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India’s Balancing with SCO

This article is based on the editorial “Navigations in Bishkek” which appeared in The Hindu on 13th June 2019. It talks about,...

13 Jun 2019 News Editorials
People's Ingestion Of Plastic

The World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) study has revealed that people worldwide could be ingesting five grams of microscopic plastic particles...

13 Jun 2019 News Analysis
UNCTAD World Investment Report 2019

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2019, India received foreign direct investments...

13 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Moon's Aitken Crater

Scientists have detected an anomaly in the moon's gravitational field because of heavy metal lodged in the mantle deep below the moon's South...

13 Jun 2019 News Analysis
World Day Against Child Labour

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13 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Nipah virus and Fruit Bat

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13 Jun 2019 News Analysis
In Depth - BS VI Emission Norms

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13 Jun 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Challenges of Digitisation and Way Forward

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12 Jun 2019 News Editorials
Tripartite Agreement with French Railways

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12 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Micryletta aishani

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12 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Air Pollution and Life Expectancy

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12 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Phosphine as Fumigant

Scientists from the National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (NCIPM) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have conducted...

12 Jun 2019 News Analysis
Deadlock in RCEP Trade Negotiations

Senior officials from India and China met in New Delhi to try and reach a common ground on market-opening commitments under Regional Comprehensive...

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Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA)

The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minister has cleared the setting up of the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA) which has been...

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PRS Capsule May 2019

Key Highlights of PRS Education Draft National Education Policy 2019 Labour and Employment Pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers Annual...

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Disaster Management-II

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Draft Education Policy 2019

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11 Jun 2019 News Editorials
Bharat Stage - VI

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Valasa Devarlu

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Cyclone Vayu

The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert over Cyclone Vayu. Cyclone Vayu, named by India, is only a deep depression and is still...

