{"id":102578,"date":"2021-04-20T21:00:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T15:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=102578"},"modified":"2021-04-21T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T04:10:00","slug":"9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-april-20-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-april-20-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 April 20, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader<\/p>\n<p>Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\r\n<p><strong>About 9 PM Brief<\/strong>- With the <span style=\"color: #000000;\">9 PM Daily Current affairs for UPSC brief we intend<\/span> to simplify the newspaper reading experience. In 9PM briefs, we provide our reader with a summary of all the important articles and editorials from three important newspapers namely The Hindu, Indian Express, and Livemint. This will provide you with analysis, broad coverage, and factual information from a Mains examination point of view.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>About Factly<\/strong>- The Factly initiative covers all the daily news articles regarding Preliminary examination. This will be provided at the end of the 9 PM Brief.<\/p>\r\n<p>Dear Aspirants,<\/p>\r\n<p>We know for a fact that learning without evaluation is a wasted effort. Therefore, we request you to please go through both our initiatives i.e 9PM Briefs and Factly, then evaluate yourself through the 10PM Current Affairs Quiz.<\/p>\r\n<p>We plan to integrate all our free daily initiatives to comprehensively support your success journey.<br \/><strong>Happy Learning!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/measures-to-create-safe-online-spaces-for-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Measures to Create Safe Online Spaces For Children<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGJ8GH34A.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gs3: Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong> This article explains the concerns about child safety in online spaces and suggests measures to create safe online spaces for children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The children of the current generation are exposed to a world that is increasingly powered by <strong>virtual<\/strong> <strong>reality<\/strong> and <strong>artificial intelligence<\/strong> (AI). For example, <strong>Alexa, YouTube wormholes<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>The Industrial revolution 4.0 has brought two main concerns towards Child\u2019s safety and growth opportunities.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li>One, universal access to digital connectivity<\/li>\n<li>Second, secured digital space for Children<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What are the possible threats to Children due to their premature exposure to AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First, concerns over Child safety<\/strong>. For instance, many digital platforms such as Fortnite, Battle Royale, provide online space for children to socialise with their friends. But such platforms also serve as \u201choneypots\u201d for child predators. Surveillance or supervision by parents over Child&#8217;s Online activity has also become more difficult due to the Digitalisation of education.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second, digital addiction <\/strong>is another major concern among children. The AI-driven video games and social networks are designed to keep Children attracted to their online sites. This makes them prey to digital addiction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third, it disturbs their cognitive growth<\/strong> at a very young age. For instance, their earlier exposure to the negative side of the digital space (such as fake news, conspiracy theories, hype, online bullying, hate speech) disturbs their understanding of this world.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth<\/strong>, <strong>concern over hacking and spying on children<\/strong>. For instance, many AI toys are used to promote enhanced literacy, social skills, and language development. However, they also collect data on the children in the absence of any regulatory framework. Recently, Germany banned <strong>Cayla<\/strong>, an Internet-connected doll, because of concerns that it could be hacked and used to spy on children.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fifth, <\/strong>though the usage of<a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answeredwhy-is-artificial-intelligence-one-of-the-key-developments-of-the-21st-century-discuss-government-efforts-regarding-artificial-intelligence-in-india-and-the-scope-of-its-application-in-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> AI in education<\/a> improves educational outcomes it also brings new challenges<strong>. For instance,<\/strong> pedagogical approaches to the child\u2019s needs such as intelligent tutoring systems, tailored curriculum plans, engaging interactive learning experiences can improve educational outcomes. However, algorithms can also amplify existing problems with education systems. For example,\n<ol>\n<li><strong>One, <\/strong>failure in AI\u2019s algorithm can deprive thousands of students of college admissions and scholarships.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Two, <\/strong>open access to educational and performance data on children can harm their future opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What needs to be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First, <\/strong>need to reduce the<strong> digital divide gap <\/strong>by providing Internet access to all children. According to UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), nearly two-thirds of the world\u2019s children do not have access to the Internet at home.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second, <\/strong>need for legal and technological safeguards to regulate AI products. For example,\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Technological safeguards like<\/strong>&#8211; trustworthy certification and rating systems,<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal safeguards like-<\/strong> banning anonymous accounts, restriction on algorithmic manipulation, profiling and data collection, etc.,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third, the need<\/strong> to create greater awareness among parents, guardians, and children on how AI works to prevent them from future online risks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth<\/strong>, enforcing ethical principles of <strong>non-discrimination and fairness<\/strong> in the policy and design of the AI system.