{"id":136967,"date":"2021-09-25T21:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T15:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=136967"},"modified":"2022-02-08T10:09:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T04:39:17","slug":"9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-september-25th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-september-25th-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 September 25th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content-box-red\">Dear Friends,<br \/>\nWe have initiated some changes in the 9 PM Brief and other postings related to current affairs.\u00a0What we sought to do:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Ensure that all relevant facts, data, and arguments from today\u2019s newspaper are readily available to you.<\/li>\n<li>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:\n<ol>\n<li><strong>The Hindu\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian Express\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Livemint\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Business Standard\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Times of India\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>We have also introduced the relevance part to every article. This ensures that you know why a particular article is important.<\/li>\n<li>Since these changes are new, so initially the number of articles might increase, but they&#8217;ll go down over time.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>For previous editions of 9 PM Brief<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-brief\/\">Click Here<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>For individual articles of 9 PM Brief<\/strong>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/daily-current-affairs-summaries-for-upsc-exam\/\">Click Here<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"p-3 mb-2 bg-info text-white text-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Mains Oriented Articles\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h3); background-color: var(--global--color-background); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">GS Paper 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#gs11\">Building more inclusive, welcoming schools for LGBTQ+ children<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs12\">Complex count: On caste census<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs13\">India dithered over projecting naval power. Now it\u2019s been pushed to the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>GS Paper 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#gs21\">Missing skills: Low employability calls for academia-industry link<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs22\">The Unicorn Stampede<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs23\">When global firms disengage, employment suffers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs24\">Why India must strengthen its public sector<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gs25\">The trouble with containing China<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"p-3 mb-2 bg-info text-white text-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#f1\">Urbanisation to blame for Chennai\u2019s flood woes, integrated system need of the hour: Report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f2\">Explained: Why has peace process for Naga Accord been stuck, what is the way forward?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f3\">Sarkar\u2019s Reform Mode: On various economic reforms by the govt.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f4\">Sea level rose 3.1 mm each year between 1993 and 2020: Report\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f5\">Arctic ice is disappearing: How clouds interact with sea ice change\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f6\">United Nations Food Systems Summit: Need to transform food systems, say experts\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f7\">COVID-19: WHO recommends Regeneron antibody therapy for high-risk &amp; seronegative patients<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f8\">Electronic polymer based low-cost sensor developed to detect explosives rapidly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f9\">Flex-fuel engines to be mandatory soon: Gadkari<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f10\">What samples brought back by China mission tell us about Moon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f11\">Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021 Notified<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f12\">Scheme for \u201cPromotion of Medical Device Parks\u201d, a key initiative to support the medical devices, notified<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f13\">Government Notifies PLI Scheme for Automobile &amp; Auto components<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f14\">Supreme Court sets aside Madras High Court remarks on EWS quota<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f15\">RBI permits lenders to sell fraud loans to ARCs, paves way for resolution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#f16\">China says all crypto-related transactions are illegal<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"p-3 mb-2 bg-info text-red text-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Mains Oriented Articles<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h3); background-color: var(--global--color-background); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">GS Paper 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><a id=\"gs11\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/building-more-inclusive-welcoming-schools-for-lgbtq-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Building more inclusive, welcoming schools for LGBTQ+ children<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Building more inclusive, welcoming schools for LGBTQ+ children<\/strong><strong>\u201d<\/strong> published in <strong>Indian Express <\/strong>on\u00a0<strong>25<sup>th<\/sup> September 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong>:\u00a0GS 2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance: <\/strong>Understanding inclusive education structure for transgender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong>: \u00a0Not just infrastructure and process revamp, we also need reforms in curriculum and teacher education.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>This article highlights the discrimination faced by the non-binary gender. Recently, during the <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/shikshak-parv-pm-narendra-modi-launches-key-education-initiatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shiksha Parv conclave<\/a>, PM also emphasized the need for inclusive and equitable education.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Kerala High Court brought attention to medical textbooks that described non-binary gender identities as \u201coffensive perversions\u201d and \u201cmental disorders\u201d. This is despite the fact that Kerala was the first state to adopt a transgender policy six years ago.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the status of the transgender community?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As per the <strong>2011 Census<\/strong>, there are 4.8 million transgender persons in India. They have a literacy rate of just 46%, compared to 74% of the general population.<\/p>\n<p>A study by the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/national-human-rights-commission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)<\/a> in 2017<\/strong> found that over two-thirds of transgender children drop out of school before completing class 10 in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.<\/p>\n<p>In <strong>2020,<\/strong> there were only 19 transgender candidates among the 18 lakh students appearing for the class 10 board exams.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the problems faced by the transgender community in the schools?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Discrimination by teachers and students: <\/strong>Children belonging to the transgender community often face problems of bullying, humiliation, sexual harassment. For example, in 2018, a reputed Kolkata school forced 10 of its female students to write a confession letter stating \u201cI am a lesbian\u201d. The consequences of such bullying and intimidation were often severe in terms of mental health as well as academic outcomes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>UNESCO survey 2018 in India<\/strong>: It revealed that 60% of transgender reported experiencing physical harassment in high school; 43% were sexually harassed in elementary school. Only 18% reported incidents of abuse and harassment attributed to school authorities.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What initiatives have been taken by Government to address the problem?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>National Education Policy 2020: <\/strong>It recognizes transgender children as educationally disadvantaged. It recommended widening their educational access through a <strong>Gender Inclusion Fund<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>However, all the initiatives are just limited to conditional cash transfers, distribution of bicycles, provision for sanitation and toilets and countering barriers of access. These steps cannot ensure inclusive classrooms and schools.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Read more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/non-binary-genders-need-more-visibility-in-indias-census-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Non Binary genders need more visibility in India\u2019s Census 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What can be done to remove the stigma?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Awareness and Acceptability: <\/strong>Focus should be on enhancing awareness and acceptability of the LGBTQ+ community through education. India can learn from <strong>Scotland, which became the first country to have an LGBTQ+ inclusive school curriculum in 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Inspirational Stories: <\/strong>Stories of notable persons who identified themselves as LGBTQ+ \u00a0should be included in the curriculum. Eg Story of Heather who had \u2018Two Mommies\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>Inclusive language: <\/strong>\u00a0Focus should also be on inclusive language like using \u201cpartner\u201d instead of \u201chusband\/wife\u201d or \u201cthem\u201d instead of \u201chim\/her\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Teacher Participation<\/strong>: Teachers should play an important role to model inclusive behaviour and confirm that schools are safe, supporting places for LGBTQ+ students.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Comprehensive Sex Education: <\/strong>Comprehensive sex education must support young lives in exploring sexualities rather than viewing sexual minorities as a disease or disorder.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs12\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/complex-count-on-caste-census\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Complex count: On caste census<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>:\u00a0This post is based on the following articles \u201c<strong>Complex count: On caste census<\/strong><strong>\u201d<\/strong> published in <strong>The Hindu <\/strong>on\u00a0<strong>25<sup>th<\/sup> September 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong>: GS 2 Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance: <\/strong>Understanding caste census.