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The Big Picture: Roadmap to Implement Infra Projects

Why in News? The Union Budget 2021-2022 has given the much-needed fillip to the infrastructure sector. The Finance Minister has also...

23 Feb 2021 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries

Why in News The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) inaugurated 50 artisan-based SFURTI clusters, spread over 18 States, to...

23 Feb 2021 News Analysis
India - Maldives

Why in News Recently, India and the Maldives have signed a defence Line of Credit agreement worth USD 50 million. The agreement was signed during...

23 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Go Electric Campaign

Why in News The central government has launched the “Go Electric" Campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and EV Charging...

23 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Nature-Based Solutions

This article is based on “A climate-resilient future” which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the...

22 Feb 2021 News Editorials
Making Peace with Nature: UNEP Report

Why in News The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the 'Making Peace with Nature' report, ahead of the fifth session of the UN...

22 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Conclusive Land Titling

Why in News Recently, as many States have failed to send in their feedback on a Model Bill on Conclusive Land Titling , the Centre has warned that...

22 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Status of WASH in Healthcare Facilities in India: CDDEP

Why in News A recent research from Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), USA, has estimated the cost of ensuring WASH and...

22 Feb 2021 News Analysis
International Mother Language Day

Why in News Every year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrates 21st February as International...

22 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Declining Rainfall in Cherrapunji

Why in News A recent study that looked at the rainfall pattern in the past 119 years found a decreasing trend at Cherrapunji (Meghalaya) and nearby...

22 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Deglaciation and Threats

Deglaciation Glaciers, ice caps and continental ice sheets cover some 10% of the earth’s land surface at the present time, whereas during...

22 Feb 2021 Paper 1
Ramani Judgment

This article is based on “The right to her testimony” which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the...

20 Feb 2021 News Editorials
Transatlantic Alliance

Why in News The USA President Joe Biden in his first address to the annual Munich Security Conference declared that the 'transatlantic alliance is...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Epilepsy

Why in News Recently, a major drugmaker has developed the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and the finished dosage formulation of Brivanext, a...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21: UAE

Why in News Indian Naval Ship (INS) Pralaya arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in the NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 21...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Helina and Dhruvastra: Anti-tank Guided Missile

Why in News Recently, India has successfully test-fired indigenously-developed anti-tank guided missile systems ‘Helina’ and...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Quad Meeting

Why in News Recently, India joined Australia, Japan and the United States for a ministerial meeting under the Quadrilateral grouping (Quad) and...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Nathu La, Sikkim

Why in News Recently, the Indian Army rescued several tourists caught in a snowstorm at Nathu La on the India-China border in Sikkim. Key...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram

Why in News The Prime Minister of India extended his wishes to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their 35th Statehood Day. Mizoram...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis
Sambhar Lake: Rajasthan

Why in News The State Government of Rajasthan will identify new tourist points at Sambhar Salt Lake. The Lake forms part of the desert circuit in...

