Telemedicine Facility for Pilgrims

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined hands with Jammu and Kashmir’s Directorate of Health Services-Kashmir (DHS-K) to set up a telemedicine centre at an altitude of 12,700 feet, to cater to pilgrims en route to the Amarnath shrine.

• It will provide real-time treatment for high-altitude and other ailments that pilgrims frequently face in the region. An Intensive Care Unit will handle critically ill patients.
• The telemedicine facility will enable the doctors posted at the hospital to connect in real time to the tertiary care institutions of the country. Expert opinion on super-specialities like cardiology, neurology and respiratory medicine can be sought for timely intervention.
• The Post Graduate Institute of Medial Education and Research, (PGIMER), Chandigarh; the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, etc. will be among the country’s top hospitals available through the telemedicine facility.

Rural Growth & Farm Loan Waivers

According to a recent report by Nielsen, demand growth visible in some rural pockets of India is driven by farm loan waivers and not likely due to real increases in rural incomes and wages. This indicates that the economy is still away from revival.

• The rural growth outpaced urban demand, primarily because of farm loan waivers announced by number of states.
• This upward trend rural in demand is notable from the sale of items like tractors and the latest corporate earnings of consumer goods companies. A similar phenomenon was witnessed in 2009 when the then government had waived farm loans and tractor sales grew by 30%.
• Moreover, this increase in rural demand is based on a weak base- coming over two years of weak growth as demonetization took a hit on consumption. Therefore, this could be just a bounce back from the 2016 lows and not necessarily translate into the required higher momentum in rural demand.
• Rural demand might have risen on the back of affluent farmers which could have outweighed the decline in demand from majority.
• However, sustainability of this pick in rural demand depends on other factors like- a good monsoon along with adequate procurement and the effectiveness of MSPs to act as a floor for crop prices.

RBI Advisory on Direct Benefit Transfer

Acknowledging the problems in the implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) for food subsidy, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has advised States to be cautious while effecting the migration to DBT based cash transfers. At present, three UTs - Puducherry, Chandigarh and urban areas of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli are implementing the mode of direct cash transfer.

Problems Experienced in DBT (Food Subsidy)

• The inadequacy of transfers to maintain pre-DBT consumption levels,
• Insufficiency of last-mile delivery mechanisms, and
• Weak grievance redressal system.

Benefits of Cash Transfer over the PDS (Food Subsidy)

• Reduces the need for large physical movement of food grains,
• Given the wide inter-State and intra-State variations in food consumption habits, the DBT provides “greater autonomy” to beneficiaries to choose their consumption basket and enhance dietary diversity, and
• It reduces the leakage in the PDS system.

Pre-conditions for Implementation of DBT (Food Subsidy)

• Complete digitization and de-duplication of the beneficiary database,
• Seeding of bank account details and Aadhaar numbers in the digitized database,
• Ensuring adequate availability of foodgrains in the open market, and
• Identification of a state agency with a separate bank account to receive and transfer the subsidy to the bank accounts of the entitled beneficiaries.

Measures to Strengthen DBT (Food Subsidy)

• States with lower literacy levels, higher portion of BPL populations and relatively high child malnutrition could first strengthen the existing PDS through Information and Communication Technologies-based in-kind transfers before embarking on ICT-based DBT cash transfers.
• Selective implementation in a few districts that exhibit diverse food habits and market infrastructure may be undertaken by states which have fulfilled the pre-conditions and feedback from these districts can be used to extend this programme further.
• To sum up, the PDS has been undergoing transformation and the state governments may have to be ready to adjust to the change to improve the efficiency of expenditure on providing food security to their people.

Committee to Review the Offences Under the Companies Act

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has constituted a 10-member committee to review the penal provisions under the Companies Act, 2013 and examine de-criminalisation of certain offences.

Recently, the government also raised the monetary threshold for filing appeals in various courts on tax disputes aimed at lowering tax litigation.

Terms of reference of the Committee

• To examine the nature of all ‘acts’ categorised as compoundable offences under the Companies Act, 2013 (CA-13) and recommend if any of such ‘acts’ may be re-categorised as ‘acts’ which attract civil liabilities wherein the company and its ‘officers in default’ are liable for penalty.

• To review the provisions relating to non-compoundable offences and recommend whether any such provisions need to be re-categorised as compoundable offence.

• To examine the existing mechanism of levy of penalty under the CA-13 and suggest any improvements thereon.
• To lay down the broad contours of an in-house adjudicatory mechanism where penalty may be levied in a MCA21 system driven manner so that discretion is minimised.

