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Mars Colonisation Through Sperm Bank

As per a study, the human colonies on Mars may be able to expand with shipments of sperm from Earth. The study has found out that exposure to low...

25 Jun 2019 News Analysis
DRDO’s Herbal Drug for Leucoderma

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a herbal drug 'lukoskin' for treatment of Leucoderma. Leucoderma is a skin and...

25 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Water Vulnerable Megacities in India

Four Indian cities, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi have been ranked among the top 20 megacities in the world facing high levels of water...

25 Jun 2019 News Analysis
New Biomarker for Malaria Detection

A researcher’s team from the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Jabalpur-based National Institute of Research in Tribal Health has...

25 Jun 2019 News Analysis
In Depth – Speaker: Roles and Responsibility

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) MP Om Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on 19th June 2019. Since the Indian System...

25 Jun 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Redesigning India’s Fiscal Federalism

This editorial is based on the article “Reimagining the NITI Aayog” which appeared in The Hindu on 24th June 2019. The article talks...

24 Jun 2019 News Editorials
Methane in the Martian Air

NASA’s Curiosity Rover has discovered high amounts of methane in the Martian air, a gas that on Earth is usually produced by living...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Petition for Protection of Non-Nagas in Dimapur

A petition filed before the Supreme Court has sought a direction to the Centre and the Nagaland government to take appropriate steps for the...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Flood Hazard Atlas

Odisha has released a unique flood hazard atlas on the basis of historic flood inundation captured through satellite imagery over the period from...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Imphal Peace Museum

Britain and Japan, once adversaries during the 2nd world war have come together and inaugurated the Imphal Peace Museum to commemorate the 75th...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Arogyapacha: ‘Miracle Plant’

Scientists from the University of Kerala have decoded the genetic make-up of Arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus), a highly potent medicinal plant...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Monsoon

Generally, across the world, the monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20° N and 20° S. The climate of India is...

24 Jun 2019 Paper 1
The Start Up India Fund

According to data available with the SIDBI, the Startup India fund has allocated Rs 2,265 crore to Venture Capital (VC) funds at the end of March...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Wild Yak (Bos grunniens)

Researchers analysed yak dung to understand the vegetation and climate of the past and the connections they have to extinct the woolly rhino and...

24 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Population Crisis: Challenges and Way forward

This article is based on the editorial “A stable planet: on World Population Prospects 2019 report”, that appeared in The Hindu on 22nd...

22 Jun 2019 News Editorials
Report on Epilepsy

A report “Epilepsy, a public health imperative” has been released by the World Health Organization and leading non-governmental...

22 Jun 2019 News Analysis
New Injection for Type 2 Diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Victoza (liraglutide) injection for treatment of pediatric patients 10 years or older with type 2...

22 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Trafficking in Persons Report

The U.S. State Department has released the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 2019. India continued to be placed in Tier-2 on the country...

22 Jun 2019 News Analysis
India’s Food Processing Industry

The Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries has stated that Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) envisages creation of direct...

22 Jun 2019 News Analysis
The Big Picture – Population: Boon or Bane?

According to estimates in a recently released United Nations report, India is expected to add 273 million people by the year 2050. The report...

