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UNFCCC

Recently, 24th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded in...

14 May 2019 International Institutions
Forest Inferno

More than 900 hectares of forest land has been gutted in wild-fire in Uttarakhand. The number of forest fires shot up to 14,107 from 4,225 between...

14 May 2019 News Analysis
Strait of Hormuz

In a recent incident, four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah (an emirate of the UAE), one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs...

14 May 2019 News Analysis
The Big Picture – Regulating Streaming Content

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the ministries of Broadcasting, Law and Communications on an appeal challenging the 8th Feb, 2019 order of...

14 May 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
DNA Database for Indian Rhinos

The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has begun a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country. The...

14 May 2019 News Analysis
CO2 Level Hit Record High

Recently, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii (USA), has detected the highest levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since...

14 May 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (14th May 2019)

By 2040, 15 million will Need Chemotherapy According to a new study published in ‘The Lancet Oncology’, by 2040, 15 million individuals...

14 May 2019 News Analysis
PRS Capsule March 2019

Key Highlights of PRS Law and Justice Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance...

14 May 2019 PRS Capsule
Perpetuating the Power-Imbalance – Addressing Sexual Harassment at Higher Institutions in India

This editorial is based on the article “In his own cause: On complaint against CJI Ranjan Gogoi” which appeared in "The...

13 May 2019 News Editorials
Delay in Resolutions under IBC

A number of hurdles have delayed the debt resolution at Essar Steel India Ltd. under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Resolution Process...

13 May 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (13th May 2019)

Apache Helicopter The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the first AH-64E (I)-Apache Guardian helicopter at the Boeing production facility in...

13 May 2019 News Analysis
Kerala’s New Protocols for Managing Disasters

Picking up valuable lessons from the Cyclone ‘Ockhi’ disaster and the 2018 floods, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA)...

13 May 2019 News Analysis
Communalism

About Communalism, in a broad sense means a strong attachment to one’s own community. In popular discourse in India, it is understood as...

13 May 2019 Paper 1
Solving the NPA Crisis in India

This editorial is based on the article “Resolving India’s banking crisis” which appeared in "The Hindu" on 11th May, 2019. The...

11 May 2019 News Editorials
WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing Countries

India will host a WTO ministerial meeting of developing countries in New Delhi on May 13 & 14, 2019. Key highlights The meeting is a run up...

11 May 2019 News Analysis
SC Upholds Karnataka Law Granting Reservation In Promotion For SC-ST

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the...

11 May 2019 News Analysis
Cyclone Fani Creates Four New Mouths in Chilika Lake

The recent ‘Cyclone Fani’ which hit the eastern coast of India, has created four new mouths in Chilika Lake. Key points Before Fani...

11 May 2019 News Analysis
White-Throated Rail

The white-throated rail (Dryolimnas cuvieri) or Cuvier's rail is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar,...

11 May 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (11th May 2019)

Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and...

11 May 2019 News Analysis
The Big Picture – UN Security Council Reforms

The French envoy to the UN has recently said that India and nations like Germany, Brazil and Japan are “absolutely needed” as permanent...

