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22nd Meeting of FSDC

Why in News Recently, the 22nd meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) chaired by the Finance Minister was held through a...

29 May 2020 News Analysis
Veer Savarkar Jayanti

Why In News On 28th May, India paid tribute to the freedom fighter, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar) on his birth anniversary. He was an...

29 May 2020 News Analysis
State Election Commission’s Autonomy

This article is based on Securing Election Commission’s autonomy published in The Indian Express on 26/05/2020. It talks about the challenges...

28 May 2020 News Editorials
MSMEs Loans to Get ‘Risk-Free’ Tag

Why in News The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to allow banks to assign zero risk weight for loans that will be extended to the Micro, Medium...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
Indian Political Thinker - BR Ambedkar

Introduction Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the main architects of the Indian Constitution. He was...

28 May 2020 Paper 2
Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance: Umang Mobile App

Why in News Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has added the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) weather...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
Invasive Species: Charru Mussel

Why in News An invasive species named Charru mussel (Mytella strigata), native to the South and Central American coasts, is spreading quickly in the...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
World Dugong Day 2020

Why in News World Dugong Day is celebrated on 28th May, every year. Key Points Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called ‘Sea Cow’ is one...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
National Highways Authority of India

Why in News The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has directed its Regional Officers (ROs) and Project Directors (PDs) to undertake...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
Tianwen-1: China's Mars Mission

Why In News China will launch its first Mars Mission - Tianwen-1- in July, 2020. China's previous ‘Yinghuo-1’ Mars mission, which was...

28 May 2020 News Analysis
Public Health System In India

This article is based on “Reset and reform” which was published in The Indian Express on 29/04/2020. It talks about the importance and...

27 May 2020 News Editorials
Arogya Setu App: An Open Source

Why in News Recently, the source code of Aarogya Setu Mobile App has been made open source for software developers. It has been uploaded on...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
Fabrication of Controlled Nanostructures

Why in News Recently, the researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) Mohali have found a route to fabricate precisely...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna: ANITA

Why in News Recently, NASA’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) has detected the unusual upward movement of neutrinos in...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
Locusts and Urban Areas

Why in News Over the last few days, swarms of locusts have been sighted unusually even in urban areas of Rajasthan. Swarms have also been...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
RESTART: Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations

Science and technology have been at the forefront of our fight against Covid-19 in various ways and means to find solutions to challenges thrown...

27 May 2020 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Wildfires in Uttarakhand

Why in News With rising mercury levels, Uttarakhand's forest fire season has now reached its peak. Key Points A wildfire is an unplanned fire...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
South Atlantic Anomaly

Why in News Recently, the Swarm constellation of satellites of the European Space Agency (ESA) has updated the development of South Atlantic Anomaly...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
Chardham Pariyojana

Why in News The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed construction of a 440 m long tunnel below the Chamba town on the Rishikesh-Dharasu...

27 May 2020 News Analysis
World Turtle Day

Why in News Recently, World Turtle Day was observed on 23rd May to increase attention on conservation of Turtles and Tortoises. The theme for the...

