhattisgarh gets Centre’s nod for World Bank funded school project

Source: The post is based on the article “Chhattisgarh gets Centre’s nod for World Bank funded school project” published in The Hindu on 7th July 2022.

What is the News?

The Chhattisgarh Government has received an in-principle nod from the Centre to go ahead with a $300 million school education project the State is negotiating with the World Bank.

Why do states need the centre’s permission while borrowing?

Article 293(3) of the Constitution states that “A State may not without the consent of the Government of India raise any loan if there is still outstanding any part of a loan which has been made to the State by the Government of India or by its predecessor Government or in respect of which guarantee has been given by the Government of India or its predecessor Government”.

Article 293(4) says that the “consent under clause (3) may be granted subject to such conditions as the Government of India may think fit to impose”.

World Bank and Indian School Education System

The World Bank has been associated with India’s school education system since 1994.

One of its more recent projects, inked in 2021 is the $500 million Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program(STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian States.

ARTPARK and GigaMesh: AI boosts rural connectivity & healthcare

Source: The post is based on the article “AI boosts rural connectivity & healthcare” published in PIB on 7th July 2022

What is the News?

A Startup named Astrome with the help of ARTPARK will soon connect 15 villages in different parts of the country through a next-generation networking solution called GigaMesh. This can help address congestion issues in 4G infrastructure and provide high-tech and affordable internet connectivity.

What is ARTPARK?

ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) is a not-for-profit foundation. It was established by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc),Bengaluru with support from the Department of Science & Technology(DST).

Purpose: To promote technology innovation missions in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Robotics. These missions should have a societal impact in sectors such as healthcare, education, mobility, infrastructure, agriculture, retail, and cyber-security.

Nodal Mission: The park was established under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).

What is GigaMesh?

GigaMesh has been developed by Astrome with the support of ARTPARK.

Purpose: It is the world’s first multi-beam E-band Radio that is able to communicate from one tower to multiple towers simultaneously while delivering multi GBPS throughput to each of these towers.

Working: A single GigaMesh device can provide up to forty links with 2+ Gbps capacity, communicating up to a range of ten kilometres. This flexibility in range makes it suitable for both decongesting the dense urban networks and extending rural coverage.

Finance Minister chairs 1st meeting of Apex Monitoring Authority of National Industrial Corridor Development Programme

Source: The post is based on the article “Finance Minister chairs 1st meeting of Apex Monitoring Authority of National Industrial Corridor Development Programme” published in PIB on 7th July 2022.

What is the News?

The Finance Minister chaired the 1st meeting of the Apex Monitoring Authority constituted to review the activities of the National Industrial Corridor Development programme.

What is the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme(NICDP)?

National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is India’s most ambitious infrastructure programme aiming to develop new industrial cities as “Smart Cities” and converge next-generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.

Objective: To expand the industrial output, increase employment opportunities, and provide better living and social facilities for the new and growing workforce by way of providing plug n play infrastructure at the plot level for industries.

NICDC is developing Eleven(11) Industrial corridors comprising 32 projects in four Phases.

Funding: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $250 million loan to support the NICDP.

Implementing Agency: National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT).

– NICDC Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the Administrative Control of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Apex Monitoring Authority: An Apex Monitoring Authority under the chairmanship of the Finance Minister has been set up to periodically review the activities of the programme.

SOFI Report 2022: World is not doing enough to end hunger by 2030: UN

Source: The post is based on the article “World is not doing enough to end hunger by 2030: UN” published in Down To Earth on 7th July 2022.

What is the News?

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World(SOFI) 2022 Report has been released.

What is the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World(SOFI) Report?

Published by: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Food Programme(WFP) and the World Health Organization(WHO).

What are the key findings of the report?

Global findings

Hunger: As many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021 – 46 million people more from a year earlier and 150 million more from 2019.

– In terms of percentage, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped in 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, to 9.8% of the world population.This compares with 8% in 2019 and 9.3% in 2020.

Gender Gap in Food Security: The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021 – 31.9% of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6% of men – a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020.

Healthy Diet: Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up from 112 million in 2019 showing the effects of inflation on consumer food prices. The inflation stemmed from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it.

Malnutrition: An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition which increases children’s risk of death by up to 12 times.

– Furthermore, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets while 39 million were overweight.

Findings related to India

Undernourishment: The number of undernourished people in India declined to 224.3 million in 2019–21 from 247.8 million in 2004-06.

– In percentage terms, the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in India stood at 21.6% in 2004-06 and declined to 16.3% in 2019-21.

Healthy Diet: In India, people who were unable to afford a healthy diet touched 973.3 million in 2020 or nearly 70.5%, up from 948.6 million in 2019 (69.4%).

Stunting: The prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age declined to 30.9% in 2020 from 41.7% in 2012.

Overweight: The prevalence of overweight children under five years of age was 1.9% in 2020 from 2.4% in 2012.

Obesity: The prevalence of obesity in India’s adult population increased to 3.9% in 2016 from 3.1% in 2012.

Anaemic Women: The number of anaemic women aged 15 to 49 years declined marginally from 53.2% in 2012 to 53% in 2019.