11 May 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions

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			'title' => 'UNFCCC',
			'catname' => 'International Institutions',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, 24th meeting of the <a href="https://www.theclimategroup.org/sites/default/files/archive/files/UNFCCC_timeline.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)</a> concluded in Katowice, Poland.</p>
<h3>Origin</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UNFCCC, signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference</li>
<li>The UNFCCC entered into force on March 21, 1994, and has been ratified by 197 countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>The WMO and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988, to assess the magnitude and timing of changes, estimate their impacts, present strategies for how to respond and to provide an authoritative source of up-to-date interdisciplinary knowledge on climate change.</em></p>
</div>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Article 2, the Convention&rsquo;s ultimate objective is &ldquo;to achieve, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system&rdquo;.</li>
<li>This objective is qualified in that it &ldquo;should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Institutional Arrangements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Conference of the Parties (COP)</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Article 7.2 defines the COP as the &ldquo;supreme body&rdquo; of the Convention, as it is its highest decision-making authority. The climate change process revolves around the annual sessions of the COP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>COP President and Bureau</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The office of the COP President normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups. The President is usually the environment minister of his or her home country. S/he is elected by acclamation immediately after the opening of a COP session. Their role is to facilitate the work of the COP and promote agreements among Parties.</li>
<li>The work of the COP and each subsidiary body is guided by an elected Bureau. To ensure continuity, it serves not only during sessions, but between sessions as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Subsidiary Bodies (SBs)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Convention establishes <strong>two permanent subsidiary bodies (SBs),</strong> namely the <strong>Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA),</strong> by Article 9, and the <strong>Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI),</strong> by Article 10. These bodies advise the COP.</li>
<li>The SBSTA&rsquo;s task is to provide the COP &ldquo;with timely advice on scientific and technological matters relating to the Convention&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The SBI&rsquo;s task is to assist the COP &ldquo;in the assessment and review of the effective implementation of the Convention&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Secretariat</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The secretariat, also known as the Climate Change Secretariat, services the COP, the SBs, the Bureau and other bodies established by the COP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Bodies</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Other bodies have been set up by the COP to undertake specific tasks. These bodies report back to the COP when they complete their work</li>
<li>COP 1 established two ad hoc groups to conduct negotiations on specific issues.</li>
<li>COP 11 established the &ldquo;Dialogue&rdquo; to exchange experiences and analyse strategic approaches for long-term cooperative action to address climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #d4f6fc; border-color: #036f82; border-style: solid;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 99.9999%; height: 19px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;" colspan="2"><strong>Timeline of Important Events</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1979</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">First World Climate Conference (WCC)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 26px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1988</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;">IPCC established</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1990</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;">In November IPCC and second WCC call for global treaty on climate change and in December UN General Assembly Negotiations on a Framework Convention Begin.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1992</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;">The text of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 26px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1994</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;">UNFCCC enters into force</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1995</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">COP 1 (Berlin, Germany)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p><strong>1996</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>August</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UNFCCC secretariat relocates from Geneva to its current home in Bonn(Germany), paving the way for the city to become an international sustainability hub and home to 18 UN organizations.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p><strong>1997</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 3 (Kyoto, Japan)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyoto Protocol adopted- The Protocol legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 27px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1998</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 27px; vertical-align: top;">Buenos Aires Plan of Action</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2001</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 6-2(second part of 6th COP)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The COP 6-2 took place from 16 to 27 July 2001 in Bonn, Germany.</li>
<li>A major breakthrough is achieved at the second part of the sixth Conference of the Parties meeting in Bonn, with governments reaching a broad political agreement on the operational rulebook for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2001</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 7 (Marrakesh, Morocco)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Resulted in the Marrakesh Accords, setting the stage for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. This formalized the agreement on operational rules for International Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation along with a compliance regime and accounting procedures.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 46px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 46px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2002</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 46px; vertical-align: top;">COP 8 (New Delhi, India) Delhi Declaration. The Delhi Declaration focuses on the development needs of the poorest countries and the need for technology transfer for mitigating climate change.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">(February 16) Entry of Kyoto Protocol into force with the Russian Federation ratification to the Kyoto Protocol, sealing its entry into force.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP11/CMP1 (December)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1) takes place in Montreal.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>In January the Clean Development Mechanism, a key mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, opens for business.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CDM is one of the Flexible Mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol that provides for emissions reduction projects which generate Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) which may be traded in emissions trading schemes.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2007</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP13</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parties agreed on the Bali Road Map and Bali action plan, which charted the way towards a post-2012 outcome. The Plan has five main categories: shared vision, mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2008</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 14, Poznan (Poland)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The launch of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol and</li>
<li>The Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology Transfer.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2009</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP15 (Copenhagen)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Copenhagen Accord drafted. Developed countries pledge up to USD 30 billion in fast-start finance for the period 2010-2012.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2010</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 16 (Cancun)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Resulted in the Cancun Agreements, a comprehensive package by governments to assist developing nations in dealing with climate change.</li>
<li>The Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism and the Cancun Adaptation Framework are established.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2011</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 17 (Durban)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Governments commit to a new universal climate change agreement by 2015 for the period beyond 2020.(Resulted in the Paris Agreement of 2015)</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2012</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP18/CMP8 (Doha)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol is adopted.</li>
<li>COP18 also launched a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2013</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP19/CMP9 (Warsaw)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Key decisions adopted include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further advancing the Green Climate Fund and Long-Term Finance,</li>
<li>The Warsaw Framework for REDD Plus and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 21 (Paris)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Paris Agreement adopted. It aims:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To keep global temperatures "well below" 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and "endeavor to limit" them even more, to 1.5C</li>
<li>Rich countries should help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy.</li>
<li>The agreement requires rich nations to maintain a $100bn a year funding pledge beyond 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2016</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP22 (Marrakech)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A crucial outcome of the Marrakech climate conference was
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To move forward on writing the rule book of the Paris Agreement.</li>
<li>Launched the Marrakech Partnership for Climate Action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP23, Bonn (Germany)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countries continued to negotiate the finer details of how the agreement will work from 2020 onwards.</li>
<li>First set of negotiations since the US, under the presidency of Donald Trump, announced its intention earlier this year to withdraw from the Paris deal.</li>
<li>It was the first COP to be hosted by a small-island developing state with Fiji taking up the presidency, even though it was being held in Bonn.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2018</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">COP 24, Katowice (Poland)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Shortcomings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Non-inclusive:</strong> Most scientists agree the most dangerous environmental air pollutants today are microscopic particulates that come from car engines and combustion-based power plants, but these pollutants are largely ignored by the Kyoto Protocol.</li>
<li><strong>Slow progress:</strong> It took a long time for COP to bring Russia to agree into participating in the Kyoto Protocol. (until 2005)</li>
<li>UNFCCC failed to persuade USA to ratify the Kyoto protocol thereby keeping one of the largest emitter of greenhouse gases away from commitments.</li>
<li><strong>Unsustainable targets:</strong> The world reached at almost 1degree Celsius warming post industrialization and the Paris contributions are not enough to maintain 2 degree Celsius levels.</li>
<li><strong>Unsatisfactory Response:</strong> Many countries argued for a tougher target of 1.5C - including leaders of low-lying countries that face unsustainable sea levels rises in a warming world.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Constraints:</strong> The agreement requires rich nations to maintain a $100bn a year funding pledge beyond 2020, which is not enough as highlighted by several pacific island countries.</li>
<li><strong>Non-binding agreement:</strong> The US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, citing, that the deal punished" the US and would cost millions of American jobs&rdquo;, has created new barriers and more pressure on rest of the nations in achieving the targets of Paris agreement.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As part of the US withdrawal, USA has stopped the payment of the extra $2bn that had been promised in to the Green Climate Fund.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>No enforcement mechanism:</strong> Under the Paris agreement, each country determines, plans, and reports its own efforts to mitigate global warming. The only penalty for non-compliance is a so-called &ldquo;name and shame&rdquo; &mdash; or &ldquo;name and encourage&rdquo; &mdash; system whereby countries that fall out of compliance are called out and encouraged to improve.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Achievements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyoto protocol only required wealthy nations to cut emissions, which was a bone of contention; however this anomaly was corrected with the signing of Paris agreement in 2015.</li>
<li>UNFCCC initiatives helped create Public awareness regarding climate change, which is much higher today than in the late 90s.</li>
<li>Although climate science in the late 90s was certainly strong enough&mdash;to negotiate an international treaty, it is hard to deny that the scientific understanding of the climate crisis has improved considerably over the past two decades in which UNFCCC played a significant role.</li>
<li>UNFCCC has enabled planning and implementation of concrete adaptation activities under the National Adaptations Programme of Action (NAPAs) and the Nairobi work programme.</li>
<li>UNFCCC helped create innovative ideas in mitigating climate change like the Clean Development mechanism (CDM) under which developing country&rsquo;s projects that reduce emissions earn credits that can be sold to countries or companies with a commitment to reduce emissions.</li>
<li>Since the establishment of UNFCCC national governments have encouraged and increased cooperation on the development and transfer of technology.</li>
<li>UNFCCC efforts support the developing countries in combating climate change by providing a platform for finance, technology transfers, discussions, global partnerships, etc.</li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Forest Inferno',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>More than 900 hectares of forest land has been gutted in wild-fire in Uttarakhand. The <strong>number of forest fires shot up to 14,107 from 4,225 between November 2018 and February 2019</strong>, according to the Real-Time Forest Alert System of the Forest Survey of India (FSI).<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747182_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747182_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" width="307" height="231" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Primary Causes of Wildfires</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Human Causes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>90% of all wildfires are caused by humans.</li>
<li>Human acts of carelessness such as leaving campfires unattended and negligent discarding of cigarette butts result in wildfire disasters every year.</li>
<li>Accidents, deliberate acts of arson, burning of debris, and fireworks are the other substantial causes of wildfires.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Natural Causes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lightning:</strong> A fairly good number of wildfires are triggered by lightning.</li>
<li><strong>Volcanic eruption:</strong> Hot magma in the earth&rsquo;s crust is usually expelled out as lava during a volcanic eruption. The hot lava then flows into nearby fields or lands to start wildfires.</li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> High atmospheric temperatures and dryness offer favourable conditions for a fire to start.</li>
<li><strong>Climate change</strong> is causing a gradual but highly significant increasing trend in surface air temperatures, and it leads to record-breaking extremes in many areas when it interacts with the normal periodic warming associated with an El Nino.</li>
<li>An important climate variable for fire is <strong>vapour pressure deficit</strong>. It is a measure that <strong>combines temperature and relative humidity</strong> near the surface.</li>
<li>Warmer temperatures and lower humidity cause vapour pressure deficit to increase which can dry fuels rapidly and allow fires to grow very fast</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Types of Wildland Fires</h3>
<p><strong>There are three basic types of forest fires:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Crown fires</strong> burn trees up their entire length to the top. These are the most intense and dangerous wildland fires.</li>
<li><strong>Surface fires</strong> burn only surface litter and duff. These are the easiest fires to put out and cause the least damage to the forest.</li>
<li><strong>Ground fires</strong> (sometimes called underground or subsurface fires) occur in deep accumulations of humus, peat and similar dead vegetation that become dry enough to burn. These fires move very slowly, but can become difficult to fully put out, or suppress. Occasionally, especially during prolonged drought, such fires can smoulder all winter underground and then emerge at the surface again in spring.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Effects of Fire on Ecosystems</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mosaic Patterns:</strong> Wildland fires create a mixture of totally burned, partially burned, and unburned sections called a burn mosaic. The burn mosaic results in varied regrowth rates that create a vegetation mosaic.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Conditions:</strong> Wildland fires can be both a detriment and a benefit to soil. The soil can become more nutrient-rich after a fire due to the high mineral content of the ash and charcoal and also due to the warm, moist conditions that increase microbial activity. The intense heat can also cause soil particles to become water-repellant, causing rainwater to run off. As the water runs off it can carry soil particles with it and lead to erosion.</li>
<li><strong>Climate Related:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>&lsquo;Black carbon&rsquo; from the smog and ash covers the glaciers, making them more prone to melting. In India, the glaciers most likely to be affected by this are the ones situated at low altitudes, like Gangotri, Milam, Sundardunga, Newla and Cheepa.</li>
<li>Water in the rivers is also likely to get much polluted from the effects of this black carbon.</li>
<li>In 2016, forest fires have raised average temperatures across northern India by 0.2 degree Celsius, which had a bad effect on monsoons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mitigation Strategies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Technology</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>FSI has begun the <strong>development of systems for early warning</strong> and <strong>fire danger rating</strong>, and these efforts should be continued.</li>
<li><strong>Digitization of management boundaries</strong> by the state forest departments should be completed, so that the FSI can more accurately determine which fires to report and to whom.</li>
<li>Fire alert systems can also be improved by integrating ground-based detection with the satellite-based alert systems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Community Engagement</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sensitization of communities should be done to ensure that fire is used responsibly in a way that promotes forest health, while seeking to avoid damaging and out-of-control fires.</li>
<li>Provision of training should extend beyond state-managed forests to community institutions in regions such as the Northeast, where communities are responsible for managing most of the forest estate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/forest-inferno'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Strait of Hormuz',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>In a recent incident, four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah (an emirate of the UAE), one of the world&rsquo;s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The incident has come at a time of heightened tensions in the Gulf. The US has deployed an aircraft carrier, bomber planes and defense missiles to the region amid rising tensions with Iran, which has threatened to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the US succeeds in halting its energy exports.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In 2015, Iran agreed to a long-term deal</strong> referred to as the <strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)</strong> on its nuclear programme with the <strong>P5+1 (US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany).</strong></li>
<li>Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>The US withdrew from the deal in 2018</strong> and also recently <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminated the exceptions to US sanctions on Iranian oil.</a><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted"></a></li>
<li>Sanctions have pushed Iran&rsquo;s economy towards crisis. <strong>Recently, Iran has threatened to scale back its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal and to close the Strait of Hormuz.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Strait of Hormuz<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747415_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747415_image3.jpg" width="479" height="270" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The waterway <strong>separates Iran and Oman, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.</strong></li>
<li>The Strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction.</li>
<li><strong>Most crude exported</strong> from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq &ndash; all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qatar-quits-opec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(OPEC)</a> &ndash; <strong>is shipped through this waterway.</strong></li>
<li>It is also the <strong>route used for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG)</strong> produced by the world&rsquo;s biggest LNG exporter, Qatar.</li>
<li>The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building more oil pipelines.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture – Regulating Streaming Content',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fzHCSu4qCmg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Supreme Court has issued notices to the ministries of Broadcasting, Law and Communications on an appeal challenging the 8<sup>th</sup> Feb, 2019 order of the Delhi High Court.</p>
<p>The Delhi High Court dismissed the <strong>PIL seeking formulation of guidelines for the regulation of online video streaming platforms</strong> like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had informed it that online platforms are not required to obtain any licence from it. The Ministry of Law and Justice stated that the matter is outside its domain.</p>
<h3>Claims made in the appeal</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Online streaming platforms are not only displaying unlicensed, unregulated and uncertified content, but also running without being governed by any guidelines.</li>
<li>Due to lack or absence of any guidelines to govern the online platforms, government agencies are creating <strong>a special class of broadcasters</strong> and thus <strong>discriminating against customers, Cable TV producers, and DTH operators</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Present Regulation Mechanism for Online Streaming Platforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At present, India does not have any regulatory mechanism for online streaming platforms. However, all such platforms qualify as intermediaries as per <strong>section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per section 2(1)(w) of the IT act, "intermediary", with respect to any particular electronic records, means any person who on behalf of another person receives, stores or transmits that record or provides any service with respect to that record and also includes network service providers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Under section 79(2)(c) of the IT act,</strong> intermediaries are mandated to exercise due diligence while discharging their duties under the Act.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parameters of due diligence have been defined by the Government of India in the Information Technology Rules, 2011.</li>
<li>The problem is that the <strong>parameters have not been framed keeping in mind the peculiar business operations of online streaming platforms</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for Regulations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian citizens <strong>do not enjoy absolute right of freedom of speech and expression</strong> as there are certain reasonable restrictions under the Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India.<strong> Regulations are necessary</strong> to ensure that the content that gets featured on online streaming platforms remains within the scope of Article 19(2) of the constitution.</li>
<li><strong>The regular movies are certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)</strong> and ultimately governed by the Cinematograph Act. Such certification is also necessary for the movies run by the online streaming platforms to avoid any sort of discrimination.</li>
<li>As per the IT act, citizens can avail remedies if the content contravenes any of the provisions of the act. It would be better for India to have a precaution in the form of law governing the content on online streaming platforms.</li>
<li>To stop such platforms from running any sexually explicit and vulgar content.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s failure to exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction that flows from section 1 and section 75 of the IT act.</strong> These two sections collectively make the IT act applicable to any person of any nationality anywhere in the world so long the impact of such services provided by him/her are felt on computers, computer systems or computer networks physically located in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is it possible to regulate?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Internet is beyond any regulation. It allows various platform providers and service providers to be in different jurisdictions while giving their services to other people located in other jurisdictions.</li>
<li>It is difficult to regulate the content as something which is inappropriate for someone can be appropriate for the other.</li>
<li>It is upto people whether they want to see, hear or read a particular thing on internet.</li>
<li>However, more and more countries are now waking up to the need for regulating such kind of content within their physical geographical boundaries. For example, Russia and China has a law that states that the content needs to be in compliance with the local laws.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Government needs to ensure that online streaming platforms comply with available parameters of local laws.</li>
<li>Besides providing adequate enabling legal framework, specific parameters for due diligence for online streaming platforms should be framed by the government.</li>
<li>Online Streaming Platforms, as a part of their services to countries, should come up with a self code of conduct.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>In the times of continuous changing technologies, <strong>policymakers should frame broad, generic and futuristic looking legal provisions</strong>. China has recently come up with the world&rsquo;s first law on Artificial Intelligence (AI). California has a law on cybersecurity with respect to Internet-of-Things (IoT). India needs to learn from these examples.</em></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></p>
<p>Article 19(2) of the Constitution authorises the government to impose, by law, reasonable restrictions upon the freedom of speech and expression in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.</p>
<p><strong>Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952.</li>
<li>The Board consists of non-official members and a Chairman (all of whom are appointed by Central Government) and functions with headquarters at Mumbai.</li>
<li><strong>Films can be publicly exhibited in India (on cinema halls, T.V. channels) only after they have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification.</strong></li>
<li><strong>At present, films are certified under 4 categories: U, U/A, A&amp; S.</strong></li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>Category</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;"><strong>Description</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>U</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Unrestricted Public Exhibition</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>U/A</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Unrestricted Public Exhibition - but with a word of caution that Parental discretion required for children below 12 years.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>A</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Restricted to adults</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>S</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Restricted to any special class of persons</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cinematograph Act lays down that a film shall not be certified if any part of it is against the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite commission of any offence.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>DTH services and cable T.V programs</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India Direct-to-Home (DTH) licenses are issued to service providers by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).</li>
<li><strong>The Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 content code / Advertisement code is there in India for programme and advertisements appearing in cable TV Network.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-streaming-content'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'DNA Database for Indian Rhinos',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has begun a <strong>project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The project is a subset of the Centre&rsquo;s larger, ongoing rhino conservation programme.</li>
<li>By 2021, the project&rsquo;s deadline, the Indian rhino could be the first wild animal species in India to have all its members DNA-sequenced.</li>
<li>The project will help in <strong>curbing poaching</strong> and gathering evidence in wildlife crimes involving rhinos.</li>
<li><strong>The database will be hosted in the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) headquarters in Dehradun.</strong><strong></strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are three species of rhino in Asia&nbsp;</span>&mdash;&nbsp;<strong>Greater one-horned, Javan </strong>and<strong> Sumatran</strong>. Javan and Sumatran Rhino are critically endangered and the Greater one-horned (or Indian) rhino is vulnerable In IUCN Red List.</li>
<li>They are spread across India, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia and Malaysia. These countries are also known as <strong>Asian Rhino Range Countries</strong>.</li>
<li>Only the Great one-horned rhino is found in India.</li>
<li>At present, there are about 2,600 Indian rhinos in India, with more than 90% of the population concentrated in Assam&rsquo;s Kaziranga National Park.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>National Rhino Conservation Strategy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It calls for active engagement between India and Nepal to conserve the Greater one-horned rhinoceros.</li>
<li>The plan said the single population of rhinos in Sukla-Phanta (Nepal), Valmiki Tiger Reserve (India) and Chitwan National Park (Nepal) and Dudhwa (India) is separated by the political boundary between the two countries.</li>
<li>It asks for the <strong>management of the two population under the same protocol</strong>, instead of managing the two population separately.</li>
<li>The plan calls for <strong>expanding distribution range as the occurrence of 90% of the rhino in one protected area is a cause of concern</strong> and conservation of existing and potential rhino habitats need to be made a national priority.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Rhino Vision 2020</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Launched in 2005</strong>, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort <strong>to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020</strong>.</li>
<li>Seven protected areas are Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang National Park, Manas National Park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary.</li>
<li>It is a collaborative effort between various organisations, including the International Rhino Foundation, Assam&rsquo;s Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, World Wide Fund - India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dna-database-for-indian-rhinos'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'CO2 Level Hit Record High',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii (USA), has detected the highest levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since records began.</p>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CO<sub>2</sub> level, detected by the observatory, was <strong>more than 415 Parts Per Million (PPM).</strong></li>
<li>The last time Earth's atmosphere contained this much CO2 was more than three million years ago when global sea levels were several metres higher and parts of Antarctica were covered in forest.</li>
<li><strong>Earth's average surface temperature has already increased 1&deg;C since pre-industrial times</strong> due to man-made emissions and, in spite of the Paris deal and increasing public awareness of the problem, we haven&rsquo;t succeeded in arresting Carbon emissions.</li>
<li>In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <strong>(IPCC)</strong>, reported that at the current rate of emissions, the world will <strong>breach the global warming limit of 1.5&deg;C between 2030 and 2052</strong> and that will have a catastrophic impact on the earth.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747281_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747281_image1.jpg" caption="false" width="730" height="536" /></a></p>
<h3>Paris Agreement on Climate Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Paris Agreement was concluded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference <strong>(UNFCCC), COP 21</strong> that was held in Paris in 2015, which was also the 11<sup>th</sup> session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 <strong>Kyoto Protocol (CMP 11)</strong>.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement's aim is to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through &ldquo;intended nationally determined contributions&rdquo; (INDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement, in contrast with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, <strong>makes all countries responsible for reducing GreenHouse Gases (GHGs)</strong> instead of just the developed or Annex-1 countries, which are responsible for the bulk of the total GHG concentrations in the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35% by 2030 from 2005 level.</li>
<li>To achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030, with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance, including from Green Climate Fund.</li>
<li>To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body that provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.</li>
<li>It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).</li>
<li>Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/co2-level-hit-record-high'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (14th May 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>By 2040, 15 million will Need Chemotherapy</h3>
<p>According to a new study published in <em>&lsquo;The Lancet Oncology&rsquo;</em>, by 2040, <strong>15 million individuals each year will need chemotherapy,</strong> amounting to a 53% increase from 9.8 million in 2018.</p>
<p><strong>Key highlights</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This study is the <strong>first of its kind to estimate the scale of chemotherapy provision</strong> needed at national, regional, and global scales to respond to this situation.</li>
<li>Cancer incidence is expected to <strong>rise from 17 million to 26 million between 2018 and 2040</strong>.</li>
<li>The estimated proportion of patients needing chemotherapy who reside in low-income or middle-income countries was 63% in 2018, and will be 67% in 2040.</li>
<li>Of the 15 million people who will require chemotherapy in 2040, <strong>more than one-third will be living in eastern Asia (35%),</strong> 12% in south central Asia, 10% in northern America, 7% in South eastern Asia, 6% in South America, and 5% in western Europe.</li>
<li>In 2018, 65,000 cancer physicians were required to deliver optimal chemotherapy. This number is expected to rise to 100,000 by 2040.</li>
<li>This study will help to further <strong>guide policy makers and stakeholders in priority settings</strong> involved in setting up health infrastructure and strengthening and educating the future workforce.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chemotherapy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to the treatment of diseases by chemical compounds.</li>
<li>Chemotherapeutic drugs were originally those employed against infectious microbes, but the term has been <strong>broadened to include anticancer and other drugs.</strong></li>
<li>It is more popularly used term for treatment of cancer.</li>
<li>Normally, cells grow and die in a controlled way, but <strong>cancer cells keep growing without control.</strong></li>
<li>Chemotherapy works by <strong>killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth.</strong></li>