26 May 2020 News Analysis

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			'title' => '22nd Meeting of FSDC',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>22<sup>nd</sup> meeting</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/financial-stability-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong></a> chaired by the <strong>Finance Minister</strong> was held through a video conference.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting reviewed issues relating to market volatility, domestic resource mobilisation and capital flows in the country in the wake of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> and the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> nation-wide lockdown</strong></a> imposed to contain it.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Establishment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) is a<strong> non-statutory apex</strong> council under the<strong> Ministry of Finance</strong> constituted by the <strong>Executive Order</strong> in <strong>2010.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Raghuram Rajan committee (2008)</strong> on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Composition:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is <strong>chaired by the Finance Minister</strong> and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA &amp; IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2018, the government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)</strong></a> and the Revenue Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>FSDC <strong>sub-committee</strong> is<strong> headed</strong> by the <strong>Governor of RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The Council<strong> can invite experts</strong> to its meeting if required.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The objective of FSDC is<strong> to strengthen and institutionalize</strong> the mechanism for maintaining<strong> financial stability,</strong> enhancing<strong> inter-regulatory coordination</strong> and promoting financial sector development.</li>
<li>It also intends to monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It will assess the functioning of the large financial conglomerates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Covid-19 as a Threat to Global Economy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council has noted that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to the stability of the global financial system</strong></a>, as the ultimate impact of the crisis and the <strong>timing of recovery remains uncertain.</strong></li>
<li>The pandemic has thrown the global economy into its <strong>worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s,</strong> and India is no exception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Projected Domestic Economic Growth:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Domestic economic growth is expected to <strong>contract for the first time in forty years in FY21 (April 2020 to March 2021).</strong></li>
<li>Crisil, Goldman Sachs and Fitch Ratings have projected the Indian economy to contract 5% during the current financial year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Announced Measures and its Impact:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council quoted the various<strong> short term</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fiscal measures taken by the government</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-s-covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>monetary measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> to address the liquidity and capital requirements of the financial institutions to manage the economic scenario due to global pandemic.</li>
<li>It also reviewed the <strong>liquidity and solvency position</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A%20nuanced%20understanding%20of%20the%20NBFC%20sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/liquidity-boost-to-nbfcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>housing finance companies</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/guidelines-for-licencing-of-small-finance-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>micro-finance institutions</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Moratoriums on loan payments due to pandemic induced lockdowns have put a pressure on inflows of these companies while banks have turned resistant to lend them in the wake of possible defaults. NBFCs have also sought moratorium on their dues to banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Government and Regulators:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It highlighted the need for the <strong>government and regulators to remain vigilant</strong> on financial conditions that could expose systemic vulnerabilities in the<strong> medium and long-term.</strong></li>
<li>The Council stressed that the government and regulators would continue to provide <strong>liquidity and capital support</strong> to domestic financial institutions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is expected to provide comfort to the markets, which are disturbed by the extreme volatility due to pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The financial system resilience, fiscal support, regulatory flexibility and liquidity provision announced till date have ensured that the financial system is supportive of economic recovery but <strong>more protracted slowdown may present new risks to the financial system.</strong></li>
<li>There is a possibility that the current crisis<strong> may transform from a &ldquo;liquidity phase" into a &ldquo;solvency phase".</strong> Thus, governments need to consider a range of policy tools, including efficient bankruptcy and restructuring systems, government guarantees for private investments, programmes for sector-specific government equity injections, and establishing asset management companies.</li>
<li>Thus, FSDC is expected to take further appropriate measures to bolster the liquidity and capital base of domestic financial institutions which would stabilize financial sectors for long term.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/fm-nirmala-sitharaman-takes-stock-of-economy-in-1st-fsdc-meet-after-covid-outbreak-6432097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Veer Savarkar Jayanti',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>On <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May,</strong> India paid tribute to the freedom fighter, <strong>Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar)</strong> on his<strong> birth anniversary.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590737153_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590737153_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="200" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was an Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer and writer.</li>
<li>He is also known as <strong>Swatantryaveer Savarkar.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Birth:</strong> VD Savarkar was born on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May,&nbsp;</strong>1883 in Bhagur, a village near Nashik in Maharashtra.</li>
<li><strong>Related Organisations and Work:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Founded a secret society called <strong>Abhinav Bharat Society.</strong></li>
<li>Went to the United Kingdom and was involved with organizations such as <strong>India House</strong> and the <strong>Free India Society.</strong></li>
<li>Involved in the formation of <strong>Hindu Mahasabha.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>He was the <strong>president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Savarkar wrote a book titled <strong>&lsquo;The History of the War of Indian Independence&rsquo;</strong> in which he wrote about the guerilla warfare tricks used in <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-179" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>1857 Sepoy Mutiny</strong></a>.</li>
<li>He also wrote the book<strong> &lsquo;Hindutva: who is hindu?&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Trial and Sentences:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-193" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Morley-Minto reform (Indian Councils Act 1909)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Arrested in 1910 for his<strong> connections with the revolutionary group India House.</strong></li>
<li>One of the charges on Savarkar was abetment to murder of Nashik Collector Jackson and the second was waging a conspiracy under Indian penal code 121-A against the King emperor.</li>
<li>Following the two trials, Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to<strong> 50-years imprisonment also known as Kala Pani</strong> and transported in 1911 to the <strong>Cellular Jail</strong> in the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands.</strong></li>
<li>He was<strong> not considered by the British government as a political prisoner.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Death:</strong> He died on 26<sup>th</sup> February 1966 due to fasting on his own wish of death.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904.</li>
<li>Initially founded at Nasik as Mitra Mela, the society was associated with several revolutionaries and political activists with branches in various parts of India and London.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India House</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was founded by <strong>Shyamji Kishan Verma</strong> in 1905 in London.</li>
<li>It was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in London.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Free India Society</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a political organization of Indian students in England, committed to obtaining the independence of India from British rule.</li>
<li>Initially an intellectual group, it became a revolutionary outfit under its founding leader, <strong>Madam Bhikaji Cama.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Hindu Mahasabha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a political party formed in <strong>1933.</strong></li>
<li>It was founded by Veer Damodar Savarkar, Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Mohan Malviya.</li>
<li>The organisation was formed to protect the rights of the Hindu community, after the formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906 and the British India government's creation of separate Muslim electorate under the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1627350" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'State Election Commission’s Autonomy',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/securing-election-commissions-autonomy-6428281/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Securing Election Commission&rsquo;s autonomy</strong></a> published in The Indian Express on 26/05/2020. It talks about the challenges with the functioning of the election commission institution in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Free and fair elections form the bedrock of a democratic country. In India, the constitution envisages an <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/election-commission-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Election Commission of India</strong></a> (ECI) and State Election Commissions (SEC) for every state to safeguard the free and fair election and grants them with certain constitutional safeguards to secure their independent functioning.</p>
<p>However, the recent <strong>removal of Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner via an ordinance route</strong> is an example encroaching upon the independence of the Constitutional body especially in the light of political accusations and vested interests.</p>
<p>This development not only threatens institutional autonomy but also falls foul of the constitutional provisions. Though the Election Commission of India is facing issues of autonomy due to political interference, the situation at the level of state election commission is more grim.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<p>The ordinance promulgated by Andhra Pradesh Governor reduced the term of State Election Commissioner in the state from five years to three years and altered the qualifications (only those who served as a High Court judge can now occupy the post, earlier it was an officer of the rank of Principal Secretary &amp; above) required to be the SEC.</p>
</div>
<h3>Significance of Election Commission Institution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>guardian</strong> of free and reasonable elections in India.</li>
<li>It enforces the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/democracy-model-code-conduct-india-polity-governance-election-commission-gktoday-insights-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Model Code of Conduct (MCC)</strong></a> before every election to be followed by the different candidates and parties so that the decorum of the electoral process is maintained well.</li>
<li>It creates awareness about the electoral process and electoral governance amongst stakeholders namely, voters, political parties, election functionaries, candidates and people at large; and to enhance and strengthen confidence and trust in the electoral system of this country.</li>
<li>The Election Commission prescribes the limits of campaign expenditure by the candidates and parties and monitors the spending too.</li>
<li>The body also mandates that the political parties submit their audited financial reports regularly.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Election Commissions (SECs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The State Election Commission has been entrusted with the function of conducting free, fair and impartial elections to the local bodies in the state.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243K(1):</strong> It states that the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Panchayats (Municipalities under Article 243ZA) shall be vested in a State Election Commission consisting of a State Election Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243K(2):</strong> It states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature. However, State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges With Functioning of Election Commission Institution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Autonomy:</strong> Although the state election commission on many occasions tried to exercise its duties enshrined in the constitution of India, they struggled to assert their independence. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In Maharashtra, SEC had asserted that he should have the power to hold elections to the offices of mayor, deputy mayor, sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.</li>
<li>On the contrary, he was arrested and sent to jail for two days in March 2008 after the Legislative Assembly found him guilty of breach of privilege in an alleged conflict over his jurisdiction and powers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Safeguard for SEC:</strong> Though the State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court (Art 243K(2)), yet it has been diluted on many instances.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the <strong>Aparmita Prasad Singh vs. State of U.P.</strong> (2007) the Allahabad High Court held that if the Governor has power to fix or prescribe tenure by rule, he also enjoys the power to amend the rule, either for extending the term of the tenure or reducing the same.</li>
<li>Once the prescribed tenure comes to end, the incumbent SEC must cease to hold office and this shall not amount to removal from office.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Non Uniform Service Conditions for SECs:</strong> Article 243K(2) states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature and thus each SEC is governed by a separate state Act.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This gives power to states to amend rules unilaterally and even sometimes take ordinance routes to bypass legislative scrutiny like the recent example of Andhra Pradesh SEC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Supreme Court Directive</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The state governments need to follow the guidelines given by the Supreme Court in <strong>Kishan Singh Tomar vs Municipal Corporation</strong> of Ahmedabad case:</li>
<li>The provisions of Article 243K of the Constitution, which provides for setting up of SECs, are almost identical to those of Article 324 related to the ECI.</li>
<li>Also, the state governments should abide by orders of the SECs during the conduct of the panchayat and municipal elections, just like they follow the instructions of the EC during Assembly and Parliament polls.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Second Administrative Reforms Commission Recommendation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Constitution of the State Election Commission:</strong> The State Election Commissioner should be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of a collegium, comprising the Chief Minister, the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.</li>
<li>An institutional mechanism should be created to bring the Election Commission of India and the SECs on a common platform for coordination, learning from each other&rsquo;s experiences and sharing of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Law Commission 255<sup>th</sup> Report on Electoral Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It recommended, to add a new sub-clause to Article 324 of the Constitution to provide for a separate independent and permanent Secretariat for the ECI along the lines of the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariats under Article 98 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Similar provisions can also be made for the State Election Commissions to ensure autonomy, and free and fair local body election.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Election commissions are one of the bulwarks of the democratic system in India and thus securing their institutional integrity is a task that falls on all three branches &mdash;executive, judiciary and legislature. The unwarranted interference by one organ of the state in the functioning of others should be discouraged to achieve a robust electoral system.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590665948_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590665948_image1.png" width="650" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffbe0;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Free and fair elections form the bedrock of a democratic country.&rdquo; In the light of the statement critically analyse the role of the election authorities in India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jqp8b1xSLn0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <strong><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/unlocking-justice-6428688/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Unlocking Justice&rdquo;</a></strong> which was published in The Indian Express on May 27<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/state-election-commission-s-autonomy'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'MSMEs Loans to Get ‘Risk-Free’ Tag',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> is likely to <strong>allow banks to assign zero risk weight for loans</strong> that will be extended to the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a> under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rs.20 lakh crore economic package</strong></a> announced by the Union government.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As a part of the package, a Rs.3 lakh crore loan for the MSME sector was announced.</li>
<li>However, such loans <strong>would attract a risk weight of a minimum 20%</strong> since these loans <strong>did not come with direct government guarantee.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The claims will not be settled unconditionally. The government will ask questions and see the loan appraisal process once a claim is made when the borrower defaults.</li>
<li>And, if the claim is not settled, banks have to make provision in line with the age of default.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This facility is similar to the loans that are guaranteed by the <strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).</strong></li>
<li>The government has made available a corpus of Rs. 41,600 crore for the Rs. 3 lakh crore scheme. The<strong> government is factoring in less than 15%<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> non-performing assets</a>, as of now.</strong></li>
<li>After banks highlighted the issue of risk weight associated with the loan with the government, the government has asked the RBI to waive the requirement of assigning a risk weight to the loans.</li>
<li><strong>Benefit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Zero risk would mean that banks will not have to set aside additional capital for these loans.</li>
<li>The move will encourage lenders to extend credit, as banks have turned risk averse and have been reluctant to lend.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rs. 3 lakh crore scheme</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the scheme,<strong> 100% guarantee coverage</strong> will be provided by the <strong>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC)</strong> to eligible MSMEs, in the form of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/economic-stimulus-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Though primarily meant for the MSME sector, other small borrowers including the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A%20nuanced%20understanding%20of%20the%20NBFC%20sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong></a> can also avail themselves of the scheme.</li>
<li>The <strong>tenure of loan under this scheme is four years</strong> with a moratorium period of one year on the principal amount.</li>
<li>The scheme would be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL till 31st October, 2020 or till an amount of Rs.3 lakh crore is sanctioned, whichever is earlier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Credit offered by CGTMSE</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE)</strong> was set up by the <strong>Government of India</strong> and <strong>Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).</strong></li>
<li>CGTMSE has introduced a new <strong>"Hybrid Security"</strong> product allowing guarantee cover for the portion of the credit facility not covered by collateral security.</li>
<li>In the partial collateral security model, the Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) will be allowed to obtain collateral security for a part of the credit facility, whereas the remaining part of the credit facility, up to a maximum of Rs. 200 lakh, can be covered under Credit <strong>Guarantee Scheme</strong> of CGTMSE.</li>
<li>The main objective is that the <strong>lender should give importance to project viability and secure the credit facility</strong> purely on the primary security of the assets financed.</li>
<li>The other objective is that the <strong>lender availing guarantee facility should endeavor to give composite credit to the borrowers</strong> so that the borrowers obtain both term loan and working capital facilities from a single agency.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) is a <strong>Union Government Company.</strong> It is classified as a company<strong> limited by shares.</strong></li>
<li>It was set up by the Government of India to, inter alia, <strong>act as a common trustee company to manage and operate various credit guarantee trust funds.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/loans-to-msmes-may-get-risk-free-tag/article31689534.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/msmes-loans-to-get-risk-free-tag'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Political Thinker - BR Ambedkar',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-b-r-ambedkar-s-129th-birth-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar</strong></a>, popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the main architects of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>He was a very well known political leader, philosopher, writer, economist, scholar and a social reformer who dedicated his life to eradicating untouchability and other social inequality in India.</li>
<li>He was born on 14 April 1891 in Madhya Pradesh in Hindu Mahar Caste. He had to face severe discriminations from every corner of the society as the Mahar caste was viewed as "untouchable" by the upper class.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Main Architect of Indian Constitution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Babasaheb Ambedkar's legal expertise and knowledge of the <a href="/gs-special/gs-special-polity/important-sources-of-the-indian-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Constitution of different countries</strong></a> was very helpful in the framing of the constitution. He became <strong>chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly</strong> and played an important role in framing the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>Among others, his most important contributions were in areas of fundamental rights, strong central government and protection of minorities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 32</strong> guarantees judicial protection to the Fundamental Rights which makes them meaningful. For him, Article 32 was the most important article of the constitution and thus, he referred to it<strong> "soul of the Constitution and very heart of it".</strong></li>
<li><strong>He supported a strong central government.</strong> He was afraid that Casteism is more powerful at the local and provincial levels, and the government at this level might not protect the interest of lower caste under pressure of upper caste. Since the National government is less influenced by these pressures, they will ensure protection to lower caste.</li>
<li>He was also afraid that the minority which is the most vulnerable group in the nation may convert into political minorities too. So democratic rule of 'One man one vote' is not sufficient and the minority should be guaranteed a share in power. <strong>He was against 'Majoritarianism Syndrome'</strong> and provided many safeguards in the Constitution for the minorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indian constitution is the lengthiest constitution in the world because various administrative details have been included. Babasaheb defended it saying that we have created a democratic political structure in a traditional society. If all details are not included, future leaders may misuse the Constitution without technically violating it. Such safeguards are necessary. This shows that he was aware of the practical difficulties which India will face once the Constitution would have been implemented.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Constitutional Morality</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Babasaheb Ambedkar&rsquo;s perspective,<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/constitutional-morality" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Constitutional morality</strong></a> would mean effective coordination between conflicting interests of different people and administrative cooperation.</li>
<li>It will help to resolve the conflict amicably without any confrontation amongst the various groups working for the realization of their ends at any cost.</li>
<li>According to him, for India, where society is divided on the basis of caste, religion, language, and other factors, a common moral compass is needed, and the Constitution can play the role of that compass.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He had complete faith in democracy. While dictatorship may produce quick results, it can not be a valid form of government. Democracy is superior as it enhances liberty. He supported the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/parliamentary-reforms-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>parliamentary form of democracy</strong></a>, which aligns with other national leaders.</li>
<li>He emphasized<strong> 'democracy as a way of life',</strong> i.e. democracy not only in the political sphere but also in the personal, social and economic sphere.</li>
<li>For him, democracy must bring a drastic change in social conditions of society, otherwise the spirit of political democracy i.e. 'one man and one vote' would be missing. Democratic government can arise only from a democratic society, so as long as caste hurdles exist in Indian society, real democracy can not operate. So he focused on the spirit of fraternity and equality as the base of democracy to bring out social democracy.</li>
<li>Along with the social dimension, Ambedkar focused on the economic dimension also. While he was influenced by liberalism and parliamentary democracy, he also found the limitation of them. As per him, parliamentary democracy ignored social and economic inequality. It only focused on liberty while true democracy must bring both liberty and equality.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Social Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Babasaheb had devoted his life to remove untouchability. He believed that the progress of the nation would not be realized without the removal of untouchability, which means the abolition of the caste system in totality. He studied Hindu philosophical traditions and made a critical assessment of them.</li>
<li>For him, Untouchability is the slavery of the entire Hindu society. While Untouchables are enslaved by Caste Hindus, Caste Hindus themselves live under slavery of religious sculptures. So the emancipation of the untouchables leads to the emancipation of the whole Hindu society.</li>
<li><strong>Priority to Social Reform:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>He believed that Economic and Political issues must be resolved only after achieving the goal of social justice.</strong> If political emancipation precedes social emancipation, it will lead to the rule of upper-caste Hindu, and atrocities on Lower Caste.</li>
<li>The idea that economic progress will lead to social justice is ill-founded as Casteism is an expression of the Mental Slavery of Hindus. <strong>So for social reform, Casteism has to do away with.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Social reforms consisted of family reform and religious reforms.</strong> Family reforms included removal of practices like child marriage etc. He strongly supports the empowerment of women. He supports women&rsquo;s rights of property which he resolved through Hindu Code Bill.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On Caste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The caste system has made Hindu society stagnant which creates hurdles in integration with outsiders. Even internally, Hindu society fails to satisfy the test of a homogeneous society, as it is just a conglomeration of different castes. The caste system does not allow lower castes to prosper which led to moral degradation. Battle for the removal of untouchability becomes the battle for human rights and justice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Factsheet</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1923, he set up the<strong> 'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association)&rsquo;,</strong> which was devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden.</li>
<li>The temple entry movement launched by Dr. Ambedkar in 1930 at Kalaram temple, Nasik is another landmark in the struggle for human rights and social justice.</li>
<li>Dr. Ambedkar <strong>attended all the three Round Table Conferences (1930-32)</strong> in London and each time, forcefully projected his views in the interest of the 'untouchable'.</li>
<li>In<strong> 1932,</strong> Gandhi ji protested Communal Award of a separate electorate by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. This resulted in the<strong> Poona Pact</strong> wherein Gandhi ji ended his fast and Babasaheb dropped his demand for a separate electorate. Instead, a <strong>certain number of seats were reserved specifically for the &lsquo;Depressed Class&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>In 1936, Babasaheb Ambedkar founded the<strong> Independent Labour Party.</strong></li>