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis: <\/strong>\u00a0A precise caste census is difficult, but the data will be useful to drive social policy.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>This article talks about the complexities that are inherent in the caste census. There are challenges in conducting a caste census, but given the merit of such a census, should we go ahead with the census?<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the challenges in the caste census?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>India, which seeks to construct a casteless society, <strong>a caste census can deepen the caste divide<\/strong>. Further, such a census can be <strong>used by politicians to further their caste agenda<\/strong>. Some may intensify the <strong>demand for reservation,<\/strong> while others may <strong>justify the need to abolish caste reservation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from all this, there is a genuine <strong>administrative difficulty<\/strong>, which was also cited recently by the Government as the cause for not going ahead with the caste census. For example, in the 1931 census, there were a total of 46 Lakh caste names. And if we add the sub-castes, the number will rise exponentially. So, at present, it is hard to include all caste and sub-castes in the caste census.\u00a0This challenge was also cited by the Government when 2011 SECC data was not released, citing \u201cseveral infirmities\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Given all these, the exercise may seem futile. But we also need to consider the benefits that may accrue from this.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>How can we make the caste census data useful?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The data can be used for making <strong>evidence-based policies<\/strong> <strong>to strengthen affirmative action<\/strong>. This will further the goal of creating equitable opportunities in society. This will also confirm legal requirements, as courts had mandated quantifiable data for affirmative action and reservation policy.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Read more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/caste-based-census-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caste based census in India \u2013 Explained, pointwise<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What should be the way forward?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>We can begin with a preliminary socio-anthropological study that can be done at the State and district levels. This exercise can act as a\u00a0 pilot for other large-level exercises.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs13\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/india-dithered-over-projecting-naval-power-now-its-been-pushed-to-the-sidelines-of-the-indo-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">India dithered over projecting naval power. Now it\u2019s been pushed to the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the following articles<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c<strong>India dithered over projecting naval power. Now it\u2019s been pushed to the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific<\/strong>\u201d published in <b>Indian Express <\/b>on\u00a0<strong>24th September<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>2021.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u201c<strong>India is not a bystander in the AUKUS saga<\/strong>\u201d published in <b>The Hindu <\/b>on\u00a0<strong>25th September<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>2021.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Syllabus:\u00a0<\/strong>GS2 \u2013 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and\/or affecting India\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: To know about India&#8217;s missed opportunities to improve international cooperation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This article explains the opportunities that India missed, which ultimately led to the formation of the AUKUS alliance.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Recently, the US, UK, and Australia announced a <strong>new trilateral security partnership<\/strong> for the Indo-Pacific named the AUKUS. Recently, the US has clarified that India or Japan would not be added to the AUKUS alliance.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Must Read<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/aukus-security-alliance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AUKUS Security Alliance \u2013 Explained, pointwise<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What are the opportunities India missed which led to the formation of the AUKUS alliance?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Raja Menon<\/strong> is of the view that<strong> India&#8217;s missed opportunities led to the formation of the AUKUS<\/strong> Alliance. He mentions the following reasons to support that view.<\/p>\n<p><strong>India did not push the US to provide nuclear technology to India<\/strong>: One should remember that Australia is not the only country to seek nuclear technology from the US.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indian efforts to expand nuclear submarines<\/strong> have been crippled by a <strong>lack of funding<\/strong> and the <strong>inability to access highly enriched uranium cores<\/strong> for the propulsion reactor.<\/p>\n<p>Many Indian naval veterans have, on their visits to Washington, approached key figures in the US establishment about nuclear submarine technology for the Indian Navy. But the <strong>PMO and MEA did not support the naval veterans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>So the US rejected Indian requests that the US Navy is <strong>against transferring the technology to a non-aligned state<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>India failed to materialise Quad<\/strong>: With the introduction of the Quad, India had an opportunity to operationalise the coalition and set up a Quad secretariat in India.<\/p>\n<p>India <strong>could have easily pushed the Quad to focus on the maritime domain. <\/strong>But, <strong>India<\/strong> so far did not take the Quad beyond diplomatic talks and <strong>failed to push Quad into the areas of common interest<\/strong>. <strong>This led to the formation of AUKUS<\/strong> focusing on the maritime domain.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the result of India&#8217;s inaction?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>India will not be a frontline state to tackle China: <\/strong>With nuclear submarine technology, Australia has now been catapulted into a frontline state against Chinese aggression, not India.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Erode India&#8217;s regional presence in the Indian Ocean<\/strong>: At present, the Indian Navy presently dominates the <strong>Indian Ocean<\/strong>, but its conventional underwater capability has been shrinking.<\/p>\n<p>The AUKUS alliance could eventually lead to <strong>crowding of nuclear attack submarines<\/strong> (SSNs\/submersible ship nuclear) in the<strong> Eastern Indian Ocean<\/strong>, eroding India\u2019s regional pre-eminence.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the available options with India?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Documenting India&#8217;s strategic needs<\/strong>: the <strong>US office&#8217;s Net Assessment<\/strong> defines the evolving scenario every four years in a docket entitled \u201c<strong>Global Futures<\/strong>\u201d as a guide to government. At present, India has no such document, so <strong>India should document the evolving scenarios<\/strong> to understand our strategic needs better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Focus on Navy<\/strong>: India will have to <strong>provide more attention on improving its naval capabilities<\/strong>, as this is the only instrument that gives us punitive capability against China.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signing a nuclear submarine deal with France<\/strong>: With the formation of the AUKUS, France lost a billion dollars worth of submarine projects with Australia. So, India can use this opportunity and sign a <strong>technology transfer deal for Nuclear submarines\u00a0<\/strong>like<strong> Project 75 \u2018Scorpene\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>GS Paper 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><a id=\"gs21\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/missing-skills-low-employability-calls-for-academia-industry-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Missing skills: Low employability calls for academia-industry link<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Missing skills: Low employability calls for academia-industry link\u201d<\/strong> published in <strong>Times of India <\/strong>on\u00a0<strong>24<sup>th<\/sup> September 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong>: GS 3 Indian economy &#8211; development and employment<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance: <\/strong>To understand the employability of Indian graduates<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong>: \u00a0Given the poor employability of Indian graduates, urgent steps are needed to address the skill gaps.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022<\/strong> were recently released. The report reveals that <strong>no Indian Higher Education Institution is in the top 100 and only 3 HEI can make a place in the top 200<\/strong>. This shows the employability crisis of Indian graduates.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Read more<\/strong>: <a style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; background-color: var(--global--color-background);\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/three-iits-among-worlds-top-200-in-qs-graduate-employability-rankings-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Three IITs among world\u2019s top 200 in QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What is the employability status in India?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Employability report<\/strong>: A 2019 report by Aspiring Minds termed the challenge as \u201c<strong>stubborn unemployability<\/strong>\u201d. It concluded that the employability of Indian engineers has not changed since 2010. Only 3.84% of engineers are employable at software start-ups.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/india-skills-report-finds-46-21-of-students-employable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">India Skills Report<\/a> 2021<\/strong>: It estimated overall employability at 45.9%. It means least one of two graduates is not ready for the job market. In polytechnics, the employability level is as low as 25%.<\/p>\n<p>GOI launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/nep-and-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Education Policy (NEP)<\/a> to address this problem.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What we can do further?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>We can take <strong>inspiration from the models of Germany and Japan<\/strong>. Germany\u2019s apprenticeship programme is a building block of its manufacturing prowess. Japan\u2019s school system plays an important role in matching student skills with industry\u2019s requirements<\/p>\n<p>As the Indian market grows, the demand for more skilled workers will grow. So, India should invest in skilling its youth for meeting the demands of the future job market.