{"id":96289,"date":"2021-03-18T21:00:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T15:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=96289"},"modified":"2021-03-19T11:21:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T05:51:50","slug":"9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-march-18-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-march-18-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 March 18, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader<\/p>\n<p>Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\r\n<p><strong>About 9 PM Brief<\/strong>- With the <span style=\"color: #000000;\">9 PM Daily Current affairs for UPSC brief we intend<\/span> to simplify the newspaper reading experience. In 9PM briefs, we provide our reader with a summary of all the important articles and editorials from three important newspapers namely The Hindu, Indian Express, and Livemint. This will provide you with analysis, broad coverage, and factual information from a Mains examination point of view.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>About Factly<\/strong>- The Factly initiative covers all the daily news articles regarding Preliminary examination. This will be provided at the end of the 9 PM Brief.<\/p>\r\n<p>Dear Aspirants,<\/p>\r\n<p>We know for a fact that learning without evaluation is a wasted effort. Therefore, we request you to please go through both our initiatives i.e 9PM Briefs and Factly, then evaluate yourself through the 10PM Current Affairs Quiz.<\/p>\r\n<p>We plan to integrate all our free daily initiatives to comprehensively support your success journey.<br \/><strong>Happy Learning!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/relevance-of-india-philippines-brahmos-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Relevance of India-Philippines Brahmos Deal<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G2U8CSU45.1&amp;imageview=0\">Click Here<\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GS 2 &#8211; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: India&#8217;s Brahmos deal with the Philippines is very important. India&#8217;s aspiration to become Atma Nirbhar in defense exports and emerge as a key regional security provider in Indo-Pacific will depend on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Background<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In March 2021, India and the Philippines signed the \u201cImplementing Arrangement\u201d for procurement of defense material and equipment procurement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agreement lays the groundwork for sales of defence systems including the highly advanced Brahmos missile. The sale will be through a government-to-government route.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>About Brahmos Missile<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a cruise missile manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace limited. It is a <\/span><b>joint venture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of India\u2019s DRDO and Russia\u2019s NPO Mashinostroyenia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The research for the missile began in the 1990s. It became the<\/span><b> first supersonic cruise <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">missile to enter service.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has a <\/span><b>speed of 2.8 mach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (almost 3 times the speed of sound) and a range of <\/span><b>290 km.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A new version has a range of 400 km.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high speed makes its interception very difficult and allows it to easily target fighter jets like the Chinese J-20 fighter aircraft.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The naval and land variants of the BrahMos were inducted into service by the Indian Navy in 2005 and the Indian Army in 2007. Later, the air variant was tested in 2017 thereby giving the missile a dominating presence in all three domains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is now trying to build a superior version having hypersonic speeds (at or above Mach 5) and a maximum range of 1,500 km.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Relevance of Deal for India<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would boost the export potential of India.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would help in attaining<\/span><b> the target of $5 billion <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in defense exports by 2025. More orders are expected to come from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, It would elevate India\u2019s stature as a <\/span><b>responsible regional superpower<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This would also boost India\u2019s economic, soft, and hard power profile in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Relevance of Deal for Philippines<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would be helpful in protecting geopolitical and strategic interests, especially in the South China Sea. The sea has been a zone of frequent conflict between China and the Philippines.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The deal would make the Philippines the first country to buy BrahMos. Thereby it will strengthen bilateral relations in the defence sphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Geopolitical relevance:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would act as a <\/span><b>deterrent to China\u2019s aggressive stance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, other vulnerable countries of the region would come forward and induct Brahmos into their defense arsenal. This would protect their sovereignty and territory in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Challenges in exporting Brahmos<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may <\/span><b>attract sanctions from the US <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">under the Countering America\u2019s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The act aims to sanction individuals and entities who engage in a \u201csignificant transaction\u201d with a listed entity under CAATSA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia&#8217;s <strong>NPO Mashinostroyenia<\/strong> is one of the listed Russian entities. That is why a threat of sanctions looms over the Philippines and other countries. Further, the US has maintained ambiguity over the Brahmos deal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turkey and China have been penalized under CAATSA for purchasing the S-400 Triumf air defense systems from Russia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost of the Brahmos package comes around 2000 crores. This<\/span><b> huge cost <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has discouraged purchase orders from many willing countries especially post the pandemic era.