<li>In 1939, during the Second World War, he called upon Indians to join the Army in large numbers to defeat Nazism, which he said, was another name for Fascism.</li>
<li>On October 14, 1956 he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. The same year he completed his last writing <strong>'Buddha and His Dharma'.</strong></li>
<li>In 1990, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, was bestowed with <strong>Bharat Ratna.</strong></li>
<li>The period from 14<sup>th</sup> April 1990 - 14<sup>th</sup> April 1991 was observed as<strong> 'Year of Social Justice'</strong> in the memory of Babasaheb.</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Ambedkar Foundation</strong> was established by the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on March 24, 1992 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The main objective of the foundation is to oversee the implementation of programmes and activities for furthering the ideology and message of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar among the masses in India as well as abroad.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Few important works of Dr. Ambedkar:</strong> Mook Nayak (weekly) 1920; Janta (weekly) 1930; The Annihilation of Caste 1936; The Untouchables 1948; Buddha Or Karl Marx 1956, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Methods Adopted to Remove Untouchability</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creating self-respect among untouchables by removing the myth of inherent pollution that has influenced their minds.</li>
<li><strong>Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Babasaheb, knowledge is a liberating force. One of the reasons for the degradation of untouchables was that they were denied the advantages of education. He criticized the British for not doing enough for the education of the lower caste. He insisted on secular education to instill values of liberty and equality among the students.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic progress:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He wanted untouchables to free themselves from the bondage of the village community and traditional jobs. He wanted them to achieve new skills and start a new profession and move to cities to take advantage of industrialization. He described villages as 'a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow mindedness, and communalism'.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Political strength:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He wanted untouchables to organize themselves politically. With political power, untouchables would be able to protect, safeguard and introduce new emancipatory policies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Conversion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>When he realized that Hinduism is not able to mend its ways, he adopted Buddhism and asked his followers to do the same. For him, Buddhism was based on humanism and believed in the spirit of equality and fraternity.</li>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m reborn, rejecting the religion of my birth. I discard the religion which discriminates between a man and a man and which treats me as an inferior&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>So at the social level, education; at the material level, new means of livelihood; at political level, political organization; and the spiritual level, self-assertion, and conversion constituted an overall program of the removal of untouchability.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relevance of Ambedkar in Present Times</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Caste-based inequality in India still persists. While Dalits have acquired a political identity through <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>reservation</strong></a> and forming their own political parties, they lack behind in social dimensions (health and education) and economic dimension.</li>
<li>There has been a rise of communal polarization and communalization of politics. It is necessary that Ambedkar's vision of constitutional morality must supersede religious morality to avoid permanent damage to the Indian Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to historian R.C Guha, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is a unique example of success even in most adverse situations. Today India is facing many socio-economic challenges such as casteism, <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/communalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>communalism</strong></a>, separatism, <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/inequality-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>gender inequality</strong></a>, etc. We need to find the Ambedkar's spirit within us, so that we can pull ourselves from these challenges.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Important Links</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-b-r-ambedkar-s-63rd-mahaparinirvan-diwas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>B R Ambedkar&rsquo;s 63<sup>rd</sup> Mahaparinirvan Diwas</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper1/secularism-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Secularism</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-gender-equality-versus-religious-practices" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gender equality versus Religious practices</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/basic-structure-of-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Basic Structure of Constitution</strong></a></li>
<li>Representation of People&rsquo;s Act- <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/representation-of-people-s-act-part-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Part 1</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/the-representation-of-the-people-act-part-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part2</a></strong>.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/indian-political-thinker-br-ambedkar'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance: Umang Mobile App',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has added the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/heat-waves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)</strong></a> weather services to the Umang Mobile App.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By using the IMD services on the App the users will be able to check the weather forecast of their city in advance.</li>
<li>It will forecast 7 weather related services including current weather, rainfall information, warnings, cyclones, etc.</li>
<li>This digital initiative of IMD would provide weather service with detailed information such as humidity, sunrise, sunset, temperature etc.</li>
<li>The forecast services would help in predicting a seven days forecast in advance of any city along with past 24 hours of weather data.</li>
<li>It would be<strong> significant for the farmers</strong> to get timely updates regarding the weather conditions and in taking the precautions.</li>
<li>Overall it would help in the<strong> prevention of lives, livelihood and loss of property</strong> due to extreme weather conditions.</li>
<li>Umang App provides a single platform for all Indian citizens to access pan India <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/e-governance-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>e-Government services</strong></a> ranging from central to local government bodies and other citizen centric services.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance: The UMANG Mobile App</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a unified, secure, multi-channel, multi-platform, multi-lingual, multi-service mobile app.</li>
<li>It is a Digital India initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched in 2017.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It provides seamless integration with popular customer centric services like Aadhaar and Digilocker.</li>
<li>It provides a unified approach where one can install one application to avail multiple government services.</li>
<li>It can be accessed on multiple channels like mobile application, web, and SMS which can be accessed through smartphones, tablets and desktops.</li>
<li>It has a rich multimedia interface with a focus on maximizing usability and enriching user experience.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Services provided by the app:</strong> It is a unified application that can be used to avail a number of pan India e-government services such as: Filing income tax, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-disbursed-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO)</strong></a> services, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aadhar-and-its-voluntary-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aadhar</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/streamlining-of-national-pension-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pension</strong></a>, <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-primary-education-challenges-and-opportunities" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ePathshala</strong></a>, e- Land Records, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/revamp-of-the-crop-insurance-schemes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Crop Insurance</strong></a> etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1626146" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unified-mobile-application-for-new-age-governance-umang-mobile-app'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Invasive Species: Charru Mussel',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>An invasive species named <strong>Charru mussel <em>(Mytella strigata)</em>,</strong> native to the South and Central American coasts, is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Reasons for the spread:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Charru mussel may have reached the Indian shores attached to ship hulls or as larval forms in ballast water discharges.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Ballast is the seawater that ships carry to improve stability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cyclone Ockhi which struck the region (South India, Sri Lanka, Maldives) in 2017, may have sped up their invasion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas impacted:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The surveys conducted in Kerala has found<strong> presence of Charru mussel in many estuaries/backwaters of Kerala,</strong> which include Kadinamkulam, Paravur, Edava-Nadayara, Ashtamudi, Kayamkulam, Vembanad, Chettuva and Ponnani etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The backwaters of Kerala comprise stretches of lakes, canals and lagoons located parallel to the coast of the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ashtamudi Lake, a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/addition-to-ramsar-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramsar site</strong> </a>in Kollam district is the worst-hit due to Charu mussel. Here, <strong>Charru mussel has replaced the Asian green mussel</strong> (Perna viridis) and the <strong>edible oyster Magallana bilineata</strong> (known locally as muringa).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>proliferation of Charu mussel poses a serious threat to the endemic species diversity</strong> of brackish water habitats of Kerala coast.</li>
<li>This invasive species is forcing out<strong> other mussel</strong> and <strong>clam species</strong> in the backwaters and threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In Ashtamudi lake, the<strong> short-necked clam fisheries</strong> has obtained an <strong>eco label</strong> from the <strong>Marine Stewardship Council</strong> and about 3,000 people are dependent on fisheries here.</li>
<li><strong>"Ecolabelling"</strong> is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world.</li>
<li>An ecolabel identifies products or services proven environmentally preferable overall, within a specific product or service category.</li>
<li>The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent<strong> non-profit organization</strong> which sets a standard for sustainable fishing. It is <strong>headquartered in London.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In such a scenario, the fast-breeding Charru mussel could be seen as a <strong>&lsquo;pest&rsquo; attack</strong> on clam fishery.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Invasive Species</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An invasive species is an organism <strong>that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area</strong> and <strong>causes harm.</strong></li>
<li>They are capable of causing <strong>extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats.</strong></li>
<li>They can be<strong> introduced to an area by ship ballast water, accidental release, and most often, by people.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mussel</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mussel is a common name for numerous <strong>bivalve mollusks</strong> belonging to the <strong>marine family Mytilidae</strong> and to the <strong>freshwater family Unionidae.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mollusks are <strong>soft-bodied invertebrates of the phylum Mollusca,</strong> usually <strong>wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell</strong> secreted by a soft mantle covering the body.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Worldwide, they are most <strong>commonly found in cool seas.</strong></li>
<li>In India, two species of marine mussels, <strong>green mussel</strong> <em>(Perna viridis)</em>, and the <strong>brown mussel,</strong> <em>(P. indica)</em> are found in the coastal areas. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Farming of green mussels <strong>is now established as a commercial practice</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Charru mussel is native to the South and Central American coast.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Their colour varies from black to brown, purple or dark green.</li>
<li>They can survive in a range of salinity and temperature but cannot survive beyond 36 degree celcius.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Completely eradicating the Charru mussel from Indian waters is going to be nearly impossible, so limiting its spread is crucial.</li>
<li>There is also a need to promote studies on invasion biology and strengthen awareness on marine invasive species.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/invasive-mussel-spreads-in-backwaters/article31689771.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/invasive-species-charru-mussel'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'World Dugong Day 2020',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>World Dugong Day</strong> is celebrated on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May, every year.</strong></p>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590658425_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590658425_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dugong</strong> <em>(Dugong dugon)</em> also called<strong> &lsquo;Sea Cow&rsquo;</strong> is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the<strong> only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea</strong> including in India.</li>
<li>They are listed as<strong> Vulnerable</strong> on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>IUCN Red List</strong></a> and are protected in<strong> India</strong> under <strong>Schedule I</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-life-protection-act-implementation-and-failure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972</strong></a>.</li>
<li>According to a 2013 survey report of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), there were only about 200 dugongs in the <strong>Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu,</strong> the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands</strong> and the <strong>Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.</strong></li>
<li>Dugongs are an<strong> important part of the marine ecosystem</strong> and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain.<strong> Proper conservation</strong> is the only way to save dugongs from extinction.</li>
<li><strong>Threats:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dugongs <strong>graze on seagrass</strong> and the<strong> loss of seagrass beds</strong> due to <strong>ocean floor trawling</strong> is one of the most important factors behind decreasing dugong populations in many parts of the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Trawling</strong> is a <strong>method of fishing</strong> that involves <strong>pulling a fishing net through the water</strong> behind one or more boats. It is <strong>harmful to the environment</strong> because it damages the seafloor, coral reefs and other marine animals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Human activities</strong> such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Dugong meat is consumed under the wrong impression that it cools down human body temperature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Steps Taken for Conservation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In February 2020, India hosted the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cms-cop-13-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>13<sup>th</sup> Conference of Parties</strong></a> (CoP) of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cms-com-13" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals</strong></a> (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/not-all-animals-migrate-by-choice-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme</strong> </a>(UNEP).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Government of India is a <strong>signatory to the CMS since 1983.</strong></li>
<li>India has signed<strong> non-legally binding Memorandums of Understanding</strong> (MoU) with CMS on the conservation and management of <strong>Siberian Cranes</strong> (1998), <strong>Marine<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-turtle-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Turtles</a></strong> (2007), <strong>Dugongs</strong> (2008) and <strong>Raptors</strong> (2016).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change</strong> constituted a<strong> &lsquo;Task Force for Conservation of Dugongs&rsquo;</strong> to look into issues related to conservation of dugongs and implementation of the &lsquo;UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU&rsquo; in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also facilitates <strong>India to act as the leading nation in the South Asia Sub-region</strong> with respect to dugong conservation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/world-dugong-day-2020-marine-mammal-fighting-for-survival-in-indian-waters-71413" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-dugong-day-2020'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'National Highways Authority of India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has directed its Regional Officers (ROs) and Project Directors (PDs) to undertake maintenance of the National Highways ahead of the monsoon season.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NHAI will be monitoring the progress through its<strong> Project Management Software &ndash; Data Lake</strong> where pictures of before and after repair works would be uploaded, apart from other repair related information.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was set up under <strong>NHAI Act, 1988.</strong> It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.</li>
<li>It has been entrusted with the <strong>National Highways Development Project,</strong> along with other minor projects for development, maintenance and management.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was <strong>started in 1998.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NHAI maintains the National Highways network to global standards and cost effective manner and promotes economic well being and quality of life of the people.</li>
<li>It has completed construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20.</li>
<li>NHAI has mandated development of about <strong>27,500 km</strong> of national highways under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatmala-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I</strong></a>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bharatmala Pariyojana is an <strong>umbrella program for the highways sector</strong> that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions.</li>
<li>The effective interventions include development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Highways</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Highways (NH) are the arterial roads of the country for<strong> inter-state movement</strong> of passengers and goods.</li>
<li>They traverse the length and width of the country connecting the National and State capitals, major ports and rail junctions and link up with border roads and foreign highways.</li>
<li>The NHs including Expressways constitute only about <strong>1.7% of the length of all roads,</strong> they carry about <strong>40% of the road traffic.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1627178" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-highways-authority-of-india'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Tianwen-1: China's Mars Mission',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>China will launch its first Mars Mission - Tianwen-1- in July, 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China's previous &lsquo;Yinghuo-1&rsquo; Mars mission, which was supported by a Russian spacecraft, had failed after it did not leave the earth's orbit and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean in 2012.</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> is also going to launch its own Mars mission in July, the <strong>Perseverance</strong> which aims to collect Martian samples.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Tianwen-1 Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will lift off on a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/long-march-5b-rocket-by-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Long March 5 rocket</strong></a>, from the Wenchang launch centre.</li>
<li>It will carry <strong>13 payloads</strong> (seven orbiters and six rovers) that will explore the planet.</li>
<li>It is an all-in-one orbiter, lander and rover system.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Orbiter:</strong> It is a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body (astronomical body) without landing on its surface.</li>
<li><strong>Lander:</strong> It is a strong, lightweight spacecraft structure, consisting of a base and three sides "petals" in the shape of a tetrahedron (pyramid-shaped). It is a protective "shell" that houses the rover and protects it, along with the airbags, from the forces of impact.</li>
<li><strong>Rover:</strong> It is a planetary surface exploration device designed to move across the solid surface on a planet or other planetary mass celestial bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission will be the first to place a ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution.</li>
<li>It will search the martian surface for water, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Landing on Mars:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission is expected to land on the surface of Mars in the first quarter of 2021.</li>
<li>The success of the mission will make <strong>China the third country</strong> to achieve a Mars landing after the <strong>USSR</strong> (the former Eurasian empire)<strong> and the United States of America.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Mars</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Size and Distance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the <strong>fourth planet from the Sun</strong> and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System.</li>
<li>Mars is about half the size of Earth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Similarity to the Earth (Orbit and Rotation):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours).</li>
<li>Mars' axis of rotation is tilted 25 degrees with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. This is similar with Earth, which has an axial tilt of 23.4 degrees.</li>
<li>Like Earth, Mars has distinct seasons, but they last longer than seasons on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun (because it's farther away).</li>
<li>Martian days are called <strong>sols</strong>&mdash;short for &lsquo;solar day&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Surface:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has colors such as brown, gold and tan. The reason Mars looks reddish is due to oxidation or rusting of iron in the rocks, and dust of Mars. Hence it is also called <strong>Red Planet.</strong></li>
<li>Mars has the <strong>largest volcano in the solar system i.e. Olympus Mons.</strong> It's three times taller than Earth's Mt. Everest with a base the size of the state of New Mexico.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Atmosphere:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon gases.</li>
<li>The temperature on Mars can be as high as (20 degrees Celsius) or as low as about -153 degrees Celsius. This is because the thin atmosphere gives an easy escape to sun heat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Magnetosphere:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mars has no magnetic field till date, but areas of the Martian crust in the southern hemisphere are highly magnetized, indicating traces of a magnetic field.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Moons:</strong> Mars has two small moons, <strong>Phobos and Deimos,</strong> that may be captured asteroids.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Previous Mars Missions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Soviet Union in 1971</strong> became the first country to carry out a Mars landing, <strong>Mars 3.</strong></li>
<li>The second country to reach Mars&rsquo;s surface is the <strong>United State of America (USA).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since 1976, it has achieved 8 successful Mars landings, the latest being the &lsquo;InSight&rsquo; in 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>European Space Agency has been able to place their spacecraft in Mars&rsquo;s orbit through the<strong> Mars Express</strong> Mission.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)</strong></a> or <strong>Mangalyaan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh by<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Indian Space Research Organisation</strong></a> in November 2013.</li>
<li>It was launched on board a PSLV C25 rocket with aim of studying Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scan its atmosphere for methane (an indicator of life on Mars).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-tianwen-1-chinas-mars-mission-6428306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tianwen-1-china-s-mars-mission'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Public Health System In India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/india-healthcare-system-coronavirus-6383650/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Reset and reform&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 29/04/2020. It talks about the importance and challenges of the public health system amid Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
</div>
<p>Contrary to the popular notion about India&rsquo;s Public health systems being inefficient and ineffective, it is performing reasonably well in tackling the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> and providing treatment of patients without refusing anyone on financial grounds.</p>
<p>However, the private health sector which accounts for 70% of healthcare services in India, is playing only a supporting role and referring the patients to public hospitals for treatment of any cases relating to Covid-19.</p>
<p>The current pandemic reiterates the importance of Public Health systems. Thus, there is a need to address the constraints and revamp of the public health system in India.</p>
<h3>Associated Challenges With Public Health Systems in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Primary Healthcare Services:</strong> The existing public primary health care model in the country is limited in scope. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even where there is a well-functioning public primary health centre, only services related to pregnancy care, limited childcare and certain services related to national health programmes are provided.</li>
<li>This represents only 15% of all morbidities for which people seek care.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Supply-Side Deficiencies:</strong> Poor health management skills and lack of appropriate training and supportive supervision for health workers prevent delivery of the desired quality of health services.</li>
<li><strong>Inadequate Funding:</strong> Expenditure on public health funding has been consistently low in India (approximately 1.3% of GDP). As per OECD, India's total out-of-pocket expenditure is around 2.3 % of GDP.</li>
<li><strong>Overlapping Jurisdiction:</strong> There is no single authority responsible for public health that is legally empowered to issue guidelines and enforce compliance of the health standards.</li>
<li><strong>Sub-optimal Public Health System:</strong> Due to this, it is challenging to tackle <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/non-communicable-diseases-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-communicable Diseases</strong></a>, which is all about prevention and early detection. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It diminishes preparedness and effective management for new and emerging threats such as pandemic like Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Enabling Preventive Care:</strong> In order to promote preventive care, the Union government has announced the conversion of primary health care centres into Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These HWCs will act as the pillar of preventive care and &lsquo;gateway&rsquo; for access to secondary and tertiary health services.</li>
<li>Thus, there is a need to accelerate the establishment of a network HWCs, for this extra funding through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be mobilised.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bringing Behavioural Change:</strong> There is a need to ensure people eat right, sleep right, maintain good hygiene, exercise, and adopt a healthy lifestyle that necessitates concerted interventions at various levels of the system.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In order to catalyse people&rsquo;s participation for healthy India, there is need for <strong>Swasth Bharat Jan Andolan</strong> on lines of <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swachh-bharat-mission-urban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swach Bharat Abhiyan</a></strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperative Federalism:</strong> Given the major role that States have to play in creating strong health systems across the country, allocations provided by the Finance Commission can become the critical catalyst for transforming the nation&rsquo;s health.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>State governments should be incentivized to invest in <strong>creating a dedicated cadre for public health</strong> at the state, district and block levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>More Funding:</strong> Public funding on health should be increased to at least 2.5% of GDP as envisaged in the National Health Policy, 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Decentralisation:</strong> There is a need to make nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) part of the core functions of Panchayati raj institutions and municipalities.</li>
