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Road Accidents in India - 2018

Why in News The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the annual report on Road Accidents in India. The report shows 53 crashes...

20 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Solar Eclipse

Why in News Cheruvathur in Kasaragod district, Kerala is one of the three places in the world where the solar eclipse will be most clearly seen on...

20 Nov 2019 News Analysis
New Sri Lanka Leadership

This article is based on “Towards a Colombo Reset” which was published in Indian Express on 19/11/2019. It talks about the implications...

19 Nov 2019 News Editorials
Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr

Why in News The bilateral maritime exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea) is conducted between India and Qatar. The exercise helps...

19 Nov 2019 News Analysis
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus

Why in News The 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) is to be held in Bangkok on 20th November 2019. The ADMM-Plus is a...

19 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Space Internet

Why in News Recently, the world’s leading private company in space technology SpaceX has launched the Starlink Network in Lower Earth Orbit...

19 Nov 2019 News Analysis
The Big Picture- Reviving Real Estate

A recent study, conducted by National Real Estate Development Council and FICCI, states that the outlook for the country's real estate sector till...

19 Nov 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK) in New Delhi. The BPKK will be a repository of...

19 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Convergence of Agriculture and Nutrition

This article is based on "A jan aandolan for nutrition" which was published in The Indian Express on 18/11/2019. It talks about the...

18 Nov 2019 News Editorials
Sangam Age

Introduction The period roughly between the 3rd century B.C. and 3rd century A.D. in South India (the area lying to the south of river Krishna and...

18 Nov 2019 Paper 1
Mhadei River

Why in News Goa and Karnataka have had long disputes over water sharing issues of the Mhadei river. Mahadayi or Mhadei, the west-flowing river,...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Jayakwadi Dam

Why in News Recently, several instruments like seismometer, piezometer, slope meter stopped functioning properly at the Jayakwadi dam. The...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
National Agrochemicals Congress

The first-ever National Agrochemicals Congress was held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi from 13th - 16th November...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
250th Session of Rajya Sabha

Why in News The Rajya Sabha secretariat has released the first-ever analysis of its legislative work, “Rajya Sabha: The Journey since...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Sangam Age

For...

18 Nov 2019 Paper 1
Willingdon Island

Willingdon Island is a seaport located in the city of Kochi, Kerala. It is the largest man-made/artificial island of India and is surrounded by...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Persecution of Uighurs

Why in News According to leaked Chinese government documents, there was a clampdown on Uighurs and other Muslims in the country’s western...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
SAANS Campaign

Why in News The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a campaign in Gujarat named Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia...

18 Nov 2019 News Analysis
Supreme Court on Religious Practices

This article is based on “Fraught course”, “Explained: The three cases SC wants clubbed with Sabarimala review”,...

16 Nov 2019 News Editorials
Essar Insolvency Case

Why in News The Supreme Court has recently given its judgement in the Essar Insolvency case. The Judgement has paved the way for ArcelorMittal and...