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has offered a $100 million line of credit to the Philippines that has enabled it to purchase Brahmos with minimum components.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Way Ahead<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should engage in proactive talks with the US in order to <\/span><b>obtain a waiver for the Brahmos deal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This seems possible as the deal would help contain China in the Indo-Pacific.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should offer <\/span><b>a rational line of credit to potential buyers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to give them flexibility in buying the missile.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/use-of-non-violence-in-myanmar-protests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Use of Non Violence in Myanmar Protests<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G2U8CSU3F.1&amp;imageview=0\">Click Here<\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: GS 2 &#8211; India and its neighbourhood- relations<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The February 2021 coup in Myanmar removed the democratically elected government. Since then people have adopted the non-violent approach of Gandhi for pressuring the military junta.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Background:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The democratically elected leaders in Myanmar were removed by the military on 1st February 2021 on allegations of election fraud.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subsequently, the military came to power and main leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi got house arrest. This induced the masses to start non-violent protests in Myanmar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>About Non Violence and its usage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It means positive action and not a state of passiveness.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It involves working towards one\u2019s goal using non-violent means.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahatma Gandhi used a spinning wheel as a symbol for his idea of non-violence. The spinning wheel presented two messages:<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An instrument to protest against India\u2019s growing industrialism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A symbol to show resistance to the British-made clothes that had replaced Indian handmade clothes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin Luther King turned to the symbol of the \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d to portray his version of non-violence. The objective was to obtain social justice and equity for every member of American society.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Myanmar and tool of Non Violence:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The method was used in 1990 by Suu Kyi against the atrocities of the military government. Her efforts earned her a Nobel Peace Prize<\/span><b>\u00a0in 1991.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Buddhist Spirituality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gave her moral strength that automatically took her <\/span><b>towards Gandhian Non Violence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Later on the masses were also attracted towards the noble method.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>masses understood the Buddhist teachings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under which each individual has the potential to change his circumstances. This was different from Despotic belief under which an individual is considered as faceless and helpless who can be manipulated at will.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same enthusiasm is now being witnessed in the current protests wherein masses are adopting new symbols of non-violence. This includes the <\/span><b>3 finger salute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> adopted by activists in Thailand against the totalitarian regime.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Significance of Non-Violent Protests:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a laudable method to display the <strong>collective strength of the masses<\/strong> i.e. the power of the powerless.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It displays a <strong>belief in the method of non-violence<\/strong> that might not deliver immediate results but is <strong>definitely the ethical path<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Likewise, it is a <strong>peaceful way of questioning<\/strong> the legitimacy of military government and demanding democracy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It further places a question on the democratic nature of countries that are criticizing the struggle for democracy in Myanmar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Way Ahead<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greater number of people in Myanmar should <\/span><b>engage in politics with ethical conduct.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This would be in line with the Gandhian philosophy of associating politics with ethics that helps in delivering optimum outcomes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The future of Myanmar is not up to the military, it is up to those who follow the example of Gandhi in the streets of Yangon and Mandalay.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/ways-to-strengthen-indias-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ways to Strengthen India\u2019s Democracy<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G2U8CSU41.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gs2<\/strong>: Powers, Functions, and Responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong>: Increasing attacks on the press and the erosion of judicial autonomy are threatening India\u2019s global image as a democracy. The government needs to take steps to strengthen India&#8217;s democratic values,<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It has been said that Democracy is on retreat worldwide.\u00a0Many democracies in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century continue to disregard the principles of democracies.