<li><strong>Creating a Nodal Health Agency:</strong> There is need to create a designated and autonomous focal agency with the required capacities and linkages to perform the functions of disease surveillance, information gathering on the health impact of policies of key non-health departments, maintenance of national health statistics, enforcement of public health regulations, and dissemination of information to the public.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this pursuit, NITI Aayog&rsquo;s National Health Stack is a step in the right direction, which needs to be operationalised as soon as possible.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Pandemics such as Covid-19 starkly remind us that public health systems are core social institutions in any society. The government has made several efforts to address the shortfall in the public health system through the schemes like the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019</a></strong>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/janaushadhi-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana</strong></a>, <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/ayushmanbharat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana</a></strong> etc.</p>
<p>However, the need of the hour is an adequate investment, for creating a health system that can withstand any kind of public health emergencies, deliver universal health coverage and meet the targets of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals.</strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590578965_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590578965_image1.png" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #ebfffb;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically examine the importance of public health systems in a developing country like India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mocjcJOjuC0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial based on <strong><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/smart-cities-mission-health-investment-coronavirus-6427119/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Think Smarter&rdquo;</a></strong> which was published in The Indian Express on May 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch it on our Youtube channel.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/public-health-system-in-india'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Arogya Setu App: An Open Source',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the source code of Aarogya Setu Mobile App has been made open source for software developers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has been uploaded on GitHub which will help in identifying any vulnerabilities or code improvement in order to make Aarogya Setu more robust and secure.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India launched <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aarogya-setu-app-a-technological-solutionism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aarogya Setu mobile App</strong></a> to augment the efforts of limiting the spread of<strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Covid-19</a>.</strong></li>
<li>It has an objective of <strong>enabling bluetooth based contact tracing</strong> and mapping of likely hotspots and dissemination of relevant information about Covid-19.</li>
<li>Although the app has been resourceful by its users, there were <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/privacy-concern-over-aarogya-setu-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>privacy concerns</strong></a> regarding the lack of transparency in the app's code.</li>
<li>To address these concerns, the government has decided to launch the code-set of the <strong>app on GitHub to make it more transparent.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Arogya setu as an open source: Open Source</strong> refers to a source which people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Source code</strong> is the part of software that computer programmers can manipulate its working and function. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong> Expanding collaboration amongst the talented youth and citizens through open source would help in building a robust and secure technology solution which will further support the work of frontline health workers in fighting this pandemic together.</li>
<li>Towards this objective, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nic-and-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Informatics Centre</strong></a> has also launched a <strong>Bug Bounty Programme</strong></li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> Releasing the source code of a rapidly evolving product that is being used by million users would require regular maintenance of the source code.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Regular updates in the app with the new technology would also be a concern.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bug Bounty Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has a goal to partner with security researchers and Indian developer community to test the security effectiveness of Aarogya Setu and also to enhance its security and build user&rsquo;s trust.</li>
<li>It is aimed at encouraging the Indian developer community to find security flaws in the app and get rewarded Rs 1 lakh.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>The availability of the App as an open code would help in the development of a transparent mechanism of availing data from the public regarding the Covid-19. It would address the privacy issue by enabling a robust system in the App by adding new features to it.</p>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626979" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arogya-setu-app-an-open-source'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Fabrication of Controlled Nanostructures',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the researchers at the <strong>Institute of Nano Science and Technology</strong> (INST) <strong>Mohali</strong> have found a route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry and location on 2D materials, through a rapid one-step low power laser writing process.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST, Mohali is an <strong>autonomous institute</strong> under the<strong> Department of Science and Technology</strong> (DST).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST developed a <strong>hybrid Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy</strong> (SERS) <strong>platform of Molybdenum disulfide</strong> (MoS2, an inorganic compound)<strong> nanostructure</strong> decorated with<strong> gold NanoParticles</strong> (AuNPs).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SERS is a<strong> commonly used sensing technique</strong> in which inelastic light scattering by molecules is greatly enhanced when the molecules are adsorbed onto corrugated metal surfaces such as silver or gold nanoparticles (NPs).</li>
<li>It enhances the Raman scattering light from molecules, thus leading to effective analysis of the molecules.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Direct laser writing</strong> (3D printing for microscopic world) was used to engineer the artificial edges on the surface of MoS<sub>2</sub> which <strong>created localized hotspots with precision and control.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A focused laser beam of meagre power of a <strong>conventional Raman spectrometer</strong> was used which enables the superior deposition of AuNPs along the artificial edges.</li>
<li>Nanostructuring was done on the 2D MoS<sub>2</sub> sheet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The hybrid SERS platform offers <strong>controlled formation of localized hotspots for ultrasensitive and reproducible detection of analytes</strong> (substances whose chemical constituents are being identified and measured).</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This research will open a new avenue for the development of commercialized<strong> SERS substrates</strong> (a silicon wafer coated with a metal like gold or silver) with a localized detection capability of analytes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>SERS detection has been emerging as a powerful<strong> tool for the detection of a variety of analytes</strong> due to its very<strong> high sensitivity and fingerprinting recognition capabilities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This will also shed new light in the SERS sensing of biological and chemical molecules.</li>
<li>The technology can be used in combination with an antibody for the spectroscopic detection of various <strong>biomarkers</strong> (an objective measure that captures what is happening in a cell or an organism at a given moment).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Raman Effect</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a phenomenon in <strong>spectroscopy</strong> discovered by the eminent <strong>physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman</strong> on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> February 1928.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In his honour, 28<sup>th</sup> February is celebrated as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-28-february-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Science Day</strong></a> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 1930,</strong> he got a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prizes-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize</strong></a> for this remarkable discovery and this was the<strong> first Nobel Prize for India in the field of Science.</strong></li>
<li>Raman effect is the<strong> inelastic scattering of a photon by molecules</strong> which are excited to higher vibrational or rotational energy levels. It is also called <strong>Raman scattering.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In simpler words, it is a <strong>change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.</strong></li>
<li>When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam.</li>
<li>Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light and its presence is a result of the Raman Effect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Raman effect<strong> forms the basis for Raman spectroscopy</strong> which is used by chemists and physicists to <strong>gain information about materials.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Spectroscopy</strong> is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1626881" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fabrication-of-controlled-nanostructures'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna: ANITA',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, NASA&rsquo;s <strong>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)</strong> has detected the unusual <strong>upward movement</strong> of neutrinos in Antarctica.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Instead of the high-energy neutrinos streaming in from space, they seem to have come from the Earth's interior, before hitting the detectors of ANITA.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Usually, the high-energy particles move top to bottom (i.e. from space to the earth). However, ANITA has detected an anomaly i.e. particles have been detected travelling bottom to top.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/high-energy-neutrinos-detected" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Earlier, researchers had also located a deep-space source for high-energy neutrinos</strong></a> through the <strong>Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory</strong> at a U.S. scientific research station at the South Pole in <strong>Antarctica.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is located at the <strong>Bodi West Hills region</strong> in Theni District of <strong>Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)</strong> is a radio telescope instrument to detect<strong> ultra-high energy cosmic-ray neutrinos</strong> from a scientific balloon flying over the continent of Antarctica. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It involves an array of radio antennas attached to a helium balloon which flies over the Antarctic ice sheet at 37,000 meters.</li>
<li>At such a height, the antennas can listen to the cosmos and detect high-energy particles, known as neutrinos, which constantly bombard the planet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is the <strong>first NASA observatory for neutrinos</strong> of any kind.</li>
<li>ANITA detects neutrinos pinging in from space and colliding with matter in the Antarctic ice sheet through the <strong>Askaryan effect.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Askaryan effect is the phenomenon whereby a particle <strong>traveling faster</strong> than the phase velocity of light in a <strong>dense dielectric</strong> (such as salt, ice or the lunar regolith) produces a shower of secondary charged particles.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>When neutrinos smash into an atom, they produce a shower of detectable secondary particles.These detectable secondary particles allow us to probe where they came from in the universe.</li>
<li>However, neutrinos pose no threat to human beings and pass through most solid objects. Additionally, they rarely do interact with matter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is named after Gurgen Askaryan, a Soviet-Armenian physicist who postulated it in 1962.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Neutrinos</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Neutrinos are <strong>electrically neutral, undisturbed</strong> by even the strongest magnetic field, and<strong> rarely interact with matter.</strong> The direction from which they arrive points directly back to their original source.</li>
<li>Neutrinos are produced during natural radioactive decays and all sorts of nuclear reactions in nuclear power reactors, particle accelerators or nuclear bombs.</li>
<li>However, the most common sources of neutrinos are celestial phenomena i.e. the birth and death of stars, collisions, and explosions happening in space.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ANITA experiment has definitely detected something unusual and unexpected about neutrinos but there are many competing theories about it. There are a number of potential candidate particles that could account for the results from ANITA.</li>
<li>Further, there are so many unknown properties about neutrinos that astrophysicists and scientists are still trying to unravel.</li>
<li>It contemplates that there is new physics out there to be found which will help to study the origin of the universe and big bang theory in the future.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/experiment-in-antarctica-hinting-at-parallel-universe-to-be-taken-with-a-grain-of-salt-experts/article31632078.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:BL</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/antarctic-impulsive-transient-antenna-anita'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Locusts and Urban Areas',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Over the last few days, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/locusts-appeared-early-in-rajasthan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>swarms of locusts</strong></a> have been sighted unusually even in urban areas of Rajasthan.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swarms have also been reported from parts of Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Point</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>desert locust<em> (Schistocerca gregaria)</em></strong> is a short-horned grasshopper.</li>
<li>Harmless when solitary, locusts undergo a behavioural change when their population builds up rapidly.</li>
<li>They enter the<strong> &lsquo;gregarious phase&rsquo;</strong> by forming huge swarms that can travel up to 150 km per day, eating up every bit of greenery on their way.</li>
<li>These insects feed on a large variety of crops. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If not controlled, locust swarms can threaten the food security of a country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Early Arrival</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first swarms were sighted along the India-Pakistan border on April 11, months ahead of the usual time of arrival.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India, locusts are normally sighted during July- October along the Pakistan border.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for early arrival</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This can be traced back to the <strong>cyclonic storms Mekunu</strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/twin-cyclones-luban-and-titli-keep-indian-seas-active" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Luban</strong></a> that had struck <strong>Oman and Yemen</strong> respectively in 2018.</li>
<li>These turned large deserts tracts into lakes, <strong>facilitating locust breeding</strong> that continued through 2019.</li>
<li>Swarms attacking crops in <strong>East Africa</strong> reached peak populations from November, and built up in southern Iran and Pakistan since the beginning of 2020, with heavy rains in East Africa in March-April enabling further breeding.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590572028_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590572028_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Locusts and Urban Areas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Locusts are being seen in urban areas not historically associated with their sightings, such as &mdash; Jaipur, MP&rsquo;s Gwalior, Morena and Sheopur, and recently stray swarms in Maharashtra&rsquo;s Amravati, Nagpur and Wardha.</li>
<li>There being no crops in the fields, the locusts have moved across states attracted by green cover in search of food. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The swarms were <strong>aided by high-speed wind</strong> and thus they made their way to such <strong>urban areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact on Crops</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At present, chances of crop damage are low given that farmers have <strong>already harvested their rabi crop.</strong></li>
<li>Orange growers in Maharashtra have expressed concern but as per scientists of the Agriculture Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/anti-locust-fight" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Locust Warning Organization (LWO)</strong></a>, the swarm in Maharashtra would be easy to control.</li>
<li>The bigger problem will come once the present swarms breed. An adult female locust lays 80-90 eggs thrice in her three-month life cycle. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If left uncontrolled, a swarm can grow exponentially to 40-80 million locusts per square kilometre.</li>
<li>The locusts will start laying eggs after the monsoon starts and continue breeding for two more months, with newer generations rising during the growth phase of the kharif crop.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Control Measures</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Control involves spraying insecticide on locusts&rsquo; night resting places like trees.</li>
<li>Till date, the LWO has carried out spraying over 21,675 hectares in Rajasthan. India has also put an order of 60 specialised insecticide sprayers with the UK, the country already has 50 such machines.</li>
<li>Drones will also be used to spray the resting places.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At a time India is battling Covid-19, there is a need to take measures so that it won&rsquo;t pose a threat to food security.</li>
<li>There is no quick-fix solution to the locust menace. Beyond chemicals, pesticides, and drones, it is imperative to tackle the root cause of global warming and invest in upgrading climate resilience and adaptation techniques. An expensive and complex process, this will require global cooperation and coordination.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-locusts-are-being-sighted-in-urban-areas-what-it-can-mean-for-crops-6428703/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/locusts-and-urban-areas'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'RESTART: Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0I_SLeyjKPA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Science and technology have been at the forefront of our fight against Covid-19 in various ways and means to find solutions to challenges thrown towards us. The next big challenge is to re-open and reboot the economy and make use of science and technology for the same in order to ensure a sustainable future.</p>
<p>As the world adjusts to its new normal, business leaders world over are rethinking and devising new strategies to harness technologies that would help drive resilience and make them emerge from the crisis stronger.</p>
<p>The formula of 4Ts needs to be strictly adhered to for the opening up of the economy, that is, <strong>Testing, Tagging, Tracing, and Tracking.</strong> Each one of these involves the use of effective technology. The entire spectrum of economic activities one way or another is dependent on technology.</p>
<h3>Rebooting Economy</h3>
<p>The need of the hour is to formulate a comprehensive action plan to reboot the economy. Technology and innovation are the foundation on which policies are to be based. These technologies would include medical technologies, advanced technologies, and manufacturing that would prepare India for the post-Covid-19 time.</p>
<p><strong>Self-reliance:</strong> In order to mitigate the widespread economic impact due to the present crisis and to prepare for a stronger recovery, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>self-reliance</strong></a> has to be the new mantra.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a need to minimize the dependence on imports and the Indian industry to play a major role in the global supply chain.</li>
<li>The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the world&rsquo;s third-largest drug producer by volume and the country&rsquo;s market manufactures 60 percent of vaccines globally.</li>
<li>However, the industry is also heavily dependent on imports of some key ingredients for antibiotics and vitamins from countries like China.</li>
<li>There is a need to encourage domestic firms to make these key ingredients, known as fermentation-based APIs.</li>
<li>Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved two schemes, namely the scheme on <a href="/printpdf/schemes-approved-to-promote-drug-manufacturing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Research and Development:</strong> Research needs to be brought closer to the Industry in overcoming the present challenge. The pandemic is a great opportunity for R&amp;D and needs to be used for strengthening it.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Covid-19 crisis has unfolded some of the best medical advancements and innovations in history like <strong>drug discovery, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, and other medical devices,</strong> as well as ways to preserve electronic health records.</li>
<li><strong>Research needs to quickly switch over from being capital intensive to knowledge-intensive and should be brought closer to industry.</strong></li>
<li>The private-public model has encouraged R&amp;D to greater heights. Plausible translations, prototyping, start-ups, and Industry have seen immense growth.</li>
<li>Wherever readymade solutions are not available, research and development needs to be more profound, relevant, speedy, impactful, and strongly connected to the industry.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Industries and Advanced Materials:</strong> The novel materials such as special-purpose alloys, engineering polymers &amp; blends, graphene, composites, etc. will be the key to revamping the industry&rsquo;s product lines in the future.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These materials will serve as the cornerstones for new-age technology solutions for complex functional problems.</li>
<li>Investment in such knowledge-based value-added materials will go a long way in accelerating the economic activities and ensuring an attractive return for the industry.</li>
<li>We need to empower the industry with knowledge and data.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Digital transformation in Manufacturing:</strong> The manufacturing companies are undergoing digital transformation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The pandemic has forced the industries that were sitting on the fence to go for digital transformation, which has brought a tremendous change.</li>
<li>The world is moving towards <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restart-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>mass customization and mass specialization</strong></a> today, and technology like 3-D printing plays a major role in it.</li>
<li><strong>Additive manufacturing</strong> can change the fundamentals of manufacturing and hence needed to be adapted rapidly.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Additive Manufacturing</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a transformative approach to industrial production that enables the creation of lighter, stronger parts and systems.</li>
<li>Additive manufacturing uses data computer-aided-design (CAD) software or 3D object scanners to direct hardware to deposit material, layer upon layer, in precise geometric shapes.</li>
<li>As its name implies, additive manufacturing adds material to create an object.</li>
<li>By contrast, when you create an object by traditional means, it is often necessary to remove material through milling, machining, carving, shaping, or other means.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>New age technology and 5G:</strong> Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotic process automation (RPA) are among the technologies that will make <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-industrial-revolution-4-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Industrial Revolution 4.0.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ITI Aayog has released India&rsquo;s <strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence</a> (NSAI)</strong> in June 2018.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/5g-is-india-prepared" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fifth generation of mobile network</strong></a> communication technology or 5G holds the promise of applications with high social and economic value, leading to a &lsquo;hyper-connected society&rsquo; in which technology will play an even more important role in people&rsquo;s lives.</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/fifth-generation-cellular-technology-5g" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>5G will also add a new dimension to the missions like Digital India and Smart Cities.</strong></a> Many mobile companies are preparing to launch 5G phones in the country.</li>
<li>The government envisages positioning India as a globally synchronized participant in the design, development, and manufacturing of 5G based technologies, products, and applications.</li>
<li>A multi-disciplinary high-level forum has been constituted to suggest vision, mission, and goals for 5G India 2020 along with action plan and roadmap.</li>
<li>The Department of Telecom is supporting research and study in 5G through financial assistance to institutions of national importance for the establishment of an Indigenous 5G Test Bed at IIT Chennai.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>Sustain the Efforts:</strong> Covid-19 is here to stay for a longer duration, this means that we need to develop long-term mechanisms to sustain our efforts of social distancing and ensuring that crowding does not occur at any place.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For factories employing a large number of people, some physical barriers that integrate with the machinery of the factory need to be put in place to ensure social distancing.</li>
<li>Similar systems will be required for schools and colleges.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Policy Initiatives:</strong> One of the reasons that India&rsquo;s response to the pandemic so far has been praiseworthy is that it provided a common purpose and clear direction where all stakeholders came together to achieve a common goal and there was a market for it.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a need to translate this kind of collaboration and direction into well-defined policies.</li>
<li>Leveraging new-age technologies, appropriate national missions, programs, and schemes to get into quick action.</li>
<li>Find the weaker areas and ensure the ecosystem to transfer end to end knowledge to the industry.</li>
<li>Moreover, there is a need for transparent and homogenous regulations in order to ensure the smooth working of the entire industry and research ecosystem.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cooperate and collaborate:</strong> Collaboration and cooperation between industry and academia are most important in this period.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Increased partnership between govt laboratories and industries with focussed output is something that has come out of this pandemic. This partnership has to get deeper.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Relook FDI policy</strong>: A large number of companies will be moving out of china</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Our FDI policy should be such that it incentivizes these industries in terms of power, land, transport, capital, line of credit, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>In today&rsquo;s scenario, virtual collaboration is the key to connect globally to fight against the common challenge of Covid-19, and collaboration between countries must continue with much vigour.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/restart-rebooting-the-economy-through-science-technology-and-research-translations'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Wildfires in Uttarakhand',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>With rising mercury levels, <strong>Uttarakhand's forest fire</strong> season has now reached its peak.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A wildfire is an <strong>unplanned fire</strong> that is often caused by <strong>human activity</strong> or a<strong> natural phenomenon</strong> such as lightning, and they can happen at any time or anywhere.</li>
<li>Wildfires occur in every continent <strong>except Antarctica.</strong></li>
<li>There are <strong>two primary causes</strong> of wildfires, viz. Human and Natural.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Human Causes</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>90% of all wildfires are caused by humans.</li>
<li>Human acts of carelessness such as leaving campfires unattended and negligent discarding of cigarette butts result in wildfire disasters every year.</li>
<li>Accidents, deliberate acts of arson, burning of debris, and fireworks are the other substantial causes of wildfires.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Natural Causes</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Lightning:</strong> A fairly good number of wildfires are triggered by lightning.</li>
<li><strong>Volcanic Eruption:</strong> Hot magma in the earth&rsquo;s crust is usually expelled out as lava during a volcanic eruption. The hot lava then flows into nearby fields or lands to start wildfires.</li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> High atmospheric temperatures and dryness offer favourable conditions for a fire to start.</li>
<li><strong>Climate Change</strong> is causing a gradually increasing surface air temperature, which can propagate forest fires.</li>