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs22\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-unicorn-stampede\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Unicorn Stampede<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>The Unicorn Stampede<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>Indian Express<\/strong> on <strong>24th Sep<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus <\/strong>&#8211; GS3: Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance:<\/strong> Unicorns, investment in India<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong> It would be wise for investors to take a deep breath before investing in India to make sure that the blessing of unicorns does not end up saddling India with a curse.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Unicorns are Start-ups with a billion dollar-plus valuations. There is Unicorn stampede in India and on the other hand there is fewer unicorn sightings in China which is ordinarily the biggest unicorn habitat outside the US.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why unicorns are shifting base from China?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Crackdown:<\/strong> China\u2019s tech industry contributed over 38% to the country\u2019s GDP last year and was key to managing both Covid and the economy. Beijing has decided to crack down on the industry.<\/p>\n<p>The crackdown began with the abrupt suspension of the much-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of Ant Group, while founder, Jack Ma, the very face of Chinese tech worldwide, mysteriously went underground.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Industry-wide changes in China:<\/strong> The state\u2019s shadow extends well beyond restricting capital markets access and tightening regulations. Weekends and holiday tutoring by private tutors are off-limits. Video games, on the other hand, can only be played on Fridays and weekends.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why India is experiencing unicorn stampede? <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Tiger Global Management<\/strong>: it topped the list in terms of greatest exposure to the risks created by China\u2019s tech crackdown. Hence, Tiger\u2019s interest in India has spiked which attracted attention of other investors. Tiger\u2019s investment in Innovaceer, for example, has given India its first health-tech unicorn.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Venture deals increasing<\/strong>: China may have four times the number of unicorns as India, but this year for the first time since 2013, the value of venture deals in India surpassed that of China.<\/p>\n<p><strong>India is the world\u2019s second-largest digital market<\/strong>: The use of the United Payment Interface has made digital payments easier in a society that was so tied to cash.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Opportune time:<\/strong> Many startups are in a hurry to capitalise on the boom with many investors looking to capitalise them. For example, ShareChat can get you into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities over a vernacular social media platform.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why this shifting may not be good for India?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Self-reinforcing cycle:<\/strong> The early investors draw in others who fear they are missing out, and more investors rush in, perpetuating the cycle. The cascading tranches of money over-capitalise startups by giving more money than what\u2019s needed to get to necessary milestones.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Over-valuation<\/strong>: Each investor may over-value a company, far exceeding what is justifiable based on market fundamentals.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs23\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/when-global-firms-disengage-employment-suffers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When global firms disengage, employment suffers<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>When global firms disengage, employment suffers<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>the Hindu<\/strong> on <strong>25th September<\/strong> <strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus <\/strong>&#8211; GS3: Investment, Inclusive Growth<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: FDI vs Domestic Capital formation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong>: Permanency of large foreign firms operating for decades is slowly on the decline. That is why, domestic capital formation and private investments should step in.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The most recent labour statistics, for August 2021, released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) shows that the unemployment rate has increased from around 7% in July to 8.3% for August 2021.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What does the analysis of CMIE data says?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Sectoral analysis <\/strong>shows that most of the jobs lost were farm jobs, while non-farm jobs did increase to absorb some of these. However, the quality of new jobs generated is a matter of concern.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Non-farm jobs <\/strong>increased by 6.8 million, mainly in business and small trade, but the manufacturing sector shed 0.94 million jobs. Thus, much of the labour shed by agriculture has been absorbed in low-end service activities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Employment sustainability<\/strong>: The non-availability of sufficient jobs in manufacturing and higher end services could be the dampener for economic recovery in the subsequent quarters of the current fiscal year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Driver of the manufacturing sector\u2019s output and employment growth <\/strong>is the auto sector. The automobile sector employs 19.1 million workers, directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why there is difficulty in expansion of auto sector?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Aggregate demand<\/strong> in the economy is <strong>low<\/strong> due to pandemic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The shortage of semiconductors<\/strong> continues to impact production even when customer sentiments are slowly turning positive.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are some important issues\/concerns associated with foreign investment?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Global corporate restructuring<\/strong>: the uncertainties of global corporate restructuring and changes in the economic environment in the lead firm\u2019s home economy are factors to consider. <strong>For example<\/strong>, experience of Nokia was one of the world\u2019s largest mobile phone plant, with 8,000 permanent employees working three shifts and exporting products to over 80 countries. But in 2014, Nokia halted its production operations from this location, disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of workers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More frequent global production re-arrangements:<\/strong> these are becoming a part of the strategy of big firms in this phase of globalisation, as markets tend to be more volatile due to repeated demand fluctuations.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Citibank announced that it would shut India retail banking business as part of a global decision to exit 13 markets.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Creating a massive disruption in the local economy<\/strong>: Ford\u2019s exit from India will affect about 4,000 direct employees. Estimates show that another 35,000 indirect employees would also be lost at various levels.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emergence of modern transnational corporations (TNC)<\/strong>: When TNCs emerge as key players in an industry, a proliferation of mergers and consolidations across national and international borders might be frequent.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>How exit of high-profile firms\u2019 impact job generation?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Creates apprehensions among potential investors<\/strong>: it generally lead to a \u2018wait and watch\u2019 approach, affecting private investments even if an economy claims to have the tag of investor friendliness. A downturn in private investments leads to slower employment growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mismatch in labour supply<\/strong>: The process of the \u2018destruction\u2019 of jobs through exits creates mismatches in the labour market. There is a sudden release of high skilled workers which could block possible new entrants who have already invested in their skills. This leads to a levelling down of wages which occurs when high-end services firms exit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rise in unemployment<\/strong>: \u00a0When large assembly firms exit there would be a big influx of low-skilled workers to other sectors as the same sector might not be able to absorb the workforce released. This churn in the labour market aggravates an existing unemployment problem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the way forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>First,<\/strong><\/em> raising the level of public investments which is the key to output and employment growth.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Second,<\/strong><\/em> attract domestic private investment. the economy has been waiting for private investments to flow in for quite some time, but their levels have been very low.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs24\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/why-india-must-strengthen-its-public-sector\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Why India must strengthen its public sector<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Why India must strengthen its public sector<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>Indian Express <\/strong>on <strong>25<sup>th<\/sup> September<\/strong> <strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong>: GS3 \u2013 Issues related to Privatisation of public sectors<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: \u00a0Significance of India\u2019s PSEs, Drawback of Privatisation of PSEs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong> The sale of giants like BPCL, BEML or SCI would undermine India\u2019s \u201cAtmanirbhar\u201d goal. Privatisation compromises India\u2019s sovereignty and economic freedom, threatening its energy security and strategic postion.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Today, 28% of the world\u2019s largest and most powerful economic entities are state-owned, dominated largely by the Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).<\/p>\n<p>China today has 124 firms in the Fortune list, of which 95 are SOEs, compared to 118 from the US. Many so-called private Chinese firms like ZTE and Lenovo are known to be controlled by SOEs.<\/p>\n<p>The next group of 26 SOEs are from the OECD countries, while emerging market countries like Brazil, India, Mexico add another 17 to make a total of 135 SOEs in the list.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>How China\u2019s state-owned industry is performing globally?