16 Nov 2019 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'Road Accidents in India - 2018',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ministrys-report-on-road-accidents-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>annual report</strong></a> on <strong>Road Accidents in India.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report shows <strong>53 crashes and the loss of 17 lives every hour.</strong></li>
<li>The road traffic injuries were the eighth leading cause of death in India in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574238426_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574238426_image1.jpg" width="559" height="429" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to <strong>World Road Statistics ( 2018), India</strong> reports the <strong>highest</strong> number of road accident deaths<strong> followed by the US and China.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>World Road Statistics is released by the <strong>World Road Federation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-status-report-on-road-safety-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>WHO Global Report on Road Safety 2018</strong></a>, India accounts for almost <strong>11%</strong> of the accident-related deaths in the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The road accidents numerics:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It kills almost<strong> 1.5 lakh</strong> people <strong>annually in India.</strong></li>
<li>The accidents, as well as accident-related deaths in the <strong>period 2010-2018, dropped drastically</strong> compared with the previous decades, <strong>despite the very high rate of growth of automobiles.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>road accident severity</strong> (the number of persons killed per 100 accidents) has <strong>increased by 0.6%</strong> in 2018 compared to 2017.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Major Cause:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Over-speeding</strong> is a major cause, accounting for <strong>64.4%</strong> of the persons killed. As the <strong>maximum number of road accidents</strong> occurred on <strong>straight roads.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Two-wheelers</strong> accounted for the <strong>highest share (35.2%)</strong> in total accidents in 2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Age:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>young adults (18-45 years)</strong> accounted for nearly <strong>69.6%</strong> of road accident victims.</li>
<li><strong>Minors</strong> involved in road crash deaths were at <strong>6.6% of the total deaths.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gender:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The share of <strong>males</strong> in the number of total accident deaths was <strong>86%</strong> while the share of<strong> females</strong> was around <strong>14%</strong> in 2018</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>State-wise Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As in 2017, the State of<strong> Tamil Nadu</strong> recorded the<strong> highest number of road accidents</strong> in 2018.</li>
<li>Similarly, as in 2017, the <strong>number of persons killed in a road accident</strong> was the<strong> highest in Uttar Pradesh</strong> in 2018.</li>
<li><strong>Delhi</strong> has been ranked <strong>first</strong> in the <strong>total number of road fatalities</strong> compared to other <strong>Indian cities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Road Safety</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Road transport is the<strong> dominant mode of transport in India,</strong> in terms of traffic share and in terms of contribution to the national economy.</li>
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/road-accidents-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>negative externality of expansion in the road network,</strong></a> motorization, and urbanization in the country is the increase in road accidents and road crash fatalities.</li>
<li>Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of death, disabilities and hospitalization in the country imposing huge socio-economic costs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps taken at Global Level</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015):</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The declaration was signed at the<strong> second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil.</strong> The first conference was held in Russia (2009).</li>
<li>Through the Brasilia Declaration countries plan to achieve the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goal 3.6</strong></a> i.e.to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.</li>
<li><strong>United Nations</strong> has also declared <strong>2010-2020 as the decade of action for Road Safety.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>UN Global Road Safety Week:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is celebrated <strong>every two years,</strong> the fifth edition of the UN Global Road Safety Week (6-12 May 2019) highlighted the need for strong leadership for road safety.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps taken Indian Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India has signed the</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-status-report-on-road-safety-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Brasilia declaration</strong></a> and committed to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.</li>
<li><strong>Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc.</li>
<li>It provides for a <strong>Motor Vehicle Accident Fund,</strong> which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.</li>
<li>It also provides for a <strong>National Road Safety Board,</strong> to be created by the Central Government through a notification.</li>