22 Jun 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions

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		(int) 0 => [
			'title' => 'Mars Colonisation Through Sperm Bank',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>As per a study, the human colonies on Mars may be able to expand with shipments of sperm from Earth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study has found out that exposure to<strong> low gravity environments does not damage the viability of frozen samples.</strong></li>
<li>The frozen samples of sperm exposed to microgravity retained similar characteristics to sperm samples kept on the Earth.</li>
<li>The findings open the possibility of safely transporting male gametes to space and considering the <strong>possibility of creating a human sperm bank outside Earth.</strong></li>
<li>If the number of missions and spaceflights increases it <strong>is important to study the effects of long-term human exposure to space</strong> and probably consider thinking about the <strong>possibility of reproduction outside the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>It opens the possibility of female astronauts going to Mars, taking the sperm with them to populate a new world.</li>
<li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has stated that the first person to walk on Mars is likely to be a woman. It has set a goal of starting a colony on the planet by 2033.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.</li>
<li>It was established under the <strong>National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958</strong> and its headquarters are located in Washington, DC, USA.</li>
</ul>
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'DRDO’s Herbal Drug for Leucoderma',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</a></strong> has developed a herbal drug 'lukoskin' for treatment of Leucoderma.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Leucoderma</strong> is a <strong>skin</strong> and <strong>auto-immune disorder</strong> also called vitiligo.<br />Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Vitiligo Day 2019</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every year, <strong>June 25</strong> is observed as World Vitiligo Day to raise awareness about the disease.</li>
<li>The theme for World Vitiligo Day 2019 is <strong>&lsquo;The Quality of Life of a Vitiligo Patient&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Present remedies of vitiligo-like allopathic, surgical and adjunctive are either <strong>costly or single molecule based,</strong> with a very low level of efficacy and develop side-effects like a blister, edema, and irritation in the skin.</li>
<li><strong>Lukoskin</strong>, available in <strong>ointment</strong> and <strong>oral liquid</strong> form, has seven herbal ingredients having properties such as skin <strong>photosensitizer, anti-blister, anti-irritation, antiseptic,</strong> wound healing and <strong>copper supplementing</strong> properties, while the oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence of new spots.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Vitiligo or Leucoderma</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vitiligo is a skin disease in which <strong>pale white patches</strong> start forming on the skin, due to lack of <strong>melanin</strong> (a pigment in the skin).</li>
<li>It is <strong>neither contagious</strong> (i.e does not spread from getting in direct contact with the affected person) nor <strong>life-threatening.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Genetic conditions</strong> or <strong>stress-induced</strong> situations are more prone to the occurrence of disease.</li>
<li><strong>Leucoderma patients</strong> are also vulnerable to inflammation in the <strong>iris</strong>, loss of <strong>hearing</strong> and <strong>sunburn.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vitiligo commonly occurs in people in their twenties; however, it can occur in any stage.</li>
<li>People with autoimmune diseases, such as <strong>hyperthyroidism</strong> are more prone to it than those who don&rsquo;t have any autoimmune diseases.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Facts</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The worldwide incidence of leucoderma has been reported at 1-2%.</li>
<li>In India, its incidence is around 4-5%.</li>
<li>In some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, its incidence is as high as 5-8%.</li>
<li>Leucoderma (skin disorder) is considered a <strong>social stigma in India</strong> where people confuse it with leprosy (a contagious disease caused by bacteria).</li>
</ul>
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Water Vulnerable Megacities in India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Four Indian cities, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi have been ranked among the top 20 megacities in the world facing high levels of water scarcity.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong> evaluated 400 cities globally in 2018 with focus on megacities facing high combined levels of water scarcity &mdash; recent and projected drought.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/600Image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/600Image2.jpg" width="548" height="618" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Megacities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Megacities are quantitatively defined as cities having a population of more than five, eight or ten million people.</li>
<li>Because of their defining features, <strong>concentration of population, goods and services, megacities are particularly vulnerable to water-related risks,</strong> which are further amplified by climate change: <strong>large-scale flooding, pollution of water sources, water shortages etc.</strong></li>
<li>Faced with such difficulties, these cities also host a multitude of resources, including technical, scientific and human resources, to meet the challenges ahead.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chennai has emerged in top position</strong> as the city facing the most severe water scarcity and drought in the world.</li>
<li>Kolkata has been ranked at number 2, Mumbai at 11 and Delhi at 15.</li>
<li>Large cities, mostly located along the banks of large rivers, are vulnerable to water scarcity because of the vastly over-allocated and mismanaged river-systems.</li>
<li><strong>Frequent droughts and flooding due to climate change and depleting levels of water in the reservoirs</strong> are some of the reasons behind the water crisis in these megacities.</li>
<li><strong>Loss of wetlands</strong> is a key reason. Reports have noted that the world has lost 35% of its wetlands since 1970 and is losing them three times faster than forests. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the wetlands shrink, the city loses its natural waste water tank, and in the absence of enough sewage treatment plants, the wastewater goes straight into the river.</li>
<li>East Kolkata Wetland, a Ramsar site is an example of the case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The WWF was founded in September, 1961, at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)'s headquarters in Morges, Switzerland.</li>
<li>As an international fundraising organization it is working in collaboration with existing conservation groups and bring substantial financial support to the conservation movement on a worldwide scale.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'New Biomarker for Malaria Detection',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/162image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/162image1.jpg" width="260" height="146" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a>A researcher&rsquo;s team from the <strong>Indian Council of Medical Research&rsquo;s Jabalpur-based National Institute of Research in Tribal Health has identified Glutamate dehydrogenase</strong> as a new biomarker in the body of the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-malaria-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>malaria parasite</strong> </a>for malaria detection.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: left;">It will help to develop a <strong>more sensitive and accurate</strong> diagnostic test for malaria detection.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Biomarker</strong><br /><strong></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Biomarkers are key molecular or cellular events that <strong>link a specific environmental exposure to a health outcome.</strong></li>
<li>Biomarkers play an important role in understanding the relationships between exposure to environmental chemicals, the development of chronic human diseases, and the identification of subgroups that are at increased risk for disease.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Existing Method of Diagnosis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, tests used for diagnosing malaria are based on a gene, <strong>Histidine-rich Protein 2 (HRP2)</strong>, replete with amino acid Histidine. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The studies have shown that this gene is often absent in some strains of the malaria parasite. Consequently, significant levels of malaria infection were going undetected.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Scientists across the world have been searching for new biomarkers that would be more effective. The study provides scientific evidence for the conserved nature of <strong>Glutamate dehydrogenase</strong> sequences in Indian isolates which can be used as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of malaria.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a permanent institute of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health of Family Welfare.</li>
<li>The NIRTH was established on 1<sup>st</sup> March 1984 in Jabalpur by ICMR with the mandate <strong>to improve health and create awareness among tribals</strong> through applied and operational research. This institute is recognized by the World Health Organization as its collaborative Centre for the health of the indigenous population.</li>
<li>The institute has conducted several important research projects on Malaria, Filaria, Tuberculosis, Diarrhea, Virology, Fluorosis and Social Sciences.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth – Speaker: Roles and Responsibility',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZ5l31_N1hQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) MP <strong>Om Birla</strong> was unanimously elected as the <strong>Speaker of the 17<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha</strong> on 19<sup>th</sup> June 2019.</p>
<p>Since the Indian System of Government follows the <strong>Westminster Model, the Parliamentary proceedings of the country are headed by a presiding officer, who is called the Speaker.</strong></p>
<p>India&rsquo;s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru had said that in a parliamentary democracy, <strong>the Speaker represents the dignity and the freedom of the House</strong> and because the House represents the country, the speaker in a way becomes the <strong>symbol of the country&rsquo;s freedom and liberty.</strong></p>
<h3>Speaker of the Lok Sabha</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lok Sabha, which is the highest legislative body in the country, chooses its Speaker who presides over the day to day functioning of the House.</li>
<li>Electing the Speaker of the House is one of the first acts of newly constituted House.</li>
<li>The office of the Speaker is a <strong>Constitutional Office.</strong> The Speaker is guided by the constitutional provisions and the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.</li>
<li>The Speaker is placed very high in the <strong>Warrant of Precedence</strong> in the country i.e. at <strong>rank 6.</strong></li>
<li>Adequate Powers are vested in the office of the Speaker to help her/him in the smooth conduct of parliamentary proceedings.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The constitution provides that the <strong>Speaker&rsquo;s salary and allowances</strong> are not to be voted by the Parliament and are to be <strong>charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.</strong></li>
<li>In the Lok Sabha chamber, the Speaker&rsquo;s chair is distinctively placed to enable a commanding view of the entire House.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Speaker is assisted by the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha and senior officers of the Secretariat on parliamentary activities, practice and procedure.</li>
<li><strong>In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker discharges the functions.</strong> A member from the Panel of Chairmen presides over the House in the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Election of the Speaker</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No specific qualifications</strong> are prescribed for being elected as the speaker. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The constitution states that the Speaker must be a member of the House</strong> but an understanding of the constitution and conventions of the Parliament is considered a major asset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The House elects its presiding officer <strong>by a simple majority of members present, who vote in the House.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Usually, a member belonging to the ruling party is elected Speaker.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The process has evolved over the years where the ruling party nominates its candidate after informal consultations with leaders of other parties and groups in the House.</li>
<li>Once the decision on the candidate is taken, the name is <strong>normally proposed by the Prime Minister or the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>This convention ensures that once elected, the Speaker enjoys the respect of all sections of the House.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are also instances when members not belonging to the ruling party were elected to the office of the Speaker.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GMC Balayogi and Manohar Joshi belonging to the TDP and the Shiv Sena respectively served as the Speaker in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha during the NDA coalition headed by the BJP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>After the speaker is elected, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition (if there in the House, otherwise, the leader of the largest party in the House in the opposition) escort the Speaker to the Chair.</li>
<li><strong>When the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker remains in his office till the first meeting of the new assembly</strong> when the new speaker is elected.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Removal of the Speaker</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Speaker&rsquo;s term</strong> is coterminous with the term of the Lok Sabha i.e. <strong>5 years.</strong></li>
<li>However, the constitution has given the Lower House authority to remove the Speaker if needed. <strong>The House can remove the Speaker through a resolution passed by an effective majority</strong> (more than 50% of the total strength of the house present and voting) as per Articles 94 and 96 of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>The Speaker can also be removed <strong>on getting disqualified from being a Lok Sabha member under sections 7 and 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951</strong>.</li>
<li>A speaker can also tender his resignation to a Deputy Speaker.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy is the only Speaker who resigned from the office.</li>
<li>Dr. Reddy also has the distinction of being the only Speaker who was later elected as the President of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker</h3>
<p>According to the Constitution of India, a Speaker is vested with immense administrative and discretionary powers, some of which are enumerated below:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Speaker presides over the meetings in the Lower House. In other words, the Speaker <strong>conducts business in Lok Sabha</strong> by ensuring discipline and decorum among members.</li>
<li>S/he <strong>guards the rights and privileges of the members</strong> of Lok Sabha, deciding who should speak at what time, the questions to be asked, the order of proceedings to be followed, among others.</li>
<li><strong>A Speaker uses his/her power to vote, in order to resolve a deadlock.</strong> That is, when the House initiates a voting procedure, the speaker does not cast a vote in the first instance. It is only when the two sides receive equal number of votes that the Speaker's vote breaks the deadlock, making his/her position impartial.</li>
<li>In the absence of a quorum in the House, it is the duty of the Speaker to adjourn the House or to suspend any meeting, until a quorum is met.</li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>decides the agenda</strong> that must be discussed in a meeting of the Members of the Parliament.</li>
<li>The Speaker is invested with the immense powers of interpreting the Rules of Procedure. Since s/he is a member of the House as well as the Presiding Officer, s/he ensures the discipline of the House. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Speaker ensures that MPs are punished for unruly behaviour.</li>
<li>A Speaker can also <strong>disqualify a Member of Parliament from the House on grounds of defection (under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution).</strong></li>
<li>A member who flouts the Speaker&rsquo;s orders or directions may be named by the Speaker and in such cases, the member may have to withdraw from the House.</li>
<li>S/he also issues warrants to execute the orders of the House, wherever necessary and delivers reprimands on behalf of the House.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Speaker also permits various parliamentary procedures like the motion of adjournment, the motion of no confidence, the motion of censure, among others.</li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>presides over <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/president-addresses-joint-sitting-of-parliament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the joint sitting</a> of the two Houses of Parliament.</strong></li>
<li>Once a <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/misuse-of-money-bills-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Money Bill</a></strong> is transmitted from the Lower House to the Upper House, the Speaker is solely responsible for endorsing his or her certificate on the Bill. In other words, s/he is <strong>given the pivotal power to decide whether any Bill is a Money Bill.</strong> His/her decision is considered final.</li>
<li><strong>Except for the no-confidence motion, all other motions which come before the House come only after the Speaker permits them.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker also decides on <strong>granting recognition to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>has under his or her jurisdiction, a number of Parliamentary Committees</strong> such as the Rules Committee, the Business Advisory Committee and the General Purposes Committee. The Speaker nominates the various Chairmen to these Committees while monitoring the committees&rsquo; workings as well.</li>
<li>S/he is the <strong>ultimate arbiter and interpreter</strong> of those provisions which relate to the functioning of the House. His/her decisions are final and binding and ordinarily cannot be questioned, challenged or criticized.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Speaker&rsquo;s Administrative Role</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Speaker is also the <strong>head of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker's authority over the Secretariat staff of the House and its security arrangements is supreme.</li>
<li><strong>No alteration or addition can be made in the Parliament House</strong> and no new structure can be erected in the Parliament Estate without the Speaker&rsquo;s permission.</li>
<li>It is through the Speaker that the decisions of the House are communicated to individuals and authorities outside the Parliament.</li>
<li>Speaker decides the form and manner in which the proceedings of the House are published.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Roles and Responsibilities</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Speaker&rsquo;s approval is sought for the date on which the House will start before it is convened by the President.</li>
<li>The Speaker decides the form in which amendments may be moved to the Motion of Thanks to the President&rsquo;s address.</li>
<li><strong>With regard to moving amendments to a Bill, the permission of the Speaker is required.</strong></li>
<li>It depends solely on the Speaker to refer any question of privilege to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report.</li>
<li>When a decision of the House is to be ascertained on a motion made by a member, <strong>the question is put by the Speaker before the House to obtain the decision.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker makes obituary references in the House, formal references to important national and international events and the valedictory address at the conclusion of every Session of the Lok Sabha and also when the term of the House expires.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Speaker and Inter-Parliamentary Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>S/he is the <strong>ex-officio President of the Indian Parliamentary Group.</strong> It was set up in 1949 and functions as the National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the main branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inter-Parliamentary Union is an organization made up of national parliaments from around the world.</li>
<li>The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has been the voice of parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth for more than nine decades.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In that capacity, members of various Indian Parliamentary Delegations going abroad are nominated by him/her after consulting the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Most often, the Speaker leads such delegations.</li>
<li>Besides, the Speaker is the <strong>Chairman of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p><strong>Westminster Model:</strong> The <strong>Westminster system</strong> is a democratic parliamentary system of government that originated in the Palace of Westminster, the location of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The important features of the Westminster system include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A head of state, who is the nominal</strong> or theoretical source of executive power, holds numerous reserve powers, but in practice is a ceremonial figurehead. Such examples include the British Sovereign or the President of India.</li>
<li><strong>A de facto executive branch</strong> usually made up of members of the legislature with the senior members of the executive in a Cabinet; such members have executive authority on behalf of the nominal or theoretical executive authority.</li>
<li>The presence of opposition parties;<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>An elected legislature,</strong> or a system in which one of two houses is elected and the other appointed;</li>
<li><strong>The ability of the lower house of parliament to, by default, dismiss a government</strong> by "withholding (or blocking) Supply" (rejecting a budget), passing a no-confidence motion, or defeating a confidence motion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Warrant of Precedence</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian Order of Precedence is the <strong>hierarchy of the important positions.</strong></li>
<li>It is the protocol list in which the functionaries, dignitaries and the officials of India are listed as per their ranks and offices they hold in the Government of India.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-speaker-roles-and-responsibility'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Redesigning India’s Fiscal Federalism',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/reimagining-the-niti-aayog/article28118992.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>&ldquo;Reimagining the NITI Aayog&rdquo;</em></a> which appeared in The Hindu on 24th June 2019. The article talks about the need and ways of redesigning India&rsquo;s fiscal federalism.</strong></p>
</div>
<p>In India, the Finance Commission and the Planning Commission promote <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/another-look-at-fiscal-transfers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fiscal federalism</strong></a> by carrying out systemic fiscal transfers in the nature of devolution or conditional ones but with the replacement of Planning Commission by NITI Aayog there is an urgent need for <strong>revisiting and redefining</strong> the <strong>fiscal architecture</strong> of India.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/gs-special/gs-special-polity/important-sources-of-the-indian-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Government of India Act 1919 and 1935</strong></a> formalized the tenets of fiscal federalism and revenue sharing between the Centre and the states.</li>
<li><strong>The 14<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission</strong> chaired by Dr. Y V Reddy, recommended <strong>42% devolution</strong> of revenue to the states.</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong> was introduced in 2017 to streamline India&rsquo;s indirect tax structure as a measure to promote <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/cooperative-and-competitive-federalism-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperative federalism in India</a>,</strong> giving the states an enhanced role in formulating and implementing the overhauled taxation system.</li>
<li><strong>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> established in 2015 was expected to address new realities of macroeconomic management that were missed by the Planning Commission.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for Redefining India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Horizontal imbalances and rising regional inequalities:</strong> Replacing the Planning Commission (which was mandated to give grants to the states as conditional transfers using the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula) with <strong>NITI Aayog</strong> (Government think tank with no resources to dispense) has reduced the policy outreach of government by relying only on single instrument of fiscal federalism i.e Finance commission. This approach if not reviewed can lead to a serious problem of increasing <strong>regional and sub-regional inequities.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Horizontal Imbalances</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The horizontal imbalances arise because of differing levels of attainment by the states due to <strong>differential growth</strong> rates and their <strong>developmental status</strong> in terms of the state of social or infrastructure capital.</li>
<li>Horizontal imbalances involve two types of imbalances:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Type I</strong> is to do with the adequate provision of basic public goods and services.</li>
<li><strong>Type II</strong> is due to growth accelerating infrastructure or the transformational capital deficits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Vertical imbalance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical imbalance</strong> arises due to the <strong>fiscal asymmetry</strong> in powers of taxation vested with the different levels of government in relation to their expenditure responsibilities prescribed by the constitution.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical imbalance:</strong> In India&rsquo;s fiscal federalism (three levels of Governments: Central Government, State Governments and the elected Local Bodies) central government has a far <strong>greater domain of taxation</strong> (e.g., income taxes personal or corporate, taxing consumption of goods and services (CGST), taxing foreign transactions, etc).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Central Government collects around 60%</strong> of the total taxes, while its expenditure responsibility (for carrying out its constitutionally mandated responsibility such as defense, etc.) is only 40% of the total public expenditure.</li>