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The last two decades have witnessed Chinese SOEs acquiring several American and European technology companies, from IT to oil fields, coal to strategic minerals, telecom to mobile phones and solar wafer to computer chips.<\/p>\n<p>The rise of Chinese SOEs has far-reaching consequences for global competition and control over strategic technologies and resources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How China was able to create a dominant state-owned industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The rise of Chinese SOEs in the global economy can be traced to the strategic vision and plan articulated in 1998 at the 15th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).<\/p>\n<p>The reforms launched by the15th Congress were <strong>to restructure larger SOEs,<\/strong> \u201ccorporatise\u201d them and list several on the stock market, making them profitable and competitive in global markets. Simultaneously, China set up 37 new SOEs in new emerging industries and technologies.<\/p>\n<p>Also, China quickly let go of the small and shut down or privatised 90,000 enterprises, with little impact on the share of SOEs in total output.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Must Read<\/strong>: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/what-is-the-history-of-india-in-supporting-the-growth-of-pses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is the history of India is supporting growth of PSEs?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What are the implications of privatizing India\u2019s significant PSEs?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Reduces India\u2019s potential in acquiring assets and resources abroad<\/strong>: For instance, Bharat Petroleum has assets in 17 countries and holds part of India\u2019s strategic oil reserves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Impact on Shipping industry:<\/strong> Declining support to SCI and Indian shipping has meant that the share of India\u2019s maritime trade carried by Indian ships is today a minuscule 6%, down from 40% in 1989.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Impact on key industrial capabilities<\/strong>: The government\u2019s refusal to support PSEs at critical moments has left wide gaps in key industrial capabilities. With the collapse of HMT, India is forced to import 80% of its machine tools, the bedrock of manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affects India\u2019s self-sufficiency<\/strong>: The undermining of the pharmaceutical PSEs like IDPL and HAL, once India\u2019s pride, makes it dependent on active ingredients from China.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affects India\u2019s leading role in future technologies<\/strong>: The government\u2019s reluctance to support BHEL has flooded the Indian power sector with Chinese equipment. Moreover, India is largely absent in emerging technologies like solar wafers, computer chips or EV batteries.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Impact on Aviation<\/strong>: In the development of a civilian aircraft, India has lost a decade due to the ideological reservation about spending public money for developing anything outside defence.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the way forward?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>India needs to imitate China in establishing new PSEs in strategic and emerging industries, which require patient capital and greater risk.<\/p>\n<p>PSEs are important strategic assets to confront a rising China, more valuable than Rafale jets or leased Russian submarines.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"gs25\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-trouble-with-containing-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The trouble with containing China<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>The trouble with containing China<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>Business Standard<\/strong> on <strong>25<sup>th<\/sup> September<\/strong> <strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus<\/strong>: GS3 \u2013 Globalisation and challenges arising from it<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: China\u2019s geopolitical significance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Synopsis: <\/strong>This article illustrates why it is difficult to contain China<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>China is mounting a robust challenge with its \u201cwolf-warrior\u201d diplomacy and the vastly ambitious One Belt One Road initiative and String of Pearls.<\/p>\n<p>To counter aggressive rising China, the new alliance (AUKUS) between Australia, the UK and the US, is formed.<\/p>\n<p>However, according to the author, it&#8217;s difficult to contain China unlike Russia. Further, any change in Political status of China will have global ramification.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>How has China developed in to a super global power?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>China, has actively encouraged the <strong>monetisation of science and technology capability.<\/strong> Over 80% of its R&amp;D expenditure comes from corporate sources, and it has a huge number of home-grown, high-tech, mega-billion businesses.<\/p>\n<p>China has the <strong>world\u2019s biggest, most diversified manufacturing base<\/strong>. It is a monopoly or near-monopoly player in many sectors, and a leader in cutting-edge research in genetics, aerospace, consumer electronics, supercomputing, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Just as it has encouraged entrepreneurs to tap every overseas market, it has also encouraged its best and brightest to study abroad to ensure it stayed abreast of developments in every field.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why it is difficult to Contain China?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><em><strong>Firstly,<\/strong> <\/em>China has developed a mighty human resource and technological capability, Hence, China cannot be driven into poverty by an arms race.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Secondly,<\/strong><\/em> China is <strong>fully integrated into global economy<\/strong> and if it does undergo any catastrophic political change, the global economic costs will also be high.<\/p>\n<p>It was already visible on what could happen to supply chains when China went into lockdown for one quarter last year. Also, the latest real estate bubbles like Evergrande will lead to an implosion in a massively-leveraged economy.<\/p>\n<p>If the PRC thrives, there\u2019s a problem. If it collapses, there\u2019s also a problem. It induces suffering in both, those who consume it and those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p-3 mb-2 bg-info text-red text-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><a id=\"f1\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/urbanisation-to-blame-for-chennais-flood-woes-integrated-system-need-of-the-hour-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urbanisation to blame for Chennai\u2019s flood woes, integrated system need of the hour: Report<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><strong>What is the news?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>If timely measures to put in place a flood management system are not taken, Chennai could see a rerun of 2015 floods, says Tamil Nadu government.<\/p>\n<p>The state additional chief secretary had filed the report on the action taken by the government with regard to measures to prevent recurrence of flooding.<\/p>\n<p>The report was in response to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) registering a\u00a0<em>suo motu\u00a0<\/em>case. The court had done, so after newspapers widely reported areas in the city being flooded in addition to an overflow of sewage November 30, 2020.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the findings of the report?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>i). Encroachments, faulty drainage systems <\/strong>and <strong>tampering of natural course of water<\/strong> had made the megapolis prone to flooding every year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ii). <\/strong>Rapid urbanisation of Greater Chennai and its peri-urban areas had led to massive <strong>changes in land use patterns<\/strong>, as residential areas had sprung up in farmlands.The changes in land use patterns were done without making the required changes for a proper drainage system to manage the flow of surplus water from traditional tanks as well as flood waters from catchment areas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>iii). Irrigation tanks in south Chennai were choked<\/strong> with waste, slush and debris, obstructing the flow of flood water. This also reduced the water-absorbing and groundwater recharging capacity of the marsh.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the recommendations?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The report has recommended an integrated flood management system consisting of:<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>an integrated road and street side storm water drainage network<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>straight cut diversion channels<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>macro storm water drains<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>check dams, barrages and anicuts<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Urbanisation to blame for Chennai\u2019s flood woes, integrated system need of the hour: Report<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>Down to Earth<\/strong> on <strong>24th Sep 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f2\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/explained-why-has-peace-process-for-naga-accord-been-stuck-what-is-the-way-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explained: Why has peace process for Naga Accord been stuck, what is the way forward?<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><b>What is the news?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p>Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi resigned as interlocutor for the Naga peace talks. The government is understood to be unhappy over the handling of the Naga peace process by Ravi over the past year and a half, during which time he disagreed openly with the insurgent group NSCN(IM).<\/p>\n<div class=\"ev-meter-content\">\n<p>Naga sources have said the NSCN(IM) views Ravi\u2019s removal as Governor of Nagaland and interlocutor as a victory.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the Naga peace process?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>It refers to ongoing talks between the Indian government and Naga insurgent groups, in particular the NSCN(IM), since 1997 with the aim to sign a Naga Peace Accord.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Read this first<\/strong>: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/how-has-the-naga-peace-process-evolved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How has the Naga peace process evolved?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><strong>What are the issues involved?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Sources in the security establishment say the enthusiasm with which the framework agreement was announced led to <strong>unreasonable expectations<\/strong> of an imminent Accord.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Naga issue is very complex,<\/strong> and the NSCN(IM) is in a delicate position. It is led by a Tangkhul from Manipur, for whom it is difficult to abandon the demand for a Greater Nagalim. But India cannot accept that demand, and a middle path has to be found, which may take some time.