11 Jun 2019 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'India’s Balancing with SCO',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on the editorial <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/navigations-in-bishkek/article27890377.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Navigations in Bishkek&rdquo;</a> which appeared in The Hindu on 13th June 2019. It talks about, challenges and opportunities present to India in its engagement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.</p>
</div>
<p>The Prime Minister of India will be in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for 19th <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-international-institutions-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit</a>.</p>
<p>At SCO, India will have to <strong>balance between contradictory imperatives as regional aspirations of Central Asian countries contradict with India&rsquo;s goals:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has to act as a willing partner of regional cooperation that is led by China and Russia while assuring that India doesn't reflect its increasing strategic convergence with the USA.</li>
<li>Also, engagement with SCO is like a paradox for India as India wants to fight against terrorism through a body that includes states that pose the biggest threats to Indian security i.e. Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is SCO?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, it's creation was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China.</li>
<li>It's member countries China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan (India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at SCO's Astana summit, Kazakhstan.)</li>
<li>The SCO is widely regarded as the <strong>"Alliance of the East"</strong>, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been the primary security pillar of the region.</li>
<li>It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>How regional aspirations of Central Asian countries contradict with India&rsquo;s goals?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Russia and Central Asian countries are likely to express <strong>&ldquo;broad support&rdquo; for China</strong> in the wake of trade war against U.S. India is equally concerned about this trade war, but is in a dilemma in view of openly slamming U.S. protectionism.</li>
<li>It is also notable that all SCO members, barring India, are enthusiastic <strong>supporters of <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/obor-cpec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)</a>.</strong></li>
<li>Also, the other agenda of the summit would be to sell the <strong>Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)</strong> as a potential passage to landlocked Central Asian states. But CPEC passes through territory over which India claims its sovereignty.</li>
<li><strong>Terrorism</strong> is likely to be approached from the angle of improving the situation in Afghanistan and not necessarily of curbing the terrorist elements emanating from Pakistan.</li>
<li>Also through <strong>BRI and SCO</strong>, China will be successful in uniting Eurasia to challenge a united Europe. This scenario will prompt China and Russia to enter into a new era of global strategic partnership. This might not be in India's strategic interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are opportunities for India in the context of SCO?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China:</strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s meeting with President Xi on the sidelines of the summit will be critical.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As this meeting comes after China&rsquo;s decision to withdraw its technical hold on the <strong>listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar</strong> as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</li>
<li>Also, the key concern for the two leaders is the <strong>impact of the U.S.-China trade</strong> war.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Russia:</strong> PM Modi meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is very important to save the <strong>S-400 Triumf anti-missile defence deal</strong> against USA's threat to act under CAATSA <strong>(Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, India and Russia have an ambitious economic agenda drawn up for 2019, also Russia has invited PM Modi to be the chief guest at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September.</li>
<li>India can explore Russia&rsquo;s Far East region not just for developing economic cooperation but also for exploring the prospects of transferring skilled labourers to offset Chinese demographic threats in the region.</li>
<li>Russia is also keen that India joins the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue Forum.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is CAATSA?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countering America&rsquo;s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a legislation introduced in the United States that aims to counter anti-US aggression displayed by countries like Iran, North Korea and Russia through a series of punitive measures.</li>
<li>Among the provisions of CAATSA are secondary sanctions on countries that are found to be dealing with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is S-400 Triumf?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>S-400 Triumf is one of the world&rsquo;s most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track numerous incoming objects &mdash; all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs &mdash; in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to neutralise them.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pakistan:</strong> It would be a first formal meeting of Pakistan's new PM Imran Khan and India's PM. Already new Pakistani PM has demonstrated that he wants better relations with India and is ready to talk on all the issues.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Clearly, this may give diplomacy a chance at the margins of the SCO meet for restarting of talks between India and Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multilateral cooperation:</strong> India seems committed to working with the SCO to develop a &lsquo;cooperative and sustainable security&rsquo; framework, to make the <strong>Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure</strong> more effective, and participate in efforts to bring about <strong>stability in Afghanistan</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Central asian countries back India&rsquo;s proposal for a <strong>Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.</strong></li>
<li>Also, the SCO is relevant for India to garner <strong>support for reforms of the UNSC</strong> to make the latter more representative and effective. India has been lending support to the member countries&rsquo; candidatures for non-permanent membership of the UNSC for a long time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>SCO is a potential platform to <strong>advance India&rsquo;s Connect Central Asia policy.</strong> However, there are some constraints with India's engagement with the region, for example:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s bilateral trade with Central Asia stands at about $2 billion and with Russia about $10 billion in 2017. In contrast, China&rsquo;s trade with Russia has crossed $100 billion in 2018 while the bilateral figures for Central Asia stand at over $50 billion.</li>
<li>The lack of connectivity has also hampered the development of energy ties between the hydrocarbon-rich region and India.</li>
</ul>
<p>In this situation, India will have to clearly identify and promote its interests to enhance its presence in the Eurasian region for this accelerating progress on the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chabahar Port, the Ashgabat Agreement and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway should be very much on the cards.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1195.45px; background-color: #c2eff2;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti input:</strong></em><br /><br />Analyse how SCO as a regional organisation presents both challenges and opportunity for India. Also, discuss the measures that India must take for strategic balancing with respect to SCO?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/indias-balancing-with-sco'
		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'People's Ingestion Of Plastic',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>The World Wide Fund for Nature&rsquo;s</strong> (WWF) study has revealed that people worldwide could be ingesting five grams of microscopic <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-world-environment-day-identify-the-dangers-of-the-plastic-era" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plastic particles</a> every week, which is equivalent to the weight of a credit card.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Microplastics</strong> are plastic particles measuring 5mm in size or smaller.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/130image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/130image3.jpg" width="463" height="337" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sources of plastic ingestion:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Drinking water:</strong> is one of the largest sources of plastic ingestion(with plastic particles found in bottled, tap, surface and groundwater).</li>
<li><strong>Shellfish:</strong> account for as much as 0.5g a week.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inhalation</strong> represented a negligible proportion of microplastics entering the human body.</li>
<li><strong>Indoor air</strong> because of its <strong>limited circulation</strong> is more heavily polluted with plastic than the outdoors. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Major sources of <strong>Indoor airborne microplastics</strong> are synthetic textiles and household dust.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Burden of Plastic</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the last two decades, the world has produced as much plastic as during the rest of history, and the industry is set to <strong>grow by 4%</strong> a year until 2025.</li>
<li><strong>Ocean</strong> will contain <strong>one metric tonne</strong> of plastic for every three metric tonnes of fish by <strong>2025.</strong></li>
<li>About one-third of waste plastics are dumped or <strong>leaches into nature, polluting land, rivers and the sea.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Plastic pollution and Wildlife</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Animals get entangled in large <strong>plastic debris,</strong> leading to<strong> injury or death.</strong></li>
<li>Animals also ingest large quantities of plastic that they cannot pass through their digestive systems, resulting in <strong>internal abrasion, digestive blockage, and death.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Toxins</strong> from ingested plastic also harm breeding and impair the immune system of animals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Curbing Plastic Pollution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Political and economic actions</strong> to reduce the amount of plastic being disposed of into the environment.</li>
<li><strong>Minimize the use</strong> of plastics and <strong>encourage recycling</strong> of plastics instead of taking stringent acts of total ban or zero plastic.</li>
<li><strong>Legally binding agreement</strong> to combat marine plastic pollution - it should be a stand-alone treaty like the Montreal Protocol or the Paris Agreement.</li>
<li><strong>Binding national commitments</strong> and protocols for restricting commercial and household use of plastics.</li>
</ul>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/people-s-ingestion-of-plastic'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'UNCTAD World Investment Report 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2019, India received foreign direct investments worth USD 42 billion in 2018. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/un-report-on-fdi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India attracted over 77% of the total foreign direct investments that came to the South Asian region.&nbsp;</a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>global FDI slipped by 13% in 2018</strong>, to US$1.3 trillion from $1.5 trillion in 2017, the <strong>third consecutive annual decline</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/321image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/321image4.jpg" width="329" height="408" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>In South Asia, overall, FDI inflows increased by 3.5% to $54 billion. The prospects for FDI inflows into South Asia are largely determined by expectations of growing investment into India.</li>
<li><strong>Investment in India rose by 6% to USD 42 billion</strong> with strong inflows in manufacturing, communication, financial services and cross-border merger and acquisition activities. However, <strong>India&rsquo;s rank as a source country for FDI fell one notch to the 10th position as it was overtaken by Spain.</strong></li>
<li>Among others in the South Asian region, FDI flows to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rose to a record level, to USD 3.6 billion and USD 1.6 billion, respectively, while Pakistan witnessed a 27% decline in investment to USD 2.4 billion.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Of the 5,400 <strong>special economic zones (SEZs)</strong> in the world, more than 4,000 are in developing countries in Asia. In the developing countries in Asia, China topped the list at 2,543 such zones, followed by Philippines (528), India (373) Turkey (102), Thailand (74) among others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India has recently liberalised its rules on inward investment</strong> (an investment that comes into a country from investors who live in other countries) in several industries, including single-brand retail trading, airlines and power exchanges.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNCTAD</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UNCTAD is a <strong>permanent intergovernmental body</strong> established by the United Nations General Assembly in <strong>1964</strong>. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.</li>
<li>It is <strong>part of the UN Secretariat.</strong></li>
<li>It supports developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uncdat-world-investment-report-2019'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Moon's Aitken Crater',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Scientists have detected an anomaly in the moon's gravitational field because of heavy metal lodged in the mantle deep below the moon's South Pole-Aitken basin (the largest preserved impact crater anywhere in the solar system).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Possible explanations for this anomaly are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moon's mantle, rather than sinking to the Moon's core.</li>
<li>The large mass might be a concentration of dense oxides associated with the last stage of lunar magma ocean solidification.</li>
<li>This new hypothesis is based on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)</strong></p>
<p>Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was a dual-spacecraft mission that involved placing two identical spacecrafts (named &ldquo;Ebb&rdquo; and &ldquo;Flow&rdquo; to GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B respectively) in orbit around the Moon to use high-quality gravitational field mapping to determine its internal structure.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The mission was launched in 2011 under NASA&rsquo;s Discovery Program.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NASA's Discovery Program began in 1992 to achieve outstanding results by launching smaller missions using fewer resources and shorter development times.</li>
<li>Its main objective is to enhance our understanding of the solar system by exploring the planets, their moons, and small bodies such as comets and asteroids.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ebb and Flow were decommissioned and powered down in anticipation of deliberate impact on the lunar surface Dec. 17, 2012.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA moon mission that has been in operation since 2009.</li>
<li>The mission particularly focuses on the moon's poles to search for water or ice that could exist in permanently shadowed craters.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/moons-aitken-crater'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'World Day Against Child Labour',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A <strong>'Baal Panchayat' (Children's Parliament)</strong> was organised in the Delhi by Kailash Satyarthi&rsquo;s Children's Foundation on the occasion of <strong>World Day against Child Labour.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/482image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/482image1.jpg" width="496" height="378" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Children presented a charter of demands in the children's parliament which they wished to convey to the government of India.</li>
<li>According to the Census 2011, most child labours in India are employed for agriculture and allied activities. This is in sync with the global trend which shows that 71 per cent of child labour is concentrated in this sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>World Day Against Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every year 12th June is celebrated as the World Day Against Child Labour. The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Labour Organization (ILO)</a> launched the <strong>World Day Against Child Labour in 2002</strong> to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.</li>
<li><strong>The theme of 2019</strong>: Children shouldn&rsquo;t work in fields but on dreams.</li>
<li><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong>, adopted by world leaders in 2015, include a renewed global commitment to ending child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Target 8.7 of the SDG</strong> calls on the global community to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour and end modern slavery.</li>
</ul>
<h3>ILO Convention on Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has ratified six out of the eight core/fundamental International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)</li>
<li>Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)</li>
<li>Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)</li>
<li>Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)</li>
<li>Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)</li>
<li>Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has<strong> not ratified</strong> the core/fundamental Conventions, namely <strong>Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)</strong> and <strong>Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-against-child-labour'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Nipah virus and Fruit Bat',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>Fruit bats</strong> have been identified as carriers of the deadly <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-outbreak-in-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nipah virus</a> in Kerala.</p>
<h3>About Fruit Bat<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/537image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/537image2.jpg" width="246" height="164" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Fruit bats, as opposed to insectivorous bats, survive largely on a diet of fruit, which they locate with <strong>their sense of smell</strong> (insectivorous bats locate their prey through echolocation, i.e locating the source of the echoes of their own sound).</li>
<li>Fruit bats belong to the <strong>Pteropodidae family;</strong> those in the Pteropus genus within this family are <strong>natural hosts</strong> for the Nipah virus.</li>
<li>Fruit bats are widely found in <strong>South and Southeast Asia</strong> and are also known as <strong>flying foxes.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Nipah virus and Fruit bat connection</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The virus survives in the <strong>bat&rsquo;s body</strong> without causing disease, allowing it to jump to <strong>susceptible mammals</strong> like humans or pigs when bats come in contact with them.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Institute of Virology</strong> had found that the virus was first transmitted from fruit bats identified as Pteropus spp.</li>
<li>In Bangladeshi outbreaks, researchers found <strong>antibodies to Nipah in the Indian flying fox.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Identifying the source of the Nipah infection will help prevent future spread, as Nipah virus has a <strong>spillover effect</strong> i.e virus seems to have moved from bats to humans in one event and after this moved from one human to another.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why are so many diseases linked to bats?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>All bats can carry viruses, some of them deadly like:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome</strong> (SARS) antibodies were found in insectivorous bats.</li>
<li><strong>Ebola</strong> antibodies were found in Hammer-headed fruit bat.</li>
<li><strong>Indian Flying Fox,</strong> hosts over 50 viruses</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With around 1,200 species, bats comprise <strong>20%</strong> of the earth&rsquo;s mammalian diversity.</li>
<li>Long periods of flying raises the <strong>temperatures of bats, boosting their immune responses</strong> and helps them survive the microbes&rsquo; pathogenic effects.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-virus-and-fruit-bat'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth - BS VI Emission Norms',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlQn26Jhy9c" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to the United Nations, <strong>9 out of 10 people on the planet are now breathing polluted air.</strong> This has led to a growing global health crisis, <strong>causing about 7 million deaths per year,</strong> as per the World Health Organization (WHO).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India, air pollution is killing one lakh children under the age of five every year and is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in the country.</strong></li>
<li>According to one WHO&rsquo;s measure, India has nine of the world&rsquo;s ten most polluted cities.</li>
<li>Over the years, the government has taken various <strong>initiatives</strong> to address the issues related to air pollution such as <strong>the National Clean Air Program, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and the Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>BS-VI Emission Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Environment Minister has recently announced that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/only-bs-vi-vehicles-to-be-sold-from-april-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the BS-VI emission norms will be implemented from the year 2020</a>, and this will drastically reduce vehicular pollution.</li>
<li>In order to comply with BS-VI norms, the vehicle manufacturers need to move to the new technology to make vehicles compliant with the BS VI standards.</li>
<li><strong>The switch to BS-VI vehicles was to happen in 2022 but looking at the poor air condition, the move was advanced by four years.</strong></li>
<li>All vehicles will have to follow new standards (BS -VI) from 1st April, 2020. <strong>The standards cover four and two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.</strong></li>
<li><strong>At present, BS IV and BS III fuels are available across India.</strong></li>
<li>Due to their use, hazardous pollutants in the air are increasing leading to health ailments like Asthma, Bronchitis, heart diseases and even cancer.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Hero MotoCorp received BS-VI certification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hero MotoCorp, the world&rsquo;s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has become the <strong>first two-wheeler manufacturer in India to receive the BS-VI certification.</strong></li>
<li>It received the <strong>&lsquo;Type Approval&rsquo; Certificate from the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</strong> for the Splendor iSmart motorcycle after it was successfully tested for compliance with BS-VI emission norms.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Bharat Stage Emission Standards</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bharat Stage (BS) are <strong>emission standards instituted by the Government of India</strong> to regulate the output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.</li>
<li><strong>The Environment Ministry is responsible for deciding the fuel standard in the country. The Central Pollution Control Board implements these standards.</strong></li>
<li>The BS regulations are <strong>based on the European emission standards.</strong></li>
<li>Companies can come up with new vehicles with BS VI fuel standards even before the April 2020 deadline. But after the deadline, vehicles that do not comply with BS VI standards will not be registered.</li>
<li>With the implementation of new norms, pollution levels are expected to come down significantly as the particulate matter (PM) will decrease. About one-third of the air pollution is caused by cars and motor vehicles.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages of BS-VI fuel Over BS-IV Fuel</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In BS-VI fuel, the volume of PM 2.5 ranges from 20 to 40 micrograms per cubic metre whereas in BS-IV fuel it is up to 120 micrograms per cubic metre.</li>
<li><strong>BS-VI fuel will bring down sulphur content by 5 times from the current BS-IV levels.</strong> It has 10 ppm of sulphur as against 50 ppm in BS-IV.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sulphur in the fuel contributes to fine particulate matter emissions. High sulphur content in the fuel also leads to corrosion and wear of the automobile engine.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With BS-VI fuel, for every one kilometre, a car will <strong>emit 80% less particulate matter and nearly 70% less nitrogen oxide.</strong></li>
<li>Air pollutants in BS-VI fuel are much less as compared to BS-IV fuel.</li>
<li>BS-VI norms also seek to reduce the level of certain harmful hydrocarbons in the emissions that are produced due to incomplete combustion of fuel.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The shift from BS-IV to BS-VI compliant vehicles, in less than a year&rsquo;s time poses a challenge for India&rsquo;s automotive sector</li>
<li>This will be the first time that the auto industry will follow a sales bound rather than the production-bound deadline.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In all previous instances, manufacturers were allowed to exhaust their stock of older generation inventory after the onset of new emission standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The refineries have also been undergoing major upgradation to produce BS VI fuel.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Car makers will have to start producing BS VI fuel compliant engines as quickly as possible to avail benefits of the cleaner fuel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The shift makes on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OBD unit <strong>will be able to identify likely areas of malfunction</strong> by means of fault codes stored on a computer ensuring that sophisticated emission control device which is fitted in a BS-VI vehicle runs at optimum efficiency throughout the life of the vehicle.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Apart from engine calibration, there will be various <strong>after treatment additions</strong> such as selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters <strong>to meet carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxide and particulate matter limit</strong> of BS VI norms.</li>
<li>Migration to BS VI norms necessitates the <strong>use of oxygen sensors,</strong> a complex coding of the electronic control unit and ignition control.</li>
<li><strong>The cost of producing BS VI grade fuels will be higher compared to BS IV fuels.</strong></li>
<li>The two-wheelers predominantly used <strong>carbureted engines</strong> (air and fuel for internal combustion are mixed in the proper air&ndash;fuel ratio) and they have to now <strong>move to fuel injection engine systems</strong> (an injector is used to introduce the fuel for internal combustion).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>So, <strong>the after sales and service network and manpower will need to be upgraded</strong> for the skills and troubleshooting of this new technology.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Diesel hydro-treating units</strong> that will ensure the reduction of sulphur concentration to stipulated limits are being created or their capacity is being augmented.</li>
<li>For meeting gasoline fuel quality, <strong>desulphurisation technologies</strong> along with octane boosting units are being installed.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of the Shift</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Making automobiles BS VI compatible will increase the cost of production for the manufacturing companies which in turn will make the vehicles costlier for the buyers.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This includes <strong>making changes to their production line</strong> to turn out BS VI fuel friendly engines that will become mandatory by the year 2020.</li>
<li>Some companies may even have to <strong>import engines</strong> and other parts but in the end it will be the car buyer&rsquo;s burden because <strong>vehicles with BS VI engines will cost more than the BS IV vehicle.</strong></li>
<li>Diesel vehicles and economy segment motor cycles will also see a sharp increase in their prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Using a pre BS IV car using BS VI fuel can be detrimental to the engine life. There may be trouble with injection pumps, oil seals and injectors leading to higher wear and tear, consequently higher emissions.</li>
<li>It is said that by 2020, all vehicles that will be seen on Indian roads would have BS VI engines, however, <strong>the government has not announced any new rule for old vehicles a scrap policy for outdated automobiles.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages of the Shift</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By reducing toxic substances in the air, BS-VI will help reduce air pollution.</li>
<li>BS-VI will <strong>reduce NOx drastically</strong>, thus improving air quality.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NOx is the primary cause of a lot of health issues, especially respiratory issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The lower sulphur in BS VI will help <strong>reduce harmful exhaust emissions like NO<sub>2</sub>, CO, SO<sub>2</sub>.</strong></li>
<li>Vehicles that have emission control systems will perform even better with BS-VI.</li>
<li>For old vehicles, BS-VI standards open up an option of retrofitting.</li>