<li>Such vertical imbalances are even sharper in <strong>the case of the third tier</strong> consisting of elected <strong>local bodies and panchayats.</strong></li>
<li>Vertical imbalances can adversely affect India&rsquo;s <strong>urbanization, the</strong> <strong>quality of local public goods</strong> and thus further aggravating the negative externalities for the <strong>environment and climate change.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Restructuring the Fiscal Federalism</h3>
<p>India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism needs to be restructured around the four pillars namely Finance Commission, NITI Aayog, GST and decentralization in order to eliminate the inadequacies of vertical and horizontal imbalances.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Finance Commission</strong> must be relieved from the dual task of dealing with provision of basic public goods and services and capital deficits. It should be confined to focussing on removal of basic <strong>public goods imbalance (Type I).</strong></li>
<li><strong>NITI Aayog</strong> can serve as the second pillar for dealing in the realm of <strong>infrastructure and capital deficits (Type II).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It should be engaged with the allocation of capital in a way different than that used by the Finance Commission with different parameters for allocation.</li>
<li><strong>Regional Imbalances:</strong> NITI Aayog should receive significant resources (1% to 2% of the GDP) to remove regional and subregional disparities among states by reducing <strong>development imbalances</strong> in the areas of infrastructure deficit.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Independent Evaluation Office:</strong> NITI Aayog should be mandated to create an independent evaluation office which will <strong>monitor and evaluate</strong> the efficacy of the utilization of revenue and capital grants.</li>
<li><strong>Decision-Making Body:</strong> It should also be an integral part of the decision making processes as it can effectively negotiate between the states for the transfer of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Decentralization</strong> can serve as the <strong>third pillar</strong> of the new fiscal federalism by strengthening local finances and state finance commission.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Local public finance:</strong> the creation of an urban local body/<strong>Panchayati Raj institutions consolidated fund.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Centre and States should contribute an equal proportion of their <strong>Central GST (CGST)</strong> and<strong> State GST (SGST)</strong> collections and send the money to the consolidated fund of the third tier.</li>
<li><strong>One-sixth</strong> sharing of the CGST and SGST with the third tier can generate more than <strong>1%</strong> of the GDP every year for the financing of public goods by urban-level bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>State Finance Commissions</strong> should be accorded the same status as the Union Finance Commission and the 3Fs of democratic decentralization <strong>(funds, functions, and functionaries)</strong> should be implemented properly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong> should be simplified in its structure and can serve as the <strong>fourth pillar</strong> of our fiscal federalism, by ensuring:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Single Rate GST:</strong> with suitable surcharges on &ldquo;sin goods,&rdquo; (goods that are harmful to society and individuals, for example, alcohol and tobacco, drugs, etc), zero ratings of exports and reforming the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) and the e-way bill.</li>
<li><strong>Transparency:</strong> The GST Council should undertake reforms in an<strong> informed and transparent manner</strong>, by creating its own secretariat and independent experts (as its staff).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GST is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.</li>
<li>GST is one <strong>indirect tax</strong> for the entire country.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-11th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GST council</strong> </a>is the key decision-making body that will take all important decisions regarding the GST.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Creating the new fiscal federal architecture based on the effective decentralization, transparent GST regime, independent Finance commission and effective NITI Aayog can strengthen India&rsquo;s unique <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/cooperative-and-competitive-federalism-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperative federalism</a>. </strong></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 593.333px; background-color: #c0fcc1;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>Discuss the need and ways for redefining the fiscal architecture of India to strengthen the fiscal federalism.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/redesigning-india-s-fiscal-federalism'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Methane in the Martian Air',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>NASA&rsquo;s Curiosity Rover</strong> has discovered high amounts of methane in the Martian air, a gas that on Earth is usually produced by living things.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Curiosity rover has found 21 parts per billion of methane, or three times the 2013 finding.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The gas seems to rise and fall with the red planet&rsquo;s seasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>However, the Trace Gas Orbiter</strong>, a newer European spacecraft launched in 2016 with more sensitive instruments, <strong>did not detect any methane at all</strong> in its first batch of scientific observations last year.</li>
<li>Rovers scheduled for launch next year &mdash; one by NASA, one by a Russian-European collaboration &mdash; will carry instruments designed to search for the building blocks of life.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NASA Curiosity Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars. It landed on Mars in August, 2012.</li>
<li>The purpose of the mission is to find chemical and mineral evidence of past habitable environments on Mars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The orbiter is the first in a series of joint missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.</li>
<li>It was designed to search for trace gases in the Martian atmosphere such as methane, water vapor, nitrogen oxides and acetylene. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These gases could provide evidence for possible biological or geological activity on Mars.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also will monitor seasonal changes in the Martian atmosphere and will look for water-ice beneath the surface.</li>
<li>Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter began operations after entering Mars orbit in October, 2016.</li>
<li>A second mission, <strong>ExoMars 2020</strong>, is planned for launch in 2020 and will include a rover capable of drilling about 6 feet (two meters) below the surface to search for clues for past life on Mars.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/methane-in-the-martian-air'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Petition for Protection of Non-Nagas in Dimapur',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A petition filed before the Supreme Court has sought a direction to the Centre and the Nagaland government to take appropriate steps for the protection of life and liberty, properties and other fundamental rights of non-Nagas living in Dimapur following the imposition of the Inner Line Permit (ILP).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The plea has challenged certain sections of the <strong>Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873</strong> which gives unbridled power to a State to prescribe ILP.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The act empowers a State government to prescribe &lsquo;Inner Line&rsquo;</strong> to prohibit citizens of India or any class of such citizens going beyond the prescribed line without a pass.</li>
<li>The colonial-era regulation was passed by the then British government to prohibit Indian citizens to move in selects districts to create monopoly in business.</li>
<li>However, it continues to be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in north-eastern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Inner Line Permit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ILP is an official travel document issued by the Government of India <strong>to grant inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area</strong> for a limited period. Visitors are not allowed to purchase property in these regions.</li>
<li>Restrictions are imposed on the entry of outsiders <strong>to maintain the original identity of indigenous people of Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.</strong> The entry of outsiders are not allowed without ILP.</li>
<li>The document is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 and the conditions and restrictions vary from state to state.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the State Cabinet had taken a decision to extend the operation of the 1873 Regulation in Dimapur.</li>
<li>Therefore, many non-Nagas who have landed properties with commercial shops, godowns, etc. and who are staying in as tenants, and many locals who earn their income by means of collecting rent from tenants would be adversely affected</li>
<li>Many non-nagas have been regarded as outsiders by the government of Nagaland, which is racial discrimination.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/petition-for-protection-of-non-nagas-in-dimapur'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Flood Hazard Atlas',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Odisha has released a unique flood hazard atlas on the basis of <strong>historic flood inundation</strong> captured through <strong>satellite imagery</strong> over the period from 2001 to 2018.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Flooding in Odisha:</strong> Vast areas of the state are inundated when there is flooding every year in major rivers like the <strong>Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha and Rushikulya.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Some of the rivers like the <strong>Vamsadhara and Budhabalanga</strong>, also cause <strong>flash floods</strong> due to instant run-off from their hilly catchments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Flood Hazard Atlas<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image1.jpg" width="412" height="342" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the mapping and zonation of an area prone to frequent flooding, the mapping is done on the basis of the data of the past few years. <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)</strong></a>, Hyderabad does <strong>flood hazard zonation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits of Flood Hazard Atlas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Better preparedness:</strong> A more <strong>concise focus</strong> on the effects and impacts of the flooded area is possible during the early <strong>planning stages.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Risk reduction or mitigation techniques</strong> can be recommended for the same portion of the study area.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Location, severity, or frequency</strong> of hazard can be done more easily.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Proper assessment of area:</strong> A study area or a sub-area can be expanded, reduced, or deleted. Study areas can be divided into sub-areas requiring more information, additional assessments, or specific reduction techniques.</li>
<li><strong>Risk evaluation:</strong> A more realistic evaluation of risks to new development is possible. Appropriate hazard reduction techniques can be more easily developed to deal with an emergency situation.</li>
<li><strong>Rehabilitation planning:</strong> It could be initiated in advance with proper coordination among different central and state agencies.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/flood-hazard-atlas'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Imphal Peace Museum',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Britain and Japan, once adversaries during the 2nd world war have come together and inaugurated the <strong>Imphal Peace Museum</strong> to commemorate the <strong>75th anniversary</strong> of the <strong>Battle of Imphal</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The inauguration was attended by Manipur Revenue minister, Japanese Ambassador to India, High Commissioner of UK and Chairman of <strong>The Nippon Foundation&nbsp;</strong>(TNF).</li>
<li>The museum is constructed by the support of <strong>The Nippon Foundation&nbsp;</strong>(TNF), a <strong>non-profit grant-making organization</strong> in collaboration with <strong>Manipur Tourism Forum</strong> and <strong>Manipur Government</strong>.</li>
<li>The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) is located 20 km Southwest of Imphal, at the foothills of <strong>Red Hill</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Battle of Imphal<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/155image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/155image2.jpg" width="301" height="241" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Battle of Imphal saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II at <strong>Maibam Lokpa Ching</strong> popularly known as <strong>Red Hill.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Red Hill was among the places where the tide began to turn against the Japanese.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 1944, Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, of the Second World War.</li>
<li>The <strong>Japanese defeat at Kohima and Imphal</strong> was the largest up until that time, with many of the Japanese deaths resulting from starvation, disease and exhaustion suffered during their retreat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Imphal, the capital of Manipur, it is some 70 miles to the west of the Burmese border. To the <strong>north of Imphal are the Naga Hills</strong> and <strong>to the south the Chin Hills.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/imphal-peace-museum'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Arogyapacha: ‘Miracle Plant’',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Scientists from the University of Kerala have decoded the genetic make-up of <strong>Arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus),</strong> a highly potent medicinal plant endemic to the <strong>Agasthya hills.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This &lsquo;miracle plant&rsquo; is known for its traditional use by the <strong>Kani tribal community</strong> to combat fatigue.</li>
<li>Studies have also proved its varied spectrum of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumour, anti-ulcer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic.</li>
<li>The project is bound to open up a new window to the plant&rsquo;s molecular secrets, the genome and annotation data will be a valuable resource to expedite research on Arogyapacha, particularly its secondary metabolism, genetic breeding, and comparative studies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Kani Tribe</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Traditionally Kani tribes are a nomadic people. They are indigenous to tropical forests of the Agasthyamalai hills of the Western Ghats, a mountain range in Kerala. They have a population of almost 25,000.</li>
<li>Kani has a rich tradition of using wild plants found in the region for health reasons. The tribal physicians, <strong>known as Plathi</strong> &ndash; are the exclusive holders of the traditional medicinal knowledge of the tribe. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to Kani tribal customs, only the <strong>Plathi</strong> have the right to transfer and disseminate their traditional medicinal knowledge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Agasthya hills</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agasthya</strong> hill is a 1,868-metre (6,129 ft) tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The peak lies on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This peak is a part of the <strong>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve</strong> which lies on the border between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>The peak is named after Hindu sage <strong>Agastya</strong>, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis(Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. It is a pilgrimage centre for devotees.</li>
<li>The <strong>Thamirabarani River</strong> is a perennial river which originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>In Tamil traditions, <strong>Agastya</strong> is considered as the father of the Tamil language and the compiler of the <strong>first Tamil grammar called Agattiyam.</strong> The Malayalam language is considered to be born from Agasthya.</li>
<li>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arogyapacha-miracle-plant'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Monsoon',
			'catname' => 'Paper 1',
			'desc' => '<p>Generally, across the world, the monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20&deg; N and 20&deg; S.</p>
<p>The climate of India is described as the <strong>&lsquo;monsoon&rsquo;</strong> type. In Asia, this type of climate is found mainly in the south and the southeast.</p>
<p>Out of a total of 4 seasonal divisions of India, monsoon occupy 2 divisions, namely.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The southwest monsoon season -</strong> Rainfall received from the southwest monsoons is seasonal in character, which occurs between June and September.</li>
<li><strong>The retreating monsoon season -</strong> The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Factors Influencing South-West Monsoon Formation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The differential heating and cooling of land and water</strong> creates a low pressure on the landmass of India while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure.</li>
<li><strong>The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)</strong> in summer, over the Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trough normally positioned about 5&deg;N of the equator. It is also known as the monsoon-trough during the monsoon season).</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Inter Tropical Convergence Zone </strong></p>
<p>The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ,) is a broad trough of low pressure in equatorial latitudes. This is where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. This convergence zone lies more or less parallel to the equator but moves north or south with the apparent movement of the sun.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The presence of the high-pressure area,</strong> east of Madagascar, approximately at 20&deg;S over the Indian Ocean. The intensity and position of this high-pressure area affect the Indian Monsoon.</li>
<li><strong>The Tibetan plateau</strong> gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level.</li>
<li><strong>The movement of the westerly jet stream</strong> to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer.</li>
<li><strong>Tropical Easterly Jet (African Easterly Jet).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Southern Oscillation (SO):</strong> Normally when the tropical eastern south Pacific Ocean experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean experiences low pressure. But in certain years, there is a reversal in the pressure conditions and the eastern Pacific has lower pressure in comparison to the eastern Indian Ocean. This periodic change in pressure conditions is known as the SO.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>El Nino</strong></p>
<p>This is a name given to the periodic development of a warm ocean current along the coast of Peru as a temporary replacement of the cold Peruvian current. &lsquo;El Nino&rsquo; is a Spanish word meaning &lsquo;the child&rsquo;, and refers to the baby Christ, as this current starts flowing during Christmas. The presence of the El Nino leads to an increase in sea-surface temperatures and weakening of the trade winds in the region.</p>
</div>
<h3>Mechanism</h3>
<p><strong>Onset of the South-West Monsoon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The location of <strong>ITCZ shifts north and south of the equator</strong> with the apparent movement of the Sun.</li>
<li>During the month of June, the <strong>sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer</strong> and the <strong>ITCZ shifts northwards</strong>.</li>
<li>The southeast trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator and start blowing in southwest to northeast direction under the influence of <strong>Coriolis force</strong>.</li>
<li>These winds collect moisture as they travel over the warm Indian Ocean.</li>
<li>In the month of July, the <strong>ITCZ shifts to 20&deg;-25&deg; N latitude and is located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain</strong> and the south-west monsoons blow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ITCZ in this position is often called the <strong>Monsoon Trough</strong>.</li>
<li>The shift in the position of the ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of the westerly jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south of the Himalayas.</li>
<li>The easterly Jet Stream (Somali Jet) sets in along 15&deg;N latitude only after the western jet stream has withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for the burst of the monsoon in India.</li>
<li>As these winds approach the land, their southwesterly direction is modified by the relief and thermal low pressure over northwest India. The monsoon approaches the Indian landmass in two branches: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Arabian Sea branch -</strong> The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea.</li>
<li><strong>The Bay of Bengal branch -</strong> The Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar deflect a big portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon, therefore, enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have <strong>&lsquo;breaks&rsquo;</strong> in rainfall. The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are interspersed with rainless intervals. <strong>These breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Despite an overall unity in the general pattern, there are perceptible regional variations in climatic conditions within the country.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393254_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393254_image5.jpg" width="600" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Retreating Monsoon Season</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The retreating southwest monsoon season is <strong>marked by clear skies and rise in temperature</strong>.</li>
<li>The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the <strong>&lsquo;October heat&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India.</li>
<li>The weather in the retreating monsoon is <strong>dry in north India</strong> but it is associated with <strong>rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula</strong>. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.</li>
<li><strong>The widespread rain in this season is associated with the passage of cyclonic depressions which originate over the Andaman Sea and manage to cross the eastern coast of the southern Peninsula. These tropical cyclones are very destructive.</strong></li>
<li>A bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast is derived from these depressions and cyclones.</li>
<li>Unlike the rest of the country, which receives rain in the southwest monsoon season between June and September, the <strong>northeast monsoon is crucial for farming</strong> and <strong>water security in the south</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393291_image18.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393291_image18.jpg" width="600" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>Impact of Monsoons on Life in India</h3>
<p><strong>Positive</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-monsoon-respite-for-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">About 64% of people in India depend on agriculture for their livelihood</a> and agriculture itself is based on monsoon.</li>
<li>Agricultural prosperity of India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall. If it fails, agriculture is adversely affected particularly in those regions where means of irrigation are not developed.</li>
<li>Regional variations in monsoon climate help in growing various types of crops.</li>
<li>Regional monsoon variation in India is reflected in the vast variety of food, clothes and house types.</li>
<li>Monsoon rain <strong>helps recharge dams and reservoirs,</strong> which is further used for the <strong>generation of hydro-electric power</strong>.</li>
<li>Winter rainfall by temperate cyclones in north India is highly beneficial for Rabi crops.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Negative</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Variability of rainfall brings <strong>droughts or floods</strong> every year in some parts of the country.</li>
<li>Sudden monsoon burst creates a problem of <strong>soil erosion</strong> over large areas in India.</li>
<li>In hilly areas sudden rainfall brings <strong>landslide</strong> which <strong>damages natural and physical infrastructure</strong> subsequently <strong>disrupting human life economically</strong> as well as <strong>socially</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Monsoon Prediction In India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>More than a century ago, when there were no computers, IMD&rsquo;s forecasts depended only on snow cover. Lesser cover meant a better monsoon.</li>
<li>British physicist Gilbert Walker, who headed the IMD, designed a <strong>statistical weather model</strong> &ndash; an empirical way of predicting the weather &ndash; based on the relationship between two weather phenomena.</li>
<li>In 2014, the IMD started to use <strong>numerical models</strong> to supplement statistical models for long-range forecasting as well.</li>
<li>Now, although the numerical models used by the IMD are state-of-the-art &ndash; developed by the <strong>US National Centres for Environmental Prediction</strong> &ndash; their forecast capacity is still weak because a longer period of forecast creates more uncertainty in prediction.</li>
<li>At the moment, the IMD provides district-wise weather data but it&rsquo;s not sufficient; because when IMD says there will be scattered rainfall over a particular district, it means that 26-50% that district (by area) will receive rainfall.</li>
<li>The <strong>IMD collects weather data like temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation</strong> through 679 automatic weather stations, 550 surface observatories, 43 radiosonde or weather balloons, 24 radars and three satellites.</li>
<li>Currently, highly advanced dynamical models need supercomputers. Prediction models will not run until proper data about current weather conditions is available.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Factors Responsible for Inaccurate Monsoon Forecast</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> lack of data</strong> due to insufficient monitoring stations.</li>
<li>Automatic weather stations are of substandard quality. They need to be calibrated and cleaned regularly, which does not happen often. That affects data.</li>