<\/p>\n<p>Ravi\u2019s <strong>open criticism<\/strong> made the NSCN(IM) publicly harden its position.<\/p>\n<p>The move to appoint Ravi as Governor too, did not go down well with the IM. And Ravi\u2019s enthusiasm in matters of governance was taken by the state government as <strong>interference.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the way forward?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The government has appointed former IB officer Mishra as the new pointsperson for talks. He could be formally appointed the new interlocutor, and has been talking to Naga groups since January 2020.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to understand that <strong>there cannot be an accord without the NSCN(IM)<\/strong>. It continues to get young recruits and wields considerable influence in the region. The idea is to slowly bring them to accept what India can give.<\/p>\n<p>One of Mishra\u2019s tasks would also be to <strong>delicately close the gap between the IM and NNPGs<\/strong>, which shared a good relationship with Ravi.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Explained: Why has peace process for Naga Accord been stuck, what is the way forward?<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>The Indian Express<\/strong> on <strong>25th Sep 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f3\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/sarkars-reform-mode-on-various-economic-reforms-by-the-govt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sarkar\u2019s Reform Mode: On various economic reforms by the govt.<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><span style=\"background-color: var(--global--color-background); color: var(--global--color-primary); font-family: var(--global--font-secondary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\"><b>What is the news?<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: var(--global--color-background); color: var(--global--color-primary); font-family: var(--global--font-secondary); font-size: var(--global--font-size-base);\"> In the last few months, the government has become more aggressive towards reform as evidenced by several recent policy changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The post-Covid, or rather the living-with endemic-Covid world offers major opportunities for India to accelerate its economic growth momentum again.<\/p>\n<p>This economic growth alone will get us out of the job crisis and increase incomes, both of which have taken major hits due to Covid.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the recent reforms undertaken by the govt to boost economic growth?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Scrapping of retrospective taxation laws<\/strong>: This change was universally welcomed by the investor and corporate community and this amendment alone signalled a new outlook towards private companies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Asset monetisation programme<\/strong>: This programme aims to raise Rs 6 lakh crore, by letting private players harness public sector assets for a certain duration, without any transfer of ownership. Again, this reform signalled a move to make the government work \u2018with\u2019 the private sector, rather than \u2018versus\u2019 the private sector.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reforms in the telecom sector:<\/strong> These include a four-year moratorium for companies from paying statutory dues, changing the definition of revenues on which levies are paid, allowing for 100% investment through the automatic route and permission to share spectrum. These reforms were directly targeted to provide immediate relief to the telecom sector companies, some of which have massive debt obligations due to statutory dues. Again, the attempt was to change the government attitude from \u2018who cares\u2019 for the private sector to \u2018we care\u2019 for the private sector.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Air India sale deal<\/strong>: Many plans have been made to sell the airline. However, due to unreasonable expectations from past governments, the deal remains a non-starter. This time, with debt guarantees and transfers, the government was able to get two real bids from the Tatas and SpiceJet. To sell a loss-making government airline is a challenge in the best of times, to be able to pull it off in the middle of a pandemic will be a major win.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other Reforms: <\/strong>The Ambitious infrastructure plans, for example, The Delhi-Mumbai expressway also count as a major reform. Digitisation and online services projects done or underway in all major government departments also count towards reform.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: This post is based on the article \u201c<strong>Sarkar\u2019s Reform Mode<\/strong>\u201d published in <strong>TOI<\/strong> on <strong>25<sup>th<\/sup> September<\/strong> <strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f4\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/sea-level-rose-3-1-mm-each-year-between-1993-and-2020-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sea level rose 3.1 mm each year between 1993 and 2020: Report<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is the news?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recently,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service published a report \u201cThe Ocean State Report 5\u201d<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As per the report the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">global ocean covers 71% of the Earth\u2019s surface<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and regulates the Earth\u2019s climate and sustains life. Currently, global ocean\u00a0is undergoing severe changes from natural variations, over-exploitation and anthropogenic influences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These changes caused the <strong>sea level<\/strong> to rise by 3.1 millimeters each year on an average from January 1993 through May 2020.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What are the findings of the report?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>First<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0warming ocean waters have caused many marine species to move towards cooler waters. This migration has led to the introduction of non-native and invasive species to different marine ecosystems.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Second<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, increasing temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean basin saw the lionfish (Pterois miles) entering the Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal to the Ionian Sea.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em>Third<\/em>,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0a\u00a0series of strong Acqua Alta (high water) events occurred in Venice in 2019. It was due to an\u00a0unusually high mean sea level, a high spring tide and extreme local and regional weather conditions.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Fourth<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em>,<\/em> around 50% of Earth\u2019s oxygen production takes place in the ocean, sustaining marine life cycles. This is threatened by growing human activities leading to climate change and eutrophication. This deoxygenates the oceans and seas and has adverse consequences on the marine life.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Fifth<\/strong><\/em>, In the\u00a0Arctic, sea ice is steadily decreasing; in September 2019, sea ice followed a decreasing trend of -12.89 per cent per decade \u2014 a record low in sea ice extent in the last two years.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Note<\/strong><\/span>: <em><strong>Eutrophication<\/strong> is the enrichment of a lake or other water body with chemical nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Source:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> This post is based on the article &#8220;<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sea level rose 3.1 mm each year between 1993 and 2020: Report\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8221; published in\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Down to Earth<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">24th Sep 2021<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f5\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/arctic-ice-is-disappearing-how-clouds-interact-with-sea-ice-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arctic ice is disappearing: How clouds interact with sea ice change<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is the news?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>The Earth is warming \u2014 some parts more rapidly than others. Temperatures in the Arctic, for example,\u00a0have been rising much faster than the rest of the planet. Experts, for the longest time, have attributed the crisis to how clouds interact with sea ice, essentially frozen seawater.<\/p>\n<p>Decades of research have pointed that losses in Arctic Sea ice cover allow for the formation of more clouds near the ocean\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n<p>A new research by the NASA has now shown that <strong>more heat and moisture is released<\/strong> through a large hole in sea ice called a polynya, which fuels the formation of more clouds. This traps heat in the atmosphere and hinders the refreezing of new sea ice.<\/p>\n<p>The study was conducted over a section of northern Baffin Bay between Greenland and Canada known as the North Water Polynya.<\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is\u00a0polynya?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A polynya is an area of open water surrounded by sea ice. It is a patch of unfrozen seawater within the contiguous pack ice or fast ice.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 690px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.downtoearth.org.in\/full_polynya.gif?resize=690%2C388&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"690\" height=\"388\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What are the findings of the\u00a0research?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">First,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0low clouds over the polynya emitted more energy or heat than clouds in adjacent areas covered by sea ice. The polynya did refreeze, but only after the increased cloud cover and heat under the clouds persisted for about a week.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\"> I<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">t did not mean that conditions went back to normal easily. The extra clouds and increased cloud radiative effect to the surface remained for some time after the polynya froze.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em>Second<\/em>, <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the\u00a0sea ice acts like a cap or a barrier between the relatively warm ocean surface and the cold and dry atmosphere above. It leads to\u00a0more heat and moisture from the ocean into the atmosphere. This warming slows down the growth of the sea ice.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em>Third<\/em>,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Arctic sea\u00a0ice has declined at a rate of almost 13 per cent per decade in the last 30 years.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Fourth<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Arctic\u2019s warming\u00a0is also due\u00a0to the reduction of the surface albedo effect.