<li>Oil companies are making significant changes in their oil refining technique. The new standard requires that the use of sulphur in diesel should come down to 10 PPM, whereas according to the BS -II, it was up to 500 PPM. This change will affect the density of diesel oil. The usual density of BS IV fuel diesel ranges from 820 to 845 kg/ cubic metre but now it has to be increased to 860 kg/ cubic metre.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The change in density will help improve the quality of oil as well as help reduce air pollution.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Auto Fuel Vision Policy, 2025</strong> in June 2014 had recommended a 75 paise cess to recoup additional investments projected for producing cleaner fuels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><em>As the problem of air pollution has turned into a global challenge, concerted efforts by all stakeholders are required to deal with this pressing issue.</em></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-bs-vi-emission-norms'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Challenges of Digitisation and Way Forward',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on editorial <strong><a href="https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/opinion-why-economics-must-go-digital-to-remain-relevant-1560276612288.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Why economics must go digital to remain relevant&rdquo;</a></strong> which appeared in Live mint on 12th June 2019. It talks about, challenges of digitisation and what steps India can take in this context.</p>
</div>
<p>In the age of digital economy, data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Lots of apps have no revenue generation, but their only benefit is data. This business model of the Internet is called <strong>Surveillance capitalism,</strong> where all social media apps and other such platforms make their money collecting data on users and monetising that. Companies such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon have all built empires atop the data economy.</p>
<p>Apart from <strong>Surveillance capitalism,</strong> the majority of world&rsquo;s consumer data is with few digital companies like, Google, Facebook and Amazon that dominate online search, social media and online retail, respectively. Thus their market power creates an imbalance for new market players.Thereby hurting both producers and consumers of data, resulting in twin problem of <strong>Data privacy and Net neutrality.</strong></p>
<h3>How data privacy and net neutrality are opposed to principles of free and fair trade(market economy)?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Through Big data analytics Data privacy and Net neutrality both have been compromised.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Data privacy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data privacy or information privacy is a branch of data security concerned with the proper handling of data &ndash; consent, notice, and regulatory obligations.</li>
<li>It got highlighted when identifiable data of about 50 million Facebook users was breached by an analytics firm(Cambridge Analytica).</li>
<li>Privacy is a basic human right, in the digital age where life has so prominently got integrated with the digital world, data privacy has become a human right too.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Net neutrality?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Big data?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Big Data</strong> is a phrase used to <strong>mean</strong> a massive volume of both structured and unstructured <strong>data</strong> that is so<strong> large</strong> it is difficult to process using traditional database and software techniques.</li>
<li>Through the use of high-end computing and algorithms, Big data has been used in the industry to provide customer insights by analyzing and predicting customer behaviour through data derived from social media</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to inability of government to address this market concentration, it has resulted in the <strong>creation of digital market oligarchy&nbsp;</strong>(In this case, a small group of companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon etc. control and set rules for the entire market) because these larger players enjoy significant returns to scale.</li>
<li>Thereby the digital economy poses a <strong>problem for competition policy.</strong> Competition is vital for boosting productivity and long-term growth because it drives out inefficient producers and stimulates innovation.</li>
<li>So rather than assessing short-term benefits due to specific digital markets, there is a need to estimate the potential long-term costs implied by the inability of a new rival to enter into the digital market.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to fix this digital market imbalance in India?</h3>
<p>Economic policies must itself move towards digitisation to remain relevant in this digital era. This can be done by:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India must protect its startups from becoming proprietary of foreign brands( through takeovers), this can be done by allowing preferential shares.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg: Take over of Flipkart by Walmart.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Its high time data must be monetised on part of data subjects, data subjects must be paid a royalty for use of their data.</li>
<li>The government must lay down policies that put a check on anti-competitive policies of these digital companies.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this light, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/draft-e-commerce-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Draft e-commerce policy</strong></a> is a welcome step.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India till now has no law to stop apps from sharing your data with data brokers or data analytics firms.</li>
<li>An ideal data protection law must reflect the<strong> Supreme Court&rsquo;s recent decision:</strong> That all interference with the right to privacy must be necessary and proportionate.</li>
<li>Data protection law must incorporate inspiration from the European Union&rsquo;s implementation of the <strong>General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and BN Srikrishna report.</strong></li>
<li>The law must also lay down norms of accountability on part of digital tech giants.</li>
<li>Also, the government must clear the air around the use of Aadhaar, that has raised speculations about the surveillance state.</li>
</ul>
<p>In the digital era, data privacy, open and equitable access to the internet is like clean air or safe drinking water. It has become a central pillar of socio-economic and political dynamics of society, It is a public good that we need to safeguard as a collective right through laws that make controllers of data accountable.</p>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #f7f1b7; border-color: #Drishti Input: It is widely debated now that data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Highlight the issues emerging out of digitalisation and what steps a country like India must take to cope up with them.?;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></em></p>
<p>It is widely debated now that data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Highlight the issues emerging out of digitalisation and what steps a country like India must take to cope up with them.?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/challenges-of-digitisation-and-way-forward'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Tripartite Agreement with French Railways',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)</strong>, has signed a tripartite agreement with <strong>French Railways (SNCF) and AFD, a French Development Agency. </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under this agreement, AFD has agreed to support <strong>capacity building</strong> for the railway station development program in India by providing in-kind grant financing up to 7,00,000 EURO, through <strong>French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs</strong> as well as <strong>Connexions</strong> as a Technical Partner to the corporation.</li>
<li>This will<strong> not impose any financial liability</strong> on Indian Railways or IRSDC.</li>
<li>IRSDC is responsible for developing and redeveloping the existing and new railway stations across India.</li>
<li>The agreement will help Indian Railways in positioning stations across the country as <strong>world-class transport</strong> hubs.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg"><strong>Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the Ministry of Railway that has been designed to develop new stations and redevelop existing Indian railway stations.</li>
<li>IRSDC is a joint venture between Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA).</li>
<li>ISRDC was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 on 12 April 2012</li>
<li>The core purpose of IRSDC is to build world-class railway stations that apply state of the art sustainable technologies. The redevelopment effort is being administered as a PPPP project, i.e. a Public Private Partnership People project.</li>
<li>One of the primary facets is the involvement of developers and the lease of surplus railway land. Thus, monetizing existing assets without stressing the budgetary resources of the nation.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tripartite-agreement-with-french-railways'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => ' Micryletta aishani ',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Scientists from<strong> Delhi University</strong> and the <strong>Wildlife Institute of India,</strong> in collaboration with researchers from <strong>Indonesia and the US,</strong> have discovered a new species of &lsquo;<strong>paddy frog&rsquo;</strong> from <strong>Northeast India,</strong> specifically from Assam.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/817image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/817image1.jpg" width="320" height="178" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The newly found species has been named<strong> Micryletta aishani,</strong> derived from the <strong>Sanskrit word &lsquo;aishani&rsquo;</strong> or aisani meaning Northeast.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani belongs to the <strong>microhylid genus Micryletta,</strong> a group of <strong>narrow-mouthed frogs</strong> more commonly known as paddy frogs (found primarily in Southeast Asia).</li>
<li>First known species of microhylid genus was found in the <strong>island of Sumatra in Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>endemic to Northeast India</strong>, particularly the <strong>Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot region</strong> that lies south of River Brahmaputra. Apart from Assam, it is also present in <strong>Tripura</strong> and <strong>Manipur.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>How Micryletta aishani is different from other Frog species?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unlike most frogs that breed during the monsoon, Micryletta aishani,<strong> breeds before the onset of monsoon</strong> and then go into hiding for the rest of the year.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani, are generally found very <strong>close to human settlements</strong>.</li>
<li>Aishani differs from other narrow-mouthed paddy frogs by characteristics such as <strong>reddish-brown coloration on back, prominent dark</strong> <strong>streaks and ash-grey mottling on the lateral sides</strong>, the shape of the snout, and absence of web on its feet.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani is the<strong> fifth species</strong> of the genus of paddy frogs.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/micryletta-aishani'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Air Pollution and Life Expectancy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>An environment think tank <strong>Centre for Science and Environment</strong> in its report <strong>&ldquo;At the crossroad&rdquo;</strong> has said that <strong>Life expectancy in India has gone down by 2.6 years</strong> due to deadly diseases caused by air pollution.</p>
<p>The report is based on the study of three different organisations:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017</li>
<li>WHO publication titled <strong>Air Pollution and Child Health</strong></li>
<li>The review papers by scientists from the Forum of International Respiratory Societies</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Air pollution is now the <strong>third highest</strong> cause of death among all health risks ranking just above smoking in India. This is a combined effect of outdoor particulate matter (PM 2.5), ozone and household air pollution.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While exposure to outdoor <strong>particulate matter (PM)</strong> accounted for a loss of nearly one year and six months in life expectancy, exposure to household air pollution accounted for a loss of nearly one year and two months. <strong>Household air pollution contributes about a quarter of the outdoor air pollution in the country.</strong></li>
<li>Due to this combined exposure, South Asians, including Indians are dying early. Their life expectancy has reduced by over 2.6 years. This is much higher than the global tally of reduced life expectancy by an average of 20 months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Air pollution can harm acutely as well as chronically, potentially affecting <strong>every organ in the body.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ultra-fine particles pass through lungs are taken up by <strong>cells and carried via the bloodstream</strong> to expose virtually all cells in the body. Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body.</li>
<li>The research shows each and every body part, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems, brain, intelligence, abdominal organs, reproduction, and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damages skin.</li>
<li>Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air.</li>
<li><strong>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)</strong> are responsible for the 49% of overall deaths due to air pollution, followed by lung cancer deaths (33%), diabetes and ischaemic heart disease (22% each) and stroke at (15%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Evidence of Health Risk</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This year has seen mounting evidence on the impact of air pollution on public health.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the <strong>State of Global Air 2019</strong> estimates, over 1.2 million Indians died early due to exposure to unsafe air in 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Type 2 diabetes:</strong> this study has, for the first time, accounted for risks from type 2 diabetes linked to air pollution. This has serious implications for India where type 2 diabetes has taken an epidemic form.</li>
<li>Epidemiological studies in Asia, Europe and North America, supported by toxicology research, have provided strong evidence that exposure to ambient and household PM2.5 contributes to type 2 diabetes incidence and mortality.</li>
<li>Globally for type 2 diabetes deaths and <strong>disability-adjusted life years (DALYs),</strong> after high blood sugar and excess body weight.</li>
<li>Exposure to PM 2.5 pollution has contributed to 276,000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs from type 2 diabetes in 2017 worldwide.</li>
<li>Approximately 80% of Indians breathe air that is worse than the levels recommended by <strong>National Ambient Air Quality Standards,</strong> the entire population of the country lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations above the WHO Air Quality Guideline of 10 &micro;g/m3.</li>
<li><strong>Premature death:</strong> India records the highest premature deaths of children under five years due to toxic air. Over 1 lakh children under the age of five fell victim to air pollution. In 2016, for almost every ten deaths in children under the age of five, one was due to air pollution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It quantifies the burden of disease from mortality and morbidity.</li>
<li>DALYs for a disease or health condition are calculated as the sum of the Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to premature mortality in the population and the Years Lost due to Disability (YLD) for people living with the health condition or its consequences.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/air-pollution-and-life-expectancy'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Phosphine as Fumigant',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Scientists from the <strong>National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (NCIPM)</strong> and <strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</strong> have conducted experiments in four different agro-climatic locations for the use of Phosphine as replacement of methyl bromide.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Phosphine is 100% effective against the pests as a fumigant in a gaseous form. It is normally produced using aluminium phosphate as substrate.</li>
<li>Phosphine may be as effective as the methyl bromide in killing insect pests and can be used as quarantine fumigant at ports.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Methyl Bromide</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Methyl bromide is used for killing insect pests and can be used as quarantine fumigant at ports. Methyl bromide is an <strong>ozone-depleting substance.</strong></li>
<li>India has signed and ratified the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/greenhouse-gas-levels-reach-record-highs-un-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montreal Protocol</a>, and is committed to phasing out methyl bromide and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by 2015.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fumigant is still used at Indian ports for treating cereals and pulses imported from other countries to quarantine insect pests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fumigant is said to have<strong> 60 times ozone-depleting potential</strong> than refrigerant chlorofluorocarbons, which has already been phased out globally.</li>
<li>95% of the countries in the world have phased out methyl bromide and only India and a few South East Asian countries currently permit its use.</li>
<li>India has been penalising those who are exporting food products without treating them with methyl bromide and this has been an issue of contention in many bilateral trade deals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Use of Phosphine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has banned the use of methyl bromide in domestic warehouses, phosphine is used in its place as a fumigant.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is because <strong>methyl bromide is not good for repeated use</strong> as it leaves residues in the grains.</li>
<li>The grains stored in warehouses need to be fumigated every three months and phosphine, which has no residual build-up should be preferred over methyl bromide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Currently, methyl bromide is preferred as <strong>quarantine pest fumigant</strong> as it is fast-acting and provides an advantage of time.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is capable of killing pests like grain borers, beetles and weevils in less than 24 hours.</li>
<li>Phosphine, on the other hand, takes almost five days.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ozone-depleting substances&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are man-made gases that destroy ozone once they reach the ozone layer. The ozone layer exists in the <strong>stratosphere (upper atmosphere)</strong> and reduces the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation that reaches Earth from the sun.</li>
<li>Ultraviolet radiation can have detrimental effects on both humans and the environment such as inducing skin cancer and cataracts, distorting plant growth and damaging the marine environment.</li>
<li>Ozone-depleting substances include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)</li>
<li>Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)</li>
<li>Hydrobromoflurocarbons (HBFCs)</li>
<li>Halons</li>
<li>Methyl bromide</li>
<li>Carbon tetrachloride</li>
<li>Methyl chloroform</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These substances have been used as refrigerants in commercial, home and vehicle air conditioners and refrigerators, foam blowing agents, components in electrical equipment, industrial solvents, solvents for cleaning (including dry cleaning), aerosol spray propellants, fumigants.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/phosphine-as-fumigant'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Deadlock in RCEP Trade Negotiations',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Senior officials from India and China met in New Delhi to try and reach a common ground on market-opening commitments under Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RCEP is a <strong>proposed regional economic integration agreement among the 10 <a href="/burning-issues-of-the-month/association-of-southeast-asian-nations-asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASEAN</a> countries</strong> and its six free-trade agreement partners&mdash;<strong>Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, South Korea and India</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Once implemented, it would result in one of the largest free trade bloc</strong> accounting for 45% of the world's population, and a combined GDP of about $21.3 trillion and 40% of the world trade.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Concerns vis-a-vis China</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is not comfortable with opening markets in goods being pushed especially by China. <strong>India wants to offer much lower market access in goods to China compared to other members</strong> such as the ASEAN, Japan and South Korea. However, <strong>China is not willing to accept it.</strong></li>
<li><strong>India wants clearly defined rules of origin</strong> to ensure integrity and sanctity of tariff differentiation. This is <strong>to prevent Chinese goods from flooding the country</strong> through member countries that may have lower or no duty levels.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chinese garments are already making their way into India through the duty-free route under the South Asia Free Trade Pact and the Duty-Free Quota-Free window from Bangladesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>At least 13 countries</strong> including Australia, Japan and New Zealand <strong>oppose India&rsquo;s proposal for strict criteria to determine the source country of a product</strong>, based on which they get tariff concessions in the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact.</li>
<li>India had a trade deficit with 11 RCEP members including China, South Korea and Australia in 2018-19.</li>
<li>India has so far offered to eliminate tariffs for 70-80 % of goods for China over an extended period of time and it is unwilling to give more concessions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China runs a trade surplus of over $60 billion with India</strong> and the domestic industry is reeling under heavy competition from Chinese goods.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s aluminium and copper industries are worried about China&rsquo;s presence</strong> in the grouping and anticipate widening of the trade deficit due to an <strong>alarming spike in imports and a potential threat to the Make in India initiative.</strong></li>
<li><strong>China</strong> is also hinting at going in <strong>for a free trade agreement between the ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(ASEAN+3)</a> </strong>if the RCEP talks take too long.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The South Asia Free Trade Pact</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) is an <strong>agreement</strong> among the seven South Asia countries that form the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation <strong>(SAARC): Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.</strong></li>
<li>It came into effect on 1st January 2006, with the<strong> aim of reducing tariffs for intra regional trade among the seven SAARC members.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deadlock-in-rcep-trade-negotiations'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minister has cleared the setting up of the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA) which has been entrusted with the task of <strong>creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The agency would be provided with a team of scientists and <strong>would be working in close coordination with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tri-service-command-in-the-domain-of-special-operations-cyberspace-and-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tri-services</a> integrated Defence staff officers.</strong></li>
<li>It would provide <strong>the research and development support to the Defence Space Agency (DSA)</strong> which comprises members of the three services (Army, Naval and Air Force).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The DSA has been created to help the country fight wars in outer space.</strong></li>
<li>The DSA has been <strong>set up in Bengaluru</strong> under an Air Vice Marshal-rank officer and will gradually take over the space-related capabilities of the three forces.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Integrated Defence Staff (IDS)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Integrated Defence Staff was set up in <strong>October 2001</strong> under the Ministry of Defence in the aftermath <strong>of &lsquo;Operation Vijay&rsquo; (Kargil Operations).</strong></li>
<li>The main objective was <strong>to promote synergy among the three Services</strong> and to integrate these with the Ministry of Defence.</li>
<li>The organisation has representation from all three services, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDA) and Department of Defence and Department of Finance.</li>
<li><strong>The overarching aim of IDS is to achieve &lsquo;Victory through Jointness&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-space-research-agency-dsra'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'PRS Capsule May 2019',
			'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
			'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<ul class="ticklist" style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="#1">Education</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Draft National Education Policy 2019</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#2">Labour and Employment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers</li>
<li>Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#3">Agriculture</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Cabinet approves PM Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers</li>
<li>Ambit of PM-KISAN scheme extended to include all farmer families</li>
<li>Cabinet approves programme for controlling diseases among livestock</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#4">Finance</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>RBI publishes vision document on Payment and Settlement Systems in India</li>
<li>Working group submits its report on Foreign Portfolio Investors regulations</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Defence </a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry introduces scheme for self certification of defence products</li>
<li>Changes to scholarship scheme under the National Defence Fund</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#6">Petroleum and Natural Gas</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry notifies guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel</li>
<li>High Level Committee recommends strategy to reduce import dependency</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#7">Statistics and Programme Implementation</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Merger of CSO and NSSO into National Statistics Office</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#8">Energy</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Connecting old solar off-grid plants to the grid</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="1">Education</h3>
<p><strong>Draft National Education Policy 2019 released</strong></p>
<p>The Committee chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan submitted its report for Draft National Education Policy on May 31, 2019. The report proposes an Education Policy, which seeks to address the challenges of: (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system. Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Extending the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education, thereby extending the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to eighteen years. Currently, the RTE Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of six to fourteen years.</li>
<li>There should be no detention of children till class eight. Instead, schools must ensure that children are achieving age-appropriate learning levels.</li>
<li>State Census Examinations for students of classes three, five and eight to track students&rsquo; progress throughout their school experience.</li>
<li>To reduce the stress levels of students, the Committee recommended restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities.</li>
<li>Restructuring of higher education institutions into three types: (i) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching; (ii) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching but conducting significant research as well; and (iii) colleges focusing only on teaching in undergraduate education.</li>
<li>Setting up of the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority which would replace the existing individual regulators in higher education, including professional education.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Labour and Employment</h3>
<p><strong>Pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers approved</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Labour and Employment approved a voluntary minimum pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers. Key features of the scheme include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each beneficiary under the scheme shall receive a minimum assured pension of Rs 3,000 per month after reaching the age of 60 years. The central government will match the contribution made by the beneficiary.</li>
<li>The Scheme will apply to shopkeepers, self-employed persons, and retail traders with a GST turnover of less than Rs. 1.5 crore, between the ages of 18 and 40 years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey released</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the first Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey. The Report provides annual estimates relating to various aspects of employment and unemployment at the national and state level. Key results of the Survey include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for age 15-59 years was found to be 53%. Of this, the LFPR for males was 80.2% and for females was 25.3%.</li>
<li>The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for age 15-59 years was 49.5%. Of this, the WPR for males was 74.9% and for females was 23.8%.</li>
<li>On an all-India level, 52.2% of people had their major source of income from self employment; 24.9% had their major source of income from casual labour; and 22.8% from regular wage/salary.</li>