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fifth, <\/strong>need to develop online culture tools that help prevent addiction and also promote attention-building skills, social-emotional learning capabilities<strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sixth,<\/strong> Laws and policies to prevent a range of abuses and violence, such as the National Policy for Children (2013), can be extended for children in a digital space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A recent, landmark decision by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child and fulfilling all children\u2019s rights in the digital environment is a step in the right direction towards ensuring <strong>Ethical AI for Generation AI.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/importance-of-secondary-level-health-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Importance of Secondary Level Health Services<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGJ8GH33M.1&amp;imageview=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GS 2 &#8211; Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to Health<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The load on tertiary health services can be reduced by strengthening the secondary level care health services. For rural areas, the focus should be on community health centres and for urban regions, peripheral hospitals at the secondary level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Background<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian health system is generally divided into the primary, secondary and tertiary level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second wave of Covid-19 has exposed the deficiencies in the current reactive approach of the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People are dying due to a lack of access to treatment facilities rather than inadequate solutions to treat the virus.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Reactive approach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under this, the government transforms well-performing facilities at the tertiary level into state-of-the-art COVID-19 hospitals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, many temporary COVID-19 facilities are created by hiring buildings and open spaces providing only beds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has also created many first-line treatment centres under this approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach is being adopted in the majority of states.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Concerns associated with Reactive approach:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People are unable to access their routine hospital services from these facilities. Because routine hospitals are turned into COVID facilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The temporary structures without adequate infrastructure were unable to cater to the needs of patients in real-time situations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First-line treatment centres are failing to generate trust among people and were shut down when the cases went down.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, many experts are now advising the government to leverage the potential of the secondary level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>New Approach of using Secondary Level Health Services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under this, the functional facilities at the secondary level can be converted into exclusive COVID-19 care centres. It will be useful to treat those patients who don\u2019t need ICU support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In rural areas, the Community Health Centre (CHCs) can cumulatively add up to 50000-75000 beds.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CHC covers a population of 80,000-1,00,000 in rural areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It functions as the first referral unit for curative care services referred from primary health centres (PHCs).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PHC (Primary Health Centres) must be strengthened to cater to the needs of people for other curative care services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In urban areas, states must develop peripheral hospitals at the secondary level within the government sector. Ideally, 100-150 bedded hospitals for every 3 lakh population.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Benefits of the Secondary Level Health Services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will <\/span><b>reduce the workload on tertiary care <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which possess poor health infrastructure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specialists for these secondary centres can be easily directed from district hospitals or medical colleges. Thereby providing <\/span><b>better feasibility.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These new centres can be used for sample collection and vaccine delivery as well. As the centres are<\/span><b> already functional and command a certain level of trust<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post the Pandemic, these facilities can return to their normal work and won\u2019t be closed like temporary structures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way Forward:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The states must leverage the potential of this new secondary level approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They should provide the secondary level units with sufficient funds and personnel so that they can duly function as COVID-19 care centres.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a nutshell, we can say that adoption of this new approach will improve delivery potential, augment people&#8217;s trust and contribute to strengthening health services in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/why-india-russia-relations-demands-reconsideration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Why India-Russia Relations Demands Reconsideration?