<\/li>\n<li>Principles such as the <strong>freedom of press,<\/strong> <strong>independence of the other public institutions<\/strong> of <strong>the state<\/strong> are often violated.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>For instance,<\/strong> many world leaders such as Vladimir Putin (Russia), Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan (Turkey), Trump (USA) had initiated a sustained, attack on these very institutions to sustain power.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Recently, the western academic institutions, the Freedom House (US) and the Varieties of Democracy project (Sweden) downgraded India\u2019s democratic ratings.<\/li>\n<li>However, India\u2019s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar dismissed these ratings as irrelevant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Evolution of Democracy:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The first-ever institutional check on sovereign power was provided through the <strong>Glorious Revolution<\/strong> in England. It led to the establishment of Parliament and England shifted from <strong>absolute monarchy to Constitutional monarchy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Later, the <b>French Revolution<\/b>\u00a0and the <strong>American revolution<\/strong> assured inalienable rights to its citizens.<\/li>\n<li>However, in the era of colonialism, exclusion of women, as well as racial and religious minorities continued till the 1950s.<\/li>\n<li>After the 1950s, democracy got strengthened due to the following measures.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Institutionalization of <strong>universal suffrage elections <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Constitutional check on the powers of the government<\/li>\n<li><strong>Independent judiciary empowered with judicial review<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Empowered press to scrutinize government actions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Finally, <\/strong>after the end of the <b>Cold War<\/b>, due to the collapse of the <strong>Soviet Union,<\/strong> many authoritarian countries were forced to conduct elections. This led to the establishment of liberal democracy rule in most of the world&#8217;s countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why India\u2019s democratic ratings were downgraded?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Both Freedom House and V-Dem multi-dimensional framework give considerable weightage to the <strong>freedom of the press<\/strong> and the <strong>independence of the judiciary.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Concerns about the undermining of these institutional checks-and-balances led both institutions to reduce India\u2019s score on their index.<\/li>\n<li>Weakening democracy in India can negatively impact India\u2019s ambitions to become a full-fledged member of the Quad or the D-10. It will also undermine India\u2019s claim to become a Permanent Member of the U<strong>N security council.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What needs to be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First, <\/strong>Government should hear criticism rather than rejecting it outrightly. Suggestions on eroding democratic values need a thoughtful, and respectful response.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second, <\/strong>the press and the judiciary which are considered as the pillars of democracy, require to be independent of any executive interference.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third, <\/strong>strong democracy requires strong opposition. Without an alternative choice, the very objective of election to provide a check on arbitrary power gets defeated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Democratic Values and Principles are core to India\u2019s identity. We need to safeguard our democracy by strengthening its pillars- <strong>the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, and the Media<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/relevance-of-inflation-targeting-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Relevance of Inflation Targeting in India<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=G2U8CSU3H.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gs3: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis<\/strong>: Inflation control will always be relevant. But there is no conclusive evidence that the policy of inflation targeting has worked in India.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The RBI was tasked with a mandate of the inflation target of 4 percent with a 2% deviation either way in June 2016. This agreement between the centre and the RBI is set to end by march-31-2020.<\/li>\n<li>It has been acknowledged that in these 5 years period (2016-2021) after inflation targeting was introduced,\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Inflation rate has remained within the prescribed band of 2% to 6%.<\/li>\n<li>Also, the RBI has been successful in anchoring inflationary expectations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Against this backdrop, this article evaluates the success of inflation targeting as an effective monetary policy in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What is inflationary targeting?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inflation targeting prescribes the use of the <strong>interest rate<\/strong> to target inflation. Whereas other methods to control inflation targets money-supply (<strong>monetarist approach<\/strong>). For example, <strong>Open Market operations.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Some suggest <strong>inflationary targeting<\/strong> is more effective than the <strong>monetarist approach<\/strong>, as the policy interest rate, is under the direct control of the central bank.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What are the issues in Inflation targeting?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>First, <\/strong>inflation targeting is not statistically validated for Indian data.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>The model of Inflation targeting is based on the assumption that inflation means overheating the economy. i.e., increased output greater than natural level output.<\/li>\n<li>So, the Central bank will recommend raising the rate of interest (repo rate). This will eventually reduce the money supply in the economy and normalize economic activity, thereby achieving a reduction in inflation levels.<\/li>\n<li>However, it is impossible to observe the level of output in an economy. Hence, setting policy rates based on the assumption that the economy has overheated is unscientific.