20 Feb 2021 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'The Big Picture: Roadmap to Implement Infra Projects',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YTxy8DZWyjA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/budget-2021-highlights-infrastructure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Union Budget 2021-2022</strong></a> has given the much-needed fillip to the infrastructure sector.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Finance Minister has also announced the setting up of a <strong>Development Finance Institution</strong>, allowing large-scale asset monetisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The infrastructure push is expected to not just boost India&rsquo;s post-pandemic economic recovery, but also create jobs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Hike in Allocation:</strong> There is a <strong>34.5% increment</strong> in the budget allocation for infrastructure as compared to FY 2020-21.</li>
<li><strong>Equal Focus:</strong> Equal emphasis has been given to all the physical infrastructures including roads and highways, railways, urban infrastructure, power, port, shipping and airways, and petroleum and natural gas.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The highest-ever capital expenditure of Rs 1.08 lakh crore has been allocated for building highways.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Institutional Set-up:</strong> The government has allocated 20,000 crore rupees to set up and capitalize a <strong>developmental financial institution.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Monitoring &amp; Transparency:</strong> A <strong>national monetisation pipeline</strong> will be launched, with a dashboard to track the progress and provide visibility to investors.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Monetisation Pipeline</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The budget for 2021-22 proposes a national monetization pipeline of potential <strong>brownfield</strong> projects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asset monetisation is the process of unlocking the value of investment made in public assets which have not yielded appropriate or potential returns so far.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Brownfield Projects</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A brownfield investment is when a company or government <strong>entity purchases or leases existing production facilities</strong> to launch a new production activity.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is one strategy used in<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fdi-inflow" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <strong>Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The alternative to this is a greenfield investment, in which a new plant is constructed.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Focus Areas for Infrastructure Development</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Decongesting the Choke Points:</strong> In addition to the roads and highways that are being built, there should be a focus on decongesting the choke points that connect the highways with the city.</li>
<li><strong>Low-cost Housing:</strong> The infra projects which are going to be confined to mostly tier 1 tier 2 cities, post pandemic the migrant labourers will return to the cities, so the government has to work on low-cost housing so that there&rsquo;s no further plight of temporary accommodation for the labourers .
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Deslumification</strong> of the cities and low-cost housing are some of the priority areas that India shall take into account and act upon.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>River Rejuvenation:</strong> It is a major infrastructural push India has to give as every city has a river that is spooning black water.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although major action plans for major rivers like the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-mission-for-clean-ganga" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Mission for Clean Ganga</strong></a> are there, it's not enough, there are many drains and tributaries that are actually contributing to the pollution of the main river.</li>
<li>Also, it is the people living along these river banks that need to be invested in the idea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Public-Private Partnerships (PPP):</strong> The government cannot entirely invest from its own resources in these infra projects, unless they involve the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/ppp-investment-model#:~:text=Public%2DPrivate%20Partnership%20Model%3A%20PPP,be%20completed%20with%20private%20funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>private sector</strong></a> which can monetise these assets.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For a reduced delay in completion of infra projects, preferably governments can initially build the projects and then hand over the projects to the private players for operations and maintenance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Associated</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Sustainable Finances:</strong> Although the budget allocation for infrastructure is a considerable amount but it is not enough unless augmented with supplementary resources from the market such as the FDI.</li>
<li><strong>Land Issues:</strong> Land is the basic requirement for any infrastructure project. Land acquisition in India is contentious and hence not a very speedy process.</li>
<li><strong>Ineffective Dispute Resolution Mechanism:</strong> A lot of infra projects are mired in the litigation between the executing agencies and the authorities which own the projects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dispute resolution mechanisms are not very quick and effective, therefore the existing investors find it difficult to thrive and the new investors do not feel much comfortable in participating.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Human Resources:</strong> Quality manpower shall be invested to plan, implement, execute and monitor the infrastructure projects well.</li>
<li><strong>Foreign Direct Investments:</strong> Enhancing and permitting FDI, in the sectors where India&rsquo;s R&amp;D is still not at the global level.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To bring more FDI in India, the legal framework has to be smoothened and a better contract management system and a better dispute resolution mechanism is required.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging the Private Sector Involvement:</strong> Government by itself putting all the efforts will not bring out the entrepreneurship capabilities within the private sector, which is very much required if India wants to catch up at the global level in terms of providing infrastructure.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has to look at the private sector as a partner and not as a vendor as it is about equal participation towards transformation of the country from an infrastructure perspective.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A roadmap to implement infrastructure projects with the PPP model will be sustainable and it will reduce the burden on the government's financial capacity.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although the private sector is a profit based sector, if regulated in a suitable way, it would be beneficial for the government, the private sector as well as the nation.</li>
<li>Moreover, the announcement of the National Monetisation Pipeline is a welcome move which will not only enhance returns from public investments but also promote balanced regional development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If India is aiming at world class infrastructure, there are several things that need increased attention and encouragement such as the industry-academia partnership to fillip the R&amp;D sector.</li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong> inaugurated 50 artisan-based <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SFURTI</strong></a> clusters, spread over 18 States, to provide a boost to the MSME sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of MSME is implementing a Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) with a view to organize traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and increase their income.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of MSME launched this scheme in the year 2005 with the view to promote Cluster development. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-7th-may-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)</strong></a> is the nodal Agency for promotion of Cluster development for Khadi as well as for Village Industries products.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>SFURTI clusters are of two types i.e., <strong>Regular Cluster</strong> (500 artisans) with Government assistance of up to Rs. 2.5 crore and <strong>Major Cluster</strong> (more than 500 artisans) with Government assistance up to Rs. 5 crore.</li>
<li>The Ministry<strong> supports various interventions</strong> including setting up of infrastructure through Common Facility Centers (CFCs), procurement of new machineries, creating raw material banks, design intervention, improved packaging, improved skills and capacity development, etc.</li>
<li>Besides, the scheme focuses on <strong>strengthening the cluster governance systems</strong> with the active participation of the stakeholders, so that they are able to gauge the emerging challenges and opportunities and respond to them.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is done through building innovative and traditional skills, improved technologies, advanced processes, market intelligence and new models of public-private partnerships, so as to gradually replicate similar models of cluster- based traditional Industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Recent Initiatives to Promote MSME Sector</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM):</strong> It is a simple one-page registration form to promote ease of doing business for MSMEs in India.</li>
<li><strong>A Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE):</strong> The scheme promotes innovation &amp; rural entrepreneurship through rural Livelihood Business Incubator (LBI), Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Fund of Funds for start up creation in the agro-based industry.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme:</strong> To facilitate easy flow of credit, guarantee cover is provided for collateral free credit extended to MSMEs.</li>
<li><strong>Prime Minister&rsquo;s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):</strong> It is a credit linked subsidy scheme, for setting up of new micro-enterprises and to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) for Technology Upgradation:</strong> CLCSS aims at facilitating technology upgradation of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by providing 15% capital subsidy for purchase of plant &amp; machinery.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1700034" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'India - Maldives',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India and the Maldives have signed a <strong>defence Line of Credit agreement worth USD 50 million.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The agreement was <strong>signed during the visit by the External Affairs Minister of India to Maldives.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614072409_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614072409_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Defence Line of Credit:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was <strong>signed pursuant to the request by the Government of Maldives in April 2013 for India&rsquo;s support and cooperation</strong> in enhancing the capability of the Maldives Defence Forces in maritime surveillance, and subsequent requests in October 2015 and March 2016.</li>
<li>It is seen as key to India&rsquo;s and Maldives&rsquo; strategic interests, particularly <strong>given China&rsquo;s increasing footprint in the Indian Ocean Region.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Assistance to Build Dockyards:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A dockyard will be developed at the <strong>Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) Naval Base</strong> with Indian assistance, a few miles northwest of Male, which will strengthen the Maldivian defence capabilities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The agreement is <strong>part of the defence action plan signed in 2016</strong> by then Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom during a visit to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indicating deepening security cooperation, an agreement to develop, support and maintain a <strong>Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard Harbour</strong> at Sifavaru was also signed. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India will also support development of other infrastructure needed for the harbour, support the development of communications resources and radar services, and provide training.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Countering Terrorism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Agreed to convene the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, countering Violent Extremism and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/status-of-radicalisation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>De-radicalisation</strong></a> at the the earliest.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Review of Infrastructure Projects:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A number of India-backed infrastructure projects including the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement Studies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collaboration at Multilateral Bodies:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussed collaboration at multilateral bodies like the General Assembly and Security Council of the <a href="/pdf/united-nations-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Organisation.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Maldivian side <strong>assured India of its support for permanent membership of India</strong> at the &ldquo;expanded and reformed&rdquo; UN Security Council.</li>
<li><strong>India has also extended support for the candidature of the Maldives</strong> for the Presidency of the 76th session of the General Assembly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation for Police Reforms:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Noted progress on institutionalising linkages between the police organisations to support collaboration and cooperation in training management and exchange of trainers and trainees.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India - Maldives Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Geo-Strategic Importance of Maldives to India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Maldives, a Toll Gate in Indian Ocean:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Located at the southern and northern parts of this island chain lies the two important <strong>sea lanes of communication (SLOCs).</strong></li>
<li>These SLOCs are critical for maritime trade flow between the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz in West Asia and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.</li>
<li>Nearly 50% of India&rsquo;s external trade and 80% of its energy imports transit these SLOCs in the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Part of Important Groupings:</strong> Besides, Maldives is a member of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/visit-of-home-minister-of-maldives" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South Asia</strong> <strong>Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation Between India &amp; Maldives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Security Cooperation:</strong> Through the decades, India has rushed emergency assistance to the Maldives, whenever sought.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 1988, when armed mercenaries attempted a coup against President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, India sent paratroopers and Navy vessels and restored the legitimate leadership under<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/operation-sanjeevani" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Operation Cactus.</strong></a></li>
<li>India and Maldive conduct the <strong>joint military exercise <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/exercise-ekuverin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Ekuverin&rsquo;.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster Management:</strong> The 2004 tsunami and the drinking water crisis in Male a decade later were other occasions when India rushed assistance.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Maldives has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Covid-19 assistance and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-vaccine-diplomacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>vaccines delivered</strong></a> by India among India&rsquo;s all of neighbouring countries.</li>
<li>When the world supply chains were blocked because of the pandemic, India continued to provide crucial commodities to the Maldives under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mission-sagar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mission SAGAR.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>People To People Contact:</strong> Maldivian students attend educational institutions in India and patients fly here for superspeciality healthcare, aided by <strong>a liberal visa-free regime extended by India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong> Tourism is the mainstay of Maldivian economy. The country is now a major tourist destination for some Indians and a job destination for others.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Given the geographical limitations imposed on the Maldives, India has exempted the nation from export curbs on essential commodities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Irritants in Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Political Instability:</strong> India&rsquo;s major concern has been the impact of political instability in the neighbourhood on its security and development.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The February 2015 arrest of Maldives&rsquo; opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges and the consequent political crisis have posed a real diplomatic test for India&rsquo;s neighbourhood policy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Radicalisation:</strong> In the past decade or so, the number of Maldivians drawn towards terrorist groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Pakistan-based madrassas and jihadist groups has been increasing.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Political instability and socio-economic uncertainty are the main drivers fuelling the rise of Islamist radicalism in the island nation.</li>
<li>This gives rise to the possibility of Pakistan based terror groups using remote Maldivian islands as a launch pad for terror attacks against India and Indian interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China Angle:</strong> China&rsquo;s strategic footprint in India&rsquo;s neighbourhood has increased. The Maldives has emerged as an important 'pearl' in China&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/new-sri-lanka-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;String of Pearls&rdquo;</strong></a> construct in South Asia.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Given the uncertain dynamics of Sino-Indian relation, China&rsquo;s strategic presence in the Maldives remains a concern.</li>
<li>Also, the Maldives have started using the China card to bargain with India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India-Maldives defense cooperation will enhance India&rsquo;s capability to monitor Chinese maritime and naval movements along vital sea lanes of communication that run alongside the Maldives.</li>
<li>In accordance with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/what-is-indias-neighbourhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Neighbourhood First Policy&rdquo;</strong></a> of the government, India remains a committed development partner for a stable, prosperous and peaceful Maldives.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-maldives-sign-defence-and-security-related-pacts/article33894011.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/india-maldives-2'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Go Electric Campaign',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The central government has launched the <strong>&ldquo;Go Electric" Campaign</strong> to spread awareness on the benefits of <strong>e-mobility</strong> and<strong> EV Charging Infrastructure</strong> as well as<strong> electric cooking</strong> in India.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Campaign:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Features:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To push the country towards <strong>100% e-mobility and clean and safe e-cooking.</strong></li>
<li>To <strong>create awareness at PAN-India level and reduce the import dependence</strong> of the country.</li>
<li>To move ahead on the<strong> path of a low carbon economy,</strong> thereby saving the country and the planet from the adverse impact of climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bee-star-rating-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)</strong></a>, under the aegis of the <strong>Ministry of Power</strong> has been mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting public charging, e-mobility &amp; its ecosystem.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>E-mobility:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>E-mobility<strong> moves away from existing carbon-emitting fossil fuels to using energy from electrical power sources</strong> (e.g. the National Grid) through external charging capability.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Currently, <strong>India is using 94 million tonnes of oil and petroleum</strong> products for transportation only which is expected to double by 2030.</li>
<li>For fossil fuels, India currently has an<strong> import bill of Rs. 8 lakh Crore.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It encompasses the <strong>use of fully electric, conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid as well as hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.</strong></li>
<li>The government of India has undertaken multiple initiatives to promote manufacturing and adoption of<strong><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> electric vehicles</a> (EV)</strong> in India. One such initiative is <strong>&lsquo;Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &amp;) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India)&rsquo; Scheme.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electric Fuel as an Alternative Fuel:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Electric fuel is a major alternative for fossil fuels.</li>
<li>When compared to conventional fuels, the electric fuel<strong> has low cost, reduced emissions and it is also indigenous.</strong></li>
<li>Electrification of public transport is not only economical but also eco friendly.</li>
<li>The usage of even 10,000 electric vehicles in Delhi can alone save Rs. 30 crore per month.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Green Hydrogen:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-budget-2021-for-green-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Green hydrogen</strong></a> in the commercial vehicle could be a game-changer move which would help in eliminating the crude requirement and imports in all possible ways. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Green hydrogen is <strong>produced using renewable energy and electrolysis </strong>to split water. It is <strong>distinct from:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Grey hydrogen,</strong> which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.</li>
<li><strong>Blue hydrogen,</strong> which captures those emissions and stores them underground to prevent them causing climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Also, for heavy vehicles like buses, the ideal solution is <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-budget-2021-for-green-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Green Hydrogen.</strong></a></li>
<li>The use of green energy generated from agriculture waste and <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/action-plan-for-biomass-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>biomass</strong></a> will benefit the farmers across the country.</li>
<li>The Ministry of New &amp; Renewable Energy can produce the green hydrogen at cheap costs possible in India because of low solar prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electric Cooking:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> shift to induction cooking</strong> will bring the government closer to delivering on its promise to improve energy access.</li>
<li>Theoretically, if electric cooktops are adopted, universal electrification could translate into<strong> universal clean cooking</strong> as well.</li>
<li>An advantage of the electricity-based solution is that it <strong>can make use of solar power in both urban and rural areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bureau of Energy Efficiency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Government of India set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in March 2002 under the provisions of the<strong> Energy Conservation Act, 2001.</strong></li>
<li>It assists in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.</li>
<li><strong>Major Programmes:<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-energy-efficiency-index-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> State Energy Efficiency Index</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-energy-efficiency-measures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme</a></strong>, The Standards &amp; Labeling Programme, Energy Conservation Building Code.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1699386" 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/go-electric-campaign'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Nature-Based Solutions',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-climate-resilient-future-7198487/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;A climate-resilient future&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the concept of Nature-based solutions (NbS) that can help in climate resilience building and resource management.</p>
</div>
<p>Five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the signatories are again in the process of revising their nationally determined contributions as they prepare for COP26 that is scheduled for later this year.</p>
<p>Also, with the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration in 2021, an even wider scale of discussions of Nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation strategy at COP26 is envisaged.</p>
<p>In this context, the concept of Nature-based solutions (NbS) can help in climate resilience building and resource management.</p>
<h3>What Are Nature-Based Solutions?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nature-based solutions (NBS) refer to the sustainable management and use of nature for tackling socio-environmental challenges.</li>
<li>The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines NbS as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.</li>
<li>It is further associated with other sector-specific terms like green infrastructure, natural infrastructure, ecological engineering, ecosystem-based mitigation, ecosystem-based adaptation, and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li>NbS creates harmony between people and nature, enables ecological development, and represents a holistic, people-centered response to climate change.</li>
<li>Also, NbS are an essential component of the overall global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In its essence, Article 5.2 of the Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of natural resources in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.</li>
<li>Article 7 further promotes the idea of building the resilience of socioeconomic and ecological systems through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Example of Nature-Based Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Helping Local People:</strong> NbS has been very successful in helping local people to deal with the impacts of climate change, improving ecosystem services, and storing carbon. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the restoration project in the Lake District National Park, United Kingdom was successful in improving not just the local biodiversity but also brought with it revenue generation by way of increased tourism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NbS for Disaster Reduction:</strong> Restoration or protection of mangroves along coastlines utilizes a nature-based solution to accomplish several things.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mangroves moderate the impact of waves and wind on coastal settlements or cities and sequester CO<sub>2</sub>.</li>
<li>They also provide safe nurseries for marine life that can be the basis for sustaining populations of fish that local populations depend on.</li>
<li>Additionally, the mangrove forests can help control coastal erosion resulting from sea-level rise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Addressing Urban Issues:</strong> In addition to NbS being used for restoring ecosystems, it can also be used in combination with man-made infrastructure in cities to benefit human health and urban biodiversity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, in cities, green roofs or walls are nature-based solutions that can be used to moderate the impact of high temperatures, capture stormwater, abate pollution, and act as carbon sinks, while enhancing biodiversity.</li>
<li>Creating permeable lesser concrete areas to help replenish groundwater in regions facing water scarcity.</li>
<li>Large hotels and resorts can effectively pioneer solutions such as artificial wetlands for water recycling, which would also add to the local landscape&rsquo;s aesthetics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need For NbS</h3>
<p>Climate change presents one of the greatest challenges to mankind today. Both cities and natural ecosystems have the most to lose as far as climate change impacts are concerned.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Growing Vulnerabilities of Cities:</strong> The vulnerability of cities, in particular, is further aggravated by added complexities of land-use change, the density of population, increased concretization, social inequalities, poor air quality, and several other associated issues. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This poses a serious challenge to human health, social well-being, and quality of life, especially for the underprivileged classes of society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risk to Natural Ecosystem:</strong> Natural ecosystem losses such as loss of biodiversity, depletion of water resources, etc. have similarly been well documented.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To overcome or minimize the impacts of climate change, the idea of local-led adaptation has been widely discussed, which directs us to NbS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Local-led Adaptation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Local-led adaptation refers to local communities, local governments acting strong in taking effective decisions to tackle climate change.</li>
<li>Local-led adaptation is often characterized by indigenous solutions, which are often associated with nature.</li>
<li>Given that the most vulnerable populations are the ones that are more dependent on natural resources, it is, therefore, to be expected that coping solutions also often germinate from the same source.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenge to NBs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Highly Context-Specific:</strong> NbS are highly contexted specific, and their effectiveness is also uncertain under changing climatic conditions. While natural ecosystems are affected by changing climate, their effectiveness in future climate scenarios is questionable.</li>
<li><strong>Need For Huge Finances:</strong> Apart from the uncertainties revolving around the NbS, securing a continuous flow of investments is an added challenge. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to a report by United Nations Environment Programme (2020), an investment of $140 billion to $300 billion annually by 2030, rising to between $280 billion and $500 billion by 2050 might be required to finance NbS globally.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implementing NbS</h3>
<p>IUCN released a global standard including a set of criteria and associated indicators for implementing NbS, addressing sustainable development goals and resilient project management.</p>
<p>To illustrate these criteria for decision-making prior to implementation, we take the example of the restoration of a hilly area using NbS. This area once mined excessively for mineral resources; is now susceptible to soil erosion, landslides, and increased climate risk.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Restoring such an area would address more than one societal challenge.</li>
<li>The scale of the design of the restoration program needs to be estimated.</li>
<li>Further, whether or not the planned restoration will improve the biodiversity of the region and is economically workable needs to be checked as well.</li>
<li>For inclusive governance, the plantation of plant species must be carried out in consultation with local stakeholders as they are the ultimate caretakers of the plantation.</li>
<li>While we&rsquo;re restoring the area, it might cause an improvement in the region&rsquo;s biodiversity, it may also result in the loss of playgrounds for children.</li>
<li>However, such trade-offs must be thought of in advance, mutually agreed upon and maintained throughout the time. To meet the seventh criterion, the restored area must be maintained, studied, and effectively documented to support future decision-making.</li>