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGJ8GH33O.1&amp;imageview=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GS 2 &#8211; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent visit of Russia\u2019s Foreign Minister to India has once again highlighted the issues in India-Russia bilateral relations. As Russia has been a good friend to India, it demands a reconsideration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Background:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The year 2020 witnessed a break in the annual India-Russia bilateral summit. Before this, the leaders of two countries met every year for the last 2 decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia\u2019s Foreign Minister visit aimed at preparing the ground for the next India-Russia bilateral summit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Outcome of the visit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A joint statement was released on areas of cooperation and collaboration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diverging issues were less focused like views over Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Russian foreign minister was not able to meet the Indian PM. This was an unprecedented event and shows the existence of numerous concerning issues between the countries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Concerning Issues in India-Russia relations:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Indo-Pacific region: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia doesn\u2019t welcome the use of the term Indo-Pacific. Because it symbolizes US leadership, thus it prefers to use the term \u2018Asia Pacific\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>QUAD Group<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Russia views the grouping as a political-military alliance against the Russia-China grouping. Furthermore, the US wants to use the grouping as a tool to counter China\u2019s rise as a superpower.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Declining India-China relations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The recent border clashes in Galwan region have marked a new low in relations. On the other side, there has been an enhanced collaboration between Russia and China. For instance, Russia accounted for 77% of China\u2019s arms imports in 2016-20.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Russian closeness with Pakistan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Russia is increasing its proximity with Pakistan as seen especially in the defense sector. Consequently, it is now Pakistan\u2019s second-largest defense supplier, accounting for 6.6% of its arms imports in 2016-20.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>CAATSA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Many Russian companies are listed as adversaries under the CAATSA (Countering America\u2019s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). This may impair future Russia-India interaction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Importance of Russia:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>All-weather Friend: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bilateral relations between the countries had stood the test of time. Russia provided constant support to India since its independence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Defence Cooperation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) records that Russia supplied 49% of India\u2019s arms imports in 2016-20.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>India\u2019s Strategic Interest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The geographical location of Russia and India automatically demands cordial relations amongst them. Because this would fulfill India\u2019s strategic interest in Central Asia and West Asia. Further, it will help in materializing projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way Forward<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India needs to<\/span><b> carefully glide through the new alliances<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the world order. The gliding must enable the country to maximize its global influence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, the country should leverage Russian potential in its future endeavors like India\u2019s manned space program.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both the countries should <\/span><b>cooperate on current commitments <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">like a $1 billion Indian line of credit for projects in the Russian Far East and activation of a Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/misuse-of-ordinance-making-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Misuse of Ordinance Making Power<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGJ8GH34E.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gs2: Separation of Powers between various organs Dispute Redressal Mechanisms and Institutions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis: <\/strong>Ordinance Making Power by the executives has been misused increasingly. A vigilant Legislature and Court can reduce this menace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recently,<\/strong> the central government Re-promulgated <strong>the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>This raises questions over the constitutional validity of issuing ordinances and that of repromulgating ordinances, that too without their ratification by Parliament.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>About Ordinance making power of executives<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Article 123 and Article 213<\/strong> empowers the central and State governments to make laws when Parliament or the State Legislature are not in session.<\/li>\n<li>The Constitution states that the ordinance will lapse at the end of six weeks from the time Parliament or the State Legislature next meets.<\/li>\n<li>Originally, it was conceived as an emergency provision and was expected to be used rarely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Misuse of the <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answeredcomment-on-the-ordinance-making-power-of-the-president-of-india-also-discuss-the-various-safeguards-which-can-help-to-prevent-possible-misuse-of-such-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ordinance making power<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>One, <\/strong>the number of Ordinance issued by the centre has increased from an average of 7.1 per year in the 1950s to 15 in 2020.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Two,<\/strong> States have also been using the ordinance route to enact laws. For example, in 2020, Kerala issued 81 ordinances, while Karnataka issued 24 and Maharashtra 21.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Three<\/strong>, further repromulgation of Ordinance by both centre and state is also increasing. For instance, The Indian Medical Council Amendment Ordinance by the centre and Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology by Kerala are two recent examples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What is the court\u2019s view regarding promulgation and promulgation of the Ordinance?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>In the D.C. Wadhwa case, <\/strong>the court took up the issue of promulgation of 256 ordinances, of which 69 were repromulgated in Bihar between 1967 and 1981.<\/li>\n<li>The supreme court ruled that repromulgation of ordinances is against <strong>Constitutional morality<\/strong> and is an <strong>act of Colourable legislation<\/strong>. Because through ordinance making power the Executive encroaches into the law-making function of the Legislature.