<li>The all-India total unemployment rate was 6.1%. The unemployment rate was 6.2% for males, while it was 5.7% in case of females.</li>
<li>Unemployment rate among urban workforce was 7.8%, while the unemployment rate for the rural workforce was 5.3%.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Agriculture</h3>
<p><strong>Cabinet approves PM Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers.</li>
<li>This scheme will provide farmers with a minimum fixed pension of Rs 3,000 per month on attaining the age of 60 years.</li>
<li>It is a voluntary contribution-based scheme where the amount contributed by the farmer will be matched by the central government.</li>
<li>Farmers between the age of 18 to 40 years will be eligible to start making contributions under the scheme.</li>
<li>After the beneficiary&rsquo;s death (after the age of 60 years), their spouse will be entitled to receive 50% of the pension receivable as family pension, provided the spouse is not already a beneficiary under the scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ambit of PM-KISAN scheme extended to include all farmer families</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PM-KISAN scheme which was earlier applicable only for small and marginal landholder farmers has now been extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings.</li>
<li>The revised scheme is expected to cover around two crore more farmers, increasing the coverage to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries. With this increase in coverage, expenditure on the scheme is estimated to increase from Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 87,218 crore in 2019-20.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cabinet approves programme for controlling diseases among livestock</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved a programme for controlling certain diseases among livestock in the country. These include foot and mouth disease, and brucellosis.</li>
<li>Foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that causes fever, blisters inside the mouth and on the feet of animals thereby leading to lameness and excessive salivation. The disease could reduce milk output in cows and buffaloes by up to 100% for a period of four to six months.</li>
<li>Under the cabinet approved programme, vaccination would be provided to: (i) 30 crore bovines (cows, bulls and buffaloes), (ii) 20 crore sheep and goats, and (iii) one crore pigs at an interval of six months, to control Foot and mouth disease.</li>
<li>Brucellosis causes early abortions and infertility in animals, and could reduce milk output by 30% during the entire life cycle of the animal.</li>
<li>To control brucellosis, 3.6 crore female calves would be provided 100% vaccination coverage. The programme will be completely funded by the central government.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Finance</h3>
<p><strong>RBI publishes vision document on Payment and Settlement Systems in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India has published the &ldquo;Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019-2021&rdquo; document.</li>
<li>The main aim of Payment Systems Vision 2021 is empowering every Indian with access to a bouquet of e-payment options that are safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable.</li>
<li>Further, it also aims to: (i) enhance the experience of customers, (ii) empower digital payment system operators and service providers, (iii) enable the digital payment ecosystem and infrastructure, and (iv) put in place a forward looking regulation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Working group submits its report on Foreign Portfolio Investors regulations</strong></p>
<p>A working group was constituted by SEBI to review the Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) Regulations, 2014. The Group has recently submitted its recommendations on the Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) regulations. Key recommendations of the Group include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under current norms, FPIs are allowed to collectively invest up to 24% in a listed Indian company. The working group recommends Indian companies allowed to increase this limit up to the sectoral cap/ statutory ceiling in their sector as per the Foreign Exchange Management Act, with the approval of the Board of Directors.</li>
<li>Setting the default investment limit to the sectoral cap and allowing companies to reduce this limit by way of a Board Resolution.</li>
<li>Simplifying the certification and verification process for &lsquo;Know your Customer&rsquo; (KYC).</li>
<li>A fast-track registration process for a set of investors such as pension funds.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Defence</h3>
<p><strong>Ministry introduces scheme for self-certification of defence products</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Defence introduced a scheme to allow for self-certification of defence products manufactured by Defence Public Sector Undertakings and private vendors.</li>
<li>Self certification implies that the responsibility of certifying the quality of the product will be that of the vendor.</li>
<li>The objective of the scheme is to encourage vendors to assume direct responsibility to sustain and improve the quality of products.</li>
<li>Self-certification status will be granted by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance, based on an assessment of the quality management system put in place by the vendor, and other parameters.</li>
<li>This status will be awarded for a period of three years. Self-certification status may be revoked in case any deficiencies in quality and reliability of the product are observed by the user.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Changes to scholarship scheme under the National Defence Fund approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Prime Minister&rsquo;s Scholarship Scheme is a scheme being implemented under the National Defence Fund. It seeks to encourage technical and post-graduate education for widows and children of deceased/ex-service personnel of the Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces, and Railway Protection Force.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has recently approved certain changes to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Scholarship Scheme.</li>
<li>As per new changes, the rates of scholarships have been increased from Rs 2,000 per month to Rs 2,500 per month for boys, and from Rs 2,250 per month to Rs 3,000 per month for girls. Also, the ambit of the scheme has been extended to include the children of state police officials who were killed during naxal or terror attacks.</li>
<li>For the children of state police officials, 500 scholarships will be awarded per year. The Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal ministry for such cases.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Petroleum and Natural Gas</h3>
<p><strong>Ministry notifies guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recently notified guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel for transportation. Important points from the guidelines notified by the Ministry include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Permission for retail sale of biodiesel will be granted exclusively for sale of biodiesel (B-100) and not for any mixture of whatever percentage.</li>
<li>Biodiesel permitted for sale should be indigenously produced and not imported.</li>
<li>Separate boards in multiple languages should be prominently displayed at the biodiesel retail outlets displaying the percentage of Biodiesel allowed to be blended with diesel.</li>
<li>A registration system for biodiesel manufacturers, suppliers and sellers will be devised at the state level.</li>
<li>State Government authorities shall have the power to carry out regular inspections of the retail outlets selling biodiesel.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Level Committee recommends strategy to reduce import dependency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the High-Level Committee constituted by the government to examine issues relating to the Petroleum and Natural Gas sector has submitted its report on the same.</li>
<li>The Committee examined the preparation of action plan to create synergy among research and development centres of oil and gas public sector undertakings (PSUs), tax issues, and ways to benefit from GST by the oil and gas PSUs.</li>
<li>It recommended short term, medium term and long term strategies to reduce the import dependency of the nation.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Statistics and Programme Implementation</h3>
<p><strong>Merger of CSO and NSSO into National Statistics Office approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, Central Statistics Office (CSO) is an attached Office and NSSO is subordinate Office under the control of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has recently approved merging of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) into a single statistics wing, which will be known as the National Statistical Office (NSO).</li>
<li>The National Statistical Office (NSO) so formed would be headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Energy</h3>
<p><strong>Connecting old solar off-grid plants to the grid approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy approved connecting the old solar off-grid power plants to the grid.</li>
<li>The connections will be made in areas where reliable grid supply is now available with provision for net-metering.</li>
<li>The connections will be subject to applicable regulatory provisions. Further, the cost of such connections will be borne by the respective state government or beneficiary departments.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Note:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On-grid solar systems generate power only when the utility power grid is available and directly connected to the utility feed. On-grid systems send excess power generated to the utility grid when you are overproducing.</li>
<li>Off-grid systems allow you to store and save your solar power in batteries for use when the power grid goes down. It is meant to be entirely self-sustaining.</li>
<li>Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system (or plant) owners for the electricity they add to the grid.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-may-2019'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Disaster Management-II',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<h3>Organisations related to Disaster Management Framework at Global level</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1994 the <strong>World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction</strong> was held in Yokohama, Japan. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The conference <strong>adopted the Yokohama strategy</strong> and declared the <strong>decade 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)</strong> is the successor to the secretariat of IDNDR and was <strong>created in 1999</strong> to implement UN Disaster Risk Reduction strategy.</li>
<li><strong>The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is a 10-year plan (2005-2015)</strong> to make the world safer from natural hazards. Priorities such as, Disaster risk reduction, identification, assessment through legal and policy frameworks, disaster preparedness and use of innovation was adopted.</li>
<li><strong>The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,</strong> is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a <strong>non-binding agreement,</strong> which the signatory nations, including India, will attempt to comply with on a voluntary basis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are three international agreements within the context of the post- 2015 development agenda. These are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Sendai Framework.</li>
<li>Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030</li>
<li>The Paris agreement (COP 21) on Climate Change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These three agreements recognize the desired outcomes in Disaster Risk Reduction as a product of interconnected social and economic processes, which overlap across the agendas of the three agreements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sendai Framework</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484756_Image56.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484756_Image56.jpg" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Organisations an Policies related to Disaster Management Framework at National level</h3>
<p><strong>National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It was established in 2005,</strong> under the Disaster Management Act 2005.</li>
<li>The objective of NDMA is, <strong>to build a safer and disaster resilient India</strong> by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy.</li>
<li>The NDMA is <strong>chaired by the Prime Minister of India</strong> and has a vice chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister and eight members with the status of Ministers of State.</li>
<li>The NDMA Secretariat is headed by a Secretary and deals with mitigation, preparedness, plans, reconstruction, community awareness and financial and administrative aspects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>released in 2016,</strong> it is the first ever national plan prepared in the country for disaster management.</li>
<li>With National Disaster Management Plan (2016) India has aligned its National plan with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, to which India is a signatory.</li>
<li>The objective of the plan is to make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction. It aims to significantly decrease the losses of life, livelihoods, and assets in terms of economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental. To maximize the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At State level, State Disaster Management Authorities are established under Disaster Management Act 2005.</li>
<li><strong>SDMA is chaired by the Chief Minister of the State</strong> and has not more than eight members who are appointed by the Chief Minister.</li>
<li>The SDMA prepares the state disaster management plan and implements the National Disaster Management Plan.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under Disaster Management Act 2005, every State government shall establish a DDMA for every district in the State.</li>
<li>The DDM Authority shall consist of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chairperson -</strong> the Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner act as Chairperson of DDMA.</li>
<li><strong>Co-Chairperson -</strong> is the elected representative of the local authority. In the Tribal Areas, the Chief Executive Member of the district council of autonomous district is the co-chairperson.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are not more than seven other members in DDMA.</li>
<li>The Disaster Management Committee governed under District Magistrate will <strong>formulate village level disaster management plans</strong> for concern villages.</li>
<li>The DDMA makes District Disaster Management Plan and implements the state Disaster Management Plan.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484791_image29.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484791_image29.jpg" caption="false" width="544" height="570" /></span></em></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">*Planning Commission no longer exists.</span></em></p>
<h3>Government Initiatives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is a <strong>signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction</strong> and is committed to achieve the priorities and objectives through systematic and institutional efforts.</li>
<li>With multi-dimensional initiatives and expertise, India is taking a leading role in strengthening regional cooperation among South Asian countries for reducing disasters.</li>
<li>India is one of the participating countries and <strong>works closely with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)</strong>. India has been working closely with many countries for the exchange of ideas and expertise in disaster management.</li>
<li><strong>National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)</strong> defines the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders including Central Ministries/ Departments, State Governments, UT Administrations, District Authorities and local self Governments.</li>
<li><strong>Primary responsibility of disaster management rests with the States.</strong> The Central Government conducts regular mock drill, community training and awareness programme to prepare the civilian populations for disasters.</li>
<li><strong>National Disaster Management Services (NDMS)</strong> was conceived by NDMA during 2015-16 for setting up of <strong>Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Network</strong> connecting MHA, NDMA, NDRF etc. to provide the failsafe communication infrastructure and technical support for Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) operations across the country.</li>
<li>NDMA has taken an initiative on<strong> Earthquake Disaster Risk Indexing (EDRI)</strong> for 50 important cities and 1 District in Seismic Zone IV &amp; V areas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This kind of indexing will be helpful in comparing the overall risk across large number of cities or region and also in prioritization of cities to implement appropriate disaster mitigation measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NDMA through <strong>Building Materials &amp; Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC)</strong> has prepared <strong>Upgraded Earthquake Hazard Maps and Atlases</strong> for the country for better planning and policies.</li>
<li>Leveraging the technology of geographic information system (GIS), NDMA have taken up a project for <strong>disaster risk management by establishing GIS Server</strong> and creation of database to integrate data obtained from various stakeholders to increase disaster preparedness, mitigation, damage assessment, response and relief management efforts.</li>
<li>Under the <strong>National School Safety Programme (NSSP)</strong>, 8600 schools (with 200 schools in 43 districts in 22 States/UTs falling seismic zones IV and V) have been selected for providing training on school safety and disaster preparedness.</li>
<li><strong>The Aapdamitra scheme of NDMA</strong> has provision for training 6000 community volunteers in disaster response in 30 most flood prone districts (200 volunteers per district) in 25 States.</li>
<li>The government has set up <strong>National Crisis Management Committee and Crisis Management Group</strong>.</li>
<li>The state governments have set up <strong>state crisis management groups headed by chief secretaries,</strong> institutes of relief commissioners and state/district contingency plans.</li>
<li>The disaster management policy of the government stresses on forecasting and warning using advanced technologies, <strong>contingency agricultural planning</strong> to ensure availability of food grains, and preparedness and mitigation through specific programmes.</li>
<li>Project on <strong>deployment of Mobile Radiation Detection Systems (MRDS)</strong> to handle Radiological Hazards in Metros/Capital Cities/Big Cities in India to detect unclaimed radioactive materials/substances and save public from its hazardous effects.</li>
<li><strong>Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS)</strong> envisages financial support for site specific Landslide Mitigation Projects recommended by landslide prone States, covering disaster prevention strategy, disaster mitigation and R&amp;D in monitoring of critical Landslides thereby leading to the development of Early Warning System and Capacity Building initiatives. The Scheme is under preparation.</li>
<li>Core Group has been formed for Preparation of Guidelines to avert Boat Tragedies in India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disaster Management in India: Success stories</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian government's <strong>"zero casualty" policy for cyclones</strong> and the pinpoint accuracy of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) early warning system has helped reduce the possibility of deaths from <strong>cyclone Fani in Odisha</strong>.</li>
<li>India's policy of <strong>minimising fatalities from cyclones</strong> has been proven by past performances as in <strong>cyclone Phailin in 2013,</strong> when famously the casualty rate was kept to as low as 45 despite the intensity of the storm.</li>
<li>In August 2010 during the <strong>flash floods due to cloudburst in Leh in Ladakh</strong> region by the Indian Army. The <strong>Army's immediate search, rescue, and relief operations</strong> and mass casualty management effectively and efficiently mitigated the impact of flash floods, and restored normal life.</li>
<li>Bihar suffers from floods almost every year during the monsoon season, predominantly due to the Ganges and its tributaries. The State has successfully scaled up disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts since 2011.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are significant <strong>gaps in preparedness</strong> on various aspects of risk management, particularly for catastrophic disasters like major earthquakes and floods.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though all of India&rsquo;s states have <strong>departments of disaster management</strong> or relief and rehabilitation, they <strong>are still poorly prepared</strong> to lend support in times of disasters, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP).</li>
<li>In a number of recent disasters, <strong>2010 mudslides in Leh, Sikkim earthquake in 2011 and the Uttarakhand floods of 2013,</strong> the level of preparedness was inadequate, leading to high levels of mortality and displacement of people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Facilities such as emergency operations centres, emergency communications, and search and rescue teams are being made available but these systems and facilities need to be strengthened.</li>
<li><strong>In India Disaster management is yet to be seen as an essential part of good governance and integral to development planning.</strong></li>
<li>The preparedness at various levels are <strong>not people-oriented</strong>.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s capacity to manage disaster risk is challenged by its <strong>size and huge population</strong>. The country is likely to have the greatest exposure of any nation in the world to extreme weather and natural disasters by 2030.</li>
<li>The northeast region is most at risk from earthquakes and <strong>lacks seismically secure infrastructure and buildings</strong>. It is also vulnerable to landslides, floods and erosion.</li>
<li>Flooding on the country&rsquo;s plains is a regular occurrence, and although communities are resilient, the <strong>intensity of floods has reduced their capacity to adapt</strong>.</li>
<li>The local adaptation efforts driven solely by communities are no longer sufficient and <strong>additional, scientifically planned adaptation is needed,</strong> which will require government support.</li>
<li>The division of responsibilities under the Disaster Management Act is not very clear, resulting in its poor implementation. There also exists an overlap between the implementing agencies</li>
<li>Intense public and media scrutiny after disasters automatically leads to a <strong>higher priority being given to response, rather than risk reduction</strong>.</li>
<li>Furthermore, where risk-reduction activities are described, State Disaster Management Plans (SDMPs) does not institutionalise accountability mechanisms to ensure that departments follow these considerations in their own planning. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As a result, risk-reduction activities are driven by schemes and external projects, rather than by guidelines in SDMPs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Because risk-reduction needs are locations specific, this gap is an opportunity for stronger, locally led risk-reduction planning by Strengthening disaster risk management in India</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A clearer demarcation of national and state-level responsibilities is needed, especially regarding who is responsible for risk-reduction activities.</li>
<li>It is vital for state disaster management authorities to focus on the continued <strong>capacity-building of district disaster management authorities</strong> and CSOs that are responsible for managing disaster risk.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Capacity-building should support the planning and implementation of actions across the full disaster management cycle.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There is a <strong>need to revise the SDMPs</strong> to include a much greater emphasis on risk reduction, rather than just preparedness and response.</li>
<li>Existing rules and regulations that impede the inclusion of measures for risk reduction need to be amended.</li>
<li><strong>Build partnerships</strong> with and draw lessons from forerunner states such as Bihar and Gujarat on how to include risk reduction in plans more effectively.</li>
<li><strong>Accountability mechanisms</strong> need to be specified. This will ensure that departments follow disaster risk-reduction considerations in their own development planning.</li>
<li><strong>There is an urgent need to put the National Disaster Mitigation Fund and state disaster management funds into operation.</strong> States such as Bihar, which are leading in this regard, should share lessons on how to realise this at the state level.</li>
<li>States should have decision-making power regarding whether state disaster management authorities control funds for risk reduction, or whether these are distributed to government departments.</li>
<li><strong>Public-private partnerships</strong> should be looked at more seriously as alternative modes of financing. Models such as the <strong>Surat Climate Change Trust</strong>, a collaboration between the private sector and the urban local body in Surat, Gujarat, should be studied and, if suitable, replicated.</li>
<li><strong>Risk-transfer mechanisms and insurance</strong> should be scaled up to support risk reduction.</li>
<li>States should include downscaled climate projections into SDMPs, so that future and evolving risks can be taken into account.</li>
<li>Using data that are already being uploaded onto platforms such as the Open Government Data Platform can help to synthesise a clearer understanding of vulnerability.</li>
<li>There is a need to <strong>expand capacity-building activities</strong> on disaster management within departments, so that they include all stages of the disaster cycle, rather than the current emphasis on emergency response.</li>
<li>It is important to ensure the participation of nodal officials from all key state government departments while revising SDMPs; working with technical institutions and NGOs to train nodal officials is also useful.</li>
<li>The needs of women and other marginalised groups must be considered across all types of disaster risk management activity, rather than only response and relief activities, as is currently the case.</li>
<li><strong>Publicly available census data on sex, age and disability need to be included in vulnerability analyses.</strong></li>
<li>Clearer guidelines need to be issued for the genuine participation of vulnerable communities in processes to develop district disaster management plans.</li>
<li>Officials from state disaster management authorities should be trained in gender-responsive budgeting and gender mainstreaming.</li>
<li>Collaboration with state and central scientific institutions would help state disaster management authorities to <strong>track changing risk and risk of losses through modelling,</strong> rather than only measuring disaster impacts.</li>
<li>The National Disaster Management Authority should prepare guidelines and/ or a framework to support subnational governments in aligning with the Sendai Framework.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Disasters are no longer to be considered as occurrences that are to be managed through emergency response services. So, there is a need to foster a culture of prevention and identification of the key issues to be addressed especially in the development process.</li>
<li>The path ahead for managing disasters is to bring in a <strong>people-centered development strategy</strong>.</li>
<li>Strategies for disaster management should be accompanied by <strong>strong political will,</strong> keenness and commitment on the part of all concerned actors involved in the exercise.</li>
<li>Educating people in Disaster Risk Reduction is the need of the hour and it can be done through <strong>decentralised planning, implementation and monitoring and control</strong>.</li>
<li>The major strategies which should get prominence are <strong>institutionalising national systems and capacities,</strong> strengthening governance mechanisms at local level, building community resilience, reducing the vulnerabilities of the communities at risk and public private people partnerships etc.</li>
<li>Disaster Management has to embark upon a strategy aimed at holistic human development <strong>integrating the sustainable development goals,</strong> policies and practices that harness people&rsquo;s strengths instead of vulnerabilities.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/disaster-management-ii'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Draft Education Policy 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-government-wish-list-for-schools-hrd-ministry-national-education-policy-draft-5772434/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Government wish list for schools&rdquo;</a> which appeared in Indian Express on 11th June 2019. It talks about policy changes proposed by Draft education policy 2019.</p>
</div>
<p>A committee headed by K Kasturirangan submitted a new draft National Education Policy to the HRD Minister, now in public domain, is open for discussion with states (as education is a concurrent list subject) and all stakeholders.</p>
<p>Draft policy envisages India to become a knowledge superpower. It is based on the foundation pillar of access, equity, quality, affordability &amp; accountability<br />The draft policy provided a comprehensive and holistic view of education reforms - technical, legal, agricultural, vocational, R&amp;D innovation, teacher&rsquo;s education.</p>
<h3>What are the salient features of the draft policy and their significance?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pre-primary education</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft policy acknowledges a <strong>&ldquo;severe learning crisis&rdquo;</strong> in India, where children in primary school fail to attain basic math and reading skills.</li>
<li>This learning crisis is due to the &ldquo;tragic deficiency&rdquo; in <strong>early childhood care and education (ECCE)</strong> of children in the age group 3-6 years.</li>
<li>So the draft recommends that ECCE be made an integral part of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>After which it will be obligatory for the public system to provide appropriate and quality educational infrastructure, facilities, and educators to all children in the <strong>age group of 3-6 years.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>To <strong>strengthen and expand ECCE,</strong> the draft policy recommends:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Increased investment in existing <strong>Anganwadi centres</strong> (meant for providing basic nutrition, healthcare and pre-school education to 3-to-6-year-olds),</li>