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Second, <\/strong>the belief that RBI can successfully control inflation using Inflation targeting is not completely true. Consider the following examples,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First<\/strong>, RBI data on household expectations showed that inflation will remain well above 6% up to 2020.<\/li>\n<li>However, inflation had fallen steadily since 2011-12, halving by 2015-16. During this period inflation targeting was not introduced. So, this explains that there are other factors that control inflation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second<\/strong>, during lockdown food inflation peaked even when the inflationary targeting mechanism was in force. It was mainly due to supply chain disruption during the lockdown.<\/li>\n<li>Also, the lockdown period witnessed a contraction in growth but coincided with inflation. This is against the core principle of inflation targeting that inflation denotes overheating economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Third,<\/strong> if the inflation in India has been controlled via inflation targeting in the past five years, it would have benefitted growth, exports, non-performing assets (NPAs) of commercial banks, and employment.\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>However, the result has not been on the expected lines. <\/strong>Only<strong>, <\/strong>private investment has declined as higher interest rates contributed to a declining private investment rate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other factors employment and exports are declining steadily.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Also, NPA\u2019s are increasing since 2016. The cases of IL&amp;FS, PMC Bank, PNB and YES Bank suggest that poor management and maladministration in the financial sector can escape RBI scrutiny as they tend to focus more on inflation targeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/issue-of-high-vacancies-in-higher-educational-institutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Issue of High Vacancies in Higher Educational Institutions<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Source- <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GJM8CPHPE.1&amp;imageview=0\">The Hindu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Syllabus- GS 2 &#8211; <\/strong>Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to Education.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis \u2013 <\/strong>According to the Education Ministry\u2019s committee, there is a high rate of Vacancies for faculty positions in Central institutions for higher education. State-sponsored preparatory programmes are essential to fill vacancies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Introduction-<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The government provides reservation for faculty positions to the weaker sections under the <strong>Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers\u2019 Cadre) Act, 2019<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>But, According to the data shared by the Education Ministry, more than half of the faculty <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/vacancies-in-central-institutions-for-higher-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vacancies reserved for SCs, STs, and OBCs<\/a> in Central institutions of higher education are vacant.<\/li>\n<li>The situation is particularly <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/older-iims-lag-behind-in-enforcing-quota-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worse in the elite Indian Institutes of Management<\/a> (IIMs). Here more than 60% of SC and OBC reserved positions are unfilled, while nearly 80% of ST reserved positions remain unfilled.<\/li>\n<li>If we include Central Universities, IISERs, IIT (non-faculty), IGNOU, and Sanskrit Central Universities then the vacancies are about 38% to 52%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This data highlights a serious mismatch between the government\u2019s reservation goals and actual recruitment outcomes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are the recommendations made by an official committee?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Exemption from a reservation in faculty hiring \u2013<\/strong> The official committee suggested exempting IITs, IIMs from the reservation for SC, ST, OBC and Economically Weaker Sections.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vacancies to be de-reserve if no suitable candidates are found within a year<\/strong>&#8211; If vacancies for appropriate candidates from SC\/ST\/OBC\/EWS applicants are not filled during a year, the vacancies may be de-reserved for the next year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, these recommendations are viewed as undermining the government&#8217;s goal of social equity through the reservation. The government needs to understand the education system\u2019s shortcoming.<\/p>\n<p><strong> State-sponsored Preparatory programmes to fulfil various issues:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the Education Ministry&#8217;s committee, the failure for filling the reserved positions is due to a lack of qualified applicants. The issue can be resolved by-<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>State-sponsored Preparatory programmes<\/strong>(prepare faculties for their interviews) to meet the IITs and IIMs standards. These preparatory programmes have the following advantages,\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>The programme will increase the pool of aspiring candidates from the reserved sections.<\/li>\n<li>Further, this will also create research faculties among the reserved sections.<\/li>\n<li>These preparatory programmes could help to overcome the quality deficiencies in faculty preparation.<\/li>\n<li>Make higher education institutions(HEIs) more socially responsive, thus achieving the objective of ending historical caste-based discrimination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Way forward<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apart from state-sponsored preparatory programmes, the government must <\/strong>increase the funding for education at all levels. This will support the vulnerable sections on their way towards equality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 class=\"note1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/single-use-plastic-pollution-in-india-a-hidden-pandemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Single Use Plastic Pollution in India &#8211; A hidden pandemic<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/covid-19-pandemic-plastic-pollution-7231459\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian Express<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Syllabus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GS 3: Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Synopsis: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">COVID-19 pandemic paused and reversed India\u2019s progress against single-use plastic pollution. Few necessary steps are essential to continue the progress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Background\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Single-use plastics were in use in great quantities during the COVID-19 pandemic to produce gloves, sanitary equipment etc.