<li>The global NbS standards should highlight the importance of replicating workable solutions in similar environments.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>If we can address the complexities revolving around NbS along with securing sustainable investment, we might develop a climate-resilient future in addition to protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural environment.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fafff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Nature-based solutions can help in protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural environment. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/nature-based-solutions'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Making Peace with Nature: UNEP Report',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)</strong> has released the<strong> 'Making Peace with Nature'</strong> report, <strong>ahead of the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Report explains how <strong>climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution add up to three self-inflicted planetary emergencies</strong> that are closely interconnected and put the well-being of current and future generations at unacceptable risk.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Planetary Emergencies:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Climate Change:</strong> Climate change is<strong> increasing the chances of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arctic-concerns-opportunities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arctic Ocean</a> being ice-free</strong> in summer, further disrupting ocean circulation and Arctic ecosystems.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Climate change <strong>drives changes in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/forest-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wildfires</a></strong> and water stress and combines with biodiversity loss to <strong>degrade land and enhance drought</strong> in some regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity Loss:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>More than one million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are increasingly at risk of extinction.</li>
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/significance-of-dead-coral-reef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coral reefs</a> are particularly vulnerable to climate change</strong> and are projected to decline to 10-30% of their former cover at 1.5&deg;C of warming and to less than 1% at 2&deg;C of warming, compromising food provision, tourism and coastal protection.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Every year, nine million people die prematurely due to pollution.</li>
<li>Up to <strong>400 million tons of heavy metals,</strong> solvents, toxic sludge and other industrial wastes enter the world&rsquo;s waters annually.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Widening Inequalities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Human prosperity is strained by widening inequalities, whereby the<strong> burden of environmental decline weighs heaviest on the poor and vulnerable</strong> and looms even larger over<strong> today&rsquo;s youth and future generations.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Inequity in economic growth has left 1.3 billion people poor. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Performance over SDGs:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Current and projected changes in climate, biodiversity loss and pollution make achieving the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong> </a>even more challenging.</li>
<li>The current mode of development <strong>degrades the Earth&rsquo;s finite capacity</strong> to sustain human well-being.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Performance over Different Targets:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Society is <strong>failing to meet most of its commitments to limit environmental damage.</strong></li>
<li>Society is not on course to achieve<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-degradation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> land degradation neutrality</strong></a>, <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/31-12-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aichi Targets</strong></a> and targets of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Human knowledge, ingenuity, technology and cooperation</strong> can transform societies and economies and secure a sustainable future.</li>
<li>Given the interconnected nature of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and air and water pollution, it is essential that these problems are <strong>tackled together.</strong></li>
<li>Governments must<strong> scale up and accelerate</strong> action to meet the <strong>Paris Agreement</strong> goals and limit dangerous climate change.</li>
<li><strong>Economic and financial systems</strong> can and must be transformed to lead and power the shift toward sustainability.</li>
<li><strong>Moving to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-circular-economy-hackathon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> circular economic systems</a></strong> that reuse resources, reduce emissions and weed out the chemicals and toxins that are causing millions of premature deaths &ndash; all while creating jobs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Environment Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th June 1972.</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong> It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable development within the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations</strong></a> system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for global environment protection.</li>
<li><strong>Major Reports: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emission Gap Report</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/adaptation-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adaptation Gap Report</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-environment-outlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Environment Outlook</a></strong>, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.</li>
<li><strong>Major Campaigns:</strong> Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Nairobi, Kenya.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>United Nations Environment Assembly</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the <strong>governing body of the UN Environment Programme.</strong></li>
<li>It is the world&rsquo;s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.</li>
<li>It <strong>meets biennially</strong> to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law.</li>
<li>It was <strong>created in June 2012,</strong> during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also referred to as RIO+20.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/time-to-reset-our-relationship-with-nature-un-ahead-of-5th-environment-assembly-75613" 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/making-peace-with-nature-unep-report'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Conclusive Land Titling',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, as many States have failed to send in their feedback on a <strong>Model Bill on Conclusive Land Titling</strong> , the Centre has warned that their agreement would be presumed. The Bill was <strong>prepared by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NITI Aayog.</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613993020_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613993020_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="340" height="446" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the generic term used to describe the <strong>programs implemented by the government</strong> to enable individuals and government <strong>to efficiently trade in rights in land and property.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a> held that a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-to-private-property" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>citizen&rsquo;s right to own private property is a human right.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Current System in India/Presumptive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India currently follows a system of presumptive land titling. It means that <strong>land records are maintained, with information on possession, which is determined through details of past transactions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ownership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is established on the <strong>basis of current possession.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Registration:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Registration of land is actually a registration of transactions, such as sale <strong>deeds, records of inheritance, mortgage and lease.</strong></li>
<li>Holding registration papers <strong>does not actually involve the government or the legal framework</strong> guaranteeing the ownership title of the land.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Under a conclusive land titling system, <strong>land records designate actual ownership.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ownership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The title is <strong>granted by the government</strong>, which takes the responsibility for accuracy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Dispute Settlement:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Once a title is granted, any other <strong>claimant will have to settle disputes with the government</strong>, not the title holder.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Compensation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>government may provide compensation to claimants in case of disputes</strong>, but the title holder is not in any danger of losing ownership.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need and Benefits of Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduce Litigations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The conclusive system will <strong>drastically lower litigation related to land.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>According to a 2007 <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a> study on &lsquo;Land Policies for growth and poverty reduction&rsquo;, <strong>land-related disputes</strong> accounted for <strong>two-thirds of all pending court</strong> cases in India.</li>
<li>A <strong>NITI Aayog</strong> study on strengthening arbitration estimated that <strong>disputes on land or real estate take an average time of 20 years</strong> in the courts to be resolved.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduced Risk:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Once conclusive titling is in place, investors who want to purchase land for business activities will be able to do so <strong>without facing the constant risk that their ownership may be questioned</strong> and their entire investment may go to waste.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Right now, because land titles are based on transactions, people have to keep the entire chain of transaction records, and a dispute on any link in that chain <strong>causes ambiguity in ownership.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduction in Black Marketing:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Ambiguity in ownership also results in a <strong>black market for land transactions</strong>, which deprives the government of <strong>taxes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Speeding up Development:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Land disputes and unclear titling also create <strong>hurdles for infrastructure development and housing construction</strong>, leading to costly delays and inefficiency. In cities, urban local bodies depend on property taxes that can be levied properly only if there is clear ownership data available.</li>
<li>Long-running court cases currently create hurdles for investment in many sectors of the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Facilitation of Easy Credit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In rural areas, the need is even more acute. Access to <strong>agricultural credit</strong> is <strong>dependent on the ability to use land as collateral.</strong></li>
<li>Without being able to prove their ownership of land and access formal credit from banks, <strong>small and marginal farmers are often left at the mercy of unscrupulous moneylenders</strong>, entrenching themselves in a mountain of debt.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Model Bill on Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Power to State Governments:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will provide state governments <strong>power to order for establishment, administration and management</strong> of a system of title registration of immovable properties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Land Authorities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Land Authorities to be set up by each State government, which will appoint a <strong>Title Registration Officer (TRO)</strong> to prepare and publish a draft list of land titles based on existing records and documents.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This will be considered a valid notice to all potential claimants interested in the property, who will have to file their claims or objections within a set period of time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If disputing claims are received, the TRO will verify all the relevant documents and refer the case to a <strong>Land Dispute Resolution Officer (LDRO)</strong> for resolution. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, <strong>disputes</strong> which are already <strong>pending in courts cannot be resolved in this way.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Having considered and resolved all the disputed claims, <strong>the Land Authority will publish a Record of Titles.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Land Titling Appellate Tribunals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Over a three-year period, these titles and the <strong>decisions of the TRO and the LDRO can be challenged before Land Titling Appellate Tribunals</strong>, which will be set up under the law.</li>
<li>After a <strong>three-year period</strong>, entries in the Record of Titles will be considered conclusive proof of ownership.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Special Bench of High Court:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A special bench of High court shall be designated <strong>to deal with appeals against the orders passed by the Land Titling Appellate Tribunal.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenge:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The biggest challenge is that land <strong>records have not been updated</strong> for decades, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.</li>
<li>Land records are often in the name of the grandparents of the current owner, with <strong>no proof of inheritance.</strong></li>
<li>Unless they are based on updated records, <strong>conclusive land titles could create even more problems.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Comprehensive <strong>village-level surveys with community involvement</strong> are a necessary precursor to the land titling process. Relying on current records or even satellite imagery will not provide the same accuracy as actual, <strong>on-the-ground, local surveys.</strong></li>
<li>It is imperative that the country has <strong>an integrated system or repository of land record for urban and rural areas</strong> which comprehensively covers agricultural, infrastructure, residential and industrial land.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-hindu-explains-why-does-india-need-conclusive-land-titling/article33891718.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/conclusive-land-titling'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Status of WASH in Healthcare Facilities in India: CDDEP',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A recent research from <strong>Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP),</strong> USA, has estimated the cost of ensuring WASH and taking related steps for infection prevention and control for one year in healthcare facilities across India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CDDEP aims to use research to support better decision-making in health policy.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg" p=""><strong>WASH</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WASH is an acronym that <strong>stands for the interrelated areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.</strong></li>
<li>The <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/who-wash-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO) WASH Strategy</strong></a> has been developed in response to Member State Resolution (WHA 64.4) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being, SDG 6: Clean Water And Sanitation).</li>
<li>It is a<strong> component of WHO&rsquo;s 13<sup>th</sup> General Programme of Work 2019&ndash;2023</strong> which aims to contribute to the health of three billion through multisectoral actions like better emergency preparedness and response; and one billion with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/universal-health-coverage-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Universal Health Coverage (UHC).</strong></a></li>
<li>It also takes on board the need for progressive realization of the human rights to safe drinking-water and sanitation, adopted by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UN General Assembly</strong></a> in July 2010.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Need for Study: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Inadequate Healthcare And Sanitation Facilities:</strong> A 2019 joint global baseline report by WHO and UNICEF had pointed out that globally, one in four healthcare facilities lacked basic water servicing and one in five had no sanitation service and 42% had no hygiene facilities at point of care.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Importance of Sanitation:</strong> A 2012 WHO report had calculated that for every dollar invested in sanitation, there was USD 5.50 to be gained in lower health costs, more productivity and fewer premature deaths.</li>
<li><strong>Fatalities due to Improper Implementation of the WAH Strategy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A WHO document on WASH in healthcare facilities points out that 8,27,000 people in low- and middle-income countries die as a result of inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene each year.</li>
<li>Also, death of 2,97,000 children under five years can be prevented each year if better WASH could be provided.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Objectives of the Study:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To determine the cost-effectiveness of WASH interventions to reduce healthcare-associated infections among mother and neonates across the Indian healthcare system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cost Estimates:</strong> Improving WASH across the public healthcare facilities in India and maintaining this for a year would cost Rs. 2567 crores approximately in capital costs and Rs. 2095 crores in recurrent expenses.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Costly Interventions:</strong> Providing clean water, linen reprocessing and sanitation.</li>
<li><strong>Least Expensive Interventions:</strong> Hand hygiene, medical device reprocessing and environmental surface cleaning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Healthcare Associated Infections:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Inadequacies in proving WASH and also lack of infection prevention and control can lead to healthcare associated infections.</li>
<li><strong>Causative Agents:</strong> The pathogens like <em><strong>Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumoniae</strong></em> have been found to be causative agents of healthcare associated infections because of their <strong>ability to develop resistance to antibiotics.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Common Healthcare Associated Infections:</strong> Central-line-associated bloodstream infections, Catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Surgical site infections and Ventilator-associated pneumonia.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of the Study: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Suggests Suitable Strategies:</strong> Findings show that addressing gaps in WASH across the Indian healthcare system is not only within the realm of possibility in terms of affordability &ndash; when compared to other national health campaigns &ndash; but can also be combined with other national efforts to address health priorities such as <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-antimicrobial-resistance-amr" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>antimicrobial resistance.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also highlights the need for a concerted effort from local bodies, State and Central governments to sustainably <strong>address quality and inequality issues in WASH provision.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Improve Healthcare Policy Framing:</strong> The intersection between WASH, infection prevention and control and antimicrobial resistance is unique in that it offers policy makers an opportunity to address multiple overlapping problems through interventions on WASH in healthcare facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/an-estimate-of-wash-across-healthcare-facilities-in-india/article33889963.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/status-of-wash-in-healthcare-facilities-in-india-cddep'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'International Mother Language Day  ',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Every year, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unesco-5#:~:text=UNESCO,-30%20Apr%202020&amp;text=United%20Nations%20Educational%2C%20Scientific%20and,Education%2C%20the%20Sciences%20and%20Culture.&amp;text=Three%20UNESCO%20member%20states%20are,Islands%2C%20Niue%2C%20and%20Palestine." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong></a> celebrates <strong>21<sup>st</sup> February as International Mother Language Day</strong> to promote mother tongue-based multilingual education.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme of the 2021 celebrations, &ldquo;Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,&rdquo; recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong></a> focus on leaving no one behind.</li>
<li>The world has over 7,000 languages whereas India alone has about 22 officially recognized languages, 1635 mother tongues, and 234 identifiable mother tongues.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the International Mother Language Day:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>UNESCO declared 21<sup>st</sup> February as International Mother Language Day <strong>in 1999</strong> and World has been celebrating the same since 2000. The day <strong>also commemorates a long struggle by Bangladesh to protect its mother language Bangla.</strong></li>
<li>The resolution to mark 21st February as the International Mother Language Day was <strong>suggested by Rafiqul Islam</strong>, a Bangladeshi living in Canada. He proposed the said date to commemorate the <strong>1952 killings in Dhaka during the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-international-mother-language-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangla Language Movement.</a></strong></li>
<li>The initiative is aimed at preserving and promoting mother languages. The aim is to protect the diverse culture and intellectual heritage of different regions of the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Related Data:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the United Nations (UN), <strong>every two weeks, a language disappears</strong> and the world loses an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Due to globalization, the rush for learning foreign languages for better job opportunities is a major reason behind the disappearance of mother languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At least <strong>43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.</strong></li>
<li>Only a few hundred languages have been genuinely given a place in education systems and public domain. Also, 40% of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand.</li>
<li><strong>Less than a hundred languages are used in the digital world.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Efforts for Protection of Languages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UN has designated the period between <strong>2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong></a> had proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Yuelu Proclamation, made by UNESCO at Changsha (China)</strong> in 2018, plays a central role in guiding the efforts of countries and regions around the world to protect linguistic resources and diversity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The recently announced <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy 2020</strong></a> has given maximum attention to the development of mother tongues.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The policy recommends that as far as possible, the medium of instruction shall be, at least till class 5, (preferably up to grade 8 and beyond) mother tongue / vernacular / regional language.</li>
<li>Instructions in mother tongue empowers students with the subject and language of their choice. It will help in building a truly multilingual society in India, improve attendance and learning outcomes, and the ability to learn new languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)</strong> is providing publication grants towards the publications of University Level Books in regional languages.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established in 1961 to evolve technical terminology in all Indian Languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>National Translation Mission (NTM)</strong> is being implemented through the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore under which the text books of various subjects prescribed in Universities and Colleges are being translated in all languages of the Eighth Schedule.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/protection-and-preservation-of-endangered-language"><strong>&ldquo;Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages&rdquo;</strong></a> scheme for conservation of threatened languages.</li>
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-decision-on-ugc-guidelines-on-conduct-of-examinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> University Grants Commission (UGC)</strong></a> also promotes regional languages in higher education courses in the country and supports nine Central Universities under the scheme &ldquo;Establishment of Centre for Endangered Languages in Central Universities&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Other Initiatives by the Government of India include the <strong>Bharatavani project</strong> and the proposed setting up of a <strong>Bharatiya Bhasha Vishwavidyalaya (BBV).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Further, the Vice President has highlighted other areas for the use of local languages, i.e. in administration, court proceedings, higher and technical education, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Recently, an initiative <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/namath-basai-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Namath Basai</strong></a> by Kerala State Government has proved to be very beneficial in educating children from tribal areas by adopting vernacular languages as medium of instruction.</li>
<li>Google&rsquo;s Project <strong>Navlekha</strong> uses technology to protect mother language. The project is aimed at increasing the online content in Indian local languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Related Constitutional and Legal Provisions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Article 29 of the Constitution (Protection of interests of minorities)</strong> gives all citizens right to conserve their language and prohibits discrimination on the basis of language.</li>
<li><strong>Article 120 (Language to be used in Parliament)</strong> provides for use of Hindi or English for transactions of Parliament but gives the right to members of Parliament to express themselves in their mother tongue.</li>
<li><strong>Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bill-to-change-stature-of-official-languages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official languages</a> in Articles 343 to 351.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 350A (Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage)</strong> provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.</li>
<li><strong>Article 350B (Special Officer for linguistic minorities):</strong> The President should appoint a special officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The President should place all such reports before the Parliament and send to the state government concerned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/one-nation-one-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Eighth Schedule</strong></a> recognises following 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.</li>
<li><strong>Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009</strong> says that the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in a child&rsquo;s mother tongue.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1699792" 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/international-mother-language-day-2'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Declining Rainfall in Cherrapunji',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A recent study that looked at the <strong>rainfall pattern in the past 119 years</strong> found a <strong>decreasing trend at Cherrapunji (Meghalaya) and nearby areas.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The village of <strong>Mawsynram in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya</strong> has beaten Cherrapunji to become the <strong>wettest place in the world.</strong> Mawsynram receives over 10,000 millimetres of rain in a year.</li>
<li>Mawsynram is located around <strong>81 km by road from Cherrapunji</strong> however the straight line distance between the two is <strong>15.2 km.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613980587_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613980587_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Reduction in Rainfall:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>annual mean rainfall</strong> for the period <strong>1973&ndash;2019</strong> showed <strong>decreasing trends</strong> of about <strong>0.42 mm per decade.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was statistically significant along seven stations <strong>(Agartala, Cherrapunji, Guwahati, Kailashahar, Pasighat, Shillong and Silchar).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Rising Temperature:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>changes in the Indian Ocean temperature</strong> have a <strong>huge effect</strong> on the rainfall in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean region was pointed out by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/assessment-of-climate-change-over-the-indian-region-moes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>first climate change assessment report</strong></a> published by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences in June 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased Human Activities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The satellite data showed that there was a <strong>reduction in the vegetation area</strong> in northeast India in the past two decades, implying that human influence also plays an important role in the changing rainfall patterns.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The traditional way of cultivation known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/niti-aayog-report-on-shifting-cultivation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation</strong></a> is now decreased and being replaced by other methods.</li>
<li>There is sizable <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deforestation-rate-declined"><strong>deforestation</strong></a> in the region. The study saw the <strong>decrease in vegetation cover and increase in the areas of cropland</strong> mainly from the year 2006 onwards.</li>
<li>The analysis showed <strong>reductions in vegetation</strong> with <strong>104.5 sqkm lost per year.</strong></li>
<li>On the other hand, there were <strong>significant increases in cropland</strong> (182.1 sqkm per year) and <strong>urban and built-up lands</strong> (0.3 sqkm per year) during the period 2001&ndash;2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Studying the North-East Region:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since north-east India is mostly hilly and is an extension of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the <strong>region is highly sensitive to changes</strong> in regional and global climate.</li>
<li>It has to be noted that the <strong>first signs of the effect of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-development-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a></strong> will be evident for the extreme cases such as the rainfall at Cherrapunji.</li>
<li>North-east India has the <strong>highest vegetation cover</strong> in India and includes <strong>18 biodiversity hotspots of the world</strong>, indicating the importance of the region in terms of its greenery and <strong>climate-change sensitivity.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Reason for High Rainfall in Cherrapunji and Mawsynram</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cherrapunji (elevation 1313 m)</strong> and <strong>Mawsynram (elevation 1401.5 m)</strong> are located on the southern slopes of the east Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Meghalaya is a mountainous state with <strong>numerous valleys and highland plateaus.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Elevation</strong> in the plateau region ranges between <strong>150 m</strong> to <strong>1,961 m ,</strong> with the central part comprising the Khasi Hills with the highest elevations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The rainfall in Cherrapunji-Mawsynram is <strong>caused by the orography favouring a monsoon wind regime.</strong></li>
<li>The northward moving moist winds from the Bay of Bengal passing over the plains of Bangladesh are <strong>forced to converge in the narrow valleys of the Khasi Hills</strong> with orography providing forced ascent that causes condensation, formation of clouds resulting in rain on the windward side of the slope.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Shifting Cultivation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Shifting cultivation, locally called 'Jhum', is a widely practiced system of crop cultivation among the indigenous communities of North-east India. The practice, also known as <strong>slash-and-burn agriculture</strong>, is when farmers clear land by slashing vegetation and burning forests and woodlands to create clear land for agricultural purposes.</li>
<li>This provides a <strong>very easy and very fast method</strong> of the preparation of the land for agriculture.</li>
<li>The bush and the weeds can be removed easily. The <strong>burning of waste materials provides needed nutrients for the cultivation.</strong></li>
<li>It <strong>gives</strong> a family its <strong>food, fodder, fuel, livelihood</strong> and is closely linked to their identity.</li>
