Pune tops Ease of Living Index

Pune, Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai from Maharashtra were ranked India's three most livable places on the government's inaugural 'Ease of Living Index' released by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

• The national capital, New Delhi, is ranked 65 among 111 cities, while Chennai is in 14th place. Kolkata did not participate in the survey.
• The other cities in the top ten include Tirupati, Chandigarh, Thane, Raipur, Indore, Vijayawada and Bhopal.
• The three cities at the bottom of the rankings are Rampur, Kohima, and Patna.

Concerns

• According to the Government, it followed four parameters while determining the Ease of living Index such as governance, social, economic and physical infrastructure.
• Moreover, the evaluation of cities has been done on a 100-point scale across 78 indicators -- institutional and social pillars carried 25 points each, 5 points were given for economic pillar and 45 points for the physical pillar.
• According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the ranking marks “a shift to a data-driven approach to urban planning and management and is likely to incorporate citizen and stakeholder feedbacks in its future reports.
• According to the members of the consortium who carried out the survey, the reason behind trailing of most of the cities including the National Capital is because of the inability of the urban local bodies to provide data’s prescribed under the survey.
• Particular complications were also seen in indicators such as health where local governments did not have access to data from private hospitals.
• The consortium assisted cities in plugging the data gap with regard to certain indicators.

Way Forward

• Various Central government schemes like Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT mission initiated for achieving inclusive development of urban areas and cities should be aligned under the index to achieve more realistic results.
• The data provided by various government bodies sometimes do not have synergy with ground realities. Thus a proper transparent mechanism with the active participation of the citizens can go a long way in carving out a genuine survey.
• The Index should also recognize that the vibrant life of cities depends on variety and enabling environments, rather than relying merely on a data-driven approach.
• The survey should give more stress on pollution-free commons, walkability, and easy mobility, with a base on citizen-driven services.

MHA Advisory Against Use of National Flag Made of Plastic

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an Advisory to all State Governments/UT Administrations to ensure strict compliance of the provisions contained in the 'Flag Code of India, 2002' and 'The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971'.

• It has been brought to notice of the MHA that on the occasions of important national, cultural and sports events, the National Flags made of plastic are also being used in place of National Flags made of paper.
• Since, plastic flags are not easily biodegradable like paper flags, these do not get decomposed for a long time and ensuring appropriate disposal of National Flags made of plastic commensurate with dignity of the flag, is a practical problem.
• The Advisory has stated that Flags made of paper only are to be used by public in terms of the provisions of the 'Flag Code of India, 2002' and such paper Flags are not discarded or thrown on the ground after the event.
• Such Flags are to be disposed of, in private, consistent with the dignity of the Flag. It is requested to give wide publicity, for not using the National Flag made of plastic, in the electronic and print media.
• The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 states that whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or brings into contempt (whether by words, either spoken or written, or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
  • The Act also states that whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.

General Description of the National Flag as per the Flag Code of India

• The national flag shall be a tri-colour panel made up of three rectangular panels or sub-panels of equal widths.
• The colour of the top panel shall be India saffron (kesari) and that of the bottom panel shall be India green. The middle panel shall be white, bearing at its centre the design of Ashoka Chakra in navy blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes. The Ashoka Chakra shall preferably be screen printed or otherwise printed or stenciled or suitably embroidered and shall be completely visible on both sides of the flag in the centre of the white panel.
• The national flag of India shall be made of hand spun and hand woven wool/cotton/silk khadi bunting.
• The national flag shall be rectangular in shape. The ratio of the length to the height (width) of the flag shall be 3:2.

Jodhpur tops Railway Cleanliness Survey Conducted by the Quality Council of India

Jodhpur and Marwar in Rajasthan were declared the cleanest railway stations in the recently released survey conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) covering 407 major railway stations -- 75 in A1 category and 332 in A category stations.

• The first survey was conducted by the IRCTC followed by QCI in the second and third surveys.
• Clean toilets at platforms, clean tracks and dustbins at stations were some of the criterias for judging railway stations for cleanliness.
• Jaipur has bagged the second rank followed by Tirupati in the third spot.
• Mathura, a station frequented by devotees to the Krishna temple, is adjudged the least clean station among the major 75 stations.
• As per policymakers in Railways, the survey showed improvement in overall cleanliness at stations as compared to 2017.
• In the cleanest zone category, North Western Railway (NWR) topped the list followed by The South Central Railway (SCR) and The East Coast Railway (ECR) in the second and third position.

India Rejects UK Proposal for DNA Tests on ‘Illegal Migrants’

India rejected a proposal by the United Kingdom to use DNA sampling to establish the nationality of illegal migrants living there.

