Whistleblowers Protection Act

Recently, the accusations raised against the Infosys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and other senior officials have brought back the focus on whistleblowers’ safety in India.

• In recent years, the number of whistleblowing complaints has risen in the corporate sector, with Wipro and State Bank of India (SBI) facing most of them in 2018.

Background

• Whistleblowing is defined as an act of disclosing information by an employee or any concerned stakeholder about an illegal or unethical conduct within an organization.
  
  • A whistleblower is a person who informs about a person or organization engaged in such illicit activity.
• The Law Commission of India in 2001, had recommended that, in order to eliminate corruption, a law to protect whistleblowers was necessary. It had drafted a bill as well to address this issue.
• In 2004, in response to a petition filed after the infamous murder of NHAI Official, the Supreme Court of India directed the Central government that, ‘administrative machinery be put in place for acting on complaints from whistleblowers till a law is enacted.’
  
  • The government, in response, notified a resolution in 2004 named, ‘Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Resolution (PIDPIR)’.
  • This resolution gave the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) the power to act on complaints from whistleblowers.
• In 2007, the report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission also recommended that a specific law needs to be enacted to protect whistleblowers.
  
  • The UN Convention against Corruption to which India is a signatory (although not ratified) since 2005, encourages states to facilitate reporting of corruption by public officials and provide protection for witnesses and experts against retaliation.
  • The Convention also provides safeguards against victimization of the person making the complaint.
• To conform with such regulations, in 2011 Whistleblowers Protection Bill was proposed which finally became a law in 2014.
• The Companies Act, 2013, as well as the Securities and Exchange Board of India regulations have made it mandatory for companies to take notice of all such complaints.

Key Highlights of Whistleblower Protection Act, 2014

• The act establishes a mechanism to receive complaints related to disclosure of allegations of corruption or wilful misuse of power or discretion, against any public servant, and to inquire or cause an inquiry into such disclosure.
  
  • The act also provides adequate safeguards against victimization of the person making such complaints.
• It allows any person, including a public servant, to make a public interest disclosure before a Competent Authority. The law has elaborately defined various competent authorities. For instance, Competent authority to complaint against any union minister is the Prime Minister.
• The law does not allow anonymous complaints to be made and clearly states that no action will be taken by a competent authority if the complainant does not establish his/her identity.
  
  • The maximum time period for making a complaint is seven years.
• Exemptions: The act is not applicable to the Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel and officers, constituted under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988.
• Court of Appeal: Any person aggrieved by any order of the Competent Authority can make an appeal to the concerned High Court within a period of sixty days from the date of the order.
• Penalty: Any person who negligently or mala-fidely reveals the identity of a complainant will be punishable with imprisonment for a term extending up to 3 years and a fine which may extend up to Rs 50,000.
  
  • If the disclosure is done mala-fidely and knowingly that it was incorrect or false or misleading, the person will be punishable with imprisonment for a term extending up to 2 years and a fine extending up to Rs. 30,000.
• Annual Report: The Competent Authority prepares a consolidated annual report of the performance of its activities and submits it to the Central or State Government that will be further laid before each House of Parliament or State Legislature, as the case may be.
• The Whistleblowers Act overrides the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and allows the complainant to make public interest disclosure before competent authority even if they are violative of the later act but not harming the sovereignty of the nation.
  
  • In 2015, an amendment bill was moved that proposes, whistleblowers must not be allowed to reveal any documents classified under the Official Secrets Act of 1923 even if the purpose is to disclose acts of corruption, misuse of power or criminal activities. This dilutes the very existence of the 2014 Act.

Way Forward

• Suitable legislation must be enacted to provide protection to innocent whistleblowers and the dilution of the act that is proposed by the 2015 Amendment Bill must be abandoned.
• Strengthening of the whistleblower protection mechanism will help in ensuring that the integrity of democracy is protected, cherished and upheld.

Source: Mint

Mission Indradhanush

The Government will launch the second phase of nationwide immunisation drive, i.e. Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0, to mark the 25 years of Pulse polio programme.

• Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 aims to achieve at least 90% pan-India immunisation coverage by 2022.
• Mission Indradhanush, that was launched in December 2014, has increased India’s immunisation coverage significantly to 87% from 67% in 2014.
• However, official data on India’s immunisation coverage is still 62%, given as the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16).

Immunization Programme in India

• Immunization Programme in India was introduced in 1978 as ‘Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• In 1985, the Programme was modified as ‘Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)’. The stated objectives of the Programme include:
  
  • Rapidly increasing immunization coverage,
  • Improving the quality of services,
  • Establishing a reliable cold chain system to the health facility level,
  • Introducing a district-wise system for monitoring of performance,
  • Achieving self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
• UIP prevents mortality and morbidity in children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. But in the past, it was seen that the increase in immunization coverage had slowed down and it increased at the rate of 1% per year between 2009 and 2013.
• To accelerate the coverage, Mission Indradhanush was envisaged and implemented since 2015 to rapidly increase the full immunization coverage to 90%.

Mission Indradhanush

• The aim is to fully immunize more than 89 lakh children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated under UIP.
• It targets children under 2 years of age and pregnant women for immunization.
• It provides vaccination against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) i.e. diphtheria, Whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia, Hemophilus influenza type B infections, Japanese encephalitis (JE), rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and measles-rubella (MR).
  
  • However, Vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus influenzae type B is being provided in selected districts of the country.
• It is a nationwide initiative with a special focus on 201 high focus districts. These districts accounted for nearly 50% of the total partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children in the country.
• The rate of increase in full immunization coverage increased to 6.7% per year through the first two phases of ‘Mission Indradhanush’.

Intensified Mission Indradhanush

• The Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) was launched by the Government of India in 2017 to reach each and every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation programme.
  • Under IMI, greater focus has been given on urban areas which was one of the gaps of Mission Indradhanush.
• The target under IMI was to increase the full immunization coverage to 90% by December 2018. However, only 16 districts in the country have achieved 90% coverage so far.
• The Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 will target the districts which have immunisation coverage of 70% or below.

Pulse Polio Immunization Programme

• With the global initiative of eradication of polio in 1988 following the World Health Assembly resolution in 1988, Pulse Polio Immunization programme was launched in India in the financial year 1994-95.
• It was started with an objective of achieving hundred percent coverage under Oral Polio Vaccine.
• Children in the age group of 0-5 years are administered polio drops during national and sub-national immunization rounds (in high risk areas) every year.
• WHO on 24th February 2012 removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild poliovirus transmission and in 2014, India was declared Polio free.
• As a risk mitigation measure, the country has also introduced Inactivated Polio Vaccine across the country in all states.
  

Source: IE

National Anti-Drone Guidelines

Recently, the Indian government has finalized National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines for handling the threats from Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

• The genesis of the counter rogue drone guidelines lies in the rising number of drone-related safety incidents across the world including in India.
  
  • Recent incidents of the utilization of drones to target VVIPs in Venezuela and Saudi Aramco drone attacks are a stark reminder of the threat level from rogue drones.
  • India has an estimated over 6 lakh rogue or unregulated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)of various sizes and capacities
• To handle the above scenario the Ministry of Civil Aviation has suggested a counter-rogue drone deployment plan, categorized across three models, based on the sensitivity of vital assets and installations.
• The strategic installations differ from state to state and place to place, based on their geographical condition, criticality and construction type but standard categorization would be:
  
  • Full-scale model :
    
    • It will work for the protection of vital assets of critical national importance like Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, nuclear installations, major airports, etc;
    • Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) with primary and passive detection means like radar, Radio Frequency (RF) detectors, electro-optical, and infrared cameras to be installed.
  • Mid-segment model:
    
    • It will protect installations like metro airports, oil refineries, ports, and power plants, etc
    • A lower level of threat mitigation techniques (compared to the full-scale model) to be installed with Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS).
  • Basic model:
    
    • Aims to protect state secretariats, important official premises, monuments of national importance etc.
    • The basic threat mitigation technology to be used.
• A realistic vulnerability analysis of identified vital areas/vital points by specialist security agencies based on impact assessment from a different category of drones, natural camouflage, and local security scenario would help to establish Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS).
• The Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) includes the following modern weapons:
  