<li>However, it can also harm healthy cells, which causes side effects.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>ABHYAS</h3>
<p>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted successful flight test of <strong>ABHYAS &ndash; High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)</strong> from Interim Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha.</p>
<p><strong>About ABHYAS<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747527_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747527_image4.jpg" width="267" height="185" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an <strong>unmanned aerial vehicle</strong> based on microelectromechanical systems <strong>(MEMS)</strong> navigation system.</li>
<li>It uses <strong>indigenously developed MEMS-based navigation system</strong> for its navigation and guidance.</li>
<li><strong>MEMS-based INS</strong> (inertial navigation system) are being used in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, to meet the stringent operational requirements in the defence services, UAVs and manned aerial vehicles (MAVs) are being deployed with MEMS-based INS.</li>
<li>MEMS inertial navigation systems with integrated GPS have advantages like:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Higher data output rates</li>
<li>Lower power consumption</li>
<li>Orientation monitoring and control</li>
<li>Cost effective</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Water Hyacinth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Water Hyacinth <em><strong>(Eichhornia crassipes)</strong></em> is a <strong>highly invasive weed</strong> which is considered to pose a threat to the many aquatic ecosystems it grows.</li>
<li>The problem of Water Hyacinth is exacerbated in slow-moving water bodies.</li>
<li>Because of the density of the mats it forms, it has the ability to out-compete other native aquatic plant life and block sunlight from entering the water, thus <strong>causing the death of submerged flora</strong> as they are unable to photosynthesise.</li>
<li>This in turn,&nbsp;<strong>depletes oxygen in the water and kills native fish and other organisms</strong> in the ecosystem.</li>
<li>Its positive environmental benefits included enhanced availability of refugia and feeding centre&rsquo;s for fish and various other aquatic fauna at narrow stationery fringes of the weed whose roots were regularly flushed with well oxygenated waters. Such water hyacinth fringes were rich in a variety of algae, and various invertebrates.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-may-2019'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'PRS Capsule March 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">Law and Justice</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>Cabinet approves promulgation of amendments to regulations for civil courts in two Union Territories (Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#2">Education</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ordinance to provide for reservation of teaching posts in central educational institutions promulgated</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#3">Health and Family Welfare</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#4">Information Technology</a><a></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry releases National Policy on Software Products 2019</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Power</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hydro power projects declared as renewable energy sources</li>
<li>Cabinet approves various thermal and hydro power projects</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#6">Social Justice</a><a></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Centre for Disability Sports to be set up in Gwalior</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#7">Environment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Cooling Plan launched</li>
<li>Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules amended</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#8">Home Affairs</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order issued</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#9">Transport</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>White Paper on National Green Aviation Policy released</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#10">Water Resources</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Cabinet approves the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#11">Information and Broadcasting</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry releases revised guidelines for the Journalists Welfare Scheme</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="1">Law and Justice</h3>
<p>Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In September 2018, the <strong>Supreme Court struck down certain provisions</strong> of the <strong>Aadhaar Act,</strong> including those in relation to mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phones.</li>
<li>The ordinance amends the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.</li>
<li>The Ordinance allows <strong>for voluntary use of the Aadhaar</strong> number for authentication or offline verification, with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Previously, a similar Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on January 4, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For more detail please follow the PRS Capsule January-2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated by the President.</li>
<li>It establishes an autonomous and independent institution for better management of arbitration in India.</li>
<li>Previously, a similar Bill <strong>(The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill, 2018)</strong> was passed by Lok Sabha in January, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For more detail please follow the PRS Capsule January 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Cabinet approves promulgation of amendments to regulations for civil courts in two Union Territories (Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet, under <strong>Article 240</strong> of the Constitution, approved the promulgation of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>the <strong>Daman and Diu Civil Courts</strong> (Amendment) <strong>Regulation, 2019</strong>,</li>
<li>and the <strong>Dadra and Nagar Haveli</strong> (<strong>Civil Courts</strong> and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment <strong>Regulation, 2019</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The amendments include an increase in the <strong>pecuniary jurisdiction</strong> of civil courts in the two Union Territories.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Pecuniary Jurisdiction</strong> refers to the ability of a Court to hear matters depending on the valuation of the case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It will be helpful in bringing uniformity in Judicial Service and overcome the difficulties being faced by the litigants in travelling to Mumbai for filing appeals due to existing limited pecuniary jurisdiction.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Education</h3>
<p>Ordinance to provide for reservation of teaching posts in central educational institutions promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers&rsquo; Cadre) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated.</li>
<li>The Ordinance provides for <strong>reservation of teaching positions</strong> in <strong>central educational institutions</strong> for persons belonging to the <strong>Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes</strong>&nbsp;and the <strong>socially and educationally backward classes</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For the purpose of such reservation, a central educational institution will be regarded as one unit.</li>
<li>Previously, each department within a central educational institution was regarded as a unit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Health and Family Welfare</h3>
<p>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It amends the <strong>Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973</strong> which sets up the Central Council of Homoeopathy.</li>
<li>The Central Council regulates homoeopathic education and practice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Ordinance amends the Act to increase the time period for supersession of the Central Council from one year to two years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Meanwhile, <strong>the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019</strong> was introduced in Rajya Sabha in January, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The draft Bill seeks to set up the National Commission for Homoeopathy, and <strong>replace the Central Council of Homoeopathy</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Information Technology</h3>
<p>Ministry releases National Policy on Software Products 2019</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the <strong>National Policy on Software Products 2019</strong>.</li>
<li>The Union Cabinet had earlier approved the policy.</li>
<li>The policy aims to develop India as a global software product hub.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For detail please follow the PRS Capsule February-2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Power</h3>
<p>Hydro power projects declared as renewable energy sources</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved certain measures to promote the hydro power sector.</li>
<li>Key measures approved include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Large hydro projects:</strong> Large hydro power projects (capacity <strong>above 25 MW</strong>) will be considered as renewable energy sources. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier only small hydro projects (capacity less than 25 MW) were considered as renewable energy sources.</li>
<li>However, the large projects will not be automatically eligible for any differential treatment for statutory clearances such as forest and environmental clearances, or impact assessment studies, which are available for smaller hydro projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO):</strong> HPO will be <strong>a separate category</strong> within the existing renewable purchase obligation (RPO, obligation on certain entities to purchase a fixed minimum percentage of power from renewable sources).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will cover all large hydro projects commissioned post this approval.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Cabinet approves various thermal and hydro power projects</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved several thermal and hydro power projects.</li>
<li>Details of the projects are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Thermal projects:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A 2x660 MW Thermal Power Project has been approved in <strong>Buxar,</strong> Bihar. The plant will be set up by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Thermal Private Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN Ltd., a mini ratna CPSU under the Ministry of Power.</li>
<li>A 2x660 MW Thermal Power Project has been approved in <strong>Khurja,</strong> Uttar Pradesh. The project will be set up by THDC India Limited (formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited), a mini ratna CPSU under the Ministry of Power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro projects:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>CCEA approved the construction of Kiru Hydro Electric (HE) Project, with a capacity of 624 MW. The project will be located on <strong>River Chenab</strong> in <strong>Kishtwar,</strong> Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
<li>CCEA also approved the investment sanction for acquisition of M/s Lanco Teesta Hydro Power Limited and execution of balance work of <strong>the Teesta Stage-Vl HE Project</strong> by NHPC Ltd in <strong>Sikkim</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Social Justice</h3>
<p>Centre for Disability Sports to be set up in Gwalior.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Ministry of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment approved the proposal for the establishment of a Centre for Disability Sports in <strong>Gwalior,</strong> Madhya Pradesh.</li>
<li>The Centre will be registered under the <strong>Societies Registration Act, 1860</strong>.</li>
<li>The Centre will include an outdoor athletic stadium, an indoor sports complex, a sports science centre, and hostel facilities for athletes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Some of the <strong>sports identified for training</strong> include badminton, basketball, <strong>boccia</strong>&nbsp;and para powerlifting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Environment</h3>
<p>National Cooling Plan launched</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change launched the <strong>India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)</strong>.</li>
<li>The ICAP provides recommendations to address cooling requirements across sectors, and ways to provide <strong>access to sustainable cooling</strong> for all over a 20-year period.</li>
<li>The main goals as outlined in the ICAP include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Supporting development of technological solutions in cooling and related areas;</li>
<li>Reducing cooling demand across sectors by 20%-25% by 2037-38;</li>
<li>Reducing refrigerant demand by 25%-30% by 2037-38;</li>
<li>Training and certifying one lakh servicing sector technicians by 2022-23.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules amended</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) amended the <strong>Hazardous Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016</strong>.</li>
<li>Key amendments include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Solid plastic waste</strong> has been prohibited from import into India.</li>
<li><strong>Exporters of silk waste</strong> have been given exemption from requiring permission from the MoEF.</li>
<li><strong>Electrical and electronic assemblies</strong> and components manufactured in and exported from India can now be imported back into the country if found defective, within a year of export, without obtaining permission from the MoEF.</li>
<li>Under the Rules, every industry engaged in dealing with hazardous waste is required to first obtain an authorization from the State Pollution Control Board. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The request is required to be accompanied with a prior authorization (i.e. a consent to establish) under the <strong>Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974</strong> and the <strong>Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per the amendments, industries which are exempted from requiring consent under the under the Water Act and Air Act, are exempted from requiring authorization from the State Pollution Control Board under the rules if the hazardous and other wastes generated by such industries are handed over to the authorized actual users, waste collectors or disposal facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Home Affairs</h3>
<p>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated.</li>
<li>The Ordinance amends the <strong>Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act provides for reservation in appointment and admission in professional institutions for persons belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and <strong>socially and educationally backward classes</strong> (SEBC).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>SEBC:</strong> the Act classifies persons living in areas adjoining the Line of Control as SEBCs for the appointment to state government posts.</li>
<li>The Act requires SEBCs (appointed to state government posts) to serve in such areas for at least seven years; and exempts them from the creamy layer test.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Ordinance extends the provisions of SEBCs to those living near the international border.</li>
</ul>
<p>Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order issued</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019 was made by the President.</li>
<li>It amends the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 1954 Order makes various provisions of the Constitution of India applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The 103<sup>rd</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act provides for ten percent reservation for economically weaker sections in educational institutions and public employment. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Amendment Order seeks to extend this reservation to Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Under this amendment order, the benefits in promotions to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution will also be made applicable to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Transport</h3>
<p>White Paper on National Green Aviation Policy released</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Civil Aviation released a White Paper (an official report which describes the policy of the Government on a particular subject) on National Green Aviation Policy.</li>
<li>The policy seeks to enable, promote and strengthen all inclusive, green and sustainable growth of air transportation in India.</li>
<li>Key feature of the policy include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Green Infrastructure Program:</strong> All aviation stakeholders should adopt <strong>green infrastructure guidelines</strong> while designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and during</li>
<li>demolition of infrastructures. Such guidelines are specified by: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>the Indian Green Building Council,</li>
<li>the U.S. Green Building Council,</li>
<li>Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment,</li>
<li>or any equivalent standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">Water Resources</h3>
<p>Cabinet approves the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved the <strong>Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</strong> with an aim of effective flood management and erosion control.</li>
<li>FMBAP has been framed by merging two previously continuing schemes, namely: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Flood Management Program.</strong></li>
<li><strong>River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Salient features of the scheme include: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>assisting state governments in providing protection against floods through structural and non-structural measures,</li>
<li>completing on-going projects previously approved under the Flood Management Program,</li>
<li>conducting hydro-meteorological observations and flood forecasting with neighbouring countries,</li>
<li>and surveying and investigating water resource projects on common rivers with neighbouring countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="11">Information and Broadcasting</h3>
<p>Ministry releases revised guidelines for the Journalists Welfare Scheme.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) released revised guidelines for the <strong>Journalist Welfare Scheme</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The scheme aims to provide <strong>one-time financial support</strong> to <strong>journalists</strong> and their <strong>families</strong> in extreme hardship.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The key features include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Committee:</strong> A Committee will be constituted, with the Secretary of MIB as the chairperson, to administer the scheme. The Committee will meet at least once a quarter, to take decisions on cases received during the period.</li>
<li><strong>Eligibility:</strong> <strong>Journalists will be eligible</strong> for the scheme provided they are: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>citizens of India,</li>
<li>ordinarily resident in India,</li>
<li>accredited to the Press Information Bureau (PIB),</li>
<li>those journalists who are not accredited with the PIB will also be eligible for the scheme, if they have been journalists for a minimum period of five continuous years.</li>
<li>Journalists covered under the scheme include newspaper and television journalists, but does not include individuals in a managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial assistance:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Up to Rs 5 lakh may be provided to the family in case of death of journalist,</li>
<li>up to Rs 5 lakh may be provided to the journalist in case of permanent disability which makes them incapable of earning a livelihood,</li>
<li>up to Rs 3 lakh may be provided for cost of treatment of major diseases such as cancer or heart ailments, subject to certain conditions,</li>
<li>and up to Rs 2 lakh may be provided in case of accidents causing serious injury requiring hospitalization.</li>
<li>Benefits under the scheme will be transferred only to Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of beneficiaries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-march-2019'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Perpetuating the Power-Imbalance – Addressing Sexual Harassment at Higher Institutions in India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/in-his-own-cause/article26905324.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;In his own cause: On complaint against CJI Ranjan Gogoi&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;which appeared in "The Hindu" on 22<sup>nd</sup> April, 2019. The article talks about procedural inadequacies in addressing sexual harassment at institutions like the Supreme Court of India.</p>
</div>
<h3>Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?</h3>
<p><strong>This phrase is often quoted and discussed in Socrates&rsquo; search for guardians who can hold power to account and prevent its misuse.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the Indian context this discussion gets further traction, as the fundamental question being asked contemporarily is, where does the power to prevent misuse lie?</li>
<li>Bound up with that question are the disputes over the powers of the elected government and the powers of what is being called unelected institutions, particularly the judiciary.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Contextualizing <em>&ldquo;who will guard the guardian syndrome&rdquo;</em> in Indian Judiciary</strong></p>
<p>Recently after allegation of sexual misconduct against Chief Justice Of India, the CJI constituted a bench comprising of himself along with two other judges in <strong>"In Re: Matter of great public importance touching upon the independence of the judiciary&rdquo;</strong> which refuted the allegations.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This step was against the established notion of fairness and natural justice.</li>
</ul>
<p>The premise of natural justice <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/who-will-watch-the-watchman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[Read More]</a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><em><strong>Nemo debet esse judex in causa propria sua</strong></em>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Nemo in propria causa judex , esse debet, i.e.; <strong>no one should be made a judge in his own cause</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is popularly known as the <strong>rule against bias</strong>.</li>
<li>It is the minimal requirement of natural justice that the authority giving decision must be composed of impartial persons acting fairly, without prejudice and bias. [Bias means an operative prejudice, whether conscious or unconscious, as result of some preconceived opinion or predisposition, in relation to a party or an issue].</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Audi alteram partem</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Audi alteram partem means <em><strong>&lsquo;hear the other side&rsquo;, or &lsquo;no man should be condemned unheard&rsquo;</strong></em>or<em> &lsquo;both the sides must be heard before passing any order&rsquo;.</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Procedural Violations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act) Act, ("POSH Act")</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>POSH Act read along with <strong>Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Regulation, 2013</strong> gives the role of deciding the genuineness of the allegations prima facie by the CJI himself. However, no procedure has been laid down if the allegation is against CJI himself.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Participation of women in sexual harassment cases</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even though POSH states that the committee enquiring into sexual harassment must be headed by woman and must comprise of a majority of women, this was not followed in the composition of the Special bench that heard the CJI&rsquo;s case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Attorney General and Solicitor General</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The case was registered via suo-motu writ petition by the Supreme Court, which is procedurally flawed.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Also the unwavering support by the President of Supreme Court Bar association without any enquiry shows that space for women is non-existent even in the Judiciary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Provisions and Documents Related to the Enquiry of Judges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Section 77 of the IPC 1860</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Section 77 IPC holds that any act done by a Judge while acting judicially in good faith cannot be considered an offence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 and Rules, 1969</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the Judges Inquiry Act and Rules framed under Section 124(5) of the Constitution, the expression &lsquo;judge&rsquo; also includes the CJI and no special treatment is given to him.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Judges Protection Act, 1985</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Section 3 of the Act protects judges from any civil or criminal proceeding in any court for acts done in performing judicial duties.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>government can initiate criminal proceedings</strong> against a sitting or former judge of a superior court under sub section (2) of Section 3 of Judges (Protection) Act, 1985 if it can produce material evidence to show that a judgment was passed after taking a bribe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Veeraswami Judgment (1991)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In Veeraswami case, the Supreme Court held that no criminal case shall be registered under Section 154, Cr.P.C., against a Judge unless the CJI is consulted in the matter and that due regard must be given by the government to the opinion expressed by the CJI.</li>
<li>However, if the allegation is against the CJI himself, then the Government can consider other judges of the Supreme Court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vishakha Case (1997)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In allegations against judges of the Supreme Court, it requires the CJI to constitute a three-member panel of Supreme Court judges to enquire into a complaint of misconduct received by the CJI against a sitting judge. The CJI supervises and enforces the outcome of this inquiry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013 along with Gender Sensitisation &amp; Sexual Harassment of Women at the Supreme Court of India (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Regulations, 2013 and 2015</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the 2013 Regulations, the CJI has overall supervision and control over the Gender Sensitization Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) including nomination and appointment of members of the GSICC and the power to accept or reject the recommendation of Internal Complaint Committee post enquiry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>However, with the setting up of a committee under Justice S.A. Bobde rectified the error in "In Re: Matter of great public importance touching upon the independence of the judiciary&rdquo; to some extent. But even this step and subsequent judgements, were recalcitrant on many accounts, some of which are as follows:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women were not allowed to be represented by a lawyer or an amicus curiae</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to legal experts, in the absence of any known procedure, the non-observance of the principles of natural justice and the absence of effective representation of the victim, the report, even though not for the public, is non-est and void ab initio (&lsquo;does not exist&rsquo;; not legally binding).
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>This ought to have been an external inquiry.</strong> There is no other way to ensure that the judiciary can be viewed as impartial.</li>
<li><strong>The woman in the CJI case was told that her own testimony, once she made it, would not be given to her because the inquiry is confidential.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The decision had been given ex-parte</strong> <em>(def: with respect to or in the interests of one side only or of an interested outside party)&nbsp;</em>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though legally valid, it erodes the validity of the Supreme Court Judgement. Independence of the judiciary rests on public trust, and public trust is not maintained by one-sided inquiries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, it established the power imbalance by showing that, when it comes to one of its own, imbalances of power don't matter, due process doesn't matter, and basic norms of justice don't matter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of the Supreme Court Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The judgement of the Supreme Court shows &ldquo;institutional racism&rdquo;.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Institutional racism stems from &ldquo;unwitting prejudice&rdquo;, &ldquo;ignorance&rdquo;, or &ldquo;thoughtlessness&rdquo; &ndash; almost internalised conditions, acted upon without any conscious desire or motivation to oppress or disadvantage anyone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>This judgement points toward &ldquo;Judicial Oligarchy&rdquo;.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The institution of judiciary has a strong counter-majoritarian character. It is considered neutral &mdash; free from self-interest. It is supposed to protect individual rights and adjudicate freely and fairly. <strong>Judicial oligarchy reduces the institution to a private club where certain interests are privileged at the cost of judicial integrity.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>For the last 20 years, the law on sexual harassment in India has taken slow, incremental, steps forward. <strong>From the Vishaka Guidelines in 1997 to the POSH Act in 2013, certain basic principles about the imbalance of power, procedural justice, and protecting the rights of survivors, has been fought for, and partially won.</strong> But this judgement, along with defamation suits in #Metoo movement shows that, battle on sexual harassment is far from over.</p>
<p><strong>It&rsquo;s also worth remembering the 2013 complaint against then former Justice AK Ganguly, in which an internal committee of judges gave a hearing to Ganguly and the complainant and ultimately passed an order finding that prima facie sexual harassment had been made out.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ganguly resigned as Chair of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), a short time before parliament began a presidential reference procedure to remove him.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Amendment of In-House Procedure or a Dedicated Separate Procedure
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such an amendment shall keep in mind principles for departmental inquiries into sexual harassment.</li>
<li><strong>The Full Court should exercise this power and lay down composition of the committee empowered to inquire into the issue.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This committee should have adequate representation and should be constituted as per the laid guideline.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation of Veeraswamy Judgment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In Veeraswamy's case, a Constitutional Bench held that if the CJI himself is the person against whom the allegations of criminal misconduct are received the government shall consult any other Judge or Judges of the Supreme Court.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This procedure should be followed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #0e39e6; background-color: #f0d5d5;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 961px;">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Without addressing the power-imbalance in society, a just society, particularly for women, cannot be envisaged. Discuss the role of the Indian Judiciary in this regard.&rdquo;</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/perpetuating-the-power-imbalance-addressing-sexual-harassment-at-higher-institutions-in-india'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Delay in Resolutions under IBC',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A number of hurdles have delayed the debt resolution at Essar Steel India Ltd. under the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)</a>.</p>
<h3>Resolution Process under IBC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IBC requires a <strong>corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) to be completed in 180 days,</strong> which can be <strong>extended by another 90 days</strong> to a maximum of 270 days.</li>
<li><strong>Status:</strong> As on 31<sup>st</sup> March 2019, out of total 1143 cases that were undergoing resolution under the IBC, a total of 548 cases exceeded the 180-day deadline.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Delay in the Resolution Process</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Burdening the NCLT</strong> and the appellate tribunals with matters relating to the Companies Act and Competition Act along with the IBC is probably one reason.</li>
<li><strong>Limited number of Information Utilities (IUs) in the ecosystem.</strong> The IUs provide access to credible and transparent evidence of default, which helps in expediting the process of ascertaining a default for initiating the resolution process. As of now, there is <strong>only one information utility &ndash; National eGovernance Services Ltd &ndash;</strong> which was registered with Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in September 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of appropriate bids</strong> to takeover companies, differences among the lenders, <strong>legal challenges</strong> posed by existing promoters and operational creditors are among the other reasons behind delay in resolutions under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).</li>
</ul>
<h3>IBC vs DRT/SARFAESI</h3>
<p>Financial Creditors have witnessed a <strong>recovery rate of 43% under IBC</strong> resolution process. In the existing regime of <strong>DRT/SARFAESI</strong> (Debt Recovery Tribunal/Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest), <strong>banks recover less than 20 % of the stuck loans</strong> with significant delays.</p>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Digitisation of the NCLT platform, proactive training/on-boarding of judges, lawyers and other intermediaries will help in the effective implementation of the code.</li>
<li><strong>Pre-packed insolvency arrangements</strong> that is allowing the sale of a business (subject to the approval of a majority of the creditors) as a going concern prior to the appointment of an administrator or insolvency professional, can be considered.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong> The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI) empowers Banks/Financial Institutions to recover their non-performing assets without the intervention of the Court.</p>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/delay-in-resolutions-under-ibc'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (13th May 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Apache Helicopter</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the <strong>first AH-64E (I)-Apache Guardian helicopter</strong> at the Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA.</li>
<li>The Indian government has signed a <strong>contract for 22 Apache helicopters</strong> with the US government and M/s Boeing Ltd.</li>
<li>Better known as an <strong>&lsquo;attack helicopter&rsquo;</strong>, Apache will lead to the modernisation of the IAF&rsquo;s attack helicopter fleet which at present is equipped with Russian origin MI-35 helicopters that are on the verge of retirement.</li>
<li>The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF&rsquo;s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground.</li>
<li>The helicopter also has the ability to transmit and receive battlefield picture through data uplinking and networking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Lecanorchis taiwaniana<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747811_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747811_image1.jpg" style="float: right;" width="251" height="167" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><em><strong>Lecanorchis taiwaniana</strong></em> has been recently discovered in Assam.</li>
<li>It is one of India&rsquo;s smallest orchids in terms of size and duration of bloom to be recorded botanically.</li>
<li>The orchid, discovered earlier in Japan, Taiwan, and Laos, is found to have a maximum height of 40 cm and a blossoming period of five-six days.</li>
<li><em><strong>Lecanorchis taiwaniana is a myco-heterotroph</strong></em> &ndash; one of the parasitic plants that have abandoned photosynthesis.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Abandoning Photosynthesis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are a number of flowering plants that have abandoned photosynthesis, and these fall into two categories: <strong>haustorial parasites </strong>and<strong> myco-heterotrophs</strong>. (It is also called, parasitic plant, as both these groups derive their nutrients from another plant).</li>
<li>The difference is that haustorial parasites feed directly on another plant via a modified root called the <strong>haustorium</strong>.</li>
<li>Mycoheterotrophs obtain their nutrition indirectly from the plant via a <strong>mycorrhizal fungus</strong>. The mycorrhizal fungus, attached to the roots of a photosynthetic plant, thus acts as a bridge between that plant and the mycoheterotroph, such that nutrients (carbon) flow from plant root, to mycorrhizal fungus to the myco-heterotroph.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ganga Jatara</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tirupati Ganga Jatara is the annual folk festival of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is a weeklong event which falls between the first and second weeks of May every year.</li>