<li>Because of cutting of forests and trees, this practice <strong>leads to soil erosion and may also affect the course of rivers.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/wettest-place-on-earth-sees-decreasing-trend-in-rainfall/article33889697.ece#:~:text=The%20quiet%2C%20sleepy%2C%20yet%20mesmerising,to%20The%20Hindu%20subscribers%20only." 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/declining-rainfall-in-cherrapunji'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Deglaciation and Threats',
			'catname' => 'Paper 1',
			'desc' => '<h3>Deglaciation </h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Glaciers, ice caps and continental ice sheets <strong>cover some 10% of the earth&rsquo;s land surface</strong> at the present time, whereas during the ice ages, they covered about three times this amount <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The present ice cover corresponds to about three-quarter of the world&rsquo;s total freshwater resources. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The gradual melting away of a glacier from the surface of a landmass is known as <strong>Deglaciation.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The processes that remove snow, ice, and moraine from a glacier or ice sheet are called <strong>Ablation.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It includes melting, evaporation, erosion, and calving.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The process of deglaciation, that intensified in the 20th century, is leaving our planet iceless. </li>
</ul>
<h3>Causes of Deglaciation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global warming:</strong> The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by <strong>industry, transport, deforestation and burning fossil fuels,</strong> amongst other human activities, <strong>warm the planet and cause glaciers to melt.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Ocean warming:</strong> Oceans absorb 90% of the Earth's warmth, and this affects the melting of marine glaciers, which are mostly located near the poles.</li>
<li><strong>Rapid industrialisation:</strong> Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting, <strong>specifically, since the industrial revolution,</strong> carbon dioxide and other<strong> greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures,</strong> even <strong>higher in the poles,</strong> and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts of Deglaciation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Raised sea level:</strong> The melting glaciers have played the major role in<strong> raising average global sea level between four and eight inches</strong> (10 and 20 centimeters) in the past hundred years, according to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/special-report-on-climate-change-ipcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Rising sea levels increase coastal erosion and elevates storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On mountain glaciers:</strong> The famed snows of <strong>Kilimanjaro</strong> have melted more than 80% since 1912. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Glaciers in the Garhwal region</strong> of the Himalayas are retreating so fast that researchers believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In the Northern Hemisphere:</strong> Spring freshwater ice breakup in the Northern Hemisphere now<strong> occurs nine days earlier</strong> than it did 150 years ago, and <strong>autumn freeze-up ten days later. </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Arctic sea</strong> ice has thinned significantly over the past half century, and its extent has declined by about 10% in the past 30 years. </li>
<li>The <strong>Greenland</strong> ice sheet is disappearing four times faster than in 2003 and already contributes 20% of current sea level rise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Melting of Thwaites Glacier:</strong> Also called <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/melting-of-thwaites-glacier" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Doomsday Glacier</strong></a>, it is a 120 km wide, fast-moving glacier located in <strong>Antarctica.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Because of its size (1.9 lakh square km), it contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a metre.</li>
<li>Studies have detected the <strong>presence of warm water</strong> at a vital point beneath the Thwaites glacier as the cause of its melting.</li>
<li>Its <strong>melting already contributes 4% to global sea-level rise each year.</strong> It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disappearance of species:</strong> Glaciers are the natural habitat of a number of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, if the melting continues at the same rate, a number of species will become extinct.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will also disturb the balance of the food chain.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613974001_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613974001_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="550" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>The Himalayan Glaciers</h3>
<p><strong>About</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Himalayan glaciers form the largest body of ice outside the polar caps and are the source of water for the innumerable rivers that flow across the Indo-Gangetic plains. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Himalayan glaciers are also known as the Third Pole. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Himalayan glacial snowfields store about 12,000 km3 of freshwater. </li>
<li>15,000 Himalayan glaciers form a unique reservoir which supports perennial rivers such as the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra which, in turn, are the lifeline of millions of people in South Asian countries (Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh). </li>
<li>The Gangetic basin alone is home to 500 million people, about 10% of the total human population in the region.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Receding Glaciers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Rate of receding:</strong> Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The glaciers have been losing the equivalent of more than a vertical foot and half of ice each year since 2000; double the amount of melting that took place from 1975 to 2000.</li>
<li>According to the statistics in the last 25 years approximate 400 crore tons of ice being melted in the Himalayan glaciers.</li>
<li>The 30.2 km long <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/concentration-of-black-carbon-on-gangotri-glacier" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gangotri Glacier</strong> </a>has been receding alarmingly in recent years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cause of receding:</strong> The receding and thinning of Himalayan glaciers can be attributed primarily to global warming due to increase in anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The relatively high population density near these glaciers and consequent deforestation and land-use changes have also adversely affected these glaciers. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Effect on the Hindukush region:</strong> Climate change has hastened glacial melting across the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hindu-kush-himalayan-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region</strong></a>, home to some of the world&rsquo;s tallest peaks, including Mount Everest.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uttarakhand-flash-flood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>glacier collapse at Nanda Devi</strong></a> in Uttarakhand&rsquo;s Chamoli district led to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and caused large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Air warming over HKH:</strong> Air over HKH warmed at a rate of 0.2℃ each decade from 1951 to 2014 and at an even higher rate of 0.5℃ per decade at elevations higher than 4,000 meters, as per a report prepared by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report projected that even with the Indian government&rsquo;s commitment to mitigate greenhouse gases by 2030, the Indian Himalayas could warm by 2.6℃&ndash;4.6℃ by 2100. </li>
<li>In the worst-case scenario, the mean surface temperature over the whole region could rise by 5.2℃ by 2100.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613973937_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613973937_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/deglaciation-and-threats'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Ramani Judgment',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/priya-ramani-criminal-defamation-case-mj-akbar-sexual-harassment-me-too-movement-7196207/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;The right to her testimony&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the recent judgment by the Delhi High court in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Delhi High court in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case gave an empowering judgment that can act as a landmark in India&rsquo;s <a href="/blog/me-too-where-do-we-go-from-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>#MeToo movement</strong> </a>and women&rsquo;s rights. The court acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-of-reputation-vs-right-to-dignity" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>criminal defamation case</strong> </a>brought against her by former Union minister and editor M J Akbar.</p>
<p>Men from privileged classes, when accused of sexual violence, are quick to accuse women of injuring their reputation and status. This makes sexual harassment invisible, and silences and discredits women&rsquo;s voices.</p>
<p>In this context, the court held that the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right of life and dignity of a woman. Further, the judgment highlighted many other points that can treat the asymmetry of patriarchal power in society.</p>
<h3>Significance of Judgement</h3>
<p>Women speaking up against sexual harassment are often disbelieved, often asked questions that intend to silence the women and undermine their dignity. The verdict tries to answer these types of questions.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Why did not speak up immediately after it happened?:</strong> The verdict urged society to &ldquo;understand that sometimes a victim may for years not speak up due to mental trauma,&rdquo; and underlined that a woman has a right to speak up about the abuse, even after decades.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It pointed out that a woman&rsquo;s right to speak up about her violations was not restricted by the passage of time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Why took media or social media, instead of filing a criminal case?:</strong> The verdict reasoned that the Institutional mechanisms have systematically failed to protect women or provide justice
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, survivors are justified in sharing their testimonies on media or social media platforms as a form of self-defense.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>What is the proof?:</strong> It pointed out that since sexual harassment typically takes place in private, women&rsquo;s testimonies cannot be dismissed as untrue or defamatory simply because they are unable to provide other witnesses to back their allegations.</li>
<li><strong>What about the man&rsquo;s reputation?:</strong> When women professionals seek justice against powerful men, generally there is the cry of outrage and injures the reputations of such men.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Ramani verdict notes that a woman cannot be punished for raising voice against sex abuse on the pretext of criminal complaint of defamation as the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right of life and dignity as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Will the Judgment Be Able To Make An Impact?</h3>
<p>The Ramani verdict is a huge moral victory of the #MeToo movement, and will, hopefully, serve to deter powerful men from using the defamation law to silence survivors. However, sexual harassment at the workplace is a <strong>problem of institutions rather than of individuals alone.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sexual Harassment a Means To Control Women:</strong> The world over, employers deploy sexual harassment as a means to control women workers. According to many reports, in India and Bangladesh, at least 60% of garment factory workers experience harassment at work.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India, it has been much harder to call impunity to account. In the entertainment industry, women have faced a backlash for speaking up, while men accused of grievous abuse have been reinstated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Section Are Voiceless:</strong> For factory workers, domestic workers, street vendors, sanitation and waste workers, construction workers, sex workers, labour laws or laws against sexual harassment exist only on paper.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Calling out their boss as a perpetrator means an instant loss of job and pay.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>New Difficulty to Unionize:</strong> Under the new Labour Codes, the government envisages improving ease of doing business. In this context, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/right-code-for-labour" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>new labour codes</strong></a> now discourage workers to unionize.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thereby, women workers fighting sexual harassment, who stand to be silenced by these codes, need more support and attention.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The Ramani verdict is a huge moral vindication of the #MeToo movement, and will, hopefully, serve to deter powerful men from using the defamation law to silence survivors. However, sexual harassment at the workplace is more of a social problem whose roots lie in the patriarchal mindset of society.</p>
<p>Therefore, apart from judgment like this, society needs a cultural revolution where women are treated with equality, equity, and respect.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fafced;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The Delhi High Court&rsquo;s judgment in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case can act as a landmark in India&rsquo;s #MeToo movement and women&rsquo;s rights. Analyze.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pmgwkhr3_bw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/dizzying-climb-the-hindu-editorial-on-retail-inflation-in-january-2021/article33874412.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Dizzying climb: On retail inflation&rdquo;</strong></a> published in The Hindu on February 19<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/ramani-judgment'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Transatlantic Alliance',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>USA President Joe Biden</strong> in his first address to the annual <strong>Munich Security Conference</strong> declared that the <strong>'transatlantic alliance is back'</strong> and <strong>stressed the need to defend democracy around the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The USA President <strong>intended to improve the strained relationship between the USA and other European allies.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Munich Security Conference</strong> is<strong> an annual conference on international security policy</strong> that has taken place in Munich, Bavaria (Germany) since 1963.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Transatlantic Alliance has been the <strong>cornerstone of the post-World War II world order.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is a real-world expression of West - of a sense that <strong>both sides of Atlantic are in it together.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is the foundation on which the collective security and shared prosperity of the USA and Europe are built.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, this historic, long-established friendship between the world&rsquo;s two largest economies has become strained in recent years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>T-TIP is an ambitious, comprehensive, and high-standard <strong>trade and investment agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union (EU).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The TTIP negotiations were launched in 2013 and ended without conclusion at the end of 2016.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>T-TIP will be a cutting edge agreement aimed at providing greater <strong>compatibility and transparency</strong> in trade and investment regulation, while maintaining high levels of health, safety, and environmental protection.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for Strained Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Donald Trump (former) administration flaunted its foreign policy through an <strong>&ldquo;America First&rdquo;</strong> lens.</li>
<li>The former American president <strong>not only attacked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -</strong> the fundamental structure of transatlantic alliance but also <strong>withdrew from virtually all multinational agreements</strong> recently <strong>championed by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union (EU)</a></strong>, such as the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-steps-up-uranium-enrichment#:~:text=Under%20the%20deal%2C%20Iran%20agreed,reactor%20fuel%20and%20nuclear%20weapons." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iran nuclear deal</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris climate agreement.</strong></a></li>
<li>The USA and the EU appear to be <strong>at odds with each other currently regarding their China interests,</strong> particularly on the economic and trade front.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Latest Declaration:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A boost to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-s-role-in-multilateral-world-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> multilateralism.</strong></a></li>
<li>Concerned with maintaining its global strategic primacy, the <strong>USA was once equivocal about European defence</strong> and strategic autonomy. But as<strong> power has shifted eastward,</strong> subsequent <strong>USA governments have been keen to devote as much attention,</strong> money, and military muscle as possible <strong>to the Indo-Pacific.</strong></li>
<li>The Alliance <strong>can lead to development of an EU-USA carbon border adjustment mechanism,</strong> and can <strong>help in averting most catastrophic impacts of climate change.</strong></li>
<li>On<strong> Iran,</strong> Europeans can anticipate<strong> renewed negotiations on a revamped nuclear deal</strong> aimed at de-escalating tensions across the region.</li>
<li>Germany&rsquo;s Merkel spoke about the <strong>need of a transatlantic policy towards Russia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>North Atlantic Treaty Organization</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Establishment:</strong> North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was <strong>established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty)</strong> of 4<sup>th</sup> April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NATO provides a<strong> unique transatlantic link</strong> for political and security cooperation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Brussels, Belgium.</li>
<li><strong>Functioning:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NATO is a <strong>political and military alliance</strong> whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of a democratic peace in the North Atlantic area.</li>
<li>NATO has an <strong>integrated military command structure</strong> but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Most forces remain under full national command and control until member countries agree to undertake NATO-related tasks.</li>
<li>All 30 allies have an equal say, the Alliance&rsquo;s decisions must be unanimous and consensual, and its members must respect the basic values that underpin the Alliance, namely democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> As of 2020, there are <strong>30 member states,</strong> with <strong>North Macedonia (2020) becoming the latest member</strong> to join the Alliance.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Member Countries: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/biden-declares-america-is-back-in-welcome-words-to-allies/article33885668.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/transatlantic-alliance'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Epilepsy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a major drugmaker has developed the <strong>Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)</strong> and the finished dosage formulation of Brivanext, a drug for epilepsy.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Epilepsy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness.</li>
<li>Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages.</li>
<li>Anyone can develop epilepsy, but it&rsquo;s more common in young children and older adults. It occurs slightly more in males than in females.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Alterations to sense of taste, smell, sight, hearing, or touch, dizziness, tingling and twitching of limbs, Staring blankly, unresponsiveness, performing repetitive movements.</li>
<li>It may or may not involve loss of awareness or consciousness.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cure:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There&rsquo;s <strong>no cure for epilepsy,</strong> but the disorder can be managed with medications and other strategies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Initiative to Raise Awareness:</strong> In 2019, a report <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-epilepsy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Epilepsy, a public health imperative</strong></a> was released by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization.</strong></a> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the first global report on epilepsy summarizing the available evidence on the burden of epilepsy and the public health response required at global, regional and national levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>APIs, also called bulk drugs, are significant<strong> ingredients in the manufacture</strong> of drugs. The Hubei province of China is the hub of the API manufacturing industry.</li>
<li>India is heavily import-dependent for APIs from China. India&rsquo;s API imports stand at around $3.5 billion per year, and around 70%, or $2.5 billion, come from China.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/msn-group-to-unveil-drug-to-treat-epilepsy/article33883235.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/epilepsy-1'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21: UAE',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Indian Naval Ship (INS) Pralaya</strong> arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in the <strong>NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition)</strong> and <strong>IDEX 21 (International Defence Exhibition),</strong> scheduled from 20 to 25 February 2021.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>INS Mysore</strong> (an indigenously built guided missile destroyer deployed in the Persian Gulf) is also participating in the exhibition.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>IDEX</strong> and <strong>NAVDEX,</strong> and the <strong>International Defence Conference</strong> are<strong> organised by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC),</strong> in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces.</li>
<li>IDEX/NAVDEX <strong>takes place biennially.</strong> The exhibitions<strong> showcase the latest technologies and innovation</strong> in the global defence sector, support the growth of UAE&rsquo;s defence industry, and forge new relationships between major international companies.</li>
<li><strong>IDEX</strong> is the only international defence exhibition and conference in the<strong> MENA region</strong> demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>MENA Region:</strong> MENA is an acronym for the <strong>Middle East and North Africa region</strong> and includes <strong>approximately 19 countries.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MENA region accounts for approximately 6% of the world's population, 60% of the world's oil reserves, and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves.</li>
<li>Countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>INS Pralaya:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>INS Pralaya, a ship of the indigenously built <strong>Prabal Class Missile Vessels,</strong> was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2002.</li>
<li>The ship, built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited, bears testimony to capabilities of the Indian shipbuilding industry and is a versatile platform capable of performing a wide variety of surface warfare missions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India and UAE Defence Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Defence relations between <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-uae-meet-on-investments" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India and UAE</strong></a> have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a<strong> &lsquo;Comprehensive Strategic Partnership&rsquo;</strong> in 2017. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the <strong>Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi</strong> (capital of UAE), was a <strong>Chief Guest at India&rsquo;s Republic Day celebrations</strong> in 2017.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Towards enhancing interactions between the two navies, the inaugural edition of<strong> Indian &amp; UAE Navy bilateral exercise GULF STAR-1</strong> was conducted in March 2018. The <strong>next edition</strong> of the exercise is likely to be conducted in <strong>2021.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India's Defence Exhibitions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>DefExpo:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defexpo-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>11<sup>th</sup> edition of DefExpo</strong></a> was held for the first time in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It's a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aero India:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aero-india-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>13<sup>th</sup> edition of the Aero India</strong> </a>show was held at Bengaluru&rsquo;s Yelahanka Air Force Station (Karnataka).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aero India is a biennial international military and civil airshow.</li>
<li>It is a premier event that draws international and Indian military and civil aircraft makers, their support industries, military brass and government dignitaries, and business visitors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1699469" 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/navdex-21-and-idex-21-uae'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Helina and Dhruvastra: Anti-tank Guided Missile',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India has successfully test-fired indigenously-developed <strong>anti-tank guided missile systems &lsquo;Helina&rsquo; and &lsquo;Dhruvastra&rsquo;</strong> in the Pokhran range, Thar desert (Rajasthan).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> Helina (the Army version)</strong> and <strong>Dhruvastra (Indian Airforce version)</strong> are <strong>helicopter-launched versions</strong> of third-generation anti-tank guided missiles <strong>(the Nag missile system).</strong></li>
<li>The missile system has all-weather day-and-night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armor and explosive reactive armor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indigenous:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Operations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &lsquo;Helina&rsquo; and &lsquo;Dhruvastra&rsquo; can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as <strong>top attack mode.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Attack Mode:</strong> The missile is required to climb sharply after launch and travel at a certain altitude, then plunge on top of the target.</li>
<li><strong>Direct Attack Mode:</strong> The missile travels at a lower altitude, directly striking the target.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nag Missile</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nag is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile developed by DRDO to support both mechanized infantry and airborne forces of the Indian Army.</li>
<li>It is an all-weather condition with day and night capabilities and with a minimum range of 500m and a maximum range of 4 km.</li>
<li>Nag can be launched from land and air-based platforms. The land version is currently available for integration on the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA).</li>
<li>DRDO has developed nag Missiles under the <strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was conceived by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to enable India to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology. It was approved by the Government of India in 1983 and completed in March 2012.</li>
<li>The<strong> five missiles (P-A-T-N-A)</strong> developed under this program are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Prithvi:</strong> Short-range surface to surface ballistic missile.</li>
<li><strong>Agni:</strong> Ballistic missiles with different ranges, i.e., Agni (I, II, III, IV, V).</li>
<li><strong>Trishul:</strong> Short-range low-level surface to air missile.</li>
<li><strong>Nag:</strong> 3<sup>rd</sup> generation anti-tank missile.</li>
<li><strong>Akash:</strong> Medium range surface to air missile.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1699376" 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/helina-and-dhruvastra-anti-tank-guided-missile'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Quad Meeting',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently,<strong> India joined Australia, Japan and the United States</strong> for a ministerial meeting under the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/quad-3#:~:text=Quadrilateral%20Security%20Dialogue%20(Quad)%20is,prosperous%E2%80%9D%20Indo%2DPacific%20region.&amp;text=However%2C%20the%20idea%20couldn't,apparently%20due%20to%20Chinese%20pressure." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Quadrilateral grouping</strong> </a>(Quad) and discussed issues across Indo-Pacific and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/military-coup-in-myanmar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>military takeover in Myanmar</strong></a>.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Meeting Highlights:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussed contemporary challenges, especially the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>impact of Covid-19</strong></a> and agreed to enhance access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment.</li>
<li>Discussed countering <strong>disinformation, counter-terrorism, maritime security,</strong> and the &ldquo;priority of<strong> strengthening democratic resilience</strong> in the broader region&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Emphasised their commitment to <strong>upholding a rules-based international order,</strong> underpinned by <strong>respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty,</strong> rule of law, transparency, <strong>freedom of navigation in the international seas</strong> and peaceful resolution of disputes.</li>
<li>Reiterated their &ldquo;common vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, with clear support for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN</strong></a> cohesion and centrality&rdquo;, and noted that the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/new-indo-pacific-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific concept</strong></a> had &ldquo;gathered growing international support, including in Europe&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Discussed <strong>climate change</strong> and cooperation in<strong> humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and supply chain resilience.</strong></li>
<li>Agreed on <strong>holding ministerial meetings of the Quad at least once a year</strong> and meetings at senior and working levels on a regular basis to bolster cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The meeting, held in the backdrop of the ongoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-china-disengagement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>withdrawal of Chinese forces from positions</strong></a> along the Line of Actual Control, underlines that India&rsquo;s interest in the Quad is not tactical but profoundly strategic.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For India,</strong> the Quad is also about <strong>addressing the growing power imbalance with China</strong> that has manifold consequences for India&rsquo;s security and prosperity as well its regional and international standing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It signalled the <strong>new USA administration&rsquo;s commitment to the Quad</strong> as a key formation in the Indo-Pacific.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The momentum behind the Quad picked up in 2020 in the wake of the <strong>Covid-19 crisis, China&rsquo;s growing assertiveness,</strong> and deterioration of <strong>China&rsquo;s bilateral relations with all Quad partners.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Chinese</strong> officials have likened the<strong> Quad to a &ldquo;mini NATO&rdquo;</strong> and said its activities are aimed at <strong>targeting third parties,</strong> a charge rejected by the four members of the group.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/pdf/nato-ally-status-to-india.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)</strong></a> is a <strong>political and military alliance</strong> whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of a democratic peace in the North Atlantic area.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Quad</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is <strong>an informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan and Australia</strong> with a shared objective to ensure and support a &ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo; Indo-Pacific region.</li>
<li>The <strong>idea of Quad was first mooted by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.</strong> However, the idea couldn&rsquo;t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.</li>
<li>In <strong>December 2012,</strong> Shinzo Abe again floated the concept of <strong>Asia&rsquo;s &ldquo;Democratic Security Diamond&rdquo;</strong> involving Australia, India, Japan and the USA to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.</li>