<li>The act also provides for the <strong>protection of good samaritans.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan Committee</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Supreme Court had set up the three-member KS Radhakrishnan panel on <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/road-safety-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>road safety</strong></a> in 2014. The SC had termed the roads in India as &ldquo;giant killers&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/53-road-crashes-17-deaths-per-hour-in-2018-annual-government-report/article30019969.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Solar Eclipse',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Cheruvathur in Kasaragod district, Kerala is one of the three places in the world where the solar eclipse will be most clearly seen on December 26, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will be an <strong>annular solar eclipse</strong> in which the <strong>&lsquo;ring of fire&rsquo;</strong>- a characteristic of this kind of solar eclipse could be clearly observed.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237575_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237575_image2.jpg" width="533" height="280" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Solar Eclipse</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/total-solar-eclipse-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>solar eclipse</strong></a> is a phenomenon that happens when the moon comes in the way of the sun&rsquo;s light. The moon's shadow casts itself on Earth, blocking out the sun's light (as seen from Earth).</li>
<li>The moon's shadow has<strong> two parts:</strong> a central region<strong> (umbra)</strong> and an outer region <strong>(penumbra).</strong> Depending upon which part of the shadow passes over the Earth, one of three types of solar eclipses could be observed:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total Solar Eclipse-</strong> The entire central portion of the sun is blocked out by the moon.</li>
<li><strong>Partial Solar Eclipse-</strong> Only part of the sun's surface is blocked out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>Annular Solar Eclipse-</strong> The sun is covered in such a way that only a small ring-like sliver of light is seen from the sun's disc. This ring is known as the<strong> ring of fire.</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237721_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237721_image3.png" width="155" height="227" caption="false" style="float: right;" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>An annular eclipse happens when the moon <strong>is farthest from Earth.</strong> As the moon is farther away from Earth, it seems smaller and is<strong> unable to block the entire view of the sun,</strong> because of which the ring-like structure could be observed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>total eclipse</strong> happens about every year and a half somewhere on Earth, while the <strong>partial eclipse</strong> happens at least twice a year somewhere on Earth.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/cheruvathur-to-get-first-glimpse-of-solar-eclipse-in-india/article30020048.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solar-eclipse-1'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'New Sri Lanka Leadership',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/gotabaya-rajapaksa-sri-lanka-elections-colombo-6126280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Towards a Colombo Reset&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in Indian Express on 19/11/2019. It talks about the implications of new Sri Lankan leadership, on India.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, <strong>Gotabaya Rajapaksa</strong> is elected as new President of Sri Lanka. This election was based on security issues that emerged after a suicide bombing attack (claimed by Islamic State) on Easter Sunday this year.</p>
<p>Rajapaksa's win signals the return to power for the controversial family, that is known for its pro-China tilt and also infamously remembered for its brutal acts against Tamil minorities in pursuit of ending the <strong>Sri Lankan civil war</strong> in 2009.</p>
<h3>Rajapaksa Factor</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recent elections in Sri Lanka mark the return of the Rajapaksa brothers to power.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka witnessed an authoritarian family rule <strong>under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa between 2005 and 2015.</strong></li>
<li>Gotabaya Rajapaksa (brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa), a former defence secretary and intelligence officer, accused of committing human rights violations, hailed by many for ending the civil war.</li>
<li>Also, India's relations with Sri Lanka went through a troubled patch during the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency due to his proximity with China.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implications for India</h3>
<p><strong>On the issue of Pro-China tilt</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Geopolitical significance of Sri Lanka</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lanka&rsquo;s location in the Indian Ocean region as an island State has been of strategic geopolitical relevance to several major powers.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka&rsquo;s location can serve both commercial purposes and be used as a military base.</li>
<li>Citing these geopolitical advantages China made massive investments during the Mahinda Rajapaksa tenure.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>String of Pearls</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China is building state of the art gigantic modern ports all along the Indian Ocean and to the south of it, in Gwadar (Pakistan), Chittagong (Bangladesh, Kyauk Phru (Myanmar) and <strong>Hambantota (Sri Lanka).</strong></li>
<li>The string of pearls is a strategic threat to India, as it aims to encircle India to establish Chinese dominance in the Indian Ocean.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the new Sri Lankan President, the narrative about Sri Lanka's renewed tilt towards China has become an issue of concern for India.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean and holds one of the pearls of that String of Pearls (Hambantota).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s interest in maritime silk route and continuous energy flow to the country has resulted in a &ldquo;String of Pearls&rdquo; across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).</li>
<li>China&rsquo;s <strong>debt-trap diplomacy</strong> has led it towards grabbing a 99-year lease on the Hambantota port.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, labelling governments in <strong>Sri Lanka as &ldquo;pro-China&rdquo; or &ldquo;pro-India&rdquo; is irrelevant.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s economic and strategic salience in the subcontinent is not tied to the regime leadership.</li>
<li>Previous Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (considered as pro-India) came to power criticising the Chinese projects in Sri Lanka, but within two years into power, it extended full backing to the Chinese projects.</li>