<li>To ensure continuity from pre-primary to primary schools, the draft advocates bringing all aspects of ECCE under the purview of the Human Resource Development Ministry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reading and math skills</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A large number of children currently in elementary school cannot read and understand the basic text and solve simple addition and subtraction problems(Highlighted by ASER report 2018).</li>
<li>To resolve this learning deficit:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It proposes <strong>redesigning of the school curriculum</strong> for Grades 1 to 5 to include dedicated mathematics and reading hours every day.</li>
<li>A <strong>&lsquo;Remedial Instructional Aides Programme&rsquo;</strong> to draw instructors from the local community to hold remedial classes during school hours, after school hours and during summer vacations for students who need help.</li>
<li>A <strong>&lsquo;National Tutors Programme&rsquo;</strong> that will enrol the best performers of each school for up to five hours a week as tutors for students who have fallen behind.</li>
<li>Also, a school preparation module to be prepared by NCERT for all Grade 1 students to ensure they have the required learning levels (letters, shapes, colours, numbers) before starting the Grade 1 syllabus.</li>
<li>A nutritious breakfast, in addition to the midday meal, for improved learning.</li>
<li>Vacancies to be filled urgently to ensure a pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Higher Education</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It aims to create <strong>world-class multidisciplinary higher education institutions</strong> across the country, based on a three-tier system:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Tier 1: Research institutions, Tier 2: Teaching institutions, Tier 3: Colleges which become autonomous degree-granting colleges</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It aims to increase GER(Gross enrolment ratio) in higher education to at least 50% by 2035.</li>
<li>It proposes opening up of National Research Foundation, which grants competitive funding for outstanding research proposals across all disciplines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Curriculum and pedagogy</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 1986 national education policy standardised school education with its push for a uniform 10+2 structure.</li>
<li>The draft pitches for reconfiguration of curriculum and pedagogy in a <strong>&ldquo;5+3+3+4&rdquo; design&nbsp;</strong>(A four-staged curriculum).</li>
<li>The foundational phase <strong>(From three years of pre-school to Grade 2),</strong> the draft policy recommends, should comprise five years of flexible &ldquo;play-based, activity-based, and discovery-based&rdquo; learning and interaction.</li>
<li>This is followed by a preparatory phase consisting of <strong>three years (Grades 3, 4 and 5)</strong> of basic education incorporating some textbooks as well as aspects of more formal classroom learning.</li>
<li>The next three years of middle school education <strong>(Grades 6, 7 and 8)</strong> would involve developing more abstract thinking.</li>
<li>Secondary education phase of four years <strong>(Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12),</strong> for subject teaching.</li>
<li>Also, It proposes no hard separation of school content in terms of curricular, extracurricular, or co-curricular areas, and between arts and sciences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Languages</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft recommends continuance of the <strong>three-language formula.</strong></li>
<li>But it has proposed flexibility in the choice of languages, <strong>Hindi and English are no longer the stipulated language that students must study from Grade 6.</strong></li>
<li>Further, it advocates a reduction in curriculum load and reorientation of the curriculum to promote multilingualism, ancient Indian knowledge systems, scientific temper, ethical reasoning, social responsibility, digital literacy and knowledge of critical issues facing local communities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is the 3 language formula?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> three-language formula</strong> for language learning was formulated in 1968, based on national education policy 1968 submitted by Kothari commission.</li>
<li>It envisaged the study of Hindi, English and modern Indian language (preferably one of the southern languages) in the Hindi speaking states and Hindi, English and Regional language in the non-Hindi speaking States.</li>
<li>It sought to create symbiotic relationship between northern languages(Primarily Hindi) and southern languages(Dravidian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada etc.)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Separation of functions:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft NEP 2018 calls for decentralisation, with each of these functions carried out by separate bodies &ndash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Policy-making by a <strong>&lsquo;Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog&rsquo;</strong> (Education Commission at the national level, headed by the PM);</li>
<li>Operation and regulation by the department of school education and an independent State School Regulatory Authority in each state, which will set basic and uniform standards for both public and private schools;</li>
<li>Academic matters, including standard setting and curriculum, to be continued to be led by the State Councils of Educational Research and Training.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other reforms:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft policy envisages an <strong>amendment of the RTE Act,</strong> to increase its ambit from pre-school (age of 3 years) to class 12<sup>th</sup>.</li>
<li>Early vocational exposure, with basic knowledge of various livelihoods (gardening, pottery, electrical work, etc) will be taught at Foundational and Elementary levels.</li>
<li>Teachers will not be engaged in time-consuming, non-teaching work such as electioneering and cooking of midday meals.</li>
<li>Para-teacher&rdquo; (Shikshakarmi, Shiksha-Mitra, etc) systems to be stopped by 2022.</li>
<li>All schools will be accredited as per the School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The provisions of draft policy are progressive ideas, but there are roadblocks in their implementation. These mostly relate to funding requirements and governance architecture.</p>
<p>(At least it needs doubling of public funding to 6% of the GDP)</p>
<p>Apart from it If the political leadership backs it, implementation of the policy will transform our nation.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #662209; background-color: #f2b1b1;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1108.89px;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>Education can play a central role in the transformation of India. Discuss in the context of Draft national education policy 2019?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/draft-education-policy-2019'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Bharat Stage - VI',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</strong> released <strong>India&rsquo;s first</strong> Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage - VI (BS &ndash; VI) norms for the<strong> two-wheeler segment.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bharat stage norms are the<strong> emission norms</strong> which the automotive manufacturers have to comply to sell their vehicles in India.</li>
<li>These norms are applicable to all <strong>two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers, and construction equipment vehicles.</strong></li>
<li>To curb the growing menace of<strong> air pollution</strong> through the vehicle's emission, the Government of India has decided to<strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/only-bs-vi-vehicles-to-be-sold-from-april-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> leapfrog from the existing BS &ndash; IV norms to the BS- VI</a>,</strong> thereby skipping the BS &ndash; V norms, and to implement the BS &ndash; VI norms with effect from 1st April 2020.&nbsp;</li>
<li>From <strong>1st April 2020,</strong> only those vehicles will be sold and registered in India which complies with these norms.</li>
<li>The norms are stringent and at par with<strong> global standards.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3><strong></strong><strong></strong>International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICAT is the premier <strong>testing and certification agency</strong> authorized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad.</li>
<li>It has the latest equipment, facilities, and capabilities to develop, validate, test and certify the engines and vehicles for the latest <strong>norms in the field of emission</strong> and many other facilities like crash lab, NVH lab, EMC lab and test tracks.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharat-stage-vi'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Valasa Devarlu',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Valasa Devarlu</strong> is an age-old rural festival, celebrated in the number of villages of <strong>Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh</strong>.</li>
<li>It is a traditional ritual, dating back to the reign of emperor <strong>Srikrishna Devarayalu or Krishna devaraya</strong>.</li>
<li>It is celebrated in the face of drought conditions. When only a few weeks left for the sowing season to close.</li>
<li>During the failure of rains, crops failure and breakout of epidemics, the entire population of a village would abandon the households at dawn and retreat into the fields or tank bunds till dusk.</li>
<li>The village elders would initiate special pujas to the goddess <strong>&lsquo;Valasa Devaramma&rsquo;</strong>, an idol made of clay, consecrated under a tent or a tree. After having community lunch, the population would return to their village. The time is marked by dancing, singing and chit-chatting.</li>
<li>The male members of the families offered prayers at the famous Gangamma temple atop Boyakonda hillock nearby, followed by animal sacrifice.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Krishna devaraya&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was a prominent ruler of the <strong>Vijayanagara Empire of South India</strong>. As the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire, he extended the empire to most of South India, which included present-day <strong>Karnataka, Northern Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh</strong>, stretching upwards in the<strong> northeast to Cuttack</strong>.</li>
<li>He ascended the throne during the most critical stage of the empire and went on to consolidate it as a flourishing empire. He played a major role in defeating the Bahmani Sultans and Portuguese, forcing them to retreat their plans of expanding their empire beyond their boundaries.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/valasa-devarlu'
		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Cyclone Vayu',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-warming-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Meteorological Department</a> issued an <strong>orange alert</strong> over Cyclone Vayu.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cyclone Vayu,</strong> named by India, is only a <strong>deep depression</strong> and is still to develop into a strong cyclone.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/395image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/395image3.jpg" width="453" height="413" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>The cyclone is currently positioned around 250 km northwest of Amindivi island in Lakshadweep and about 750 km southwest of Mumbai in the <strong>Arabian sea.</strong></li>
<li>Cyclone Vayu is moving towards the North (expected to hit Gujarat coast) and is expected to draw moisture away from the monsoon that in turn will <strong>delay the arrival of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/near-normal-monsoon-in-2019-imd" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> monsoon</a></strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cyclone is expected to <strong>interfere with normal progression</strong>, by sucking all the moisture from the monsoon winds towards itself.</li>
<li>Cyclones are sustained by very <strong>strong low-pressure areas</strong> at their core. Winds in surrounding areas are forced to rush towards these low-pressure areas.</li>
<li>Similar low-pressure areas, when they develop near or over land, are instrumental in pulling the monsoon winds over the country as well.</li>
<li>But right now, the low-pressure area at the center of the cyclone is far more powerful than any local system that can pull the monsoon winds moving northeast.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Different Cyclonic Alerts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Yellow:</strong> Be Updated</li>
<li><strong>Orange</strong>: Be prepared</li>
<li><strong>Red:</strong> Take action</li>
<li><strong>Green:</strong> No warning</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Arabian Sea Cyclones</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cyclonic activity is comparatively <strong>less intense in the Arabian sea,</strong> as compared to the Bay of Bengal, where high-intensity severe cyclones originate frequently.</li>
<li>In the last 120 years, just about 14% of all cyclonic storms, and 23% of severe cyclones, around India have occurred in the Arabian Sea.</li>
<li>Arabian Sea cyclones are also <strong>relatively weak</strong> compared to those emerging in the Bay of Bengal.</li>
<li><strong>Gujarat coastline,</strong> where most of the cyclones emerging in the Arabian Sea are headed, is not very densely populated, ensures that the <strong>damage potential of the cyclones</strong> on the western coast is <strong>comparatively low.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Why is the Bay of Bengal More Prone to Cyclones?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature difference:</strong> The low-pressure system of cyclone need a continuous supply of heat energy and as the Bay of Bengal is warmer than the Arabian sea, it is able to provide the heat energy needed to sustain the low-pressure system.</li>
<li><strong>Sea surface temperatures and humidity</strong>: both directly correlate with chances of cyclone formation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bay of Bengal receives<strong> higher rainfall and constant inflow of fresh water</strong> from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.</li>
<li>This means that the Bay&rsquo;s surface water keeps getting refreshed, making it impossible for the<strong> warm water to mix with the cooler water below,</strong> making it ideal for depression.</li>
<li>On the other hand, the Arabian Sea receives stronger winds that help dissipate the heat, and the lack of constant fresh water supply helps the warm water mix with the cool water, reducing the temperature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Absence of large landmass between the Pacific and the Bay</strong>, allows cyclonic winds to easily move into the Bay of Bengal.</li>
<li><strong>Cyclones from Pacific ocean:</strong> low-pressure system originating from the Pacific ocean also travel towards the left to the Bay of Bengal.</li>
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		'title' => 'India’s Balancing with SCO',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on the editorial <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/navigations-in-bishkek/article27890377.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Navigations in Bishkek&rdquo;</a> which appeared in The Hindu on 13th June 2019. It talks about, challenges and opportunities present to India in its engagement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.</p>
</div>
<p>The Prime Minister of India will be in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for 19th <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-international-institutions-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit</a>.</p>
<p>At SCO, India will have to <strong>balance between contradictory imperatives as regional aspirations of Central Asian countries contradict with India&rsquo;s goals:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has to act as a willing partner of regional cooperation that is led by China and Russia while assuring that India doesn't reflect its increasing strategic convergence with the USA.</li>
<li>Also, engagement with SCO is like a paradox for India as India wants to fight against terrorism through a body that includes states that pose the biggest threats to Indian security i.e. Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is SCO?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, it's creation was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China.</li>
<li>It's member countries China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan (India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at SCO's Astana summit, Kazakhstan.)</li>
<li>The SCO is widely regarded as the <strong>"Alliance of the East"</strong>, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been the primary security pillar of the region.</li>
<li>It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>How regional aspirations of Central Asian countries contradict with India&rsquo;s goals?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Russia and Central Asian countries are likely to express <strong>&ldquo;broad support&rdquo; for China</strong> in the wake of trade war against U.S. India is equally concerned about this trade war, but is in a dilemma in view of openly slamming U.S. protectionism.</li>
<li>It is also notable that all SCO members, barring India, are enthusiastic <strong>supporters of <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/obor-cpec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)</a>.</strong></li>
<li>Also, the other agenda of the summit would be to sell the <strong>Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)</strong> as a potential passage to landlocked Central Asian states. But CPEC passes through territory over which India claims its sovereignty.</li>
<li><strong>Terrorism</strong> is likely to be approached from the angle of improving the situation in Afghanistan and not necessarily of curbing the terrorist elements emanating from Pakistan.</li>
<li>Also through <strong>BRI and SCO</strong>, China will be successful in uniting Eurasia to challenge a united Europe. This scenario will prompt China and Russia to enter into a new era of global strategic partnership. This might not be in India's strategic interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are opportunities for India in the context of SCO?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China:</strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s meeting with President Xi on the sidelines of the summit will be critical.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As this meeting comes after China&rsquo;s decision to withdraw its technical hold on the <strong>listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar</strong> as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</li>
<li>Also, the key concern for the two leaders is the <strong>impact of the U.S.-China trade</strong> war.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Russia:</strong> PM Modi meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is very important to save the <strong>S-400 Triumf anti-missile defence deal</strong> against USA's threat to act under CAATSA <strong>(Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, India and Russia have an ambitious economic agenda drawn up for 2019, also Russia has invited PM Modi to be the chief guest at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September.</li>
<li>India can explore Russia&rsquo;s Far East region not just for developing economic cooperation but also for exploring the prospects of transferring skilled labourers to offset Chinese demographic threats in the region.</li>
<li>Russia is also keen that India joins the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue Forum.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is CAATSA?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countering America&rsquo;s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a legislation introduced in the United States that aims to counter anti-US aggression displayed by countries like Iran, North Korea and Russia through a series of punitive measures.</li>
<li>Among the provisions of CAATSA are secondary sanctions on countries that are found to be dealing with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is S-400 Triumf?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>S-400 Triumf is one of the world&rsquo;s most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track numerous incoming objects &mdash; all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs &mdash; in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to neutralise them.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pakistan:</strong> It would be a first formal meeting of Pakistan's new PM Imran Khan and India's PM. Already new Pakistani PM has demonstrated that he wants better relations with India and is ready to talk on all the issues.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Clearly, this may give diplomacy a chance at the margins of the SCO meet for restarting of talks between India and Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multilateral cooperation:</strong> India seems committed to working with the SCO to develop a &lsquo;cooperative and sustainable security&rsquo; framework, to make the <strong>Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure</strong> more effective, and participate in efforts to bring about <strong>stability in Afghanistan</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Central asian countries back India&rsquo;s proposal for a <strong>Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.</strong></li>
<li>Also, the SCO is relevant for India to garner <strong>support for reforms of the UNSC</strong> to make the latter more representative and effective. India has been lending support to the member countries&rsquo; candidatures for non-permanent membership of the UNSC for a long time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>SCO is a potential platform to <strong>advance India&rsquo;s Connect Central Asia policy.</strong> However, there are some constraints with India's engagement with the region, for example:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s bilateral trade with Central Asia stands at about $2 billion and with Russia about $10 billion in 2017. In contrast, China&rsquo;s trade with Russia has crossed $100 billion in 2018 while the bilateral figures for Central Asia stand at over $50 billion.</li>
<li>The lack of connectivity has also hampered the development of energy ties between the hydrocarbon-rich region and India.</li>
</ul>
<p>In this situation, India will have to clearly identify and promote its interests to enhance its presence in the Eurasian region for this accelerating progress on the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chabahar Port, the Ashgabat Agreement and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway should be very much on the cards.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1195.45px; background-color: #c2eff2;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti input:</strong></em><br /><br />Analyse how SCO as a regional organisation presents both challenges and opportunity for India. Also, discuss the measures that India must take for strategic balancing with respect to SCO?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
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	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'People's Ingestion Of Plastic',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>The World Wide Fund for Nature&rsquo;s</strong> (WWF) study has revealed that people worldwide could be ingesting five grams of microscopic <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-world-environment-day-identify-the-dangers-of-the-plastic-era" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plastic particles</a> every week, which is equivalent to the weight of a credit card.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Microplastics</strong> are plastic particles measuring 5mm in size or smaller.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/130image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/130image3.jpg" width="463" height="337" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sources of plastic ingestion:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Drinking water:</strong> is one of the largest sources of plastic ingestion(with plastic particles found in bottled, tap, surface and groundwater).</li>
<li><strong>Shellfish:</strong> account for as much as 0.5g a week.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inhalation</strong> represented a negligible proportion of microplastics entering the human body.</li>
<li><strong>Indoor air</strong> because of its <strong>limited circulation</strong> is more heavily polluted with plastic than the outdoors. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Major sources of <strong>Indoor airborne microplastics</strong> are synthetic textiles and household dust.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Burden of Plastic</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the last two decades, the world has produced as much plastic as during the rest of history, and the industry is set to <strong>grow by 4%</strong> a year until 2025.</li>
<li><strong>Ocean</strong> will contain <strong>one metric tonne</strong> of plastic for every three metric tonnes of fish by <strong>2025.</strong></li>
<li>About one-third of waste plastics are dumped or <strong>leaches into nature, polluting land, rivers and the sea.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Plastic pollution and Wildlife</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Animals get entangled in large <strong>plastic debris,</strong> leading to<strong> injury or death.</strong></li>
<li>Animals also ingest large quantities of plastic that they cannot pass through their digestive systems, resulting in <strong>internal abrasion, digestive blockage, and death.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Toxins</strong> from ingested plastic also harm breeding and impair the immune system of animals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Curbing Plastic Pollution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Political and economic actions</strong> to reduce the amount of plastic being disposed of into the environment.</li>
<li><strong>Minimize the use</strong> of plastics and <strong>encourage recycling</strong> of plastics instead of taking stringent acts of total ban or zero plastic.</li>
<li><strong>Legally binding agreement</strong> to combat marine plastic pollution - it should be a stand-alone treaty like the Montreal Protocol or the Paris Agreement.</li>
<li><strong>Binding national commitments</strong> and protocols for restricting commercial and household use of plastics.</li>
</ul>',
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	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'UNCTAD World Investment Report 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2019, India received foreign direct investments worth USD 42 billion in 2018. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/un-report-on-fdi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India attracted over 77% of the total foreign direct investments that came to the South Asian region.&nbsp;</a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>global FDI slipped by 13% in 2018</strong>, to US$1.3 trillion from $1.5 trillion in 2017, the <strong>third consecutive annual decline</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/321image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/321image4.jpg" width="329" height="408" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>In South Asia, overall, FDI inflows increased by 3.5% to $54 billion. The prospects for FDI inflows into South Asia are largely determined by expectations of growing investment into India.</li>
<li><strong>Investment in India rose by 6% to USD 42 billion</strong> with strong inflows in manufacturing, communication, financial services and cross-border merger and acquisition activities. However, <strong>India&rsquo;s rank as a source country for FDI fell one notch to the 10th position as it was overtaken by Spain.</strong></li>
<li>Among others in the South Asian region, FDI flows to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rose to a record level, to USD 3.6 billion and USD 1.6 billion, respectively, while Pakistan witnessed a 27% decline in investment to USD 2.4 billion.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Of the 5,400 <strong>special economic zones (SEZs)</strong> in the world, more than 4,000 are in developing countries in Asia. In the developing countries in Asia, China topped the list at 2,543 such zones, followed by Philippines (528), India (373) Turkey (102), Thailand (74) among others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India has recently liberalised its rules on inward investment</strong> (an investment that comes into a country from investors who live in other countries) in several industries, including single-brand retail trading, airlines and power exchanges.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNCTAD</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UNCTAD is a <strong>permanent intergovernmental body</strong> established by the United Nations General Assembly in <strong>1964</strong>. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.</li>
<li>It is <strong>part of the UN Secretariat.</strong></li>
<li>It supports developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uncdat-world-investment-report-2019'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Moon's Aitken Crater',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Scientists have detected an anomaly in the moon's gravitational field because of heavy metal lodged in the mantle deep below the moon's South Pole-Aitken basin (the largest preserved impact crater anywhere in the solar system).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Possible explanations for this anomaly are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moon's mantle, rather than sinking to the Moon's core.</li>
<li>The large mass might be a concentration of dense oxides associated with the last stage of lunar magma ocean solidification.</li>
<li>This new hypothesis is based on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)</strong></p>
<p>Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was a dual-spacecraft mission that involved placing two identical spacecrafts (named &ldquo;Ebb&rdquo; and &ldquo;Flow&rdquo; to GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B respectively) in orbit around the Moon to use high-quality gravitational field mapping to determine its internal structure.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The mission was launched in 2011 under NASA&rsquo;s Discovery Program.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NASA's Discovery Program began in 1992 to achieve outstanding results by launching smaller missions using fewer resources and shorter development times.</li>