Key Highlights

• As per a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) proposed between India and UK, security agencies in India were to verify the antecedents of illegal migrants without documents in the UK within 72 days and those with documents within 15 days.
• If no report was given within the stipulated time frame, the illegal migrant would be deported automatically.
• However, the agreement was put on indefinite hold after Indian authorities conveyed that the 15-day limit was unworkable.
• UK had also suggested that the nationality of document-less illegal migrants suspected to be Indians could be established by matching DNA samples of their family members living in the country. But the Indian government raised objections that this was unethical and a was a breach of privacy.

Background

• According to the British government’s estimates, there are around 1, 00,000 Indians overstaying their visa in the U.K. However, India has contested this and claims the number to be not more than 2,000.
• In 2016, the UK stated that it would consider an improved visa deal if at the same time India and the UK can step up the speed and volume of return of illegal migrants from India.

A Roadmap Towards Cleaning India’s Air

To help improve India’s air quality, researchers from the University of Chicago and Harvard Kennedy School have laid out five key evidence-based policy recommendations in a new report, titled ‘A Roadmap Towards Cleaning India’s Air’.

• If India were to achieve its own air quality standards, life expectancy would increase by more than one year on an average.
  • This number would increase to four years if India were to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) norms.

• Although there will be no easy solution, the researchers were optimistic because of the incredible innovations currently being experimented with throughout India. Some of the greatest gains would be seen in big cities such as Delhi.

• Air quality is measured based on the number of small particles in every cubic metre of air capable of entering the bloodstream through the lungs.

Findings

• More than 660 million Indians live in areas that exceed the country’s standard for what is considered safe exposure to fine particulate pollution (PM 2.5).
• According to a January 2018 survey by Greenpeace Environment Trust that covered 630 million Indians, 550 million live in areas where particulate matter exceeds the national standard, and many live in areas where air pollution levels are more than twice the stipulated standard.
• The study found that the odd-even scheme in Delhi was effective in reducing particulate matter (PM) 2.5 by 13% during the first half of January 2016. 
  • However, there was no effect in April 2016, when the scheme was reintroduced.
  • This could have been due to greater dispersion caused by warmer temperatures.
  • Therefore, driving restrictions could be the most effective as emergency measures during the worst periods.
• The ambient air pollution alone may cost India more than $500 billion a year.

Health Impacts

• Air pollution is estimated to be the fourth leading fatal health risk worldwide after metabolic risks, dietary risks and tobacco smoke.
• Major concerns to human health from air pollution include effects on breathing and respiratory systems, damage to lung tissue, cancer and premature deaths.
• Elderly persons, children and people with chronic lung disease, influenza or asthma are more prone.

Recommendations of the Report

• Information about polluters be made public,
• Provide regulators with real-time data,
• Improve emissions monitoring by better aligning auditors’ incentives,
• Use monetary charges for excess emissions and
• Use markets to reduce abatement costs and pollution.

Coral Reefs could Survive Global Warming, says Study

According to a study published in the journal Current Biology, the coral-algal partnerships have endured numerous climate change events since the age of dinosaurs and there may be hope for marine reefs to survive modern-day global warming as well.

• The relationship between corals and the mutualistic micro-algae that enable them to build reefs is considerably older and more diverse than previously assumed.

• Past estimates placed the initiation of these symbiotic relationships at 50 to 65 million years ago, however this research indicates that modern corals and their algal partners have been entwined with each other for much longer — since the time of the dinosaurs, approximately 160 million years ago.

• The micro-algae, commonly called zooxanthellae, lives inside the cells of corals, allowing them to acquire energy from sunlight and to build the massive, economically valuable reef formations upon which countless marine organisms rely for habitat.
• The team used genetic evidence — including DNA sequences, phylogenetic analyses and genome comparisons — to calculate the micro-algae’s approximate age of origin.
• They also used classical morphological techniques, in which they compared visual characteristics of these symbionts using light and electron microscopy, along with computer modelling and other methods, to discover that in addition to being older, the algae family is far more diverse than previously perceived.

Government Plans to Extend Subsidy to Women

To encourage employers to hire more women, the Ministry of Labour & Employment has planned to extend the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) for women to five years.

• Launched in August 2016, the subsidy to employers is currently available for three years against all skilled and unskilled workers across all sectors with monthly salary up to Rs 15,000 who have joined since April 2016.
• The move comes in the wake of sharp decline being observed in employment of women in the workforce.
• Small and medium enterprises as well as micro businesses would be incentivised to hire more women as the government would pay the employer’s contribution of 12% towards the employees’ pension and provident fund for five years for fresh talent who join the workforce.
• India’s low female workforce participation rate is amongst the worst in South Asia. According to the 2018 Economic Survey, employment of women has declined to 24% from 36% in 2005-2006.