<li>This festival is to offer prayers to the goddess <strong>Gangamma, the Gramadevata</strong> (the goddess looking after the village) of Tirupati.</li>
<li>Tirupati Balaji temple has its origins in <strong>Vaishnavism</strong>, which advocates the principles of equality and love, and prohibits animal sacrifice. The sanctum sanctorum, which houses the awe-inspiring idol of the Lord of the Seven Hills, is situated in the main temple complex of Tirumala.</li>
<li>The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, <strong>Venkatachala (Venkata Hill)</strong> of the <strong>Tirupati Hill</strong>, and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini what is known popularly today as Tirupati Balaji Temple.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-13th-may-2019-'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Kerala’s New Protocols for Managing Disasters',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Picking up valuable lessons from the Cyclone &lsquo;Ockhi&rsquo; disaster and the 2018 floods, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), <strong>&lsquo;Orange book of disaster management &ndash; Kerala &ndash; SOP and emergency support functions plan&rsquo;</strong>, and adopted new protocols for disaster management in the State &ndash; <strong>&lsquo;Monsoon preparedness and emergency response plan&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Containing information on emergency response assets available across the State, the orange book explains the SOP for flood, cyclone, tsunami, high waves (swell waves, storm surges, &lsquo;Kalla Kadal&rsquo;), petrochemical accidents and even mishaps caused by space debris.</li>
<li>It describes incidence response mechanisms to be adopted at the State, district and taluk level.</li>
<li>The &lsquo;Monsoon preparedness and emergency response plan&rsquo; is season-specific and meant to be strictly complied with during the south-west and north-east monsoon seasons (June to December).</li>
<li>It lists the roles of the State emergency operations centre, central agencies, district disaster management authorities, etc. Earlier, no single document had clarified the responsibilities of individual government departments.</li>
<li>The Monsoon preparedness plan is a season-specific dynamic sub-plan of the Orange book of disaster management. It will be updated every year after receiving the first long-range forecast of the India Meteorological Department on Monsoon.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>State Disaster Management Authorities are statutory bodies constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.</li>
<li>The Disaster Management Act established the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Kalla Kadal</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Kerala, fishermen use the term &lsquo;Kalla Kadal&rsquo; to refer to the <strong>unusual occurrence of high swell waves during good weather.</strong> It is often triggered by storms as far away as the Antarctic region.</li>
<li>Travelling thousands of kilometres across the ocean basin, the swell <strong>amplifies when it encounters a coastal current,</strong> a phenomenon known as <strong>remote forcing</strong>.</li>
<li>'Kalla Kadal' is known to <strong>occur along the southern coast of India,</strong> mainly <strong>during the pre-monsoon period,</strong> in April and May, marked by clear weather. The flooding turns severe on the days of a spring tide.</li>
<li>The term Kalla Kadal has been recognised by the UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organisation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to explain the unusual occurrence of high swell waves.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/keralas-new-protocols-for-managing-disasters'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Communalism',
			'catname' => 'Paper 1',
			'desc' => '<h3>About</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communalism, in a broad sense means a strong attachment to one&rsquo;s own community. In popular discourse in India, it is understood as unhealthy attachment to one&rsquo;s own religion.</li>
<li>It&rsquo;s an ideology that, in order to unify the community, suppresses distinctions within the community and emphasizes the essential unity of the community against other communities.</li>
<li>In this way it <strong>promotes belief in orthodox tenets and principles, intolerance and hatred</strong> of other religions and thus, divides the society.</li>
<li><strong>Positive aspect</strong> of communalism stands for the <strong>affinity of an individual towards his own community</strong> involving efforts for the <strong>social and economic upliftment</strong> of his community.</li>
<li>However, in <strong>negative connotation</strong>, it is an ideology which emphasises the <strong>separate identity of a religious group</strong> in relation to other groups with a tendency to promote its own interests at the expense of the others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Communalism in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communalism as a <strong>political philosophy</strong> has its roots in the religious and cultural diversity of India.</li>
<li>It has been used as a political propaganda tool to create divide, differences and tensions between the communities on the basis of religious and ethnic identity leading to communal hatred and violence.</li>
<li>In ancient Indian society, people of different faith coexisted peacefully.</li>
<li><strong>Buddha</strong> was perhaps the first Indian prophet who gave the concept of secularism.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, Kings like <strong>Ashoka</strong> followed a policy of peace and religious tolerance.</li>
<li><strong>Medieval India</strong> witnessed the arrival of Islam in India marked by occasional occurrences of violence such as Mahmud Ghazni&rsquo;s destruction of Hindu temples and Mahmud of Ghor&rsquo;s attack on Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.</li>
<li>While, religion was an important part of people&rsquo;s lives but there was no communal ideology or communal politics.</li>
<li>Rulers like <strong>Akbar and Sher Shah Suri</strong> followed the religious policy of toleration towards different cultures and tradition practiced across country.</li>
<li>However, some sectarian rulers like <strong>Aurangzeb</strong> were among the least tolerant towards other religious practises.</li>
<li>As a modern phenomenon it has arose as a result of British colonial impact and the response of Indian social strata.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons behind Communalism</h3>
<p>The major factors that contributed towards the emergence and growth of communalism in modern India involves:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>British Imperialism and their <strong>Policy of &ldquo;Divide and Rule&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Disappointment and disaffection among young and aspiring middle class youth, caused by stagnant agriculture, absence of modern industrial development and inadequate employment opportunities, which is being exploited by political opportunists.</li>
<li>Hindu and Muslim revivalist movements</li>
<li>A communal and distorted view of Indian history, taught in school and colleges played a major role in rise and growth of communal feelings among the masses.</li>
<li>Separatism and isolation among Muslims.</li>
<li>Rise of communal and fundamentalist parties.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Major Incidents of Communal Violence in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communal violence is a phenomenon where people belonging to two different religious communities mobilise and attacks each other with feelings of hatred and enmity.</li>
<li>The partition of India witnessed mass bloodshed and violence that continued up to 1949.</li>
<li>No major communal disturbances took place until 1961 when the Jabalpur riots shook the country due to economic competition between a Hindu and a Muslim bidi manufacturer than any electoral competition.</li>
<li>In 1960s &ndash; A series of riots broke out particularly in the eastern part of India - Rourkela, Jamshedpur and Ranchi - in 1964, 1965 and 1967, in places where Hindu refugees from the then East Pakistan were being settled.</li>
<li>In September, 1969, riots in Ahmedabad shook the conscience of the nation. The apparent cause was the Jan Sangh passing a resolution on Indianisation of Muslims to show its intense opposition to Indira Gandhi's leftward thrust.</li>
<li>In April, 1974, violence occurred in the chawl or tenement, in the Worli neighborhood of Mumbai after the police attempted to disperse a rally of the Dalit Panthers that had turned violent, angered by clashes with the Shiv Sena.</li>
<li>In February, 1983, the violence took place in Nellie as fallout of the decision to hold the controversial state elections in 1983 in the midst of the Assam Agitation, after Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s decision to give 4 million immigrants from Bangladesh the right to vote. It has been described as one of the worst pogroms since World War II.</li>
<li>In October, 1984, the anti-Sikh riots broke out after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, where more than 4000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, the Bombay-Bhiwandi riots were instigated by the Shiv Sena when it jumped on the Hindutva bandwagon to revive the political fortunes of the Shiv Sena which had lost its appeal.</li>
<li>The Shah Bano controversy in 1985 and the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi controversy became powerful tools for intensifying communalism in the Eighties.</li>
<li>The communal violence touched its apogee in December 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished by right wing parties.</li>
<li>This was followed by the worst riots of post-independence India - in Mumbai, Surat, Ahmadabad, Kanpur, Delhi and other places.</li>
<li>In 2002, Gujarat witnessed communal riots when violence was triggered by burning of a train in Godhra.</li>
<li>In May, 2006 riots occurred in Vadodara due to the municipal council's decision to remove the dargah (shrine) of Syed Chishti Rashiduddin, a medieval Sufi saint.</li>
<li>In September, 2013, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the worst violence in recent history with clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district.</li>
<li>Since 2015, mob lynching is quite prevalent in India as near 90 people have been killed.</li>
<li>It can be termed as manufactured communal violence as through the use of social media and rumours society is polarized along religious lines.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Factors Responsible for Communal Violence</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Divisive Politics &ndash;</strong> Communalism is often defined as a political doctrine that makes use of religious and cultural differences in achieving political gains.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Causes &ndash;</strong> Uneven development, class divisions, poverty and unemployment aggravates insecurity in the common men which make them vulnerable to political manipulation.</li>
<li><strong>History of Communal Riots &ndash;</strong> Probability of recurrence of communal riots in a town where communal riots have already taken place once or twice is stronger than in a town when such riots have never occurred.</li>
<li><strong>Politics of Appeasement &ndash;</strong> Prompted by political considerations, and guided by their vested interests, political parties take decisions which promote communal violence.</li>
<li><strong>Isolation and Economic Backwardness of Muslim Community &ndash;</strong> The failure to adopt the scientific and technological education and thus, insufficient representation in the public service, industry and trade etc has led to the feeling of relative deprivation among Muslims.</li>
<li>The resurgence of Hindu-Muslim economic competition, especially among the lower and middle class strata has fuelled the communal ideology.</li>
<li><strong>Administrative Failure &ndash;</strong> A weak law and order is one of the causes of communal violence.</li>
<li><strong>Psychological Factors &ndash;</strong> The lack of inter-personal trust and mutual understanding between two communities often result in perception of threat, harassment, fear and danger in one community against the members of the other community , which in turn leads to fight, hatred and anger phobia.</li>
<li><strong>Role of Media &ndash;</strong> It is often accused of sensationalism and disseminates rumours as "news" which sometimes resulted into further tension and riots between two rival religious groups.</li>
<li><strong>Social media</strong> has also emerged as a powerful medium to spread messages relating to communal tension or riot in any part of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Measures to Deal with Communalism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is need to reform in present criminal justice system, speedy trials and adequate compensation to the victims, may act as deterrent.</li>
<li>Increase in representation of minority community and weaker sections in all wings of law-enforcement, training of forces in human rights, especially in the use of firearms in accordance with UN code of conduct.</li>
<li>Codified guidelines for the administration, specialised training for the police force to handle communal riots and setting up special investigating and prosecuting agencies can help in damping major communal disgruntlement.</li>
<li>Emphasis on value-oriented education with focus on the values of peace, non-violence, compassion, secularism and humanism as well as developing scientific temper (enshrined as a fundamental duty) and rationalism as core values in children both in schools and colleges/universities, can prove vital in preventing communal feelings.</li>
<li>Government can adopt models followed by countries like Malaysia that has developed early-warning indicators to prevent racial clashes. <br />The Malaysian Ethnic Relations Monitoring System (known by its acronym Mesra) that makes use of a quality of life index (included criteria such as housing, health, income and education) and a perception index to gauge people&rsquo;s needs and feelings about race relations in their area.</li>
<li>Also the Hong Kong model of combating communalism by setting up a &ldquo;Race Relation Unit&rdquo; to promote racial harmony and facilitate integration of ethnic minorities, can be emulated by India.</li>
<li>RRU has established a hotline for complaints and inquiries on racial discrimination. Meanwhile, to create awareness about communal harmony, RRU talks to schools on culture of ethnic minorities and concept of racial discrimination.</li>
<li>Government can encourage and support civil society and NGOs to run projects that help create communal awareness, build stronger community relation and cultivating values of communal harmony in next generation.</li>
<li>There is a need for minority welfare schemes to be launched and implemented efficiently by administration to address the challenges and various forms of discrimination faced by them in jobs, housing and daily life.</li>
<li>A pro-active approach by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), the body responsible for promoting communal harmony is needed.</li>
<li>NFCH provides assistance for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the child victims of communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence, besides promoting communal harmony, fraternity and national integration.</li>
<li>A legislation is required to curb the communal violence. Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 must be enacted soon.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/communalism'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Solving the NPA Crisis in India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/resolving-indias-banking-crisis/article27097047.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Resolving India&rsquo;s banking crisis&rdquo;</a> which appeared in "The Hindu" on 11th May, 2019. The article talks about how the India&rsquo;s banking problems can be solved without privatising the PSBs.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>India's banking sector is an unresolved problem.</strong></p>
<p>To resolve this problem we will need clarity on how the problem arose in the first place. Also, we will need to discard simplistic and ideologically-driven solutions in favour of those that can be practical and effective.</p>
<h3>Indian banks and NPAs</h3>
<p><strong>Here is why the NPA problem is such a big problem to Indian banks, especially PSBs.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In March 2018, non-performing assets (NPAs) at commercial banks amounted to ₹10.3 trillion, or 11.2% of advances.</li>
<li>Public sector banks (PSBs) accounted for ₹8.9 trillion, or 86%, of the total NPAs.</li>
<li>The ratio of gross NPA to advances in PSBs was 14.6%.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>These are levels typically associated with a banking crisis.</strong></li>
<li>For example, in 2007-08, NPAs totalled only ₹566 billion (a little over half a trillion), or 2.26% of gross advances!</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The current trend is that the increase in NPAs since 2008 has been staggering.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How did this problem come about?</h3>
<p><strong>The answer lies partly in the credit boom of the years 2004-05 to 2008-09.</strong></p>
<p>In that period, commercial credit (or what is called &lsquo;non-food credit&rsquo;) doubled. It was a period in which the world economy as well as the Indian economy were booming. <strong>Indian firms borrowed furiously</strong> in order to avail of the growth opportunities they saw coming.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Most of the investment went into infrastructure and related areas &mdash; telecom, power, roads, aviation, steel.</strong></li>
<li>Businessmen were overcome with exuberance and they believed, as many others did, that India had entered an era of 9% growth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>But soon after, as the Economic Survey of 2016-17 notes, many things began to go wrong.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There were problems in acquiring land and getting environmental clearances and several projects got stalled. Project costs soared.</li>
<li><strong>At the same time, with the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007-08 and the slowdown in growth after 2011-12, revenues fell well short of forecasts.</strong></li>
<li><strong>As a result, financing costs rose as policy rates were tightened in India in response to the crisis.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Further, the depreciation of the rupee meant higher outflows for companies that had borrowed in foreign currency.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>This combination of adverse factors made it difficult for companies to service <em>(i.e maintain and repay)</em> their loans to Indian banks.</p>
<p><strong>The year 2014-15 marked a watershed because of tightening of banking norms.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), acting in the belief that NPAs were being under-stated, introduced tougher norms for NPA recognition under an <strong>Asset Quality Review</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/on-the-need-for-a-national-development-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more:</a> On the Need for a National Development Bank</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NPAs in 2015-16 almost doubled over the previous year as a result. It is not as if bad decisions had suddenly happened. It&rsquo;s just that the cumulative bad decisions of the past were now coming to be more accurately captured.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Higher NPAs mean higher provisions on the part of banks.</strong> <em>[A provision is an amount that you put in aside in your accounts to cover a future liability. The purpose of a provision is to make a current year's balance more accurate, as there may be costs which could, to some extent, be accounted for in either the current or previous financial year]</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Provisions rose to a level where banks, especially PSBs, started making losses.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Their capital got eroded as a result.</li>
<li>Capital from the government was slow in coming and it was barely adequate to meet regulatory norms for minimum capital. Without adequate capital, bank credit cannot grow.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><em>Once NPAs happen, it is important to effect to resolve them quickly. Otherwise, the interest on dues causes NPAs to rise relentlessly</em>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Where is the solution to this problem?</h3>
<p><strong>Is the problem public ownership of banks?</strong></p>
<p>Since the problem is more concentrated in PSBs, some have argued that public ownership must be the problem.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Public ownership of banks, according to them, is beset with corruption and incompetence (reflected in poor appraisal of credit risk). <strong>The solution, therefore, is to privatise the PSBs, at least the weaker ones</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are problems with this idea of privatising PSBs.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, there are wide variations within each ownership category (within Indian banks).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In 2018, the State Bank of India&rsquo;s (SBI&rsquo;s) gross NPA/gross advances ratio was 10.9%. This was not much higher than that of the second largest private bank, ICICI Bank, 9.9%.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The ratio at a foreign bank, Standard Chartered Bank, 11.7%, was higher than that of SBI</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><em>Moreover, private and foreign banks were part of consortia that are now exposed to some of the largest NPAs. Therefore the explanation lies elsewhere</em>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>A brief look at the state of PSBs show that they are not in as bad a shape as many make them out to be.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>For example, PSBs had a higher exposure to the five most affected sectors &mdash; mining, iron and steel, textiles, infrastructure and aviation.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These sectors accounted for 29% of advances and 53% of stressed advances at PSBs in December 2014. For private sector banks, the comparable figures were 13.9% and 34.1%.</li>
<li><strong>Rough calculations show that PSBs accounted for 86% of advances in these five sectors</strong>. <em>(By an interesting coincidence, this number is exactly the same as the PSBs&rsquo; share in total NPAs)</em></li>
<li><strong>As mentioned earlier, infrastructure projects were impacted by the global financial crisis and environmental and land acquisition issues. In addition, mining and telecom were impacted by adverse court judgments. Steel was impacted by dumping from China.&nbsp;</strong><strong>Thus, the sectors to which PSBs were heavily exposed were impacted by factors beyond the control of bank management.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Wholesale privatisation of PSBs is thus not the answer to such a complex problem.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>We need a broad set of actions, some immediate and others over the medium-term and aimed at preventing the recurrence of such crises.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>One immediate action that is required is resolving the NPAs.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Banks have to <strong>accept losses on</strong> <strong>loans</strong> (or &lsquo;haircuts&rsquo;).</li>
<li>They should be able to <strong>do so without any fear of harassment</strong> by the investigative agencies.</li>
<li>The Indian Banks&rsquo; Association has set up a six-member panel to oversee resolution plans of lead lenders. To expedite resolution, more such<strong> panels may be required</strong>.</li>
<li>An alternative is to <strong>set up a Loan Resolution Authority</strong>, if necessary through an Act of Parliament.</li>
<li>Also, the government must <strong>infuse at one go whatever additional capital is needed</strong> to recapitalise banks &mdash; providing such capital in multiple instalments is not helpful.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Management of Concentration Risk</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One important lesson from the past decade&rsquo;s experience with NPAs is that management of concentration risk &mdash; that is, excessive exposure to any business group, sector, geography, etc. &mdash; is too important to be left entirely to bank boards.</li>
<li>The RBI has drawn this lesson to some extent.</li>
<li>Effective April 1, 2019, <strong>the limit for exposure to any business group has been reduced from 40% of total capital to 25% of tier I capital</strong> (<em>which consists of equity and quasi-equity instruments</em>).</li>
<li>The limit for a single borrower will be 20% of tier 1 capital (<em>instead of 20% of total capital</em>).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>To conclude, <strong>the task of accelerating economic growth is urgent. This is not possible without finding a solution to the problems that confront the banking system.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>There is ample scope for improving performance within the framework of public ownership.</strong></li>
<li>What is needed is a concentrated focus on the part of the government.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #0b73db; background-color: #c8e0f7;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p>Discuss the crisis of non-performing assets (NPAs) in the context of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in India. What are some of the ways in which we can overcome this crisis?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => ' WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing Countries',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India will host a <strong>WTO ministerial meeting of developing countries</strong> in <strong>New Delhi</strong> on May 13 &amp; 14, 2019.</p>
<h3>Key highlights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting is a run up to the <strong>twelfth Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Kazakhstan in 2020.</strong></li>
<li>The meeting is an effort to bring together the developing countries and the Least Developed Countries on a platform for sharing <strong>common concerns on various issues affecting the WTO</strong> and to address the following <strong>issues:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>WTO&rsquo;s appellate body</strong> has <strong>shrunk over the last two years from its required strength of seven members to three</strong>.</li>
<li>At present, <strong>the appellate body takes a year to hear appeals</strong>, whereas the time to dispose off the appeals is 90 days.</li>
<li><strong>Special and differential treatment of developing countries</strong> in the WTO is a concern for some other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> increased unilateral measures </strong>and<strong> counter-measures</strong> by member countries, as well as <strong>deadlock in key areas</strong> of negotiations and the <strong>impasse in the WTO's appellate body</strong> has given rise to demands to<strong> reform</strong> the organization.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The World Trade Organization (WTO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations</strong>.</li>
<li>It came into existence on January 1, 1995 and has its <strong>headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland</strong>.</li>
<li>All major decisions are made by the WTO's member governments, either by ministers (who usually meet at least every two years) or by their ambassadors or delegates (who meet regularly in Geneva).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Special and Differential Treatment provisions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The WTO Agreements contain special provisions which <strong>give developing countries special rights</strong> and developed countries the possibility to treat developing countries more favourably than other WTO Members.</li>
<li>The special provisions include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>longer time periods for implementing Agreements and commitments</li>
<li>measures to increase trading opportunities for developing countries</li>
<li>provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries</li>
<li>support to help developing countries build the capacity to carry out WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standards</li>
<li>provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) members</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wto-ministerial-meeting-of-developing-countries'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'SC Upholds Karnataka Law Granting Reservation In Promotion For SC-ST',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the <strong>Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (to the Posts in the Civil Services of the State) Act 2018.</strong></p>
<h3>Background of this Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In <strong>Indra Sawhney vs Union of India</strong>, the Supreme Court had held that reservations under <strong>Article 16(4)</strong> could only be provided at the time of entry into government service but not in matters of promotion.</li>
<li>In 1995, Parliament, acting in its constituent capacity, adopted the 77<sup>th</sup> amendment by which clause (4A) was inserted into Article 16 to enable reservation to be made in promotion for SCs and STs.</li>
<li>The validity of the 77<sup>th</sup> and 85<sup>th</sup> amendments to the Constitution and of the legislation enacted in pursuance of those amendments was challenged before the Supreme Court in the <strong>Nagaraj case</strong>. The SC upheld the constitutional validity of these amendments and ruled that:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the state &ldquo;wished to exercise their discretion and make provision (for reservation in promotions for SCs/STs), the <strong>State has to collect quantifiable data showing backwardness</strong> of the class and inadequacy of representation and compliance to Article 335&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It will have to see that its reservation provision does not breach the <strong>ceiling-limit of 50%</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Karnataka Determination of Seniority of the Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of the Reservation Act 2002</strong> was held to be unconstitutional <strong>[in BK Pavitra CASE]</strong> on the ground that an exercise for determining 'inadequacy of representation', 'backwardness' and the impact on 'overall efficiency' had not preceded the enactment of the law.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why this is Significant</h3>
<p>This Supreme Court order is significant because it underlines &ldquo;a <strong>&lsquo;meritorious&rsquo; candidate</strong> is not merely one who is &lsquo;talented &lsquo;or &lsquo;successful&rsquo; but also one <strong>whose appointment fulfils the constitutional goals of uplifting members of the SCs and STs</strong> and ensuring a diverse and representative administration&rdquo;.</p>
<h3>Basis for the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The providing of reservation for SCs and STs is <strong>not at odds with the principle of meritocracy</strong>. Merit must not be limited to narrow and inflexible criteria such as one&rsquo;s rank in a standardised exam, but rather must flow from the actions a society seeks to reward, including the promotion of equality in society and diversity in public administration.</li>
<li><strong>Article 335</strong> recognises that special measures need to be adopted for considering the claims of SCs and STs in order to bring them to a level-playing field. Centuries of discrimination and prejudice suffered by the SCs and STs in a feudal, caste-oriented societal structure poses real barriers of access to opportunity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Judges Verdict on Efficiency</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Efficiency of administration</strong> in the affairs of the Union or of a State <strong>must be defined in an inclusive sense</strong>, where diverse segments of society find representation as a true aspiration of governance by and for the people.</li>
<li>The <strong>Constitution mandates realisation of substantive equality</strong> in the engagement of the fundamental rights with the directive principles, inclusion, together with the <strong>recognition of the plurality and diversity of the nation</strong> constitutes a valid constitutional basis for defining efficiency.</li>
<li>If efficiency is grounded in exclusion, it will produce a pattern of governance which is skewed against the marginalised.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-upholds-karnataka-law-granting-reservation-in-promotion-for-sc-st'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Cyclone Fani Creates Four New Mouths in Chilika Lake',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The recent &lsquo;Cyclone Fani&rsquo; which hit the eastern coast of India, has created four new mouths in Chilika Lake.</p>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Before Fani hit the Odisha coast, <strong>Chilika lake had only two active mouths - the point where it meets the sea.</strong> But, now four new mouths have opened due to wave energy with high tidal prism.</li>
<li>With the opening of new mouths, a lot of sea water is entering Chilika Lake and, thereby increasing salinity of Chilika lagoon.</li>
<li>Chilika lake has a brackish water (mixture of saline and fresh water), however increasing salinity may alter Chilika&rsquo;s ecosystem.</li>
<li>Generally, if sea water ingression goes up, fish migration will increase and the biodiversity will get richer. However, its long term impact needs a proper vigil.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chilika Lake</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha State on the east coast of India.</li>
<li>It is the largest coastal lagoon in India, located at the mouth of the Daya River which is flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km<sup>2</sup>.</li>
<li>It is designated as &lsquo;wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Cyclone Fani</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is categorized as an <strong>extremely severe cyclone (ESC)</strong>.</li>
<li>The name of the cyclone fani (pronounced as Foni) was suggested by Bangladesh. It means <strong>&lsquo;snake&rsquo;</strong> or <strong>&lsquo;hood of snake&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) show that the last time an extremely severe cyclone hit India in May was in 2004.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> The cyclones are classified as <strong>severe (MSW of 48-63 knots), very severe (MSW of 64-89 knots), extremely severe (MSW of 90-119 knots) </strong>and<strong> super cyclonic storm (MSW of 120 knots or more).</strong> One knot is equal to 1.8 kmph.</p>
</div>
<h3>What makes Cyclone Fani special?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Timing</strong> and <strong>strength</strong> are two factors that make Cyclone Fani, different from most other tropical cyclones at this time of the year.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>second severe cyclone which formed in April and made landfall in India in the last 128 years.</strong></li>
<li>It was the <strong>longest-lived cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ever observed.</strong> The elongated time period of the storm went on for <strong>11 days in the sea and land put together.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567748863_image3%20new.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567748863_image3 new.jpg" width="560" height="817" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Preparedness</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IMD tracked the storm and <strong>issued numerous yellow warnings</strong> for much of the south-eastern portion of India when the cyclone started to intensify.</li>
<li>Doppler radars at Paradip and Gopalpur ports helped in tracking the cyclone accurately.</li>
<li><strong>'Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) project&rsquo;</strong> which was commissioned in 2018, addresses the existing gap in disseminating disaster warning up to the community level.</li>
<li>Odisha <strong>evacuated over 1.2 million residents from vulnerable coastal areas</strong> and moved them to higher ground and into cyclone shelters built a few miles inland.</li>
<li>Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) along with State fire service personnel have been deployed. Defence forces were on high alert to meet any eventuality.</li>
<li>On account of this, the number of casualties contained to minimal. However, there was extensive damage to the infrastructure especially, power and telecommunications.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS):</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It aims at establishing a <strong>fool-proof communication system</strong> to disseminate disaster warning up to the community level.</li>
<li>It is a first of its kind automatic public address system in the country, implemented under national Cyclone Risk Mitigation project with the help of World Bank.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cyclone Fani has left behind a trail of devastation and acute suffering in Odisha. The challenge now is to restore the livelihood of people.</li>
<li>Administrations are on full throttle in repair and relief measures. However, repairs and rehabilitation work needs to be done quickly owing to the upcoming monsoon season.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cyclone-fani-creates-four-new-mouths-in-chilika-lake'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'White-Throated Rail',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>white-throated rail</strong> <em>(Dryolimnas cuvieri)</em> or <strong>Cuvier's rail</strong> is a species of bird in the family <strong>Rallidae</strong>. It is found in <strong>Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749009_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749009_image1.jpg" width="312" height="175" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A flightless subspecies, <strong>Aldabra rail</strong>, inhabits Aldabra, while&nbsp;another <strong>Assumption rail</strong> from Assumption went extinct in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century due to introduced predators.</li>
<li>It is now the last living member of the genus <em>Dryolimnas</em> and believed to be the last flightless bird in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li>Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.</li>
<li>It has a <strong>least concerned status in IUCN Red List</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>History of Evolution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to research, it is found that <strong>white-throated rail came</strong> back after extinction, through a process called <strong>&ldquo;iterative evolution&rdquo;</strong>. This is the first time it has been seen in rails, and one of the most significant seen birds.</li>