\u00a0 However, no attention has been paid to where the increased plastic waste will end up. India was progressing against plastic pollution before the pandemic began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to completely <\/span><b>remove single-use plastics by 2022.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The strategy calls for better arrangements to collect, store, and recycle single-use plastic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The UN Environment Programme <\/b>along with the support of <b>Norway and Japan took a multi-year assessment. <\/b>They found out <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how plastic finds its way into riverways, and ultimately to the ocean. They achieved this through projects like CounterMEASURE.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Geographic\u2019s<strong> Sea to Source Ganges <\/strong>study tracked plastic sources in the Ganges river basin. This brought India and Bangladesh together to study plastic pollution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Growth of<\/strong> <strong>Plastic pollution<\/strong> <b>in pandemic times:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pandemic reversed many of the aforementioned progress<\/span><b>. Single-use plastics became more abundant. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plastic was used for masks, sanitiser bottles, personal protective equipment, food packaging, and water bottles.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>This plastic will eventually disintegrate into tiny particles called microplastics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Only 9 percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. 79 per cent of all plastic produced is present in the world\u2019s landfills and in our air, water, soil, and other natural systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Suggestions to reduce Plastic Pollution<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plastic is important because of its central role in durable goods, medicine and food safety. There are quite a few steps we can take right now during the COVID-19:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The waste collection should operate at the same speed as the waste generation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Litter(paper, cans, and bottles lying in an open or public place) is a large part of plastic pollution. This generally ends up in Indian rivers. Improved planning and frequency of waste disposal operations can collect litter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The wastes should be separated <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and used plastics have to be found early in the waste-to-value cycle. So that the plastic remains suitable for treatment and recycling. It will make recycling much easier and more economically feasible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>We need to encourage environmentally-friendly substitutes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against single-use plastics. The government has to encourage business models that avoid plastic waste through alternative product delivery systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Plastic pollution should be considered as a truly society-wide problem<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It is important for government, businesses, and civil society to coordinate to find solutions.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, UNEP and its partners are working with the Indian government towards these goals. They are working with researchers, enterprises, and community groups to address plastic pollution.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data created in this process will be helpful in policy framing and decision-making processes at the national, regional and local level.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Way forward<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has to strengthen the existing plastic waste management framework in India. Further, India has to develop a National Action Plan for Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution in Rivers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apart from that, India also requires an approach to reduce the manufacture of new fossil fuel-based plastics and developing and using alternatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"oSWvUAVTEp\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-mar-18-2021\/\">Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | Mar 18, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Factly :-News Articles For UPSC Prelims | Mar 18, 2021&#8221; &#8212; Free UPSC IAS Preparation For Aspirants\" src=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/factly-news-articles-for-upsc-prelims-mar-18-2021\/embed\/#?secret=CtKBU5tmLG#?secret=oSWvUAVTEp\" data-secret=\"oSWvUAVTEp\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening dear reader Here is our 9pm current affairs brief for you today Relevance of India-Philippines Brahmos Deal Source: Click Here \u00a0 Syllabus: GS 2 &#8211; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India Synopsis: India&#8217;s Brahmos deal with the Philippines is very important. India&#8217;s aspiration to become Atma Nirbhar in defense exports&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-daily-current-affairs-brief-march-18-2021\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief \u2013 March 18, 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":80068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/9-PM-Brief-1-e1615452440806.png?fit=600%2C335&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704943023},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96289","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=96289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96289\/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=96289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}