<li>Then, there are major data gaps, like those involving dust, aerosols, soil moisture and maritime conditions are not monitored.</li>
<li>The models that we have brought from the west have been developed by western scientists to forecast in their region, little progress has been made is the <strong>fine-tuning of weather models to suit Indian conditions</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of competent software professionals</strong> and scientists working with the IMD.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recent Indian Initiatives</h3>
<p>It is crucial for farmers (sowing, harvesting, etc.) and policymakers (payment of compensation, minimum support price, etc.) to know when and for how long the monsoon will remain active over India. For that, better predictions and timely advisories are needed.</p>
<p>To achieve this following initiatives have been taken:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Monsoon Mission of India</strong><br />This initiative of <strong>Ministry of Earth Sciences, launched in 2012,</strong> has utilized new approaches (high resolution, super parameterizations, data assimilation etc.) so that forecast skill gets quantitatively improved further for forecasting services of India Meteorological Department (IMD).<br />For the first time, India Meteorological Department used the Monsoon Mission dynamical model to prepare operational seasonal forecast of 2017 monsoon rainfall over India.<br /><strong><br />Objectives</strong>
<ol>
<li>To improve Seasonal and Intra-seasonal Monsoon Forecast</li>
<li>To improve Medium Range Forecast.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>IMD in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) provides <strong>district-level agro-meteorological advisories</strong> to farmers through 130 agro-met field units in vernacular languages.<br />These advisories are used for critical farm operations such as:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Management of sowing (delayed onset of rains);</li>
<li>Changing crop variety (delay in rainfall);</li>
<li>Spraying Pesticides for disease control (occurrence of rainfall);</li>
<li>Managing Irrigation (Heavy rainfall Forecast).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India Meteorological Department (IMD) provides <strong>meteorological support to the Central Water Commission (CWC)</strong> for issuing flood warnings.</li>
<li><strong>Indo-US expedition<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393460_image46.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393460_image46.jpg" style="float: right;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />In 2018, The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indo-us-indian-ocean-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Ocean Research Vessel, 'Sagar Nidhi'</a>, set out from Chennai, as part of an Indo-US expedition seeking to find answers to the vagaries of the Bay of Bengal-fed southwest monsoon by collecting various data to improve prediction models.</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/national-supercomputer-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Supercomputing Mission</a> will fill the necessary gaps in the computing superpower required to predict timely and accurate monsoon forecasts.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Global Warming and Monsoon</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A drastic change in the monsoon rainfall intensity, duration, frequency and spatial distribution can be attributed to the climate change. However, it is too soon to arrive at a conclusion.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If all this is in response to global warming then it can be permanent and might accelerate. If not then the monsoon system will revert to a more normal state.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>More data and reanalysis is needed to get a clear picture on the complete separation of the global warming impact from natural climate variability (such as El Ni&ntilde;o).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>population of India is increasing</strong> and to provide <strong>food security</strong> to the population, a large part of the monsoon water which is currently unutilized should be held at suitable locations for irrigation and power generation purposes.</li>
<li><strong>India needs to invest more resources</strong> in better prediction of Monsoon forecast in order to achieve reliability and sustainability.</li>
<li>With a warming climate, more moisture will be held in the atmosphere, leading to heavier rainfall, consequently, inter-annual variability of the monsoon will increase in future. The country needs to prepare for this change.</li>
<li>Thus, to secure and bring sustainability to the climate pattern of India we need to take effective and timely steps not just at the domestic front (National Action Plan on Climate Change) but also at international front (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), as we live in a shared world with a shared future.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/monsoon-2'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'The Start Up India Fund',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>According to data available with the SIDBI, <strong>the Startup India fund has allocated Rs 2,265 crore</strong> to Venture Capital <strong>(VC) funds</strong> at the end of <strong>March 2019</strong>, falling short of its capital allocation target by around Rs 1,000-1,200 crore.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Also known as <strong>&lsquo;Funds of Funds for Startups&rsquo;</strong>, it had a <strong>disbursal target of Rs 3,300-3,500 crore</strong> to venture capital (VC) firms at the end of the financial year ending March 2019.</li>
<li>It was launched in the <strong>year 2016</strong> with the <strong>corpus</strong> of <strong>Rs.10,000 crore,</strong> to be built over 14<sup>th</sup> and <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/need-to-set-up-state-finance-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission</a></strong> cycles. SIDBI manages the fund.</li>
<li>The government launched this fund to help startups get funding in early stages. The fund <strong>does not directly invest in startups, instead, it allocates money to VC funds</strong>, which are <strong>required to invest at least twice</strong> the amount of contributions received from the government.</li>
<li><strong>A venture capital (VC) fund</strong> is a sum of money that investors commit for investment in early-stage companies.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Startup India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to catalyse startup culture and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India.</li>
<li>Since the launch of the initiative on <strong>16<sup>th</sup> January, 2016,</strong> Startup India has rolled out several programs with the objective of supporting entrepreneurs, and transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.</li>
<li><strong>A startup</strong> is an enterprise that is initiated by its founders around an idea or a problem with a potential for significant business opportunity and impact.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SIDBI</strong></p>
<p>Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), set up on <strong>2<sup>nd</sup> April 1990,</strong> under an Act of Indian Parliament, acts as the principal financial institution <strong>for promotion, financing and development</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/going-beyond-the-credit-requirements-of-msmes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise <strong>(MSME)</strong></a> sector as well as for coordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities.</p>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-start-up-india-fund'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Wild Yak (Bos grunniens)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Researchers analysed yak dung to understand the vegetation and climate of the past and the connections they have to extinct the woolly rhino and mammoth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The researchers found that the yak preferred a variety of food. A good diversity of pollen, spores and phytoliths (silica bodies found in plants) were observed. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This also indicated that the yak was able to modify its diet according to the climatic change of the past.</li>
<li>On the other hand, giant mammoth and woolly rhino which used to live with the yak about 18,000-20,000 years ago were not able to adapt to these changes and thus went extinct.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The yak dung analysis also helped to map out the different plants and trees in that area, thus, generating modern botanical analogue of higher Himalayas.</li>
<li>These animals mostly depend on the regional flora and studies can throw light on the past vegetation of an area,</li>
<li>Across the globe, many researchers are working on fossilized dung of extinct animals. A comparison of the present results with the extinct ones can help understand more about ancestor climatic factors and other adaptation strategies of mega herbivores.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Wild Yak</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Yak (Bos grunniens) is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and the adjacent high-altitude regions.</li>
<li>Yaks belong to the Bovini tribe, which also includes bisons, buffaloes, and cattle.</li>
<li>It can tolerate temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius</li>
<li>IUCN Red list status: Vulnerable</li>
<li>Listed under Appendix I of CITES</li>
<li>Indian WildLife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule II</li>
<li>The most serious threat to the Wild Yak&rsquo;s survival is casual and market hunting. The Yak is hunted for its meat, horns, and other materials.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-yak-bos-grunniens'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Population Crisis: Challenges and Way forward',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This article is based on the editorial &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/a-stable-planet/article28102991.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A stable planet: on World Population Prospects 2019 report</a>&rdquo;, that appeared in The Hindu on 22nd June 2019. It talks about the Challenges of population growth and suggests a way forward.</strong></p>
</div>
<p>According to <strong>the</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-world-population-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UN&rsquo;s</strong><em><strong> World Population Prospects 2019</strong></em></a> report, India is projected to become the most populous country by <strong>2027</strong> surpassing China and host 1.64 billion people by 2050.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <strong>India will have a vast number of young people and insufficient natural resources left for exploitation</strong> so, with the rising population, India will have to face a herculean task of providing basic amenities of life to its people like food, shelter, healthcare, and education.</p>
<h3>Population Crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <a href="https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong> (UN) report</a> the number of children born per woman in the country still lies in the range of 2.1-4. This puts India in the intermediate-fertility group of countries in which around 40% of the world population lives.</li>
<li>India is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and <strong>2050.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Stabilizing Population:</strong> Reduction in <strong>fertility rate</strong> is one of the prerequisites for stabilizing the population growth and it would be a challenge to achieve optimal fertility rate in states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh &mdash; which have higher fertility rate as per Sample Registration System data.</li>
<li><strong>Quality of Life:</strong> India will need to invest in augmenting its <strong>education</strong> and <strong>healthcare system</strong>, grow more <strong>food</strong>, provide more <strong>housing</strong>, sharply increase its <strong>drinking water supply</strong> and add capacity to <strong>basic infrastructures</strong>, such as roads, transport, electricity, and sewage to provide a <strong>minimum quality of life</strong> to every citizen.</li>
<li><strong>Heavy Expenditure</strong> is required in order to fund the basic needs and augment the social infrastructure of India for accommodating the rising population, for that India will have to raise resources through taxation and other means. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even if less than five million people are entering the workforce every year, employing them at a decent wage is a complex task.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malthusian fears:</strong> Malthus argued that because there will be a higher population than the availability of food, many people will die from the shortage of food.</li>
<li><strong>Demographic dividend:</strong> In order to reap the benefits from the rising demographic dividend India needs to develop a strong base of human capital that can contribute significantly to the growth of the economy but India&rsquo;s low literacy rate (about 74% - leaving a quarter of the population without basic reading and writing skills) will turn demographic dividend into the burden.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Urban Growth:</strong> UN report suggests that by 2050, the urban population will be increased to 87.7 million and the number of urban agglomerations consisting more than a million people is also expected to be doubled by 2035. Thereby creating the need for improvisation of urban facilities with an emphasis on access to good, affordable housing and mobility.</li>
<li><strong>Ageing of Population:</strong> As per India Ageing Report 2017 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the share of the population over the age of 60 could increase from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2050. Thereby <strong>twin challenges of rising population</strong> and <strong>old age dependents</strong> will add to India&rsquo;s troubles of providing jobs, education, health along with geriatric care.</li>
<li><strong>Inequitable income distribution:</strong> In the face of an increasing population, unequal distribution of income and inequalities within the country would be a possible outcome.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Making agriculture remunerative (actualizing dream of doubling the income of farmers by 2022) and keeping food prices stable is crucial to ensure nutrition for all.</li>
<li>Implementing a <strong>&lsquo;universal basic income&rsquo;</strong> as a social safety valve will help in providing employment opportunities to a large number of unemployed youth.</li>
<li>Managing forest and water resources for future generations and willful implementation of sustainable development goals must assume center stage in policy-making.</li>
<li>India needs to find ways to contain the growth of the population without the use of coercion.</li>
<li>The poor, populous northern States must make concerted advances in women&rsquo;s literacy, health, and participation in the workforce, emulating the achievements of the southern States.</li>
<li>Progress in poverty reduction, greater equality, better nutrition, universal education, and health care, needs state support and strong civil society institutions.</li>
<li>Rising life expectancy and growing population of older adults opens up prospects for employment in many new services catering to them.</li>
<li>Effective and efficient implementation of schemes like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-26th-december-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AMRUT</a>, SMART cities, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/piped-water-connection-by-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piped water for all</a>, Make India India and Sustainable development goals framework will certainly help in augmenting the social infrastructure and will help India in reaping the benefits of its demographic dividend.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Government of India, politicians, policymakers and Civil societies should initiate a bold population policy and initiatives so that the economic growth of the country can keep pace with the demands of a growing population.</p>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1108.89px; border-color: #; background-color: #f5ceda;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>India is projected to surpass China as the world&rsquo;s most populous country by 2027. Discuss the challenges of rising population and suggest a way forward. 250 words.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/population-crisis-challenges-and-way-forward'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Report on Epilepsy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A report &ldquo;Epilepsy, a public health imperative&rdquo; has been released by the World Health Organization and leading non-governmental organizations for epilepsy, the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Bureau for Epilepsy.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In low- and middle-income countries, early death among people with epilepsy is significantly higher than in high-income countries.</li>
<li>More than 75 percent of people with epilepsy in low-income countries are at risk of premature death, due to lack of access to anti-seizure medicines.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The reasons include possible lack of access to health facilities when seizures are long-lasting or occur close together without recovery in between, and preventable causes such as drowning, head injuries and burns.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The report states that the treatment gap for epilepsy is unacceptably high, when 70 percent of people with the condition can be seizure-free when they have access to medicines that can cost as little as $5 per year and can be delivered through primary health systems.</li>
<li>Roughly half of adults with epilepsy have at least one other health condition. The most common are depression and anxiety.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Around 23 percent of adults with epilepsy will experience clinical depression during their lifetime and 20 per cent will have anxiety.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Mental health conditions such as these can make seizures worse and reduce the quality of life.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Development and learning difficulties are experienced by 30-40 percent of children with epilepsy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Stigma also prevents people from taking treatment.</li>
<li>The Report states that &ldquo;political will&rdquo; facilitates the integration of diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy into the primary health services.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Epilepsy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<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>Anyone can develop epilepsy. It affects both males and females of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-epilepsy'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'New Injection for Type 2 Diabetes',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved <strong>Victoza (liraglutide) injection</strong> for treatment of pediatric <strong>patients 10 years or older with type 2 diabetes.</strong></li>
<li>Victoza is the <strong>first non-insulin drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes</strong> in pediatric patients since <strong>metformin</strong> was approved for pediatric use in 2000.</li>
<li><strong>Victoza</strong> has been approved to treat <strong>adult patients with type 2 diabetes since 2010.</strong></li>
<li>It has now been shown to improve blood sugar control in pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The expanded indication</strong> provides an additional treatment option at a time <strong>when an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with this disease.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Although type 2 diabetes primarily occurs in patients over the age of 45, the prevalence rate among younger patients has been rising dramatically over the past couple of decades.</li>
<li>Victoza improves blood sugar levels by creating the same effects in the body as the glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor protein in the pancreas. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GLP-1 is often found in insufficient levels in type 2 diabetes patients.</li>
<li>Like GLP-1, Victoza slows digestion, prevents the liver from making too much glucose (a simple sugar), and helps the pancreas produce more insulin when needed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Victoza is not a substitute for insulin and is not indicated for patients with type 1</strong> diabetes or those with diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition associated with diabetes where the body breaks down fat too quickly because there is inadequate insulin or none at all.</li>
<li>The patients who have had, or have family members who have ever had <strong>Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC)</strong> should not use Victoza.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC) is a distinct thyroid carcinoma that originates in the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid gland.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Diabetes</strong></p>
<p>Diabetes is a condition that impairs the body's ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Types<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Type I diabetes:</strong> Also known as juvenile diabetes, this type occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. People with type I diabetes are insulin-dependent, which means they must take artificial insulin daily to stay alive.</li>
<li><strong>Type 2 diabetes:</strong> It affects the way the body uses insulin. While the body still makes insulin, unlike in type I, the cells in the body do not respond to it as effectively as they once did.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is the most common type of diabetes and it has strong links with obesity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gestational diabetes:</strong> This type occurs in women during pregnancy when the body can become less sensitive to insulin. Gestational diabetes does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Trafficking in Persons Report',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The U.S. State Department has released the <strong>Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report</strong> for 2019. India continued to be placed in Tier-2 on the country trafficking scale.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The U.S. State Department report has used the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Labour Organisation (ILO)</a> data.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Finding of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are 25 million adults and children suffering from labour and sex trafficking all over the world. In 77% of the cases, victims are trafficked within their own countries of residence, rather than across borders.</li>
<li>The number of victims trafficked domestically was high compared to foreign victims being trafficked in all regions of the world except Western and Central Europe, the Middle East, and certain East Asian countries.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Victims of sex trafficking were more likely to be trafficked across borders while victims of forced labour were typically exploited within their own countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The report stresses on the implementation of the Palermo Protocol. The countries need building <strong>legal frameworks</strong> to prosecute traffickers and provide care for survivors.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Palermo protocols</strong></p>
<p>The Palermo protocols are three protocols that were adopted by the United Nations to supplement the 2000 Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo Convention). These protocols and convention fall within the jurisdiction of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.</p>
<p>They are:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children; and</li>
<li>The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.</li>
<li>The Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Categorisation of Countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The categorisation is based not on the magnitude of a country&rsquo;s trafficking problem but on efforts to meet minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.</li>
<li>The report contains country narratives and category designations for all countries, including the U.S.</li>
<li>The countries are designated on the three-tier system:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Tier 1 countries</strong> are those countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards.</li>
<li><strong>Tier 2 countries are</strong> those countries whose governments do not fully comply with a TVPA&rsquo;s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.</li>
<li><strong>Tier 2 watchlist countries</strong> are those countries, whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA&rsquo;s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards and:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing; or</li>
<li>There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or</li>
<li>The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tier 3 countries</strong> whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.</li>
<li>There are also a few<strong> "Special Cases"</strong> such as Yemen, where the civil conflict and humanitarian crisis make gaining information difficult, and Sint Maarten where the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has made reporting difficult.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India's Position</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is placed in Tier 2:</strong> The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The report highlights efforts by the government to crack down on trafficking and convicting traffickers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government took some action following reports of government complicity in forced labour and sex trafficking, although the <strong>systemic failure to address forced labour and sex trafficking</strong> in government-run and government-funded shelter homes remained a serious problem. The report also highlighted the government&rsquo;s failures in this regard.</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations for India:</strong> It includes amending the definition of trafficking in Section 370 of the Penal Code to <strong>include forced labour trafficking and ensure that force, fraud, or coercion are not required to prove a child sex trafficking offence,</strong></li>
<li>To establish <strong>Anti-Human Trafficking Units</strong> in all districts with dedicated funding and clear mandates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'India’s Food Processing Industry',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries has stated that <strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY)</strong> envisages <strong>creation of direct and indirect employment</strong> for 5,30,500 persons by 2020.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the year 2016, the Ministry of Food Processing and Industries (MoFPI) had introduced an umbrella Scheme Called &ldquo;Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters&rdquo; or <strong>SAMPADA,</strong> which was proposed to be implemented with an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for the period of 2016-20.</li>
<li>In the year 2017, the government renamed SAMPADA scheme as <strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>objective</strong> of PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.</li>