<li>In <strong>November 2017,</strong> India, the USA, Australia and Japan <strong>gave shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition</strong> to develop a new strategy to<strong> keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).</strong></li>
<li>In <strong>2020, all four Quad Countries -</strong> Japan, India, Australia and the USA <strong>took part in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/australia-to-join-malabar-exercise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malabar exercise</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Malabar exercise is <strong>an annual trilateral naval exercise </strong>between the navies of<strong> India, Japan, and the USA</strong> which is held alternately in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/quad-ministers-meeting-india-us-call-for-rule-of-law-in-myanmar/article33869964.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/quad-meeting-1'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Nathu La, Sikkim',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613816120_image6.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613816120_image6.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="170" height="260" /></a></h3>
<p>Recently, the Indian Army rescued several tourists caught in a snowstorm at<strong> Nathu La</strong> on the <strong>India-China border in Sikkim.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nathu La, one of the<strong> highest motorable roads</strong> in the world, is a mountain pass in the Himalayan peaks situated on the Indo-Tibetan border 14450 ft. above sea level.</li>
<li>Nathu means<strong> 'listening ears',</strong> and La means 'pass'.</li>
<li>It is an open trading border post between India and China.</li>
<li>The other passes located in the state of Sikkim are <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/face-off-between-india-and-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jelep La Pass, Donkia Pass, Chiwabhanjang Pass.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Pass</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Link/Features</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Banihal Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kashmir Valley with the outer Himalaya and the plains to the south.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Bara-Lacha-La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh with Leh district in Ladakh.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Fotu La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Leh with Kargil of Ladakh</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Rohtang Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Shipki La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Jelep La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Sikkim with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Nathu La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Sikkim with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 51px; background-color: #faffe3;">Lipu Lekh Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 51px; background-color: #faffe3;">
<p>Chaudans valley of India with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China. It is located close to the tri junction of Uttarakhand (India), China and Nepal.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Khardung La</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Ladakh with Siachen glacier. It is the highest motorable pass in the world.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Bom di La</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">It is in Arunachal Pradesh</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/army-rescues-447-tourists-from-nathu-la-after-snowstorm/article33880192.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/nathu-la-sikkim'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Prime Minister of India extended his wishes to the people of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/statehood-day-of-mizoram-and-arunachal-pradesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram</strong></a> on their <strong>35<sup>th</sup> Statehood Day.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mizoram</strong> became the 23<sup>rd</sup> state of India on the same day, with the <strong>53<sup>rd</sup> Amendment of the Indian Constitution,</strong> 1986.</li>
<li>Similarly, through the<strong> 55<sup>th</sup> amendment to the Indian Constitution</strong> in 1986,<strong> Arunachal Pradesh</strong> became the 24<sup>th</sup> state of the Indian Union on 20<sup>th</sup> February, 1987.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613815180_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613815180_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Mizoram</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Historical background:</strong> The Mizo hills area became the Lushai Hills district within Assam at the time of independence. Further, in 1954 it was renamed the Mizo Hills District of Assam.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mizoram was granted the<strong> status of a Union Territory in 1972</strong> after signing an accord with the moderates of the Mizo National Front (MNF).</li>
<li>The Union Territory of Mizoram was conferred the status of a full state in 1986 after signing of a memorandum of settlement <strong>(Mizoram Peace Accord)</strong> between the Central government and the MNF.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geographical Location:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>International Border:</strong> Myanmar and Bangladesh</li>
<li><strong>State Border: Tripura</strong> (northwest), <strong>Assam</strong> (north) and <strong>Manipur</strong> (northeast).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demography:</strong> Mizoram is the second least populous state of the country holding a population of 400,309. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Sex Ratio is 975 female per 1000 male (National: 943)</li>
<li>The Literacy rate of the state is 91.58 % (National: 74.04%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity:</strong> According to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-state-of-forest-report-isfr-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2019</strong></a> Mizoram has the maximum forest cover as a percentage of their own geographical area at (85.4%).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Animal:</strong> Saza (serow)</li>
<li><strong>State Bird:</strong> Vavu (Hume Bartailed Pheasant).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protected Areas:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/clouded-leopards-and-their-habitats" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dampa Tiger Reserve</strong></a></li>
<li>Murlen National Park</li>
<li>Phawngpui National Park</li>
<li>Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
<li>Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tribals:</strong> It has the highest concentration (percentage) of tribal population among all states of India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mizos consist of 5 major and 11 minor tribes known as Awzia. The 5 major tribes include: Lushei, Ralte, Hmar, Paihte and Pawi.</li>
<li>The Mizos are a close- knit society with no class distinction and discrimination on grounds of sex, status or religion.</li>
<li>Mizos are agriculturists, practise<strong> &ldquo;Jhum Cultivation&rdquo;&nbsp;</strong>or slash- and- burn system of cultivation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Festivals and Dance:</strong> The Mizos have two main festivals- Mim Kut and Chapchar Kut. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chapchar Kut:</strong> It is a Spring Festival, most popular and celebrated after completion of the task of jungle clearing for &ldquo;jhum&rdquo; operations.</li>
<li><strong>Mim Kut:</strong> It is a Maize festival that is celebrated during the months of August and September, after the harvest of maize.</li>
<li>The most colourful and distinctive <strong>dance of the Mizo is called Cheraw.</strong> Long bamboo staves are used for this dance, therefore many people call it <strong>&lsquo;Bamboo Dance&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arunachal Pradesh</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Historical Background:</strong> During the British Colonial Rule, until 1972, the state was named as the <strong>North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On 20<sup>th</sup> January, 1972, it became a Union Territory and named Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geographical location:</strong> The state was formed out of Assam in the year 1987. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the<strong> west, Arunachal Pradesh is bordered by Bhutan</strong> and in the <strong>north</strong> falls the <strong>Tibetan region of China.</strong></li>
<li>In the <strong>Southeastern</strong> region falls <strong>Nagaland</strong> and <strong>Myanmar</strong> and to the <strong>southwestern</strong> region falls <strong>Assam.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demography:</strong> The capital of Arunachal Pradesh is Itanagar. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The total literacy rate of the state (as per Census 2011) is 65.38% with male literacy rate being 72.55% and for females, it is 57.70%.</li>
<li>The Sex Ratio of the states is 938 female per 1000 male (National: 943)</li>
<li>The state is home to 26 major tribes, there are more than 100 sub-tribes, many of them are still unexplored. About 65% of the population of the state is tribals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Occupation:</strong> Mostly the population of the state depends on Agriculture, mainly Jhum <strong>cultivation</strong> (slash and burn cultivation).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Other cultivation of cash crops is also done like potatoes.</li>
<li>Horticulture crops such as pineapple, apple, oranges, etc are also done.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Animal:</strong> Mithun (also known as Gayal)</li>
<li><strong>State Bird:</strong> Hornbill</li>
<li>It is also home to the <a href="/daily-news-analysis/khangchendzonga-to-be-included-in-the-world-network-of-biosphere-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dihang Dibang Biosphere Reserve.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protected Areas:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-eastern-most-village" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Namdapha National Park</strong></a></li>
<li>Mouling National Park</li>
<li>Sessa Orchid Sanctuary</li>
<li>Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
<li><a href="/printpdf/covid-19-insurance-to-green-soldiers-ptr" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pakke Tiger Reserve</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tribals of Arunachal:</strong> The significant tribal groups include <strong>Monpas, Nyishis, Apatanis, Noctes and Sherdukpens.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Monpas:</strong> They are believed to be the only nomadic tribe of northeast, inhabit the West Kameng and Tawang districts, are essentially Buddhists who follow the Mahayana sect.</li>
<li><strong>Apatanis:</strong> They practice pre-Aryan beliefs, which is evident from their worship of trees, rocks and plants amongst other things. They mainly practise bamboo cultivation.</li>
<li><strong>Noctes:</strong> Found in the Tirap district, they follow Theravada Buddhism and Animism.</li>
<li><strong>Sherdukpens:</strong> A small tribal group, they are one of the most progressive tribes that can be found in Arunachal Pradesh practising agriculture, fishing and rearing of livestock. Although they have adopted Buddhism, most of their practices still remain pre-Buddhist and more Animistic.</li>
<li><strong>Nyishis:</strong> They are the most populous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and are mainly involved in shifting cultivation and produce rice, millet, cucumber, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-modi-greets-people-of-arunachal-mizoram-on-statehood-days/article33885705.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Sambhar Lake: Rajasthan',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The State Government of<strong> Rajasthan</strong> will identify new tourist points at<strong> Sambhar Salt Lake.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lake forms<strong> part of the desert circuit</strong> in the Centre&rsquo;s<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/promotion-of-buddhist-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Swadesh Darshan Scheme</strong></a>. The <strong>Scheme</strong> was launched by the <strong>Ministry of Tourism</strong> in 2014 -15 for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits in the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Location:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613807515_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613807515_image1.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="286" height="278" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Situated about 80 km southwest of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jaipur-a-world-heritage-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jaipur</strong></a>, in east-central <strong>Rajasthan.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Salt Lake:</strong> It is the <strong>largest inland salt lake in India.</strong> It represents the <strong>depression of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aravallis-a-mountain-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aravalli Range</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The lake&rsquo;s <strong>salt supply was worked by the Mughal dynasty</strong> (1526&ndash;1857) and it was <strong>later owned jointly by the Jaipur and Jodhpur princely states.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ramsar Site:</strong> It is a <strong>wetland</strong> of <strong>&lsquo;international importance&rsquo;</strong> under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-ramsar-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramsar Convention</strong></a>, declared in <strong>1990.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Size and Depth:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The<strong> area occupied</strong> by this lake <strong>differs from season to season,</strong> so roughly it is between 190 and 230 sq km.</li>
<li>Also, being <strong>an extensive saline wetland,</strong> the <strong>depth</strong> of the lake also <strong>fluctuates from season to season.</strong> During peak summers (dry time), the depth measures as low as 60 cm but during the monsoons, it goes up to 3 m.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rivers:</strong> It receives water from<strong> six rivers,</strong> namely Samaod, Khari, Mantha, Khandela, Medtha, and Roopangarh.</li>
<li><strong>Vegetation:</strong> The vegetation present in the catchment area is <strong>mostly xerophytic type.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Xerophyte is <strong>a plant adapted for growth under dry conditions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fauna: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-november-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flamingoes</a>, pelicans and the waterfowls</strong> are commonly sighted at the Sambhar Lake.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2019, almost <strong>22,000 migratory birds died</strong> at the Lake due to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/avian-botulism-at-sambhar-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>avian botulism</strong></a>, a neuromuscular illness.</li>
<li>Before 2020&rsquo;s winter season, the Rajasthan government <strong>decided to build <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/temporary-shelters-for-migratory-birds-sambhar-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporary shelters for migratory birds</a></strong> near the Lake.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Production of Salt:</strong> It is known for the <strong>production of brine/salt</strong> and also houses one of the largest salt manufacturing units in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Other Nearby Places:</strong> Shakambari Devi temple, Sambhar Wildlife Sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rajasthan Government&rsquo;s Latest Plan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>New tourist points for <strong>witnessing the flora and fauna and having a glimpse of salt harvesting</strong> will be identified at Lake.</li>
<li>A <strong>&ldquo;salt train&rdquo;,</strong> which transported salt from the pans to a nearby refinery, will also be restarted.</li>
<li>New destinations around the lake, including<strong> salt museum, caravan park, bicycle track and gardens,</strong> will be finalised.</li>
<li>The <strong>illegal salt production in the lake will be stopped</strong> through action against unauthorised borewells and pipelines laid in the region, while <strong>encroachments on the land will be removed</strong> with the help of police.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/new-tourist-points-to-be-identified-at-sambhar-lake/article33883824.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'New book release: Indian and World Geography - Prelims Practice Series (PPS)',
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: Roadmap to Implement Infra Projects',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YTxy8DZWyjA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/budget-2021-highlights-infrastructure" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Union Budget 2021-2022</strong></a> has given the much-needed fillip to the infrastructure sector.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Finance Minister has also announced the setting up of a <strong>Development Finance Institution</strong>, allowing large-scale asset monetisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The infrastructure push is expected to not just boost India&rsquo;s post-pandemic economic recovery, but also create jobs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Hike in Allocation:</strong> There is a <strong>34.5% increment</strong> in the budget allocation for infrastructure as compared to FY 2020-21.</li>
<li><strong>Equal Focus:</strong> Equal emphasis has been given to all the physical infrastructures including roads and highways, railways, urban infrastructure, power, port, shipping and airways, and petroleum and natural gas.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The highest-ever capital expenditure of Rs 1.08 lakh crore has been allocated for building highways.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Institutional Set-up:</strong> The government has allocated 20,000 crore rupees to set up and capitalize a <strong>developmental financial institution.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Monitoring &amp; Transparency:</strong> A <strong>national monetisation pipeline</strong> will be launched, with a dashboard to track the progress and provide visibility to investors.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Monetisation Pipeline</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The budget for 2021-22 proposes a national monetization pipeline of potential <strong>brownfield</strong> projects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asset monetisation is the process of unlocking the value of investment made in public assets which have not yielded appropriate or potential returns so far.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Brownfield Projects</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A brownfield investment is when a company or government <strong>entity purchases or leases existing production facilities</strong> to launch a new production activity.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is one strategy used in<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fdi-inflow" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <strong>Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The alternative to this is a greenfield investment, in which a new plant is constructed.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Focus Areas for Infrastructure Development</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Decongesting the Choke Points:</strong> In addition to the roads and highways that are being built, there should be a focus on decongesting the choke points that connect the highways with the city.</li>
<li><strong>Low-cost Housing:</strong> The infra projects which are going to be confined to mostly tier 1 tier 2 cities, post pandemic the migrant labourers will return to the cities, so the government has to work on low-cost housing so that there&rsquo;s no further plight of temporary accommodation for the labourers .
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Deslumification</strong> of the cities and low-cost housing are some of the priority areas that India shall take into account and act upon.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>River Rejuvenation:</strong> It is a major infrastructural push India has to give as every city has a river that is spooning black water.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although major action plans for major rivers like the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-mission-for-clean-ganga" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Mission for Clean Ganga</strong></a> are there, it's not enough, there are many drains and tributaries that are actually contributing to the pollution of the main river.</li>
<li>Also, it is the people living along these river banks that need to be invested in the idea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Public-Private Partnerships (PPP):</strong> The government cannot entirely invest from its own resources in these infra projects, unless they involve the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/ppp-investment-model#:~:text=Public%2DPrivate%20Partnership%20Model%3A%20PPP,be%20completed%20with%20private%20funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>private sector</strong></a> which can monetise these assets.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For a reduced delay in completion of infra projects, preferably governments can initially build the projects and then hand over the projects to the private players for operations and maintenance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Associated</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Sustainable Finances:</strong> Although the budget allocation for infrastructure is a considerable amount but it is not enough unless augmented with supplementary resources from the market such as the FDI.</li>
<li><strong>Land Issues:</strong> Land is the basic requirement for any infrastructure project. Land acquisition in India is contentious and hence not a very speedy process.</li>
<li><strong>Ineffective Dispute Resolution Mechanism:</strong> A lot of infra projects are mired in the litigation between the executing agencies and the authorities which own the projects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dispute resolution mechanisms are not very quick and effective, therefore the existing investors find it difficult to thrive and the new investors do not feel much comfortable in participating.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Human Resources:</strong> Quality manpower shall be invested to plan, implement, execute and monitor the infrastructure projects well.</li>
<li><strong>Foreign Direct Investments:</strong> Enhancing and permitting FDI, in the sectors where India&rsquo;s R&amp;D is still not at the global level.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To bring more FDI in India, the legal framework has to be smoothened and a better contract management system and a better dispute resolution mechanism is required.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging the Private Sector Involvement:</strong> Government by itself putting all the efforts will not bring out the entrepreneurship capabilities within the private sector, which is very much required if India wants to catch up at the global level in terms of providing infrastructure.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has to look at the private sector as a partner and not as a vendor as it is about equal participation towards transformation of the country from an infrastructure perspective.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A roadmap to implement infrastructure projects with the PPP model will be sustainable and it will reduce the burden on the government's financial capacity.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although the private sector is a profit based sector, if regulated in a suitable way, it would be beneficial for the government, the private sector as well as the nation.</li>
<li>Moreover, the announcement of the National Monetisation Pipeline is a welcome move which will not only enhance returns from public investments but also promote balanced regional development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If India is aiming at world class infrastructure, there are several things that need increased attention and encouragement such as the industry-academia partnership to fillip the R&amp;D sector.</li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong> inaugurated 50 artisan-based <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SFURTI</strong></a> clusters, spread over 18 States, to provide a boost to the MSME sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of MSME is implementing a Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) with a view to organize traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and increase their income.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of MSME launched this scheme in the year 2005 with the view to promote Cluster development. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-7th-may-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)</strong></a> is the nodal Agency for promotion of Cluster development for Khadi as well as for Village Industries products.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>SFURTI clusters are of two types i.e., <strong>Regular Cluster</strong> (500 artisans) with Government assistance of up to Rs. 2.5 crore and <strong>Major Cluster</strong> (more than 500 artisans) with Government assistance up to Rs. 5 crore.</li>
<li>The Ministry<strong> supports various interventions</strong> including setting up of infrastructure through Common Facility Centers (CFCs), procurement of new machineries, creating raw material banks, design intervention, improved packaging, improved skills and capacity development, etc.</li>
<li>Besides, the scheme focuses on <strong>strengthening the cluster governance systems</strong> with the active participation of the stakeholders, so that they are able to gauge the emerging challenges and opportunities and respond to them.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is done through building innovative and traditional skills, improved technologies, advanced processes, market intelligence and new models of public-private partnerships, so as to gradually replicate similar models of cluster- based traditional Industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Recent Initiatives to Promote MSME Sector</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM):</strong> It is a simple one-page registration form to promote ease of doing business for MSMEs in India.</li>
<li><strong>A Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE):</strong> The scheme promotes innovation &amp; rural entrepreneurship through rural Livelihood Business Incubator (LBI), Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Fund of Funds for start up creation in the agro-based industry.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme:</strong> To facilitate easy flow of credit, guarantee cover is provided for collateral free credit extended to MSMEs.</li>
<li><strong>Prime Minister&rsquo;s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):</strong> It is a credit linked subsidy scheme, for setting up of new micro-enterprises and to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) for Technology Upgradation:</strong> CLCSS aims at facilitating technology upgradation of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by providing 15% capital subsidy for purchase of plant &amp; machinery.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1700034" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
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	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'India - Maldives',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India and the Maldives have signed a <strong>defence Line of Credit agreement worth USD 50 million.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The agreement was <strong>signed during the visit by the External Affairs Minister of India to Maldives.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614072409_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614072409_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Defence Line of Credit:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was <strong>signed pursuant to the request by the Government of Maldives in April 2013 for India&rsquo;s support and cooperation</strong> in enhancing the capability of the Maldives Defence Forces in maritime surveillance, and subsequent requests in October 2015 and March 2016.</li>
<li>It is seen as key to India&rsquo;s and Maldives&rsquo; strategic interests, particularly <strong>given China&rsquo;s increasing footprint in the Indian Ocean Region.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Assistance to Build Dockyards:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A dockyard will be developed at the <strong>Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) Naval Base</strong> with Indian assistance, a few miles northwest of Male, which will strengthen the Maldivian defence capabilities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The agreement is <strong>part of the defence action plan signed in 2016</strong> by then Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom during a visit to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indicating deepening security cooperation, an agreement to develop, support and maintain a <strong>Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard Harbour</strong> at Sifavaru was also signed. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India will also support development of other infrastructure needed for the harbour, support the development of communications resources and radar services, and provide training.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Countering Terrorism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Agreed to convene the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, countering Violent Extremism and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/status-of-radicalisation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>De-radicalisation</strong></a> at the the earliest.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Review of Infrastructure Projects:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A number of India-backed infrastructure projects including the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement Studies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collaboration at Multilateral Bodies:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussed collaboration at multilateral bodies like the General Assembly and Security Council of the <a href="/pdf/united-nations-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Organisation.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Maldivian side <strong>assured India of its support for permanent membership of India</strong> at the &ldquo;expanded and reformed&rdquo; UN Security Council.</li>
<li><strong>India has also extended support for the candidature of the Maldives</strong> for the Presidency of the 76th session of the General Assembly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation for Police Reforms:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Noted progress on institutionalising linkages between the police organisations to support collaboration and cooperation in training management and exchange of trainers and trainees.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India - Maldives Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Geo-Strategic Importance of Maldives to India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Maldives, a Toll Gate in Indian Ocean:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Located at the southern and northern parts of this island chain lies the two important <strong>sea lanes of communication (SLOCs).</strong></li>
<li>These SLOCs are critical for maritime trade flow between the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz in West Asia and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.</li>
<li>Nearly 50% of India&rsquo;s external trade and 80% of its energy imports transit these SLOCs in the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Part of Important Groupings:</strong> Besides, Maldives is a member of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/visit-of-home-minister-of-maldives" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South Asia</strong> <strong>Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation Between India &amp; Maldives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Security Cooperation:</strong> Through the decades, India has rushed emergency assistance to the Maldives, whenever sought.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 1988, when armed mercenaries attempted a coup against President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, India sent paratroopers and Navy vessels and restored the legitimate leadership under<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/operation-sanjeevani" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Operation Cactus.</strong></a></li>
<li>India and Maldive conduct the <strong>joint military exercise <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/exercise-ekuverin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Ekuverin&rsquo;.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster Management:</strong> The 2004 tsunami and the drinking water crisis in Male a decade later were other occasions when India rushed assistance.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Maldives has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Covid-19 assistance and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-vaccine-diplomacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>vaccines delivered</strong></a> by India among India&rsquo;s all of neighbouring countries.</li>