<li>On two separate occasions tens of thousands of years apart, the species of rail was able to colonise called <strong>Aldabra</strong>. In both cases it eventually became flightless, and those birds from the latter time can still be found on the island now.</li>
</ul>
<div class=" border-bg">
<p><strong>Iterative evolution</strong> happens when the same or similar structures evolve out of the same common ancestor, but at different times. It means that the animal actually comes about twice over, completely separately.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rail's return to Aldabra is not the only time in its lineage that it has escaped extinction.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The parent species of the rail, indigenous to Madagascar, would frequently see its population explode, forcing the birds to migrate in great numbers from the island off the coast of East Africa.</li>
<li>Many of those that flew north or south drowned in the Indian Ocean, and those that went west landed in Africa, where they were eaten by predators. But the lucky few who went east ended up on islands including Mauritius, R&eacute;union and <strong>Aldabra</strong>.</li>
<li>The rails on Aldabra lost the ability to fly over time, because of the lack of predators made it unnecessary, just as the <strong>dodo of Mauritius</strong> did.</li>
<li>Unfortunately, that gave them no means of escape when the island was submerged and all its flora and fauna were wiped out.</li>
<li>But unlike the dodo, which became extinct in the 17<sup>th</sup> century, the white-throated rail was resurrected to tell the tale once the island re-emerged and birds started migrating to the destination again.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Researchers found <strong>similar fossils</strong> from before and after that event, showing that the chicken-sized bird re-appeared when sea levels fell again a few thousand years later, <strong>re-colonized</strong> the island and again lost the ability to fly.</li>
<li>Aldabra, which has the oldest <strong>palaeontological record</strong> of any oceanic island within the Indian Ocean region, the fossil evidence available demonstrates the effects of changing sea levels on extinction and recolonization events.</li>
<li>Fossil evidence presented here is unique for rails and epitomizes the ability of these birds to successfully colonize isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/white-throated-rail'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (11th May 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)</h3>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749352_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749352_image2.jpg" width="424" height="289" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. It is getting built at <strong>Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>With its 30 m prime mirror diameter, TMT will be three times as wide, with nine times more area than the largest currently existing visible-light telescope in the world.</li>
<li>This will provide unparalleled resolution with TMT images more than 12 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope. When operational, TMT will provide new observational opportunities in essentially every field of astronomy and astrophysics.</li>
<li>The <strong>TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO)</strong>, a non-profit organization, was established in May 2014 to carry out the construction and operation phases of the TMT Project.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The partner members of TIO</strong> are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Caltech, the University of <strong>California, US</strong>.</li>
<li>The National Institutes of Natural Sciences of <strong>Japan</strong>.</li>
<li>The National Astronomical Observatories of the <strong>Chinese Academy of Sciences</strong>.</li>
<li>The Department of Science and Technology of <strong>India</strong>.</li>
<li>National Research Council, <strong>Canada</strong>.</li>
<li>The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, <strong>US</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian government:</strong> has given its approval for India&rsquo;s participation in the TMT project at a total cost of Rs. 1299.8 crores from 2014-2023.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>From the Indian side, this will be a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).</li>
<li><strong>Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Banglore; Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital</strong> are involved in TMT project.</li>
<li>The Indian industries are making the telescope&rsquo;s sensors, actuators and its mechanical support structure.</li>
<li>The project will also provide state-of-the-art high-end technologies to the country, which would benefit a number of industries and R&amp;D centres.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Lunar Lander: Blue Moon</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The space company <strong>'Blue Origin&rsquo;</strong> has unveiled its lunar lander called the <strong>Blue Moon</strong> that would be used to <strong>transport equipment</strong>, and possibly <strong>human beings</strong>, to the South Pole of the Moon by 2024.</li>
<li>The lander will be capable of <strong>carrying scientific instruments</strong> and also <strong>rovers for humans</strong>.</li>
<li>The goal is to land on the Moon's south pole, where there is ice. <strong>Water can be exploited to produce hydrogen, which in turn could fuel future exploration of the solar system.</strong></li>
<li>The lander will be part of Blue Origin&rsquo;s broader vision to build an infrastructure that would sustain the colonization of space by future generations of humans and shift polluting industries off the Earth.</li>
<li>Blue Origin is working on two other major projects: <strong>New Shepard</strong>, a suborbital rocket to fly tourists into space; and <strong>New Glenn</strong>, a partly reusable launch rocket.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hmk1oHzvNKA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Chandrayaan-2</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A recent update from ISRO has stated that the planned <strong>'Chandrayaan-2&rsquo;</strong> mission will have 14 Indian payloads or study devices.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749484_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749484_image4.jpg" width="457" height="390" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>Chandrayaan-2 will be <strong>India&rsquo;s second mission</strong> to the moon.</li>
<li>The Chandrayaan-2 will be launched during July 9 to July 16, 2019, with an expected Moon landing on September 6, 2019.</li>
<li>The 3,800-kg spacecraft includes an <strong>orbiter</strong> which will circle the moon at 100 km; a five-legged lander called <strong>Vikram</strong> that will descend on the moon; and a robotic rover, <strong>Pragyan</strong>, that will probe the lunar terrain around it. <strong>ISRO will send the mission on its heavy lift booster &ndash; GSLV MkIII.</strong></li>
<li>ISRO has chosen a landing area at the unexplored lunar south pole. <strong>If the mission succeeds, India will be the first to touch down at the south pole.</strong> Only China&rsquo;s Chang&rsquo;e 4 spacecraft had recently landed on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side because it faces away from the Earth and remains comparatively unknown.</li>
<li>In October 2008, ISRO launched its orbiter mission <strong>Chandrayaan-1</strong>.</li>
<li>The spacecraft had 11 payloads. One of the US payloads shares credit with Chandrayaan-1 for confirming the presence of water ice on the moon.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recyclable Plastic</h3>
<p>According to a study published in the journal &lsquo;Nature Chemistry&rsquo;, <strong>scientists have created a plastic that can be repeatedly recycled without any loss of quality.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Key points</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A new material called <strong>poly (diketoenamine) or PDK</strong> can, unlike normal plastics, have its monomers separated by a highly acidic solution.</li>
<li>The material can be <strong>fully broken down into its component parts by dunking it in a highly acidic solution.</strong></li>
<li>The acid separates the monomers from additives that give plastics distinctive look and feel.</li>
<li>The <strong>monomers</strong> can be recovered for reuse for as long as possible or <strong>upcycled to make another product</strong>.</li>
<li>Scientists believe that this recyclable plastic could be an <strong>alternative to non-recyclable plastics</strong> in use today. Conventional plastics generally have immutable bonds whereas PDK has reversible bonds that allow the plastic to be recycled more effectively.</li>
<li>Materials like PDK will help in making the <strong>lifecycle of plastics circular</strong> and help countries in <strong>reducing the plastic pollution</strong>. At present, the world produces about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Monkeypox Virus</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Singapore</strong> has reported its <strong>first ever case of rare monkeypox virus</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Monkeypox virus (MPXV)</strong> is an <strong>orthopoxvirus</strong> that causes a viral disease with symptoms in humans similar, but milder, to those seen in smallpox patients. Symptoms include lesions, fever, muscle aches and chills.</li>
<li><strong>Transmission</strong> is usually via close <strong>contact with infected animals</strong> such as rodents and monkeys but is limited between people.</li>
<li>Human monkeypox is <strong>endemic in villages of Central and West Africa.</strong></li>
<li>Outside Africa, human monkeypox infections had only been previously reported in the United States, Britain and Israel.</li>
<li>There are <strong>no specific treatments or vaccines available for monkeypox virus infection,</strong> but outbreaks can be controlled.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox in the past but the vaccine is no longer available to the general public after it was discontinued following global smallpox eradication.</p>
</div>
<p></p>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture – UN Security Council Reforms',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VS-1zNirF88" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The French envoy to the UN has recently said that India and nations like Germany, Brazil and Japan are &ldquo;absolutely needed&rdquo; as permanent members of a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council to better reflect contemporary realities. India has always remained at the forefront of efforts at the UN to push for the long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>United Nations Security Council</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established by the United Nations charter in 1945, the Security Council has primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.</li>
<li>The Security Council has <strong>15 members</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are <strong>five permanent members:</strong> the United States, the Russian Federation, France, China and the United Kingdom.</li>
<li>The non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected for a term of two years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions</strong> of the Security Council on matters are made by an <strong>affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members. A "No" vote from one of the five permanent members blocks the passage of the resolution.</strong></li>
<li>Any member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Security Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of that member are specially affected.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for UN Security Council Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UN represents a larger world</strong> and the irony is that it has <strong>only 5 permanent members</strong> in its such an important body.</li>
<li>Current composition of the Security Council represents the post World War II realities and thus is <strong>not in pace with the changing balance of power</strong> in the world.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At the time of the formation of UNSC, big powers were given privileges to make them part of the council. This was necessary for its proper functioning as well as to avoid the failure like that of the organization &lsquo;League of Nations&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>regions like far East Asia, South America, Africa have no representation in the permanent membership</strong> of the council.</li>
<li><strong>Rise of fora like G4</strong> (India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan) as important economies and emerging world powers are pushing after quick UN Security Council reforms.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impediments in the expansion of UN Security Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>five permanent members</strong> themselves <strong>don&rsquo;t want anyone to come on board with them</strong>. The world has no evidence in the history where countries have given up such a status quo on their own.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the year 2005, when G4 came with a resolution for the expansion of the council, U.S. and China lobbied very hard with African countries to ensure that they do not vote for the resolution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>One country opposing another country&rsquo;s bid</strong> for the permanent membership from a region. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pakistan does not want India to be the permanent member of the council.</li>
<li>China has serious objections to Japan being there in the Security Council.</li>
<li>Italy trying to compete with Germany in Europe for a place in the Security Council.</li>
<li>Argentia does not agree with the fact that Brazil should represent South America in the UNSC as a permanent representative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Africa, there is still no consensus</strong> on which country should represent the region as a permanent member.</li>
<li>There are <strong>no parameters</strong> in the UN Security Council <strong>for considering</strong> the countries for <strong>permanent membership</strong>.</li>
<li>There is a <strong>concern</strong> that expansion of the council may lead to a <strong>decline in its efficiency and functioning</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Coffee Club/Uniting for Consensus</strong></p>
<p>An informal <strong>"coffee club"</strong>, comprising 40-odd members states, has been instrumental in holding back reforms to the United Nations Security Council. Most members of the club are middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats in the UN Security Council.</p>
<p>The prime movers of the club include <strong>Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Argentina</strong> and <strong>Pakistan</strong>. While Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany's bid for Security Council's permanent membership, Pakistan is opposed to India's bid.</p>
<p>Similarly, Argentina is against Brazil's bid and Australia opposes Japan's. Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often dependent on their aid, wielding more power than them at the UN.</p>
</div>
<h3>India and its demand for permanent membership</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For the first 40 years of the UN Security Council formation, India never asked for the permanent membership.</li>
<li>Even in 1993 when India submitted its written proposal to the UN as response to the General Assembly resolution related to reforms, it did not specifically state that it wants permanent membership for itself.</li>
<li>It is only from the last few years that India has started asking for a permanent membership in the council.</li>
<li>India deserves a permanent place in the council considering the size of its economy, population and the fact that it is the largest democracy in the world.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has become a major player not only in the Asia but also in the world.</li>
<li>The Security Council would be a more representative body if India would be there in it as a permanent member.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By having a veto power, one can enjoy <strong>enormous powers</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is clear from the recent case of Masood Azhar. Since 2009, India was trying to get him designated as a global terrorist. One veto power of China kept delaying it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India will be able to <strong>work better for its interests</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There was a time when USSR actually started boycotting the UNSC and that was the time when US managed to get the resolution passed for the Korean War. From that time onwards USSR realized that it doesn&rsquo;t make sense to boycott the UN. It <strong>needs to keep veto if at all resolution is against them</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s presence as a permanent member will be an <strong>acknowledgment of its rise as a global power,</strong> ready to play a key role in the council&rsquo;s objectives of international peace and security.</li>
<li>India will be able to enjoy the <strong>'prestige&rsquo;</strong> associated with the permanent membership of the council.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is India ready?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By remaining silent on contentious issues, <strong>India has always remained in a safe zone</strong>. Once India becomes a permanent member, it has to give its views on every issue.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s foreign policy machinery is not geared with the kind of deal making that permanent five do all the time.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Besides expansion, issues like whether a country having a veto power should be allowed to lock a motion or not, should be taken into consideration. As far as India&rsquo;s membership is considered, all five permanent members including China are more or less on board. India just needs to prepare itself for the permanent position in the council.</em><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/639image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'UNFCCC',
		'catname' => 'International Institutions',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, 24th meeting of the <a href="https://www.theclimategroup.org/sites/default/files/archive/files/UNFCCC_timeline.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)</a> concluded in Katowice, Poland.</p>
<h3>Origin</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UNFCCC, signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference</li>
<li>The UNFCCC entered into force on March 21, 1994, and has been ratified by 197 countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>The WMO and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988, to assess the magnitude and timing of changes, estimate their impacts, present strategies for how to respond and to provide an authoritative source of up-to-date interdisciplinary knowledge on climate change.</em></p>
</div>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Article 2, the Convention&rsquo;s ultimate objective is &ldquo;to achieve, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system&rdquo;.</li>
<li>This objective is qualified in that it &ldquo;should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Institutional Arrangements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Conference of the Parties (COP)</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Article 7.2 defines the COP as the &ldquo;supreme body&rdquo; of the Convention, as it is its highest decision-making authority. The climate change process revolves around the annual sessions of the COP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>COP President and Bureau</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The office of the COP President normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups. The President is usually the environment minister of his or her home country. S/he is elected by acclamation immediately after the opening of a COP session. Their role is to facilitate the work of the COP and promote agreements among Parties.</li>
<li>The work of the COP and each subsidiary body is guided by an elected Bureau. To ensure continuity, it serves not only during sessions, but between sessions as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Subsidiary Bodies (SBs)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Convention establishes <strong>two permanent subsidiary bodies (SBs),</strong> namely the <strong>Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA),</strong> by Article 9, and the <strong>Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI),</strong> by Article 10. These bodies advise the COP.</li>
<li>The SBSTA&rsquo;s task is to provide the COP &ldquo;with timely advice on scientific and technological matters relating to the Convention&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The SBI&rsquo;s task is to assist the COP &ldquo;in the assessment and review of the effective implementation of the Convention&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Secretariat</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The secretariat, also known as the Climate Change Secretariat, services the COP, the SBs, the Bureau and other bodies established by the COP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Bodies</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Other bodies have been set up by the COP to undertake specific tasks. These bodies report back to the COP when they complete their work</li>
<li>COP 1 established two ad hoc groups to conduct negotiations on specific issues.</li>
<li>COP 11 established the &ldquo;Dialogue&rdquo; to exchange experiences and analyse strategic approaches for long-term cooperative action to address climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #d4f6fc; border-color: #036f82; border-style: solid;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 99.9999%; height: 19px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;" colspan="2"><strong>Timeline of Important Events</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1979</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">First World Climate Conference (WCC)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 26px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1988</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;">IPCC established</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1990</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;">In November IPCC and second WCC call for global treaty on climate change and in December UN General Assembly Negotiations on a Framework Convention Begin.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1992</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 25px; vertical-align: top;">The text of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 26px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1994</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 26px; vertical-align: top;">UNFCCC enters into force</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1995</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">COP 1 (Berlin, Germany)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p><strong>1996</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>August</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UNFCCC secretariat relocates from Geneva to its current home in Bonn(Germany), paving the way for the city to become an international sustainability hub and home to 18 UN organizations.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p><strong>1997</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 3 (Kyoto, Japan)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyoto Protocol adopted- The Protocol legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 27px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>1998</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 27px; vertical-align: top;">Buenos Aires Plan of Action</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2001</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 6-2(second part of 6th COP)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The COP 6-2 took place from 16 to 27 July 2001 in Bonn, Germany.</li>
<li>A major breakthrough is achieved at the second part of the sixth Conference of the Parties meeting in Bonn, with governments reaching a broad political agreement on the operational rulebook for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2001</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 7 (Marrakesh, Morocco)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Resulted in the Marrakesh Accords, setting the stage for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. This formalized the agreement on operational rules for International Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation along with a compliance regime and accounting procedures.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 46px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 46px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2002</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 46px; vertical-align: top;">COP 8 (New Delhi, India) Delhi Declaration. The Delhi Declaration focuses on the development needs of the poorest countries and the need for technology transfer for mitigating climate change.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">(February 16) Entry of Kyoto Protocol into force with the Russian Federation ratification to the Kyoto Protocol, sealing its entry into force.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP11/CMP1 (December)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1) takes place in Montreal.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>In January the Clean Development Mechanism, a key mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, opens for business.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CDM is one of the Flexible Mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol that provides for emissions reduction projects which generate Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) which may be traded in emissions trading schemes.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2007</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP13</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parties agreed on the Bali Road Map and Bali action plan, which charted the way towards a post-2012 outcome. The Plan has five main categories: shared vision, mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2008</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 14, Poznan (Poland)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The launch of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol and</li>
<li>The Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology Transfer.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2009</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP15 (Copenhagen)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Copenhagen Accord drafted. Developed countries pledge up to USD 30 billion in fast-start finance for the period 2010-2012.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2010</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 16 (Cancun)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Resulted in the Cancun Agreements, a comprehensive package by governments to assist developing nations in dealing with climate change.</li>
<li>The Green Climate Fund, the Technology Mechanism and the Cancun Adaptation Framework are established.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2011</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 17 (Durban)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Governments commit to a new universal climate change agreement by 2015 for the period beyond 2020.(Resulted in the Paris Agreement of 2015)</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2012</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP18/CMP8 (Doha)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol is adopted.</li>
<li>COP18 also launched a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2013</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 10px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP19/CMP9 (Warsaw)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Key decisions adopted include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further advancing the Green Climate Fund and Long-Term Finance,</li>
<li>The Warsaw Framework for REDD Plus and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP 21 (Paris)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Paris Agreement adopted. It aims:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To keep global temperatures "well below" 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and "endeavor to limit" them even more, to 1.5C</li>
<li>Rich countries should help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy.</li>
<li>The agreement requires rich nations to maintain a $100bn a year funding pledge beyond 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2016</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP22 (Marrakech)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A crucial outcome of the Marrakech climate conference was
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To move forward on writing the rule book of the Paris Agreement.</li>
<li>Launched the Marrakech Partnership for Climate Action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;">
<p>COP23, Bonn (Germany)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countries continued to negotiate the finer details of how the agreement will work from 2020 onwards.</li>
<li>First set of negotiations since the US, under the presidency of Donald Trump, announced its intention earlier this year to withdraw from the Paris deal.</li>
<li>It was the first COP to be hosted by a small-island developing state with Fiji taking up the presidency, even though it was being held in Bonn.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 28px;">
<td style="width: 5.84725%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>2018</strong></td>
<td style="width: 94.1527%; height: 28px; vertical-align: top;">COP 24, Katowice (Poland)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Shortcomings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Non-inclusive:</strong> Most scientists agree the most dangerous environmental air pollutants today are microscopic particulates that come from car engines and combustion-based power plants, but these pollutants are largely ignored by the Kyoto Protocol.</li>
<li><strong>Slow progress:</strong> It took a long time for COP to bring Russia to agree into participating in the Kyoto Protocol. (until 2005)</li>
<li>UNFCCC failed to persuade USA to ratify the Kyoto protocol thereby keeping one of the largest emitter of greenhouse gases away from commitments.</li>
<li><strong>Unsustainable targets:</strong> The world reached at almost 1degree Celsius warming post industrialization and the Paris contributions are not enough to maintain 2 degree Celsius levels.</li>
<li><strong>Unsatisfactory Response:</strong> Many countries argued for a tougher target of 1.5C - including leaders of low-lying countries that face unsustainable sea levels rises in a warming world.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Constraints:</strong> The agreement requires rich nations to maintain a $100bn a year funding pledge beyond 2020, which is not enough as highlighted by several pacific island countries.</li>
<li><strong>Non-binding agreement:</strong> The US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, citing, that the deal punished" the US and would cost millions of American jobs&rdquo;, has created new barriers and more pressure on rest of the nations in achieving the targets of Paris agreement.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As part of the US withdrawal, USA has stopped the payment of the extra $2bn that had been promised in to the Green Climate Fund.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>No enforcement mechanism:</strong> Under the Paris agreement, each country determines, plans, and reports its own efforts to mitigate global warming. The only penalty for non-compliance is a so-called &ldquo;name and shame&rdquo; &mdash; or &ldquo;name and encourage&rdquo; &mdash; system whereby countries that fall out of compliance are called out and encouraged to improve.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Achievements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyoto protocol only required wealthy nations to cut emissions, which was a bone of contention; however this anomaly was corrected with the signing of Paris agreement in 2015.</li>
<li>UNFCCC initiatives helped create Public awareness regarding climate change, which is much higher today than in the late 90s.</li>
<li>Although climate science in the late 90s was certainly strong enough&mdash;to negotiate an international treaty, it is hard to deny that the scientific understanding of the climate crisis has improved considerably over the past two decades in which UNFCCC played a significant role.</li>
<li>UNFCCC has enabled planning and implementation of concrete adaptation activities under the National Adaptations Programme of Action (NAPAs) and the Nairobi work programme.</li>
<li>UNFCCC helped create innovative ideas in mitigating climate change like the Clean Development mechanism (CDM) under which developing country&rsquo;s projects that reduce emissions earn credits that can be sold to countries or companies with a commitment to reduce emissions.</li>
<li>Since the establishment of UNFCCC national governments have encouraged and increased cooperation on the development and transfer of technology.</li>
<li>UNFCCC efforts support the developing countries in combating climate change by providing a platform for finance, technology transfers, discussions, global partnerships, etc.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unfccc'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Forest Inferno',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>More than 900 hectares of forest land has been gutted in wild-fire in Uttarakhand. The <strong>number of forest fires shot up to 14,107 from 4,225 between November 2018 and February 2019</strong>, according to the Real-Time Forest Alert System of the Forest Survey of India (FSI).<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747182_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747182_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" width="307" height="231" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Primary Causes of Wildfires</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Human Causes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>90% of all wildfires are caused by humans.</li>
<li>Human acts of carelessness such as leaving campfires unattended and negligent discarding of cigarette butts result in wildfire disasters every year.</li>
<li>Accidents, deliberate acts of arson, burning of debris, and fireworks are the other substantial causes of wildfires.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Natural Causes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lightning:</strong> A fairly good number of wildfires are triggered by lightning.</li>
<li><strong>Volcanic eruption:</strong> Hot magma in the earth&rsquo;s crust is usually expelled out as lava during a volcanic eruption. The hot lava then flows into nearby fields or lands to start wildfires.</li>
<li><strong>Temperature:</strong> High atmospheric temperatures and dryness offer favourable conditions for a fire to start.</li>
<li><strong>Climate change</strong> is causing a gradual but highly significant increasing trend in surface air temperatures, and it leads to record-breaking extremes in many areas when it interacts with the normal periodic warming associated with an El Nino.</li>
<li>An important climate variable for fire is <strong>vapour pressure deficit</strong>. It is a measure that <strong>combines temperature and relative humidity</strong> near the surface.</li>
<li>Warmer temperatures and lower humidity cause vapour pressure deficit to increase which can dry fuels rapidly and allow fires to grow very fast</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Types of Wildland Fires</h3>
<p><strong>There are three basic types of forest fires:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Crown fires</strong> burn trees up their entire length to the top. These are the most intense and dangerous wildland fires.</li>
<li><strong>Surface fires</strong> burn only surface litter and duff. These are the easiest fires to put out and cause the least damage to the forest.</li>
<li><strong>Ground fires</strong> (sometimes called underground or subsurface fires) occur in deep accumulations of humus, peat and similar dead vegetation that become dry enough to burn. These fires move very slowly, but can become difficult to fully put out, or suppress. Occasionally, especially during prolonged drought, such fires can smoulder all winter underground and then emerge at the surface again in spring.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Effects of Fire on Ecosystems</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mosaic Patterns:</strong> Wildland fires create a mixture of totally burned, partially burned, and unburned sections called a burn mosaic. The burn mosaic results in varied regrowth rates that create a vegetation mosaic.</li>
<li><strong>Soil Conditions:</strong> Wildland fires can be both a detriment and a benefit to soil. The soil can become more nutrient-rich after a fire due to the high mineral content of the ash and charcoal and also due to the warm, moist conditions that increase microbial activity. The intense heat can also cause soil particles to become water-repellant, causing rainwater to run off. As the water runs off it can carry soil particles with it and lead to erosion.</li>
<li><strong>Climate Related:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>&lsquo;Black carbon&rsquo; from the smog and ash covers the glaciers, making them more prone to melting. In India, the glaciers most likely to be affected by this are the ones situated at low altitudes, like Gangotri, Milam, Sundardunga, Newla and Cheepa.</li>
<li>Water in the rivers is also likely to get much polluted from the effects of this black carbon.</li>
<li>In 2016, forest fires have raised average temperatures across northern India by 0.2 degree Celsius, which had a bad effect on monsoons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mitigation Strategies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Technology</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>FSI has begun the <strong>development of systems for early warning</strong> and <strong>fire danger rating</strong>, and these efforts should be continued.</li>
<li><strong>Digitization of management boundaries</strong> by the state forest departments should be completed, so that the FSI can more accurately determine which fires to report and to whom.</li>
<li>Fire alert systems can also be improved by integrating ground-based detection with the satellite-based alert systems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Community Engagement</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sensitization of communities should be done to ensure that fire is used responsibly in a way that promotes forest health, while seeking to avoid damaging and out-of-control fires.</li>