<li>Its main objective is to enhance our understanding of the solar system by exploring the planets, their moons, and small bodies such as comets and asteroids.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ebb and Flow were decommissioned and powered down in anticipation of deliberate impact on the lunar surface Dec. 17, 2012.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA moon mission that has been in operation since 2009.</li>
<li>The mission particularly focuses on the moon's poles to search for water or ice that could exist in permanently shadowed craters.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'World Day Against Child Labour',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A <strong>'Baal Panchayat' (Children's Parliament)</strong> was organised in the Delhi by Kailash Satyarthi&rsquo;s Children's Foundation on the occasion of <strong>World Day against Child Labour.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/482image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/482image1.jpg" width="496" height="378" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Children presented a charter of demands in the children's parliament which they wished to convey to the government of India.</li>
<li>According to the Census 2011, most child labours in India are employed for agriculture and allied activities. This is in sync with the global trend which shows that 71 per cent of child labour is concentrated in this sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>World Day Against Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every year 12th June is celebrated as the World Day Against Child Labour. The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Labour Organization (ILO)</a> launched the <strong>World Day Against Child Labour in 2002</strong> to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.</li>
<li><strong>The theme of 2019</strong>: Children shouldn&rsquo;t work in fields but on dreams.</li>
<li><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong>, adopted by world leaders in 2015, include a renewed global commitment to ending child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Target 8.7 of the SDG</strong> calls on the global community to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour and end modern slavery.</li>
</ul>
<h3>ILO Convention on Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has ratified six out of the eight core/fundamental International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)</li>
<li>Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)</li>
<li>Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)</li>
<li>Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)</li>
<li>Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)</li>
<li>Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has<strong> not ratified</strong> the core/fundamental Conventions, namely <strong>Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)</strong> and <strong>Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-against-child-labour'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Nipah virus and Fruit Bat',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>Fruit bats</strong> have been identified as carriers of the deadly <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-outbreak-in-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nipah virus</a> in Kerala.</p>
<h3>About Fruit Bat<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/537image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/537image2.jpg" width="246" height="164" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Fruit bats, as opposed to insectivorous bats, survive largely on a diet of fruit, which they locate with <strong>their sense of smell</strong> (insectivorous bats locate their prey through echolocation, i.e locating the source of the echoes of their own sound).</li>
<li>Fruit bats belong to the <strong>Pteropodidae family;</strong> those in the Pteropus genus within this family are <strong>natural hosts</strong> for the Nipah virus.</li>
<li>Fruit bats are widely found in <strong>South and Southeast Asia</strong> and are also known as <strong>flying foxes.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Nipah virus and Fruit bat connection</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The virus survives in the <strong>bat&rsquo;s body</strong> without causing disease, allowing it to jump to <strong>susceptible mammals</strong> like humans or pigs when bats come in contact with them.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Institute of Virology</strong> had found that the virus was first transmitted from fruit bats identified as Pteropus spp.</li>
<li>In Bangladeshi outbreaks, researchers found <strong>antibodies to Nipah in the Indian flying fox.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Identifying the source of the Nipah infection will help prevent future spread, as Nipah virus has a <strong>spillover effect</strong> i.e virus seems to have moved from bats to humans in one event and after this moved from one human to another.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why are so many diseases linked to bats?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>All bats can carry viruses, some of them deadly like:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome</strong> (SARS) antibodies were found in insectivorous bats.</li>
<li><strong>Ebola</strong> antibodies were found in Hammer-headed fruit bat.</li>
<li><strong>Indian Flying Fox,</strong> hosts over 50 viruses</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With around 1,200 species, bats comprise <strong>20%</strong> of the earth&rsquo;s mammalian diversity.</li>
<li>Long periods of flying raises the <strong>temperatures of bats, boosting their immune responses</strong> and helps them survive the microbes&rsquo; pathogenic effects.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-virus-and-fruit-bat'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth - BS VI Emission Norms',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlQn26Jhy9c" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to the United Nations, <strong>9 out of 10 people on the planet are now breathing polluted air.</strong> This has led to a growing global health crisis, <strong>causing about 7 million deaths per year,</strong> as per the World Health Organization (WHO).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India, air pollution is killing one lakh children under the age of five every year and is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in the country.</strong></li>
<li>According to one WHO&rsquo;s measure, India has nine of the world&rsquo;s ten most polluted cities.</li>
<li>Over the years, the government has taken various <strong>initiatives</strong> to address the issues related to air pollution such as <strong>the National Clean Air Program, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and the Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>BS-VI Emission Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Environment Minister has recently announced that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/only-bs-vi-vehicles-to-be-sold-from-april-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the BS-VI emission norms will be implemented from the year 2020</a>, and this will drastically reduce vehicular pollution.</li>
<li>In order to comply with BS-VI norms, the vehicle manufacturers need to move to the new technology to make vehicles compliant with the BS VI standards.</li>
<li><strong>The switch to BS-VI vehicles was to happen in 2022 but looking at the poor air condition, the move was advanced by four years.</strong></li>
<li>All vehicles will have to follow new standards (BS -VI) from 1st April, 2020. <strong>The standards cover four and two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.</strong></li>
<li><strong>At present, BS IV and BS III fuels are available across India.</strong></li>
<li>Due to their use, hazardous pollutants in the air are increasing leading to health ailments like Asthma, Bronchitis, heart diseases and even cancer.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Hero MotoCorp received BS-VI certification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hero MotoCorp, the world&rsquo;s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has become the <strong>first two-wheeler manufacturer in India to receive the BS-VI certification.</strong></li>
<li>It received the <strong>&lsquo;Type Approval&rsquo; Certificate from the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</strong> for the Splendor iSmart motorcycle after it was successfully tested for compliance with BS-VI emission norms.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Bharat Stage Emission Standards</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bharat Stage (BS) are <strong>emission standards instituted by the Government of India</strong> to regulate the output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.</li>
<li><strong>The Environment Ministry is responsible for deciding the fuel standard in the country. The Central Pollution Control Board implements these standards.</strong></li>
<li>The BS regulations are <strong>based on the European emission standards.</strong></li>
<li>Companies can come up with new vehicles with BS VI fuel standards even before the April 2020 deadline. But after the deadline, vehicles that do not comply with BS VI standards will not be registered.</li>
<li>With the implementation of new norms, pollution levels are expected to come down significantly as the particulate matter (PM) will decrease. About one-third of the air pollution is caused by cars and motor vehicles.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages of BS-VI fuel Over BS-IV Fuel</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In BS-VI fuel, the volume of PM 2.5 ranges from 20 to 40 micrograms per cubic metre whereas in BS-IV fuel it is up to 120 micrograms per cubic metre.</li>
<li><strong>BS-VI fuel will bring down sulphur content by 5 times from the current BS-IV levels.</strong> It has 10 ppm of sulphur as against 50 ppm in BS-IV.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sulphur in the fuel contributes to fine particulate matter emissions. High sulphur content in the fuel also leads to corrosion and wear of the automobile engine.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With BS-VI fuel, for every one kilometre, a car will <strong>emit 80% less particulate matter and nearly 70% less nitrogen oxide.</strong></li>
<li>Air pollutants in BS-VI fuel are much less as compared to BS-IV fuel.</li>
<li>BS-VI norms also seek to reduce the level of certain harmful hydrocarbons in the emissions that are produced due to incomplete combustion of fuel.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The shift from BS-IV to BS-VI compliant vehicles, in less than a year&rsquo;s time poses a challenge for India&rsquo;s automotive sector</li>
<li>This will be the first time that the auto industry will follow a sales bound rather than the production-bound deadline.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In all previous instances, manufacturers were allowed to exhaust their stock of older generation inventory after the onset of new emission standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The refineries have also been undergoing major upgradation to produce BS VI fuel.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Car makers will have to start producing BS VI fuel compliant engines as quickly as possible to avail benefits of the cleaner fuel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The shift makes on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all automobiles.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OBD unit <strong>will be able to identify likely areas of malfunction</strong> by means of fault codes stored on a computer ensuring that sophisticated emission control device which is fitted in a BS-VI vehicle runs at optimum efficiency throughout the life of the vehicle.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Apart from engine calibration, there will be various <strong>after treatment additions</strong> such as selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters <strong>to meet carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxide and particulate matter limit</strong> of BS VI norms.</li>
<li>Migration to BS VI norms necessitates the <strong>use of oxygen sensors,</strong> a complex coding of the electronic control unit and ignition control.</li>
<li><strong>The cost of producing BS VI grade fuels will be higher compared to BS IV fuels.</strong></li>
<li>The two-wheelers predominantly used <strong>carbureted engines</strong> (air and fuel for internal combustion are mixed in the proper air&ndash;fuel ratio) and they have to now <strong>move to fuel injection engine systems</strong> (an injector is used to introduce the fuel for internal combustion).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>So, <strong>the after sales and service network and manpower will need to be upgraded</strong> for the skills and troubleshooting of this new technology.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Diesel hydro-treating units</strong> that will ensure the reduction of sulphur concentration to stipulated limits are being created or their capacity is being augmented.</li>
<li>For meeting gasoline fuel quality, <strong>desulphurisation technologies</strong> along with octane boosting units are being installed.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of the Shift</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Making automobiles BS VI compatible will increase the cost of production for the manufacturing companies which in turn will make the vehicles costlier for the buyers.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This includes <strong>making changes to their production line</strong> to turn out BS VI fuel friendly engines that will become mandatory by the year 2020.</li>
<li>Some companies may even have to <strong>import engines</strong> and other parts but in the end it will be the car buyer&rsquo;s burden because <strong>vehicles with BS VI engines will cost more than the BS IV vehicle.</strong></li>
<li>Diesel vehicles and economy segment motor cycles will also see a sharp increase in their prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Using a pre BS IV car using BS VI fuel can be detrimental to the engine life. There may be trouble with injection pumps, oil seals and injectors leading to higher wear and tear, consequently higher emissions.</li>
<li>It is said that by 2020, all vehicles that will be seen on Indian roads would have BS VI engines, however, <strong>the government has not announced any new rule for old vehicles a scrap policy for outdated automobiles.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages of the Shift</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By reducing toxic substances in the air, BS-VI will help reduce air pollution.</li>
<li>BS-VI will <strong>reduce NOx drastically</strong>, thus improving air quality.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NOx is the primary cause of a lot of health issues, especially respiratory issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The lower sulphur in BS VI will help <strong>reduce harmful exhaust emissions like NO<sub>2</sub>, CO, SO<sub>2</sub>.</strong></li>
<li>Vehicles that have emission control systems will perform even better with BS-VI.</li>
<li>For old vehicles, BS-VI standards open up an option of retrofitting.</li>
<li>Oil companies are making significant changes in their oil refining technique. The new standard requires that the use of sulphur in diesel should come down to 10 PPM, whereas according to the BS -II, it was up to 500 PPM. This change will affect the density of diesel oil. The usual density of BS IV fuel diesel ranges from 820 to 845 kg/ cubic metre but now it has to be increased to 860 kg/ cubic metre.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The change in density will help improve the quality of oil as well as help reduce air pollution.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Auto Fuel Vision Policy, 2025</strong> in June 2014 had recommended a 75 paise cess to recoup additional investments projected for producing cleaner fuels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><em>As the problem of air pollution has turned into a global challenge, concerted efforts by all stakeholders are required to deal with this pressing issue.</em></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-bs-vi-emission-norms'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Challenges of Digitisation and Way Forward',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on editorial <strong><a href="https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/opinion-why-economics-must-go-digital-to-remain-relevant-1560276612288.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Why economics must go digital to remain relevant&rdquo;</a></strong> which appeared in Live mint on 12th June 2019. It talks about, challenges of digitisation and what steps India can take in this context.</p>
</div>
<p>In the age of digital economy, data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Lots of apps have no revenue generation, but their only benefit is data. This business model of the Internet is called <strong>Surveillance capitalism,</strong> where all social media apps and other such platforms make their money collecting data on users and monetising that. Companies such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon have all built empires atop the data economy.</p>
<p>Apart from <strong>Surveillance capitalism,</strong> the majority of world&rsquo;s consumer data is with few digital companies like, Google, Facebook and Amazon that dominate online search, social media and online retail, respectively. Thus their market power creates an imbalance for new market players.Thereby hurting both producers and consumers of data, resulting in twin problem of <strong>Data privacy and Net neutrality.</strong></p>
<h3>How data privacy and net neutrality are opposed to principles of free and fair trade(market economy)?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Through Big data analytics Data privacy and Net neutrality both have been compromised.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Data privacy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data privacy or information privacy is a branch of data security concerned with the proper handling of data &ndash; consent, notice, and regulatory obligations.</li>
<li>It got highlighted when identifiable data of about 50 million Facebook users was breached by an analytics firm(Cambridge Analytica).</li>
<li>Privacy is a basic human right, in the digital age where life has so prominently got integrated with the digital world, data privacy has become a human right too.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Net neutrality?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Big data?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Big Data</strong> is a phrase used to <strong>mean</strong> a massive volume of both structured and unstructured <strong>data</strong> that is so<strong> large</strong> it is difficult to process using traditional database and software techniques.</li>
<li>Through the use of high-end computing and algorithms, Big data has been used in the industry to provide customer insights by analyzing and predicting customer behaviour through data derived from social media</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to inability of government to address this market concentration, it has resulted in the <strong>creation of digital market oligarchy&nbsp;</strong>(In this case, a small group of companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon etc. control and set rules for the entire market) because these larger players enjoy significant returns to scale.</li>
<li>Thereby the digital economy poses a <strong>problem for competition policy.</strong> Competition is vital for boosting productivity and long-term growth because it drives out inefficient producers and stimulates innovation.</li>
<li>So rather than assessing short-term benefits due to specific digital markets, there is a need to estimate the potential long-term costs implied by the inability of a new rival to enter into the digital market.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to fix this digital market imbalance in India?</h3>
<p>Economic policies must itself move towards digitisation to remain relevant in this digital era. This can be done by:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India must protect its startups from becoming proprietary of foreign brands( through takeovers), this can be done by allowing preferential shares.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg: Take over of Flipkart by Walmart.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Its high time data must be monetised on part of data subjects, data subjects must be paid a royalty for use of their data.</li>
<li>The government must lay down policies that put a check on anti-competitive policies of these digital companies.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this light, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/draft-e-commerce-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Draft e-commerce policy</strong></a> is a welcome step.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India till now has no law to stop apps from sharing your data with data brokers or data analytics firms.</li>
<li>An ideal data protection law must reflect the<strong> Supreme Court&rsquo;s recent decision:</strong> That all interference with the right to privacy must be necessary and proportionate.</li>
<li>Data protection law must incorporate inspiration from the European Union&rsquo;s implementation of the <strong>General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and BN Srikrishna report.</strong></li>
<li>The law must also lay down norms of accountability on part of digital tech giants.</li>
<li>Also, the government must clear the air around the use of Aadhaar, that has raised speculations about the surveillance state.</li>
</ul>
<p>In the digital era, data privacy, open and equitable access to the internet is like clean air or safe drinking water. It has become a central pillar of socio-economic and political dynamics of society, It is a public good that we need to safeguard as a collective right through laws that make controllers of data accountable.</p>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #f7f1b7; border-color: #Drishti Input: It is widely debated now that data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Highlight the issues emerging out of digitalisation and what steps a country like India must take to cope up with them.?;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></em></p>
<p>It is widely debated now that data is the new oil or currency of the 21st century. Highlight the issues emerging out of digitalisation and what steps a country like India must take to cope up with them.?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/challenges-of-digitisation-and-way-forward'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Tripartite Agreement with French Railways',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)</strong>, has signed a tripartite agreement with <strong>French Railways (SNCF) and AFD, a French Development Agency. </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under this agreement, AFD has agreed to support <strong>capacity building</strong> for the railway station development program in India by providing in-kind grant financing up to 7,00,000 EURO, through <strong>French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs</strong> as well as <strong>Connexions</strong> as a Technical Partner to the corporation.</li>
<li>This will<strong> not impose any financial liability</strong> on Indian Railways or IRSDC.</li>
<li>IRSDC is responsible for developing and redeveloping the existing and new railway stations across India.</li>
<li>The agreement will help Indian Railways in positioning stations across the country as <strong>world-class transport</strong> hubs.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg"><strong>Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the Ministry of Railway that has been designed to develop new stations and redevelop existing Indian railway stations.</li>
<li>IRSDC is a joint venture between Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA).</li>
<li>ISRDC was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 on 12 April 2012</li>
<li>The core purpose of IRSDC is to build world-class railway stations that apply state of the art sustainable technologies. The redevelopment effort is being administered as a PPPP project, i.e. a Public Private Partnership People project.</li>
<li>One of the primary facets is the involvement of developers and the lease of surplus railway land. Thus, monetizing existing assets without stressing the budgetary resources of the nation.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tripartite-agreement-with-french-railways'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => ' Micryletta aishani ',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Scientists from<strong> Delhi University</strong> and the <strong>Wildlife Institute of India,</strong> in collaboration with researchers from <strong>Indonesia and the US,</strong> have discovered a new species of &lsquo;<strong>paddy frog&rsquo;</strong> from <strong>Northeast India,</strong> specifically from Assam.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/817image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/817image1.jpg" width="320" height="178" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The newly found species has been named<strong> Micryletta aishani,</strong> derived from the <strong>Sanskrit word &lsquo;aishani&rsquo;</strong> or aisani meaning Northeast.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani belongs to the <strong>microhylid genus Micryletta,</strong> a group of <strong>narrow-mouthed frogs</strong> more commonly known as paddy frogs (found primarily in Southeast Asia).</li>
<li>First known species of microhylid genus was found in the <strong>island of Sumatra in Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>endemic to Northeast India</strong>, particularly the <strong>Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot region</strong> that lies south of River Brahmaputra. Apart from Assam, it is also present in <strong>Tripura</strong> and <strong>Manipur.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>How Micryletta aishani is different from other Frog species?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unlike most frogs that breed during the monsoon, Micryletta aishani,<strong> breeds before the onset of monsoon</strong> and then go into hiding for the rest of the year.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani, are generally found very <strong>close to human settlements</strong>.</li>
<li>Aishani differs from other narrow-mouthed paddy frogs by characteristics such as <strong>reddish-brown coloration on back, prominent dark</strong> <strong>streaks and ash-grey mottling on the lateral sides</strong>, the shape of the snout, and absence of web on its feet.</li>
<li>Micryletta aishani is the<strong> fifth species</strong> of the genus of paddy frogs.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/micryletta-aishani'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Air Pollution and Life Expectancy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>An environment think tank <strong>Centre for Science and Environment</strong> in its report <strong>&ldquo;At the crossroad&rdquo;</strong> has said that <strong>Life expectancy in India has gone down by 2.6 years</strong> due to deadly diseases caused by air pollution.</p>
<p>The report is based on the study of three different organisations:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017</li>
<li>WHO publication titled <strong>Air Pollution and Child Health</strong></li>
<li>The review papers by scientists from the Forum of International Respiratory Societies</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Air pollution is now the <strong>third highest</strong> cause of death among all health risks ranking just above smoking in India. This is a combined effect of outdoor particulate matter (PM 2.5), ozone and household air pollution.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While exposure to outdoor <strong>particulate matter (PM)</strong> accounted for a loss of nearly one year and six months in life expectancy, exposure to household air pollution accounted for a loss of nearly one year and two months. <strong>Household air pollution contributes about a quarter of the outdoor air pollution in the country.</strong></li>
<li>Due to this combined exposure, South Asians, including Indians are dying early. Their life expectancy has reduced by over 2.6 years. This is much higher than the global tally of reduced life expectancy by an average of 20 months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Air pollution can harm acutely as well as chronically, potentially affecting <strong>every organ in the body.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ultra-fine particles pass through lungs are taken up by <strong>cells and carried via the bloodstream</strong> to expose virtually all cells in the body. Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body.</li>
<li>The research shows each and every body part, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems, brain, intelligence, abdominal organs, reproduction, and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damages skin.</li>
<li>Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air.</li>
<li><strong>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)</strong> are responsible for the 49% of overall deaths due to air pollution, followed by lung cancer deaths (33%), diabetes and ischaemic heart disease (22% each) and stroke at (15%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Evidence of Health Risk</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This year has seen mounting evidence on the impact of air pollution on public health.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the <strong>State of Global Air 2019</strong> estimates, over 1.2 million Indians died early due to exposure to unsafe air in 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Type 2 diabetes:</strong> this study has, for the first time, accounted for risks from type 2 diabetes linked to air pollution. This has serious implications for India where type 2 diabetes has taken an epidemic form.</li>
<li>Epidemiological studies in Asia, Europe and North America, supported by toxicology research, have provided strong evidence that exposure to ambient and household PM2.5 contributes to type 2 diabetes incidence and mortality.</li>
<li>Globally for type 2 diabetes deaths and <strong>disability-adjusted life years (DALYs),</strong> after high blood sugar and excess body weight.</li>
<li>Exposure to PM 2.5 pollution has contributed to 276,000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs from type 2 diabetes in 2017 worldwide.</li>
<li>Approximately 80% of Indians breathe air that is worse than the levels recommended by <strong>National Ambient Air Quality Standards,</strong> the entire population of the country lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations above the WHO Air Quality Guideline of 10 &micro;g/m3.</li>
<li><strong>Premature death:</strong> India records the highest premature deaths of children under five years due to toxic air. Over 1 lakh children under the age of five fell victim to air pollution. In 2016, for almost every ten deaths in children under the age of five, one was due to air pollution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It quantifies the burden of disease from mortality and morbidity.</li>