<li>To add insult to injury, the so called &ldquo;pro-India&rdquo; government stalled key projects (housing projects in Sri Lanka) to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>On the issue of Tamils minorities</h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>History of Civil War</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lanka has been mired in ethnic conflict since the country, formerly known as Ceylon, became independent from British rule in 1948.</li>
<li>In the years following independence, the Sinhalese (Buddhist-majority community), who resented British favouritism toward Tamils (a minority community) during the colonial period, disenfranchised Tamil migrant plantation workers and made Sinhala the official language.</li>
<li>In 1972, the Sinhalese changed the country&rsquo;s name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and made Buddhism nation&rsquo;s primary religion.</li>
<li>In reaction to this, the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) was formed (in 1976) under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, and it began to campaign for a Tamil homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, where most of the island&rsquo;s Tamils reside.</li>
<li>By 1983, this ethnic clash between Sinhalese and Tamilians became a civil war which ended in 2009.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tamil issue is no longer a bilateral issue between India and Sri Lanka. The Western countries have expressed deep concerns about the war crimes in the military campaign against the LTTE.</li>
<li>India's concern is that any additional international pressure on Sri Lanka will automatically increase China&rsquo;s leverage in Sri Lanka.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the era of globalisation, India can&rsquo;t expect its neighbouring countries to shut down economic and commercial engagement with China.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, India and Sri Lanka need a clear <strong>understanding of mutual red lines</strong> relating to national security and a political comfort level.</li>
<li>This should help prevent the recurrence of the controversy over Chinese submarines in Colombo port that generated so much bad blood between the two nations in 2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India is having a stable government at the centre which is not bound by the compulsions of coalition politics. This stability in the Indian government should find synergy with new Sri Lankan president policy which includes<strong> &ldquo;neutrality&rdquo; and &ldquo;non-alignment&rdquo; between major powers.</strong></li>
<li>India needs to invest some political capital in resolving problems such as the long-standing dispute over fisheries and Katchatheevu island dispute.</li>
<li>India in partnership with like-minded countries like Japan should offer sustainable terms for developing infrastructure, defence and counter-terror capabilities in Sri Lanka.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Katchatheevu is an uninhabited islet in the Palk Strait.</li>
<li>Ownership of the island was controversial up until 1974 as during British rule the island was administered by both countries.</li>
<li>India recognized Sri Lanka&rsquo;s equal ownership. However, the legality of the transfer was challenged in the Indian Supreme Court since the recognizing was not ratified by the Indian parliament.</li>
<li>Due to this some sections of Indian society(mainly from Tamil Nadu) claims India&rsquo;s sovereignty over it.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Asian powers particularly India and China must ensure that Asia should not enter the age of great power rivalries, as Asia in the rivalry will hold us back and Asia in cooperation will shape the century.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0808; background-color: #fdffd9;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Examine India Sri Lanka relations in perspective of changing geopolitics of South Asian region.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/new-sri-lanka-leadership'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>bilateral maritime</strong> exercise <strong>Za&rsquo;ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea)&nbsp;</strong>is conducted between <strong>India and Qatar.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152435_Image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152435_Image3.png" style="float: right;" width="236" height="166" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The exercise helps to <strong>strengthen cooperation and enhance interoperability</strong> between the two navies.</li>
<li>It majorly focuses on the<strong> fight against terrorism, maritime piracy, and maritime security.</strong></li>
<li>The participation of <strong>INS Trikand and Patrol Aircraft P8-I</strong> will be noteworthy during exercise.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The P8-I Maritime Patrol Aircraft incorporates the <strong>latest technology for maritime surveillance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591973" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bilateral-maritime-exercise-za-ir-al-bahr'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>6<sup>th</sup> ASEAN Defence Ministers&rsquo; Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus)</strong> is to be held <strong>in Bangkok on 20<sup>th</sup> November 2019.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ADMM-Plus is a platform for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations)</strong></a> <strong>and it&rsquo;s eight Dialogue Partners</strong> to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ADMM-Plus countries include <strong>ten ASEAN Member State</strong> and <strong>eight Plus countries,</strong> namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, ROK, Russian Federation, and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It aims to promote <strong>mutual trust and confidence</strong> between <strong>defence establishments</strong> through greater dialogue and transparency.</li>