<li>The PMKSY has seven component schemes:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mega Food Parks,</li>
<li>Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure,</li>
<li>Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Clusters,</li>
<li>Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages,</li>
<li>Creation/Expansion of Food Processing &amp; Preservation Capacities,</li>
<li>Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure, and</li>
<li>Human Resources and Institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Under PMKSY, capital subsidy in the form of <strong>grants-in-aid ranging from 35% to 75%</strong> of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum specified limit is provided to investors under the various schemes for undertaking infrastructure, logistic projects and setting up of food processing units in the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other steps taken in the Food Processing Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)</strong> through automatic route in <strong>manufacturing of food products</strong> and 100% FDI under Government approval route for retail trading, including through e-commerce, in respect of food products produced and/or manufactured in India has been permitted.</li>
<li><strong>A special fund of Rs.2000 crore</strong> has been created with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/national-bank-for-agriculture-and-rural-development-nabard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)</a> to provide affordable credit to food processing projects/units.</li>
<li>Food &amp; agro-based processing units and cold chain infrastructure has been classified as agriculture activity for <strong>Priority Sector Lending (PSL).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Fiscal measures</strong> like 100% exemption of Income Tax on profit for new food processing units, 100 % income tax exemption from profit derived by Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) having annual turnover of Rs.100 crore have been allowed for activities such as post-harvest value addition to agriculture.</li>
<li><strong>Lower Goods &amp; Service Tax (GST) rates</strong> for the majority of food products have been fixed.</li>
<li>A new Central Sector Scheme<strong> &ldquo;Operation Greens&rsquo;&rsquo;</strong> for integrated development of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) crops value chain, with an outlay of Rs.500 Crore. to promote FPOs, agri-logistics, processing facilities, has been launched.</li>
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture – Population: Boon or Bane?',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="314" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IRp6ZAb5060" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to estimates in a recently released <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a> report, India is expected to add 273 million people by the year 2050. The report stated that in the year 2019, India has an estimated population of 1.37 billion and China, 1.43 billion and by the year 2027, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-world-population-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India&rsquo;s population is projected to surpass China&rsquo;s, making India the most populous nation in the world</a>.</p>
<p>30 years down the line, the <strong>global population is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by the year 2050,</strong> (from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion). The report has highlighted higher fertility rates, growing older population and migration as few reasons behind projections of the population growth.</p>
<p>Health economists claim that the major implications of population growth will be for the young population that will face a situation of lack of resources in the future.</p>
<h3>Implications of Population Growth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is not growing uniformly.</strong> The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) indicates that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) varies significantly across various wealth quintiles:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The poorest wealth quintile has a TFR of 3.2 children per woman.</li>
<li>The second lowest wealth quintile has a TFR of 2.5 children per woman.</li>
<li>The richest wealth quintile has a TFR of 1.5 children per woman.</li>
<li>This shows that <strong>population growth is more concentrated in economically weaker sections of society</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Population growth acts as a hurdle in addressing effectively the problem of poverty, hunger and malnutrition and also in providing the better quality of health and education.</li>
<li><strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SDGs</a> 1, 2, 3 and 4</strong> are going to be affected adversely because of India&rsquo;s existing pattern of growth in the population.</li>
<li><strong>Presently, India is producing around 25 million job seekers in the country, however, the country is able to provide jobs only to 7 million.</strong> This gap of 18 million is increasing the burden of unemployment and underemployment in the country, turning a demographic dividend into a demographic disaster.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s population growth is not sustainable.</strong> India is only about 35-40% of China&rsquo;s landmass.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the 19th century, when Europe had a demographic explosion, it had occupied America, Australia etc. India does not have another landmass to occupy and the available landmass cannot take this population growth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Demographic Dividend</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has many young people who are unskilled, unemployable, burden on services and facilities with the minimal contribution.</li>
<li><strong>In a country, young population is a demographic dividend if the youth is skilled, employable and contributing to the economy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>As per NFHS-4, in 2015-16, India&rsquo;s TFR was 3.2.</strong> It is likely that in the year 2019, India will achieve a replacement level fertility.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total fertility rate (TFR)</strong> in simple terms refers to the total number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime if she were subject to the prevailing rate of age-specific fertility in the population.</li>
<li><strong>TFR of about 2.1 children per woman is called Replacement-level fertility.</strong> This value represents the average number of children a woman would need to have to reproduce herself by bearing a daughter who survives to childbearing age.</li>
<li>If replacement level fertility is sustained over a sufficiently long period, each generation will exactly replace itself without any need for the country to balance its population.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The challenge is not about how to contain the population but about <strong>how the government exploits the population growth to its best economic advantages</strong> i.e. how the government trains this large young population to make it productive, effective, competent and contributing to the economic growth.</li>
<li>The challenge in the next 15 years for the Indian government is <strong>to raise the economic status of India from being a low middle income country to at least a high middle income country.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For this, the government needs to take necessary steps in creating the economic growth momentum by ensuring that investments are adequately made in key infrastructure areas, particularly social infrastructure like education, water and health so that a demographic dividend does not become a demographic liability or disaster.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The requirement of creating so many jobs will not be a challenge if the economy starts growing at a faster rate.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s real challenge is <strong>Quality of Life.</strong> 21% of 60+ population is suffering from one or other chronic morbidities and India is also the second highest in terms of dementia and Alzheimers. Around 4 million cases are reported in 104 million elderly population. That is why<strong> there is a need of strong social protection schemes.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently the government has launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ayushman-bharat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayushman Bharat scheme</a>.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has also set a target of raising the economy&rsquo;s size to 5 trillion dollar by the year 2024. This is necessary to mitigate the negative impact of this kind of population growth where the share of older people is rising pretty rapidly.</li>
<li><strong>The growth for older people is 370% from 2019 to 2050</strong>, whereas the total population is growing only by 56%. Therefore, the burden of older people in the economy needs to be contained.</li>
<li>The countries like <strong>China and Japan who have been able to control their population through various measures</strong> are able to manage people in the older age through enough social security provisions for such people, enabling old aged people for managing on their own.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At the population level, different states are growing at different pace, thus each of them show different signs of population stress. It needs to be seen that why states in the South are better off in containing population than states in the North and east.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is containing population a solution?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Containing the population has its own set of problems. <strong>China which had the One Child Policy has witnessed an increase in the population of old aged people.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China went about containing its population growth in a coercive way. India tried to experiment the same during the emergency period.</li>
<li>The experiment faced negative reaction and has not been taken up by any government thereafter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>There has been an improvement in bringing down the child mortality, infant mortality ratio and in increasing the life expectancy of the people in the country.</strong> On the one hand, if the total fertility ratio does not decrease and on the other hand, there remains improvement in healthcare and other benefits, India will have a population explosion leading to a demographic disaster.</li>
<li><strong>Women in India want fewer children so desired fertility rates are much lower than the actual fertility rates.</strong> There is a 13% unwanted fertility in India. Women not having access to family planning services for different reasons including lack of education etc are some of the factors behind this. If India is able to address this 13% unmet need by 2030, it will witness 30 million lesser population growth.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been seen that <strong>women have more children than what their bodies can actually bear.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is becoming <strong>very expensive</strong> for the poor and even the middle class to have more than one child or two children.</li>
<li>India still has a <strong>high maternal mortality rate and child mortality rate</strong> (especially amongst the poorest).</li>
<li>However, <strong>aspirations of the younger generation have changed</strong>, they want fewer children.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India needs to invest more in the health sector. India invests only 1.3% of its GDP. The family planning budget is only 4% of the entire health budget and within that India spends only 1.5% on birth spacing methods.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Investments should be made particularly for the old people because by the year 2050, India&rsquo;s population of old people is going to grow almost 10 times more.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Education is very important, not only for empowering women but for fertility to decline.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Education should be made free for women till college-level.</li>
<li>Better education will help women in better decision making for family planning.</li>
<li>Unless women are part of the workforce, no society can bring down fertility rates with progress. Therefore, policies must look at the whole issue of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/declining-female-labour-force-participation-editorial-upsc-ias-economy-gender-inequality-gktoday" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> declining workforce participation by women.</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India needs to focus on some areas which are socially, culturally, economically depressed. I<strong>dentification of 140 high focussed districts is the right step by the government</strong> in this direction. However, it needs to work in the whole of Bihar, U.P., Madhya Pradesh and Assam.</li>
<li>India <strong>needs to give huge stress on declining sex ratios</strong> and the <strong>discrimination towards girls</strong> so that people don&rsquo;t have a high number of children in the hope of having a boy.</li>
<li><strong>India can achieve a number of SDGs if it links them with family planning.</strong> Family planning is a promotive and preventive method for bringing down maternal mortality and child mortality.&nbsp;</li>
<li>It is important to see the issue of population growth not only from the national perspective but also from the state&rsquo;s point of view i.e. different states need to be encouraged to take necessary steps for containing the population.</li>
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		'desc' => '<p>As per a study, the human colonies on Mars may be able to expand with shipments of sperm from Earth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study has found out that exposure to<strong> low gravity environments does not damage the viability of frozen samples.</strong></li>
<li>The frozen samples of sperm exposed to microgravity retained similar characteristics to sperm samples kept on the Earth.</li>
<li>The findings open the possibility of safely transporting male gametes to space and considering the <strong>possibility of creating a human sperm bank outside Earth.</strong></li>
<li>If the number of missions and spaceflights increases it <strong>is important to study the effects of long-term human exposure to space</strong> and probably consider thinking about the <strong>possibility of reproduction outside the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>It opens the possibility of female astronauts going to Mars, taking the sperm with them to populate a new world.</li>
<li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has stated that the first person to walk on Mars is likely to be a woman. It has set a goal of starting a colony on the planet by 2033.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.</li>
<li>It was established under the <strong>National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958</strong> and its headquarters are located in Washington, DC, USA.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mars-colonisation-through-sperm-bank'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'DRDO’s Herbal Drug for Leucoderma',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</a></strong> has developed a herbal drug 'lukoskin' for treatment of Leucoderma.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Leucoderma</strong> is a <strong>skin</strong> and <strong>auto-immune disorder</strong> also called vitiligo.<br />Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Vitiligo Day 2019</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every year, <strong>June 25</strong> is observed as World Vitiligo Day to raise awareness about the disease.</li>
<li>The theme for World Vitiligo Day 2019 is <strong>&lsquo;The Quality of Life of a Vitiligo Patient&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Present remedies of vitiligo-like allopathic, surgical and adjunctive are either <strong>costly or single molecule based,</strong> with a very low level of efficacy and develop side-effects like a blister, edema, and irritation in the skin.</li>
<li><strong>Lukoskin</strong>, available in <strong>ointment</strong> and <strong>oral liquid</strong> form, has seven herbal ingredients having properties such as skin <strong>photosensitizer, anti-blister, anti-irritation, antiseptic,</strong> wound healing and <strong>copper supplementing</strong> properties, while the oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence of new spots.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Vitiligo or Leucoderma</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vitiligo is a skin disease in which <strong>pale white patches</strong> start forming on the skin, due to lack of <strong>melanin</strong> (a pigment in the skin).</li>
<li>It is <strong>neither contagious</strong> (i.e does not spread from getting in direct contact with the affected person) nor <strong>life-threatening.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Genetic conditions</strong> or <strong>stress-induced</strong> situations are more prone to the occurrence of disease.</li>
<li><strong>Leucoderma patients</strong> are also vulnerable to inflammation in the <strong>iris</strong>, loss of <strong>hearing</strong> and <strong>sunburn.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Symptoms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vitiligo commonly occurs in people in their twenties; however, it can occur in any stage.</li>
<li>People with autoimmune diseases, such as <strong>hyperthyroidism</strong> are more prone to it than those who don&rsquo;t have any autoimmune diseases.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Facts</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The worldwide incidence of leucoderma has been reported at 1-2%.</li>
<li>In India, its incidence is around 4-5%.</li>
<li>In some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, its incidence is as high as 5-8%.</li>
<li>Leucoderma (skin disorder) is considered a <strong>social stigma in India</strong> where people confuse it with leprosy (a contagious disease caused by bacteria).</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/drdo-s-herbal-drug-for-leucoderma'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Water Vulnerable Megacities in India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Four Indian cities, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi have been ranked among the top 20 megacities in the world facing high levels of water scarcity.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong> evaluated 400 cities globally in 2018 with focus on megacities facing high combined levels of water scarcity &mdash; recent and projected drought.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/600Image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/600Image2.jpg" width="548" height="618" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Megacities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Megacities are quantitatively defined as cities having a population of more than five, eight or ten million people.</li>
<li>Because of their defining features, <strong>concentration of population, goods and services, megacities are particularly vulnerable to water-related risks,</strong> which are further amplified by climate change: <strong>large-scale flooding, pollution of water sources, water shortages etc.</strong></li>
<li>Faced with such difficulties, these cities also host a multitude of resources, including technical, scientific and human resources, to meet the challenges ahead.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chennai has emerged in top position</strong> as the city facing the most severe water scarcity and drought in the world.</li>
<li>Kolkata has been ranked at number 2, Mumbai at 11 and Delhi at 15.</li>
<li>Large cities, mostly located along the banks of large rivers, are vulnerable to water scarcity because of the vastly over-allocated and mismanaged river-systems.</li>
<li><strong>Frequent droughts and flooding due to climate change and depleting levels of water in the reservoirs</strong> are some of the reasons behind the water crisis in these megacities.</li>
<li><strong>Loss of wetlands</strong> is a key reason. Reports have noted that the world has lost 35% of its wetlands since 1970 and is losing them three times faster than forests. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the wetlands shrink, the city loses its natural waste water tank, and in the absence of enough sewage treatment plants, the wastewater goes straight into the river.</li>
<li>East Kolkata Wetland, a Ramsar site is an example of the case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The WWF was founded in September, 1961, at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)'s headquarters in Morges, Switzerland.</li>
<li>As an international fundraising organization it is working in collaboration with existing conservation groups and bring substantial financial support to the conservation movement on a worldwide scale.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/water-vulnerable-megacities-in-india'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'New Biomarker for Malaria Detection',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/162image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/162image1.jpg" width="260" height="146" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a>A researcher&rsquo;s team from the <strong>Indian Council of Medical Research&rsquo;s Jabalpur-based National Institute of Research in Tribal Health has identified Glutamate dehydrogenase</strong> as a new biomarker in the body of the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-malaria-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>malaria parasite</strong> </a>for malaria detection.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: left;">It will help to develop a <strong>more sensitive and accurate</strong> diagnostic test for malaria detection.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Biomarker</strong><br /><strong></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Biomarkers are key molecular or cellular events that <strong>link a specific environmental exposure to a health outcome.</strong></li>
<li>Biomarkers play an important role in understanding the relationships between exposure to environmental chemicals, the development of chronic human diseases, and the identification of subgroups that are at increased risk for disease.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Existing Method of Diagnosis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, tests used for diagnosing malaria are based on a gene, <strong>Histidine-rich Protein 2 (HRP2)</strong>, replete with amino acid Histidine. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The studies have shown that this gene is often absent in some strains of the malaria parasite. Consequently, significant levels of malaria infection were going undetected.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Scientists across the world have been searching for new biomarkers that would be more effective. The study provides scientific evidence for the conserved nature of <strong>Glutamate dehydrogenase</strong> sequences in Indian isolates which can be used as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of malaria.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a permanent institute of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health of Family Welfare.</li>
<li>The NIRTH was established on 1<sup>st</sup> March 1984 in Jabalpur by ICMR with the mandate <strong>to improve health and create awareness among tribals</strong> through applied and operational research. This institute is recognized by the World Health Organization as its collaborative Centre for the health of the indigenous population.</li>
<li>The institute has conducted several important research projects on Malaria, Filaria, Tuberculosis, Diarrhea, Virology, Fluorosis and Social Sciences.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-biomarker-for-malaria-detection'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth – Speaker: Roles and Responsibility',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZ5l31_N1hQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) MP <strong>Om Birla</strong> was unanimously elected as the <strong>Speaker of the 17<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha</strong> on 19<sup>th</sup> June 2019.</p>
<p>Since the Indian System of Government follows the <strong>Westminster Model, the Parliamentary proceedings of the country are headed by a presiding officer, who is called the Speaker.</strong></p>
<p>India&rsquo;s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru had said that in a parliamentary democracy, <strong>the Speaker represents the dignity and the freedom of the House</strong> and because the House represents the country, the speaker in a way becomes the <strong>symbol of the country&rsquo;s freedom and liberty.</strong></p>
<h3>Speaker of the Lok Sabha</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lok Sabha, which is the highest legislative body in the country, chooses its Speaker who presides over the day to day functioning of the House.</li>
<li>Electing the Speaker of the House is one of the first acts of newly constituted House.</li>
<li>The office of the Speaker is a <strong>Constitutional Office.</strong> The Speaker is guided by the constitutional provisions and the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.</li>
<li>The Speaker is placed very high in the <strong>Warrant of Precedence</strong> in the country i.e. at <strong>rank 6.</strong></li>
<li>Adequate Powers are vested in the office of the Speaker to help her/him in the smooth conduct of parliamentary proceedings.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The constitution provides that the <strong>Speaker&rsquo;s salary and allowances</strong> are not to be voted by the Parliament and are to be <strong>charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.</strong></li>
<li>In the Lok Sabha chamber, the Speaker&rsquo;s chair is distinctively placed to enable a commanding view of the entire House.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Speaker is assisted by the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha and senior officers of the Secretariat on parliamentary activities, practice and procedure.</li>
<li><strong>In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker discharges the functions.</strong> A member from the Panel of Chairmen presides over the House in the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Election of the Speaker</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No specific qualifications</strong> are prescribed for being elected as the speaker. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The constitution states that the Speaker must be a member of the House</strong> but an understanding of the constitution and conventions of the Parliament is considered a major asset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The House elects its presiding officer <strong>by a simple majority of members present, who vote in the House.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Usually, a member belonging to the ruling party is elected Speaker.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The process has evolved over the years where the ruling party nominates its candidate after informal consultations with leaders of other parties and groups in the House.</li>
<li>Once the decision on the candidate is taken, the name is <strong>normally proposed by the Prime Minister or the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>This convention ensures that once elected, the Speaker enjoys the respect of all sections of the House.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are also instances when members not belonging to the ruling party were elected to the office of the Speaker.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GMC Balayogi and Manohar Joshi belonging to the TDP and the Shiv Sena respectively served as the Speaker in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha during the NDA coalition headed by the BJP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>After the speaker is elected, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition (if there in the House, otherwise, the leader of the largest party in the House in the opposition) escort the Speaker to the Chair.</li>