• To take necessary steps in formulation of draft changes in the law.
• Any other matter which may be relevant in this regard.

Benefits

• Simple violations will not attract disproportionate punishment.
• This would allow the trial courts to pay more attention to offences of serious nature because it will reduce the number of cases in the courts.
• It will improve the ease of doing business in India.

Bengaluru to Host 3rd Edition of IoT India Congress

The third edition of IoT (Internet of Things) India Congress, 2018 will be held in Bengaluru.

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

• The IoT is a seamlessly connected network system of embedded objects/ devices, in which communication without any human intervention is possible using standard and interoperable communication protocols.
• IoT will enable collaboration and communication between people and things, and between things themselves hitherto unknown and unimagined, via the Internet anywhere, anytime, as a result of the convergence of many technologies.
• These include ubiquitous computing, technologies related to advanced machine-to-machine communication, data mining and decision-making, security and privacy protection and cloud computing.
• It can also be defined as interplay for software, telecom, and electronic hardware industry.

Examples of Applications:

• An IoT-enabled air conditioning system can report whether its air filter is clean and be functioning properly.
• Companies would be able to track their assets with the help of GPS-enabled devices which could communicate their current location and movement.
• In the transportation industry, an enterprise can deliver real-time tracking of parcels by using sensors to track the location of a container.

India’s Policy on the Internet of Things

• For India to leverage its strength as a leader in the global service industry, the draft IoT policy has been formulated to create IoT ecosystem in the country.
• The Indian Government's plan of developing 100 smart cities in the country could lead to a massive and quick expansion of IoT in the country.
• Also, the launch of the Digital India Program of the Government, which aims at ‘transferring India into digital empowered society and knowledge economy will provide the required impetus for the development of the IoT industry in the country.
• Draft IoT policy document released by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, (Deity) focuses on the following objectives:
  • To create an IOT industry in India of USD 15 Billion by 2020 with a share of 5-6% of the global IoT industry.
  • To undertake Research & Development for all the assisting technologies.
  • To develop IoT products specific to Indian needs in all possible domains.
    
    

Social Media Communications Hub

A petition has been filed and accepted in the Supreme Court against a proposal by the Centre to set up a Social Media Communications Hub.

What is the Proposed Social Media Communications Hub?

• It will be a platform that will allow the government to keep an eye on all social media platforms — Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn etc — and try to get a sense of the public mood, with the capability to track an individual’s public posts across platforms.
• It will have the ability to collect digital media chatter from all core social media platforms and provide real-time “insights, metrics and other valuable data” to the government.
• The objective is to gauge and analyze the public sentiment towards various government policies and announcements, and track influencers.
• The platform will be able to operate in different languages such as English, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and Chinese, German, French, and Arabic.

What are the Concerns around the Social Media Hub?

• Concerns have been expressed about legality, privacy, and freedom of speech, If social media platforms are monitored, and there is a possibility of India ‘moving to a surveillance state’.
• Concerns have been raised about the project as illegal and unconstitutional and are contrary to the right to privacy and freedom of speech and expression.
• Since it lacks any legislative backing, oversight, and accountability; there is a possibility to profile and database social media users; and whereby it can lead to abuse of power.
• The Supreme Court in a 2017 judgment upheld privacy as a fundamental right. The judgment stated that, if the posting on social media websites are meant for only a certain audience, then it cannot be said that the general public has a right to somehow access that information and make use of it. (India Is Not A Surveillance State: SC)

What is the Government’s stand?

• The government intends to only assess public sentiment on social media as it is a public domain and, hence, the notion that the tool will be used for mass surveillance or snooping is purely misplaced.
• Companies use such tools to find out what is the public sentiment around a particular product and the government claims it wants to only adopt a similar pattern.

Domestic Tech Security Firms get Priority in Govt. Purchases

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) passed an order that notified Cyber Security as a strategic sector and preference shall be provided to procure domestically manufactured/produced Cyber Security Products.

Key Highlights

• The government has mandated giving preference in all public procurement to locally produced cybersecurity products where intellectual property rights are owned by companies or startups incorporated in India.
• The notification is based on Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 which aims to enhance income and employment in the country.
• Preference will be granted to a firm incorporated and registered in India or to start-up firms that meet the prescribed definition, provided revenue from the product and intellectual property licensing accrues to the firm in India.
• Intellectual Property (IP) registration is not mandatory; however, a firm claiming benefit should have the right to use and commercialize the product without third party-consents, distribute and modify it.
• It is important for India to use and promote indigenous cybersecurity products to protect its information space as well to promote startups and ensure economic prosperity.