<li>The <strong>first ADMM-Plus</strong> was convened at <strong>Ha Noi, Vietnam in 2010.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>2<sup>nd</sup> ASEAN Defence Ministers&rsquo; Meeting (ADMM)</strong> in 2007 at Singapore adopted a resolution to establish the ADMM-Plus</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus follows the chairmanship of the ADMM.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, the ADMM and ADMM Plus is <strong>chaired by Thailand</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It has five areas of practical cooperation, namely <strong>maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations and military medicine.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152152_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152152_image2.png" width="533" height="416" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591881" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-defence-ministers-meeting-plus'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Space Internet',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the world&rsquo;s leading private company in space technology <strong>SpaceX</strong> has launched the <strong>Starlink Network</strong> in <a href="/printpdf/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Lower Earth Orbit</strong> <strong>(LEO)</strong></a> aimed at <strong>providing low-cost and reliable space-based internet services to the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, <strong>fibre optic cables or wireless networks</strong> through mobile towers provide <strong>internet services.</strong></li>
<li>It can be noted that the idea of space internet system is <strong>not new.</strong> It is being used <strong>through Geostationary Satellite</strong> for selective users.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Starlinks</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong><a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/2019-05-17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starlink</a></strong> is a <strong>SpaceX project</strong> to build a broadband <strong>network with a cluster of orbiting spacecraft</strong> that could eventually number thousands.</li>
<li>The Starlink satellites carry <strong>Hall thrusters,</strong> which <strong>use electricity and krypton gas</strong> to generate an <strong>impulse,</strong> to manoeuvre in orbit, maintain altitude and guide the spacecraft back into the atmosphere at the end of their mission.</li>
<li>The<strong> Starlink network</strong> is one of several ongoing efforts <strong>to start beaming data signals from space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Space Internet with Geostationary Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most of the <strong>existing</strong> space-based Internet systems use <strong>satellites in geostationary orbit.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Geostationary orbit</strong> is located at a height of <strong>35,786 km over</strong> the Earth&rsquo;s surface, <strong>directly above the Equator.</strong></li>
<li>Satellites in this orbit move at<strong> speeds of about 11,000 km per hour,</strong> and complete one revolution of the Earth at the same time that the earth rotates once on its axis.</li>
<li>To the observer on the ground, therefore, a<strong> satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Advantages:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> The signals from one geostationary satellite can cover roughly a third of the planet &mdash; and three to four satellites would be enough to cover the entire Earth.</li>
<li><strong>Easier Connectivity:</strong> As satellites appear to be stationary, it is easier to link to them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disadvantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Latency Issues:</strong> The transmission from a satellite in geostationary orbit has a<strong> latency of about 600 milliseconds.</strong> The geostationary satellites are located at higher altitudes compared to LEO, thus <strong>the longer the distance that needs to be covered results into greater latency.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The latency is the time lag between a user seeking data, and the server sending that data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Space Internet with Low Earth Orbit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The LEO extends up to <strong>2,000 km above the Earth&rsquo;s surface.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Advantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduced Latency:</strong> The presence of satellite at a lower height from the Earth&rsquo;s surface, will help to <strong>bring the lag down to 20-30 milliseconds,</strong> roughly the time it takes for terrestrial systems to transfer data.</li>
<li><strong>More Viable:</strong> The signals from satellites in space can <strong>overcome obstacles</strong> faced by fibre-optic cables or wireless networks <strong>easily.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The<strong> traditional ways</strong> to deliver the internet &mdash; fibre-optic <strong>cables or wireless networks </strong>are <strong>not feasible</strong> in remote areas or places with difficult terrain.</li>
<li>Setting up <strong>cables or mobile towers</strong> in these areas is <strong>not viable.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disadvantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> Due to its <strong>lower height,</strong> its signals cover a <strong>relatively small area.</strong> As a result, <strong>many more satellites are needed</strong> in order to reach signals to every part of the planet.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The satellites in these orbits travel at more than double the speed of satellites in geostationary orbit to balance the effects of gravity. Thus, many more satellites are needed in the network to eliminate breaks in transmission of data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Space Debris:</strong> It will generate <strong>more space debris.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Difficulty in Space Studies:</strong> The constellations of space internet satellites will make it difficult<strong> to observe other space objects, and to detect their signals.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Light Pollution:</strong> There will be an <strong>increased</strong> risk of<strong> light pollution.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Light reflected from the man-made satellites can interfere with &mdash; and be mistaken for &mdash; light coming from other space bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-understanding-space-internet-6126279/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/space-internet'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture- Reviving Real Estate',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/audtcMUe2YI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>A recent study, conducted by <strong>National Real Estate Development Council</strong> and <strong>FICCI,</strong> states that the outlook for the country's real estate sector till Sept 2019, is at the same level as it was in 2014, which is quite bleak.</p>
<p>Recently, the Finance Minister had indicated that the next round of reforms is likely to be focussed on the real estate sector. The Government is working closely with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India</strong></a> to address the issues faced by the real estate sector.</p>