<li>When the world supply chains were blocked because of the pandemic, India continued to provide crucial commodities to the Maldives under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mission-sagar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mission SAGAR.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>People To People Contact:</strong> Maldivian students attend educational institutions in India and patients fly here for superspeciality healthcare, aided by <strong>a liberal visa-free regime extended by India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong> Tourism is the mainstay of Maldivian economy. The country is now a major tourist destination for some Indians and a job destination for others.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Given the geographical limitations imposed on the Maldives, India has exempted the nation from export curbs on essential commodities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Irritants in Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Political Instability:</strong> India&rsquo;s major concern has been the impact of political instability in the neighbourhood on its security and development.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The February 2015 arrest of Maldives&rsquo; opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges and the consequent political crisis have posed a real diplomatic test for India&rsquo;s neighbourhood policy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Radicalisation:</strong> In the past decade or so, the number of Maldivians drawn towards terrorist groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Pakistan-based madrassas and jihadist groups has been increasing.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Political instability and socio-economic uncertainty are the main drivers fuelling the rise of Islamist radicalism in the island nation.</li>
<li>This gives rise to the possibility of Pakistan based terror groups using remote Maldivian islands as a launch pad for terror attacks against India and Indian interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China Angle:</strong> China&rsquo;s strategic footprint in India&rsquo;s neighbourhood has increased. The Maldives has emerged as an important 'pearl' in China&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/new-sri-lanka-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;String of Pearls&rdquo;</strong></a> construct in South Asia.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Given the uncertain dynamics of Sino-Indian relation, China&rsquo;s strategic presence in the Maldives remains a concern.</li>
<li>Also, the Maldives have started using the China card to bargain with India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India-Maldives defense cooperation will enhance India&rsquo;s capability to monitor Chinese maritime and naval movements along vital sea lanes of communication that run alongside the Maldives.</li>
<li>In accordance with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/what-is-indias-neighbourhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Neighbourhood First Policy&rdquo;</strong></a> of the government, India remains a committed development partner for a stable, prosperous and peaceful Maldives.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-maldives-sign-defence-and-security-related-pacts/article33894011.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/india-maldives-2'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Go Electric Campaign',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The central government has launched the <strong>&ldquo;Go Electric" Campaign</strong> to spread awareness on the benefits of <strong>e-mobility</strong> and<strong> EV Charging Infrastructure</strong> as well as<strong> electric cooking</strong> in India.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Campaign:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Features:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To push the country towards <strong>100% e-mobility and clean and safe e-cooking.</strong></li>
<li>To <strong>create awareness at PAN-India level and reduce the import dependence</strong> of the country.</li>
<li>To move ahead on the<strong> path of a low carbon economy,</strong> thereby saving the country and the planet from the adverse impact of climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bee-star-rating-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)</strong></a>, under the aegis of the <strong>Ministry of Power</strong> has been mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting public charging, e-mobility &amp; its ecosystem.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>E-mobility:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>E-mobility<strong> moves away from existing carbon-emitting fossil fuels to using energy from electrical power sources</strong> (e.g. the National Grid) through external charging capability.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Currently, <strong>India is using 94 million tonnes of oil and petroleum</strong> products for transportation only which is expected to double by 2030.</li>
<li>For fossil fuels, India currently has an<strong> import bill of Rs. 8 lakh Crore.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It encompasses the <strong>use of fully electric, conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid as well as hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.</strong></li>
<li>The government of India has undertaken multiple initiatives to promote manufacturing and adoption of<strong><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> electric vehicles</a> (EV)</strong> in India. One such initiative is <strong>&lsquo;Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &amp;) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India)&rsquo; Scheme.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electric Fuel as an Alternative Fuel:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Electric fuel is a major alternative for fossil fuels.</li>
<li>When compared to conventional fuels, the electric fuel<strong> has low cost, reduced emissions and it is also indigenous.</strong></li>
<li>Electrification of public transport is not only economical but also eco friendly.</li>
<li>The usage of even 10,000 electric vehicles in Delhi can alone save Rs. 30 crore per month.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Green Hydrogen:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-budget-2021-for-green-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Green hydrogen</strong></a> in the commercial vehicle could be a game-changer move which would help in eliminating the crude requirement and imports in all possible ways. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Green hydrogen is <strong>produced using renewable energy and electrolysis </strong>to split water. It is <strong>distinct from:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Grey hydrogen,</strong> which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.</li>
<li><strong>Blue hydrogen,</strong> which captures those emissions and stores them underground to prevent them causing climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Also, for heavy vehicles like buses, the ideal solution is <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-budget-2021-for-green-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Green Hydrogen.</strong></a></li>
<li>The use of green energy generated from agriculture waste and <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/action-plan-for-biomass-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>biomass</strong></a> will benefit the farmers across the country.</li>
<li>The Ministry of New &amp; Renewable Energy can produce the green hydrogen at cheap costs possible in India because of low solar prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electric Cooking:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> shift to induction cooking</strong> will bring the government closer to delivering on its promise to improve energy access.</li>
<li>Theoretically, if electric cooktops are adopted, universal electrification could translate into<strong> universal clean cooking</strong> as well.</li>
<li>An advantage of the electricity-based solution is that it <strong>can make use of solar power in both urban and rural areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bureau of Energy Efficiency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Government of India set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in March 2002 under the provisions of the<strong> Energy Conservation Act, 2001.</strong></li>
<li>It assists in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.</li>
<li><strong>Major Programmes:<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-energy-efficiency-index-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> State Energy Efficiency Index</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-energy-efficiency-measures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme</a></strong>, The Standards &amp; Labeling Programme, Energy Conservation Building Code.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1699386" 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/go-electric-campaign'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Nature-Based Solutions',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-climate-resilient-future-7198487/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;A climate-resilient future&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the concept of Nature-based solutions (NbS) that can help in climate resilience building and resource management.</p>
</div>
<p>Five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the signatories are again in the process of revising their nationally determined contributions as they prepare for COP26 that is scheduled for later this year.</p>
<p>Also, with the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration in 2021, an even wider scale of discussions of Nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation strategy at COP26 is envisaged.</p>
<p>In this context, the concept of Nature-based solutions (NbS) can help in climate resilience building and resource management.</p>
<h3>What Are Nature-Based Solutions?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nature-based solutions (NBS) refer to the sustainable management and use of nature for tackling socio-environmental challenges.</li>
<li>The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines NbS as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.</li>
<li>It is further associated with other sector-specific terms like green infrastructure, natural infrastructure, ecological engineering, ecosystem-based mitigation, ecosystem-based adaptation, and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li>NbS creates harmony between people and nature, enables ecological development, and represents a holistic, people-centered response to climate change.</li>
<li>Also, NbS are an essential component of the overall global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In its essence, Article 5.2 of the Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of natural resources in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.</li>
<li>Article 7 further promotes the idea of building the resilience of socioeconomic and ecological systems through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Example of Nature-Based Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Helping Local People:</strong> NbS has been very successful in helping local people to deal with the impacts of climate change, improving ecosystem services, and storing carbon. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the restoration project in the Lake District National Park, United Kingdom was successful in improving not just the local biodiversity but also brought with it revenue generation by way of increased tourism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NbS for Disaster Reduction:</strong> Restoration or protection of mangroves along coastlines utilizes a nature-based solution to accomplish several things.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mangroves moderate the impact of waves and wind on coastal settlements or cities and sequester CO<sub>2</sub>.</li>
<li>They also provide safe nurseries for marine life that can be the basis for sustaining populations of fish that local populations depend on.</li>
<li>Additionally, the mangrove forests can help control coastal erosion resulting from sea-level rise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Addressing Urban Issues:</strong> In addition to NbS being used for restoring ecosystems, it can also be used in combination with man-made infrastructure in cities to benefit human health and urban biodiversity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, in cities, green roofs or walls are nature-based solutions that can be used to moderate the impact of high temperatures, capture stormwater, abate pollution, and act as carbon sinks, while enhancing biodiversity.</li>
<li>Creating permeable lesser concrete areas to help replenish groundwater in regions facing water scarcity.</li>
<li>Large hotels and resorts can effectively pioneer solutions such as artificial wetlands for water recycling, which would also add to the local landscape&rsquo;s aesthetics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need For NbS</h3>
<p>Climate change presents one of the greatest challenges to mankind today. Both cities and natural ecosystems have the most to lose as far as climate change impacts are concerned.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Growing Vulnerabilities of Cities:</strong> The vulnerability of cities, in particular, is further aggravated by added complexities of land-use change, the density of population, increased concretization, social inequalities, poor air quality, and several other associated issues. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This poses a serious challenge to human health, social well-being, and quality of life, especially for the underprivileged classes of society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risk to Natural Ecosystem:</strong> Natural ecosystem losses such as loss of biodiversity, depletion of water resources, etc. have similarly been well documented.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To overcome or minimize the impacts of climate change, the idea of local-led adaptation has been widely discussed, which directs us to NbS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Local-led Adaptation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Local-led adaptation refers to local communities, local governments acting strong in taking effective decisions to tackle climate change.</li>
<li>Local-led adaptation is often characterized by indigenous solutions, which are often associated with nature.</li>
<li>Given that the most vulnerable populations are the ones that are more dependent on natural resources, it is, therefore, to be expected that coping solutions also often germinate from the same source.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenge to NBs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Highly Context-Specific:</strong> NbS are highly contexted specific, and their effectiveness is also uncertain under changing climatic conditions. While natural ecosystems are affected by changing climate, their effectiveness in future climate scenarios is questionable.</li>
<li><strong>Need For Huge Finances:</strong> Apart from the uncertainties revolving around the NbS, securing a continuous flow of investments is an added challenge. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to a report by United Nations Environment Programme (2020), an investment of $140 billion to $300 billion annually by 2030, rising to between $280 billion and $500 billion by 2050 might be required to finance NbS globally.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implementing NbS</h3>
<p>IUCN released a global standard including a set of criteria and associated indicators for implementing NbS, addressing sustainable development goals and resilient project management.</p>
<p>To illustrate these criteria for decision-making prior to implementation, we take the example of the restoration of a hilly area using NbS. This area once mined excessively for mineral resources; is now susceptible to soil erosion, landslides, and increased climate risk.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Restoring such an area would address more than one societal challenge.</li>
<li>The scale of the design of the restoration program needs to be estimated.</li>
<li>Further, whether or not the planned restoration will improve the biodiversity of the region and is economically workable needs to be checked as well.</li>
<li>For inclusive governance, the plantation of plant species must be carried out in consultation with local stakeholders as they are the ultimate caretakers of the plantation.</li>
<li>While we&rsquo;re restoring the area, it might cause an improvement in the region&rsquo;s biodiversity, it may also result in the loss of playgrounds for children.</li>
<li>However, such trade-offs must be thought of in advance, mutually agreed upon and maintained throughout the time. To meet the seventh criterion, the restored area must be maintained, studied, and effectively documented to support future decision-making.</li>
<li>The global NbS standards should highlight the importance of replicating workable solutions in similar environments.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>If we can address the complexities revolving around NbS along with securing sustainable investment, we might develop a climate-resilient future in addition to protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural environment.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fafff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Nature-based solutions can help in protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural environment. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/nature-based-solutions'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Making Peace with Nature: UNEP Report',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)</strong> has released the<strong> 'Making Peace with Nature'</strong> report, <strong>ahead of the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Report explains how <strong>climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution add up to three self-inflicted planetary emergencies</strong> that are closely interconnected and put the well-being of current and future generations at unacceptable risk.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Planetary Emergencies:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Climate Change:</strong> Climate change is<strong> increasing the chances of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arctic-concerns-opportunities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arctic Ocean</a> being ice-free</strong> in summer, further disrupting ocean circulation and Arctic ecosystems.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Climate change <strong>drives changes in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/forest-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wildfires</a></strong> and water stress and combines with biodiversity loss to <strong>degrade land and enhance drought</strong> in some regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity Loss:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>More than one million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are increasingly at risk of extinction.</li>
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/significance-of-dead-coral-reef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coral reefs</a> are particularly vulnerable to climate change</strong> and are projected to decline to 10-30% of their former cover at 1.5&deg;C of warming and to less than 1% at 2&deg;C of warming, compromising food provision, tourism and coastal protection.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Every year, nine million people die prematurely due to pollution.</li>
<li>Up to <strong>400 million tons of heavy metals,</strong> solvents, toxic sludge and other industrial wastes enter the world&rsquo;s waters annually.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Widening Inequalities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Human prosperity is strained by widening inequalities, whereby the<strong> burden of environmental decline weighs heaviest on the poor and vulnerable</strong> and looms even larger over<strong> today&rsquo;s youth and future generations.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Inequity in economic growth has left 1.3 billion people poor. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Performance over SDGs:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Current and projected changes in climate, biodiversity loss and pollution make achieving the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong> </a>even more challenging.</li>
<li>The current mode of development <strong>degrades the Earth&rsquo;s finite capacity</strong> to sustain human well-being.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Performance over Different Targets:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Society is <strong>failing to meet most of its commitments to limit environmental damage.</strong></li>
<li>Society is not on course to achieve<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-degradation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> land degradation neutrality</strong></a>, <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/31-12-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aichi Targets</strong></a> and targets of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Human knowledge, ingenuity, technology and cooperation</strong> can transform societies and economies and secure a sustainable future.</li>
<li>Given the interconnected nature of climate change, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and air and water pollution, it is essential that these problems are <strong>tackled together.</strong></li>
<li>Governments must<strong> scale up and accelerate</strong> action to meet the <strong>Paris Agreement</strong> goals and limit dangerous climate change.</li>
<li><strong>Economic and financial systems</strong> can and must be transformed to lead and power the shift toward sustainability.</li>
<li><strong>Moving to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-circular-economy-hackathon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> circular economic systems</a></strong> that reuse resources, reduce emissions and weed out the chemicals and toxins that are causing millions of premature deaths &ndash; all while creating jobs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Environment Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th June 1972.</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong> It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable development within the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations</strong></a> system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for global environment protection.</li>
<li><strong>Major Reports: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emission Gap Report</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/adaptation-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adaptation Gap Report</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-environment-outlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Environment Outlook</a></strong>, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.</li>
<li><strong>Major Campaigns:</strong> Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Nairobi, Kenya.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>United Nations Environment Assembly</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the <strong>governing body of the UN Environment Programme.</strong></li>
<li>It is the world&rsquo;s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.</li>
<li>It <strong>meets biennially</strong> to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law.</li>
<li>It was <strong>created in June 2012,</strong> during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also referred to as RIO+20.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/time-to-reset-our-relationship-with-nature-un-ahead-of-5th-environment-assembly-75613" 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/making-peace-with-nature-unep-report'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Conclusive Land Titling',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, as many States have failed to send in their feedback on a <strong>Model Bill on Conclusive Land Titling</strong> , the Centre has warned that their agreement would be presumed. The Bill was <strong>prepared by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NITI Aayog.</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613993020_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613993020_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="340" height="446" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the generic term used to describe the <strong>programs implemented by the government</strong> to enable individuals and government <strong>to efficiently trade in rights in land and property.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a> held that a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-to-private-property" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>citizen&rsquo;s right to own private property is a human right.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Current System in India/Presumptive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India currently follows a system of presumptive land titling. It means that <strong>land records are maintained, with information on possession, which is determined through details of past transactions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ownership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is established on the <strong>basis of current possession.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Registration:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Registration of land is actually a registration of transactions, such as sale <strong>deeds, records of inheritance, mortgage and lease.</strong></li>
<li>Holding registration papers <strong>does not actually involve the government or the legal framework</strong> guaranteeing the ownership title of the land.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Under a conclusive land titling system, <strong>land records designate actual ownership.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ownership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The title is <strong>granted by the government</strong>, which takes the responsibility for accuracy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Dispute Settlement:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Once a title is granted, any other <strong>claimant will have to settle disputes with the government</strong>, not the title holder.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Compensation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>government may provide compensation to claimants in case of disputes</strong>, but the title holder is not in any danger of losing ownership.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need and Benefits of Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduce Litigations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The conclusive system will <strong>drastically lower litigation related to land.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>According to a 2007 <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a> study on &lsquo;Land Policies for growth and poverty reduction&rsquo;, <strong>land-related disputes</strong> accounted for <strong>two-thirds of all pending court</strong> cases in India.</li>
<li>A <strong>NITI Aayog</strong> study on strengthening arbitration estimated that <strong>disputes on land or real estate take an average time of 20 years</strong> in the courts to be resolved.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduced Risk:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Once conclusive titling is in place, investors who want to purchase land for business activities will be able to do so <strong>without facing the constant risk that their ownership may be questioned</strong> and their entire investment may go to waste.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Right now, because land titles are based on transactions, people have to keep the entire chain of transaction records, and a dispute on any link in that chain <strong>causes ambiguity in ownership.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduction in Black Marketing:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Ambiguity in ownership also results in a <strong>black market for land transactions</strong>, which deprives the government of <strong>taxes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Speeding up Development:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Land disputes and unclear titling also create <strong>hurdles for infrastructure development and housing construction</strong>, leading to costly delays and inefficiency. In cities, urban local bodies depend on property taxes that can be levied properly only if there is clear ownership data available.</li>
<li>Long-running court cases currently create hurdles for investment in many sectors of the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Facilitation of Easy Credit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In rural areas, the need is even more acute. Access to <strong>agricultural credit</strong> is <strong>dependent on the ability to use land as collateral.</strong></li>
<li>Without being able to prove their ownership of land and access formal credit from banks, <strong>small and marginal farmers are often left at the mercy of unscrupulous moneylenders</strong>, entrenching themselves in a mountain of debt.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Model Bill on Conclusive Land Titling:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Power to State Governments:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will provide state governments <strong>power to order for establishment, administration and management</strong> of a system of title registration of immovable properties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Land Authorities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Land Authorities to be set up by each State government, which will appoint a <strong>Title Registration Officer (TRO)</strong> to prepare and publish a draft list of land titles based on existing records and documents.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This will be considered a valid notice to all potential claimants interested in the property, who will have to file their claims or objections within a set period of time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If disputing claims are received, the TRO will verify all the relevant documents and refer the case to a <strong>Land Dispute Resolution Officer (LDRO)</strong> for resolution. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, <strong>disputes</strong> which are already <strong>pending in courts cannot be resolved in this way.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Having considered and resolved all the disputed claims, <strong>the Land Authority will publish a Record of Titles.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Land Titling Appellate Tribunals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Over a three-year period, these titles and the <strong>decisions of the TRO and the LDRO can be challenged before Land Titling Appellate Tribunals</strong>, which will be set up under the law.</li>
<li>After a <strong>three-year period</strong>, entries in the Record of Titles will be considered conclusive proof of ownership.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Special Bench of High Court:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A special bench of High court shall be designated <strong>to deal with appeals against the orders passed by the Land Titling Appellate Tribunal.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenge:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The biggest challenge is that land <strong>records have not been updated</strong> for decades, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.</li>
<li>Land records are often in the name of the grandparents of the current owner, with <strong>no proof of inheritance.</strong></li>
<li>Unless they are based on updated records, <strong>conclusive land titles could create even more problems.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Comprehensive <strong>village-level surveys with community involvement</strong> are a necessary precursor to the land titling process. Relying on current records or even satellite imagery will not provide the same accuracy as actual, <strong>on-the-ground, local surveys.</strong></li>
<li>It is imperative that the country has <strong>an integrated system or repository of land record for urban and rural areas</strong> which comprehensively covers agricultural, infrastructure, residential and industrial land.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-hindu-explains-why-does-india-need-conclusive-land-titling/article33891718.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/conclusive-land-titling'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Status of WASH in Healthcare Facilities in India: CDDEP',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A recent research from <strong>Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP),</strong> USA, has estimated the cost of ensuring WASH and taking related steps for infection prevention and control for one year in healthcare facilities across India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CDDEP aims to use research to support better decision-making in health policy.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg" p=""><strong>WASH</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WASH is an acronym that <strong>stands for the interrelated areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.</strong></li>
<li>The <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/who-wash-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO) WASH Strategy</strong></a> has been developed in response to Member State Resolution (WHA 64.4) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being, SDG 6: Clean Water And Sanitation).</li>
<li>It is a<strong> component of WHO&rsquo;s 13<sup>th</sup> General Programme of Work 2019&ndash;2023</strong> which aims to contribute to the health of three billion through multisectoral actions like better emergency preparedness and response; and one billion with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/universal-health-coverage-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Universal Health Coverage (UHC).</strong></a></li>
<li>It also takes on board the need for progressive realization of the human rights to safe drinking-water and sanitation, adopted by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UN General Assembly</strong></a> in July 2010.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Need for Study: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Inadequate Healthcare And Sanitation Facilities:</strong> A 2019 joint global baseline report by WHO and UNICEF had pointed out that globally, one in four healthcare facilities lacked basic water servicing and one in five had no sanitation service and 42% had no hygiene facilities at point of care.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Importance of Sanitation:</strong> A 2012 WHO report had calculated that for every dollar invested in sanitation, there was USD 5.50 to be gained in lower health costs, more productivity and fewer premature deaths.</li>