<li><strong>Weather Components:</strong> Warmer temperatures and lower humidity cause vapour pressure deficit to increase which can dry fuels rapidly and allow fires to grow very fast</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are <strong>three basic types of forest fires:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Crown fires</strong> burn trees up their entire length to the top. These are the most intense and dangerous wildland fires.</li>
<li><strong>Surface fires</strong> burn only surface litter and duff. These are the easiest fires to put out and cause the least damage to the forest.</li>
<li><strong>Ground fires</strong> (sometimes called underground or subsurface fires) occur in deep accumulations of humus, peat and similar dead vegetation that become dry enough to burn. These fires move very slowly, but can become difficult to fully put out, or suppress.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Forest Fire Prevention and Management in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Forests are a subject in the <strong>concurrent list (brought under this list through 42<sup>nd</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976)</strong> of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li><strong>National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF-2018)</strong> of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MoEFCC also provides forest fire prevention and management measures under the <strong>Centrally Sponsored Forest Fire Prevention and Management (FPM) scheme.</strong></li>
<li>The FPM <strong>replaced the Intensification of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS) </strong>in <strong>2017.</strong> By revamping the IFMS, the FPM has <strong>increased the amount dedicated for forest fire work.</strong></li>
<li>Funds allocated under the FPM are according to a center-state cost-sharing formula, with<strong> a 90:10 ratio of central to state funding</strong> in the Northeast and Western Himalayan regions and a<strong> 60:40 ratio for all other states.</strong></li>
<li>It also provides the states the flexibility to direct a portion of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/desertification-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Afforestation Programme (NAP)</strong></a> and <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/national-action-plan-on-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mission for Green India (GIM)</strong></a> funding toward forest fire work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Forest fires are among major disasters faced by India leading to massive loss of life and property and impact on the environment.</li>
<li>A holistic approach of management of forest fires through prevention, mitigation and control can lead to better outcomes saving natural resources and loss of life and property.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/46-wildfires-recorded-in-state-till-date-51-43-hectare-forest-cover-gutted/articleshow/75925853.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: ToI</strong></a></p>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wildfires-in-uttarakhand'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'South Atlantic Anomaly',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Swarm constellation of satellites</strong> of the <strong>European Space Agency (ESA)</strong> has updated the development of <strong>South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The South Atlantic Anomaly signifies <strong>weakening of the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field</strong> between <strong>Africa and South America.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, it has been observed that the present dip in intensity of the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field is <strong>within the normal fluctuation levels.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swarm Constellation Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swarm is European Space Agency's <strong>first</strong> constellation of satellites for<strong> Earth observation.</strong></li>
<li>It consists of three satellites designed to identify and precisely measure the <strong>different magnetic signals</strong> that <strong>make up Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field.</strong></li>
<li>The mission is operated by ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), in <strong>Germany,</strong> via the primary ground station in<strong> Kiruna, Sweden.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Earth&rsquo;s Magnetic Field</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Description:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field, or the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth&rsquo;s interior out into space exerting a force on the charged particles emanating from the Space including Sun.</li>
<li>The earth&rsquo;s south magnetic pole is actually near the North Pole and the magnetic north pole is near the South Pole. This is why a compass magnet&rsquo;s north pole actually points north (Since opposite poles attract each other).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons for Presence:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The magnetic field of the Earth is due to the <strong>metallic and liquid outer core</strong> of the planet.</li>
<li>The outer core of the planet is like a <strong>giant dynamo.</strong> The <strong>rotation of the Earth</strong> creates <strong>movements inside the liquid outer core</strong> which gives rise to the geomagnetic field.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It creates electric currents that generate and change our electromagnetic field.</li>
<li>The Northern Lights in the Polar Regions are caused by the magnetic field of Earth &ndash; the energy particles emitted by the Sun are channelled by the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field towards the poles, where they interact with the atmosphere to create the<strong> aurora borealis.</strong></li>
<li>The Earth's magnetic field also plays an important role in <strong>protecting the planet from solar winds and cosmic radiation that are harmful.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Intensification of SAA (Weakening of Magnetic Field):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Scientists have discovered that Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field has <strong>lost</strong> around <strong>9%</strong> of its strength over the<strong> last 200 years.</strong></li>
<li>Further, the strength of the field has <strong>dropped</strong> from around <strong>24,000 nanoteslas to about 22,000 nanoteslas</strong> between <strong>1970 and 2020.</strong></li>
<li>It has also observed an <strong>intensified weakening</strong> of magnetic fields in the <strong>southwest of Africa.</strong> The<strong> eastern minimum</strong> of the South Atlantic Anomaly has appeared over the last decade and has been <strong>developing vigorously.</strong> This scenario indicates that the South Atlantic Anomaly <strong>could split</strong> into<strong> two separate low points. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of SAA:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been speculated that the current weakening of the field is a <strong>sign of the pole reversal of the earth&ndash;</strong> in which the north and south magnetic poles may switch places. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pole reversal is not an uncommon event and it takes place every 250,000 years. Last it had happened 7.8 lakh years ago.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Additionally, the SAA is expected to help to understand the <strong>processes in Earth&rsquo;s core</strong> and future developments in the earth&rsquo;s interior.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implications:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At <strong>surface level,</strong> the South Atlantic Anomaly presents <strong>no cause for alarm.</strong> It means that people won&rsquo;t feel the change even if the pole shift happens.</li>
<li>However, <strong>satellites and other spacecraft flying through the area</strong> are more likely to experience<strong> technical malfunctions.</strong> The weaker magnetic field in this region may force charged particles to penetrate the altitudes of low-Earth orbit satellites.</li>
<li>It may also affect the<strong> navigation-mapping, telecommunication and satellite systems</strong> which rely on the geomagnetic field. Therefore, computers, mobile phones and other devices could also face difficulties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field is often visualised as a powerful dipolar bar magnet at the centre of the planet, tilted at <strong>around 11&deg; to the axis of rotation.</strong> However, the growth of the South Atlantic Anomaly indicates that the processes involved in <strong>generating the field are far more complex.</strong></li>
<li>The magnetic field observations from the Swarm satellite are also expected to provide the new insights into the scarcely understood processes of Earth&rsquo;s interior.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/earths-magnetic-field-is-weakening-which-could-affect-satellites-and-spacecraft-caution-scientists/article31668293.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:BL</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Chardham Pariyojana',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Border Roads Organisation (BRO)</strong> has completed <strong>construction of a 440 m long tunnel below the Chamba town</strong> on the Rishikesh-Dharasu road highway (National Highway - 94).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The construction of the tunnel is a <strong>part of the Chardham Pariyojana.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a programme taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for connectivity improvement for <strong>Chardham</strong> (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri) in Uttrakhand.</li>
<li>The cost of the project is around Rs. 12,000 Crore.</li>
<li>It envisages improvement as well as development of 889 km length of national highways.</li>
<li><strong>Implementing Agencies:</strong> Uttarakhand State Public Works Department (PWD), BRO and the National Highway &amp; Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).</li>
<li><strong>Project Mode:</strong> The work under the programme is being implemented on <strong>Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)</strong> mode.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the EPC mode, the<strong> project cost</strong> is completely borne by the government.</li>
<li>However, the contractor is directly responsible for <strong>ensuring quality of the work</strong> as well as rectification of defects and maintenance of the project stretch for a period of 4 years after completion of construction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Border Roads Organisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was conceived and<strong> raised in 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru</strong> for coordinating the speedy development of a network of roads in the North and the North Eastern border regions of the country.</li>
<li>It works under the <strong>administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.</strong></li>
<li>It has diversified into a large spectrum of construction and development works comprising airfields, building projects, defence works and tunneling and has endeared itself to the people.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626876" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'World Turtle Day',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, World Turtle Day was observed on 23<sup>rd</sup> May to increase attention on conservation of Turtles and Tortoises.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme for the <strong>World Turtle Day 2020</strong> is <strong>&lsquo;Adopt, Don&rsquo;t Shop&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590493522_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590493522_image4.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World Turtle Day is an<strong> annual event</strong> that has been taking place <strong>since 2000.</strong></li>
<li>It is being organised by the nonprofit organisation namely, <strong>American Tortoise Rescue (ATR).</strong></li>
<li>It aims to protect the turtles and tortoises from illegal smuggling, exotic food industry, habitat destruction, global warming and pet trade.</li>
<li>The day was observed in India by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/15-point-directive-to-clean-ganga" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)</strong></a>, along with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sal-forest-tortoise" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Wildlife Institute of India (WII)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Turtle and its Significance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Description:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Turtles are the reptiles of the order <strong>Testudines,</strong> characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield.</li>
<li>It can reside inside <strong>freshwater or saltwater.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Tortoise</strong> are distinguished from other turtles by being<strong> land-dwelling,</strong> while many (though not all) other turtle species are at <strong>partly aquatic.</strong></li>
<li>Turtles are cold-blooded species.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Cold blooded species</strong> have a higher range of body temperature and move between environments to make themselves warmer or cooler. E.g. Insects, arachnids, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>They have very <strong>slow metabolism</strong> and can survive without food and water for a long time.</li>
<li>According to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)</strong></a> most of the species of turtles and tortoises are <strong>vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Turtles play an important role in the river by scavenging dead organic material and diseased fish by controlling the water pollution.</li>
<li>They also help in maintaining healthy fish stocks in the water by giving them habitat over their body.</li>
<li>Turtle populations could improve seagrass ecosystem health by removing seagrass biomass and preventing sediment formation.</li>
<li>Turtles are also transporters of nutrients and energy to coastal areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Turtle Conservation in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are five species in Indian waters i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/olive-ridley-turtles" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Olive Ridley</strong></a>, <strong>Green turtle, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Leatherback.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead</strong> are listed as '<strong>Vulnerable'</strong>&nbsp;on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.</li>
<li>The <strong>Hawksbill&nbsp;turtle</strong> is listed as&nbsp;'<strong>Critically Endangered'&nbsp;</strong>and<strong> Green Turtle </strong>is listed as<strong> 'Endangereed' </strong>on the&nbsp;IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They are protected in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-life-protection-act-implementation-and-failure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972</strong></a>, under Schedule I.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Turtles have been protected in India under the <strong>Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation</strong> programme.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Turtles play an important role in ocean ecosystems by maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs, providing key habitat for other marine life. It also helps to balance marine food webs and facilitate nutrient cycling from water to land. Thus, conservation of turtles will help to conserve biodiversity and to maintain natural balance.</p>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626462" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => '22nd Meeting of FSDC',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>22<sup>nd</sup> meeting</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/financial-stability-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong></a> chaired by the <strong>Finance Minister</strong> was held through a video conference.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting reviewed issues relating to market volatility, domestic resource mobilisation and capital flows in the country in the wake of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> and the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> nation-wide lockdown</strong></a> imposed to contain it.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Establishment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) is a<strong> non-statutory apex</strong> council under the<strong> Ministry of Finance</strong> constituted by the <strong>Executive Order</strong> in <strong>2010.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Raghuram Rajan committee (2008)</strong> on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Composition:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is <strong>chaired by the Finance Minister</strong> and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA &amp; IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2018, the government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)</strong></a> and the Revenue Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>FSDC <strong>sub-committee</strong> is<strong> headed</strong> by the <strong>Governor of RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The Council<strong> can invite experts</strong> to its meeting if required.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The objective of FSDC is<strong> to strengthen and institutionalize</strong> the mechanism for maintaining<strong> financial stability,</strong> enhancing<strong> inter-regulatory coordination</strong> and promoting financial sector development.</li>
<li>It also intends to monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It will assess the functioning of the large financial conglomerates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Covid-19 as a Threat to Global Economy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council has noted that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to the stability of the global financial system</strong></a>, as the ultimate impact of the crisis and the <strong>timing of recovery remains uncertain.</strong></li>
<li>The pandemic has thrown the global economy into its <strong>worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s,</strong> and India is no exception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Projected Domestic Economic Growth:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Domestic economic growth is expected to <strong>contract for the first time in forty years in FY21 (April 2020 to March 2021).</strong></li>
<li>Crisil, Goldman Sachs and Fitch Ratings have projected the Indian economy to contract 5% during the current financial year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Announced Measures and its Impact:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council quoted the various<strong> short term</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fiscal measures taken by the government</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-s-covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>monetary measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> to address the liquidity and capital requirements of the financial institutions to manage the economic scenario due to global pandemic.</li>
<li>It also reviewed the <strong>liquidity and solvency position</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A%20nuanced%20understanding%20of%20the%20NBFC%20sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/liquidity-boost-to-nbfcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>housing finance companies</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/guidelines-for-licencing-of-small-finance-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>micro-finance institutions</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Moratoriums on loan payments due to pandemic induced lockdowns have put a pressure on inflows of these companies while banks have turned resistant to lend them in the wake of possible defaults. NBFCs have also sought moratorium on their dues to banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Government and Regulators:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It highlighted the need for the <strong>government and regulators to remain vigilant</strong> on financial conditions that could expose systemic vulnerabilities in the<strong> medium and long-term.</strong></li>
<li>The Council stressed that the government and regulators would continue to provide <strong>liquidity and capital support</strong> to domestic financial institutions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is expected to provide comfort to the markets, which are disturbed by the extreme volatility due to pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The financial system resilience, fiscal support, regulatory flexibility and liquidity provision announced till date have ensured that the financial system is supportive of economic recovery but <strong>more protracted slowdown may present new risks to the financial system.</strong></li>
<li>There is a possibility that the current crisis<strong> may transform from a &ldquo;liquidity phase" into a &ldquo;solvency phase".</strong> Thus, governments need to consider a range of policy tools, including efficient bankruptcy and restructuring systems, government guarantees for private investments, programmes for sector-specific government equity injections, and establishing asset management companies.</li>
<li>Thus, FSDC is expected to take further appropriate measures to bolster the liquidity and capital base of domestic financial institutions which would stabilize financial sectors for long term.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/fm-nirmala-sitharaman-takes-stock-of-economy-in-1st-fsdc-meet-after-covid-outbreak-6432097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/22nd-meeting-of-fsdc'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Veer Savarkar Jayanti',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>On <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May,</strong> India paid tribute to the freedom fighter, <strong>Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar)</strong> on his<strong> birth anniversary.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590737153_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590737153_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="200" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was an Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer and writer.</li>
<li>He is also known as <strong>Swatantryaveer Savarkar.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Birth:</strong> VD Savarkar was born on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May,&nbsp;</strong>1883 in Bhagur, a village near Nashik in Maharashtra.</li>
<li><strong>Related Organisations and Work:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Founded a secret society called <strong>Abhinav Bharat Society.</strong></li>
<li>Went to the United Kingdom and was involved with organizations such as <strong>India House</strong> and the <strong>Free India Society.</strong></li>
<li>Involved in the formation of <strong>Hindu Mahasabha.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>He was the <strong>president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Savarkar wrote a book titled <strong>&lsquo;The History of the War of Indian Independence&rsquo;</strong> in which he wrote about the guerilla warfare tricks used in <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-179" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>1857 Sepoy Mutiny</strong></a>.</li>
<li>He also wrote the book<strong> &lsquo;Hindutva: who is hindu?&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Trial and Sentences:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-193" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Morley-Minto reform (Indian Councils Act 1909)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Arrested in 1910 for his<strong> connections with the revolutionary group India House.</strong></li>
<li>One of the charges on Savarkar was abetment to murder of Nashik Collector Jackson and the second was waging a conspiracy under Indian penal code 121-A against the King emperor.</li>
<li>Following the two trials, Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to<strong> 50-years imprisonment also known as Kala Pani</strong> and transported in 1911 to the <strong>Cellular Jail</strong> in the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands.</strong></li>
<li>He was<strong> not considered by the British government as a political prisoner.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Death:</strong> He died on 26<sup>th</sup> February 1966 due to fasting on his own wish of death.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904.</li>
<li>Initially founded at Nasik as Mitra Mela, the society was associated with several revolutionaries and political activists with branches in various parts of India and London.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India House</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was founded by <strong>Shyamji Kishan Verma</strong> in 1905 in London.</li>
<li>It was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in London.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Free India Society</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a political organization of Indian students in England, committed to obtaining the independence of India from British rule.</li>
<li>Initially an intellectual group, it became a revolutionary outfit under its founding leader, <strong>Madam Bhikaji Cama.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Hindu Mahasabha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a political party formed in <strong>1933.</strong></li>
<li>It was founded by Veer Damodar Savarkar, Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Mohan Malviya.</li>
<li>The organisation was formed to protect the rights of the Hindu community, after the formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906 and the British India government's creation of separate Muslim electorate under the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1627350" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/veer-savarkar-jayanti'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'State Election Commission’s Autonomy',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/securing-election-commissions-autonomy-6428281/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Securing Election Commission&rsquo;s autonomy</strong></a> published in The Indian Express on 26/05/2020. It talks about the challenges with the functioning of the election commission institution in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Free and fair elections form the bedrock of a democratic country. In India, the constitution envisages an <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/election-commission-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Election Commission of India</strong></a> (ECI) and State Election Commissions (SEC) for every state to safeguard the free and fair election and grants them with certain constitutional safeguards to secure their independent functioning.</p>
<p>However, the recent <strong>removal of Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner via an ordinance route</strong> is an example encroaching upon the independence of the Constitutional body especially in the light of political accusations and vested interests.</p>
<p>This development not only threatens institutional autonomy but also falls foul of the constitutional provisions. Though the Election Commission of India is facing issues of autonomy due to political interference, the situation at the level of state election commission is more grim.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<p>The ordinance promulgated by Andhra Pradesh Governor reduced the term of State Election Commissioner in the state from five years to three years and altered the qualifications (only those who served as a High Court judge can now occupy the post, earlier it was an officer of the rank of Principal Secretary &amp; above) required to be the SEC.</p>
</div>
<h3>Significance of Election Commission Institution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>guardian</strong> of free and reasonable elections in India.</li>
<li>It enforces the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/democracy-model-code-conduct-india-polity-governance-election-commission-gktoday-insights-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Model Code of Conduct (MCC)</strong></a> before every election to be followed by the different candidates and parties so that the decorum of the electoral process is maintained well.</li>
<li>It creates awareness about the electoral process and electoral governance amongst stakeholders namely, voters, political parties, election functionaries, candidates and people at large; and to enhance and strengthen confidence and trust in the electoral system of this country.</li>
<li>The Election Commission prescribes the limits of campaign expenditure by the candidates and parties and monitors the spending too.</li>
<li>The body also mandates that the political parties submit their audited financial reports regularly.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Election Commissions (SECs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The State Election Commission has been entrusted with the function of conducting free, fair and impartial elections to the local bodies in the state.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243K(1):</strong> It states that the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the Panchayats (Municipalities under Article 243ZA) shall be vested in a State Election Commission consisting of a State Election Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243K(2):</strong> It states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature. However, State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges With Functioning of Election Commission Institution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Autonomy:</strong> Although the state election commission on many occasions tried to exercise its duties enshrined in the constitution of India, they struggled to assert their independence. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In Maharashtra, SEC had asserted that he should have the power to hold elections to the offices of mayor, deputy mayor, sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.</li>
<li>On the contrary, he was arrested and sent to jail for two days in March 2008 after the Legislative Assembly found him guilty of breach of privilege in an alleged conflict over his jurisdiction and powers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Safeguard for SEC:</strong> Though the State Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court (Art 243K(2)), yet it has been diluted on many instances.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the <strong>Aparmita Prasad Singh vs. State of U.P.</strong> (2007) the Allahabad High Court held that if the Governor has power to fix or prescribe tenure by rule, he also enjoys the power to amend the rule, either for extending the term of the tenure or reducing the same.</li>
<li>Once the prescribed tenure comes to end, the incumbent SEC must cease to hold office and this shall not amount to removal from office.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Non Uniform Service Conditions for SECs:</strong> Article 243K(2) states that the tenure and appointment will be directed as per the law made by the state legislature and thus each SEC is governed by a separate state Act.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This gives power to states to amend rules unilaterally and even sometimes take ordinance routes to bypass legislative scrutiny like the recent example of Andhra Pradesh SEC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Supreme Court Directive</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The state governments need to follow the guidelines given by the Supreme Court in <strong>Kishan Singh Tomar vs Municipal Corporation</strong> of Ahmedabad case:</li>