<h3>Where the Root Problem Lies?</h3>
<p>As of 30<sup>th</sup> June 2019, 421 real estate developers are under the <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/16-11-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>corporate insolvency resolution process.</strong></a> The root cause of the problem lies in the liquidity crunch faced by the real estate developers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Diversion of Funds:</strong> The problem begins with the <strong>diversion of funds</strong> by developers to other projects. The developers get the required funds from the buyers at the time of booking which they use as the collateral to secure a loan from the banks, which means they have the required resources.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The problem lies in the deployment of funds. The developers build new projects without bothering to complete their previous ones. Over a period of time, they got caught in a vicious cycle creating a shortage of adequate cash.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Affordable Housing:</strong> Real estate sector is mainly concentrated in luxury housing while the need is of affordable housing. The target customer is mainly upper middle class which leaves a very small customer base for developers and makes these projects unaffordable for other sections of the population. This causes a&nbsp;<strong>huge stock of unsold inventories.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Social Infrastructure:</strong> Housing projects are being developed without proper linkage to social infrastructure i.e. schools, hospitals, market place or adequate connectivity to metro rail, bus stand etc.</li>
<li><strong>Ghost Occupancy:</strong> On one hand there are huge stock inventories (flats) and on the other side the sold inventories face the problem of occupancy. Investments in real estate are being made with the expectation of good future returns which lead to the problem of unoccupied houses (ghost occupancy).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Key Challenges Faced by Real Estates Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Rates:</strong> High land prices in metro cities makes affordable housing projects unviable.</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Service Tax (GST):</strong> For under-construction projects, the GST rate has been reduced from 12% to 5%, but still it is quite high considering the quantum of money to be paid.</li>
<li><strong>Drop in Property Prices:</strong> Post demonetization and implementation of <strong>RERA Act 2016,</strong> there has been a sharp decline in the property prices across the country.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>RERA Act 2016</strong> has increased <strong>transparency</strong> by preventing diversion of funds, curbing the infusion of black money in the real estate sector, which contributed to the drop in the prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation Issues:</strong> Implementation of existing provisions in a fair and transparent manner is a big issue in the real estate sector.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For example:</strong> There is a provision of the&nbsp;<strong>economic weaker section</strong> (EWS) building in every housing project. But, generally, these buildings do not go to EWS people and are occupied by working professionals and others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ripple Effect of Downturn in Real Estate Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Unstable Economy:</strong> Real estate is the second-largest contributor to the GDP, therefore, the crisis in this sector will lead to destabilization of the economy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Demands in the steel and cement industry are closely linked to the real estate sector. Therefore, crippling real estate sector is also affecting other important segments of the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Job Crisis:</strong> The<strong> Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)</strong> of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showed that the overall unemployment rate in the country in the financial year 2018 was at 6.1%.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since the real estate sector is the <strong>second-largest</strong> contributor to the labour force and employment, down-turn in this sector is aggravating the job crisis in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p><strong>Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RERA Act 2016 is a step towards reforming the real estate sector in India, encouraging greater transparency, citizen centricity, accountability and financial discipline.</li>
<li>It had been made <strong>mandatory</strong> for each state and union territory, to form its own regulator and frame the rules to govern the functioning of the regulator.</li>
<li>Real estate projects mandatorily need to be registered with the State Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them.</li>
<li>Real Estate Agents dealing in these projects also need to be registered with Real Estate Regulatory Authorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The act makes it <strong>mandatory</strong> for a developer to deposit <strong>70%</strong> of the collected amount from buyers in an escrow bank account for construction of that project only.</li>
<li>The act also provides for fast track dispute resolution mechanism through the Real Estate Regulatory Authority and Appellate Tribunals across the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Real Estate Development Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) was established as an <strong>autonomous self-regulatory body</strong> in 1998 under the aegis of the&nbsp;<strong>Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.</strong></li>
<li>It was formed with the mandate to induce transparency and ethics in the real estate business and transform the unorganized Indian real estate sector into a matured and globally competitive business sector.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fund:</strong> An <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/a-special-fund-for-housing-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Alternative Investment Fund (AIF)</strong></a> of ₹25,000 crores has been approved by cabinet to revive stalled affordable and middle-income housing projects across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation of Extra Commercial Borrowing (ECB) Guidelines:</strong> ECB guidelines will be relaxed to facilitate the financing of housing sector who are eligible under <strong>Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)</strong> in consultation with RBI.</li>