<li><strong>Fatalities due to Improper Implementation of the WAH Strategy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A WHO document on WASH in healthcare facilities points out that 8,27,000 people in low- and middle-income countries die as a result of inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene each year.</li>
<li>Also, death of 2,97,000 children under five years can be prevented each year if better WASH could be provided.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Objectives of the Study:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To determine the cost-effectiveness of WASH interventions to reduce healthcare-associated infections among mother and neonates across the Indian healthcare system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cost Estimates:</strong> Improving WASH across the public healthcare facilities in India and maintaining this for a year would cost Rs. 2567 crores approximately in capital costs and Rs. 2095 crores in recurrent expenses.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Costly Interventions:</strong> Providing clean water, linen reprocessing and sanitation.</li>
<li><strong>Least Expensive Interventions:</strong> Hand hygiene, medical device reprocessing and environmental surface cleaning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Healthcare Associated Infections:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Inadequacies in proving WASH and also lack of infection prevention and control can lead to healthcare associated infections.</li>
<li><strong>Causative Agents:</strong> The pathogens like <em><strong>Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumoniae</strong></em> have been found to be causative agents of healthcare associated infections because of their <strong>ability to develop resistance to antibiotics.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Common Healthcare Associated Infections:</strong> Central-line-associated bloodstream infections, Catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Surgical site infections and Ventilator-associated pneumonia.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of the Study: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Suggests Suitable Strategies:</strong> Findings show that addressing gaps in WASH across the Indian healthcare system is not only within the realm of possibility in terms of affordability &ndash; when compared to other national health campaigns &ndash; but can also be combined with other national efforts to address health priorities such as <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-antimicrobial-resistance-amr" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>antimicrobial resistance.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also highlights the need for a concerted effort from local bodies, State and Central governments to sustainably <strong>address quality and inequality issues in WASH provision.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Improve Healthcare Policy Framing:</strong> The intersection between WASH, infection prevention and control and antimicrobial resistance is unique in that it offers policy makers an opportunity to address multiple overlapping problems through interventions on WASH in healthcare facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/an-estimate-of-wash-across-healthcare-facilities-in-india/article33889963.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/status-of-wash-in-healthcare-facilities-in-india-cddep'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'International Mother Language Day  ',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Every year, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unesco-5#:~:text=UNESCO,-30%20Apr%202020&amp;text=United%20Nations%20Educational%2C%20Scientific%20and,Education%2C%20the%20Sciences%20and%20Culture.&amp;text=Three%20UNESCO%20member%20states%20are,Islands%2C%20Niue%2C%20and%20Palestine." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong></a> celebrates <strong>21<sup>st</sup> February as International Mother Language Day</strong> to promote mother tongue-based multilingual education.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme of the 2021 celebrations, &ldquo;Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,&rdquo; recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong></a> focus on leaving no one behind.</li>
<li>The world has over 7,000 languages whereas India alone has about 22 officially recognized languages, 1635 mother tongues, and 234 identifiable mother tongues.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the International Mother Language Day:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>UNESCO declared 21<sup>st</sup> February as International Mother Language Day <strong>in 1999</strong> and World has been celebrating the same since 2000. The day <strong>also commemorates a long struggle by Bangladesh to protect its mother language Bangla.</strong></li>
<li>The resolution to mark 21st February as the International Mother Language Day was <strong>suggested by Rafiqul Islam</strong>, a Bangladeshi living in Canada. He proposed the said date to commemorate the <strong>1952 killings in Dhaka during the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-international-mother-language-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangla Language Movement.</a></strong></li>
<li>The initiative is aimed at preserving and promoting mother languages. The aim is to protect the diverse culture and intellectual heritage of different regions of the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Related Data:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the United Nations (UN), <strong>every two weeks, a language disappears</strong> and the world loses an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Due to globalization, the rush for learning foreign languages for better job opportunities is a major reason behind the disappearance of mother languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At least <strong>43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.</strong></li>
<li>Only a few hundred languages have been genuinely given a place in education systems and public domain. Also, 40% of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand.</li>
<li><strong>Less than a hundred languages are used in the digital world.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Efforts for Protection of Languages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UN has designated the period between <strong>2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong></a> had proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Yuelu Proclamation, made by UNESCO at Changsha (China)</strong> in 2018, plays a central role in guiding the efforts of countries and regions around the world to protect linguistic resources and diversity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The recently announced <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy 2020</strong></a> has given maximum attention to the development of mother tongues.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The policy recommends that as far as possible, the medium of instruction shall be, at least till class 5, (preferably up to grade 8 and beyond) mother tongue / vernacular / regional language.</li>
<li>Instructions in mother tongue empowers students with the subject and language of their choice. It will help in building a truly multilingual society in India, improve attendance and learning outcomes, and the ability to learn new languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)</strong> is providing publication grants towards the publications of University Level Books in regional languages.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established in 1961 to evolve technical terminology in all Indian Languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>National Translation Mission (NTM)</strong> is being implemented through the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore under which the text books of various subjects prescribed in Universities and Colleges are being translated in all languages of the Eighth Schedule.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/protection-and-preservation-of-endangered-language"><strong>&ldquo;Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages&rdquo;</strong></a> scheme for conservation of threatened languages.</li>
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-decision-on-ugc-guidelines-on-conduct-of-examinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> University Grants Commission (UGC)</strong></a> also promotes regional languages in higher education courses in the country and supports nine Central Universities under the scheme &ldquo;Establishment of Centre for Endangered Languages in Central Universities&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Other Initiatives by the Government of India include the <strong>Bharatavani project</strong> and the proposed setting up of a <strong>Bharatiya Bhasha Vishwavidyalaya (BBV).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Further, the Vice President has highlighted other areas for the use of local languages, i.e. in administration, court proceedings, higher and technical education, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Recently, an initiative <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/namath-basai-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Namath Basai</strong></a> by Kerala State Government has proved to be very beneficial in educating children from tribal areas by adopting vernacular languages as medium of instruction.</li>
<li>Google&rsquo;s Project <strong>Navlekha</strong> uses technology to protect mother language. The project is aimed at increasing the online content in Indian local languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Related Constitutional and Legal Provisions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Article 29 of the Constitution (Protection of interests of minorities)</strong> gives all citizens right to conserve their language and prohibits discrimination on the basis of language.</li>
<li><strong>Article 120 (Language to be used in Parliament)</strong> provides for use of Hindi or English for transactions of Parliament but gives the right to members of Parliament to express themselves in their mother tongue.</li>
<li><strong>Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bill-to-change-stature-of-official-languages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official languages</a> in Articles 343 to 351.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 350A (Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage)</strong> provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.</li>
<li><strong>Article 350B (Special Officer for linguistic minorities):</strong> The President should appoint a special officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The President should place all such reports before the Parliament and send to the state government concerned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/one-nation-one-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Eighth Schedule</strong></a> recognises following 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.</li>
<li><strong>Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009</strong> says that the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in a child&rsquo;s mother tongue.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1699792" 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/international-mother-language-day-2'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Declining Rainfall in Cherrapunji',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A recent study that looked at the <strong>rainfall pattern in the past 119 years</strong> found a <strong>decreasing trend at Cherrapunji (Meghalaya) and nearby areas.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The village of <strong>Mawsynram in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya</strong> has beaten Cherrapunji to become the <strong>wettest place in the world.</strong> Mawsynram receives over 10,000 millimetres of rain in a year.</li>
<li>Mawsynram is located around <strong>81 km by road from Cherrapunji</strong> however the straight line distance between the two is <strong>15.2 km.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613980587_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613980587_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Reduction in Rainfall:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>annual mean rainfall</strong> for the period <strong>1973&ndash;2019</strong> showed <strong>decreasing trends</strong> of about <strong>0.42 mm per decade.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was statistically significant along seven stations <strong>(Agartala, Cherrapunji, Guwahati, Kailashahar, Pasighat, Shillong and Silchar).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Rising Temperature:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>changes in the Indian Ocean temperature</strong> have a <strong>huge effect</strong> on the rainfall in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean region was pointed out by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/assessment-of-climate-change-over-the-indian-region-moes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>first climate change assessment report</strong></a> published by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences in June 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased Human Activities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The satellite data showed that there was a <strong>reduction in the vegetation area</strong> in northeast India in the past two decades, implying that human influence also plays an important role in the changing rainfall patterns.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The traditional way of cultivation known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/niti-aayog-report-on-shifting-cultivation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation</strong></a> is now decreased and being replaced by other methods.</li>
<li>There is sizable <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deforestation-rate-declined"><strong>deforestation</strong></a> in the region. The study saw the <strong>decrease in vegetation cover and increase in the areas of cropland</strong> mainly from the year 2006 onwards.</li>
<li>The analysis showed <strong>reductions in vegetation</strong> with <strong>104.5 sqkm lost per year.</strong></li>
<li>On the other hand, there were <strong>significant increases in cropland</strong> (182.1 sqkm per year) and <strong>urban and built-up lands</strong> (0.3 sqkm per year) during the period 2001&ndash;2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Studying the North-East Region:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since north-east India is mostly hilly and is an extension of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the <strong>region is highly sensitive to changes</strong> in regional and global climate.</li>
<li>It has to be noted that the <strong>first signs of the effect of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-development-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a></strong> will be evident for the extreme cases such as the rainfall at Cherrapunji.</li>
<li>North-east India has the <strong>highest vegetation cover</strong> in India and includes <strong>18 biodiversity hotspots of the world</strong>, indicating the importance of the region in terms of its greenery and <strong>climate-change sensitivity.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Reason for High Rainfall in Cherrapunji and Mawsynram</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cherrapunji (elevation 1313 m)</strong> and <strong>Mawsynram (elevation 1401.5 m)</strong> are located on the southern slopes of the east Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Meghalaya is a mountainous state with <strong>numerous valleys and highland plateaus.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Elevation</strong> in the plateau region ranges between <strong>150 m</strong> to <strong>1,961 m ,</strong> with the central part comprising the Khasi Hills with the highest elevations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The rainfall in Cherrapunji-Mawsynram is <strong>caused by the orography favouring a monsoon wind regime.</strong></li>
<li>The northward moving moist winds from the Bay of Bengal passing over the plains of Bangladesh are <strong>forced to converge in the narrow valleys of the Khasi Hills</strong> with orography providing forced ascent that causes condensation, formation of clouds resulting in rain on the windward side of the slope.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Shifting Cultivation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Shifting cultivation, locally called 'Jhum', is a widely practiced system of crop cultivation among the indigenous communities of North-east India. The practice, also known as <strong>slash-and-burn agriculture</strong>, is when farmers clear land by slashing vegetation and burning forests and woodlands to create clear land for agricultural purposes.</li>
<li>This provides a <strong>very easy and very fast method</strong> of the preparation of the land for agriculture.</li>
<li>The bush and the weeds can be removed easily. The <strong>burning of waste materials provides needed nutrients for the cultivation.</strong></li>
<li>It <strong>gives</strong> a family its <strong>food, fodder, fuel, livelihood</strong> and is closely linked to their identity.</li>
<li>Because of cutting of forests and trees, this practice <strong>leads to soil erosion and may also affect the course of rivers.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/wettest-place-on-earth-sees-decreasing-trend-in-rainfall/article33889697.ece#:~:text=The%20quiet%2C%20sleepy%2C%20yet%20mesmerising,to%20The%20Hindu%20subscribers%20only." 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/declining-rainfall-in-cherrapunji'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Deglaciation and Threats',
		'catname' => 'Paper 1',
		'desc' => '<h3>Deglaciation </h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Glaciers, ice caps and continental ice sheets <strong>cover some 10% of the earth&rsquo;s land surface</strong> at the present time, whereas during the ice ages, they covered about three times this amount <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The present ice cover corresponds to about three-quarter of the world&rsquo;s total freshwater resources. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The gradual melting away of a glacier from the surface of a landmass is known as <strong>Deglaciation.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The processes that remove snow, ice, and moraine from a glacier or ice sheet are called <strong>Ablation.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It includes melting, evaporation, erosion, and calving.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The process of deglaciation, that intensified in the 20th century, is leaving our planet iceless. </li>
</ul>
<h3>Causes of Deglaciation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global warming:</strong> The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by <strong>industry, transport, deforestation and burning fossil fuels,</strong> amongst other human activities, <strong>warm the planet and cause glaciers to melt.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Ocean warming:</strong> Oceans absorb 90% of the Earth's warmth, and this affects the melting of marine glaciers, which are mostly located near the poles.</li>
<li><strong>Rapid industrialisation:</strong> Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting, <strong>specifically, since the industrial revolution,</strong> carbon dioxide and other<strong> greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures,</strong> even <strong>higher in the poles,</strong> and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts of Deglaciation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Raised sea level:</strong> The melting glaciers have played the major role in<strong> raising average global sea level between four and eight inches</strong> (10 and 20 centimeters) in the past hundred years, according to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/special-report-on-climate-change-ipcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Rising sea levels increase coastal erosion and elevates storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On mountain glaciers:</strong> The famed snows of <strong>Kilimanjaro</strong> have melted more than 80% since 1912. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Glaciers in the Garhwal region</strong> of the Himalayas are retreating so fast that researchers believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In the Northern Hemisphere:</strong> Spring freshwater ice breakup in the Northern Hemisphere now<strong> occurs nine days earlier</strong> than it did 150 years ago, and <strong>autumn freeze-up ten days later. </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Arctic sea</strong> ice has thinned significantly over the past half century, and its extent has declined by about 10% in the past 30 years. </li>
<li>The <strong>Greenland</strong> ice sheet is disappearing four times faster than in 2003 and already contributes 20% of current sea level rise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Melting of Thwaites Glacier:</strong> Also called <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/melting-of-thwaites-glacier" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Doomsday Glacier</strong></a>, it is a 120 km wide, fast-moving glacier located in <strong>Antarctica.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Because of its size (1.9 lakh square km), it contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a metre.</li>
<li>Studies have detected the <strong>presence of warm water</strong> at a vital point beneath the Thwaites glacier as the cause of its melting.</li>
<li>Its <strong>melting already contributes 4% to global sea-level rise each year.</strong> It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disappearance of species:</strong> Glaciers are the natural habitat of a number of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, if the melting continues at the same rate, a number of species will become extinct.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will also disturb the balance of the food chain.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613974001_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613974001_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="550" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>The Himalayan Glaciers</h3>
<p><strong>About</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Himalayan glaciers form the largest body of ice outside the polar caps and are the source of water for the innumerable rivers that flow across the Indo-Gangetic plains. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Himalayan glaciers are also known as the Third Pole. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Himalayan glacial snowfields store about 12,000 km3 of freshwater. </li>
<li>15,000 Himalayan glaciers form a unique reservoir which supports perennial rivers such as the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra which, in turn, are the lifeline of millions of people in South Asian countries (Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh). </li>
<li>The Gangetic basin alone is home to 500 million people, about 10% of the total human population in the region.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Receding Glaciers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Rate of receding:</strong> Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The glaciers have been losing the equivalent of more than a vertical foot and half of ice each year since 2000; double the amount of melting that took place from 1975 to 2000.</li>
<li>According to the statistics in the last 25 years approximate 400 crore tons of ice being melted in the Himalayan glaciers.</li>
<li>The 30.2 km long <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/concentration-of-black-carbon-on-gangotri-glacier" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gangotri Glacier</strong> </a>has been receding alarmingly in recent years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cause of receding:</strong> The receding and thinning of Himalayan glaciers can be attributed primarily to global warming due to increase in anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The relatively high population density near these glaciers and consequent deforestation and land-use changes have also adversely affected these glaciers. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Effect on the Hindukush region:</strong> Climate change has hastened glacial melting across the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hindu-kush-himalayan-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region</strong></a>, home to some of the world&rsquo;s tallest peaks, including Mount Everest.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uttarakhand-flash-flood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>glacier collapse at Nanda Devi</strong></a> in Uttarakhand&rsquo;s Chamoli district led to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and caused large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Air warming over HKH:</strong> Air over HKH warmed at a rate of 0.2℃ each decade from 1951 to 2014 and at an even higher rate of 0.5℃ per decade at elevations higher than 4,000 meters, as per a report prepared by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report projected that even with the Indian government&rsquo;s commitment to mitigate greenhouse gases by 2030, the Indian Himalayas could warm by 2.6℃&ndash;4.6℃ by 2100. </li>
<li>In the worst-case scenario, the mean surface temperature over the whole region could rise by 5.2℃ by 2100.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613973937_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613973937_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/deglaciation-and-threats'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Ramani Judgment',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/priya-ramani-criminal-defamation-case-mj-akbar-sexual-harassment-me-too-movement-7196207/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;The right to her testimony&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 20/02/2021. It talks about the recent judgment by the Delhi High court in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Delhi High court in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case gave an empowering judgment that can act as a landmark in India&rsquo;s <a href="/blog/me-too-where-do-we-go-from-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>#MeToo movement</strong> </a>and women&rsquo;s rights. The court acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-of-reputation-vs-right-to-dignity" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>criminal defamation case</strong> </a>brought against her by former Union minister and editor M J Akbar.</p>
<p>Men from privileged classes, when accused of sexual violence, are quick to accuse women of injuring their reputation and status. This makes sexual harassment invisible, and silences and discredits women&rsquo;s voices.</p>
<p>In this context, the court held that the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right of life and dignity of a woman. Further, the judgment highlighted many other points that can treat the asymmetry of patriarchal power in society.</p>
<h3>Significance of Judgement</h3>
<p>Women speaking up against sexual harassment are often disbelieved, often asked questions that intend to silence the women and undermine their dignity. The verdict tries to answer these types of questions.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Why did not speak up immediately after it happened?:</strong> The verdict urged society to &ldquo;understand that sometimes a victim may for years not speak up due to mental trauma,&rdquo; and underlined that a woman has a right to speak up about the abuse, even after decades.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It pointed out that a woman&rsquo;s right to speak up about her violations was not restricted by the passage of time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Why took media or social media, instead of filing a criminal case?:</strong> The verdict reasoned that the Institutional mechanisms have systematically failed to protect women or provide justice
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, survivors are justified in sharing their testimonies on media or social media platforms as a form of self-defense.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>What is the proof?:</strong> It pointed out that since sexual harassment typically takes place in private, women&rsquo;s testimonies cannot be dismissed as untrue or defamatory simply because they are unable to provide other witnesses to back their allegations.</li>
<li><strong>What about the man&rsquo;s reputation?:</strong> When women professionals seek justice against powerful men, generally there is the cry of outrage and injures the reputations of such men.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Ramani verdict notes that a woman cannot be punished for raising voice against sex abuse on the pretext of criminal complaint of defamation as the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right of life and dignity as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Will the Judgment Be Able To Make An Impact?</h3>
<p>The Ramani verdict is a huge moral victory of the #MeToo movement, and will, hopefully, serve to deter powerful men from using the defamation law to silence survivors. However, sexual harassment at the workplace is a <strong>problem of institutions rather than of individuals alone.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sexual Harassment a Means To Control Women:</strong> The world over, employers deploy sexual harassment as a means to control women workers. According to many reports, in India and Bangladesh, at least 60% of garment factory workers experience harassment at work.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India, it has been much harder to call impunity to account. In the entertainment industry, women have faced a backlash for speaking up, while men accused of grievous abuse have been reinstated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Section Are Voiceless:</strong> For factory workers, domestic workers, street vendors, sanitation and waste workers, construction workers, sex workers, labour laws or laws against sexual harassment exist only on paper.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Calling out their boss as a perpetrator means an instant loss of job and pay.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>New Difficulty to Unionize:</strong> Under the new Labour Codes, the government envisages improving ease of doing business. In this context, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/right-code-for-labour" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>new labour codes</strong></a> now discourage workers to unionize.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thereby, women workers fighting sexual harassment, who stand to be silenced by these codes, need more support and attention.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The Ramani verdict is a huge moral vindication of the #MeToo movement, and will, hopefully, serve to deter powerful men from using the defamation law to silence survivors. However, sexual harassment at the workplace is more of a social problem whose roots lie in the patriarchal mindset of society.</p>
<p>Therefore, apart from judgment like this, society needs a cultural revolution where women are treated with equality, equity, and respect.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fafced;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The Delhi High Court&rsquo;s judgment in MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani case can act as a landmark in India&rsquo;s #MeToo movement and women&rsquo;s rights. Analyze.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pmgwkhr3_bw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/dizzying-climb-the-hindu-editorial-on-retail-inflation-in-january-2021/article33874412.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Dizzying climb: On retail inflation&rdquo;</strong></a> published in The Hindu on February 19<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/ramani-judgment'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Transatlantic Alliance',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>USA President Joe Biden</strong> in his first address to the annual <strong>Munich Security Conference</strong> declared that the <strong>'transatlantic alliance is back'</strong> and <strong>stressed the need to defend democracy around the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The USA President <strong>intended to improve the strained relationship between the USA and other European allies.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Munich Security Conference</strong> is<strong> an annual conference on international security policy</strong> that has taken place in Munich, Bavaria (Germany) since 1963.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Transatlantic Alliance has been the <strong>cornerstone of the post-World War II world order.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is a real-world expression of West - of a sense that <strong>both sides of Atlantic are in it together.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is the foundation on which the collective security and shared prosperity of the USA and Europe are built.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, this historic, long-established friendship between the world&rsquo;s two largest economies has become strained in recent years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>T-TIP is an ambitious, comprehensive, and high-standard <strong>trade and investment agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union (EU).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The TTIP negotiations were launched in 2013 and ended without conclusion at the end of 2016.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>T-TIP will be a cutting edge agreement aimed at providing greater <strong>compatibility and transparency</strong> in trade and investment regulation, while maintaining high levels of health, safety, and environmental protection.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for Strained Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Donald Trump (former) administration flaunted its foreign policy through an <strong>&ldquo;America First&rdquo;</strong> lens.</li>
<li>The former American president <strong>not only attacked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -</strong> the fundamental structure of transatlantic alliance but also <strong>withdrew from virtually all multinational agreements</strong> recently <strong>championed by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union (EU)</a></strong>, such as the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-steps-up-uranium-enrichment#:~:text=Under%20the%20deal%2C%20Iran%20agreed,reactor%20fuel%20and%20nuclear%20weapons." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iran nuclear deal</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris climate agreement.</strong></a></li>