<li><strong>When the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker remains in his office till the first meeting of the new assembly</strong> when the new speaker is elected.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Removal of the Speaker</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Speaker&rsquo;s term</strong> is coterminous with the term of the Lok Sabha i.e. <strong>5 years.</strong></li>
<li>However, the constitution has given the Lower House authority to remove the Speaker if needed. <strong>The House can remove the Speaker through a resolution passed by an effective majority</strong> (more than 50% of the total strength of the house present and voting) as per Articles 94 and 96 of the Indian Constitution.</li>
<li>The Speaker can also be removed <strong>on getting disqualified from being a Lok Sabha member under sections 7 and 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951</strong>.</li>
<li>A speaker can also tender his resignation to a Deputy Speaker.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy is the only Speaker who resigned from the office.</li>
<li>Dr. Reddy also has the distinction of being the only Speaker who was later elected as the President of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker</h3>
<p>According to the Constitution of India, a Speaker is vested with immense administrative and discretionary powers, some of which are enumerated below:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Speaker presides over the meetings in the Lower House. In other words, the Speaker <strong>conducts business in Lok Sabha</strong> by ensuring discipline and decorum among members.</li>
<li>S/he <strong>guards the rights and privileges of the members</strong> of Lok Sabha, deciding who should speak at what time, the questions to be asked, the order of proceedings to be followed, among others.</li>
<li><strong>A Speaker uses his/her power to vote, in order to resolve a deadlock.</strong> That is, when the House initiates a voting procedure, the speaker does not cast a vote in the first instance. It is only when the two sides receive equal number of votes that the Speaker's vote breaks the deadlock, making his/her position impartial.</li>
<li>In the absence of a quorum in the House, it is the duty of the Speaker to adjourn the House or to suspend any meeting, until a quorum is met.</li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>decides the agenda</strong> that must be discussed in a meeting of the Members of the Parliament.</li>
<li>The Speaker is invested with the immense powers of interpreting the Rules of Procedure. Since s/he is a member of the House as well as the Presiding Officer, s/he ensures the discipline of the House. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Speaker ensures that MPs are punished for unruly behaviour.</li>
<li>A Speaker can also <strong>disqualify a Member of Parliament from the House on grounds of defection (under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution).</strong></li>
<li>A member who flouts the Speaker&rsquo;s orders or directions may be named by the Speaker and in such cases, the member may have to withdraw from the House.</li>
<li>S/he also issues warrants to execute the orders of the House, wherever necessary and delivers reprimands on behalf of the House.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Speaker also permits various parliamentary procedures like the motion of adjournment, the motion of no confidence, the motion of censure, among others.</li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>presides over <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/president-addresses-joint-sitting-of-parliament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the joint sitting</a> of the two Houses of Parliament.</strong></li>
<li>Once a <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/misuse-of-money-bills-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Money Bill</a></strong> is transmitted from the Lower House to the Upper House, the Speaker is solely responsible for endorsing his or her certificate on the Bill. In other words, s/he is <strong>given the pivotal power to decide whether any Bill is a Money Bill.</strong> His/her decision is considered final.</li>
<li><strong>Except for the no-confidence motion, all other motions which come before the House come only after the Speaker permits them.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker also decides on <strong>granting recognition to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker <strong>has under his or her jurisdiction, a number of Parliamentary Committees</strong> such as the Rules Committee, the Business Advisory Committee and the General Purposes Committee. The Speaker nominates the various Chairmen to these Committees while monitoring the committees&rsquo; workings as well.</li>
<li>S/he is the <strong>ultimate arbiter and interpreter</strong> of those provisions which relate to the functioning of the House. His/her decisions are final and binding and ordinarily cannot be questioned, challenged or criticized.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Speaker&rsquo;s Administrative Role</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Speaker is also the <strong>head of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker's authority over the Secretariat staff of the House and its security arrangements is supreme.</li>
<li><strong>No alteration or addition can be made in the Parliament House</strong> and no new structure can be erected in the Parliament Estate without the Speaker&rsquo;s permission.</li>
<li>It is through the Speaker that the decisions of the House are communicated to individuals and authorities outside the Parliament.</li>
<li>Speaker decides the form and manner in which the proceedings of the House are published.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Roles and Responsibilities</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Speaker&rsquo;s approval is sought for the date on which the House will start before it is convened by the President.</li>
<li>The Speaker decides the form in which amendments may be moved to the Motion of Thanks to the President&rsquo;s address.</li>
<li><strong>With regard to moving amendments to a Bill, the permission of the Speaker is required.</strong></li>
<li>It depends solely on the Speaker to refer any question of privilege to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report.</li>
<li>When a decision of the House is to be ascertained on a motion made by a member, <strong>the question is put by the Speaker before the House to obtain the decision.</strong></li>
<li>The Speaker makes obituary references in the House, formal references to important national and international events and the valedictory address at the conclusion of every Session of the Lok Sabha and also when the term of the House expires.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Speaker and Inter-Parliamentary Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>S/he is the <strong>ex-officio President of the Indian Parliamentary Group.</strong> It was set up in 1949 and functions as the National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the main branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inter-Parliamentary Union is an organization made up of national parliaments from around the world.</li>
<li>The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has been the voice of parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth for more than nine decades.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In that capacity, members of various Indian Parliamentary Delegations going abroad are nominated by him/her after consulting the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Most often, the Speaker leads such delegations.</li>
<li>Besides, the Speaker is the <strong>Chairman of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p><strong>Westminster Model:</strong> The <strong>Westminster system</strong> is a democratic parliamentary system of government that originated in the Palace of Westminster, the location of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The important features of the Westminster system include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A head of state, who is the nominal</strong> or theoretical source of executive power, holds numerous reserve powers, but in practice is a ceremonial figurehead. Such examples include the British Sovereign or the President of India.</li>
<li><strong>A de facto executive branch</strong> usually made up of members of the legislature with the senior members of the executive in a Cabinet; such members have executive authority on behalf of the nominal or theoretical executive authority.</li>
<li>The presence of opposition parties;<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>An elected legislature,</strong> or a system in which one of two houses is elected and the other appointed;</li>
<li><strong>The ability of the lower house of parliament to, by default, dismiss a government</strong> by "withholding (or blocking) Supply" (rejecting a budget), passing a no-confidence motion, or defeating a confidence motion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Warrant of Precedence</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian Order of Precedence is the <strong>hierarchy of the important positions.</strong></li>
<li>It is the protocol list in which the functionaries, dignitaries and the officials of India are listed as per their ranks and offices they hold in the Government of India.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-speaker-roles-and-responsibility'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Redesigning India’s Fiscal Federalism',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/reimagining-the-niti-aayog/article28118992.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>&ldquo;Reimagining the NITI Aayog&rdquo;</em></a> which appeared in The Hindu on 24th June 2019. The article talks about the need and ways of redesigning India&rsquo;s fiscal federalism.</strong></p>
</div>
<p>In India, the Finance Commission and the Planning Commission promote <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/another-look-at-fiscal-transfers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>fiscal federalism</strong></a> by carrying out systemic fiscal transfers in the nature of devolution or conditional ones but with the replacement of Planning Commission by NITI Aayog there is an urgent need for <strong>revisiting and redefining</strong> the <strong>fiscal architecture</strong> of India.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/gs-special/gs-special-polity/important-sources-of-the-indian-constitution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Government of India Act 1919 and 1935</strong></a> formalized the tenets of fiscal federalism and revenue sharing between the Centre and the states.</li>
<li><strong>The 14<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission</strong> chaired by Dr. Y V Reddy, recommended <strong>42% devolution</strong> of revenue to the states.</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong> was introduced in 2017 to streamline India&rsquo;s indirect tax structure as a measure to promote <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/cooperative-and-competitive-federalism-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperative federalism in India</a>,</strong> giving the states an enhanced role in formulating and implementing the overhauled taxation system.</li>
<li><strong>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> established in 2015 was expected to address new realities of macroeconomic management that were missed by the Planning Commission.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for Redefining India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Horizontal imbalances and rising regional inequalities:</strong> Replacing the Planning Commission (which was mandated to give grants to the states as conditional transfers using the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula) with <strong>NITI Aayog</strong> (Government think tank with no resources to dispense) has reduced the policy outreach of government by relying only on single instrument of fiscal federalism i.e Finance commission. This approach if not reviewed can lead to a serious problem of increasing <strong>regional and sub-regional inequities.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Horizontal Imbalances</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The horizontal imbalances arise because of differing levels of attainment by the states due to <strong>differential growth</strong> rates and their <strong>developmental status</strong> in terms of the state of social or infrastructure capital.</li>
<li>Horizontal imbalances involve two types of imbalances:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Type I</strong> is to do with the adequate provision of basic public goods and services.</li>
<li><strong>Type II</strong> is due to growth accelerating infrastructure or the transformational capital deficits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Vertical imbalance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical imbalance</strong> arises due to the <strong>fiscal asymmetry</strong> in powers of taxation vested with the different levels of government in relation to their expenditure responsibilities prescribed by the constitution.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical imbalance:</strong> In India&rsquo;s fiscal federalism (three levels of Governments: Central Government, State Governments and the elected Local Bodies) central government has a far <strong>greater domain of taxation</strong> (e.g., income taxes personal or corporate, taxing consumption of goods and services (CGST), taxing foreign transactions, etc).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Central Government collects around 60%</strong> of the total taxes, while its expenditure responsibility (for carrying out its constitutionally mandated responsibility such as defense, etc.) is only 40% of the total public expenditure.</li>
<li>Such vertical imbalances are even sharper in <strong>the case of the third tier</strong> consisting of elected <strong>local bodies and panchayats.</strong></li>
<li>Vertical imbalances can adversely affect India&rsquo;s <strong>urbanization, the</strong> <strong>quality of local public goods</strong> and thus further aggravating the negative externalities for the <strong>environment and climate change.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Restructuring the Fiscal Federalism</h3>
<p>India&rsquo;s Fiscal Federalism needs to be restructured around the four pillars namely Finance Commission, NITI Aayog, GST and decentralization in order to eliminate the inadequacies of vertical and horizontal imbalances.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Finance Commission</strong> must be relieved from the dual task of dealing with provision of basic public goods and services and capital deficits. It should be confined to focussing on removal of basic <strong>public goods imbalance (Type I).</strong></li>
<li><strong>NITI Aayog</strong> can serve as the second pillar for dealing in the realm of <strong>infrastructure and capital deficits (Type II).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It should be engaged with the allocation of capital in a way different than that used by the Finance Commission with different parameters for allocation.</li>
<li><strong>Regional Imbalances:</strong> NITI Aayog should receive significant resources (1% to 2% of the GDP) to remove regional and subregional disparities among states by reducing <strong>development imbalances</strong> in the areas of infrastructure deficit.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Independent Evaluation Office:</strong> NITI Aayog should be mandated to create an independent evaluation office which will <strong>monitor and evaluate</strong> the efficacy of the utilization of revenue and capital grants.</li>
<li><strong>Decision-Making Body:</strong> It should also be an integral part of the decision making processes as it can effectively negotiate between the states for the transfer of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Decentralization</strong> can serve as the <strong>third pillar</strong> of the new fiscal federalism by strengthening local finances and state finance commission.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Local public finance:</strong> the creation of an urban local body/<strong>Panchayati Raj institutions consolidated fund.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Centre and States should contribute an equal proportion of their <strong>Central GST (CGST)</strong> and<strong> State GST (SGST)</strong> collections and send the money to the consolidated fund of the third tier.</li>
<li><strong>One-sixth</strong> sharing of the CGST and SGST with the third tier can generate more than <strong>1%</strong> of the GDP every year for the financing of public goods by urban-level bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>State Finance Commissions</strong> should be accorded the same status as the Union Finance Commission and the 3Fs of democratic decentralization <strong>(funds, functions, and functionaries)</strong> should be implemented properly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong> should be simplified in its structure and can serve as the <strong>fourth pillar</strong> of our fiscal federalism, by ensuring:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Single Rate GST:</strong> with suitable surcharges on &ldquo;sin goods,&rdquo; (goods that are harmful to society and individuals, for example, alcohol and tobacco, drugs, etc), zero ratings of exports and reforming the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) and the e-way bill.</li>
<li><strong>Transparency:</strong> The GST Council should undertake reforms in an<strong> informed and transparent manner</strong>, by creating its own secretariat and independent experts (as its staff).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GST is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.</li>
<li>GST is one <strong>indirect tax</strong> for the entire country.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-11th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GST council</strong> </a>is the key decision-making body that will take all important decisions regarding the GST.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Creating the new fiscal federal architecture based on the effective decentralization, transparent GST regime, independent Finance commission and effective NITI Aayog can strengthen India&rsquo;s unique <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/cooperative-and-competitive-federalism-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperative federalism</a>. </strong></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 593.333px; background-color: #c0fcc1;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>Discuss the need and ways for redefining the fiscal architecture of India to strengthen the fiscal federalism.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/redesigning-india-s-fiscal-federalism'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Methane in the Martian Air',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>NASA&rsquo;s Curiosity Rover</strong> has discovered high amounts of methane in the Martian air, a gas that on Earth is usually produced by living things.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Curiosity rover has found 21 parts per billion of methane, or three times the 2013 finding.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The gas seems to rise and fall with the red planet&rsquo;s seasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>However, the Trace Gas Orbiter</strong>, a newer European spacecraft launched in 2016 with more sensitive instruments, <strong>did not detect any methane at all</strong> in its first batch of scientific observations last year.</li>
<li>Rovers scheduled for launch next year &mdash; one by NASA, one by a Russian-European collaboration &mdash; will carry instruments designed to search for the building blocks of life.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NASA Curiosity Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Curiosity is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars. It landed on Mars in August, 2012.</li>
<li>The purpose of the mission is to find chemical and mineral evidence of past habitable environments on Mars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The orbiter is the first in a series of joint missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.</li>
<li>It was designed to search for trace gases in the Martian atmosphere such as methane, water vapor, nitrogen oxides and acetylene. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These gases could provide evidence for possible biological or geological activity on Mars.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also will monitor seasonal changes in the Martian atmosphere and will look for water-ice beneath the surface.</li>
<li>Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter began operations after entering Mars orbit in October, 2016.</li>
<li>A second mission, <strong>ExoMars 2020</strong>, is planned for launch in 2020 and will include a rover capable of drilling about 6 feet (two meters) below the surface to search for clues for past life on Mars.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/methane-in-the-martian-air'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Petition for Protection of Non-Nagas in Dimapur',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A petition filed before the Supreme Court has sought a direction to the Centre and the Nagaland government to take appropriate steps for the protection of life and liberty, properties and other fundamental rights of non-Nagas living in Dimapur following the imposition of the Inner Line Permit (ILP).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The plea has challenged certain sections of the <strong>Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873</strong> which gives unbridled power to a State to prescribe ILP.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The act empowers a State government to prescribe &lsquo;Inner Line&rsquo;</strong> to prohibit citizens of India or any class of such citizens going beyond the prescribed line without a pass.</li>
<li>The colonial-era regulation was passed by the then British government to prohibit Indian citizens to move in selects districts to create monopoly in business.</li>
<li>However, it continues to be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in north-eastern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Inner Line Permit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ILP is an official travel document issued by the Government of India <strong>to grant inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area</strong> for a limited period. Visitors are not allowed to purchase property in these regions.</li>
<li>Restrictions are imposed on the entry of outsiders <strong>to maintain the original identity of indigenous people of Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.</strong> The entry of outsiders are not allowed without ILP.</li>
<li>The document is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 and the conditions and restrictions vary from state to state.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the State Cabinet had taken a decision to extend the operation of the 1873 Regulation in Dimapur.</li>
<li>Therefore, many non-Nagas who have landed properties with commercial shops, godowns, etc. and who are staying in as tenants, and many locals who earn their income by means of collecting rent from tenants would be adversely affected</li>
<li>Many non-nagas have been regarded as outsiders by the government of Nagaland, which is racial discrimination.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/petition-for-protection-of-non-nagas-in-dimapur'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Flood Hazard Atlas',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Odisha has released a unique flood hazard atlas on the basis of <strong>historic flood inundation</strong> captured through <strong>satellite imagery</strong> over the period from 2001 to 2018.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Flooding in Odisha:</strong> Vast areas of the state are inundated when there is flooding every year in major rivers like the <strong>Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha and Rushikulya.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Some of the rivers like the <strong>Vamsadhara and Budhabalanga</strong>, also cause <strong>flash floods</strong> due to instant run-off from their hilly catchments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Flood Hazard Atlas<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image1.jpg" width="412" height="342" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the mapping and zonation of an area prone to frequent flooding, the mapping is done on the basis of the data of the past few years. <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)</strong></a>, Hyderabad does <strong>flood hazard zonation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits of Flood Hazard Atlas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Better preparedness:</strong> A more <strong>concise focus</strong> on the effects and impacts of the flooded area is possible during the early <strong>planning stages.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Risk reduction or mitigation techniques</strong> can be recommended for the same portion of the study area.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Location, severity, or frequency</strong> of hazard can be done more easily.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Proper assessment of area:</strong> A study area or a sub-area can be expanded, reduced, or deleted. Study areas can be divided into sub-areas requiring more information, additional assessments, or specific reduction techniques.</li>
<li><strong>Risk evaluation:</strong> A more realistic evaluation of risks to new development is possible. Appropriate hazard reduction techniques can be more easily developed to deal with an emergency situation.</li>
<li><strong>Rehabilitation planning:</strong> It could be initiated in advance with proper coordination among different central and state agencies.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/flood-hazard-atlas'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Imphal Peace Museum',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Britain and Japan, once adversaries during the 2nd world war have come together and inaugurated the <strong>Imphal Peace Museum</strong> to commemorate the <strong>75th anniversary</strong> of the <strong>Battle of Imphal</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The inauguration was attended by Manipur Revenue minister, Japanese Ambassador to India, High Commissioner of UK and Chairman of <strong>The Nippon Foundation&nbsp;</strong>(TNF).</li>
<li>The museum is constructed by the support of <strong>The Nippon Foundation&nbsp;</strong>(TNF), a <strong>non-profit grant-making organization</strong> in collaboration with <strong>Manipur Tourism Forum</strong> and <strong>Manipur Government</strong>.</li>
<li>The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) is located 20 km Southwest of Imphal, at the foothills of <strong>Red Hill</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Battle of Imphal<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/155image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/155image2.jpg" width="301" height="241" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Battle of Imphal saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II at <strong>Maibam Lokpa Ching</strong> popularly known as <strong>Red Hill.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Red Hill was among the places where the tide began to turn against the Japanese.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 1944, Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, of the Second World War.</li>