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Fifth<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, rapid\u00a0Arctic Sea\u00a0ice retreat in the early 21st century was driven by several dynamic and thermodynamic feedbacks, such as ice-albedo feedback and water\u00a0vapour\u00a0feedback<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Sixth<\/strong><\/em>,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0the response of the clouds to the polynya lengthened the time the hole remained open. They can create a thicker blanket and increase the amount of heat emitted down to the surface. The emitted heat helps keep the surface of the North Water Polynya a little warmer.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Seventh<\/b><\/em><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, opening of a polynya is a very strong, distinct forcing. If there\u2019s not a cloud response to a polynya event,\u00a0we cannot expect\u00a0cloud\u00a0response anywhere else.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Source:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This post is based on the article\u00a0&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Arctic ice is disappearing: How clouds interact with sea ice change\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8221;\u00a0published in\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Down to Earth\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">on\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">24th September 2021.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f6\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/united-nations-food-systems-summit-need-to-transform-food-systems-say-experts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United Nations Food Systems Summit: Need to transform food systems, say experts<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is the news?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recently,\u00a0United Nations Food System Summit took place\u00a0in New York. In this summit, leaders emphasized that\u00a0there is a need to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 and address climate change in view of food production.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We must urgently move from incremental and siloed action towards a systems approach. The food system will not prosper until all sectors concerned work together.\u00a0All stakeholders and people within the system play a crucial role through responsible and innovative practices in ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is food system?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to Food and Agriculture\u00a0Organisation\u00a0(FAO), food systems encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Food systems comprise <strong>all food products<\/strong> that originate from crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture. They also constitute the broader <strong>economic, societal <\/strong>and<strong> natural environments<\/strong> in which these diverse production systems are embedded.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What kind of food system we need today?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">World leaders need\u00a0their commitments to more resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems.\u00a0The world is looking forward to a<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0simpler and more inclusive food system.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has already given the world a \u2018One-Health\u2019 vision. Food systems can drive the global recovery in three fundamental ways: For people, for the planet, and for prosperity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What are the\u00a0actions\u00a0needed to realize the vision of 2030 agenda?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><b>&#8211; <\/b>nourish all people<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>boost nature-based solutions<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0advance equitable livelihoods, decent work and empowered communities<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <\/strong>Bu<span data-contrast=\"auto\">ild resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211; <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">support means of implementation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong>Source<\/strong>:\u00a0This post is based on the article\u00a0&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">United Nations Food Systems Summit: Need to transform food systems, say experts<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0&#8221;\u00a0published in\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Down to Earth<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">24th September 2021.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f7\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/covid-19-who-recommends-regeneron-antibody-therapy-for-high-risk-seronegative-patients\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19: WHO recommends Regeneron antibody therapy for high-risk &amp; seronegative patients<\/a><\/h3>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is the news?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recently,\u00a0World Health Organization (WHO) approved the <strong>Regeneron antibody combination<\/strong> for treatment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is Regeneron?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Regeneron is a<b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> combination of two drugs \u2014\u00a0casirivimab\u00a0and\u00a0imdevimab.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It has\u00a0reduced\u00a0mortality in seronegative patients with severe infections. The drug cocktail\u00a0replicates the natural antibody response of human beings. Last year it was\u00a0approved by\u00a0the Food and Drug Administration of the United States.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What are the\u00a0recommendations of WHO regarding this\u00a0therapy?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As per UN health agency, giving drugs in veins may be difficult in outpatient scenarios. For such cases, it recommended <\/span>application\u00a0of drugs under the skin.<\/p>\n<p>Specialised\u00a0clinics, adequate amounts of antibodies and trained medical staff will be required for the therapy.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong>Source<\/strong>:\u00a0This post is based on the article &#8221; C<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OVID-19: WHO recommends Regeneron antibody therapy for high-risk &amp; seronegative patients\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8221; published in\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Down to Earth<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">24th September 2021.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f8\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/electronic-polymer-based-low-cost-sensor-developed-to-detect-explosives-rapidly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Electronic polymer based low-cost sensor developed to detect explosives rapidly<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source:\u00a0<\/b>This post is based on the article \u201d<strong>Electronic<\/strong><b>\u00a0polymer-based low-cost sensor developed to detect explosives rapidly\u201d <\/b>published in\u00a0<b>PIB <\/b>on\u00a0<b>24th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the news?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>For the first time, Indian scientists have developed a thermally stable and cost-effective electronic polymer-based sensor for rapidly detecting <strong>nitro-aromatic chemicals<\/strong> (<strong>NACs<\/strong>)\u00a0 used in high-energy explosives.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>About the findings<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Poly-nitroaromatic compounds in explosives generally require sophisticated instrumental techniques to detect them. But in the field, like military sites, extremists locations, they require simple, cheap, and selective field techniques which will be <strong>non-destructive in nature<\/strong> to make quick decisions.<\/p>\n<p>But such Non-destructive sensing of nitroaromatic chemicals (NACs) is difficult. To overcome such disadvantages, a team of scientists has developed a<strong> layer by layer (LBL) polymer detector<\/strong> consisting of two organic polymers. The sensor device comprises three layers of polymers.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is the significance of the invention?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The detection of explosives without destroying them is essential for protection, and criminal investigations. The <strong>tri-layer polymer matrix<\/strong> was found to be a very <strong>efficient molecular sensor<\/strong> for nitroaromatic chemicals. An electronic sensing device builds around a polymer gas sensor can <strong>quickly detect the explosive<\/strong> on-site.<\/p>\n<p>The device can be <strong>operated at room temperature<\/strong>, has a low response time and <strong>negligible interference from other chemicals<\/strong>. So, it will help in the faster detection of NACs used in high-energy explosives.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f9\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/flex-fuel-engines-to-be-mandatory-soon-gadkari\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flex-fuel engines to be mandatory soon: Gadkari<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article<\/span><b> \u201d<\/b><b>Flex-fuel engines to be mandatory soon: Gadkari\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> published in <\/span><b>The Hindu <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government would soon make it mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to make flex engines (that can run on more than one fuel).<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What are Flex Fuel Vehicles(FFV)?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flex Fuel Vehicles(FFV) is a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">modified version of vehicles that could run\u00a0on a blend of petrol and ethanol.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In these vehicles, both <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fuels are stored in a common tank. The resulting blend is burnt in the combustion chamber, generating power for the vehicle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Advantages of Flex Fuel Vehicles<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Reduced dependence <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on petrol\/diesel and thus reduced dependence on oil imports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ethanol burns more cleanly <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than conventional petrol, which reduces the car\u2019s carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Helps in addressing the problems <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of surplus food grains (These can be used in making Ethanol).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Less costly: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alternative fuel ethanol is Rs 60-62 per litre while petrol costs more than Rs 100 per litre in many parts of the country, so by using ethanol, Indians will save Rs 30-35 per litre.