<\/li>\n<li>Further, the court said that there was no such practice of repromulgation by the centre.<\/li>\n<li>Later, the Centre too started to follow the lead of Bihar. For example, in 2013 and 2014, the Securities Laws Ordinance promulgated 3 times, Land Acquisition Act\u00a0 twice.<\/li>\n<li>In 2017, the matter came up again in the Supreme Court. This time, the court gave a strong verdict. It declared that Re-promulgation of ordinances is a fraud on the Constitution and a subversion of democratic legislative processes.<\/li>\n<li>However, the Centre and states are not following this judgement. It is evident in the current case of the Commission for Air Quality Management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The principle of <strong>Separation of Powers<\/strong> and <strong>Checks and balances<\/strong> empowers the legislatures and the courts to check the encroachment of the Executive. However, by allowing for repromulgation of ordinances, the Legislature and the court are abdicating their responsibility to the Constitution.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/concerns-associated-to-ken-betwa-link-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Concerns Associated to Ken-Betwa Link project<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Source &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGJ8GH33I.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Syllabus \u2013 GS 3 <\/strong>&#8211;\u00a0 Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Synopsis <\/strong>\u2013The Ken-Betwa link project raised serious concerns about the project&#8217;s benefits and the massive environmental impact it would have.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Introduction-<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>On <strong>World Water Day (March 22nd),<\/strong> MP and UP signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre to introduce the Ken-Betwa link Project (KBLP).<\/li>\n<li>But the project will have a significant environmental impact, and its benefits are uncertain.<\/li>\n<li>The project would be wasting significant sums of public funds. Whereas the project will do little to address Bundelkhand&#8217;s water shortages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What is KEN-Betwa Project?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) <strong>aims to transfer surplus water<\/strong> from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP. It will provide water to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand area, which is spread across two states&#8217; districts.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Ken-Betwa Link Project\u00a0is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for t<strong>he interlinking of rivers.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The central government has proposed a 90:10 funding pattern for the Ken Betwa Interlinking Project. The centre bearing 90 percent of the total estimated cost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Advantage of Interlining of Ken-Betwa Rivers-<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>First, Irrigation \u2013<\/strong> The project will provide sustainable means of irrigation water to the Bundelkhand region in U.P. and M.P. It will reduce excessive dependence on groundwater.\n<ul>\n<li>The to-be-built Daudhan dam will irrigate nearly 6,00,000 hectares in four districts in M.P. and 2,51,000 hectares in four districts in U.P.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second, Disaster mitigation-<\/strong> The river linking project will be a solution to recurring droughts in the Bundelkhand region.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third, Electricity Production-<\/strong>\u00a0The project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and provide drinking water to 62 lakh people.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Concern related to the project<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>First, Environmental concern- <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>The <strong>12,500 hectares of land will submerge<\/strong>\u00a0by the project.<\/li>\n<li>The project would harm <strong>Panna tiger reserve.<\/strong> It will cause irreversible damage to around 40% of the tiger reserve&#8217;s area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disrupting ecosystems &#8211; <\/strong>Approximately 7.2 lakh trees will cut down. This will have an impact on the rainfall of the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Second, The project is not economically viable-<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>In the past few years, the river did not always flow in a steady stream.<\/li>\n<li>There is a significant financial expense associated with project implementation and maintenance. It is increasing as a result of project delays.<\/li>\n<li>Another challenge would be that the Ken River flows 60-70 feet lower than the Betwa River. It requires at least 30% of the 103 MW produced power to pump the water up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Third, Clearance issue-<\/strong> The Supreme Court&#8217;s Central Empowered Committee, which had raised questions about the Ken-Betwa project, did not issue a clearance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Way forward-<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to the Ken-Betwa project have not been considered.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Government should consider <strong>multiple water-harvesting<\/strong> and <strong>water-conservation methods.<\/strong> It could adequately store and efficiently make use of rainfall the region receives annually, without the need for building a reservoir and dam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"9vzm1GY8qc\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-20-apr-2021\/\">Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | 20 Apr, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | 20 Apr, 2021&#8221; &#8212; Free UPSC IAS Preparation For Aspirants\" src=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-20-apr-2021\/embed\/#?secret=MY0Xfe4eVk#?secret=9vzm1GY8qc\" data-secret=\"9vzm1GY8qc\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today Measures to Create Safe Online Spaces For Children Source: The Hindu Gs3: Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life. Synopsis: This article explains the concerns about child safety in online spaces and suggests measures to create&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-april-20-2021\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 April 20, 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":80068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"9pm-brief-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-PM-Brief-1-e1615452440806.png?fit=600%2C335&ssl=1","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}