  • Sky Fence:
    
    • It aims to block a lethal drone that uses a range of signal disruptors to jam the flight path and prevent them from entering their target, a sensitive installation or event venue.
  • Drone gun:
    
    • It is capable of jamming the radio, a global positioning system (GPS) and a mobile signal between the drone and the pilot.
    • Further, it forces the drone to the ground in good time before it could wreak any damage.
    • Australia has already designed such kind of weapon with an effective range of 2 km.
  • Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA):
    
    • It works by firing a high energy laser beam on a rogue drone resulting in its complete destruction in the air.
    • It is a very costly technology and is currently being tested by the US army.
  • Drone Catcher:
    
    • It swiftly approaches an enemy drone and grabs it by throwing a net around it.
    • Such a tool is required when a rogue drone is needed to be captured safely to extract incriminating evidence from it
  • Skywall 100:
    
    • It is the ground version of the 'drone catcher' and it works by bringing down a UAV using a parachute that is hurled through a net from 100 meters distance.
• In addition to the counter rogue drone deployment models, the civil aviation ministry has also suggested a set of legal procedures to handle rogue drones.
  
  • The legislation needs to address the risk-based use of Counter-UAS authority and coordination among relevant departments and agencies.
  • It shall also aim to mitigate adverse impacts of anti-drone guidelines on the safety, efficiency, and accessibility to the Indian airspace to the maximum extent feasible.
  • The law shall state a legal framework for authorized use of C-UAS systems by security agencies for protecting vital assets, safeguarding manned aviation, supporting law enforcement activities, protecting national borders and conducting operations.

Radio Frequency (RF)

• It refers to the electromagnetic radio waves in the range of 3 kHz to 300 GHz, as well as the alternating currents carrying the radio signals.
• This is the frequency band that is used for wireless communications transmission and broadcasting.
• The frequency band is being divided into different parts, which are then assigned to different technology industries. This is known as the radio spectrum. For example, the Very High Frequency(VHF) band, which ranges from 30-300 MHz, is being used for FM radio, TV broadcasts, and amateur radio and its counterparts.

Source:IE

Industry-University Linkage Index

Recently, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with the Ministry of Science and Technology has released the Industry-University Index assessing input-output relations between the education sector (Universities) and industries.

• Industry linkages are found moderate in India with an overall score of 4.7 on a scale of 10.
• Karnataka, Kerala, and Gujarat have topped in University-Industry Linkages (UILs) and have scored 7.8, 7.3 and 6.7 respectively.
• Most of the northeastern states are at the bottom of the stack, while larger states such as West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar are poor performers.
• The survey identifies 10 sectors for improving industry linkage through capacity building, research and development activity, including agro and food processing, textiles, information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, energy, cement, pharmaceuticals, and automotive sectors.
• The index highlighted that the Bayh Dole Act of US of the 1980s has been proven the best model in strengthening university-industry linkages.
  
  • This act has been implemented by many countries world over.
  • India is at a very nascent stage of developing strong linkages between universities and industries.
• One of the key bottle-neck in the country has been the absence of a clear policy for strengthening linkages between the university and industry.
• The index emphasized revival of the Protection and Utilization of Public-Funded Intellectual Property (PUPFIP) Bill which was tabled in 2008 but later withdrawn from Parliament.
  
  • The PUPFIP bill was prepared on the lines of the Bayh Dole Act.

Bayh Dole Act

• The Bayh-Dole Act, formally known as the Patent and Trademark Act Amendments of 1980, added a new official policy for the granting of patents in the United States.
• The Act created a viable route by which new insights and valuable research results from universities and other institutions can make their way efficiently to start-ups and established firms.
  
  • This law settled a longstanding issue about the patenting of federally-funded projects.

Protection and Utilization of Public-Funded Intellectual Property (PUPFIP) Bill, 2008

• It seeks to provide incentives for creating and commercializing intellectual property from public-funded research.
• The Bill requires the scientist who creates an intellectual property to immediately inform the research institution.
  