<li>The provisions of Article 243K of the Constitution, which provides for setting up of SECs, are almost identical to those of Article 324 related to the ECI.</li>
<li>Also, the state governments should abide by orders of the SECs during the conduct of the panchayat and municipal elections, just like they follow the instructions of the EC during Assembly and Parliament polls.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Second Administrative Reforms Commission Recommendation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Constitution of the State Election Commission:</strong> The State Election Commissioner should be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of a collegium, comprising the Chief Minister, the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.</li>
<li>An institutional mechanism should be created to bring the Election Commission of India and the SECs on a common platform for coordination, learning from each other&rsquo;s experiences and sharing of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Law Commission 255<sup>th</sup> Report on Electoral Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It recommended, to add a new sub-clause to Article 324 of the Constitution to provide for a separate independent and permanent Secretariat for the ECI along the lines of the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariats under Article 98 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Similar provisions can also be made for the State Election Commissions to ensure autonomy, and free and fair local body election.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Election commissions are one of the bulwarks of the democratic system in India and thus securing their institutional integrity is a task that falls on all three branches &mdash;executive, judiciary and legislature. The unwarranted interference by one organ of the state in the functioning of others should be discouraged to achieve a robust electoral system.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590665948_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590665948_image1.png" width="650" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffbe0;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Free and fair elections form the bedrock of a democratic country.&rdquo; In the light of the statement critically analyse the role of the election authorities in India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jqp8b1xSLn0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <strong><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/unlocking-justice-6428688/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Unlocking Justice&rdquo;</a></strong> which was published in The Indian Express on May 27<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/state-election-commission-s-autonomy'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'MSMEs Loans to Get ‘Risk-Free’ Tag',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> is likely to <strong>allow banks to assign zero risk weight for loans</strong> that will be extended to the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a> under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rs.20 lakh crore economic package</strong></a> announced by the Union government.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As a part of the package, a Rs.3 lakh crore loan for the MSME sector was announced.</li>
<li>However, such loans <strong>would attract a risk weight of a minimum 20%</strong> since these loans <strong>did not come with direct government guarantee.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The claims will not be settled unconditionally. The government will ask questions and see the loan appraisal process once a claim is made when the borrower defaults.</li>
<li>And, if the claim is not settled, banks have to make provision in line with the age of default.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This facility is similar to the loans that are guaranteed by the <strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).</strong></li>
<li>The government has made available a corpus of Rs. 41,600 crore for the Rs. 3 lakh crore scheme. The<strong> government is factoring in less than 15%<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> non-performing assets</a>, as of now.</strong></li>
<li>After banks highlighted the issue of risk weight associated with the loan with the government, the government has asked the RBI to waive the requirement of assigning a risk weight to the loans.</li>
<li><strong>Benefit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Zero risk would mean that banks will not have to set aside additional capital for these loans.</li>
<li>The move will encourage lenders to extend credit, as banks have turned risk averse and have been reluctant to lend.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rs. 3 lakh crore scheme</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the scheme,<strong> 100% guarantee coverage</strong> will be provided by the <strong>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC)</strong> to eligible MSMEs, in the form of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/economic-stimulus-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Though primarily meant for the MSME sector, other small borrowers including the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A%20nuanced%20understanding%20of%20the%20NBFC%20sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong></a> can also avail themselves of the scheme.</li>
<li>The <strong>tenure of loan under this scheme is four years</strong> with a moratorium period of one year on the principal amount.</li>
<li>The scheme would be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL till 31st October, 2020 or till an amount of Rs.3 lakh crore is sanctioned, whichever is earlier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Credit offered by CGTMSE</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE)</strong> was set up by the <strong>Government of India</strong> and <strong>Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).</strong></li>
<li>CGTMSE has introduced a new <strong>"Hybrid Security"</strong> product allowing guarantee cover for the portion of the credit facility not covered by collateral security.</li>
<li>In the partial collateral security model, the Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) will be allowed to obtain collateral security for a part of the credit facility, whereas the remaining part of the credit facility, up to a maximum of Rs. 200 lakh, can be covered under Credit <strong>Guarantee Scheme</strong> of CGTMSE.</li>
<li>The main objective is that the <strong>lender should give importance to project viability and secure the credit facility</strong> purely on the primary security of the assets financed.</li>
<li>The other objective is that the <strong>lender availing guarantee facility should endeavor to give composite credit to the borrowers</strong> so that the borrowers obtain both term loan and working capital facilities from a single agency.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) is a <strong>Union Government Company.</strong> It is classified as a company<strong> limited by shares.</strong></li>
<li>It was set up by the Government of India to, inter alia, <strong>act as a common trustee company to manage and operate various credit guarantee trust funds.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/loans-to-msmes-may-get-risk-free-tag/article31689534.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/msmes-loans-to-get-risk-free-tag'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Political Thinker - BR Ambedkar',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-b-r-ambedkar-s-129th-birth-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar</strong></a>, popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the main architects of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>He was a very well known political leader, philosopher, writer, economist, scholar and a social reformer who dedicated his life to eradicating untouchability and other social inequality in India.</li>
<li>He was born on 14 April 1891 in Madhya Pradesh in Hindu Mahar Caste. He had to face severe discriminations from every corner of the society as the Mahar caste was viewed as "untouchable" by the upper class.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Main Architect of Indian Constitution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Babasaheb Ambedkar's legal expertise and knowledge of the <a href="/gs-special/gs-special-polity/important-sources-of-the-indian-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Constitution of different countries</strong></a> was very helpful in the framing of the constitution. He became <strong>chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly</strong> and played an important role in framing the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>Among others, his most important contributions were in areas of fundamental rights, strong central government and protection of minorities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 32</strong> guarantees judicial protection to the Fundamental Rights which makes them meaningful. For him, Article 32 was the most important article of the constitution and thus, he referred to it<strong> "soul of the Constitution and very heart of it".</strong></li>
<li><strong>He supported a strong central government.</strong> He was afraid that Casteism is more powerful at the local and provincial levels, and the government at this level might not protect the interest of lower caste under pressure of upper caste. Since the National government is less influenced by these pressures, they will ensure protection to lower caste.</li>
<li>He was also afraid that the minority which is the most vulnerable group in the nation may convert into political minorities too. So democratic rule of 'One man one vote' is not sufficient and the minority should be guaranteed a share in power. <strong>He was against 'Majoritarianism Syndrome'</strong> and provided many safeguards in the Constitution for the minorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indian constitution is the lengthiest constitution in the world because various administrative details have been included. Babasaheb defended it saying that we have created a democratic political structure in a traditional society. If all details are not included, future leaders may misuse the Constitution without technically violating it. Such safeguards are necessary. This shows that he was aware of the practical difficulties which India will face once the Constitution would have been implemented.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Constitutional Morality</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Babasaheb Ambedkar&rsquo;s perspective,<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/constitutional-morality" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Constitutional morality</strong></a> would mean effective coordination between conflicting interests of different people and administrative cooperation.</li>
<li>It will help to resolve the conflict amicably without any confrontation amongst the various groups working for the realization of their ends at any cost.</li>
<li>According to him, for India, where society is divided on the basis of caste, religion, language, and other factors, a common moral compass is needed, and the Constitution can play the role of that compass.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He had complete faith in democracy. While dictatorship may produce quick results, it can not be a valid form of government. Democracy is superior as it enhances liberty. He supported the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/parliamentary-reforms-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>parliamentary form of democracy</strong></a>, which aligns with other national leaders.</li>
<li>He emphasized<strong> 'democracy as a way of life',</strong> i.e. democracy not only in the political sphere but also in the personal, social and economic sphere.</li>
<li>For him, democracy must bring a drastic change in social conditions of society, otherwise the spirit of political democracy i.e. 'one man and one vote' would be missing. Democratic government can arise only from a democratic society, so as long as caste hurdles exist in Indian society, real democracy can not operate. So he focused on the spirit of fraternity and equality as the base of democracy to bring out social democracy.</li>
<li>Along with the social dimension, Ambedkar focused on the economic dimension also. While he was influenced by liberalism and parliamentary democracy, he also found the limitation of them. As per him, parliamentary democracy ignored social and economic inequality. It only focused on liberty while true democracy must bring both liberty and equality.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Social Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Babasaheb had devoted his life to remove untouchability. He believed that the progress of the nation would not be realized without the removal of untouchability, which means the abolition of the caste system in totality. He studied Hindu philosophical traditions and made a critical assessment of them.</li>
<li>For him, Untouchability is the slavery of the entire Hindu society. While Untouchables are enslaved by Caste Hindus, Caste Hindus themselves live under slavery of religious sculptures. So the emancipation of the untouchables leads to the emancipation of the whole Hindu society.</li>
<li><strong>Priority to Social Reform:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>He believed that Economic and Political issues must be resolved only after achieving the goal of social justice.</strong> If political emancipation precedes social emancipation, it will lead to the rule of upper-caste Hindu, and atrocities on Lower Caste.</li>
<li>The idea that economic progress will lead to social justice is ill-founded as Casteism is an expression of the Mental Slavery of Hindus. <strong>So for social reform, Casteism has to do away with.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Social reforms consisted of family reform and religious reforms.</strong> Family reforms included removal of practices like child marriage etc. He strongly supports the empowerment of women. He supports women&rsquo;s rights of property which he resolved through Hindu Code Bill.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On Caste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The caste system has made Hindu society stagnant which creates hurdles in integration with outsiders. Even internally, Hindu society fails to satisfy the test of a homogeneous society, as it is just a conglomeration of different castes. The caste system does not allow lower castes to prosper which led to moral degradation. Battle for the removal of untouchability becomes the battle for human rights and justice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Factsheet</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1923, he set up the<strong> 'Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association)&rsquo;,</strong> which was devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden.</li>
<li>The temple entry movement launched by Dr. Ambedkar in 1930 at Kalaram temple, Nasik is another landmark in the struggle for human rights and social justice.</li>
<li>Dr. Ambedkar <strong>attended all the three Round Table Conferences (1930-32)</strong> in London and each time, forcefully projected his views in the interest of the 'untouchable'.</li>
<li>In<strong> 1932,</strong> Gandhi ji protested Communal Award of a separate electorate by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. This resulted in the<strong> Poona Pact</strong> wherein Gandhi ji ended his fast and Babasaheb dropped his demand for a separate electorate. Instead, a <strong>certain number of seats were reserved specifically for the &lsquo;Depressed Class&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>In 1936, Babasaheb Ambedkar founded the<strong> Independent Labour Party.</strong></li>
<li>In 1939, during the Second World War, he called upon Indians to join the Army in large numbers to defeat Nazism, which he said, was another name for Fascism.</li>
<li>On October 14, 1956 he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. The same year he completed his last writing <strong>'Buddha and His Dharma'.</strong></li>
<li>In 1990, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, was bestowed with <strong>Bharat Ratna.</strong></li>
<li>The period from 14<sup>th</sup> April 1990 - 14<sup>th</sup> April 1991 was observed as<strong> 'Year of Social Justice'</strong> in the memory of Babasaheb.</li>
<li><strong>Dr. Ambedkar Foundation</strong> was established by the Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on March 24, 1992 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The main objective of the foundation is to oversee the implementation of programmes and activities for furthering the ideology and message of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar among the masses in India as well as abroad.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Few important works of Dr. Ambedkar:</strong> Mook Nayak (weekly) 1920; Janta (weekly) 1930; The Annihilation of Caste 1936; The Untouchables 1948; Buddha Or Karl Marx 1956, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Methods Adopted to Remove Untouchability</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creating self-respect among untouchables by removing the myth of inherent pollution that has influenced their minds.</li>
<li><strong>Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Babasaheb, knowledge is a liberating force. One of the reasons for the degradation of untouchables was that they were denied the advantages of education. He criticized the British for not doing enough for the education of the lower caste. He insisted on secular education to instill values of liberty and equality among the students.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic progress:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He wanted untouchables to free themselves from the bondage of the village community and traditional jobs. He wanted them to achieve new skills and start a new profession and move to cities to take advantage of industrialization. He described villages as 'a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow mindedness, and communalism'.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Political strength:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He wanted untouchables to organize themselves politically. With political power, untouchables would be able to protect, safeguard and introduce new emancipatory policies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Conversion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>When he realized that Hinduism is not able to mend its ways, he adopted Buddhism and asked his followers to do the same. For him, Buddhism was based on humanism and believed in the spirit of equality and fraternity.</li>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m reborn, rejecting the religion of my birth. I discard the religion which discriminates between a man and a man and which treats me as an inferior&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>So at the social level, education; at the material level, new means of livelihood; at political level, political organization; and the spiritual level, self-assertion, and conversion constituted an overall program of the removal of untouchability.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relevance of Ambedkar in Present Times</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Caste-based inequality in India still persists. While Dalits have acquired a political identity through <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>reservation</strong></a> and forming their own political parties, they lack behind in social dimensions (health and education) and economic dimension.</li>
<li>There has been a rise of communal polarization and communalization of politics. It is necessary that Ambedkar's vision of constitutional morality must supersede religious morality to avoid permanent damage to the Indian Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to historian R.C Guha, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is a unique example of success even in most adverse situations. Today India is facing many socio-economic challenges such as casteism, <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/communalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>communalism</strong></a>, separatism, <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/inequality-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>gender inequality</strong></a>, etc. We need to find the Ambedkar's spirit within us, so that we can pull ourselves from these challenges.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Important Links</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-b-r-ambedkar-s-63rd-mahaparinirvan-diwas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>B R Ambedkar&rsquo;s 63<sup>rd</sup> Mahaparinirvan Diwas</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper1/secularism-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Secularism</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-gender-equality-versus-religious-practices" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gender equality versus Religious practices</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/basic-structure-of-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Basic Structure of Constitution</strong></a></li>
<li>Representation of People&rsquo;s Act- <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/representation-of-people-s-act-part-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Part 1</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/the-representation-of-the-people-act-part-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part2</a></strong>.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/indian-political-thinker-br-ambedkar'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance: Umang Mobile App',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has added the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/heat-waves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)</strong></a> weather services to the Umang Mobile App.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By using the IMD services on the App the users will be able to check the weather forecast of their city in advance.</li>
<li>It will forecast 7 weather related services including current weather, rainfall information, warnings, cyclones, etc.</li>
<li>This digital initiative of IMD would provide weather service with detailed information such as humidity, sunrise, sunset, temperature etc.</li>
<li>The forecast services would help in predicting a seven days forecast in advance of any city along with past 24 hours of weather data.</li>
<li>It would be<strong> significant for the farmers</strong> to get timely updates regarding the weather conditions and in taking the precautions.</li>
<li>Overall it would help in the<strong> prevention of lives, livelihood and loss of property</strong> due to extreme weather conditions.</li>
<li>Umang App provides a single platform for all Indian citizens to access pan India <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/e-governance-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>e-Government services</strong></a> ranging from central to local government bodies and other citizen centric services.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance: The UMANG Mobile App</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a unified, secure, multi-channel, multi-platform, multi-lingual, multi-service mobile app.</li>
<li>It is a Digital India initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched in 2017.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It provides seamless integration with popular customer centric services like Aadhaar and Digilocker.</li>
<li>It provides a unified approach where one can install one application to avail multiple government services.</li>
<li>It can be accessed on multiple channels like mobile application, web, and SMS which can be accessed through smartphones, tablets and desktops.</li>
<li>It has a rich multimedia interface with a focus on maximizing usability and enriching user experience.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Services provided by the app:</strong> It is a unified application that can be used to avail a number of pan India e-government services such as: Filing income tax, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-disbursed-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO)</strong></a> services, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aadhar-and-its-voluntary-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aadhar</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/streamlining-of-national-pension-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pension</strong></a>, <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-primary-education-challenges-and-opportunities" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ePathshala</strong></a>, e- Land Records, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/revamp-of-the-crop-insurance-schemes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Crop Insurance</strong></a> etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1626146" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unified-mobile-application-for-new-age-governance-umang-mobile-app'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Invasive Species: Charru Mussel',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>An invasive species named <strong>Charru mussel <em>(Mytella strigata)</em>,</strong> native to the South and Central American coasts, is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Reasons for the spread:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Charru mussel may have reached the Indian shores attached to ship hulls or as larval forms in ballast water discharges.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Ballast is the seawater that ships carry to improve stability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cyclone Ockhi which struck the region (South India, Sri Lanka, Maldives) in 2017, may have sped up their invasion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas impacted:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The surveys conducted in Kerala has found<strong> presence of Charru mussel in many estuaries/backwaters of Kerala,</strong> which include Kadinamkulam, Paravur, Edava-Nadayara, Ashtamudi, Kayamkulam, Vembanad, Chettuva and Ponnani etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The backwaters of Kerala comprise stretches of lakes, canals and lagoons located parallel to the coast of the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ashtamudi Lake, a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/addition-to-ramsar-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramsar site</strong> </a>in Kollam district is the worst-hit due to Charu mussel. Here, <strong>Charru mussel has replaced the Asian green mussel</strong> (Perna viridis) and the <strong>edible oyster Magallana bilineata</strong> (known locally as muringa).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>proliferation of Charu mussel poses a serious threat to the endemic species diversity</strong> of brackish water habitats of Kerala coast.</li>
<li>This invasive species is forcing out<strong> other mussel</strong> and <strong>clam species</strong> in the backwaters and threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In Ashtamudi lake, the<strong> short-necked clam fisheries</strong> has obtained an <strong>eco label</strong> from the <strong>Marine Stewardship Council</strong> and about 3,000 people are dependent on fisheries here.</li>
<li><strong>"Ecolabelling"</strong> is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world.</li>
<li>An ecolabel identifies products or services proven environmentally preferable overall, within a specific product or service category.</li>
<li>The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent<strong> non-profit organization</strong> which sets a standard for sustainable fishing. It is <strong>headquartered in London.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In such a scenario, the fast-breeding Charru mussel could be seen as a <strong>&lsquo;pest&rsquo; attack</strong> on clam fishery.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Invasive Species</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An invasive species is an organism <strong>that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area</strong> and <strong>causes harm.</strong></li>
<li>They are capable of causing <strong>extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats.</strong></li>
<li>They can be<strong> introduced to an area by ship ballast water, accidental release, and most often, by people.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mussel</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mussel is a common name for numerous <strong>bivalve mollusks</strong> belonging to the <strong>marine family Mytilidae</strong> and to the <strong>freshwater family Unionidae.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mollusks are <strong>soft-bodied invertebrates of the phylum Mollusca,</strong> usually <strong>wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell</strong> secreted by a soft mantle covering the body.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Worldwide, they are most <strong>commonly found in cool seas.</strong></li>
<li>In India, two species of marine mussels, <strong>green mussel</strong> <em>(Perna viridis)</em>, and the <strong>brown mussel,</strong> <em>(P. indica)</em> are found in the coastal areas. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Farming of green mussels <strong>is now established as a commercial practice</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Charru mussel is native to the South and Central American coast.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Their colour varies from black to brown, purple or dark green.</li>
<li>They can survive in a range of salinity and temperature but cannot survive beyond 36 degree celcius.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Completely eradicating the Charru mussel from Indian waters is going to be nearly impossible, so limiting its spread is crucial.</li>
<li>There is also a need to promote studies on invasion biology and strengthen awareness on marine invasive species.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/invasive-mussel-spreads-in-backwaters/article31689771.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/invasive-species-charru-mussel'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'World Dugong Day 2020',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>World Dugong Day</strong> is celebrated on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> May, every year.</strong></p>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590658425_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590658425_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dugong</strong> <em>(Dugong dugon)</em> also called<strong> &lsquo;Sea Cow&rsquo;</strong> is one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia and it is the<strong> only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea</strong> including in India.</li>
<li>They are listed as<strong> Vulnerable</strong> on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>IUCN Red List</strong></a> and are protected in<strong> India</strong> under <strong>Schedule I</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-life-protection-act-implementation-and-failure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972</strong></a>.</li>
<li>According to a 2013 survey report of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), there were only about 200 dugongs in the <strong>Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu,</strong> the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands</strong> and the <strong>Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.</strong></li>