<li>Provision of training should extend beyond state-managed forests to community institutions in regions such as the Northeast, where communities are responsible for managing most of the forest estate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/forest-inferno'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Strait of Hormuz',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>In a recent incident, four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah (an emirate of the UAE), one of the world&rsquo;s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The incident has come at a time of heightened tensions in the Gulf. The US has deployed an aircraft carrier, bomber planes and defense missiles to the region amid rising tensions with Iran, which has threatened to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the US succeeds in halting its energy exports.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In 2015, Iran agreed to a long-term deal</strong> referred to as the <strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)</strong> on its nuclear programme with the <strong>P5+1 (US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany).</strong></li>
<li>Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>The US withdrew from the deal in 2018</strong> and also recently <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminated the exceptions to US sanctions on Iranian oil.</a><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted"></a></li>
<li>Sanctions have pushed Iran&rsquo;s economy towards crisis. <strong>Recently, Iran has threatened to scale back its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal and to close the Strait of Hormuz.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Strait of Hormuz<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747415_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747415_image3.jpg" width="479" height="270" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The waterway <strong>separates Iran and Oman, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.</strong></li>
<li>The Strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction.</li>
<li><strong>Most crude exported</strong> from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq &ndash; all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qatar-quits-opec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(OPEC)</a> &ndash; <strong>is shipped through this waterway.</strong></li>
<li>It is also the <strong>route used for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG)</strong> produced by the world&rsquo;s biggest LNG exporter, Qatar.</li>
<li>The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building more oil pipelines.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture – Regulating Streaming Content',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fzHCSu4qCmg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Supreme Court has issued notices to the ministries of Broadcasting, Law and Communications on an appeal challenging the 8<sup>th</sup> Feb, 2019 order of the Delhi High Court.</p>
<p>The Delhi High Court dismissed the <strong>PIL seeking formulation of guidelines for the regulation of online video streaming platforms</strong> like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had informed it that online platforms are not required to obtain any licence from it. The Ministry of Law and Justice stated that the matter is outside its domain.</p>
<h3>Claims made in the appeal</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Online streaming platforms are not only displaying unlicensed, unregulated and uncertified content, but also running without being governed by any guidelines.</li>
<li>Due to lack or absence of any guidelines to govern the online platforms, government agencies are creating <strong>a special class of broadcasters</strong> and thus <strong>discriminating against customers, Cable TV producers, and DTH operators</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Present Regulation Mechanism for Online Streaming Platforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At present, India does not have any regulatory mechanism for online streaming platforms. However, all such platforms qualify as intermediaries as per <strong>section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per section 2(1)(w) of the IT act, "intermediary", with respect to any particular electronic records, means any person who on behalf of another person receives, stores or transmits that record or provides any service with respect to that record and also includes network service providers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Under section 79(2)(c) of the IT act,</strong> intermediaries are mandated to exercise due diligence while discharging their duties under the Act.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parameters of due diligence have been defined by the Government of India in the Information Technology Rules, 2011.</li>
<li>The problem is that the <strong>parameters have not been framed keeping in mind the peculiar business operations of online streaming platforms</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for Regulations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian citizens <strong>do not enjoy absolute right of freedom of speech and expression</strong> as there are certain reasonable restrictions under the Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India.<strong> Regulations are necessary</strong> to ensure that the content that gets featured on online streaming platforms remains within the scope of Article 19(2) of the constitution.</li>
<li><strong>The regular movies are certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)</strong> and ultimately governed by the Cinematograph Act. Such certification is also necessary for the movies run by the online streaming platforms to avoid any sort of discrimination.</li>
<li>As per the IT act, citizens can avail remedies if the content contravenes any of the provisions of the act. It would be better for India to have a precaution in the form of law governing the content on online streaming platforms.</li>
<li>To stop such platforms from running any sexually explicit and vulgar content.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s failure to exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction that flows from section 1 and section 75 of the IT act.</strong> These two sections collectively make the IT act applicable to any person of any nationality anywhere in the world so long the impact of such services provided by him/her are felt on computers, computer systems or computer networks physically located in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is it possible to regulate?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Internet is beyond any regulation. It allows various platform providers and service providers to be in different jurisdictions while giving their services to other people located in other jurisdictions.</li>
<li>It is difficult to regulate the content as something which is inappropriate for someone can be appropriate for the other.</li>
<li>It is upto people whether they want to see, hear or read a particular thing on internet.</li>
<li>However, more and more countries are now waking up to the need for regulating such kind of content within their physical geographical boundaries. For example, Russia and China has a law that states that the content needs to be in compliance with the local laws.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Government needs to ensure that online streaming platforms comply with available parameters of local laws.</li>
<li>Besides providing adequate enabling legal framework, specific parameters for due diligence for online streaming platforms should be framed by the government.</li>
<li>Online Streaming Platforms, as a part of their services to countries, should come up with a self code of conduct.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>In the times of continuous changing technologies, <strong>policymakers should frame broad, generic and futuristic looking legal provisions</strong>. China has recently come up with the world&rsquo;s first law on Artificial Intelligence (AI). California has a law on cybersecurity with respect to Internet-of-Things (IoT). India needs to learn from these examples.</em></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></p>
<p>Article 19(2) of the Constitution authorises the government to impose, by law, reasonable restrictions upon the freedom of speech and expression in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.</p>
<p><strong>Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952.</li>
<li>The Board consists of non-official members and a Chairman (all of whom are appointed by Central Government) and functions with headquarters at Mumbai.</li>
<li><strong>Films can be publicly exhibited in India (on cinema halls, T.V. channels) only after they have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification.</strong></li>
<li><strong>At present, films are certified under 4 categories: U, U/A, A&amp; S.</strong></li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>Category</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;"><strong>Description</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>U</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Unrestricted Public Exhibition</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>U/A</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Unrestricted Public Exhibition - but with a word of caution that Parental discretion required for children below 12 years.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>A</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Restricted to adults</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 8.40301%; height: 19px;"><strong>S</strong></td>
<td style="width: 73.23%; height: 19px;">Restricted to any special class of persons</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cinematograph Act lays down that a film shall not be certified if any part of it is against the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite commission of any offence.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>DTH services and cable T.V programs</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India Direct-to-Home (DTH) licenses are issued to service providers by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).</li>
<li><strong>The Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 content code / Advertisement code is there in India for programme and advertisements appearing in cable TV Network.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-streaming-content'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'DNA Database for Indian Rhinos',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has begun a <strong>project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in the country</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The project is a subset of the Centre&rsquo;s larger, ongoing rhino conservation programme.</li>
<li>By 2021, the project&rsquo;s deadline, the Indian rhino could be the first wild animal species in India to have all its members DNA-sequenced.</li>
<li>The project will help in <strong>curbing poaching</strong> and gathering evidence in wildlife crimes involving rhinos.</li>
<li><strong>The database will be hosted in the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) headquarters in Dehradun.</strong><strong></strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are three species of rhino in Asia&nbsp;</span>&mdash;&nbsp;<strong>Greater one-horned, Javan </strong>and<strong> Sumatran</strong>. Javan and Sumatran Rhino are critically endangered and the Greater one-horned (or Indian) rhino is vulnerable In IUCN Red List.</li>
<li>They are spread across India, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia and Malaysia. These countries are also known as <strong>Asian Rhino Range Countries</strong>.</li>
<li>Only the Great one-horned rhino is found in India.</li>
<li>At present, there are about 2,600 Indian rhinos in India, with more than 90% of the population concentrated in Assam&rsquo;s Kaziranga National Park.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>National Rhino Conservation Strategy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It calls for active engagement between India and Nepal to conserve the Greater one-horned rhinoceros.</li>
<li>The plan said the single population of rhinos in Sukla-Phanta (Nepal), Valmiki Tiger Reserve (India) and Chitwan National Park (Nepal) and Dudhwa (India) is separated by the political boundary between the two countries.</li>
<li>It asks for the <strong>management of the two population under the same protocol</strong>, instead of managing the two population separately.</li>
<li>The plan calls for <strong>expanding distribution range as the occurrence of 90% of the rhino in one protected area is a cause of concern</strong> and conservation of existing and potential rhino habitats need to be made a national priority.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Rhino Vision 2020</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Launched in 2005</strong>, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort <strong>to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020</strong>.</li>
<li>Seven protected areas are Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang National Park, Manas National Park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary.</li>
<li>It is a collaborative effort between various organisations, including the International Rhino Foundation, Assam&rsquo;s Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, World Wide Fund - India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dna-database-for-indian-rhinos'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'CO2 Level Hit Record High',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii (USA), has detected the highest levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since records began.</p>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CO<sub>2</sub> level, detected by the observatory, was <strong>more than 415 Parts Per Million (PPM).</strong></li>
<li>The last time Earth's atmosphere contained this much CO2 was more than three million years ago when global sea levels were several metres higher and parts of Antarctica were covered in forest.</li>
<li><strong>Earth's average surface temperature has already increased 1&deg;C since pre-industrial times</strong> due to man-made emissions and, in spite of the Paris deal and increasing public awareness of the problem, we haven&rsquo;t succeeded in arresting Carbon emissions.</li>
<li>In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <strong>(IPCC)</strong>, reported that at the current rate of emissions, the world will <strong>breach the global warming limit of 1.5&deg;C between 2030 and 2052</strong> and that will have a catastrophic impact on the earth.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747281_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747281_image1.jpg" caption="false" width="730" height="536" /></a></p>
<h3>Paris Agreement on Climate Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Paris Agreement was concluded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference <strong>(UNFCCC), COP 21</strong> that was held in Paris in 2015, which was also the 11<sup>th</sup> session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 <strong>Kyoto Protocol (CMP 11)</strong>.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement's aim is to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through &ldquo;intended nationally determined contributions&rdquo; (INDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead.</li>
<li>The Paris Agreement, in contrast with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, <strong>makes all countries responsible for reducing GreenHouse Gases (GHGs)</strong> instead of just the developed or Annex-1 countries, which are responsible for the bulk of the total GHG concentrations in the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35% by 2030 from 2005 level.</li>
<li>To achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030, with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance, including from Green Climate Fund.</li>
<li>To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body that provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.</li>
<li>It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).</li>
<li>Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/co2-level-hit-record-high'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (14th May 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>By 2040, 15 million will Need Chemotherapy</h3>
<p>According to a new study published in <em>&lsquo;The Lancet Oncology&rsquo;</em>, by 2040, <strong>15 million individuals each year will need chemotherapy,</strong> amounting to a 53% increase from 9.8 million in 2018.</p>
<p><strong>Key highlights</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This study is the <strong>first of its kind to estimate the scale of chemotherapy provision</strong> needed at national, regional, and global scales to respond to this situation.</li>
<li>Cancer incidence is expected to <strong>rise from 17 million to 26 million between 2018 and 2040</strong>.</li>
<li>The estimated proportion of patients needing chemotherapy who reside in low-income or middle-income countries was 63% in 2018, and will be 67% in 2040.</li>
<li>Of the 15 million people who will require chemotherapy in 2040, <strong>more than one-third will be living in eastern Asia (35%),</strong> 12% in south central Asia, 10% in northern America, 7% in South eastern Asia, 6% in South America, and 5% in western Europe.</li>
<li>In 2018, 65,000 cancer physicians were required to deliver optimal chemotherapy. This number is expected to rise to 100,000 by 2040.</li>
<li>This study will help to further <strong>guide policy makers and stakeholders in priority settings</strong> involved in setting up health infrastructure and strengthening and educating the future workforce.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chemotherapy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to the treatment of diseases by chemical compounds.</li>
<li>Chemotherapeutic drugs were originally those employed against infectious microbes, but the term has been <strong>broadened to include anticancer and other drugs.</strong></li>
<li>It is more popularly used term for treatment of cancer.</li>
<li>Normally, cells grow and die in a controlled way, but <strong>cancer cells keep growing without control.</strong></li>
<li>Chemotherapy works by <strong>killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth.</strong></li>
<li>However, it can also harm healthy cells, which causes side effects.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>ABHYAS</h3>
<p>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted successful flight test of <strong>ABHYAS &ndash; High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)</strong> from Interim Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha.</p>
<p><strong>About ABHYAS<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747527_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747527_image4.jpg" width="267" height="185" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an <strong>unmanned aerial vehicle</strong> based on microelectromechanical systems <strong>(MEMS)</strong> navigation system.</li>
<li>It uses <strong>indigenously developed MEMS-based navigation system</strong> for its navigation and guidance.</li>
<li><strong>MEMS-based INS</strong> (inertial navigation system) are being used in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, to meet the stringent operational requirements in the defence services, UAVs and manned aerial vehicles (MAVs) are being deployed with MEMS-based INS.</li>
<li>MEMS inertial navigation systems with integrated GPS have advantages like:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Higher data output rates</li>
<li>Lower power consumption</li>
<li>Orientation monitoring and control</li>
<li>Cost effective</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Water Hyacinth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Water Hyacinth <em><strong>(Eichhornia crassipes)</strong></em> is a <strong>highly invasive weed</strong> which is considered to pose a threat to the many aquatic ecosystems it grows.</li>
<li>The problem of Water Hyacinth is exacerbated in slow-moving water bodies.</li>
<li>Because of the density of the mats it forms, it has the ability to out-compete other native aquatic plant life and block sunlight from entering the water, thus <strong>causing the death of submerged flora</strong> as they are unable to photosynthesise.</li>
<li>This in turn,&nbsp;<strong>depletes oxygen in the water and kills native fish and other organisms</strong> in the ecosystem.</li>
<li>Its positive environmental benefits included enhanced availability of refugia and feeding centre&rsquo;s for fish and various other aquatic fauna at narrow stationery fringes of the weed whose roots were regularly flushed with well oxygenated waters. Such water hyacinth fringes were rich in a variety of algae, and various invertebrates.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-may-2019'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'PRS Capsule March 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">Law and Justice</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>Cabinet approves promulgation of amendments to regulations for civil courts in two Union Territories (Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#2">Education</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ordinance to provide for reservation of teaching posts in central educational institutions promulgated</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#3">Health and Family Welfare</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#4">Information Technology</a><a></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry releases National Policy on Software Products 2019</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Power</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hydro power projects declared as renewable energy sources</li>
<li>Cabinet approves various thermal and hydro power projects</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#6">Social Justice</a><a></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Centre for Disability Sports to be set up in Gwalior</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#7">Environment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Cooling Plan launched</li>
<li>Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules amended</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#8">Home Affairs</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</li>
<li>Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order issued</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#9">Transport</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>White Paper on National Green Aviation Policy released</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#10">Water Resources</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Cabinet approves the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#11">Information and Broadcasting</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ministry releases revised guidelines for the Journalists Welfare Scheme</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="1">Law and Justice</h3>
<p>Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In September 2018, the <strong>Supreme Court struck down certain provisions</strong> of the <strong>Aadhaar Act,</strong> including those in relation to mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phones.</li>
<li>The ordinance amends the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.</li>
<li>The Ordinance allows <strong>for voluntary use of the Aadhaar</strong> number for authentication or offline verification, with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Previously, a similar Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on January 4, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For more detail please follow the PRS Capsule January-2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated by the President.</li>
<li>It establishes an autonomous and independent institution for better management of arbitration in India.</li>
<li>Previously, a similar Bill <strong>(The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill, 2018)</strong> was passed by Lok Sabha in January, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For more detail please follow the PRS Capsule January 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Cabinet approves promulgation of amendments to regulations for civil courts in two Union Territories (Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet, under <strong>Article 240</strong> of the Constitution, approved the promulgation of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>the <strong>Daman and Diu Civil Courts</strong> (Amendment) <strong>Regulation, 2019</strong>,</li>
<li>and the <strong>Dadra and Nagar Haveli</strong> (<strong>Civil Courts</strong> and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment <strong>Regulation, 2019</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The amendments include an increase in the <strong>pecuniary jurisdiction</strong> of civil courts in the two Union Territories.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Pecuniary Jurisdiction</strong> refers to the ability of a Court to hear matters depending on the valuation of the case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It will be helpful in bringing uniformity in Judicial Service and overcome the difficulties being faced by the litigants in travelling to Mumbai for filing appeals due to existing limited pecuniary jurisdiction.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Education</h3>
<p>Ordinance to provide for reservation of teaching posts in central educational institutions promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers&rsquo; Cadre) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated.</li>
<li>The Ordinance provides for <strong>reservation of teaching positions</strong> in <strong>central educational institutions</strong> for persons belonging to the <strong>Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes</strong>&nbsp;and the <strong>socially and educationally backward classes</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For the purpose of such reservation, a central educational institution will be regarded as one unit.</li>
<li>Previously, each department within a central educational institution was regarded as a unit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Health and Family Welfare</h3>
<p>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It amends the <strong>Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973</strong> which sets up the Central Council of Homoeopathy.</li>
<li>The Central Council regulates homoeopathic education and practice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Ordinance amends the Act to increase the time period for supersession of the Central Council from one year to two years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Meanwhile, <strong>the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019</strong> was introduced in Rajya Sabha in January, 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The draft Bill seeks to set up the National Commission for Homoeopathy, and <strong>replace the Central Council of Homoeopathy</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Information Technology</h3>
<p>Ministry releases National Policy on Software Products 2019</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the <strong>National Policy on Software Products 2019</strong>.</li>
<li>The Union Cabinet had earlier approved the policy.</li>
<li>The policy aims to develop India as a global software product hub.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For detail please follow the PRS Capsule February-2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Power</h3>
<p>Hydro power projects declared as renewable energy sources</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved certain measures to promote the hydro power sector.</li>
<li>Key measures approved include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Large hydro projects:</strong> Large hydro power projects (capacity <strong>above 25 MW</strong>) will be considered as renewable energy sources. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier only small hydro projects (capacity less than 25 MW) were considered as renewable energy sources.</li>
<li>However, the large projects will not be automatically eligible for any differential treatment for statutory clearances such as forest and environmental clearances, or impact assessment studies, which are available for smaller hydro projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO):</strong> HPO will be <strong>a separate category</strong> within the existing renewable purchase obligation (RPO, obligation on certain entities to purchase a fixed minimum percentage of power from renewable sources).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It will cover all large hydro projects commissioned post this approval.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Cabinet approves various thermal and hydro power projects</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved several thermal and hydro power projects.</li>
<li>Details of the projects are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Thermal projects:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A 2x660 MW Thermal Power Project has been approved in <strong>Buxar,</strong> Bihar. The plant will be set up by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Thermal Private Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN Ltd., a mini ratna CPSU under the Ministry of Power.</li>
<li>A 2x660 MW Thermal Power Project has been approved in <strong>Khurja,</strong> Uttar Pradesh. The project will be set up by THDC India Limited (formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited), a mini ratna CPSU under the Ministry of Power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro projects:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>CCEA approved the construction of Kiru Hydro Electric (HE) Project, with a capacity of 624 MW. The project will be located on <strong>River Chenab</strong> in <strong>Kishtwar,</strong> Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
<li>CCEA also approved the investment sanction for acquisition of M/s Lanco Teesta Hydro Power Limited and execution of balance work of <strong>the Teesta Stage-Vl HE Project</strong> by NHPC Ltd in <strong>Sikkim</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Social Justice</h3>
<p>Centre for Disability Sports to be set up in Gwalior.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Ministry of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment approved the proposal for the establishment of a Centre for Disability Sports in <strong>Gwalior,</strong> Madhya Pradesh.</li>
<li>The Centre will be registered under the <strong>Societies Registration Act, 1860</strong>.</li>
<li>The Centre will include an outdoor athletic stadium, an indoor sports complex, a sports science centre, and hostel facilities for athletes. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Some of the <strong>sports identified for training</strong> include badminton, basketball, <strong>boccia</strong>&nbsp;and para powerlifting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Environment</h3>
<p>National Cooling Plan launched</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change launched the <strong>India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)</strong>.</li>
<li>The ICAP provides recommendations to address cooling requirements across sectors, and ways to provide <strong>access to sustainable cooling</strong> for all over a 20-year period.</li>
<li>The main goals as outlined in the ICAP include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Supporting development of technological solutions in cooling and related areas;</li>
<li>Reducing cooling demand across sectors by 20%-25% by 2037-38;</li>
<li>Reducing refrigerant demand by 25%-30% by 2037-38;</li>
<li>Training and certifying one lakh servicing sector technicians by 2022-23.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules amended</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) amended the <strong>Hazardous Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016</strong>.</li>
<li>Key amendments include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Solid plastic waste</strong> has been prohibited from import into India.</li>
<li><strong>Exporters of silk waste</strong> have been given exemption from requiring permission from the MoEF.</li>
<li><strong>Electrical and electronic assemblies</strong> and components manufactured in and exported from India can now be imported back into the country if found defective, within a year of export, without obtaining permission from the MoEF.</li>
<li>Under the Rules, every industry engaged in dealing with hazardous waste is required to first obtain an authorization from the State Pollution Control Board. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The request is required to be accompanied with a prior authorization (i.e. a consent to establish) under the <strong>Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974</strong> and the <strong>Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per the amendments, industries which are exempted from requiring consent under the under the Water Act and Air Act, are exempted from requiring authorization from the State Pollution Control Board under the rules if the hazardous and other wastes generated by such industries are handed over to the authorized actual users, waste collectors or disposal facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Home Affairs</h3>
<p>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated.</li>
<li>The Ordinance amends the <strong>Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act provides for reservation in appointment and admission in professional institutions for persons belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and <strong>socially and educationally backward classes</strong> (SEBC).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>SEBC:</strong> the Act classifies persons living in areas adjoining the Line of Control as SEBCs for the appointment to state government posts.</li>
<li>The Act requires SEBCs (appointed to state government posts) to serve in such areas for at least seven years; and exempts them from the creamy layer test.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Ordinance extends the provisions of SEBCs to those living near the international border.</li>
</ul>
<p>Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order issued</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019 was made by the President.</li>
<li>It amends the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 1954 Order makes various provisions of the Constitution of India applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The 103<sup>rd</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act provides for ten percent reservation for economically weaker sections in educational institutions and public employment. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Amendment Order seeks to extend this reservation to Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Under this amendment order, the benefits in promotions to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution will also be made applicable to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Transport</h3>
<p>White Paper on National Green Aviation Policy released</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Civil Aviation released a White Paper (an official report which describes the policy of the Government on a particular subject) on National Green Aviation Policy.</li>
<li>The policy seeks to enable, promote and strengthen all inclusive, green and sustainable growth of air transportation in India.</li>
<li>Key feature of the policy include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Green Infrastructure Program:</strong> All aviation stakeholders should adopt <strong>green infrastructure guidelines</strong> while designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and during</li>
<li>demolition of infrastructures. Such guidelines are specified by: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>the Indian Green Building Council,</li>
<li>the U.S. Green Building Council,</li>
<li>Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment,</li>
<li>or any equivalent standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">Water Resources</h3>
<p>Cabinet approves the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved the <strong>Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)</strong> with an aim of effective flood management and erosion control.</li>
<li>FMBAP has been framed by merging two previously continuing schemes, namely: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Flood Management Program.</strong></li>
<li><strong>River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Salient features of the scheme include: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>assisting state governments in providing protection against floods through structural and non-structural measures,</li>
<li>completing on-going projects previously approved under the Flood Management Program,</li>
<li>conducting hydro-meteorological observations and flood forecasting with neighbouring countries,</li>
<li>and surveying and investigating water resource projects on common rivers with neighbouring countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="11">Information and Broadcasting</h3>
<p>Ministry releases revised guidelines for the Journalists Welfare Scheme.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) released revised guidelines for the <strong>Journalist Welfare Scheme</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The scheme aims to provide <strong>one-time financial support</strong> to <strong>journalists</strong> and their <strong>families</strong> in extreme hardship.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The key features include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Committee:</strong> A Committee will be constituted, with the Secretary of MIB as the chairperson, to administer the scheme. The Committee will meet at least once a quarter, to take decisions on cases received during the period.</li>
<li><strong>Eligibility:</strong> <strong>Journalists will be eligible</strong> for the scheme provided they are: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>citizens of India,</li>
<li>ordinarily resident in India,</li>
<li>accredited to the Press Information Bureau (PIB),</li>
<li>those journalists who are not accredited with the PIB will also be eligible for the scheme, if they have been journalists for a minimum period of five continuous years.</li>
<li>Journalists covered under the scheme include newspaper and television journalists, but does not include individuals in a managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial assistance:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Up to Rs 5 lakh may be provided to the family in case of death of journalist,</li>
<li>up to Rs 5 lakh may be provided to the journalist in case of permanent disability which makes them incapable of earning a livelihood,</li>
<li>up to Rs 3 lakh may be provided for cost of treatment of major diseases such as cancer or heart ailments, subject to certain conditions,</li>