<li>The USA and the EU appear to be <strong>at odds with each other currently regarding their China interests,</strong> particularly on the economic and trade front.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Latest Declaration:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A boost to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-s-role-in-multilateral-world-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> multilateralism.</strong></a></li>
<li>Concerned with maintaining its global strategic primacy, the <strong>USA was once equivocal about European defence</strong> and strategic autonomy. But as<strong> power has shifted eastward,</strong> subsequent <strong>USA governments have been keen to devote as much attention,</strong> money, and military muscle as possible <strong>to the Indo-Pacific.</strong></li>
<li>The Alliance <strong>can lead to development of an EU-USA carbon border adjustment mechanism,</strong> and can <strong>help in averting most catastrophic impacts of climate change.</strong></li>
<li>On<strong> Iran,</strong> Europeans can anticipate<strong> renewed negotiations on a revamped nuclear deal</strong> aimed at de-escalating tensions across the region.</li>
<li>Germany&rsquo;s Merkel spoke about the <strong>need of a transatlantic policy towards Russia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>North Atlantic Treaty Organization</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Establishment:</strong> North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was <strong>established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty)</strong> of 4<sup>th</sup> April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NATO provides a<strong> unique transatlantic link</strong> for political and security cooperation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Brussels, Belgium.</li>
<li><strong>Functioning:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NATO is a <strong>political and military alliance</strong> whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of a democratic peace in the North Atlantic area.</li>
<li>NATO has an <strong>integrated military command structure</strong> but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Most forces remain under full national command and control until member countries agree to undertake NATO-related tasks.</li>
<li>All 30 allies have an equal say, the Alliance&rsquo;s decisions must be unanimous and consensual, and its members must respect the basic values that underpin the Alliance, namely democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> As of 2020, there are <strong>30 member states,</strong> with <strong>North Macedonia (2020) becoming the latest member</strong> to join the Alliance.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Member Countries: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/biden-declares-america-is-back-in-welcome-words-to-allies/article33885668.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/transatlantic-alliance'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Epilepsy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a major drugmaker has developed the <strong>Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)</strong> and the finished dosage formulation of Brivanext, a drug for epilepsy.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Epilepsy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness.</li>
<li>Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages.</li>
<li>Anyone can develop epilepsy, but it&rsquo;s more common in young children and older adults. It occurs slightly more in males than in females.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Alterations to sense of taste, smell, sight, hearing, or touch, dizziness, tingling and twitching of limbs, Staring blankly, unresponsiveness, performing repetitive movements.</li>
<li>It may or may not involve loss of awareness or consciousness.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cure:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There&rsquo;s <strong>no cure for epilepsy,</strong> but the disorder can be managed with medications and other strategies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Initiative to Raise Awareness:</strong> In 2019, a report <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-epilepsy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Epilepsy, a public health imperative</strong></a> was released by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization.</strong></a> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the first global report on epilepsy summarizing the available evidence on the burden of epilepsy and the public health response required at global, regional and national levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>APIs, also called bulk drugs, are significant<strong> ingredients in the manufacture</strong> of drugs. The Hubei province of China is the hub of the API manufacturing industry.</li>
<li>India is heavily import-dependent for APIs from China. India&rsquo;s API imports stand at around $3.5 billion per year, and around 70%, or $2.5 billion, come from China.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/msn-group-to-unveil-drug-to-treat-epilepsy/article33883235.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/epilepsy-1'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21: UAE',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Indian Naval Ship (INS) Pralaya</strong> arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in the <strong>NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition)</strong> and <strong>IDEX 21 (International Defence Exhibition),</strong> scheduled from 20 to 25 February 2021.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>INS Mysore</strong> (an indigenously built guided missile destroyer deployed in the Persian Gulf) is also participating in the exhibition.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>IDEX</strong> and <strong>NAVDEX,</strong> and the <strong>International Defence Conference</strong> are<strong> organised by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC),</strong> in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the General Command of the UAE Armed Forces.</li>
<li>IDEX/NAVDEX <strong>takes place biennially.</strong> The exhibitions<strong> showcase the latest technologies and innovation</strong> in the global defence sector, support the growth of UAE&rsquo;s defence industry, and forge new relationships between major international companies.</li>
<li><strong>IDEX</strong> is the only international defence exhibition and conference in the<strong> MENA region</strong> demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>MENA Region:</strong> MENA is an acronym for the <strong>Middle East and North Africa region</strong> and includes <strong>approximately 19 countries.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MENA region accounts for approximately 6% of the world's population, 60% of the world's oil reserves, and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves.</li>
<li>Countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>INS Pralaya:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>INS Pralaya, a ship of the indigenously built <strong>Prabal Class Missile Vessels,</strong> was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2002.</li>
<li>The ship, built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited, bears testimony to capabilities of the Indian shipbuilding industry and is a versatile platform capable of performing a wide variety of surface warfare missions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India and UAE Defence Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Defence relations between <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-uae-meet-on-investments" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India and UAE</strong></a> have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a<strong> &lsquo;Comprehensive Strategic Partnership&rsquo;</strong> in 2017. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the <strong>Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi</strong> (capital of UAE), was a <strong>Chief Guest at India&rsquo;s Republic Day celebrations</strong> in 2017.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Towards enhancing interactions between the two navies, the inaugural edition of<strong> Indian &amp; UAE Navy bilateral exercise GULF STAR-1</strong> was conducted in March 2018. The <strong>next edition</strong> of the exercise is likely to be conducted in <strong>2021.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India's Defence Exhibitions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>DefExpo:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defexpo-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>11<sup>th</sup> edition of DefExpo</strong></a> was held for the first time in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It's a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aero India:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aero-india-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>13<sup>th</sup> edition of the Aero India</strong> </a>show was held at Bengaluru&rsquo;s Yelahanka Air Force Station (Karnataka).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aero India is a biennial international military and civil airshow.</li>
<li>It is a premier event that draws international and Indian military and civil aircraft makers, their support industries, military brass and government dignitaries, and business visitors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1699469" 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/navdex-21-and-idex-21-uae'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Helina and Dhruvastra: Anti-tank Guided Missile',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India has successfully test-fired indigenously-developed <strong>anti-tank guided missile systems &lsquo;Helina&rsquo; and &lsquo;Dhruvastra&rsquo;</strong> in the Pokhran range, Thar desert (Rajasthan).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> Helina (the Army version)</strong> and <strong>Dhruvastra (Indian Airforce version)</strong> are <strong>helicopter-launched versions</strong> of third-generation anti-tank guided missiles <strong>(the Nag missile system).</strong></li>
<li>The missile system has all-weather day-and-night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armor and explosive reactive armor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indigenous:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Operations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &lsquo;Helina&rsquo; and &lsquo;Dhruvastra&rsquo; can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as <strong>top attack mode.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Attack Mode:</strong> The missile is required to climb sharply after launch and travel at a certain altitude, then plunge on top of the target.</li>
<li><strong>Direct Attack Mode:</strong> The missile travels at a lower altitude, directly striking the target.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nag Missile</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nag is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile developed by DRDO to support both mechanized infantry and airborne forces of the Indian Army.</li>
<li>It is an all-weather condition with day and night capabilities and with a minimum range of 500m and a maximum range of 4 km.</li>
<li>Nag can be launched from land and air-based platforms. The land version is currently available for integration on the Nag missile carrier (NAMICA).</li>
<li>DRDO has developed nag Missiles under the <strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was conceived by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to enable India to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology. It was approved by the Government of India in 1983 and completed in March 2012.</li>
<li>The<strong> five missiles (P-A-T-N-A)</strong> developed under this program are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Prithvi:</strong> Short-range surface to surface ballistic missile.</li>
<li><strong>Agni:</strong> Ballistic missiles with different ranges, i.e., Agni (I, II, III, IV, V).</li>
<li><strong>Trishul:</strong> Short-range low-level surface to air missile.</li>
<li><strong>Nag:</strong> 3<sup>rd</sup> generation anti-tank missile.</li>
<li><strong>Akash:</strong> Medium range surface to air missile.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1699376" 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/helina-and-dhruvastra-anti-tank-guided-missile'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Quad Meeting',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently,<strong> India joined Australia, Japan and the United States</strong> for a ministerial meeting under the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/quad-3#:~:text=Quadrilateral%20Security%20Dialogue%20(Quad)%20is,prosperous%E2%80%9D%20Indo%2DPacific%20region.&amp;text=However%2C%20the%20idea%20couldn't,apparently%20due%20to%20Chinese%20pressure." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Quadrilateral grouping</strong> </a>(Quad) and discussed issues across Indo-Pacific and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/military-coup-in-myanmar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>military takeover in Myanmar</strong></a>.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Meeting Highlights:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussed contemporary challenges, especially the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>impact of Covid-19</strong></a> and agreed to enhance access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment.</li>
<li>Discussed countering <strong>disinformation, counter-terrorism, maritime security,</strong> and the &ldquo;priority of<strong> strengthening democratic resilience</strong> in the broader region&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Emphasised their commitment to <strong>upholding a rules-based international order,</strong> underpinned by <strong>respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty,</strong> rule of law, transparency, <strong>freedom of navigation in the international seas</strong> and peaceful resolution of disputes.</li>
<li>Reiterated their &ldquo;common vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, with clear support for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN</strong></a> cohesion and centrality&rdquo;, and noted that the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/new-indo-pacific-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific concept</strong></a> had &ldquo;gathered growing international support, including in Europe&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Discussed <strong>climate change</strong> and cooperation in<strong> humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and supply chain resilience.</strong></li>
<li>Agreed on <strong>holding ministerial meetings of the Quad at least once a year</strong> and meetings at senior and working levels on a regular basis to bolster cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The meeting, held in the backdrop of the ongoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-china-disengagement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>withdrawal of Chinese forces from positions</strong></a> along the Line of Actual Control, underlines that India&rsquo;s interest in the Quad is not tactical but profoundly strategic.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For India,</strong> the Quad is also about <strong>addressing the growing power imbalance with China</strong> that has manifold consequences for India&rsquo;s security and prosperity as well its regional and international standing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It signalled the <strong>new USA administration&rsquo;s commitment to the Quad</strong> as a key formation in the Indo-Pacific.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The momentum behind the Quad picked up in 2020 in the wake of the <strong>Covid-19 crisis, China&rsquo;s growing assertiveness,</strong> and deterioration of <strong>China&rsquo;s bilateral relations with all Quad partners.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Chinese</strong> officials have likened the<strong> Quad to a &ldquo;mini NATO&rdquo;</strong> and said its activities are aimed at <strong>targeting third parties,</strong> a charge rejected by the four members of the group.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/pdf/nato-ally-status-to-india.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)</strong></a> is a <strong>political and military alliance</strong> whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of a democratic peace in the North Atlantic area.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Quad</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is <strong>an informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan and Australia</strong> with a shared objective to ensure and support a &ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo; Indo-Pacific region.</li>
<li>The <strong>idea of Quad was first mooted by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.</strong> However, the idea couldn&rsquo;t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.</li>
<li>In <strong>December 2012,</strong> Shinzo Abe again floated the concept of <strong>Asia&rsquo;s &ldquo;Democratic Security Diamond&rdquo;</strong> involving Australia, India, Japan and the USA to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific.</li>
<li>In <strong>November 2017,</strong> India, the USA, Australia and Japan <strong>gave shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition</strong> to develop a new strategy to<strong> keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).</strong></li>
<li>In <strong>2020, all four Quad Countries -</strong> Japan, India, Australia and the USA <strong>took part in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/australia-to-join-malabar-exercise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malabar exercise</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Malabar exercise is <strong>an annual trilateral naval exercise </strong>between the navies of<strong> India, Japan, and the USA</strong> which is held alternately in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/quad-ministers-meeting-india-us-call-for-rule-of-law-in-myanmar/article33869964.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/quad-meeting-1'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Nathu La, Sikkim',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613816120_image6.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613816120_image6.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="170" height="260" /></a></h3>
<p>Recently, the Indian Army rescued several tourists caught in a snowstorm at<strong> Nathu La</strong> on the <strong>India-China border in Sikkim.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nathu La, one of the<strong> highest motorable roads</strong> in the world, is a mountain pass in the Himalayan peaks situated on the Indo-Tibetan border 14450 ft. above sea level.</li>
<li>Nathu means<strong> 'listening ears',</strong> and La means 'pass'.</li>
<li>It is an open trading border post between India and China.</li>
<li>The other passes located in the state of Sikkim are <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/face-off-between-india-and-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jelep La Pass, Donkia Pass, Chiwabhanjang Pass.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Pass</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; text-align: center; height: 19px; background-color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Link/Features</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Banihal Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kashmir Valley with the outer Himalaya and the plains to the south.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Bara-Lacha-La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh with Leh district in Ladakh.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Fotu La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Leh with Kargil of Ladakh</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Rohtang Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Shipki La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Jelep La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Sikkim with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Nathu La Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Sikkim with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 51px; background-color: #faffe3;">Lipu Lekh Pass</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 51px; background-color: #faffe3;">
<p>Chaudans valley of India with Autonomous Region of Tibet, China. It is located close to the tri junction of Uttarakhand (India), China and Nepal.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 35px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Khardung La</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 35px; background-color: #faffe3;">Ladakh with Siachen glacier. It is the highest motorable pass in the world.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 29.908%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">Bom di La</td>
<td style="width: 70.092%; height: 19px; background-color: #faffe3;">It is in Arunachal Pradesh</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/army-rescues-447-tourists-from-nathu-la-after-snowstorm/article33880192.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/nathu-la-sikkim'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Prime Minister of India extended his wishes to the people of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/statehood-day-of-mizoram-and-arunachal-pradesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram</strong></a> on their <strong>35<sup>th</sup> Statehood Day.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mizoram</strong> became the 23<sup>rd</sup> state of India on the same day, with the <strong>53<sup>rd</sup> Amendment of the Indian Constitution,</strong> 1986.</li>
<li>Similarly, through the<strong> 55<sup>th</sup> amendment to the Indian Constitution</strong> in 1986,<strong> Arunachal Pradesh</strong> became the 24<sup>th</sup> state of the Indian Union on 20<sup>th</sup> February, 1987.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613815180_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613815180_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Mizoram</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Historical background:</strong> The Mizo hills area became the Lushai Hills district within Assam at the time of independence. Further, in 1954 it was renamed the Mizo Hills District of Assam.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mizoram was granted the<strong> status of a Union Territory in 1972</strong> after signing an accord with the moderates of the Mizo National Front (MNF).</li>
<li>The Union Territory of Mizoram was conferred the status of a full state in 1986 after signing of a memorandum of settlement <strong>(Mizoram Peace Accord)</strong> between the Central government and the MNF.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geographical Location:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>International Border:</strong> Myanmar and Bangladesh</li>
<li><strong>State Border: Tripura</strong> (northwest), <strong>Assam</strong> (north) and <strong>Manipur</strong> (northeast).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demography:</strong> Mizoram is the second least populous state of the country holding a population of 400,309. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Sex Ratio is 975 female per 1000 male (National: 943)</li>
<li>The Literacy rate of the state is 91.58 % (National: 74.04%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity:</strong> According to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-state-of-forest-report-isfr-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2019</strong></a> Mizoram has the maximum forest cover as a percentage of their own geographical area at (85.4%).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Animal:</strong> Saza (serow)</li>
<li><strong>State Bird:</strong> Vavu (Hume Bartailed Pheasant).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protected Areas:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/clouded-leopards-and-their-habitats" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dampa Tiger Reserve</strong></a></li>
<li>Murlen National Park</li>
<li>Phawngpui National Park</li>
<li>Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
<li>Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tribals:</strong> It has the highest concentration (percentage) of tribal population among all states of India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mizos consist of 5 major and 11 minor tribes known as Awzia. The 5 major tribes include: Lushei, Ralte, Hmar, Paihte and Pawi.</li>
<li>The Mizos are a close- knit society with no class distinction and discrimination on grounds of sex, status or religion.</li>
<li>Mizos are agriculturists, practise<strong> &ldquo;Jhum Cultivation&rdquo;&nbsp;</strong>or slash- and- burn system of cultivation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Festivals and Dance:</strong> The Mizos have two main festivals- Mim Kut and Chapchar Kut. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chapchar Kut:</strong> It is a Spring Festival, most popular and celebrated after completion of the task of jungle clearing for &ldquo;jhum&rdquo; operations.</li>
<li><strong>Mim Kut:</strong> It is a Maize festival that is celebrated during the months of August and September, after the harvest of maize.</li>
<li>The most colourful and distinctive <strong>dance of the Mizo is called Cheraw.</strong> Long bamboo staves are used for this dance, therefore many people call it <strong>&lsquo;Bamboo Dance&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arunachal Pradesh</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Historical Background:</strong> During the British Colonial Rule, until 1972, the state was named as the <strong>North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On 20<sup>th</sup> January, 1972, it became a Union Territory and named Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Geographical location:</strong> The state was formed out of Assam in the year 1987. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the<strong> west, Arunachal Pradesh is bordered by Bhutan</strong> and in the <strong>north</strong> falls the <strong>Tibetan region of China.</strong></li>
<li>In the <strong>Southeastern</strong> region falls <strong>Nagaland</strong> and <strong>Myanmar</strong> and to the <strong>southwestern</strong> region falls <strong>Assam.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demography:</strong> The capital of Arunachal Pradesh is Itanagar. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The total literacy rate of the state (as per Census 2011) is 65.38% with male literacy rate being 72.55% and for females, it is 57.70%.</li>
<li>The Sex Ratio of the states is 938 female per 1000 male (National: 943)</li>
<li>The state is home to 26 major tribes, there are more than 100 sub-tribes, many of them are still unexplored. About 65% of the population of the state is tribals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Occupation:</strong> Mostly the population of the state depends on Agriculture, mainly Jhum <strong>cultivation</strong> (slash and burn cultivation).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Other cultivation of cash crops is also done like potatoes.</li>
<li>Horticulture crops such as pineapple, apple, oranges, etc are also done.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Biodiversity:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Animal:</strong> Mithun (also known as Gayal)</li>
<li><strong>State Bird:</strong> Hornbill</li>
<li>It is also home to the <a href="/daily-news-analysis/khangchendzonga-to-be-included-in-the-world-network-of-biosphere-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dihang Dibang Biosphere Reserve.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protected Areas:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-eastern-most-village" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Namdapha National Park</strong></a></li>
<li>Mouling National Park</li>
<li>Sessa Orchid Sanctuary</li>
<li>Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary</li>
<li><a href="/printpdf/covid-19-insurance-to-green-soldiers-ptr" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pakke Tiger Reserve</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tribals of Arunachal:</strong> The significant tribal groups include <strong>Monpas, Nyishis, Apatanis, Noctes and Sherdukpens.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Monpas:</strong> They are believed to be the only nomadic tribe of northeast, inhabit the West Kameng and Tawang districts, are essentially Buddhists who follow the Mahayana sect.</li>
<li><strong>Apatanis:</strong> They practice pre-Aryan beliefs, which is evident from their worship of trees, rocks and plants amongst other things. They mainly practise bamboo cultivation.</li>
<li><strong>Noctes:</strong> Found in the Tirap district, they follow Theravada Buddhism and Animism.</li>
<li><strong>Sherdukpens:</strong> A small tribal group, they are one of the most progressive tribes that can be found in Arunachal Pradesh practising agriculture, fishing and rearing of livestock. Although they have adopted Buddhism, most of their practices still remain pre-Buddhist and more Animistic.</li>
<li><strong>Nyishis:</strong> They are the most populous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and are mainly involved in shifting cultivation and produce rice, millet, cucumber, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-modi-greets-people-of-arunachal-mizoram-on-statehood-days/article33885705.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Sambhar Lake: Rajasthan',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The State Government of<strong> Rajasthan</strong> will identify new tourist points at<strong> Sambhar Salt Lake.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lake forms<strong> part of the desert circuit</strong> in the Centre&rsquo;s<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/promotion-of-buddhist-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Swadesh Darshan Scheme</strong></a>. The <strong>Scheme</strong> was launched by the <strong>Ministry of Tourism</strong> in 2014 -15 for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits in the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Location:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613807515_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1613807515_image1.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="286" height="278" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Situated about 80 km southwest of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jaipur-a-world-heritage-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jaipur</strong></a>, in east-central <strong>Rajasthan.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Salt Lake:</strong> It is the <strong>largest inland salt lake in India.</strong> It represents the <strong>depression of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aravallis-a-mountain-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aravalli Range</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The lake&rsquo;s <strong>salt supply was worked by the Mughal dynasty</strong> (1526&ndash;1857) and it was <strong>later owned jointly by the Jaipur and Jodhpur princely states.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ramsar Site:</strong> It is a <strong>wetland</strong> of <strong>&lsquo;international importance&rsquo;</strong> under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-ramsar-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramsar Convention</strong></a>, declared in <strong>1990.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Size and Depth:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The<strong> area occupied</strong> by this lake <strong>differs from season to season,</strong> so roughly it is between 190 and 230 sq km.</li>
<li>Also, being <strong>an extensive saline wetland,</strong> the <strong>depth</strong> of the lake also <strong>fluctuates from season to season.</strong> During peak summers (dry time), the depth measures as low as 60 cm but during the monsoons, it goes up to 3 m.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rivers:</strong> It receives water from<strong> six rivers,</strong> namely Samaod, Khari, Mantha, Khandela, Medtha, and Roopangarh.</li>
<li><strong>Vegetation:</strong> The vegetation present in the catchment area is <strong>mostly xerophytic type.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Xerophyte is <strong>a plant adapted for growth under dry conditions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fauna: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-november-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flamingoes</a>, pelicans and the waterfowls</strong> are commonly sighted at the Sambhar Lake.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2019, almost <strong>22,000 migratory birds died</strong> at the Lake due to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/avian-botulism-at-sambhar-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>avian botulism</strong></a>, a neuromuscular illness.</li>
<li>Before 2020&rsquo;s winter season, the Rajasthan government <strong>decided to build <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/temporary-shelters-for-migratory-birds-sambhar-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporary shelters for migratory birds</a></strong> near the Lake.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Production of Salt:</strong> It is known for the <strong>production of brine/salt</strong> and also houses one of the largest salt manufacturing units in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Other Nearby Places:</strong> Shakambari Devi temple, Sambhar Wildlife Sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rajasthan Government&rsquo;s Latest Plan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>New tourist points for <strong>witnessing the flora and fauna and having a glimpse of salt harvesting</strong> will be identified at Lake.</li>
<li>A <strong>&ldquo;salt train&rdquo;,</strong> which transported salt from the pans to a nearby refinery, will also be restarted.</li>
<li>New destinations around the lake, including<strong> salt museum, caravan park, bicycle track and gardens,</strong> will be finalised.</li>
<li>The <strong>illegal salt production in the lake will be stopped</strong> through action against unauthorised borewells and pipelines laid in the region, while <strong>encroachments on the land will be removed</strong> with the help of police.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/new-tourist-points-to-be-identified-at-sambhar-lake/article33883824.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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