<li>Dugongs are an<strong> important part of the marine ecosystem</strong> and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain.<strong> Proper conservation</strong> is the only way to save dugongs from extinction.</li>
<li><strong>Threats:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dugongs <strong>graze on seagrass</strong> and the<strong> loss of seagrass beds</strong> due to <strong>ocean floor trawling</strong> is one of the most important factors behind decreasing dugong populations in many parts of the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Trawling</strong> is a <strong>method of fishing</strong> that involves <strong>pulling a fishing net through the water</strong> behind one or more boats. It is <strong>harmful to the environment</strong> because it damages the seafloor, coral reefs and other marine animals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Human activities</strong> such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Dugong meat is consumed under the wrong impression that it cools down human body temperature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Steps Taken for Conservation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In February 2020, India hosted the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cms-cop-13-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>13<sup>th</sup> Conference of Parties</strong></a> (CoP) of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cms-com-13" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals</strong></a> (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/not-all-animals-migrate-by-choice-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme</strong> </a>(UNEP).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Government of India is a <strong>signatory to the CMS since 1983.</strong></li>
<li>India has signed<strong> non-legally binding Memorandums of Understanding</strong> (MoU) with CMS on the conservation and management of <strong>Siberian Cranes</strong> (1998), <strong>Marine<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-turtle-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Turtles</a></strong> (2007), <strong>Dugongs</strong> (2008) and <strong>Raptors</strong> (2016).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change</strong> constituted a<strong> &lsquo;Task Force for Conservation of Dugongs&rsquo;</strong> to look into issues related to conservation of dugongs and implementation of the &lsquo;UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU&rsquo; in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also facilitates <strong>India to act as the leading nation in the South Asia Sub-region</strong> with respect to dugong conservation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/world-dugong-day-2020-marine-mammal-fighting-for-survival-in-indian-waters-71413" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-dugong-day-2020'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'National Highways Authority of India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has directed its Regional Officers (ROs) and Project Directors (PDs) to undertake maintenance of the National Highways ahead of the monsoon season.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NHAI will be monitoring the progress through its<strong> Project Management Software &ndash; Data Lake</strong> where pictures of before and after repair works would be uploaded, apart from other repair related information.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was set up under <strong>NHAI Act, 1988.</strong> It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.</li>
<li>It has been entrusted with the <strong>National Highways Development Project,</strong> along with other minor projects for development, maintenance and management.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was <strong>started in 1998.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NHAI maintains the National Highways network to global standards and cost effective manner and promotes economic well being and quality of life of the people.</li>
<li>It has completed construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20.</li>
<li>NHAI has mandated development of about <strong>27,500 km</strong> of national highways under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatmala-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I</strong></a>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bharatmala Pariyojana is an <strong>umbrella program for the highways sector</strong> that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions.</li>
<li>The effective interventions include development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Highways</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Highways (NH) are the arterial roads of the country for<strong> inter-state movement</strong> of passengers and goods.</li>
<li>They traverse the length and width of the country connecting the National and State capitals, major ports and rail junctions and link up with border roads and foreign highways.</li>
<li>The NHs including Expressways constitute only about <strong>1.7% of the length of all roads,</strong> they carry about <strong>40% of the road traffic.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1627178" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-highways-authority-of-india'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Tianwen-1: China's Mars Mission',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>China will launch its first Mars Mission - Tianwen-1- in July, 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China's previous &lsquo;Yinghuo-1&rsquo; Mars mission, which was supported by a Russian spacecraft, had failed after it did not leave the earth's orbit and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean in 2012.</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> is also going to launch its own Mars mission in July, the <strong>Perseverance</strong> which aims to collect Martian samples.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Tianwen-1 Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will lift off on a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/long-march-5b-rocket-by-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Long March 5 rocket</strong></a>, from the Wenchang launch centre.</li>
<li>It will carry <strong>13 payloads</strong> (seven orbiters and six rovers) that will explore the planet.</li>
<li>It is an all-in-one orbiter, lander and rover system.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Orbiter:</strong> It is a spacecraft designed to orbit a celestial body (astronomical body) without landing on its surface.</li>
<li><strong>Lander:</strong> It is a strong, lightweight spacecraft structure, consisting of a base and three sides "petals" in the shape of a tetrahedron (pyramid-shaped). It is a protective "shell" that houses the rover and protects it, along with the airbags, from the forces of impact.</li>
<li><strong>Rover:</strong> It is a planetary surface exploration device designed to move across the solid surface on a planet or other planetary mass celestial bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission will be the first to place a ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution.</li>
<li>It will search the martian surface for water, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Landing on Mars:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The mission is expected to land on the surface of Mars in the first quarter of 2021.</li>
<li>The success of the mission will make <strong>China the third country</strong> to achieve a Mars landing after the <strong>USSR</strong> (the former Eurasian empire)<strong> and the United States of America.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Mars</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Size and Distance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the <strong>fourth planet from the Sun</strong> and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System.</li>
<li>Mars is about half the size of Earth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Similarity to the Earth (Orbit and Rotation):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours).</li>
<li>Mars' axis of rotation is tilted 25 degrees with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. This is similar with Earth, which has an axial tilt of 23.4 degrees.</li>
<li>Like Earth, Mars has distinct seasons, but they last longer than seasons on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun (because it's farther away).</li>
<li>Martian days are called <strong>sols</strong>&mdash;short for &lsquo;solar day&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Surface:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has colors such as brown, gold and tan. The reason Mars looks reddish is due to oxidation or rusting of iron in the rocks, and dust of Mars. Hence it is also called <strong>Red Planet.</strong></li>
<li>Mars has the <strong>largest volcano in the solar system i.e. Olympus Mons.</strong> It's three times taller than Earth's Mt. Everest with a base the size of the state of New Mexico.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Atmosphere:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon gases.</li>
<li>The temperature on Mars can be as high as (20 degrees Celsius) or as low as about -153 degrees Celsius. This is because the thin atmosphere gives an easy escape to sun heat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Magnetosphere:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mars has no magnetic field till date, but areas of the Martian crust in the southern hemisphere are highly magnetized, indicating traces of a magnetic field.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Moons:</strong> Mars has two small moons, <strong>Phobos and Deimos,</strong> that may be captured asteroids.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Previous Mars Missions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Soviet Union in 1971</strong> became the first country to carry out a Mars landing, <strong>Mars 3.</strong></li>
<li>The second country to reach Mars&rsquo;s surface is the <strong>United State of America (USA).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since 1976, it has achieved 8 successful Mars landings, the latest being the &lsquo;InSight&rsquo; in 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>European Space Agency has been able to place their spacecraft in Mars&rsquo;s orbit through the<strong> Mars Express</strong> Mission.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)</strong></a> or <strong>Mangalyaan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh by<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Indian Space Research Organisation</strong></a> in November 2013.</li>
<li>It was launched on board a PSLV C25 rocket with aim of studying Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scan its atmosphere for methane (an indicator of life on Mars).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-tianwen-1-chinas-mars-mission-6428306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tianwen-1-china-s-mars-mission'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Public Health System In India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/india-healthcare-system-coronavirus-6383650/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Reset and reform&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 29/04/2020. It talks about the importance and challenges of the public health system amid Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
</div>
<p>Contrary to the popular notion about India&rsquo;s Public health systems being inefficient and ineffective, it is performing reasonably well in tackling the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> and providing treatment of patients without refusing anyone on financial grounds.</p>
<p>However, the private health sector which accounts for 70% of healthcare services in India, is playing only a supporting role and referring the patients to public hospitals for treatment of any cases relating to Covid-19.</p>
<p>The current pandemic reiterates the importance of Public Health systems. Thus, there is a need to address the constraints and revamp of the public health system in India.</p>
<h3>Associated Challenges With Public Health Systems in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Primary Healthcare Services:</strong> The existing public primary health care model in the country is limited in scope. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even where there is a well-functioning public primary health centre, only services related to pregnancy care, limited childcare and certain services related to national health programmes are provided.</li>
<li>This represents only 15% of all morbidities for which people seek care.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Supply-Side Deficiencies:</strong> Poor health management skills and lack of appropriate training and supportive supervision for health workers prevent delivery of the desired quality of health services.</li>
<li><strong>Inadequate Funding:</strong> Expenditure on public health funding has been consistently low in India (approximately 1.3% of GDP). As per OECD, India's total out-of-pocket expenditure is around 2.3 % of GDP.</li>
<li><strong>Overlapping Jurisdiction:</strong> There is no single authority responsible for public health that is legally empowered to issue guidelines and enforce compliance of the health standards.</li>
<li><strong>Sub-optimal Public Health System:</strong> Due to this, it is challenging to tackle <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/non-communicable-diseases-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-communicable Diseases</strong></a>, which is all about prevention and early detection. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It diminishes preparedness and effective management for new and emerging threats such as pandemic like Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Enabling Preventive Care:</strong> In order to promote preventive care, the Union government has announced the conversion of primary health care centres into Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These HWCs will act as the pillar of preventive care and &lsquo;gateway&rsquo; for access to secondary and tertiary health services.</li>
<li>Thus, there is a need to accelerate the establishment of a network HWCs, for this extra funding through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be mobilised.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bringing Behavioural Change:</strong> There is a need to ensure people eat right, sleep right, maintain good hygiene, exercise, and adopt a healthy lifestyle that necessitates concerted interventions at various levels of the system.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In order to catalyse people&rsquo;s participation for healthy India, there is need for <strong>Swasth Bharat Jan Andolan</strong> on lines of <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swachh-bharat-mission-urban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swach Bharat Abhiyan</a></strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperative Federalism:</strong> Given the major role that States have to play in creating strong health systems across the country, allocations provided by the Finance Commission can become the critical catalyst for transforming the nation&rsquo;s health.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>State governments should be incentivized to invest in <strong>creating a dedicated cadre for public health</strong> at the state, district and block levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>More Funding:</strong> Public funding on health should be increased to at least 2.5% of GDP as envisaged in the National Health Policy, 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Decentralisation:</strong> There is a need to make nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) part of the core functions of Panchayati raj institutions and municipalities.</li>
<li><strong>Creating a Nodal Health Agency:</strong> There is need to create a designated and autonomous focal agency with the required capacities and linkages to perform the functions of disease surveillance, information gathering on the health impact of policies of key non-health departments, maintenance of national health statistics, enforcement of public health regulations, and dissemination of information to the public.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this pursuit, NITI Aayog&rsquo;s National Health Stack is a step in the right direction, which needs to be operationalised as soon as possible.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Pandemics such as Covid-19 starkly remind us that public health systems are core social institutions in any society. The government has made several efforts to address the shortfall in the public health system through the schemes like the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019</a></strong>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/janaushadhi-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana</strong></a>, <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/ayushmanbharat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana</a></strong> etc.</p>
<p>However, the need of the hour is an adequate investment, for creating a health system that can withstand any kind of public health emergencies, deliver universal health coverage and meet the targets of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals.</strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590578965_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590578965_image1.png" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #ebfffb;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically examine the importance of public health systems in a developing country like India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mocjcJOjuC0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial based on <strong><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/smart-cities-mission-health-investment-coronavirus-6427119/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Think Smarter&rdquo;</a></strong> which was published in The Indian Express on May 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch it on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/public-health-system-in-india'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Arogya Setu App: An Open Source',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the source code of Aarogya Setu Mobile App has been made open source for software developers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has been uploaded on GitHub which will help in identifying any vulnerabilities or code improvement in order to make Aarogya Setu more robust and secure.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India launched <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aarogya-setu-app-a-technological-solutionism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aarogya Setu mobile App</strong></a> to augment the efforts of limiting the spread of<strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Covid-19</a>.</strong></li>
<li>It has an objective of <strong>enabling bluetooth based contact tracing</strong> and mapping of likely hotspots and dissemination of relevant information about Covid-19.</li>
<li>Although the app has been resourceful by its users, there were <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/privacy-concern-over-aarogya-setu-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>privacy concerns</strong></a> regarding the lack of transparency in the app's code.</li>
<li>To address these concerns, the government has decided to launch the code-set of the <strong>app on GitHub to make it more transparent.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Arogya setu as an open source: Open Source</strong> refers to a source which people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Source code</strong> is the part of software that computer programmers can manipulate its working and function. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong> Expanding collaboration amongst the talented youth and citizens through open source would help in building a robust and secure technology solution which will further support the work of frontline health workers in fighting this pandemic together.</li>
<li>Towards this objective, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nic-and-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Informatics Centre</strong></a> has also launched a <strong>Bug Bounty Programme</strong></li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> Releasing the source code of a rapidly evolving product that is being used by million users would require regular maintenance of the source code.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Regular updates in the app with the new technology would also be a concern.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bug Bounty Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has a goal to partner with security researchers and Indian developer community to test the security effectiveness of Aarogya Setu and also to enhance its security and build user&rsquo;s trust.</li>
<li>It is aimed at encouraging the Indian developer community to find security flaws in the app and get rewarded Rs 1 lakh.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>The availability of the App as an open code would help in the development of a transparent mechanism of availing data from the public regarding the Covid-19. It would address the privacy issue by enabling a robust system in the App by adding new features to it.</p>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626979" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arogya-setu-app-an-open-source'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Fabrication of Controlled Nanostructures',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the researchers at the <strong>Institute of Nano Science and Technology</strong> (INST) <strong>Mohali</strong> have found a route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry and location on 2D materials, through a rapid one-step low power laser writing process.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST, Mohali is an <strong>autonomous institute</strong> under the<strong> Department of Science and Technology</strong> (DST).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST developed a <strong>hybrid Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy</strong> (SERS) <strong>platform of Molybdenum disulfide</strong> (MoS2, an inorganic compound)<strong> nanostructure</strong> decorated with<strong> gold NanoParticles</strong> (AuNPs).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SERS is a<strong> commonly used sensing technique</strong> in which inelastic light scattering by molecules is greatly enhanced when the molecules are adsorbed onto corrugated metal surfaces such as silver or gold nanoparticles (NPs).</li>
<li>It enhances the Raman scattering light from molecules, thus leading to effective analysis of the molecules.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Direct laser writing</strong> (3D printing for microscopic world) was used to engineer the artificial edges on the surface of MoS<sub>2</sub> which <strong>created localized hotspots with precision and control.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A focused laser beam of meagre power of a <strong>conventional Raman spectrometer</strong> was used which enables the superior deposition of AuNPs along the artificial edges.</li>
<li>Nanostructuring was done on the 2D MoS<sub>2</sub> sheet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The hybrid SERS platform offers <strong>controlled formation of localized hotspots for ultrasensitive and reproducible detection of analytes</strong> (substances whose chemical constituents are being identified and measured).</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This research will open a new avenue for the development of commercialized<strong> SERS substrates</strong> (a silicon wafer coated with a metal like gold or silver) with a localized detection capability of analytes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>SERS detection has been emerging as a powerful<strong> tool for the detection of a variety of analytes</strong> due to its very<strong> high sensitivity and fingerprinting recognition capabilities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This will also shed new light in the SERS sensing of biological and chemical molecules.</li>
<li>The technology can be used in combination with an antibody for the spectroscopic detection of various <strong>biomarkers</strong> (an objective measure that captures what is happening in a cell or an organism at a given moment).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Raman Effect</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a phenomenon in <strong>spectroscopy</strong> discovered by the eminent <strong>physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman</strong> on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> February 1928.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In his honour, 28<sup>th</sup> February is celebrated as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-28-february-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Science Day</strong></a> in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 1930,</strong> he got a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prizes-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nobel Prize</strong></a> for this remarkable discovery and this was the<strong> first Nobel Prize for India in the field of Science.</strong></li>
<li>Raman effect is the<strong> inelastic scattering of a photon by molecules</strong> which are excited to higher vibrational or rotational energy levels. It is also called <strong>Raman scattering.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In simpler words, it is a <strong>change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.</strong></li>
<li>When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam.</li>
<li>Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light and its presence is a result of the Raman Effect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Raman effect<strong> forms the basis for Raman spectroscopy</strong> which is used by chemists and physicists to <strong>gain information about materials.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Spectroscopy</strong> is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1626881" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fabrication-of-controlled-nanostructures'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna: ANITA',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, NASA&rsquo;s <strong>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)</strong> has detected the unusual <strong>upward movement</strong> of neutrinos in Antarctica.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Instead of the high-energy neutrinos streaming in from space, they seem to have come from the Earth's interior, before hitting the detectors of ANITA.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Usually, the high-energy particles move top to bottom (i.e. from space to the earth). However, ANITA has detected an anomaly i.e. particles have been detected travelling bottom to top.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/high-energy-neutrinos-detected" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Earlier, researchers had also located a deep-space source for high-energy neutrinos</strong></a> through the <strong>Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory</strong> at a U.S. scientific research station at the South Pole in <strong>Antarctica.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is located at the <strong>Bodi West Hills region</strong> in Theni District of <strong>Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA)</strong> is a radio telescope instrument to detect<strong> ultra-high energy cosmic-ray neutrinos</strong> from a scientific balloon flying over the continent of Antarctica. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It involves an array of radio antennas attached to a helium balloon which flies over the Antarctic ice sheet at 37,000 meters.</li>
<li>At such a height, the antennas can listen to the cosmos and detect high-energy particles, known as neutrinos, which constantly bombard the planet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is the <strong>first NASA observatory for neutrinos</strong> of any kind.</li>
<li>ANITA detects neutrinos pinging in from space and colliding with matter in the Antarctic ice sheet through the <strong>Askaryan effect.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Askaryan effect is the phenomenon whereby a particle <strong>traveling faster</strong> than the phase velocity of light in a <strong>dense dielectric</strong> (such as salt, ice or the lunar regolith) produces a shower of secondary charged particles.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>When neutrinos smash into an atom, they produce a shower of detectable secondary particles.These detectable secondary particles allow us to probe where they came from in the universe.</li>
<li>However, neutrinos pose no threat to human beings and pass through most solid objects. Additionally, they rarely do interact with matter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is named after Gurgen Askaryan, a Soviet-Armenian physicist who postulated it in 1962.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Neutrinos</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Neutrinos are <strong>electrically neutral, undisturbed</strong> by even the strongest magnetic field, and<strong> rarely interact with matter.</strong> The direction from which they arrive points directly back to their original source.</li>
<li>Neutrinos are produced during natural radioactive decays and all sorts of nuclear reactions in nuclear power reactors, particle accelerators or nuclear bombs.</li>
<li>However, the most common sources of neutrinos are celestial phenomena i.e. the birth and death of stars, collisions, and explosions happening in space.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ANITA experiment has definitely detected something unusual and unexpected about neutrinos but there are many competing theories about it. There are a number of potential candidate particles that could account for the results from ANITA.</li>
<li>Further, there are so many unknown properties about neutrinos that astrophysicists and scientists are still trying to unravel.</li>
<li>It contemplates that there is new physics out there to be found which will help to study the origin of the universe and big bang theory in the future.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/experiment-in-antarctica-hinting-at-parallel-universe-to-be-taken-with-a-grain-of-salt-experts/article31632078.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:BL</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/antarctic-impulsive-transient-antenna-anita'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Locusts and Urban Areas',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Over the last few days, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/locusts-appeared-early-in-rajasthan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>swarms of locusts</strong></a> have been sighted unusually even in urban areas of Rajasthan.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swarms have also been reported from parts of Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Point</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>desert locust<em> (Schistocerca gregaria)</em></strong> is a short-horned grasshopper.</li>
<li>Harmless when solitary, locusts undergo a behavioural change when their population builds up rapidly.</li>
<li>They enter the<strong> &lsquo;gregarious phase&rsquo;</strong> by forming huge swarms that can travel up to 150 km per day, eating up every bit of greenery on their way.</li>