<li>The <strong>Japanese defeat at Kohima and Imphal</strong> was the largest up until that time, with many of the Japanese deaths resulting from starvation, disease and exhaustion suffered during their retreat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Imphal, the capital of Manipur, it is some 70 miles to the west of the Burmese border. To the <strong>north of Imphal are the Naga Hills</strong> and <strong>to the south the Chin Hills.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/imphal-peace-museum'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Arogyapacha: ‘Miracle Plant’',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Scientists from the University of Kerala have decoded the genetic make-up of <strong>Arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus),</strong> a highly potent medicinal plant endemic to the <strong>Agasthya hills.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This &lsquo;miracle plant&rsquo; is known for its traditional use by the <strong>Kani tribal community</strong> to combat fatigue.</li>
<li>Studies have also proved its varied spectrum of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumour, anti-ulcer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic.</li>
<li>The project is bound to open up a new window to the plant&rsquo;s molecular secrets, the genome and annotation data will be a valuable resource to expedite research on Arogyapacha, particularly its secondary metabolism, genetic breeding, and comparative studies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Kani Tribe</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Traditionally Kani tribes are a nomadic people. They are indigenous to tropical forests of the Agasthyamalai hills of the Western Ghats, a mountain range in Kerala. They have a population of almost 25,000.</li>
<li>Kani has a rich tradition of using wild plants found in the region for health reasons. The tribal physicians, <strong>known as Plathi</strong> &ndash; are the exclusive holders of the traditional medicinal knowledge of the tribe. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to Kani tribal customs, only the <strong>Plathi</strong> have the right to transfer and disseminate their traditional medicinal knowledge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Agasthya hills</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agasthya</strong> hill is a 1,868-metre (6,129 ft) tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The peak lies on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This peak is a part of the <strong>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve</strong> which lies on the border between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>The peak is named after Hindu sage <strong>Agastya</strong>, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis(Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. It is a pilgrimage centre for devotees.</li>
<li>The <strong>Thamirabarani River</strong> is a perennial river which originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>In Tamil traditions, <strong>Agastya</strong> is considered as the father of the Tamil language and the compiler of the <strong>first Tamil grammar called Agattiyam.</strong> The Malayalam language is considered to be born from Agasthya.</li>
<li>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/arogyapacha-miracle-plant'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Monsoon',
		'catname' => 'Paper 1',
		'desc' => '<p>Generally, across the world, the monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20&deg; N and 20&deg; S.</p>
<p>The climate of India is described as the <strong>&lsquo;monsoon&rsquo;</strong> type. In Asia, this type of climate is found mainly in the south and the southeast.</p>
<p>Out of a total of 4 seasonal divisions of India, monsoon occupy 2 divisions, namely.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The southwest monsoon season -</strong> Rainfall received from the southwest monsoons is seasonal in character, which occurs between June and September.</li>
<li><strong>The retreating monsoon season -</strong> The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Factors Influencing South-West Monsoon Formation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The differential heating and cooling of land and water</strong> creates a low pressure on the landmass of India while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure.</li>
<li><strong>The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)</strong> in summer, over the Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trough normally positioned about 5&deg;N of the equator. It is also known as the monsoon-trough during the monsoon season).</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Inter Tropical Convergence Zone </strong></p>
<p>The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ,) is a broad trough of low pressure in equatorial latitudes. This is where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. This convergence zone lies more or less parallel to the equator but moves north or south with the apparent movement of the sun.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The presence of the high-pressure area,</strong> east of Madagascar, approximately at 20&deg;S over the Indian Ocean. The intensity and position of this high-pressure area affect the Indian Monsoon.</li>
<li><strong>The Tibetan plateau</strong> gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level.</li>
<li><strong>The movement of the westerly jet stream</strong> to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer.</li>
<li><strong>Tropical Easterly Jet (African Easterly Jet).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Southern Oscillation (SO):</strong> Normally when the tropical eastern south Pacific Ocean experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean experiences low pressure. But in certain years, there is a reversal in the pressure conditions and the eastern Pacific has lower pressure in comparison to the eastern Indian Ocean. This periodic change in pressure conditions is known as the SO.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>El Nino</strong></p>
<p>This is a name given to the periodic development of a warm ocean current along the coast of Peru as a temporary replacement of the cold Peruvian current. &lsquo;El Nino&rsquo; is a Spanish word meaning &lsquo;the child&rsquo;, and refers to the baby Christ, as this current starts flowing during Christmas. The presence of the El Nino leads to an increase in sea-surface temperatures and weakening of the trade winds in the region.</p>
</div>
<h3>Mechanism</h3>
<p><strong>Onset of the South-West Monsoon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The location of <strong>ITCZ shifts north and south of the equator</strong> with the apparent movement of the Sun.</li>
<li>During the month of June, the <strong>sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer</strong> and the <strong>ITCZ shifts northwards</strong>.</li>
<li>The southeast trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator and start blowing in southwest to northeast direction under the influence of <strong>Coriolis force</strong>.</li>
<li>These winds collect moisture as they travel over the warm Indian Ocean.</li>
<li>In the month of July, the <strong>ITCZ shifts to 20&deg;-25&deg; N latitude and is located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain</strong> and the south-west monsoons blow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ITCZ in this position is often called the <strong>Monsoon Trough</strong>.</li>
<li>The shift in the position of the ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of the westerly jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south of the Himalayas.</li>
<li>The easterly Jet Stream (Somali Jet) sets in along 15&deg;N latitude only after the western jet stream has withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for the burst of the monsoon in India.</li>
<li>As these winds approach the land, their southwesterly direction is modified by the relief and thermal low pressure over northwest India. The monsoon approaches the Indian landmass in two branches: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Arabian Sea branch -</strong> The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea.</li>
<li><strong>The Bay of Bengal branch -</strong> The Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar deflect a big portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon, therefore, enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have <strong>&lsquo;breaks&rsquo;</strong> in rainfall. The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are interspersed with rainless intervals. <strong>These breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Despite an overall unity in the general pattern, there are perceptible regional variations in climatic conditions within the country.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393254_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393254_image5.jpg" width="600" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Retreating Monsoon Season</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The retreating southwest monsoon season is <strong>marked by clear skies and rise in temperature</strong>.</li>
<li>The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the <strong>&lsquo;October heat&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India.</li>
<li>The weather in the retreating monsoon is <strong>dry in north India</strong> but it is associated with <strong>rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula</strong>. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.</li>
<li><strong>The widespread rain in this season is associated with the passage of cyclonic depressions which originate over the Andaman Sea and manage to cross the eastern coast of the southern Peninsula. These tropical cyclones are very destructive.</strong></li>
<li>A bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast is derived from these depressions and cyclones.</li>
<li>Unlike the rest of the country, which receives rain in the southwest monsoon season between June and September, the <strong>northeast monsoon is crucial for farming</strong> and <strong>water security in the south</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393291_image18.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393291_image18.jpg" width="600" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>Impact of Monsoons on Life in India</h3>
<p><strong>Positive</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-monsoon-respite-for-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">About 64% of people in India depend on agriculture for their livelihood</a> and agriculture itself is based on monsoon.</li>
<li>Agricultural prosperity of India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall. If it fails, agriculture is adversely affected particularly in those regions where means of irrigation are not developed.</li>
<li>Regional variations in monsoon climate help in growing various types of crops.</li>
<li>Regional monsoon variation in India is reflected in the vast variety of food, clothes and house types.</li>
<li>Monsoon rain <strong>helps recharge dams and reservoirs,</strong> which is further used for the <strong>generation of hydro-electric power</strong>.</li>
<li>Winter rainfall by temperate cyclones in north India is highly beneficial for Rabi crops.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Negative</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Variability of rainfall brings <strong>droughts or floods</strong> every year in some parts of the country.</li>
<li>Sudden monsoon burst creates a problem of <strong>soil erosion</strong> over large areas in India.</li>
<li>In hilly areas sudden rainfall brings <strong>landslide</strong> which <strong>damages natural and physical infrastructure</strong> subsequently <strong>disrupting human life economically</strong> as well as <strong>socially</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Monsoon Prediction In India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>More than a century ago, when there were no computers, IMD&rsquo;s forecasts depended only on snow cover. Lesser cover meant a better monsoon.</li>
<li>British physicist Gilbert Walker, who headed the IMD, designed a <strong>statistical weather model</strong> &ndash; an empirical way of predicting the weather &ndash; based on the relationship between two weather phenomena.</li>
<li>In 2014, the IMD started to use <strong>numerical models</strong> to supplement statistical models for long-range forecasting as well.</li>
<li>Now, although the numerical models used by the IMD are state-of-the-art &ndash; developed by the <strong>US National Centres for Environmental Prediction</strong> &ndash; their forecast capacity is still weak because a longer period of forecast creates more uncertainty in prediction.</li>
<li>At the moment, the IMD provides district-wise weather data but it&rsquo;s not sufficient; because when IMD says there will be scattered rainfall over a particular district, it means that 26-50% that district (by area) will receive rainfall.</li>
<li>The <strong>IMD collects weather data like temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation</strong> through 679 automatic weather stations, 550 surface observatories, 43 radiosonde or weather balloons, 24 radars and three satellites.</li>
<li>Currently, highly advanced dynamical models need supercomputers. Prediction models will not run until proper data about current weather conditions is available.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Factors Responsible for Inaccurate Monsoon Forecast</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> lack of data</strong> due to insufficient monitoring stations.</li>
<li>Automatic weather stations are of substandard quality. They need to be calibrated and cleaned regularly, which does not happen often. That affects data.</li>
<li>Then, there are major data gaps, like those involving dust, aerosols, soil moisture and maritime conditions are not monitored.</li>
<li>The models that we have brought from the west have been developed by western scientists to forecast in their region, little progress has been made is the <strong>fine-tuning of weather models to suit Indian conditions</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of competent software professionals</strong> and scientists working with the IMD.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recent Indian Initiatives</h3>
<p>It is crucial for farmers (sowing, harvesting, etc.) and policymakers (payment of compensation, minimum support price, etc.) to know when and for how long the monsoon will remain active over India. For that, better predictions and timely advisories are needed.</p>
<p>To achieve this following initiatives have been taken:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Monsoon Mission of India</strong><br />This initiative of <strong>Ministry of Earth Sciences, launched in 2012,</strong> has utilized new approaches (high resolution, super parameterizations, data assimilation etc.) so that forecast skill gets quantitatively improved further for forecasting services of India Meteorological Department (IMD).<br />For the first time, India Meteorological Department used the Monsoon Mission dynamical model to prepare operational seasonal forecast of 2017 monsoon rainfall over India.<br /><strong><br />Objectives</strong>
<ol>
<li>To improve Seasonal and Intra-seasonal Monsoon Forecast</li>
<li>To improve Medium Range Forecast.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>IMD in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) provides <strong>district-level agro-meteorological advisories</strong> to farmers through 130 agro-met field units in vernacular languages.<br />These advisories are used for critical farm operations such as:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Management of sowing (delayed onset of rains);</li>
<li>Changing crop variety (delay in rainfall);</li>
<li>Spraying Pesticides for disease control (occurrence of rainfall);</li>
<li>Managing Irrigation (Heavy rainfall Forecast).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India Meteorological Department (IMD) provides <strong>meteorological support to the Central Water Commission (CWC)</strong> for issuing flood warnings.</li>
<li><strong>Indo-US expedition<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393460_image46.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578393460_image46.jpg" style="float: right;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />In 2018, The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indo-us-indian-ocean-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Ocean Research Vessel, 'Sagar Nidhi'</a>, set out from Chennai, as part of an Indo-US expedition seeking to find answers to the vagaries of the Bay of Bengal-fed southwest monsoon by collecting various data to improve prediction models.</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/national-supercomputer-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Supercomputing Mission</a> will fill the necessary gaps in the computing superpower required to predict timely and accurate monsoon forecasts.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Global Warming and Monsoon</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A drastic change in the monsoon rainfall intensity, duration, frequency and spatial distribution can be attributed to the climate change. However, it is too soon to arrive at a conclusion.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If all this is in response to global warming then it can be permanent and might accelerate. If not then the monsoon system will revert to a more normal state.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>More data and reanalysis is needed to get a clear picture on the complete separation of the global warming impact from natural climate variability (such as El Ni&ntilde;o).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>population of India is increasing</strong> and to provide <strong>food security</strong> to the population, a large part of the monsoon water which is currently unutilized should be held at suitable locations for irrigation and power generation purposes.</li>
<li><strong>India needs to invest more resources</strong> in better prediction of Monsoon forecast in order to achieve reliability and sustainability.</li>
<li>With a warming climate, more moisture will be held in the atmosphere, leading to heavier rainfall, consequently, inter-annual variability of the monsoon will increase in future. The country needs to prepare for this change.</li>
<li>Thus, to secure and bring sustainability to the climate pattern of India we need to take effective and timely steps not just at the domestic front (National Action Plan on Climate Change) but also at international front (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), as we live in a shared world with a shared future.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/monsoon-2'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'The Start Up India Fund',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>According to data available with the SIDBI, <strong>the Startup India fund has allocated Rs 2,265 crore</strong> to Venture Capital <strong>(VC) funds</strong> at the end of <strong>March 2019</strong>, falling short of its capital allocation target by around Rs 1,000-1,200 crore.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Also known as <strong>&lsquo;Funds of Funds for Startups&rsquo;</strong>, it had a <strong>disbursal target of Rs 3,300-3,500 crore</strong> to venture capital (VC) firms at the end of the financial year ending March 2019.</li>
<li>It was launched in the <strong>year 2016</strong> with the <strong>corpus</strong> of <strong>Rs.10,000 crore,</strong> to be built over 14<sup>th</sup> and <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/need-to-set-up-state-finance-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission</a></strong> cycles. SIDBI manages the fund.</li>
<li>The government launched this fund to help startups get funding in early stages. The fund <strong>does not directly invest in startups, instead, it allocates money to VC funds</strong>, which are <strong>required to invest at least twice</strong> the amount of contributions received from the government.</li>
<li><strong>A venture capital (VC) fund</strong> is a sum of money that investors commit for investment in early-stage companies.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Startup India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to catalyse startup culture and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India.</li>
<li>Since the launch of the initiative on <strong>16<sup>th</sup> January, 2016,</strong> Startup India has rolled out several programs with the objective of supporting entrepreneurs, and transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.</li>
<li><strong>A startup</strong> is an enterprise that is initiated by its founders around an idea or a problem with a potential for significant business opportunity and impact.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SIDBI</strong></p>
<p>Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), set up on <strong>2<sup>nd</sup> April 1990,</strong> under an Act of Indian Parliament, acts as the principal financial institution <strong>for promotion, financing and development</strong> of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/going-beyond-the-credit-requirements-of-msmes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise <strong>(MSME)</strong></a> sector as well as for coordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities.</p>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-start-up-india-fund'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Wild Yak (Bos grunniens)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Researchers analysed yak dung to understand the vegetation and climate of the past and the connections they have to extinct the woolly rhino and mammoth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The researchers found that the yak preferred a variety of food. A good diversity of pollen, spores and phytoliths (silica bodies found in plants) were observed. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This also indicated that the yak was able to modify its diet according to the climatic change of the past.</li>
<li>On the other hand, giant mammoth and woolly rhino which used to live with the yak about 18,000-20,000 years ago were not able to adapt to these changes and thus went extinct.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The yak dung analysis also helped to map out the different plants and trees in that area, thus, generating modern botanical analogue of higher Himalayas.</li>
<li>These animals mostly depend on the regional flora and studies can throw light on the past vegetation of an area,</li>
<li>Across the globe, many researchers are working on fossilized dung of extinct animals. A comparison of the present results with the extinct ones can help understand more about ancestor climatic factors and other adaptation strategies of mega herbivores.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Wild Yak</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Yak (Bos grunniens) is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and the adjacent high-altitude regions.</li>
<li>Yaks belong to the Bovini tribe, which also includes bisons, buffaloes, and cattle.</li>
<li>It can tolerate temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius</li>
<li>IUCN Red list status: Vulnerable</li>
<li>Listed under Appendix I of CITES</li>
<li>Indian WildLife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule II</li>
<li>The most serious threat to the Wild Yak&rsquo;s survival is casual and market hunting. The Yak is hunted for its meat, horns, and other materials.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wild-yak-bos-grunniens'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Population Crisis: Challenges and Way forward',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p><strong>This article is based on the editorial &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/a-stable-planet/article28102991.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A stable planet: on World Population Prospects 2019 report</a>&rdquo;, that appeared in The Hindu on 22nd June 2019. It talks about the Challenges of population growth and suggests a way forward.</strong></p>
</div>
<p>According to <strong>the</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-world-population-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UN&rsquo;s</strong><em><strong> World Population Prospects 2019</strong></em></a> report, India is projected to become the most populous country by <strong>2027</strong> surpassing China and host 1.64 billion people by 2050.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <strong>India will have a vast number of young people and insufficient natural resources left for exploitation</strong> so, with the rising population, India will have to face a herculean task of providing basic amenities of life to its people like food, shelter, healthcare, and education.</p>
<h3>Population Crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <a href="https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong> (UN) report</a> the number of children born per woman in the country still lies in the range of 2.1-4. This puts India in the intermediate-fertility group of countries in which around 40% of the world population lives.</li>
<li>India is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and <strong>2050.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Stabilizing Population:</strong> Reduction in <strong>fertility rate</strong> is one of the prerequisites for stabilizing the population growth and it would be a challenge to achieve optimal fertility rate in states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh &mdash; which have higher fertility rate as per Sample Registration System data.</li>
<li><strong>Quality of Life:</strong> India will need to invest in augmenting its <strong>education</strong> and <strong>healthcare system</strong>, grow more <strong>food</strong>, provide more <strong>housing</strong>, sharply increase its <strong>drinking water supply</strong> and add capacity to <strong>basic infrastructures</strong>, such as roads, transport, electricity, and sewage to provide a <strong>minimum quality of life</strong> to every citizen.</li>
<li><strong>Heavy Expenditure</strong> is required in order to fund the basic needs and augment the social infrastructure of India for accommodating the rising population, for that India will have to raise resources through taxation and other means. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even if less than five million people are entering the workforce every year, employing them at a decent wage is a complex task.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malthusian fears:</strong> Malthus argued that because there will be a higher population than the availability of food, many people will die from the shortage of food.</li>
<li><strong>Demographic dividend:</strong> In order to reap the benefits from the rising demographic dividend India needs to develop a strong base of human capital that can contribute significantly to the growth of the economy but India&rsquo;s low literacy rate (about 74% - leaving a quarter of the population without basic reading and writing skills) will turn demographic dividend into the burden.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainable Urban Growth:</strong> UN report suggests that by 2050, the urban population will be increased to 87.7 million and the number of urban agglomerations consisting more than a million people is also expected to be doubled by 2035. Thereby creating the need for improvisation of urban facilities with an emphasis on access to good, affordable housing and mobility.</li>