<li>DALYs for a disease or health condition are calculated as the sum of the Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to premature mortality in the population and the Years Lost due to Disability (YLD) for people living with the health condition or its consequences.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/air-pollution-and-life-expectancy'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Phosphine as Fumigant',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Scientists from the <strong>National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (NCIPM)</strong> and <strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</strong> have conducted experiments in four different agro-climatic locations for the use of Phosphine as replacement of methyl bromide.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Phosphine is 100% effective against the pests as a fumigant in a gaseous form. It is normally produced using aluminium phosphate as substrate.</li>
<li>Phosphine may be as effective as the methyl bromide in killing insect pests and can be used as quarantine fumigant at ports.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Methyl Bromide</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Methyl bromide is used for killing insect pests and can be used as quarantine fumigant at ports. Methyl bromide is an <strong>ozone-depleting substance.</strong></li>
<li>India has signed and ratified the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/greenhouse-gas-levels-reach-record-highs-un-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montreal Protocol</a>, and is committed to phasing out methyl bromide and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by 2015.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fumigant is still used at Indian ports for treating cereals and pulses imported from other countries to quarantine insect pests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fumigant is said to have<strong> 60 times ozone-depleting potential</strong> than refrigerant chlorofluorocarbons, which has already been phased out globally.</li>
<li>95% of the countries in the world have phased out methyl bromide and only India and a few South East Asian countries currently permit its use.</li>
<li>India has been penalising those who are exporting food products without treating them with methyl bromide and this has been an issue of contention in many bilateral trade deals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Use of Phosphine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has banned the use of methyl bromide in domestic warehouses, phosphine is used in its place as a fumigant.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is because <strong>methyl bromide is not good for repeated use</strong> as it leaves residues in the grains.</li>
<li>The grains stored in warehouses need to be fumigated every three months and phosphine, which has no residual build-up should be preferred over methyl bromide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Currently, methyl bromide is preferred as <strong>quarantine pest fumigant</strong> as it is fast-acting and provides an advantage of time.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is capable of killing pests like grain borers, beetles and weevils in less than 24 hours.</li>
<li>Phosphine, on the other hand, takes almost five days.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ozone-depleting substances&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are man-made gases that destroy ozone once they reach the ozone layer. The ozone layer exists in the <strong>stratosphere (upper atmosphere)</strong> and reduces the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation that reaches Earth from the sun.</li>
<li>Ultraviolet radiation can have detrimental effects on both humans and the environment such as inducing skin cancer and cataracts, distorting plant growth and damaging the marine environment.</li>
<li>Ozone-depleting substances include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)</li>
<li>Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)</li>
<li>Hydrobromoflurocarbons (HBFCs)</li>
<li>Halons</li>
<li>Methyl bromide</li>
<li>Carbon tetrachloride</li>
<li>Methyl chloroform</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These substances have been used as refrigerants in commercial, home and vehicle air conditioners and refrigerators, foam blowing agents, components in electrical equipment, industrial solvents, solvents for cleaning (including dry cleaning), aerosol spray propellants, fumigants.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/phosphine-as-fumigant'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Deadlock in RCEP Trade Negotiations',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Senior officials from India and China met in New Delhi to try and reach a common ground on market-opening commitments under Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RCEP is a <strong>proposed regional economic integration agreement among the 10 <a href="/burning-issues-of-the-month/association-of-southeast-asian-nations-asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASEAN</a> countries</strong> and its six free-trade agreement partners&mdash;<strong>Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, South Korea and India</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Once implemented, it would result in one of the largest free trade bloc</strong> accounting for 45% of the world's population, and a combined GDP of about $21.3 trillion and 40% of the world trade.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Concerns vis-a-vis China</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is not comfortable with opening markets in goods being pushed especially by China. <strong>India wants to offer much lower market access in goods to China compared to other members</strong> such as the ASEAN, Japan and South Korea. However, <strong>China is not willing to accept it.</strong></li>
<li><strong>India wants clearly defined rules of origin</strong> to ensure integrity and sanctity of tariff differentiation. This is <strong>to prevent Chinese goods from flooding the country</strong> through member countries that may have lower or no duty levels.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chinese garments are already making their way into India through the duty-free route under the South Asia Free Trade Pact and the Duty-Free Quota-Free window from Bangladesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>At least 13 countries</strong> including Australia, Japan and New Zealand <strong>oppose India&rsquo;s proposal for strict criteria to determine the source country of a product</strong>, based on which they get tariff concessions in the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact.</li>
<li>India had a trade deficit with 11 RCEP members including China, South Korea and Australia in 2018-19.</li>
<li>India has so far offered to eliminate tariffs for 70-80 % of goods for China over an extended period of time and it is unwilling to give more concessions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China runs a trade surplus of over $60 billion with India</strong> and the domestic industry is reeling under heavy competition from Chinese goods.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s aluminium and copper industries are worried about China&rsquo;s presence</strong> in the grouping and anticipate widening of the trade deficit due to an <strong>alarming spike in imports and a potential threat to the Make in India initiative.</strong></li>
<li><strong>China</strong> is also hinting at going in <strong>for a free trade agreement between the ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(ASEAN+3)</a> </strong>if the RCEP talks take too long.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The South Asia Free Trade Pact</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) is an <strong>agreement</strong> among the seven South Asia countries that form the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation <strong>(SAARC): Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.</strong></li>
<li>It came into effect on 1st January 2006, with the<strong> aim of reducing tariffs for intra regional trade among the seven SAARC members.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deadlock-in-rcep-trade-negotiations'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the Prime Minister has cleared the setting up of the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA) which has been entrusted with the task of <strong>creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The agency would be provided with a team of scientists and <strong>would be working in close coordination with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tri-service-command-in-the-domain-of-special-operations-cyberspace-and-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tri-services</a> integrated Defence staff officers.</strong></li>
<li>It would provide <strong>the research and development support to the Defence Space Agency (DSA)</strong> which comprises members of the three services (Army, Naval and Air Force).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The DSA has been created to help the country fight wars in outer space.</strong></li>
<li>The DSA has been <strong>set up in Bengaluru</strong> under an Air Vice Marshal-rank officer and will gradually take over the space-related capabilities of the three forces.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Integrated Defence Staff (IDS)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Integrated Defence Staff was set up in <strong>October 2001</strong> under the Ministry of Defence in the aftermath <strong>of &lsquo;Operation Vijay&rsquo; (Kargil Operations).</strong></li>
<li>The main objective was <strong>to promote synergy among the three Services</strong> and to integrate these with the Ministry of Defence.</li>
<li>The organisation has representation from all three services, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDA) and Department of Defence and Department of Finance.</li>
<li><strong>The overarching aim of IDS is to achieve &lsquo;Victory through Jointness&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-space-research-agency-dsra'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'PRS Capsule May 2019',
		'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
		'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<ul class="ticklist" style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="#1">Education</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Draft National Education Policy 2019</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#2">Labour and Employment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers</li>
<li>Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#3">Agriculture</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Cabinet approves PM Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers</li>
<li>Ambit of PM-KISAN scheme extended to include all farmer families</li>
<li>Cabinet approves programme for controlling diseases among livestock</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#4">Finance</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>RBI publishes vision document on Payment and Settlement Systems in India</li>
<li>Working group submits its report on Foreign Portfolio Investors regulations</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Defence </a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry introduces scheme for self certification of defence products</li>
<li>Changes to scholarship scheme under the National Defence Fund</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#6">Petroleum and Natural Gas</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry notifies guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel</li>
<li>High Level Committee recommends strategy to reduce import dependency</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#7">Statistics and Programme Implementation</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Merger of CSO and NSSO into National Statistics Office</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#8">Energy</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Connecting old solar off-grid plants to the grid</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="1">Education</h3>
<p><strong>Draft National Education Policy 2019 released</strong></p>
<p>The Committee chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan submitted its report for Draft National Education Policy on May 31, 2019. The report proposes an Education Policy, which seeks to address the challenges of: (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system. Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Extending the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education, thereby extending the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to eighteen years. Currently, the RTE Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of six to fourteen years.</li>
<li>There should be no detention of children till class eight. Instead, schools must ensure that children are achieving age-appropriate learning levels.</li>
<li>State Census Examinations for students of classes three, five and eight to track students&rsquo; progress throughout their school experience.</li>
<li>To reduce the stress levels of students, the Committee recommended restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities.</li>
<li>Restructuring of higher education institutions into three types: (i) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching; (ii) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching but conducting significant research as well; and (iii) colleges focusing only on teaching in undergraduate education.</li>
<li>Setting up of the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority which would replace the existing individual regulators in higher education, including professional education.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Labour and Employment</h3>
<p><strong>Pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers approved</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Labour and Employment approved a voluntary minimum pension scheme for traders and shopkeepers. Key features of the scheme include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each beneficiary under the scheme shall receive a minimum assured pension of Rs 3,000 per month after reaching the age of 60 years. The central government will match the contribution made by the beneficiary.</li>
<li>The Scheme will apply to shopkeepers, self-employed persons, and retail traders with a GST turnover of less than Rs. 1.5 crore, between the ages of 18 and 40 years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey released</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the first Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey. The Report provides annual estimates relating to various aspects of employment and unemployment at the national and state level. Key results of the Survey include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for age 15-59 years was found to be 53%. Of this, the LFPR for males was 80.2% and for females was 25.3%.</li>
<li>The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for age 15-59 years was 49.5%. Of this, the WPR for males was 74.9% and for females was 23.8%.</li>
<li>On an all-India level, 52.2% of people had their major source of income from self employment; 24.9% had their major source of income from casual labour; and 22.8% from regular wage/salary.</li>
<li>The all-India total unemployment rate was 6.1%. The unemployment rate was 6.2% for males, while it was 5.7% in case of females.</li>
<li>Unemployment rate among urban workforce was 7.8%, while the unemployment rate for the rural workforce was 5.3%.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Agriculture</h3>
<p><strong>Cabinet approves PM Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana for small and marginal farmers.</li>
<li>This scheme will provide farmers with a minimum fixed pension of Rs 3,000 per month on attaining the age of 60 years.</li>
<li>It is a voluntary contribution-based scheme where the amount contributed by the farmer will be matched by the central government.</li>
<li>Farmers between the age of 18 to 40 years will be eligible to start making contributions under the scheme.</li>
<li>After the beneficiary&rsquo;s death (after the age of 60 years), their spouse will be entitled to receive 50% of the pension receivable as family pension, provided the spouse is not already a beneficiary under the scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ambit of PM-KISAN scheme extended to include all farmer families</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PM-KISAN scheme which was earlier applicable only for small and marginal landholder farmers has now been extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings.</li>
<li>The revised scheme is expected to cover around two crore more farmers, increasing the coverage to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries. With this increase in coverage, expenditure on the scheme is estimated to increase from Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 87,218 crore in 2019-20.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cabinet approves programme for controlling diseases among livestock</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved a programme for controlling certain diseases among livestock in the country. These include foot and mouth disease, and brucellosis.</li>
<li>Foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that causes fever, blisters inside the mouth and on the feet of animals thereby leading to lameness and excessive salivation. The disease could reduce milk output in cows and buffaloes by up to 100% for a period of four to six months.</li>
<li>Under the cabinet approved programme, vaccination would be provided to: (i) 30 crore bovines (cows, bulls and buffaloes), (ii) 20 crore sheep and goats, and (iii) one crore pigs at an interval of six months, to control Foot and mouth disease.</li>
<li>Brucellosis causes early abortions and infertility in animals, and could reduce milk output by 30% during the entire life cycle of the animal.</li>
<li>To control brucellosis, 3.6 crore female calves would be provided 100% vaccination coverage. The programme will be completely funded by the central government.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Finance</h3>
<p><strong>RBI publishes vision document on Payment and Settlement Systems in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India has published the &ldquo;Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019-2021&rdquo; document.</li>
<li>The main aim of Payment Systems Vision 2021 is empowering every Indian with access to a bouquet of e-payment options that are safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable.</li>
<li>Further, it also aims to: (i) enhance the experience of customers, (ii) empower digital payment system operators and service providers, (iii) enable the digital payment ecosystem and infrastructure, and (iv) put in place a forward looking regulation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Working group submits its report on Foreign Portfolio Investors regulations</strong></p>
<p>A working group was constituted by SEBI to review the Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) Regulations, 2014. The Group has recently submitted its recommendations on the Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) regulations. Key recommendations of the Group include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under current norms, FPIs are allowed to collectively invest up to 24% in a listed Indian company. The working group recommends Indian companies allowed to increase this limit up to the sectoral cap/ statutory ceiling in their sector as per the Foreign Exchange Management Act, with the approval of the Board of Directors.</li>
<li>Setting the default investment limit to the sectoral cap and allowing companies to reduce this limit by way of a Board Resolution.</li>
<li>Simplifying the certification and verification process for &lsquo;Know your Customer&rsquo; (KYC).</li>
<li>A fast-track registration process for a set of investors such as pension funds.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Defence</h3>
<p><strong>Ministry introduces scheme for self-certification of defence products</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Defence introduced a scheme to allow for self-certification of defence products manufactured by Defence Public Sector Undertakings and private vendors.</li>
<li>Self certification implies that the responsibility of certifying the quality of the product will be that of the vendor.</li>
<li>The objective of the scheme is to encourage vendors to assume direct responsibility to sustain and improve the quality of products.</li>
<li>Self-certification status will be granted by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance, based on an assessment of the quality management system put in place by the vendor, and other parameters.</li>
<li>This status will be awarded for a period of three years. Self-certification status may be revoked in case any deficiencies in quality and reliability of the product are observed by the user.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Changes to scholarship scheme under the National Defence Fund approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Prime Minister&rsquo;s Scholarship Scheme is a scheme being implemented under the National Defence Fund. It seeks to encourage technical and post-graduate education for widows and children of deceased/ex-service personnel of the Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces, and Railway Protection Force.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has recently approved certain changes to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Scholarship Scheme.</li>
<li>As per new changes, the rates of scholarships have been increased from Rs 2,000 per month to Rs 2,500 per month for boys, and from Rs 2,250 per month to Rs 3,000 per month for girls. Also, the ambit of the scheme has been extended to include the children of state police officials who were killed during naxal or terror attacks.</li>
<li>For the children of state police officials, 500 scholarships will be awarded per year. The Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal ministry for such cases.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Petroleum and Natural Gas</h3>
<p><strong>Ministry notifies guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recently notified guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with diesel for transportation. Important points from the guidelines notified by the Ministry include:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Permission for retail sale of biodiesel will be granted exclusively for sale of biodiesel (B-100) and not for any mixture of whatever percentage.</li>
<li>Biodiesel permitted for sale should be indigenously produced and not imported.</li>
<li>Separate boards in multiple languages should be prominently displayed at the biodiesel retail outlets displaying the percentage of Biodiesel allowed to be blended with diesel.</li>
<li>A registration system for biodiesel manufacturers, suppliers and sellers will be devised at the state level.</li>
<li>State Government authorities shall have the power to carry out regular inspections of the retail outlets selling biodiesel.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Level Committee recommends strategy to reduce import dependency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the High-Level Committee constituted by the government to examine issues relating to the Petroleum and Natural Gas sector has submitted its report on the same.</li>
<li>The Committee examined the preparation of action plan to create synergy among research and development centres of oil and gas public sector undertakings (PSUs), tax issues, and ways to benefit from GST by the oil and gas PSUs.</li>
<li>It recommended short term, medium term and long term strategies to reduce the import dependency of the nation.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Statistics and Programme Implementation</h3>
<p><strong>Merger of CSO and NSSO into National Statistics Office approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, Central Statistics Office (CSO) is an attached Office and NSSO is subordinate Office under the control of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has recently approved merging of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) into a single statistics wing, which will be known as the National Statistical Office (NSO).</li>
<li>The National Statistical Office (NSO) so formed would be headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Energy</h3>
<p><strong>Connecting old solar off-grid plants to the grid approved</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy approved connecting the old solar off-grid power plants to the grid.</li>
<li>The connections will be made in areas where reliable grid supply is now available with provision for net-metering.</li>
<li>The connections will be subject to applicable regulatory provisions. Further, the cost of such connections will be borne by the respective state government or beneficiary departments.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Note:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On-grid solar systems generate power only when the utility power grid is available and directly connected to the utility feed. On-grid systems send excess power generated to the utility grid when you are overproducing.</li>
<li>Off-grid systems allow you to store and save your solar power in batteries for use when the power grid goes down. It is meant to be entirely self-sustaining.</li>
<li>Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system (or plant) owners for the electricity they add to the grid.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-may-2019'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Disaster Management-II',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<h3>Organisations related to Disaster Management Framework at Global level</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1994 the <strong>World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction</strong> was held in Yokohama, Japan. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The conference <strong>adopted the Yokohama strategy</strong> and declared the <strong>decade 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)</strong> is the successor to the secretariat of IDNDR and was <strong>created in 1999</strong> to implement UN Disaster Risk Reduction strategy.</li>
<li><strong>The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is a 10-year plan (2005-2015)</strong> to make the world safer from natural hazards. Priorities such as, Disaster risk reduction, identification, assessment through legal and policy frameworks, disaster preparedness and use of innovation was adopted.</li>
<li><strong>The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,</strong> is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a <strong>non-binding agreement,</strong> which the signatory nations, including India, will attempt to comply with on a voluntary basis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are three international agreements within the context of the post- 2015 development agenda. These are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Sendai Framework.</li>
<li>Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030</li>
<li>The Paris agreement (COP 21) on Climate Change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These three agreements recognize the desired outcomes in Disaster Risk Reduction as a product of interconnected social and economic processes, which overlap across the agendas of the three agreements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sendai Framework</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484756_Image56.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484756_Image56.jpg" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Organisations an Policies related to Disaster Management Framework at National level</h3>
<p><strong>National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It was established in 2005,</strong> under the Disaster Management Act 2005.</li>
<li>The objective of NDMA is, <strong>to build a safer and disaster resilient India</strong> by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy.</li>
<li>The NDMA is <strong>chaired by the Prime Minister of India</strong> and has a vice chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister and eight members with the status of Ministers of State.</li>
<li>The NDMA Secretariat is headed by a Secretary and deals with mitigation, preparedness, plans, reconstruction, community awareness and financial and administrative aspects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>released in 2016,</strong> it is the first ever national plan prepared in the country for disaster management.</li>
<li>With National Disaster Management Plan (2016) India has aligned its National plan with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, to which India is a signatory.</li>
<li>The objective of the plan is to make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction. It aims to significantly decrease the losses of life, livelihoods, and assets in terms of economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental. To maximize the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At State level, State Disaster Management Authorities are established under Disaster Management Act 2005.</li>
<li><strong>SDMA is chaired by the Chief Minister of the State</strong> and has not more than eight members who are appointed by the Chief Minister.</li>
<li>The SDMA prepares the state disaster management plan and implements the National Disaster Management Plan.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under Disaster Management Act 2005, every State government shall establish a DDMA for every district in the State.</li>
<li>The DDM Authority shall consist of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chairperson -</strong> the Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner act as Chairperson of DDMA.</li>
<li><strong>Co-Chairperson -</strong> is the elected representative of the local authority. In the Tribal Areas, the Chief Executive Member of the district council of autonomous district is the co-chairperson.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are not more than seven other members in DDMA.</li>
<li>The Disaster Management Committee governed under District Magistrate will <strong>formulate village level disaster management plans</strong> for concern villages.</li>
<li>The DDMA makes District Disaster Management Plan and implements the state Disaster Management Plan.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484791_image29.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1578484791_image29.jpg" caption="false" width="544" height="570" /></span></em></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">*Planning Commission no longer exists.</span></em></p>
<h3>Government Initiatives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is a <strong>signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction</strong> and is committed to achieve the priorities and objectives through systematic and institutional efforts.</li>
<li>With multi-dimensional initiatives and expertise, India is taking a leading role in strengthening regional cooperation among South Asian countries for reducing disasters.</li>