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Disadvantages <\/b><b>of Flex Fuel Vehicles<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Customer acceptance <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will be a major challenge since the cost of ownership and running costs are going to be very high compared with 100% petrol vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Engine damage: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ethanol can also, unfortunately, cause corrosion and damage to the engine, mainly because it absorbs dirt easily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Flex Fuel Vehicles will cost more<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as they will require several engineering tweaks to new engines, with corrosion-resistant rubber hoses and pipes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Less Fuel Efficiency:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ethanol evaporates faster, so it is much harder to store. It burns better, but it also burns quicker, which means compromised fuel efficiency. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it has higher octane than petrol and therefore provides increased power and performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f10\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/what-samples-brought-back-by-china-mission-tell-us-about-moon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What samples brought back by China mission tell us about Moon<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article<\/span><b> \u201d<\/b><b>What samples brought back by China mission tell us about the Moon<\/b><b>\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> published in <\/span><b>Indian Express <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China\u2019s Chang\u2019e-5 lunar mission has delivered to Earth nearly 2 kg of rocky fragments and dust from the Moon.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the Chang&#8217;e-5 lunar mission?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chang&#8217;e 5 lunar mission is the <strong>Chinese National Space Administration&#8217;s (CNSA)<\/strong> mission to send a robotic spacecraft to the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">moon<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to collect samples and return them to Earth for scientific study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The spacecraft landed on an area of the Moon (the \u2018far side\u2019) not sampled by the American or Soviet missions nearly 50 years ago, and thus retrieved fragments of the youngest lunar rocks ever brought back for analysis in laboratories on Earth. The rocks are also different to those returned decades ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What are the findings from the samples brought by <\/b><b>Chang\u2019e-5?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 90% of the materials collected by Chang\u2019e-5 likely derive from the landing site and its immediate surroundings, which are of a type termed \u2018<strong>mare basalts<\/strong>\u2019. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These volcanic rocks are visible to us as the darker grey areas that spilled over much of the nearside of the Moon as ancient eruptions of lava. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet 10% percent of the fragments have distinctly different, \u2018exotic\u2019 chemical compositions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why do these findings matter?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The distinct 10% fragments may preserve records of other parts of the lunar surface, as well as hints of the types of space rocks that have impacted the Moon\u2019s surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, scientists have also looked at the potential sources of beads of rapidly cooled glassy material. They have traced these glassy droplets to <strong>extinct volcanic vents<\/strong> known as <strong>\u2018Rima Mairan\u2019 and \u2018Rima Sharp<\/strong>\u2019. These fragments could give insights into past episodes of energetic, fountain-like volcanic activity on the Moon.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f11\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/patents-amendment-rules-2021-notified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021 Notified<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article <\/span><b>\u201d<\/b><b>Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021 Notified<\/b><b>\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published in <\/span><b>PIB <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>23rd September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Union Government has introduced the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What are the key features of Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Patent Fees for Educational Institutions Reduced<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educational institutions engage in many research activities, where professors and teachers and students generate several new technologies which need to be patented for facilitating commercialization of the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, high <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patenting fees present a restrictive element for getting these technologies patented and thus work as a disincentive for the development of new technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, the Government has now decided to reduce the patent filing and processing fees charged on educational institutions by 80% at par with similar concessions provided to startups under the Startup India initiative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What are the steps taken by the Government to increase patents?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>The time taken for examination of patents <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has come down from an average of 72 months in 2015 to 12-30 months at present, depending upon technology fields.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Scheme for Facilitating Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has been launched with an aim to provide facilitators to startups for filing and processing of their applications. The professional charges of such facilitators are reimbursed as per provisions under the SIPP scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hearing of cases in Patents<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through Video-Conferencing for speedy and contact-less proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Encouraging the digital process<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for applying &amp; granting patents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The mechanism to lodge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> feedback\/suggestions\/complaints in respect of issues related to the functioning of the IP offices has been set up in the IPO website for the benefit of stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f12\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/scheme-for-promotion-of-medical-device-parks-a-key-initiative-to-support-the-medical-devices-notified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scheme for \u201cPromotion of Medical Device Parks\u201d, a key initiative to support the medical devices, notified<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article<\/span><b> \u201d<\/b><b>Scheme for Promotion of Medical Device Parks, a key initiative to support the medical devices, notified<\/b><b>\u201d <\/b>published in<b> PIB <\/b>on <b>23rd September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>Department of Pharmaceuticals<\/strong>, <\/span><strong>Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has notified the Scheme for \u201c<strong>Promotion of Medical Device Parks<\/strong>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the Scheme for Promotion of Medical Device Parks?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the scheme, medical parks will be developed to provide common infrastructure facilities in one place thereby creating a robust ecosystem for medical device manufacturing in the country and also reduce the manufacturing cost significantly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Objectives of the Scheme<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easy access to standard testing and infrastructure facilities through the creation of world-class common infrastructure facilities for increased competitiveness. This will result in a significant reduction of the cost of production of medical devices, leading to better availability and affordability of medical devices in the domestic market. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reaping the benefits arising due to optimization of resources and economies of scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Other Features of the Scheme<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Duration: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The total financial outlay of the scheme is Rs. 400 crores and the tenure of the scheme is from FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Financial Assistance: \u200b\u200b<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The financial assistance to a selected Medical Device Park would be 70% of the project cost of common infrastructure facilities. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the case of the North-Eastern States and the Hilly States, financial assistance would be 90% of the project cost. Maximum assistance under the scheme for one Medical Device Park would be limited to Rs. 100 crores.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f13\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/government-notifies-pli-scheme-for-automobile-auto-components\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Government Notifies PLI Scheme for Automobile &amp; Auto components<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article <\/span><b>\u201d<\/b><b>Government Notifies PLI Scheme for Automobile &amp; Auto components<\/b><b>\u201d<\/b> published in<b> PIB <\/b>on <b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government of India has issued notification regarding <strong>Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme<\/strong> for Automobile &amp; Auto components.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the Production<\/b><b> Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Automobile &amp; Auto components?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Aim:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To overcome the cost disabilities of the industry for the manufacture of Advanced Automotive Technology products in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Key Features of the Scheme<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>Eligibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The scheme is open to existing Automotive companies as well as new Non-Automotive investor companies (who are currently not in the automobile or auto component manufacturing business).