<li>and up to Rs 2 lakh may be provided in case of accidents causing serious injury requiring hospitalization.</li>
<li>Benefits under the scheme will be transferred only to Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of beneficiaries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-march-2019'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Perpetuating the Power-Imbalance – Addressing Sexual Harassment at Higher Institutions in India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/in-his-own-cause/article26905324.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;In his own cause: On complaint against CJI Ranjan Gogoi&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;which appeared in "The Hindu" on 22<sup>nd</sup> April, 2019. The article talks about procedural inadequacies in addressing sexual harassment at institutions like the Supreme Court of India.</p>
</div>
<h3>Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?</h3>
<p><strong>This phrase is often quoted and discussed in Socrates&rsquo; search for guardians who can hold power to account and prevent its misuse.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the Indian context this discussion gets further traction, as the fundamental question being asked contemporarily is, where does the power to prevent misuse lie?</li>
<li>Bound up with that question are the disputes over the powers of the elected government and the powers of what is being called unelected institutions, particularly the judiciary.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Contextualizing <em>&ldquo;who will guard the guardian syndrome&rdquo;</em> in Indian Judiciary</strong></p>
<p>Recently after allegation of sexual misconduct against Chief Justice Of India, the CJI constituted a bench comprising of himself along with two other judges in <strong>"In Re: Matter of great public importance touching upon the independence of the judiciary&rdquo;</strong> which refuted the allegations.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This step was against the established notion of fairness and natural justice.</li>
</ul>
<p>The premise of natural justice <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/who-will-watch-the-watchman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[Read More]</a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><em><strong>Nemo debet esse judex in causa propria sua</strong></em>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Nemo in propria causa judex , esse debet, i.e.; <strong>no one should be made a judge in his own cause</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is popularly known as the <strong>rule against bias</strong>.</li>
<li>It is the minimal requirement of natural justice that the authority giving decision must be composed of impartial persons acting fairly, without prejudice and bias. [Bias means an operative prejudice, whether conscious or unconscious, as result of some preconceived opinion or predisposition, in relation to a party or an issue].</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Audi alteram partem</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Audi alteram partem means <em><strong>&lsquo;hear the other side&rsquo;, or &lsquo;no man should be condemned unheard&rsquo;</strong></em>or<em> &lsquo;both the sides must be heard before passing any order&rsquo;.</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Procedural Violations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act) Act, ("POSH Act")</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>POSH Act read along with <strong>Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Regulation, 2013</strong> gives the role of deciding the genuineness of the allegations prima facie by the CJI himself. However, no procedure has been laid down if the allegation is against CJI himself.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Participation of women in sexual harassment cases</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even though POSH states that the committee enquiring into sexual harassment must be headed by woman and must comprise of a majority of women, this was not followed in the composition of the Special bench that heard the CJI&rsquo;s case.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Attorney General and Solicitor General</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The case was registered via suo-motu writ petition by the Supreme Court, which is procedurally flawed.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Also the unwavering support by the President of Supreme Court Bar association without any enquiry shows that space for women is non-existent even in the Judiciary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Provisions and Documents Related to the Enquiry of Judges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Section 77 of the IPC 1860</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Section 77 IPC holds that any act done by a Judge while acting judicially in good faith cannot be considered an offence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 and Rules, 1969</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the Judges Inquiry Act and Rules framed under Section 124(5) of the Constitution, the expression &lsquo;judge&rsquo; also includes the CJI and no special treatment is given to him.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Judges Protection Act, 1985</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Section 3 of the Act protects judges from any civil or criminal proceeding in any court for acts done in performing judicial duties.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>government can initiate criminal proceedings</strong> against a sitting or former judge of a superior court under sub section (2) of Section 3 of Judges (Protection) Act, 1985 if it can produce material evidence to show that a judgment was passed after taking a bribe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Veeraswami Judgment (1991)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In Veeraswami case, the Supreme Court held that no criminal case shall be registered under Section 154, Cr.P.C., against a Judge unless the CJI is consulted in the matter and that due regard must be given by the government to the opinion expressed by the CJI.</li>
<li>However, if the allegation is against the CJI himself, then the Government can consider other judges of the Supreme Court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vishakha Case (1997)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In allegations against judges of the Supreme Court, it requires the CJI to constitute a three-member panel of Supreme Court judges to enquire into a complaint of misconduct received by the CJI against a sitting judge. The CJI supervises and enforces the outcome of this inquiry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013 along with Gender Sensitisation &amp; Sexual Harassment of Women at the Supreme Court of India (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Regulations, 2013 and 2015</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the 2013 Regulations, the CJI has overall supervision and control over the Gender Sensitization Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) including nomination and appointment of members of the GSICC and the power to accept or reject the recommendation of Internal Complaint Committee post enquiry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>However, with the setting up of a committee under Justice S.A. Bobde rectified the error in "In Re: Matter of great public importance touching upon the independence of the judiciary&rdquo; to some extent. But even this step and subsequent judgements, were recalcitrant on many accounts, some of which are as follows:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women were not allowed to be represented by a lawyer or an amicus curiae</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to legal experts, in the absence of any known procedure, the non-observance of the principles of natural justice and the absence of effective representation of the victim, the report, even though not for the public, is non-est and void ab initio (&lsquo;does not exist&rsquo;; not legally binding).
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>This ought to have been an external inquiry.</strong> There is no other way to ensure that the judiciary can be viewed as impartial.</li>
<li><strong>The woman in the CJI case was told that her own testimony, once she made it, would not be given to her because the inquiry is confidential.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The decision had been given ex-parte</strong> <em>(def: with respect to or in the interests of one side only or of an interested outside party)&nbsp;</em>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though legally valid, it erodes the validity of the Supreme Court Judgement. Independence of the judiciary rests on public trust, and public trust is not maintained by one-sided inquiries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, it established the power imbalance by showing that, when it comes to one of its own, imbalances of power don't matter, due process doesn't matter, and basic norms of justice don't matter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of the Supreme Court Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The judgement of the Supreme Court shows &ldquo;institutional racism&rdquo;.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Institutional racism stems from &ldquo;unwitting prejudice&rdquo;, &ldquo;ignorance&rdquo;, or &ldquo;thoughtlessness&rdquo; &ndash; almost internalised conditions, acted upon without any conscious desire or motivation to oppress or disadvantage anyone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>This judgement points toward &ldquo;Judicial Oligarchy&rdquo;.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The institution of judiciary has a strong counter-majoritarian character. It is considered neutral &mdash; free from self-interest. It is supposed to protect individual rights and adjudicate freely and fairly. <strong>Judicial oligarchy reduces the institution to a private club where certain interests are privileged at the cost of judicial integrity.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>For the last 20 years, the law on sexual harassment in India has taken slow, incremental, steps forward. <strong>From the Vishaka Guidelines in 1997 to the POSH Act in 2013, certain basic principles about the imbalance of power, procedural justice, and protecting the rights of survivors, has been fought for, and partially won.</strong> But this judgement, along with defamation suits in #Metoo movement shows that, battle on sexual harassment is far from over.</p>
<p><strong>It&rsquo;s also worth remembering the 2013 complaint against then former Justice AK Ganguly, in which an internal committee of judges gave a hearing to Ganguly and the complainant and ultimately passed an order finding that prima facie sexual harassment had been made out.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ganguly resigned as Chair of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), a short time before parliament began a presidential reference procedure to remove him.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Amendment of In-House Procedure or a Dedicated Separate Procedure
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such an amendment shall keep in mind principles for departmental inquiries into sexual harassment.</li>
<li><strong>The Full Court should exercise this power and lay down composition of the committee empowered to inquire into the issue.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This committee should have adequate representation and should be constituted as per the laid guideline.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation of Veeraswamy Judgment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In Veeraswamy's case, a Constitutional Bench held that if the CJI himself is the person against whom the allegations of criminal misconduct are received the government shall consult any other Judge or Judges of the Supreme Court.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This procedure should be followed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #0e39e6; background-color: #f0d5d5;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 961px;">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Without addressing the power-imbalance in society, a just society, particularly for women, cannot be envisaged. Discuss the role of the Indian Judiciary in this regard.&rdquo;</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/perpetuating-the-power-imbalance-addressing-sexual-harassment-at-higher-institutions-in-india'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Delay in Resolutions under IBC',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A number of hurdles have delayed the debt resolution at Essar Steel India Ltd. under the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)</a>.</p>
<h3>Resolution Process under IBC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IBC requires a <strong>corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) to be completed in 180 days,</strong> which can be <strong>extended by another 90 days</strong> to a maximum of 270 days.</li>
<li><strong>Status:</strong> As on 31<sup>st</sup> March 2019, out of total 1143 cases that were undergoing resolution under the IBC, a total of 548 cases exceeded the 180-day deadline.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Delay in the Resolution Process</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Burdening the NCLT</strong> and the appellate tribunals with matters relating to the Companies Act and Competition Act along with the IBC is probably one reason.</li>
<li><strong>Limited number of Information Utilities (IUs) in the ecosystem.</strong> The IUs provide access to credible and transparent evidence of default, which helps in expediting the process of ascertaining a default for initiating the resolution process. As of now, there is <strong>only one information utility &ndash; National eGovernance Services Ltd &ndash;</strong> which was registered with Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in September 2017.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of appropriate bids</strong> to takeover companies, differences among the lenders, <strong>legal challenges</strong> posed by existing promoters and operational creditors are among the other reasons behind delay in resolutions under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).</li>
</ul>
<h3>IBC vs DRT/SARFAESI</h3>
<p>Financial Creditors have witnessed a <strong>recovery rate of 43% under IBC</strong> resolution process. In the existing regime of <strong>DRT/SARFAESI</strong> (Debt Recovery Tribunal/Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest), <strong>banks recover less than 20 % of the stuck loans</strong> with significant delays.</p>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Digitisation of the NCLT platform, proactive training/on-boarding of judges, lawyers and other intermediaries will help in the effective implementation of the code.</li>
<li><strong>Pre-packed insolvency arrangements</strong> that is allowing the sale of a business (subject to the approval of a majority of the creditors) as a going concern prior to the appointment of an administrator or insolvency professional, can be considered.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong> The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI) empowers Banks/Financial Institutions to recover their non-performing assets without the intervention of the Court.</p>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/delay-in-resolutions-under-ibc'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (13th May 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Apache Helicopter</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the <strong>first AH-64E (I)-Apache Guardian helicopter</strong> at the Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA.</li>
<li>The Indian government has signed a <strong>contract for 22 Apache helicopters</strong> with the US government and M/s Boeing Ltd.</li>
<li>Better known as an <strong>&lsquo;attack helicopter&rsquo;</strong>, Apache will lead to the modernisation of the IAF&rsquo;s attack helicopter fleet which at present is equipped with Russian origin MI-35 helicopters that are on the verge of retirement.</li>
<li>The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF&rsquo;s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground.</li>
<li>The helicopter also has the ability to transmit and receive battlefield picture through data uplinking and networking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Lecanorchis taiwaniana<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747811_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567747811_image1.jpg" style="float: right;" width="251" height="167" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><em><strong>Lecanorchis taiwaniana</strong></em> has been recently discovered in Assam.</li>
<li>It is one of India&rsquo;s smallest orchids in terms of size and duration of bloom to be recorded botanically.</li>
<li>The orchid, discovered earlier in Japan, Taiwan, and Laos, is found to have a maximum height of 40 cm and a blossoming period of five-six days.</li>
<li><em><strong>Lecanorchis taiwaniana is a myco-heterotroph</strong></em> &ndash; one of the parasitic plants that have abandoned photosynthesis.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Abandoning Photosynthesis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are a number of flowering plants that have abandoned photosynthesis, and these fall into two categories: <strong>haustorial parasites </strong>and<strong> myco-heterotrophs</strong>. (It is also called, parasitic plant, as both these groups derive their nutrients from another plant).</li>
<li>The difference is that haustorial parasites feed directly on another plant via a modified root called the <strong>haustorium</strong>.</li>
<li>Mycoheterotrophs obtain their nutrition indirectly from the plant via a <strong>mycorrhizal fungus</strong>. The mycorrhizal fungus, attached to the roots of a photosynthetic plant, thus acts as a bridge between that plant and the mycoheterotroph, such that nutrients (carbon) flow from plant root, to mycorrhizal fungus to the myco-heterotroph.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ganga Jatara</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tirupati Ganga Jatara is the annual folk festival of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is a weeklong event which falls between the first and second weeks of May every year.</li>
<li>This festival is to offer prayers to the goddess <strong>Gangamma, the Gramadevata</strong> (the goddess looking after the village) of Tirupati.</li>
<li>Tirupati Balaji temple has its origins in <strong>Vaishnavism</strong>, which advocates the principles of equality and love, and prohibits animal sacrifice. The sanctum sanctorum, which houses the awe-inspiring idol of the Lord of the Seven Hills, is situated in the main temple complex of Tirumala.</li>
<li>The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, <strong>Venkatachala (Venkata Hill)</strong> of the <strong>Tirupati Hill</strong>, and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini what is known popularly today as Tirupati Balaji Temple.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-13th-may-2019-'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Kerala’s New Protocols for Managing Disasters',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Picking up valuable lessons from the Cyclone &lsquo;Ockhi&rsquo; disaster and the 2018 floods, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), <strong>&lsquo;Orange book of disaster management &ndash; Kerala &ndash; SOP and emergency support functions plan&rsquo;</strong>, and adopted new protocols for disaster management in the State &ndash; <strong>&lsquo;Monsoon preparedness and emergency response plan&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Containing information on emergency response assets available across the State, the orange book explains the SOP for flood, cyclone, tsunami, high waves (swell waves, storm surges, &lsquo;Kalla Kadal&rsquo;), petrochemical accidents and even mishaps caused by space debris.</li>
<li>It describes incidence response mechanisms to be adopted at the State, district and taluk level.</li>
<li>The &lsquo;Monsoon preparedness and emergency response plan&rsquo; is season-specific and meant to be strictly complied with during the south-west and north-east monsoon seasons (June to December).</li>
<li>It lists the roles of the State emergency operations centre, central agencies, district disaster management authorities, etc. Earlier, no single document had clarified the responsibilities of individual government departments.</li>
<li>The Monsoon preparedness plan is a season-specific dynamic sub-plan of the Orange book of disaster management. It will be updated every year after receiving the first long-range forecast of the India Meteorological Department on Monsoon.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>State Disaster Management Authorities are statutory bodies constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.</li>
<li>The Disaster Management Act established the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Kalla Kadal</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Kerala, fishermen use the term &lsquo;Kalla Kadal&rsquo; to refer to the <strong>unusual occurrence of high swell waves during good weather.</strong> It is often triggered by storms as far away as the Antarctic region.</li>
<li>Travelling thousands of kilometres across the ocean basin, the swell <strong>amplifies when it encounters a coastal current,</strong> a phenomenon known as <strong>remote forcing</strong>.</li>
<li>'Kalla Kadal' is known to <strong>occur along the southern coast of India,</strong> mainly <strong>during the pre-monsoon period,</strong> in April and May, marked by clear weather. The flooding turns severe on the days of a spring tide.</li>
<li>The term Kalla Kadal has been recognised by the UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organisation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to explain the unusual occurrence of high swell waves.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/keralas-new-protocols-for-managing-disasters'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Communalism',
		'catname' => 'Paper 1',
		'desc' => '<h3>About</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communalism, in a broad sense means a strong attachment to one&rsquo;s own community. In popular discourse in India, it is understood as unhealthy attachment to one&rsquo;s own religion.</li>
<li>It&rsquo;s an ideology that, in order to unify the community, suppresses distinctions within the community and emphasizes the essential unity of the community against other communities.</li>
<li>In this way it <strong>promotes belief in orthodox tenets and principles, intolerance and hatred</strong> of other religions and thus, divides the society.</li>
<li><strong>Positive aspect</strong> of communalism stands for the <strong>affinity of an individual towards his own community</strong> involving efforts for the <strong>social and economic upliftment</strong> of his community.</li>
<li>However, in <strong>negative connotation</strong>, it is an ideology which emphasises the <strong>separate identity of a religious group</strong> in relation to other groups with a tendency to promote its own interests at the expense of the others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Communalism in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communalism as a <strong>political philosophy</strong> has its roots in the religious and cultural diversity of India.</li>
<li>It has been used as a political propaganda tool to create divide, differences and tensions between the communities on the basis of religious and ethnic identity leading to communal hatred and violence.</li>
<li>In ancient Indian society, people of different faith coexisted peacefully.</li>
<li><strong>Buddha</strong> was perhaps the first Indian prophet who gave the concept of secularism.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, Kings like <strong>Ashoka</strong> followed a policy of peace and religious tolerance.</li>
<li><strong>Medieval India</strong> witnessed the arrival of Islam in India marked by occasional occurrences of violence such as Mahmud Ghazni&rsquo;s destruction of Hindu temples and Mahmud of Ghor&rsquo;s attack on Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.</li>
<li>While, religion was an important part of people&rsquo;s lives but there was no communal ideology or communal politics.</li>
<li>Rulers like <strong>Akbar and Sher Shah Suri</strong> followed the religious policy of toleration towards different cultures and tradition practiced across country.</li>
<li>However, some sectarian rulers like <strong>Aurangzeb</strong> were among the least tolerant towards other religious practises.</li>
<li>As a modern phenomenon it has arose as a result of British colonial impact and the response of Indian social strata.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons behind Communalism</h3>
<p>The major factors that contributed towards the emergence and growth of communalism in modern India involves:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>British Imperialism and their <strong>Policy of &ldquo;Divide and Rule&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Disappointment and disaffection among young and aspiring middle class youth, caused by stagnant agriculture, absence of modern industrial development and inadequate employment opportunities, which is being exploited by political opportunists.</li>
<li>Hindu and Muslim revivalist movements</li>
<li>A communal and distorted view of Indian history, taught in school and colleges played a major role in rise and growth of communal feelings among the masses.</li>
<li>Separatism and isolation among Muslims.</li>
<li>Rise of communal and fundamentalist parties.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Major Incidents of Communal Violence in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Communal violence is a phenomenon where people belonging to two different religious communities mobilise and attacks each other with feelings of hatred and enmity.</li>
<li>The partition of India witnessed mass bloodshed and violence that continued up to 1949.</li>
<li>No major communal disturbances took place until 1961 when the Jabalpur riots shook the country due to economic competition between a Hindu and a Muslim bidi manufacturer than any electoral competition.</li>
<li>In 1960s &ndash; A series of riots broke out particularly in the eastern part of India - Rourkela, Jamshedpur and Ranchi - in 1964, 1965 and 1967, in places where Hindu refugees from the then East Pakistan were being settled.</li>
<li>In September, 1969, riots in Ahmedabad shook the conscience of the nation. The apparent cause was the Jan Sangh passing a resolution on Indianisation of Muslims to show its intense opposition to Indira Gandhi's leftward thrust.</li>
<li>In April, 1974, violence occurred in the chawl or tenement, in the Worli neighborhood of Mumbai after the police attempted to disperse a rally of the Dalit Panthers that had turned violent, angered by clashes with the Shiv Sena.</li>
<li>In February, 1983, the violence took place in Nellie as fallout of the decision to hold the controversial state elections in 1983 in the midst of the Assam Agitation, after Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s decision to give 4 million immigrants from Bangladesh the right to vote. It has been described as one of the worst pogroms since World War II.</li>
<li>In October, 1984, the anti-Sikh riots broke out after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, where more than 4000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, the Bombay-Bhiwandi riots were instigated by the Shiv Sena when it jumped on the Hindutva bandwagon to revive the political fortunes of the Shiv Sena which had lost its appeal.</li>
<li>The Shah Bano controversy in 1985 and the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi controversy became powerful tools for intensifying communalism in the Eighties.</li>
<li>The communal violence touched its apogee in December 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished by right wing parties.</li>
<li>This was followed by the worst riots of post-independence India - in Mumbai, Surat, Ahmadabad, Kanpur, Delhi and other places.</li>
<li>In 2002, Gujarat witnessed communal riots when violence was triggered by burning of a train in Godhra.</li>
<li>In May, 2006 riots occurred in Vadodara due to the municipal council's decision to remove the dargah (shrine) of Syed Chishti Rashiduddin, a medieval Sufi saint.</li>
<li>In September, 2013, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the worst violence in recent history with clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district.</li>
<li>Since 2015, mob lynching is quite prevalent in India as near 90 people have been killed.</li>
<li>It can be termed as manufactured communal violence as through the use of social media and rumours society is polarized along religious lines.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Factors Responsible for Communal Violence</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Divisive Politics &ndash;</strong> Communalism is often defined as a political doctrine that makes use of religious and cultural differences in achieving political gains.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Causes &ndash;</strong> Uneven development, class divisions, poverty and unemployment aggravates insecurity in the common men which make them vulnerable to political manipulation.</li>
<li><strong>History of Communal Riots &ndash;</strong> Probability of recurrence of communal riots in a town where communal riots have already taken place once or twice is stronger than in a town when such riots have never occurred.</li>
<li><strong>Politics of Appeasement &ndash;</strong> Prompted by political considerations, and guided by their vested interests, political parties take decisions which promote communal violence.</li>
<li><strong>Isolation and Economic Backwardness of Muslim Community &ndash;</strong> The failure to adopt the scientific and technological education and thus, insufficient representation in the public service, industry and trade etc has led to the feeling of relative deprivation among Muslims.</li>
<li>The resurgence of Hindu-Muslim economic competition, especially among the lower and middle class strata has fuelled the communal ideology.</li>
<li><strong>Administrative Failure &ndash;</strong> A weak law and order is one of the causes of communal violence.</li>
<li><strong>Psychological Factors &ndash;</strong> The lack of inter-personal trust and mutual understanding between two communities often result in perception of threat, harassment, fear and danger in one community against the members of the other community , which in turn leads to fight, hatred and anger phobia.</li>
<li><strong>Role of Media &ndash;</strong> It is often accused of sensationalism and disseminates rumours as "news" which sometimes resulted into further tension and riots between two rival religious groups.</li>
<li><strong>Social media</strong> has also emerged as a powerful medium to spread messages relating to communal tension or riot in any part of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Measures to Deal with Communalism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is need to reform in present criminal justice system, speedy trials and adequate compensation to the victims, may act as deterrent.</li>
<li>Increase in representation of minority community and weaker sections in all wings of law-enforcement, training of forces in human rights, especially in the use of firearms in accordance with UN code of conduct.</li>
<li>Codified guidelines for the administration, specialised training for the police force to handle communal riots and setting up special investigating and prosecuting agencies can help in damping major communal disgruntlement.</li>
<li>Emphasis on value-oriented education with focus on the values of peace, non-violence, compassion, secularism and humanism as well as developing scientific temper (enshrined as a fundamental duty) and rationalism as core values in children both in schools and colleges/universities, can prove vital in preventing communal feelings.</li>
<li>Government can adopt models followed by countries like Malaysia that has developed early-warning indicators to prevent racial clashes. <br />The Malaysian Ethnic Relations Monitoring System (known by its acronym Mesra) that makes use of a quality of life index (included criteria such as housing, health, income and education) and a perception index to gauge people&rsquo;s needs and feelings about race relations in their area.</li>
<li>Also the Hong Kong model of combating communalism by setting up a &ldquo;Race Relation Unit&rdquo; to promote racial harmony and facilitate integration of ethnic minorities, can be emulated by India.</li>
<li>RRU has established a hotline for complaints and inquiries on racial discrimination. Meanwhile, to create awareness about communal harmony, RRU talks to schools on culture of ethnic minorities and concept of racial discrimination.</li>
<li>Government can encourage and support civil society and NGOs to run projects that help create communal awareness, build stronger community relation and cultivating values of communal harmony in next generation.</li>
<li>There is a need for minority welfare schemes to be launched and implemented efficiently by administration to address the challenges and various forms of discrimination faced by them in jobs, housing and daily life.</li>
<li>A pro-active approach by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), the body responsible for promoting communal harmony is needed.</li>
<li>NFCH provides assistance for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the child victims of communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence, besides promoting communal harmony, fraternity and national integration.</li>
<li>A legislation is required to curb the communal violence. Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 must be enacted soon.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/communalism'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Solving the NPA Crisis in India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/resolving-indias-banking-crisis/article27097047.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Resolving India&rsquo;s banking crisis&rdquo;</a> which appeared in "The Hindu" on 11th May, 2019. The article talks about how the India&rsquo;s banking problems can be solved without privatising the PSBs.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>India's banking sector is an unresolved problem.</strong></p>
<p>To resolve this problem we will need clarity on how the problem arose in the first place. Also, we will need to discard simplistic and ideologically-driven solutions in favour of those that can be practical and effective.</p>
<h3>Indian banks and NPAs</h3>
<p><strong>Here is why the NPA problem is such a big problem to Indian banks, especially PSBs.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In March 2018, non-performing assets (NPAs) at commercial banks amounted to ₹10.3 trillion, or 11.2% of advances.</li>
<li>Public sector banks (PSBs) accounted for ₹8.9 trillion, or 86%, of the total NPAs.</li>
<li>The ratio of gross NPA to advances in PSBs was 14.6%.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>These are levels typically associated with a banking crisis.</strong></li>
<li>For example, in 2007-08, NPAs totalled only ₹566 billion (a little over half a trillion), or 2.26% of gross advances!</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The current trend is that the increase in NPAs since 2008 has been staggering.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How did this problem come about?</h3>
<p><strong>The answer lies partly in the credit boom of the years 2004-05 to 2008-09.</strong></p>
<p>In that period, commercial credit (or what is called &lsquo;non-food credit&rsquo;) doubled. It was a period in which the world economy as well as the Indian economy were booming. <strong>Indian firms borrowed furiously</strong> in order to avail of the growth opportunities they saw coming.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Most of the investment went into infrastructure and related areas &mdash; telecom, power, roads, aviation, steel.</strong></li>
<li>Businessmen were overcome with exuberance and they believed, as many others did, that India had entered an era of 9% growth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>But soon after, as the Economic Survey of 2016-17 notes, many things began to go wrong.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There were problems in acquiring land and getting environmental clearances and several projects got stalled. Project costs soared.</li>
<li><strong>At the same time, with the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007-08 and the slowdown in growth after 2011-12, revenues fell well short of forecasts.</strong></li>
<li><strong>As a result, financing costs rose as policy rates were tightened in India in response to the crisis.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Further, the depreciation of the rupee meant higher outflows for companies that had borrowed in foreign currency.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>This combination of adverse factors made it difficult for companies to service <em>(i.e maintain and repay)</em> their loans to Indian banks.</p>
<p><strong>The year 2014-15 marked a watershed because of tightening of banking norms.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), acting in the belief that NPAs were being under-stated, introduced tougher norms for NPA recognition under an <strong>Asset Quality Review</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/on-the-need-for-a-national-development-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more:</a> On the Need for a National Development Bank</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NPAs in 2015-16 almost doubled over the previous year as a result. It is not as if bad decisions had suddenly happened. It&rsquo;s just that the cumulative bad decisions of the past were now coming to be more accurately captured.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Higher NPAs mean higher provisions on the part of banks.</strong> <em>[A provision is an amount that you put in aside in your accounts to cover a future liability. The purpose of a provision is to make a current year's balance more accurate, as there may be costs which could, to some extent, be accounted for in either the current or previous financial year]</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Provisions rose to a level where banks, especially PSBs, started making losses.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Their capital got eroded as a result.</li>
<li>Capital from the government was slow in coming and it was barely adequate to meet regulatory norms for minimum capital. Without adequate capital, bank credit cannot grow.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><em>Once NPAs happen, it is important to effect to resolve them quickly. Otherwise, the interest on dues causes NPAs to rise relentlessly</em>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Where is the solution to this problem?</h3>