<li><strong>Ageing of Population:</strong> As per India Ageing Report 2017 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the share of the population over the age of 60 could increase from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2050. Thereby <strong>twin challenges of rising population</strong> and <strong>old age dependents</strong> will add to India&rsquo;s troubles of providing jobs, education, health along with geriatric care.</li>
<li><strong>Inequitable income distribution:</strong> In the face of an increasing population, unequal distribution of income and inequalities within the country would be a possible outcome.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Making agriculture remunerative (actualizing dream of doubling the income of farmers by 2022) and keeping food prices stable is crucial to ensure nutrition for all.</li>
<li>Implementing a <strong>&lsquo;universal basic income&rsquo;</strong> as a social safety valve will help in providing employment opportunities to a large number of unemployed youth.</li>
<li>Managing forest and water resources for future generations and willful implementation of sustainable development goals must assume center stage in policy-making.</li>
<li>India needs to find ways to contain the growth of the population without the use of coercion.</li>
<li>The poor, populous northern States must make concerted advances in women&rsquo;s literacy, health, and participation in the workforce, emulating the achievements of the southern States.</li>
<li>Progress in poverty reduction, greater equality, better nutrition, universal education, and health care, needs state support and strong civil society institutions.</li>
<li>Rising life expectancy and growing population of older adults opens up prospects for employment in many new services catering to them.</li>
<li>Effective and efficient implementation of schemes like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-26th-december-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AMRUT</a>, SMART cities, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/piped-water-connection-by-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piped water for all</a>, Make India India and Sustainable development goals framework will certainly help in augmenting the social infrastructure and will help India in reaping the benefits of its demographic dividend.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Government of India, politicians, policymakers and Civil societies should initiate a bold population policy and initiatives so that the economic growth of the country can keep pace with the demands of a growing population.</p>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1108.89px; border-color: #; background-color: #f5ceda;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>India is projected to surpass China as the world&rsquo;s most populous country by 2027. Discuss the challenges of rising population and suggest a way forward. 250 words.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/population-crisis-challenges-and-way-forward'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Report on Epilepsy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A report &ldquo;Epilepsy, a public health imperative&rdquo; has been released by the World Health Organization and leading non-governmental organizations for epilepsy, the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Bureau for Epilepsy.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In low- and middle-income countries, early death among people with epilepsy is significantly higher than in high-income countries.</li>
<li>More than 75 percent of people with epilepsy in low-income countries are at risk of premature death, due to lack of access to anti-seizure medicines.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The reasons include possible lack of access to health facilities when seizures are long-lasting or occur close together without recovery in between, and preventable causes such as drowning, head injuries and burns.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The report states that the treatment gap for epilepsy is unacceptably high, when 70 percent of people with the condition can be seizure-free when they have access to medicines that can cost as little as $5 per year and can be delivered through primary health systems.</li>
<li>Roughly half of adults with epilepsy have at least one other health condition. The most common are depression and anxiety.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Around 23 percent of adults with epilepsy will experience clinical depression during their lifetime and 20 per cent will have anxiety.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Mental health conditions such as these can make seizures worse and reduce the quality of life.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Development and learning difficulties are experienced by 30-40 percent of children with epilepsy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Stigma also prevents people from taking treatment.</li>
<li>The Report states that &ldquo;political will&rdquo; facilitates the integration of diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy into the primary health services.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Epilepsy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<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>Anyone can develop epilepsy. It affects both males and females of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/report-on-epilepsy'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'New Injection for Type 2 Diabetes',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved <strong>Victoza (liraglutide) injection</strong> for treatment of pediatric <strong>patients 10 years or older with type 2 diabetes.</strong></li>
<li>Victoza is the <strong>first non-insulin drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes</strong> in pediatric patients since <strong>metformin</strong> was approved for pediatric use in 2000.</li>
<li><strong>Victoza</strong> has been approved to treat <strong>adult patients with type 2 diabetes since 2010.</strong></li>
<li>It has now been shown to improve blood sugar control in pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The expanded indication</strong> provides an additional treatment option at a time <strong>when an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with this disease.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Although type 2 diabetes primarily occurs in patients over the age of 45, the prevalence rate among younger patients has been rising dramatically over the past couple of decades.</li>
<li>Victoza improves blood sugar levels by creating the same effects in the body as the glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor protein in the pancreas. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GLP-1 is often found in insufficient levels in type 2 diabetes patients.</li>
<li>Like GLP-1, Victoza slows digestion, prevents the liver from making too much glucose (a simple sugar), and helps the pancreas produce more insulin when needed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Victoza is not a substitute for insulin and is not indicated for patients with type 1</strong> diabetes or those with diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition associated with diabetes where the body breaks down fat too quickly because there is inadequate insulin or none at all.</li>
<li>The patients who have had, or have family members who have ever had <strong>Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC)</strong> should not use Victoza.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC) is a distinct thyroid carcinoma that originates in the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid gland.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Diabetes</strong></p>
<p>Diabetes is a condition that impairs the body's ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Types<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Type I diabetes:</strong> Also known as juvenile diabetes, this type occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. People with type I diabetes are insulin-dependent, which means they must take artificial insulin daily to stay alive.</li>
<li><strong>Type 2 diabetes:</strong> It affects the way the body uses insulin. While the body still makes insulin, unlike in type I, the cells in the body do not respond to it as effectively as they once did.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is the most common type of diabetes and it has strong links with obesity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gestational diabetes:</strong> This type occurs in women during pregnancy when the body can become less sensitive to insulin. Gestational diabetes does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-injection-for-type-2-diabetes'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Trafficking in Persons Report',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The U.S. State Department has released the <strong>Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report</strong> for 2019. India continued to be placed in Tier-2 on the country trafficking scale.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The U.S. State Department report has used the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Labour Organisation (ILO)</a> data.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Finding of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are 25 million adults and children suffering from labour and sex trafficking all over the world. In 77% of the cases, victims are trafficked within their own countries of residence, rather than across borders.</li>
<li>The number of victims trafficked domestically was high compared to foreign victims being trafficked in all regions of the world except Western and Central Europe, the Middle East, and certain East Asian countries.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Victims of sex trafficking were more likely to be trafficked across borders while victims of forced labour were typically exploited within their own countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The report stresses on the implementation of the Palermo Protocol. The countries need building <strong>legal frameworks</strong> to prosecute traffickers and provide care for survivors.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Palermo protocols</strong></p>
<p>The Palermo protocols are three protocols that were adopted by the United Nations to supplement the 2000 Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo Convention). These protocols and convention fall within the jurisdiction of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.</p>
<p>They are:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children; and</li>
<li>The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.</li>
<li>The Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Categorisation of Countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The categorisation is based not on the magnitude of a country&rsquo;s trafficking problem but on efforts to meet minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.</li>
<li>The report contains country narratives and category designations for all countries, including the U.S.</li>
<li>The countries are designated on the three-tier system:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Tier 1 countries</strong> are those countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards.</li>
<li><strong>Tier 2 countries are</strong> those countries whose governments do not fully comply with a TVPA&rsquo;s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.</li>
<li><strong>Tier 2 watchlist countries</strong> are those countries, whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA&rsquo;s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards and:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing; or</li>
<li>There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or</li>
<li>The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tier 3 countries</strong> whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.</li>
<li>There are also a few<strong> "Special Cases"</strong> such as Yemen, where the civil conflict and humanitarian crisis make gaining information difficult, and Sint Maarten where the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has made reporting difficult.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India's Position</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is placed in Tier 2:</strong> The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The report highlights efforts by the government to crack down on trafficking and convicting traffickers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government took some action following reports of government complicity in forced labour and sex trafficking, although the <strong>systemic failure to address forced labour and sex trafficking</strong> in government-run and government-funded shelter homes remained a serious problem. The report also highlighted the government&rsquo;s failures in this regard.</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations for India:</strong> It includes amending the definition of trafficking in Section 370 of the Penal Code to <strong>include forced labour trafficking and ensure that force, fraud, or coercion are not required to prove a child sex trafficking offence,</strong></li>
<li>To establish <strong>Anti-Human Trafficking Units</strong> in all districts with dedicated funding and clear mandates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/trafficking-in-persons-report'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'India’s Food Processing Industry',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries has stated that <strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY)</strong> envisages <strong>creation of direct and indirect employment</strong> for 5,30,500 persons by 2020.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the year 2016, the Ministry of Food Processing and Industries (MoFPI) had introduced an umbrella Scheme Called &ldquo;Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters&rdquo; or <strong>SAMPADA,</strong> which was proposed to be implemented with an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for the period of 2016-20.</li>
<li>In the year 2017, the government renamed SAMPADA scheme as <strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>objective</strong> of PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.</li>
<li>The PMKSY has seven component schemes:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mega Food Parks,</li>
<li>Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure,</li>
<li>Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Clusters,</li>
<li>Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages,</li>
<li>Creation/Expansion of Food Processing &amp; Preservation Capacities,</li>
<li>Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure, and</li>
<li>Human Resources and Institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Under PMKSY, capital subsidy in the form of <strong>grants-in-aid ranging from 35% to 75%</strong> of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum specified limit is provided to investors under the various schemes for undertaking infrastructure, logistic projects and setting up of food processing units in the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other steps taken in the Food Processing Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)</strong> through automatic route in <strong>manufacturing of food products</strong> and 100% FDI under Government approval route for retail trading, including through e-commerce, in respect of food products produced and/or manufactured in India has been permitted.</li>
<li><strong>A special fund of Rs.2000 crore</strong> has been created with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/national-bank-for-agriculture-and-rural-development-nabard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)</a> to provide affordable credit to food processing projects/units.</li>
<li>Food &amp; agro-based processing units and cold chain infrastructure has been classified as agriculture activity for <strong>Priority Sector Lending (PSL).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Fiscal measures</strong> like 100% exemption of Income Tax on profit for new food processing units, 100 % income tax exemption from profit derived by Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) having annual turnover of Rs.100 crore have been allowed for activities such as post-harvest value addition to agriculture.</li>
<li><strong>Lower Goods &amp; Service Tax (GST) rates</strong> for the majority of food products have been fixed.</li>
<li>A new Central Sector Scheme<strong> &ldquo;Operation Greens&rsquo;&rsquo;</strong> for integrated development of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) crops value chain, with an outlay of Rs.500 Crore. to promote FPOs, agri-logistics, processing facilities, has been launched.</li>
</ul>',
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	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture – Population: Boon or Bane?',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="314" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IRp6ZAb5060" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to estimates in a recently released <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a> report, India is expected to add 273 million people by the year 2050. The report stated that in the year 2019, India has an estimated population of 1.37 billion and China, 1.43 billion and by the year 2027, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/the-world-population-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India&rsquo;s population is projected to surpass China&rsquo;s, making India the most populous nation in the world</a>.</p>
<p>30 years down the line, the <strong>global population is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by the year 2050,</strong> (from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion). The report has highlighted higher fertility rates, growing older population and migration as few reasons behind projections of the population growth.</p>
<p>Health economists claim that the major implications of population growth will be for the young population that will face a situation of lack of resources in the future.</p>
<h3>Implications of Population Growth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is not growing uniformly.</strong> The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) indicates that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) varies significantly across various wealth quintiles:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The poorest wealth quintile has a TFR of 3.2 children per woman.</li>
<li>The second lowest wealth quintile has a TFR of 2.5 children per woman.</li>
<li>The richest wealth quintile has a TFR of 1.5 children per woman.</li>
<li>This shows that <strong>population growth is more concentrated in economically weaker sections of society</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Population growth acts as a hurdle in addressing effectively the problem of poverty, hunger and malnutrition and also in providing the better quality of health and education.</li>
<li><strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SDGs</a> 1, 2, 3 and 4</strong> are going to be affected adversely because of India&rsquo;s existing pattern of growth in the population.</li>
<li><strong>Presently, India is producing around 25 million job seekers in the country, however, the country is able to provide jobs only to 7 million.</strong> This gap of 18 million is increasing the burden of unemployment and underemployment in the country, turning a demographic dividend into a demographic disaster.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s population growth is not sustainable.</strong> India is only about 35-40% of China&rsquo;s landmass.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the 19th century, when Europe had a demographic explosion, it had occupied America, Australia etc. India does not have another landmass to occupy and the available landmass cannot take this population growth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Demographic Dividend</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has many young people who are unskilled, unemployable, burden on services and facilities with the minimal contribution.</li>
<li><strong>In a country, young population is a demographic dividend if the youth is skilled, employable and contributing to the economy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>As per NFHS-4, in 2015-16, India&rsquo;s TFR was 3.2.</strong> It is likely that in the year 2019, India will achieve a replacement level fertility.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total fertility rate (TFR)</strong> in simple terms refers to the total number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime if she were subject to the prevailing rate of age-specific fertility in the population.</li>
<li><strong>TFR of about 2.1 children per woman is called Replacement-level fertility.</strong> This value represents the average number of children a woman would need to have to reproduce herself by bearing a daughter who survives to childbearing age.</li>
<li>If replacement level fertility is sustained over a sufficiently long period, each generation will exactly replace itself without any need for the country to balance its population.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The challenge is not about how to contain the population but about <strong>how the government exploits the population growth to its best economic advantages</strong> i.e. how the government trains this large young population to make it productive, effective, competent and contributing to the economic growth.</li>
<li>The challenge in the next 15 years for the Indian government is <strong>to raise the economic status of India from being a low middle income country to at least a high middle income country.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For this, the government needs to take necessary steps in creating the economic growth momentum by ensuring that investments are adequately made in key infrastructure areas, particularly social infrastructure like education, water and health so that a demographic dividend does not become a demographic liability or disaster.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The requirement of creating so many jobs will not be a challenge if the economy starts growing at a faster rate.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s real challenge is <strong>Quality of Life.</strong> 21% of 60+ population is suffering from one or other chronic morbidities and India is also the second highest in terms of dementia and Alzheimers. Around 4 million cases are reported in 104 million elderly population. That is why<strong> there is a need of strong social protection schemes.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently the government has launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ayushman-bharat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayushman Bharat scheme</a>.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has also set a target of raising the economy&rsquo;s size to 5 trillion dollar by the year 2024. This is necessary to mitigate the negative impact of this kind of population growth where the share of older people is rising pretty rapidly.</li>
<li><strong>The growth for older people is 370% from 2019 to 2050</strong>, whereas the total population is growing only by 56%. Therefore, the burden of older people in the economy needs to be contained.</li>
<li>The countries like <strong>China and Japan who have been able to control their population through various measures</strong> are able to manage people in the older age through enough social security provisions for such people, enabling old aged people for managing on their own.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At the population level, different states are growing at different pace, thus each of them show different signs of population stress. It needs to be seen that why states in the South are better off in containing population than states in the North and east.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is containing population a solution?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Containing the population has its own set of problems. <strong>China which had the One Child Policy has witnessed an increase in the population of old aged people.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China went about containing its population growth in a coercive way. India tried to experiment the same during the emergency period.</li>
<li>The experiment faced negative reaction and has not been taken up by any government thereafter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>There has been an improvement in bringing down the child mortality, infant mortality ratio and in increasing the life expectancy of the people in the country.</strong> On the one hand, if the total fertility ratio does not decrease and on the other hand, there remains improvement in healthcare and other benefits, India will have a population explosion leading to a demographic disaster.</li>
<li><strong>Women in India want fewer children so desired fertility rates are much lower than the actual fertility rates.</strong> There is a 13% unwanted fertility in India. Women not having access to family planning services for different reasons including lack of education etc are some of the factors behind this. If India is able to address this 13% unmet need by 2030, it will witness 30 million lesser population growth.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been seen that <strong>women have more children than what their bodies can actually bear.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is becoming <strong>very expensive</strong> for the poor and even the middle class to have more than one child or two children.</li>
<li>India still has a <strong>high maternal mortality rate and child mortality rate</strong> (especially amongst the poorest).</li>
<li>However, <strong>aspirations of the younger generation have changed</strong>, they want fewer children.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India needs to invest more in the health sector. India invests only 1.3% of its GDP. The family planning budget is only 4% of the entire health budget and within that India spends only 1.5% on birth spacing methods.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Investments should be made particularly for the old people because by the year 2050, India&rsquo;s population of old people is going to grow almost 10 times more.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Education is very important, not only for empowering women but for fertility to decline.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Education should be made free for women till college-level.</li>
<li>Better education will help women in better decision making for family planning.</li>
<li>Unless women are part of the workforce, no society can bring down fertility rates with progress. Therefore, policies must look at the whole issue of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/declining-female-labour-force-participation-editorial-upsc-ias-economy-gender-inequality-gktoday" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> declining workforce participation by women.</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India needs to focus on some areas which are socially, culturally, economically depressed. I<strong>dentification of 140 high focussed districts is the right step by the government</strong> in this direction. However, it needs to work in the whole of Bihar, U.P., Madhya Pradesh and Assam.</li>
<li>India <strong>needs to give huge stress on declining sex ratios</strong> and the <strong>discrimination towards girls</strong> so that people don&rsquo;t have a high number of children in the hope of having a boy.</li>
<li><strong>India can achieve a number of SDGs if it links them with family planning.</strong> Family planning is a promotive and preventive method for bringing down maternal mortality and child mortality.&nbsp;</li>
<li>It is important to see the issue of population growth not only from the national perspective but also from the state&rsquo;s point of view i.e. different states need to be encouraged to take necessary steps for containing the population.</li>
</ul>',
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