<li>India is one of the participating countries and <strong>works closely with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)</strong>. India has been working closely with many countries for the exchange of ideas and expertise in disaster management.</li>
<li><strong>National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)</strong> defines the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders including Central Ministries/ Departments, State Governments, UT Administrations, District Authorities and local self Governments.</li>
<li><strong>Primary responsibility of disaster management rests with the States.</strong> The Central Government conducts regular mock drill, community training and awareness programme to prepare the civilian populations for disasters.</li>
<li><strong>National Disaster Management Services (NDMS)</strong> was conceived by NDMA during 2015-16 for setting up of <strong>Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Network</strong> connecting MHA, NDMA, NDRF etc. to provide the failsafe communication infrastructure and technical support for Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) operations across the country.</li>
<li>NDMA has taken an initiative on<strong> Earthquake Disaster Risk Indexing (EDRI)</strong> for 50 important cities and 1 District in Seismic Zone IV &amp; V areas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This kind of indexing will be helpful in comparing the overall risk across large number of cities or region and also in prioritization of cities to implement appropriate disaster mitigation measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NDMA through <strong>Building Materials &amp; Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC)</strong> has prepared <strong>Upgraded Earthquake Hazard Maps and Atlases</strong> for the country for better planning and policies.</li>
<li>Leveraging the technology of geographic information system (GIS), NDMA have taken up a project for <strong>disaster risk management by establishing GIS Server</strong> and creation of database to integrate data obtained from various stakeholders to increase disaster preparedness, mitigation, damage assessment, response and relief management efforts.</li>
<li>Under the <strong>National School Safety Programme (NSSP)</strong>, 8600 schools (with 200 schools in 43 districts in 22 States/UTs falling seismic zones IV and V) have been selected for providing training on school safety and disaster preparedness.</li>
<li><strong>The Aapdamitra scheme of NDMA</strong> has provision for training 6000 community volunteers in disaster response in 30 most flood prone districts (200 volunteers per district) in 25 States.</li>
<li>The government has set up <strong>National Crisis Management Committee and Crisis Management Group</strong>.</li>
<li>The state governments have set up <strong>state crisis management groups headed by chief secretaries,</strong> institutes of relief commissioners and state/district contingency plans.</li>
<li>The disaster management policy of the government stresses on forecasting and warning using advanced technologies, <strong>contingency agricultural planning</strong> to ensure availability of food grains, and preparedness and mitigation through specific programmes.</li>
<li>Project on <strong>deployment of Mobile Radiation Detection Systems (MRDS)</strong> to handle Radiological Hazards in Metros/Capital Cities/Big Cities in India to detect unclaimed radioactive materials/substances and save public from its hazardous effects.</li>
<li><strong>Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS)</strong> envisages financial support for site specific Landslide Mitigation Projects recommended by landslide prone States, covering disaster prevention strategy, disaster mitigation and R&amp;D in monitoring of critical Landslides thereby leading to the development of Early Warning System and Capacity Building initiatives. The Scheme is under preparation.</li>
<li>Core Group has been formed for Preparation of Guidelines to avert Boat Tragedies in India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disaster Management in India: Success stories</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian government's <strong>"zero casualty" policy for cyclones</strong> and the pinpoint accuracy of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) early warning system has helped reduce the possibility of deaths from <strong>cyclone Fani in Odisha</strong>.</li>
<li>India's policy of <strong>minimising fatalities from cyclones</strong> has been proven by past performances as in <strong>cyclone Phailin in 2013,</strong> when famously the casualty rate was kept to as low as 45 despite the intensity of the storm.</li>
<li>In August 2010 during the <strong>flash floods due to cloudburst in Leh in Ladakh</strong> region by the Indian Army. The <strong>Army's immediate search, rescue, and relief operations</strong> and mass casualty management effectively and efficiently mitigated the impact of flash floods, and restored normal life.</li>
<li>Bihar suffers from floods almost every year during the monsoon season, predominantly due to the Ganges and its tributaries. The State has successfully scaled up disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts since 2011.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are significant <strong>gaps in preparedness</strong> on various aspects of risk management, particularly for catastrophic disasters like major earthquakes and floods.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though all of India&rsquo;s states have <strong>departments of disaster management</strong> or relief and rehabilitation, they <strong>are still poorly prepared</strong> to lend support in times of disasters, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP).</li>
<li>In a number of recent disasters, <strong>2010 mudslides in Leh, Sikkim earthquake in 2011 and the Uttarakhand floods of 2013,</strong> the level of preparedness was inadequate, leading to high levels of mortality and displacement of people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Facilities such as emergency operations centres, emergency communications, and search and rescue teams are being made available but these systems and facilities need to be strengthened.</li>
<li><strong>In India Disaster management is yet to be seen as an essential part of good governance and integral to development planning.</strong></li>
<li>The preparedness at various levels are <strong>not people-oriented</strong>.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s capacity to manage disaster risk is challenged by its <strong>size and huge population</strong>. The country is likely to have the greatest exposure of any nation in the world to extreme weather and natural disasters by 2030.</li>
<li>The northeast region is most at risk from earthquakes and <strong>lacks seismically secure infrastructure and buildings</strong>. It is also vulnerable to landslides, floods and erosion.</li>
<li>Flooding on the country&rsquo;s plains is a regular occurrence, and although communities are resilient, the <strong>intensity of floods has reduced their capacity to adapt</strong>.</li>
<li>The local adaptation efforts driven solely by communities are no longer sufficient and <strong>additional, scientifically planned adaptation is needed,</strong> which will require government support.</li>
<li>The division of responsibilities under the Disaster Management Act is not very clear, resulting in its poor implementation. There also exists an overlap between the implementing agencies</li>
<li>Intense public and media scrutiny after disasters automatically leads to a <strong>higher priority being given to response, rather than risk reduction</strong>.</li>
<li>Furthermore, where risk-reduction activities are described, State Disaster Management Plans (SDMPs) does not institutionalise accountability mechanisms to ensure that departments follow these considerations in their own planning. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As a result, risk-reduction activities are driven by schemes and external projects, rather than by guidelines in SDMPs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Because risk-reduction needs are locations specific, this gap is an opportunity for stronger, locally led risk-reduction planning by Strengthening disaster risk management in India</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A clearer demarcation of national and state-level responsibilities is needed, especially regarding who is responsible for risk-reduction activities.</li>
<li>It is vital for state disaster management authorities to focus on the continued <strong>capacity-building of district disaster management authorities</strong> and CSOs that are responsible for managing disaster risk.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Capacity-building should support the planning and implementation of actions across the full disaster management cycle.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There is a <strong>need to revise the SDMPs</strong> to include a much greater emphasis on risk reduction, rather than just preparedness and response.</li>
<li>Existing rules and regulations that impede the inclusion of measures for risk reduction need to be amended.</li>
<li><strong>Build partnerships</strong> with and draw lessons from forerunner states such as Bihar and Gujarat on how to include risk reduction in plans more effectively.</li>
<li><strong>Accountability mechanisms</strong> need to be specified. This will ensure that departments follow disaster risk-reduction considerations in their own development planning.</li>
<li><strong>There is an urgent need to put the National Disaster Mitigation Fund and state disaster management funds into operation.</strong> States such as Bihar, which are leading in this regard, should share lessons on how to realise this at the state level.</li>
<li>States should have decision-making power regarding whether state disaster management authorities control funds for risk reduction, or whether these are distributed to government departments.</li>
<li><strong>Public-private partnerships</strong> should be looked at more seriously as alternative modes of financing. Models such as the <strong>Surat Climate Change Trust</strong>, a collaboration between the private sector and the urban local body in Surat, Gujarat, should be studied and, if suitable, replicated.</li>
<li><strong>Risk-transfer mechanisms and insurance</strong> should be scaled up to support risk reduction.</li>
<li>States should include downscaled climate projections into SDMPs, so that future and evolving risks can be taken into account.</li>
<li>Using data that are already being uploaded onto platforms such as the Open Government Data Platform can help to synthesise a clearer understanding of vulnerability.</li>
<li>There is a need to <strong>expand capacity-building activities</strong> on disaster management within departments, so that they include all stages of the disaster cycle, rather than the current emphasis on emergency response.</li>
<li>It is important to ensure the participation of nodal officials from all key state government departments while revising SDMPs; working with technical institutions and NGOs to train nodal officials is also useful.</li>
<li>The needs of women and other marginalised groups must be considered across all types of disaster risk management activity, rather than only response and relief activities, as is currently the case.</li>
<li><strong>Publicly available census data on sex, age and disability need to be included in vulnerability analyses.</strong></li>
<li>Clearer guidelines need to be issued for the genuine participation of vulnerable communities in processes to develop district disaster management plans.</li>
<li>Officials from state disaster management authorities should be trained in gender-responsive budgeting and gender mainstreaming.</li>
<li>Collaboration with state and central scientific institutions would help state disaster management authorities to <strong>track changing risk and risk of losses through modelling,</strong> rather than only measuring disaster impacts.</li>
<li>The National Disaster Management Authority should prepare guidelines and/ or a framework to support subnational governments in aligning with the Sendai Framework.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Disasters are no longer to be considered as occurrences that are to be managed through emergency response services. So, there is a need to foster a culture of prevention and identification of the key issues to be addressed especially in the development process.</li>
<li>The path ahead for managing disasters is to bring in a <strong>people-centered development strategy</strong>.</li>
<li>Strategies for disaster management should be accompanied by <strong>strong political will,</strong> keenness and commitment on the part of all concerned actors involved in the exercise.</li>
<li>Educating people in Disaster Risk Reduction is the need of the hour and it can be done through <strong>decentralised planning, implementation and monitoring and control</strong>.</li>
<li>The major strategies which should get prominence are <strong>institutionalising national systems and capacities,</strong> strengthening governance mechanisms at local level, building community resilience, reducing the vulnerabilities of the communities at risk and public private people partnerships etc.</li>
<li>Disaster Management has to embark upon a strategy aimed at holistic human development <strong>integrating the sustainable development goals,</strong> policies and practices that harness people&rsquo;s strengths instead of vulnerabilities.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/disaster-management-ii'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Draft Education Policy 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-government-wish-list-for-schools-hrd-ministry-national-education-policy-draft-5772434/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Government wish list for schools&rdquo;</a> which appeared in Indian Express on 11th June 2019. It talks about policy changes proposed by Draft education policy 2019.</p>
</div>
<p>A committee headed by K Kasturirangan submitted a new draft National Education Policy to the HRD Minister, now in public domain, is open for discussion with states (as education is a concurrent list subject) and all stakeholders.</p>
<p>Draft policy envisages India to become a knowledge superpower. It is based on the foundation pillar of access, equity, quality, affordability &amp; accountability<br />The draft policy provided a comprehensive and holistic view of education reforms - technical, legal, agricultural, vocational, R&amp;D innovation, teacher&rsquo;s education.</p>
<h3>What are the salient features of the draft policy and their significance?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Pre-primary education</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft policy acknowledges a <strong>&ldquo;severe learning crisis&rdquo;</strong> in India, where children in primary school fail to attain basic math and reading skills.</li>
<li>This learning crisis is due to the &ldquo;tragic deficiency&rdquo; in <strong>early childhood care and education (ECCE)</strong> of children in the age group 3-6 years.</li>
<li>So the draft recommends that ECCE be made an integral part of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>After which it will be obligatory for the public system to provide appropriate and quality educational infrastructure, facilities, and educators to all children in the <strong>age group of 3-6 years.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>To <strong>strengthen and expand ECCE,</strong> the draft policy recommends:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Increased investment in existing <strong>Anganwadi centres</strong> (meant for providing basic nutrition, healthcare and pre-school education to 3-to-6-year-olds),</li>
<li>To ensure continuity from pre-primary to primary schools, the draft advocates bringing all aspects of ECCE under the purview of the Human Resource Development Ministry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reading and math skills</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A large number of children currently in elementary school cannot read and understand the basic text and solve simple addition and subtraction problems(Highlighted by ASER report 2018).</li>
<li>To resolve this learning deficit:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It proposes <strong>redesigning of the school curriculum</strong> for Grades 1 to 5 to include dedicated mathematics and reading hours every day.</li>
<li>A <strong>&lsquo;Remedial Instructional Aides Programme&rsquo;</strong> to draw instructors from the local community to hold remedial classes during school hours, after school hours and during summer vacations for students who need help.</li>
<li>A <strong>&lsquo;National Tutors Programme&rsquo;</strong> that will enrol the best performers of each school for up to five hours a week as tutors for students who have fallen behind.</li>
<li>Also, a school preparation module to be prepared by NCERT for all Grade 1 students to ensure they have the required learning levels (letters, shapes, colours, numbers) before starting the Grade 1 syllabus.</li>
<li>A nutritious breakfast, in addition to the midday meal, for improved learning.</li>
<li>Vacancies to be filled urgently to ensure a pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Higher Education</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It aims to create <strong>world-class multidisciplinary higher education institutions</strong> across the country, based on a three-tier system:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Tier 1: Research institutions, Tier 2: Teaching institutions, Tier 3: Colleges which become autonomous degree-granting colleges</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It aims to increase GER(Gross enrolment ratio) in higher education to at least 50% by 2035.</li>
<li>It proposes opening up of National Research Foundation, which grants competitive funding for outstanding research proposals across all disciplines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Curriculum and pedagogy</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 1986 national education policy standardised school education with its push for a uniform 10+2 structure.</li>
<li>The draft pitches for reconfiguration of curriculum and pedagogy in a <strong>&ldquo;5+3+3+4&rdquo; design&nbsp;</strong>(A four-staged curriculum).</li>
<li>The foundational phase <strong>(From three years of pre-school to Grade 2),</strong> the draft policy recommends, should comprise five years of flexible &ldquo;play-based, activity-based, and discovery-based&rdquo; learning and interaction.</li>
<li>This is followed by a preparatory phase consisting of <strong>three years (Grades 3, 4 and 5)</strong> of basic education incorporating some textbooks as well as aspects of more formal classroom learning.</li>
<li>The next three years of middle school education <strong>(Grades 6, 7 and 8)</strong> would involve developing more abstract thinking.</li>
<li>Secondary education phase of four years <strong>(Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12),</strong> for subject teaching.</li>
<li>Also, It proposes no hard separation of school content in terms of curricular, extracurricular, or co-curricular areas, and between arts and sciences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Languages</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft recommends continuance of the <strong>three-language formula.</strong></li>
<li>But it has proposed flexibility in the choice of languages, <strong>Hindi and English are no longer the stipulated language that students must study from Grade 6.</strong></li>
<li>Further, it advocates a reduction in curriculum load and reorientation of the curriculum to promote multilingualism, ancient Indian knowledge systems, scientific temper, ethical reasoning, social responsibility, digital literacy and knowledge of critical issues facing local communities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is the 3 language formula?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> three-language formula</strong> for language learning was formulated in 1968, based on national education policy 1968 submitted by Kothari commission.</li>
<li>It envisaged the study of Hindi, English and modern Indian language (preferably one of the southern languages) in the Hindi speaking states and Hindi, English and Regional language in the non-Hindi speaking States.</li>
<li>It sought to create symbiotic relationship between northern languages(Primarily Hindi) and southern languages(Dravidian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada etc.)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Separation of functions:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft NEP 2018 calls for decentralisation, with each of these functions carried out by separate bodies &ndash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Policy-making by a <strong>&lsquo;Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog&rsquo;</strong> (Education Commission at the national level, headed by the PM);</li>
<li>Operation and regulation by the department of school education and an independent State School Regulatory Authority in each state, which will set basic and uniform standards for both public and private schools;</li>
<li>Academic matters, including standard setting and curriculum, to be continued to be led by the State Councils of Educational Research and Training.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other reforms:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft policy envisages an <strong>amendment of the RTE Act,</strong> to increase its ambit from pre-school (age of 3 years) to class 12<sup>th</sup>.</li>
<li>Early vocational exposure, with basic knowledge of various livelihoods (gardening, pottery, electrical work, etc) will be taught at Foundational and Elementary levels.</li>
<li>Teachers will not be engaged in time-consuming, non-teaching work such as electioneering and cooking of midday meals.</li>
<li>Para-teacher&rdquo; (Shikshakarmi, Shiksha-Mitra, etc) systems to be stopped by 2022.</li>
<li>All schools will be accredited as per the School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The provisions of draft policy are progressive ideas, but there are roadblocks in their implementation. These mostly relate to funding requirements and governance architecture.</p>
<p>(At least it needs doubling of public funding to 6% of the GDP)</p>
<p>Apart from it If the political leadership backs it, implementation of the policy will transform our nation.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #662209; background-color: #f2b1b1;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 1108.89px;">
<p><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></p>
<p>Education can play a central role in the transformation of India. Discuss in the context of Draft national education policy 2019?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/draft-education-policy-2019'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Bharat Stage - VI',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</strong> released <strong>India&rsquo;s first</strong> Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage - VI (BS &ndash; VI) norms for the<strong> two-wheeler segment.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bharat stage norms are the<strong> emission norms</strong> which the automotive manufacturers have to comply to sell their vehicles in India.</li>
<li>These norms are applicable to all <strong>two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers, and construction equipment vehicles.</strong></li>
<li>To curb the growing menace of<strong> air pollution</strong> through the vehicle's emission, the Government of India has decided to<strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/only-bs-vi-vehicles-to-be-sold-from-april-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> leapfrog from the existing BS &ndash; IV norms to the BS- VI</a>,</strong> thereby skipping the BS &ndash; V norms, and to implement the BS &ndash; VI norms with effect from 1st April 2020.&nbsp;</li>
<li>From <strong>1st April 2020,</strong> only those vehicles will be sold and registered in India which complies with these norms.</li>
<li>The norms are stringent and at par with<strong> global standards.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3><strong></strong><strong></strong>International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICAT is the premier <strong>testing and certification agency</strong> authorized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad.</li>
<li>It has the latest equipment, facilities, and capabilities to develop, validate, test and certify the engines and vehicles for the latest <strong>norms in the field of emission</strong> and many other facilities like crash lab, NVH lab, EMC lab and test tracks.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharat-stage-vi'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Valasa Devarlu',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Valasa Devarlu</strong> is an age-old rural festival, celebrated in the number of villages of <strong>Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh</strong>.</li>
<li>It is a traditional ritual, dating back to the reign of emperor <strong>Srikrishna Devarayalu or Krishna devaraya</strong>.</li>
<li>It is celebrated in the face of drought conditions. When only a few weeks left for the sowing season to close.</li>
<li>During the failure of rains, crops failure and breakout of epidemics, the entire population of a village would abandon the households at dawn and retreat into the fields or tank bunds till dusk.</li>
<li>The village elders would initiate special pujas to the goddess <strong>&lsquo;Valasa Devaramma&rsquo;</strong>, an idol made of clay, consecrated under a tent or a tree. After having community lunch, the population would return to their village. The time is marked by dancing, singing and chit-chatting.</li>
<li>The male members of the families offered prayers at the famous Gangamma temple atop Boyakonda hillock nearby, followed by animal sacrifice.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Krishna devaraya&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was a prominent ruler of the <strong>Vijayanagara Empire of South India</strong>. As the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire, he extended the empire to most of South India, which included present-day <strong>Karnataka, Northern Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh</strong>, stretching upwards in the<strong> northeast to Cuttack</strong>.</li>
<li>He ascended the throne during the most critical stage of the empire and went on to consolidate it as a flourishing empire. He played a major role in defeating the Bahmani Sultans and Portuguese, forcing them to retreat their plans of expanding their empire beyond their boundaries.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/valasa-devarlu'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Cyclone Vayu',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-warming-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Meteorological Department</a> issued an <strong>orange alert</strong> over Cyclone Vayu.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cyclone Vayu,</strong> named by India, is only a <strong>deep depression</strong> and is still to develop into a strong cyclone.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/395image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/395image3.jpg" width="453" height="413" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>The cyclone is currently positioned around 250 km northwest of Amindivi island in Lakshadweep and about 750 km southwest of Mumbai in the <strong>Arabian sea.</strong></li>
<li>Cyclone Vayu is moving towards the North (expected to hit Gujarat coast) and is expected to draw moisture away from the monsoon that in turn will <strong>delay the arrival of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/near-normal-monsoon-in-2019-imd" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> monsoon</a></strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cyclone is expected to <strong>interfere with normal progression</strong>, by sucking all the moisture from the monsoon winds towards itself.</li>
<li>Cyclones are sustained by very <strong>strong low-pressure areas</strong> at their core. Winds in surrounding areas are forced to rush towards these low-pressure areas.</li>
<li>Similar low-pressure areas, when they develop near or over land, are instrumental in pulling the monsoon winds over the country as well.</li>
<li>But right now, the low-pressure area at the center of the cyclone is far more powerful than any local system that can pull the monsoon winds moving northeast.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Different Cyclonic Alerts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Yellow:</strong> Be Updated</li>
<li><strong>Orange</strong>: Be prepared</li>
<li><strong>Red:</strong> Take action</li>
<li><strong>Green:</strong> No warning</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Arabian Sea Cyclones</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cyclonic activity is comparatively <strong>less intense in the Arabian sea,</strong> as compared to the Bay of Bengal, where high-intensity severe cyclones originate frequently.</li>
<li>In the last 120 years, just about 14% of all cyclonic storms, and 23% of severe cyclones, around India have occurred in the Arabian Sea.</li>
<li>Arabian Sea cyclones are also <strong>relatively weak</strong> compared to those emerging in the Bay of Bengal.</li>
<li><strong>Gujarat coastline,</strong> where most of the cyclones emerging in the Arabian Sea are headed, is not very densely populated, ensures that the <strong>damage potential of the cyclones</strong> on the western coast is <strong>comparatively low.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Why is the Bay of Bengal More Prone to Cyclones?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Temperature difference:</strong> The low-pressure system of cyclone need a continuous supply of heat energy and as the Bay of Bengal is warmer than the Arabian sea, it is able to provide the heat energy needed to sustain the low-pressure system.</li>
<li><strong>Sea surface temperatures and humidity</strong>: both directly correlate with chances of cyclone formation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bay of Bengal receives<strong> higher rainfall and constant inflow of fresh water</strong> from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.</li>
<li>This means that the Bay&rsquo;s surface water keeps getting refreshed, making it impossible for the<strong> warm water to mix with the cooler water below,</strong> making it ideal for depression.</li>
<li>On the other hand, the Arabian Sea receives stronger winds that help dissipate the heat, and the lack of constant fresh water supply helps the warm water mix with the cool water, reducing the temperature.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Absence of large landmass between the Pacific and the Bay</strong>, allows cyclonic winds to easily move into the Bay of Bengal.</li>
<li><strong>Cyclones from Pacific ocean:</strong> low-pressure system originating from the Pacific ocean also travel towards the left to the Bay of Bengal.</li>
</ul>',
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$title = 'Search'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
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include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
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Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
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Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 623
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