  • The institution shall disclose this information to the government within 60 days.
• The scientist shall be paid a minimum of 30%of net royalties received from the PUPFIP.
• Failure of the scientist to intimate the institution, and of the institution to inform the government carries penalties, which include fines and recovery of the grant funds.

Source:Mint

Artificial Leaf For Clean Gas

Scientists have developed an 'artificial leaf' device that uses sunlight to produce a widely-used gas (syngas) currently made from fossil fuels, and could be used to create a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to petrol.

• It is a carbon-neutral device that can directly produce syngas in a sustainable and simple way from carbon dioxide and water, setting a new benchmark in the field of solar fuels.
  
  • Unlike the current industrial processes for producing syngas, the leaf does not release any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Syngas (Synthesis Gas) is currently made from a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and is used to produce a range of commodities, such as fuels, pharmaceuticals, plastics and fertilisers.
  
  • The syngas is produced by gasification of a carbon containing fuel to a gaseous product that has some heating value. Some of the examples of syngas production include gasification of coal emissions, waste emissions to energy gasification, and steam reforming of coke.
  • The general raw materials used for gasification (creation of syngas) are coal, petroleum based materials (i.e. fossil fuels), or other materials that would be rejected as waste.
  • The name syngas is derived from the use as an intermediate in generating synthetic natural gas and to create ammonia or methanol. It is a gas that can be used to synthesize other chemicals, hence the name synthesis gas, which was shortened to syngas. Syngas is also an intermediate in creating synthetic petroleum to use as a lubricant or fuel.
• Rather than running on fossil fuels, the artificial leaf is powered by sunlight.
  
  • The device is inspired by photosynthesis—the natural process by which plants use the energy from sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food.
  • On the artificial leaf, two light absorbers, similar to the molecules in plants that harvest sunlight, are combined with a catalyst made from the naturally abundant element cobalt.
  • When the device is immersed in water, one light absorber uses the catalyst to produce oxygen.
  • The other carries out the chemical reaction that reduces carbon dioxide and water into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, forming the syngas mixture.
  • The researchers discovered that the light absorbers work even under the low levels of sunlight on a rainy or overcast day. This means that the technology can be used anywhere in the world.

Source: ToI

Ramgarh Dam

The Ramgarh dam, located in the state of Rajasthan, which earlier supplied drinking water to the city of Jaipur has dried completely in the last decade.

• To resolve this problem a proposal is suggested that the Chambal river water be supplied to the dam through the proposed Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.
• The dam was constructed in 1904 during the reign of erstwhile Jaipur ruler Sawai Madho Singh-II.
• Ramgarh lake had hosted rowing events during the 1982 Asian Games.

Chambal River

• It is one of the most pollution-free rivers of India.
• It’s a 960 km. long river that originates at the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). From there, it flows in North direction in Madhya Pradesh for a length of about 346 km and then follows a north-easterly direction for a length of 225 km through Rajasthan.
• It enters U.P. and flows for about 32 km before joining the Yamuna River in Etawah District.
• It is a rainfed river and its basin is bounded by the Vindhyan mountain ranges and the Aravallis. The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
• Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati.
• Main Power Projects/ Dam: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar Dam, and Kota Barrage.
• The National Chambal Sanctuary is located along river Chambal on the tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.

Source: TH

White Bellbird

According to a study, published in the journal ‘Current Biology’, the male white bellbird’s mating call is about three times louder than screaming phias — the previously loudest bird.

• The discovery offers another example of the consequences of sexual selection.
  
  • Sexual selection happens when males compete for mates, driving the evolution of truly bizarre and exaggerated traits such as the peacock’s tail, and the now found loud singing abilities of the male bellbirds.
  • In general, sexual selection is a theory in postulating that the evolution of certain conspicuous physical traits—such as pronounced coloration, increased size, or striking adornments—in animals may grant the possessors of these traits greater success in obtaining mates.
• The white bellbird is one of the four bellbird species in South and Central America.
• It is listed on the ‘Least Concern’ category under the IUCN.

Source: TH