Background

• Ever since its digital transformation has gained pace, India has been at the epicenter of cyber attacks executed by cybercriminals, hacktivists and mostly non-state actors.
• As per information provided by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a total no. of 53081 cyber security incidents were observed during the year 2017.
• India continues to be second most impacted by spam and bots, third most impacted by network attacks, and fourth most impacted by ransomware.

Govt Wants More Powers for NIA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is set to introduce amendments in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 seeking to give more power to NIA.

Proposed Amendments

• The NIA will be empowered to probe cases related to human trafficking, weapons dealer, hacking of important websites and violations of the explosives law.
• The NIA director-general will be empowered to carry out “seizure and attachment of a property representing proceeds of terrorism”. At present, the NIA needs the state DGP’s approval for the same.
• NIA will be allowed to launch a parallel probe into terror attacks on Indians and their properties abroad.
• Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the government will be allowed to designate an individual suspected to have terror links as a terrorist who are not associated with any terror organization but indulge in terror acts independently.
• NIA inspectors will be allowed to investigate offences under the UAPA. At present, an officer of Deputy SP- rank or above is empowered in UAPA cases.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Seek Nod to Cull Saltwater Crocodiles

The local administration of the Andaman and Nicobar islands has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change which sought the temporary removal of saltwater crocodiles from Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. The proposal was issued in the wake of growing number of crocodile attacks at the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

• The removal could potentially lead to culling of adult saltwater crocodiles.
• Under the Wildlife Protection Act, the Schedule I status is given to the most endangered species of plants and animals and carry the highest penalty for poachers.
• However, permission may be given for selective culling if any species is declared vermin by local authorities or is perceived to be a severe threat to human lives.
• In response to the rising attacks the local administrator has restricted access to many popular beaches across the islands and has put warning signs urging visitors to not venture into the sea.
• The fear has impacted both the tourism and fisheries industries, which are the main source of revenue for the islanders.
• Local conservationists however argue that the decision to cull adult crocodiles will not be easy and is bound to raise an outcry.
• Geotagging of the animals has been suggested as an alternative. It can allow better monitoring of their movements and provide adequate warning.

Saltwater Crocodile

• The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles and can reach 7 metres.
• It can be found across South-east Asia, Australia and the Sunderbans, besides the Andaman and Nicobar.
• They are known to swim long distances, which often makes their relocation difficult.
• Once poached extensively for their skin and meat, the saltwater crocodile population in the islands have grown from double digits in the mid 60s to about 1,700 under the government’s Project Crocodile programme, which was launched in 1975.
  

Declining Harriers Birds in India

Harrier birds, a migratory raptor species that regularly visits India, are declining in the country. Disappearing grasslands are one of the major reasons behind the declining population of the migratory species.

• There are 16 species of harriers distributed worldwide throughout tropical and temperate regions, and six of these species migrate to India from central Asia and neighbouring areas during the winter.
• India has one of the largest roosting sites in the world for Pallid Harriers and Montagu’s Harriers.
• Major changes in the number of harrier birds have been observed at the Rollapadu Bustard S
• anctuary in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district.
• In Hessarghatta on the outskirts of Bengaluru, Western Marsh Harriers declined significantly, leaving the area nearly deserted. 

Reasons for Decline

• A combination of factors including changes in breeding areas, changes in their wintering areas and migratory routes could all affect the migratory birds’ numbers.
• Loss of grasslands, either to urbanisation or to agriculture has been one of the major reasons for the decline of the migratory species in the country.
• Excessive use of pesticides in farms in and around the roosting sites could also be a reason for the lowered population counts. In crops such as cotton, the use of pesticides kills grasshoppers, the harriers’ primary prey, and could lead to mortality of the birds themselves as they are on the top of the food chain.

Important Facts for Prelims (July 16th, 2018)

Golden Jackal faces threat in its habitat

• Destruction of mangrove cover in the Bandar Reserve Forest is forcing the golden jackal (Canis aureus) out of its habitat, triggering a conflict with the local communities.
• Several golden jackals have been spotted out of their habitats.
• The conservation status of the animal as classified by IUCN is the ‘least concern’ and it preys on wild crab and fish.

Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik

• Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme “Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik” in 2016.
• It is an innovative scheme to develop the regional aviation market.
• The scheme will create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.
• The scheme envisages providing connectivity to un-served and underserved airports of the country through the revival of existing air-strips and airports. The scheme would be in operation for a period of 10 years.