Reasons for Low Participation

• With the recent expansion of secondary education, as well as rapidly changing social norms in India, more working age young females (15 to 24 years) are opting to continue their education rather than join the labour force early.
• Stability in family income had also led female family members to choose dropping out of the labour force. As incomes have increased, women who worked only out of necessity have retreated to their homes.
• As agriculture has come under stress and rural women have been squeezed out of their farm jobs on the one hand, educated urban women haven’t moved into the workforce in considerable numbers on the other.
• The pressures of urbanization, social norms and biases, and infrastructure issues are some of the other reasons contributing to the low LFPR. Lack of conducive work environment is another significant deterrent in the women's participation in the labourforce.
• Lack of jobs overall with men taking up most of the share along with the lower quality of jobs offered to women reduce their share in the workforce. There are many jobs to which women’s access is restricted by law, such as those in mines and hazardous industries.

Steps Taken by Government to Improve the Labour Force Participation of Women

• Sexual Harassment Electronic-Box (SHe-box)
  • The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has launched an online platform to enable women employees working in both the public and private organisations to file complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace.
  • It has been launched to ensure the effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013.
  • Once a complaint is submitted to the portal, it will be directly sent to the Internal Complaints Committee of the concerned Ministry or department.
• Women Entrepreneurship Platform
  • NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2018.
  • WEP is built on three pillars: Ichha Shakti (motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their enterprise), Gyaan Shakti (providing knowledge and ecosystem support to women entrepreneurs to help them foster entrepreneurship) and Karma Shakti (providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs in setting-up and scaling up businesses).
• The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2016
  • The amendment extends the period of maternity benefit from 12 weeks to 26 weeks of which not more than eight weeks can precede the date of the expected delivery.
  • The Act requires establishments having 50 or more employees to have a crèche facility, either separately or along with common facilities. Further, employers should allow the woman to visit the crèche four times a day, which shall also include the interval for rest allowed to her.
  • The Act gives discretion to employers to allow women to work from home after the period of maternity benefit on mutually agreeable conditions. This would apply if the nature of work assigned to the woman permits her to work from home.

Way Forward

• Long-term, structural reforms are needed but in the short term targeted policy measures can deliver specific goals even when the rest of the infrastructure (such as ease of doing business, access to credit facilities and affordable childcare) may not be in place.
• Better transport infrastructure can alleviate a major constraint for female entrepreneurs in accessing markets as women face greater constraints in geographic mobility imposed by safety concerns and social norms.
• Policymakers in India should take a comprehensive approach to improve labour market outcomes for women through improving access to and relevance of education and training programs, skills development, access to child care, maternity protection, and provision of safe and accessible transport, along with the promotion of a pattern of growth that creates job opportunities.
• Ultimately, the goal is not merely to increase female labour force participation, but to provide opportunities for decent work that will, in turn, contribute to the economic empowerment of women.
• Economic growth and development depend upon successfully utilizing the workforce, both male and female. India’s future growth escalators are in creating a robust platform for growth, and successfully utilizing its workforce, both male and female.
• Empowering women to engage in productive employment is critical to achieving not only the UN based SDG but is also pivotal to economic growth, poverty eradication, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and attaining universal primary education.

Report on Fair Market Conduct

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) constituted a Committee on Fair Market Conduct in 2017 under the Chairmanship of Shri T.K. Viswanathan. The committee submitted its report in August 2018. The Committee was mandated to review:

• The existing legal framework that deals with market abuse to ensure fair conduct in the securities market.
• Review the surveillance, investigation and enforcement mechanisms being undertaken by SEBI to make them more effective in protecting market integrity and the interest of investors from market abuse.

Key Proposals

• Rather than relying on the provisions of Companies Act, the committee has recommended that the SEBI Act should be amended to allow SEBI to prosecute entities that manipulate their accounts.
  
  • Till now, SEBI had to invoke its insider trading laws to press charges against perpetrators.
  • This is a good move considering that SEBI has been a more proactive regulator than the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• The definition of fraudulent trades under the Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Markets (PFUTP) rules has been widened to include front-running, orchestrated trades, circular trading and benchmark fixing.

• Whistle-blowers play a key role in alerting regulators to malpractice and the report recommends that SEBI, rather than the Central Government, be empowered to grant immunity to whistle-blowers.
• The panel has suggested that companies maintain electronic records of all price-sensitive information shared with outsiders and lists of those related to insiders as this can help in detecting cases of insider trading.
• However, a couple of recommendations could be considered as a drawback as they could result in regulatory overreach. 
  • One is the suggestion to characterise trading by market players in excess of their ‘verifiable financial resources’ as the fraud.
  • The other is to grant SEBI powers to intercept calls.

Background

• In India, the Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI) is mandated to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of and to regulate the securities market.
• However, this has had little effect on the conduct of market players, with scams, frauds and accounting manipulations cropping up all too frequently.
• Also, developments in technology have led to increasing cyber threats that could lead to the manipulation of markets.
• These changes have led to the need to review the securities law dealing with market abuse and the methods used for detecting, investigating and carrying out enforcement against market abuse.