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Duration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The scheme will be implemented over a period of five years starting from FY 2022-2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Components<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The scheme has two components viz\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Champion OEM Incentive scheme:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is a \u2018sales value linked\u2019 scheme, applicable to Battery Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles of all segments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Component Champion Incentive Scheme:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is a \u2018sales value linked\u2019 scheme, applicable on pre-approved Advanced Automotive Technology components of all vehicles. Pre-approval of the eligible products will be done by Testing Agency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Base year:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Financial Year 2019-20 shall be treated as the Base Year for calculation of Eligible sales. An approved applicant shall be eligible for benefits for 5 consecutive Financial Years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Any eligible product <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will be incentivized only for once \u2013 <\/span><b>Component level or Vehicle level.<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><strong>Read more<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/production-linked-incentive-or-pli-scheme-and-its-challenges-explained-pointwise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Production-Linked Incentive or PLI Schemes and its challenges \u2013 Explained, pointwise<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>Minimum 50% domestic value addition <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will be required to avail incentives under the scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The incentive will be applicable <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the Determined Sales Value, which is defined as the incremental eligible sales of a particular year over the base year.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f14\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/supreme-court-sets-aside-madras-high-court-remarks-on-ews-quota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Supreme Court sets aside Madras High Court remarks on EWS quota<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is based on the article <\/span><b>\u201d<\/b><b>Supreme Court sets aside Madras High Court remarks on EWS quota<\/b><b>\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">publishe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d in <\/span><b>The Hindu <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court has set aside the observations in the Madras High Court&#8217;s order, which said that the reservation for Economically Weaker Sections(EWS) in the NEET-All India Quota can be implemented only with the approval of the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Background<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the Government of India had <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced a 27% reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/landmark-decision-taken-by-government-of-india-in-medical-education\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All India Quota (AIQ) scheme <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical\/dental courses from 2021-22 onwards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After this, a petition was filed in the Madras High Court challenging the 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the All India Quota (AIQ) scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On this, the High Court said that the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reservation for EWS in the NEET-All India Quota <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can be implemented by the Central Government only with the approval of the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because the 10% EWS quota introduced under the <strong>103rd Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019<\/strong> is being examined by a Constitution Bench of five judges of the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After these observations, the Central Government moved the Supreme Court saying that it was unnecessary for the High Court to make such remarks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What did the Supreme Court say on this?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court has set aside the Madras High Court observation that the Centre should not have provided a 10% reservation for EWS society in the all India quota medical seats without obtaining the express approval of the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The apex court said that the Madras High Court observations were outside its jurisdiction. However, the court refrained from making any comment about the merits of the EWS quota issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f15\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/rbi-permits-lenders-to-sell-fraud-loans-to-arcs-paves-way-for-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RBI permits lenders to sell fraud loans to ARCs, paves way for resolution<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This post is based on the article <\/span><b>\u201d<\/b><b>RBI permits lenders to sell fraud loans to ARCs, paves way for resolution\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ublished in <\/span><b>Business Standard <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reserve Bank of India<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(RBI) has permitted lenders to transfer the loans that have been classified as fraud to asset reconstruction companies(ARCs).<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What is the current procedure?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, RBI n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">orms require banks to make 100% provisions for the entire amount classified as fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Note: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per RBI\u2019s annual report, lenders have declared loans worth Rs 1.37 trillion as a fraud in FY21. In FY20, the amount was Rs 1.81 trillion and in FY19 it was Rs 64,539 crore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, RBI did not allow <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banks to<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sell loans classified as fraud to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>What has changed now?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RBI has now permitted Banks to transfer the loans that have been classified as fraud to the ARCs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the transfer of such loans d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oes not absolve the lender from fixing the staff accountability as required under the extant instructions on frauds.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Significance of this decision<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This opens up significant opportunities not just for banks but also for asset reconstruction companies who could probably buy these assets at a greater discount than regular bad loans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there is also a possibility that the ARCs may not show much interest<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because the resolution of loan accounts tagged as frauds is very difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"f16\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/china-says-all-crypto-related-transactions-are-illegal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">China says all crypto-related transactions are illegal<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0This post is based on the following article<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>\u201c<\/b><b>China says all crypto-related transactions are illegal<\/b><b>\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published in<\/span><b> Indian Express <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>\u201c<\/b><b>China says all Bitcoin or crypto transactions are illegal, may ban crypto currencies<\/b><b>\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published in <\/span><b>India Today <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>25th September 2021.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China has said that all crypto currency transactions in China, including transactions using Bitcoin, will be deemed illegal.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h5><b>China and Cryptocurrency<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China has been one of the world&#8217;s largest crypto-currency markets.This is despite the fact that trading in crypto-currency has officially been banned in China since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the recent announcement by China&#8217;s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> central bank that all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal and must be banned sends the strongest signal yet on its determination to crack down on cryptocurrency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for now, it seems that holding Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency is not illegal in China. <strong>Only their use is illegal<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Why is China cracking down on Cryptocurrency?<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>No Legal Backing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not backed by any government or bank. Hence, they cannot be used as legal tender.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Harmful to Environment:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> China considers crypto-currencies harmful to the environment because bitcoin mining requires a lot of computing resources and that in turn increases power use. There are reports noting that the entire power consumption of computers and server farms used to mine Bitcoin exceeds the power use of a country like Switzerland.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>To stop Illegal activities: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cryptocurrencies bypasses official institutions and the anonymity that it offers makes it a flourishing business for illegal activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>To avoid Financial Risk: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies cannot be traced by a country\u2019s central bank, making them difficult to regulate. Hence, China has acted on cryptocurrencies to prevent and control financial risks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>To launch its own Digital Currency: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China is planning to introduce its own digital currency. Its aim is to allow China to conduct transactions in its own currency around the world reducing dependency on the dollar which remains dominant internationally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Friends, We have initiated some changes in the 9 PM Brief and other postings related to current affairs.\u00a0What we sought to do: Ensure that all relevant facts, data, and arguments from today\u2019s newspaper are readily available to you. We have widened the sources to provide you with content that is more than enough and&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-september-25th-2021\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 September 25th, 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":[8032,1542,8033],"class_list":["post-136967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","tag-current-affairs-for-upsc","tag-daily-current-affairs-for-upsc","tag-upsc-current-affairs","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\/136967","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=136967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136967\/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=136967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}