<li>These insects feed on a large variety of crops. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If not controlled, locust swarms can threaten the food security of a country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Early Arrival</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first swarms were sighted along the India-Pakistan border on April 11, months ahead of the usual time of arrival.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India, locusts are normally sighted during July- October along the Pakistan border.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for early arrival</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This can be traced back to the <strong>cyclonic storms Mekunu</strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/twin-cyclones-luban-and-titli-keep-indian-seas-active" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Luban</strong></a> that had struck <strong>Oman and Yemen</strong> respectively in 2018.</li>
<li>These turned large deserts tracts into lakes, <strong>facilitating locust breeding</strong> that continued through 2019.</li>
<li>Swarms attacking crops in <strong>East Africa</strong> reached peak populations from November, and built up in southern Iran and Pakistan since the beginning of 2020, with heavy rains in East Africa in March-April enabling further breeding.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590572028_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590572028_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Locusts and Urban Areas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Locusts are being seen in urban areas not historically associated with their sightings, such as &mdash; Jaipur, MP&rsquo;s Gwalior, Morena and Sheopur, and recently stray swarms in Maharashtra&rsquo;s Amravati, Nagpur and Wardha.</li>
<li>There being no crops in the fields, the locusts have moved across states attracted by green cover in search of food. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The swarms were <strong>aided by high-speed wind</strong> and thus they made their way to such <strong>urban areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact on Crops</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At present, chances of crop damage are low given that farmers have <strong>already harvested their rabi crop.</strong></li>
<li>Orange growers in Maharashtra have expressed concern but as per scientists of the Agriculture Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/anti-locust-fight" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Locust Warning Organization (LWO)</strong></a>, the swarm in Maharashtra would be easy to control.</li>
<li>The bigger problem will come once the present swarms breed. An adult female locust lays 80-90 eggs thrice in her three-month life cycle. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If left uncontrolled, a swarm can grow exponentially to 40-80 million locusts per square kilometre.</li>
<li>The locusts will start laying eggs after the monsoon starts and continue breeding for two more months, with newer generations rising during the growth phase of the kharif crop.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Control Measures</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Control involves spraying insecticide on locusts&rsquo; night resting places like trees.</li>
<li>Till date, the LWO has carried out spraying over 21,675 hectares in Rajasthan. India has also put an order of 60 specialised insecticide sprayers with the UK, the country already has 50 such machines.</li>
<li>Drones will also be used to spray the resting places.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At a time India is battling Covid-19, there is a need to take measures so that it won&rsquo;t pose a threat to food security.</li>
<li>There is no quick-fix solution to the locust menace. Beyond chemicals, pesticides, and drones, it is imperative to tackle the root cause of global warming and invest in upgrading climate resilience and adaptation techniques. An expensive and complex process, this will require global cooperation and coordination.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-locusts-are-being-sighted-in-urban-areas-what-it-can-mean-for-crops-6428703/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/locusts-and-urban-areas'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'RESTART: Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research Translations',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0I_SLeyjKPA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Science and technology have been at the forefront of our fight against Covid-19 in various ways and means to find solutions to challenges thrown towards us. The next big challenge is to re-open and reboot the economy and make use of science and technology for the same in order to ensure a sustainable future.</p>
<p>As the world adjusts to its new normal, business leaders world over are rethinking and devising new strategies to harness technologies that would help drive resilience and make them emerge from the crisis stronger.</p>
<p>The formula of 4Ts needs to be strictly adhered to for the opening up of the economy, that is, <strong>Testing, Tagging, Tracing, and Tracking.</strong> Each one of these involves the use of effective technology. The entire spectrum of economic activities one way or another is dependent on technology.</p>
<h3>Rebooting Economy</h3>
<p>The need of the hour is to formulate a comprehensive action plan to reboot the economy. Technology and innovation are the foundation on which policies are to be based. These technologies would include medical technologies, advanced technologies, and manufacturing that would prepare India for the post-Covid-19 time.</p>
<p><strong>Self-reliance:</strong> In order to mitigate the widespread economic impact due to the present crisis and to prepare for a stronger recovery, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>self-reliance</strong></a> has to be the new mantra.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a need to minimize the dependence on imports and the Indian industry to play a major role in the global supply chain.</li>
<li>The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the world&rsquo;s third-largest drug producer by volume and the country&rsquo;s market manufactures 60 percent of vaccines globally.</li>
<li>However, the industry is also heavily dependent on imports of some key ingredients for antibiotics and vitamins from countries like China.</li>
<li>There is a need to encourage domestic firms to make these key ingredients, known as fermentation-based APIs.</li>
<li>Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved two schemes, namely the scheme on <a href="/printpdf/schemes-approved-to-promote-drug-manufacturing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Research and Development:</strong> Research needs to be brought closer to the Industry in overcoming the present challenge. The pandemic is a great opportunity for R&amp;D and needs to be used for strengthening it.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Covid-19 crisis has unfolded some of the best medical advancements and innovations in history like <strong>drug discovery, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, and other medical devices,</strong> as well as ways to preserve electronic health records.</li>
<li><strong>Research needs to quickly switch over from being capital intensive to knowledge-intensive and should be brought closer to industry.</strong></li>
<li>The private-public model has encouraged R&amp;D to greater heights. Plausible translations, prototyping, start-ups, and Industry have seen immense growth.</li>
<li>Wherever readymade solutions are not available, research and development needs to be more profound, relevant, speedy, impactful, and strongly connected to the industry.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Industries and Advanced Materials:</strong> The novel materials such as special-purpose alloys, engineering polymers &amp; blends, graphene, composites, etc. will be the key to revamping the industry&rsquo;s product lines in the future.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These materials will serve as the cornerstones for new-age technology solutions for complex functional problems.</li>
<li>Investment in such knowledge-based value-added materials will go a long way in accelerating the economic activities and ensuring an attractive return for the industry.</li>
<li>We need to empower the industry with knowledge and data.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Digital transformation in Manufacturing:</strong> The manufacturing companies are undergoing digital transformation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The pandemic has forced the industries that were sitting on the fence to go for digital transformation, which has brought a tremendous change.</li>
<li>The world is moving towards <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restart-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>mass customization and mass specialization</strong></a> today, and technology like 3-D printing plays a major role in it.</li>
<li><strong>Additive manufacturing</strong> can change the fundamentals of manufacturing and hence needed to be adapted rapidly.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Additive Manufacturing</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a transformative approach to industrial production that enables the creation of lighter, stronger parts and systems.</li>
<li>Additive manufacturing uses data computer-aided-design (CAD) software or 3D object scanners to direct hardware to deposit material, layer upon layer, in precise geometric shapes.</li>
<li>As its name implies, additive manufacturing adds material to create an object.</li>
<li>By contrast, when you create an object by traditional means, it is often necessary to remove material through milling, machining, carving, shaping, or other means.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>New age technology and 5G:</strong> Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotic process automation (RPA) are among the technologies that will make <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-industrial-revolution-4-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Industrial Revolution 4.0.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ITI Aayog has released India&rsquo;s <strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence</a> (NSAI)</strong> in June 2018.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/5g-is-india-prepared" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fifth generation of mobile network</strong></a> communication technology or 5G holds the promise of applications with high social and economic value, leading to a &lsquo;hyper-connected society&rsquo; in which technology will play an even more important role in people&rsquo;s lives.</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/fifth-generation-cellular-technology-5g" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>5G will also add a new dimension to the missions like Digital India and Smart Cities.</strong></a> Many mobile companies are preparing to launch 5G phones in the country.</li>
<li>The government envisages positioning India as a globally synchronized participant in the design, development, and manufacturing of 5G based technologies, products, and applications.</li>
<li>A multi-disciplinary high-level forum has been constituted to suggest vision, mission, and goals for 5G India 2020 along with action plan and roadmap.</li>
<li>The Department of Telecom is supporting research and study in 5G through financial assistance to institutions of national importance for the establishment of an Indigenous 5G Test Bed at IIT Chennai.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>Sustain the Efforts:</strong> Covid-19 is here to stay for a longer duration, this means that we need to develop long-term mechanisms to sustain our efforts of social distancing and ensuring that crowding does not occur at any place.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For factories employing a large number of people, some physical barriers that integrate with the machinery of the factory need to be put in place to ensure social distancing.</li>
<li>Similar systems will be required for schools and colleges.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Policy Initiatives:</strong> One of the reasons that India&rsquo;s response to the pandemic so far has been praiseworthy is that it provided a common purpose and clear direction where all stakeholders came together to achieve a common goal and there was a market for it.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a need to translate this kind of collaboration and direction into well-defined policies.</li>
<li>Leveraging new-age technologies, appropriate national missions, programs, and schemes to get into quick action.</li>
<li>Find the weaker areas and ensure the ecosystem to transfer end to end knowledge to the industry.</li>
<li>Moreover, there is a need for transparent and homogenous regulations in order to ensure the smooth working of the entire industry and research ecosystem.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cooperate and collaborate:</strong> Collaboration and cooperation between industry and academia are most important in this period.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Increased partnership between govt laboratories and industries with focussed output is something that has come out of this pandemic. This partnership has to get deeper.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Relook FDI policy</strong>: A large number of companies will be moving out of china</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Our FDI policy should be such that it incentivizes these industries in terms of power, land, transport, capital, line of credit, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>In today&rsquo;s scenario, virtual collaboration is the key to connect globally to fight against the common challenge of Covid-19, and collaboration between countries must continue with much vigour.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/restart-rebooting-the-economy-through-science-technology-and-research-translations'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Wildfires in Uttarakhand',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>With rising mercury levels, <strong>Uttarakhand's forest fire</strong> season has now reached its peak.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A wildfire is an <strong>unplanned fire</strong> that is often caused by <strong>human activity</strong> or a<strong> natural phenomenon</strong> such as lightning, and they can happen at any time or anywhere.</li>
<li>Wildfires occur in every continent <strong>except Antarctica.</strong></li>
<li>There are <strong>two primary causes</strong> of wildfires, viz. Human and Natural.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Human Causes</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>90% of all wildfires are caused by humans.</li>
<li>Human acts of carelessness such as leaving campfires unattended and negligent discarding of cigarette butts result in wildfire disasters every year.</li>
<li>Accidents, deliberate acts of arson, burning of debris, and fireworks are the other substantial causes of wildfires.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Natural Causes</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Lightning:</strong> A fairly good number of wildfires are triggered by lightning.</li>
<li><strong>Volcanic Eruption:</strong> Hot magma in the earth&rsquo;s crust is usually expelled out as lava during a volcanic eruption. The hot lava then flows into nearby fields or lands to start wildfires.</li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> High atmospheric temperatures and dryness offer favourable conditions for a fire to start.</li>
<li><strong>Climate Change</strong> is causing a gradually increasing surface air temperature, which can propagate forest fires.</li>
<li><strong>Weather Components:</strong> Warmer temperatures and lower humidity cause vapour pressure deficit to increase which can dry fuels rapidly and allow fires to grow very fast</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are <strong>three basic types of forest fires:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Crown fires</strong> burn trees up their entire length to the top. These are the most intense and dangerous wildland fires.</li>
<li><strong>Surface fires</strong> burn only surface litter and duff. These are the easiest fires to put out and cause the least damage to the forest.</li>
<li><strong>Ground fires</strong> (sometimes called underground or subsurface fires) occur in deep accumulations of humus, peat and similar dead vegetation that become dry enough to burn. These fires move very slowly, but can become difficult to fully put out, or suppress.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Forest Fire Prevention and Management in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Forests are a subject in the <strong>concurrent list (brought under this list through 42<sup>nd</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976)</strong> of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li><strong>National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF-2018)</strong> of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MoEFCC also provides forest fire prevention and management measures under the <strong>Centrally Sponsored Forest Fire Prevention and Management (FPM) scheme.</strong></li>
<li>The FPM <strong>replaced the Intensification of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS) </strong>in <strong>2017.</strong> By revamping the IFMS, the FPM has <strong>increased the amount dedicated for forest fire work.</strong></li>
<li>Funds allocated under the FPM are according to a center-state cost-sharing formula, with<strong> a 90:10 ratio of central to state funding</strong> in the Northeast and Western Himalayan regions and a<strong> 60:40 ratio for all other states.</strong></li>
<li>It also provides the states the flexibility to direct a portion of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/desertification-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Afforestation Programme (NAP)</strong></a> and <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/national-action-plan-on-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mission for Green India (GIM)</strong></a> funding toward forest fire work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Forest fires are among major disasters faced by India leading to massive loss of life and property and impact on the environment.</li>
<li>A holistic approach of management of forest fires through prevention, mitigation and control can lead to better outcomes saving natural resources and loss of life and property.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/46-wildfires-recorded-in-state-till-date-51-43-hectare-forest-cover-gutted/articleshow/75925853.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: ToI</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wildfires-in-uttarakhand'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'South Atlantic Anomaly',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Swarm constellation of satellites</strong> of the <strong>European Space Agency (ESA)</strong> has updated the development of <strong>South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The South Atlantic Anomaly signifies <strong>weakening of the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field</strong> between <strong>Africa and South America.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, it has been observed that the present dip in intensity of the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field is <strong>within the normal fluctuation levels.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swarm Constellation Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swarm is European Space Agency's <strong>first</strong> constellation of satellites for<strong> Earth observation.</strong></li>
<li>It consists of three satellites designed to identify and precisely measure the <strong>different magnetic signals</strong> that <strong>make up Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field.</strong></li>
<li>The mission is operated by ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), in <strong>Germany,</strong> via the primary ground station in<strong> Kiruna, Sweden.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Earth&rsquo;s Magnetic Field</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Description:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field, or the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth&rsquo;s interior out into space exerting a force on the charged particles emanating from the Space including Sun.</li>
<li>The earth&rsquo;s south magnetic pole is actually near the North Pole and the magnetic north pole is near the South Pole. This is why a compass magnet&rsquo;s north pole actually points north (Since opposite poles attract each other).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons for Presence:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The magnetic field of the Earth is due to the <strong>metallic and liquid outer core</strong> of the planet.</li>
<li>The outer core of the planet is like a <strong>giant dynamo.</strong> The <strong>rotation of the Earth</strong> creates <strong>movements inside the liquid outer core</strong> which gives rise to the geomagnetic field.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It creates electric currents that generate and change our electromagnetic field.</li>
<li>The Northern Lights in the Polar Regions are caused by the magnetic field of Earth &ndash; the energy particles emitted by the Sun are channelled by the Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field towards the poles, where they interact with the atmosphere to create the<strong> aurora borealis.</strong></li>
<li>The Earth's magnetic field also plays an important role in <strong>protecting the planet from solar winds and cosmic radiation that are harmful.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Intensification of SAA (Weakening of Magnetic Field):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Scientists have discovered that Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field has <strong>lost</strong> around <strong>9%</strong> of its strength over the<strong> last 200 years.</strong></li>
<li>Further, the strength of the field has <strong>dropped</strong> from around <strong>24,000 nanoteslas to about 22,000 nanoteslas</strong> between <strong>1970 and 2020.</strong></li>
<li>It has also observed an <strong>intensified weakening</strong> of magnetic fields in the <strong>southwest of Africa.</strong> The<strong> eastern minimum</strong> of the South Atlantic Anomaly has appeared over the last decade and has been <strong>developing vigorously.</strong> This scenario indicates that the South Atlantic Anomaly <strong>could split</strong> into<strong> two separate low points. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of SAA:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been speculated that the current weakening of the field is a <strong>sign of the pole reversal of the earth&ndash;</strong> in which the north and south magnetic poles may switch places. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pole reversal is not an uncommon event and it takes place every 250,000 years. Last it had happened 7.8 lakh years ago.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Additionally, the SAA is expected to help to understand the <strong>processes in Earth&rsquo;s core</strong> and future developments in the earth&rsquo;s interior.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implications:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At <strong>surface level,</strong> the South Atlantic Anomaly presents <strong>no cause for alarm.</strong> It means that people won&rsquo;t feel the change even if the pole shift happens.</li>
<li>However, <strong>satellites and other spacecraft flying through the area</strong> are more likely to experience<strong> technical malfunctions.</strong> The weaker magnetic field in this region may force charged particles to penetrate the altitudes of low-Earth orbit satellites.</li>
<li>It may also affect the<strong> navigation-mapping, telecommunication and satellite systems</strong> which rely on the geomagnetic field. Therefore, computers, mobile phones and other devices could also face difficulties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth&rsquo;s magnetic field is often visualised as a powerful dipolar bar magnet at the centre of the planet, tilted at <strong>around 11&deg; to the axis of rotation.</strong> However, the growth of the South Atlantic Anomaly indicates that the processes involved in <strong>generating the field are far more complex.</strong></li>
<li>The magnetic field observations from the Swarm satellite are also expected to provide the new insights into the scarcely understood processes of Earth&rsquo;s interior.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/earths-magnetic-field-is-weakening-which-could-affect-satellites-and-spacecraft-caution-scientists/article31668293.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:BL</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/south-atlantic-anomaly'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Chardham Pariyojana',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Border Roads Organisation (BRO)</strong> has completed <strong>construction of a 440 m long tunnel below the Chamba town</strong> on the Rishikesh-Dharasu road highway (National Highway - 94).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The construction of the tunnel is a <strong>part of the Chardham Pariyojana.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a programme taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for connectivity improvement for <strong>Chardham</strong> (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri) in Uttrakhand.</li>
<li>The cost of the project is around Rs. 12,000 Crore.</li>
<li>It envisages improvement as well as development of 889 km length of national highways.</li>
<li><strong>Implementing Agencies:</strong> Uttarakhand State Public Works Department (PWD), BRO and the National Highway &amp; Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).</li>
<li><strong>Project Mode:</strong> The work under the programme is being implemented on <strong>Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)</strong> mode.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the EPC mode, the<strong> project cost</strong> is completely borne by the government.</li>
<li>However, the contractor is directly responsible for <strong>ensuring quality of the work</strong> as well as rectification of defects and maintenance of the project stretch for a period of 4 years after completion of construction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Border Roads Organisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was conceived and<strong> raised in 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru</strong> for coordinating the speedy development of a network of roads in the North and the North Eastern border regions of the country.</li>
<li>It works under the <strong>administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.</strong></li>
<li>It has diversified into a large spectrum of construction and development works comprising airfields, building projects, defence works and tunneling and has endeared itself to the people.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626876" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'World Turtle Day',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, World Turtle Day was observed on 23<sup>rd</sup> May to increase attention on conservation of Turtles and Tortoises.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme for the <strong>World Turtle Day 2020</strong> is <strong>&lsquo;Adopt, Don&rsquo;t Shop&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590493522_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1590493522_image4.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World Turtle Day is an<strong> annual event</strong> that has been taking place <strong>since 2000.</strong></li>
<li>It is being organised by the nonprofit organisation namely, <strong>American Tortoise Rescue (ATR).</strong></li>
<li>It aims to protect the turtles and tortoises from illegal smuggling, exotic food industry, habitat destruction, global warming and pet trade.</li>
<li>The day was observed in India by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/15-point-directive-to-clean-ganga" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)</strong></a>, along with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sal-forest-tortoise" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Wildlife Institute of India (WII)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Turtle and its Significance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Description:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Turtles are the reptiles of the order <strong>Testudines,</strong> characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield.</li>
<li>It can reside inside <strong>freshwater or saltwater.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Tortoise</strong> are distinguished from other turtles by being<strong> land-dwelling,</strong> while many (though not all) other turtle species are at <strong>partly aquatic.</strong></li>
<li>Turtles are cold-blooded species.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Cold blooded species</strong> have a higher range of body temperature and move between environments to make themselves warmer or cooler. E.g. Insects, arachnids, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>They have very <strong>slow metabolism</strong> and can survive without food and water for a long time.</li>
<li>According to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)</strong></a> most of the species of turtles and tortoises are <strong>vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Turtles play an important role in the river by scavenging dead organic material and diseased fish by controlling the water pollution.</li>
<li>They also help in maintaining healthy fish stocks in the water by giving them habitat over their body.</li>
<li>Turtle populations could improve seagrass ecosystem health by removing seagrass biomass and preventing sediment formation.</li>
<li>Turtles are also transporters of nutrients and energy to coastal areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Turtle Conservation in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are five species in Indian waters i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/olive-ridley-turtles" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Olive Ridley</strong></a>, <strong>Green turtle, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Leatherback.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead</strong> are listed as '<strong>Vulnerable'</strong>&nbsp;on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.</li>
<li>The <strong>Hawksbill&nbsp;turtle</strong> is listed as&nbsp;'<strong>Critically Endangered'&nbsp;</strong>and<strong> Green Turtle </strong>is listed as<strong> 'Endangereed' </strong>on the&nbsp;IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They are protected in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-life-protection-act-implementation-and-failure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972</strong></a>, under Schedule I.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Turtles have been protected in India under the <strong>Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation</strong> programme.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Turtles play an important role in ocean ecosystems by maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs, providing key habitat for other marine life. It also helps to balance marine food webs and facilitate nutrient cycling from water to land. Thus, conservation of turtles will help to conserve biodiversity and to maintain natural balance.</p>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1626462" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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