<p><strong>Is the problem public ownership of banks?</strong></p>
<p>Since the problem is more concentrated in PSBs, some have argued that public ownership must be the problem.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Public ownership of banks, according to them, is beset with corruption and incompetence (reflected in poor appraisal of credit risk). <strong>The solution, therefore, is to privatise the PSBs, at least the weaker ones</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are problems with this idea of privatising PSBs.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, there are wide variations within each ownership category (within Indian banks).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In 2018, the State Bank of India&rsquo;s (SBI&rsquo;s) gross NPA/gross advances ratio was 10.9%. This was not much higher than that of the second largest private bank, ICICI Bank, 9.9%.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The ratio at a foreign bank, Standard Chartered Bank, 11.7%, was higher than that of SBI</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><em>Moreover, private and foreign banks were part of consortia that are now exposed to some of the largest NPAs. Therefore the explanation lies elsewhere</em>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>A brief look at the state of PSBs show that they are not in as bad a shape as many make them out to be.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>For example, PSBs had a higher exposure to the five most affected sectors &mdash; mining, iron and steel, textiles, infrastructure and aviation.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These sectors accounted for 29% of advances and 53% of stressed advances at PSBs in December 2014. For private sector banks, the comparable figures were 13.9% and 34.1%.</li>
<li><strong>Rough calculations show that PSBs accounted for 86% of advances in these five sectors</strong>. <em>(By an interesting coincidence, this number is exactly the same as the PSBs&rsquo; share in total NPAs)</em></li>
<li><strong>As mentioned earlier, infrastructure projects were impacted by the global financial crisis and environmental and land acquisition issues. In addition, mining and telecom were impacted by adverse court judgments. Steel was impacted by dumping from China.&nbsp;</strong><strong>Thus, the sectors to which PSBs were heavily exposed were impacted by factors beyond the control of bank management.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Wholesale privatisation of PSBs is thus not the answer to such a complex problem.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>We need a broad set of actions, some immediate and others over the medium-term and aimed at preventing the recurrence of such crises.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>One immediate action that is required is resolving the NPAs.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Banks have to <strong>accept losses on</strong> <strong>loans</strong> (or &lsquo;haircuts&rsquo;).</li>
<li>They should be able to <strong>do so without any fear of harassment</strong> by the investigative agencies.</li>
<li>The Indian Banks&rsquo; Association has set up a six-member panel to oversee resolution plans of lead lenders. To expedite resolution, more such<strong> panels may be required</strong>.</li>
<li>An alternative is to <strong>set up a Loan Resolution Authority</strong>, if necessary through an Act of Parliament.</li>
<li>Also, the government must <strong>infuse at one go whatever additional capital is needed</strong> to recapitalise banks &mdash; providing such capital in multiple instalments is not helpful.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Management of Concentration Risk</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One important lesson from the past decade&rsquo;s experience with NPAs is that management of concentration risk &mdash; that is, excessive exposure to any business group, sector, geography, etc. &mdash; is too important to be left entirely to bank boards.</li>
<li>The RBI has drawn this lesson to some extent.</li>
<li>Effective April 1, 2019, <strong>the limit for exposure to any business group has been reduced from 40% of total capital to 25% of tier I capital</strong> (<em>which consists of equity and quasi-equity instruments</em>).</li>
<li>The limit for a single borrower will be 20% of tier 1 capital (<em>instead of 20% of total capital</em>).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>To conclude, <strong>the task of accelerating economic growth is urgent. This is not possible without finding a solution to the problems that confront the banking system.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>There is ample scope for improving performance within the framework of public ownership.</strong></li>
<li>What is needed is a concentrated focus on the part of the government.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #0b73db; background-color: #c8e0f7;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p>Discuss the crisis of non-performing assets (NPAs) in the context of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in India. What are some of the ways in which we can overcome this crisis?</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => ' WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing Countries',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India will host a <strong>WTO ministerial meeting of developing countries</strong> in <strong>New Delhi</strong> on May 13 &amp; 14, 2019.</p>
<h3>Key highlights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting is a run up to the <strong>twelfth Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Kazakhstan in 2020.</strong></li>
<li>The meeting is an effort to bring together the developing countries and the Least Developed Countries on a platform for sharing <strong>common concerns on various issues affecting the WTO</strong> and to address the following <strong>issues:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>WTO&rsquo;s appellate body</strong> has <strong>shrunk over the last two years from its required strength of seven members to three</strong>.</li>
<li>At present, <strong>the appellate body takes a year to hear appeals</strong>, whereas the time to dispose off the appeals is 90 days.</li>
<li><strong>Special and differential treatment of developing countries</strong> in the WTO is a concern for some other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> increased unilateral measures </strong>and<strong> counter-measures</strong> by member countries, as well as <strong>deadlock in key areas</strong> of negotiations and the <strong>impasse in the WTO's appellate body</strong> has given rise to demands to<strong> reform</strong> the organization.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The World Trade Organization (WTO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations</strong>.</li>
<li>It came into existence on January 1, 1995 and has its <strong>headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland</strong>.</li>
<li>All major decisions are made by the WTO's member governments, either by ministers (who usually meet at least every two years) or by their ambassadors or delegates (who meet regularly in Geneva).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Special and Differential Treatment provisions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The WTO Agreements contain special provisions which <strong>give developing countries special rights</strong> and developed countries the possibility to treat developing countries more favourably than other WTO Members.</li>
<li>The special provisions include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>longer time periods for implementing Agreements and commitments</li>
<li>measures to increase trading opportunities for developing countries</li>
<li>provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries</li>
<li>support to help developing countries build the capacity to carry out WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standards</li>
<li>provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) members</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wto-ministerial-meeting-of-developing-countries'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'SC Upholds Karnataka Law Granting Reservation In Promotion For SC-ST',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the <strong>Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (to the Posts in the Civil Services of the State) Act 2018.</strong></p>
<h3>Background of this Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In <strong>Indra Sawhney vs Union of India</strong>, the Supreme Court had held that reservations under <strong>Article 16(4)</strong> could only be provided at the time of entry into government service but not in matters of promotion.</li>
<li>In 1995, Parliament, acting in its constituent capacity, adopted the 77<sup>th</sup> amendment by which clause (4A) was inserted into Article 16 to enable reservation to be made in promotion for SCs and STs.</li>
<li>The validity of the 77<sup>th</sup> and 85<sup>th</sup> amendments to the Constitution and of the legislation enacted in pursuance of those amendments was challenged before the Supreme Court in the <strong>Nagaraj case</strong>. The SC upheld the constitutional validity of these amendments and ruled that:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the state &ldquo;wished to exercise their discretion and make provision (for reservation in promotions for SCs/STs), the <strong>State has to collect quantifiable data showing backwardness</strong> of the class and inadequacy of representation and compliance to Article 335&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It will have to see that its reservation provision does not breach the <strong>ceiling-limit of 50%</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Karnataka Determination of Seniority of the Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of the Reservation Act 2002</strong> was held to be unconstitutional <strong>[in BK Pavitra CASE]</strong> on the ground that an exercise for determining 'inadequacy of representation', 'backwardness' and the impact on 'overall efficiency' had not preceded the enactment of the law.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why this is Significant</h3>
<p>This Supreme Court order is significant because it underlines &ldquo;a <strong>&lsquo;meritorious&rsquo; candidate</strong> is not merely one who is &lsquo;talented &lsquo;or &lsquo;successful&rsquo; but also one <strong>whose appointment fulfils the constitutional goals of uplifting members of the SCs and STs</strong> and ensuring a diverse and representative administration&rdquo;.</p>
<h3>Basis for the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The providing of reservation for SCs and STs is <strong>not at odds with the principle of meritocracy</strong>. Merit must not be limited to narrow and inflexible criteria such as one&rsquo;s rank in a standardised exam, but rather must flow from the actions a society seeks to reward, including the promotion of equality in society and diversity in public administration.</li>
<li><strong>Article 335</strong> recognises that special measures need to be adopted for considering the claims of SCs and STs in order to bring them to a level-playing field. Centuries of discrimination and prejudice suffered by the SCs and STs in a feudal, caste-oriented societal structure poses real barriers of access to opportunity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Judges Verdict on Efficiency</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Efficiency of administration</strong> in the affairs of the Union or of a State <strong>must be defined in an inclusive sense</strong>, where diverse segments of society find representation as a true aspiration of governance by and for the people.</li>
<li>The <strong>Constitution mandates realisation of substantive equality</strong> in the engagement of the fundamental rights with the directive principles, inclusion, together with the <strong>recognition of the plurality and diversity of the nation</strong> constitutes a valid constitutional basis for defining efficiency.</li>
<li>If efficiency is grounded in exclusion, it will produce a pattern of governance which is skewed against the marginalised.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-upholds-karnataka-law-granting-reservation-in-promotion-for-sc-st'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Cyclone Fani Creates Four New Mouths in Chilika Lake',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The recent &lsquo;Cyclone Fani&rsquo; which hit the eastern coast of India, has created four new mouths in Chilika Lake.</p>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Before Fani hit the Odisha coast, <strong>Chilika lake had only two active mouths - the point where it meets the sea.</strong> But, now four new mouths have opened due to wave energy with high tidal prism.</li>
<li>With the opening of new mouths, a lot of sea water is entering Chilika Lake and, thereby increasing salinity of Chilika lagoon.</li>
<li>Chilika lake has a brackish water (mixture of saline and fresh water), however increasing salinity may alter Chilika&rsquo;s ecosystem.</li>
<li>Generally, if sea water ingression goes up, fish migration will increase and the biodiversity will get richer. However, its long term impact needs a proper vigil.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chilika Lake</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha State on the east coast of India.</li>
<li>It is the largest coastal lagoon in India, located at the mouth of the Daya River which is flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km<sup>2</sup>.</li>
<li>It is designated as &lsquo;wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Cyclone Fani</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is categorized as an <strong>extremely severe cyclone (ESC)</strong>.</li>
<li>The name of the cyclone fani (pronounced as Foni) was suggested by Bangladesh. It means <strong>&lsquo;snake&rsquo;</strong> or <strong>&lsquo;hood of snake&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) show that the last time an extremely severe cyclone hit India in May was in 2004.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> The cyclones are classified as <strong>severe (MSW of 48-63 knots), very severe (MSW of 64-89 knots), extremely severe (MSW of 90-119 knots) </strong>and<strong> super cyclonic storm (MSW of 120 knots or more).</strong> One knot is equal to 1.8 kmph.</p>
</div>
<h3>What makes Cyclone Fani special?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Timing</strong> and <strong>strength</strong> are two factors that make Cyclone Fani, different from most other tropical cyclones at this time of the year.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>second severe cyclone which formed in April and made landfall in India in the last 128 years.</strong></li>
<li>It was the <strong>longest-lived cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ever observed.</strong> The elongated time period of the storm went on for <strong>11 days in the sea and land put together.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567748863_image3%20new.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567748863_image3 new.jpg" width="560" height="817" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Preparedness</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IMD tracked the storm and <strong>issued numerous yellow warnings</strong> for much of the south-eastern portion of India when the cyclone started to intensify.</li>
<li>Doppler radars at Paradip and Gopalpur ports helped in tracking the cyclone accurately.</li>
<li><strong>'Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) project&rsquo;</strong> which was commissioned in 2018, addresses the existing gap in disseminating disaster warning up to the community level.</li>
<li>Odisha <strong>evacuated over 1.2 million residents from vulnerable coastal areas</strong> and moved them to higher ground and into cyclone shelters built a few miles inland.</li>
<li>Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) along with State fire service personnel have been deployed. Defence forces were on high alert to meet any eventuality.</li>
<li>On account of this, the number of casualties contained to minimal. However, there was extensive damage to the infrastructure especially, power and telecommunications.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS):</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It aims at establishing a <strong>fool-proof communication system</strong> to disseminate disaster warning up to the community level.</li>
<li>It is a first of its kind automatic public address system in the country, implemented under national Cyclone Risk Mitigation project with the help of World Bank.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cyclone Fani has left behind a trail of devastation and acute suffering in Odisha. The challenge now is to restore the livelihood of people.</li>
<li>Administrations are on full throttle in repair and relief measures. However, repairs and rehabilitation work needs to be done quickly owing to the upcoming monsoon season.</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cyclone-fani-creates-four-new-mouths-in-chilika-lake'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'White-Throated Rail',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>white-throated rail</strong> <em>(Dryolimnas cuvieri)</em> or <strong>Cuvier's rail</strong> is a species of bird in the family <strong>Rallidae</strong>. It is found in <strong>Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749009_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749009_image1.jpg" width="312" height="175" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A flightless subspecies, <strong>Aldabra rail</strong>, inhabits Aldabra, while&nbsp;another <strong>Assumption rail</strong> from Assumption went extinct in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century due to introduced predators.</li>
<li>It is now the last living member of the genus <em>Dryolimnas</em> and believed to be the last flightless bird in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li>Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.</li>
<li>It has a <strong>least concerned status in IUCN Red List</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>History of Evolution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to research, it is found that <strong>white-throated rail came</strong> back after extinction, through a process called <strong>&ldquo;iterative evolution&rdquo;</strong>. This is the first time it has been seen in rails, and one of the most significant seen birds.</li>
<li>On two separate occasions tens of thousands of years apart, the species of rail was able to colonise called <strong>Aldabra</strong>. In both cases it eventually became flightless, and those birds from the latter time can still be found on the island now.</li>
</ul>
<div class=" border-bg">
<p><strong>Iterative evolution</strong> happens when the same or similar structures evolve out of the same common ancestor, but at different times. It means that the animal actually comes about twice over, completely separately.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rail's return to Aldabra is not the only time in its lineage that it has escaped extinction.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The parent species of the rail, indigenous to Madagascar, would frequently see its population explode, forcing the birds to migrate in great numbers from the island off the coast of East Africa.</li>
<li>Many of those that flew north or south drowned in the Indian Ocean, and those that went west landed in Africa, where they were eaten by predators. But the lucky few who went east ended up on islands including Mauritius, R&eacute;union and <strong>Aldabra</strong>.</li>
<li>The rails on Aldabra lost the ability to fly over time, because of the lack of predators made it unnecessary, just as the <strong>dodo of Mauritius</strong> did.</li>
<li>Unfortunately, that gave them no means of escape when the island was submerged and all its flora and fauna were wiped out.</li>
<li>But unlike the dodo, which became extinct in the 17<sup>th</sup> century, the white-throated rail was resurrected to tell the tale once the island re-emerged and birds started migrating to the destination again.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Researchers found <strong>similar fossils</strong> from before and after that event, showing that the chicken-sized bird re-appeared when sea levels fell again a few thousand years later, <strong>re-colonized</strong> the island and again lost the ability to fly.</li>
<li>Aldabra, which has the oldest <strong>palaeontological record</strong> of any oceanic island within the Indian Ocean region, the fossil evidence available demonstrates the effects of changing sea levels on extinction and recolonization events.</li>
<li>Fossil evidence presented here is unique for rails and epitomizes the ability of these birds to successfully colonize isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions.</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/white-throated-rail'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (11th May 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)</h3>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749352_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749352_image2.jpg" width="424" height="289" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. It is getting built at <strong>Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>With its 30 m prime mirror diameter, TMT will be three times as wide, with nine times more area than the largest currently existing visible-light telescope in the world.</li>
<li>This will provide unparalleled resolution with TMT images more than 12 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope. When operational, TMT will provide new observational opportunities in essentially every field of astronomy and astrophysics.</li>
<li>The <strong>TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO)</strong>, a non-profit organization, was established in May 2014 to carry out the construction and operation phases of the TMT Project.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The partner members of TIO</strong> are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Caltech, the University of <strong>California, US</strong>.</li>
<li>The National Institutes of Natural Sciences of <strong>Japan</strong>.</li>
<li>The National Astronomical Observatories of the <strong>Chinese Academy of Sciences</strong>.</li>
<li>The Department of Science and Technology of <strong>India</strong>.</li>
<li>National Research Council, <strong>Canada</strong>.</li>
<li>The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, <strong>US</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian government:</strong> has given its approval for India&rsquo;s participation in the TMT project at a total cost of Rs. 1299.8 crores from 2014-2023.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>From the Indian side, this will be a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).</li>
<li><strong>Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Banglore; Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital</strong> are involved in TMT project.</li>
<li>The Indian industries are making the telescope&rsquo;s sensors, actuators and its mechanical support structure.</li>
<li>The project will also provide state-of-the-art high-end technologies to the country, which would benefit a number of industries and R&amp;D centres.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Lunar Lander: Blue Moon</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The space company <strong>'Blue Origin&rsquo;</strong> has unveiled its lunar lander called the <strong>Blue Moon</strong> that would be used to <strong>transport equipment</strong>, and possibly <strong>human beings</strong>, to the South Pole of the Moon by 2024.</li>
<li>The lander will be capable of <strong>carrying scientific instruments</strong> and also <strong>rovers for humans</strong>.</li>
<li>The goal is to land on the Moon's south pole, where there is ice. <strong>Water can be exploited to produce hydrogen, which in turn could fuel future exploration of the solar system.</strong></li>
<li>The lander will be part of Blue Origin&rsquo;s broader vision to build an infrastructure that would sustain the colonization of space by future generations of humans and shift polluting industries off the Earth.</li>
<li>Blue Origin is working on two other major projects: <strong>New Shepard</strong>, a suborbital rocket to fly tourists into space; and <strong>New Glenn</strong>, a partly reusable launch rocket.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hmk1oHzvNKA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Chandrayaan-2</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A recent update from ISRO has stated that the planned <strong>'Chandrayaan-2&rsquo;</strong> mission will have 14 Indian payloads or study devices.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749484_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1567749484_image4.jpg" width="457" height="390" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>Chandrayaan-2 will be <strong>India&rsquo;s second mission</strong> to the moon.</li>
<li>The Chandrayaan-2 will be launched during July 9 to July 16, 2019, with an expected Moon landing on September 6, 2019.</li>
<li>The 3,800-kg spacecraft includes an <strong>orbiter</strong> which will circle the moon at 100 km; a five-legged lander called <strong>Vikram</strong> that will descend on the moon; and a robotic rover, <strong>Pragyan</strong>, that will probe the lunar terrain around it. <strong>ISRO will send the mission on its heavy lift booster &ndash; GSLV MkIII.</strong></li>
<li>ISRO has chosen a landing area at the unexplored lunar south pole. <strong>If the mission succeeds, India will be the first to touch down at the south pole.</strong> Only China&rsquo;s Chang&rsquo;e 4 spacecraft had recently landed on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side because it faces away from the Earth and remains comparatively unknown.</li>
<li>In October 2008, ISRO launched its orbiter mission <strong>Chandrayaan-1</strong>.</li>
<li>The spacecraft had 11 payloads. One of the US payloads shares credit with Chandrayaan-1 for confirming the presence of water ice on the moon.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recyclable Plastic</h3>
<p>According to a study published in the journal &lsquo;Nature Chemistry&rsquo;, <strong>scientists have created a plastic that can be repeatedly recycled without any loss of quality.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Key points</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A new material called <strong>poly (diketoenamine) or PDK</strong> can, unlike normal plastics, have its monomers separated by a highly acidic solution.</li>
<li>The material can be <strong>fully broken down into its component parts by dunking it in a highly acidic solution.</strong></li>
<li>The acid separates the monomers from additives that give plastics distinctive look and feel.</li>
<li>The <strong>monomers</strong> can be recovered for reuse for as long as possible or <strong>upcycled to make another product</strong>.</li>
<li>Scientists believe that this recyclable plastic could be an <strong>alternative to non-recyclable plastics</strong> in use today. Conventional plastics generally have immutable bonds whereas PDK has reversible bonds that allow the plastic to be recycled more effectively.</li>
<li>Materials like PDK will help in making the <strong>lifecycle of plastics circular</strong> and help countries in <strong>reducing the plastic pollution</strong>. At present, the world produces about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Monkeypox Virus</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Singapore</strong> has reported its <strong>first ever case of rare monkeypox virus</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Monkeypox virus (MPXV)</strong> is an <strong>orthopoxvirus</strong> that causes a viral disease with symptoms in humans similar, but milder, to those seen in smallpox patients. Symptoms include lesions, fever, muscle aches and chills.</li>
<li><strong>Transmission</strong> is usually via close <strong>contact with infected animals</strong> such as rodents and monkeys but is limited between people.</li>
<li>Human monkeypox is <strong>endemic in villages of Central and West Africa.</strong></li>
<li>Outside Africa, human monkeypox infections had only been previously reported in the United States, Britain and Israel.</li>
<li>There are <strong>no specific treatments or vaccines available for monkeypox virus infection,</strong> but outbreaks can be controlled.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox in the past but the vaccine is no longer available to the general public after it was discontinued following global smallpox eradication.</p>
</div>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-11th-may-2019'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture – UN Security Council Reforms',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VS-1zNirF88" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The French envoy to the UN has recently said that India and nations like Germany, Brazil and Japan are &ldquo;absolutely needed&rdquo; as permanent members of a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council to better reflect contemporary realities. India has always remained at the forefront of efforts at the UN to push for the long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>United Nations Security Council</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established by the United Nations charter in 1945, the Security Council has primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.</li>
<li>The Security Council has <strong>15 members</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are <strong>five permanent members:</strong> the United States, the Russian Federation, France, China and the United Kingdom.</li>
<li>The non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected for a term of two years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions</strong> of the Security Council on matters are made by an <strong>affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members. A "No" vote from one of the five permanent members blocks the passage of the resolution.</strong></li>
<li>Any member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Security Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of that member are specially affected.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for UN Security Council Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UN represents a larger world</strong> and the irony is that it has <strong>only 5 permanent members</strong> in its such an important body.</li>
<li>Current composition of the Security Council represents the post World War II realities and thus is <strong>not in pace with the changing balance of power</strong> in the world.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At the time of the formation of UNSC, big powers were given privileges to make them part of the council. This was necessary for its proper functioning as well as to avoid the failure like that of the organization &lsquo;League of Nations&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>regions like far East Asia, South America, Africa have no representation in the permanent membership</strong> of the council.</li>
<li><strong>Rise of fora like G4</strong> (India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan) as important economies and emerging world powers are pushing after quick UN Security Council reforms.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impediments in the expansion of UN Security Council</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>five permanent members</strong> themselves <strong>don&rsquo;t want anyone to come on board with them</strong>. The world has no evidence in the history where countries have given up such a status quo on their own.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the year 2005, when G4 came with a resolution for the expansion of the council, U.S. and China lobbied very hard with African countries to ensure that they do not vote for the resolution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>One country opposing another country&rsquo;s bid</strong> for the permanent membership from a region. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pakistan does not want India to be the permanent member of the council.</li>
<li>China has serious objections to Japan being there in the Security Council.</li>
<li>Italy trying to compete with Germany in Europe for a place in the Security Council.</li>
<li>Argentia does not agree with the fact that Brazil should represent South America in the UNSC as a permanent representative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Africa, there is still no consensus</strong> on which country should represent the region as a permanent member.</li>
<li>There are <strong>no parameters</strong> in the UN Security Council <strong>for considering</strong> the countries for <strong>permanent membership</strong>.</li>
<li>There is a <strong>concern</strong> that expansion of the council may lead to a <strong>decline in its efficiency and functioning</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Coffee Club/Uniting for Consensus</strong></p>
<p>An informal <strong>"coffee club"</strong>, comprising 40-odd members states, has been instrumental in holding back reforms to the United Nations Security Council. Most members of the club are middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats in the UN Security Council.</p>
<p>The prime movers of the club include <strong>Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Argentina</strong> and <strong>Pakistan</strong>. While Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany's bid for Security Council's permanent membership, Pakistan is opposed to India's bid.</p>
<p>Similarly, Argentina is against Brazil's bid and Australia opposes Japan's. Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often dependent on their aid, wielding more power than them at the UN.</p>
</div>
<h3>India and its demand for permanent membership</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For the first 40 years of the UN Security Council formation, India never asked for the permanent membership.</li>
<li>Even in 1993 when India submitted its written proposal to the UN as response to the General Assembly resolution related to reforms, it did not specifically state that it wants permanent membership for itself.</li>
<li>It is only from the last few years that India has started asking for a permanent membership in the council.</li>
<li>India deserves a permanent place in the council considering the size of its economy, population and the fact that it is the largest democracy in the world.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has become a major player not only in the Asia but also in the world.</li>
<li>The Security Council would be a more representative body if India would be there in it as a permanent member.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By having a veto power, one can enjoy <strong>enormous powers</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is clear from the recent case of Masood Azhar. Since 2009, India was trying to get him designated as a global terrorist. One veto power of China kept delaying it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India will be able to <strong>work better for its interests</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There was a time when USSR actually started boycotting the UNSC and that was the time when US managed to get the resolution passed for the Korean War. From that time onwards USSR realized that it doesn&rsquo;t make sense to boycott the UN. It <strong>needs to keep veto if at all resolution is against them</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s presence as a permanent member will be an <strong>acknowledgment of its rise as a global power,</strong> ready to play a key role in the council&rsquo;s objectives of international peace and security.</li>
<li>India will be able to enjoy the <strong>'prestige&rsquo;</strong> associated with the permanent membership of the council.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Is India ready?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By remaining silent on contentious issues, <strong>India has always remained in a safe zone</strong>. Once India becomes a permanent member, it has to give its views on every issue.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s foreign policy machinery is not geared with the kind of deal making that permanent five do all the time.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Besides expansion, issues like whether a country having a veto power should be allowed to lock a motion or not, should be taken into consideration. As far as India&rsquo;s membership is considered, all five permanent members including China are more or less on board. India just needs to prepare itself for the permanent position in the council.</em><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/639image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>',
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		'articles__metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles.metatitle' => 'string',
		'metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles__metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles.metadescription' => 'string',
		'metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles__metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles.metakeyword' => 'text',
		'metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles__status' => 'integer',
		'articles.status' => 'integer',
		'status' => 'integer',
		'articles__sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles.sort_order' => 'integer',
		'sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles__addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.addedby' => 'integer',
		'addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.updatedby' => 'integer',
		'updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.added' => 'timestamp',
		'added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.modified' => 'timestamp',
		'modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles.whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_comments' => 'integer',
		'display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles__pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles.pdf_name' => 'string',
		'pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer'
	],
	'decorators' => (int) 0,
	'executed' => false,
	'hydrate' => true,
	'buffered' => true,
	'formatters' => (int) 0,
	'mapReducers' => (int) 0,
	'contain' => [],
	'matching' => [],
	'extraOptions' => [],
	'repository' => object(App\Model\Table\ArticlesTable) {}

}
$page = (int) 196
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 275
$title = 'Search'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

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
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
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
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Search/index.ctp, line 85
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
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 125
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 93

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