<li><strong>Housing Building Advance:</strong> To encourage government servants to buy new houses, the interest rates on <strong>House Building Advance</strong> will be lowered and linked with 10-year government-security yields.</li>
<li><strong>GST Rate Cut:</strong> The government has reduced GST rates to a marginal 1% for the affordable housing project and 5% for under-construction houses.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The lower tax burden on home buyers is expected to push demand in the segment which, in turn, will keep developers committed to build more affordable homes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government must not look to penalise the developers but optimize the opportunity so that stalled project can be completed and buyers could get their dream houses.</li>
<li>It should ensure that <strong>funding from AIF</strong> goes to genuine developers who are willing to complete the stalled project and handover the inventories to buyers in given time frame.</li>
<li>The government should focus on the framework to assess the requirement of housing at local levels and then allowing the requisite amount to be developed i.e <strong>need based planning</strong> at local level.</li>
<li><strong>Infrastructure status</strong> to housing segment may lead to flow of funds at cheaper rate and can significantly help in tackling liquidity crunch but government needs to be cautious that fund flows to affordable housing sector only.</li>
<li>Generally, in manufacturing, we first produce, then sell and earn profits but in real estate sector, we first sell and earn profit and then produce which leads to corruption and undelivered promises.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this regard, the government could also try<strong> Singapoarian model</strong> where government created the housing stocks and then sold it off.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The real estate sector has so much to contribute to the people's life in terms of providing shelter, employment etc. But the problem has come to a stage where we need 1.5 crore housing units and at the same time, lakhs of housing units remain unsold.</p>
<p>Majority of projects are still viable and can be handed over to buyers, therefore, capital infusion to genuine developers who are willing to complete the stalled project should be provided with the opportunity.</p>
<p>It is high time to strike the root cause of the problem and convert the crisis into an opportunity to create good solutions and boost the economy.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-reviving-real-estate'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Ministry of Women and Child Development</strong> has launched the <strong>Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK)</strong> in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The BPKK will be a <strong>repository of diverse crops across agro-climatic zones in India</strong> for better nutritional outcomes.</li>
<li>The country has been broadly divided into <strong>fifteen agricultural regions</strong> based on agro climatic features, particularly soil type, climate including temperature and rainfall and its variation and water resources.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574146362_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574146362_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="489" height="566" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the launch event, <strong>the father of the Green Revolution in India, M S Swaminathan</strong> put forward the <strong>five-point action programme</strong> for making India nutrition secure. These are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ensure calorie rich diet for women, expectant mothers and children.</li>
<li>Ensure intake of proteins in the form of pulses to eradicate protein hunger in women and children.</li>
<li>Eradicate hidden hunger due to deficiency of micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B, Iron and Zinc.</li>
<li>Ensure clean drinking water supply.</li>
<li>Spreading nutrition literacy in every village particularly in mothers with children less than 100 days&rsquo; old.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The five point action programme also aligns with different <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong></a> such as<strong> SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).</strong></li>
<li>The Government has launched programmes such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/challenges-in-national-nutrition-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>POSHAN Abhiyaan</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-matru-vandana-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)</strong></a> to tackle malnutrition prevalent in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591912" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatiya-poshan-krishi-kosh'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Convergence of Agriculture and Nutrition',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-jan-aandolan-for-nutrition-6124546/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"A jan aandolan for nutrition"</a> which was published in The Indian Express on 18/11/2019. It talks about the government&rsquo;s efforts to tackle malnutrition in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Agricultural productivity in India has seen impressive growth in recent years fuelled by systemic and scientific improvements like the Green Revolution, globalisation and industrialisation of the food sector. Even after all this growth, malnutrition continues to remain a challenge with serious social and economic costs.</p>
<p>There has been a significant disconnect between agriculture and nutrition due to the demands on quantity rather than quality, driven by exponential population growth but there is a need to converge agriculture and nutrition if the problem has to be tackled.</p>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is a <strong>geographically and culturally vast country</strong> which makes it far difficult to keep track of the levels of malnutrition.</li>
<li>The <strong>advent of modern food systems</strong> has resulted in a loss of knowledge on and consumption of traditional and local nutrient-rich foods in favour of less nutritious industrialised and processed food products.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the replacement of nutrient-dense millets by other grains has been a result of globalisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Missions to tackle nutrition from farm to table <strong>involve multiple stakeholders,</strong> with the government at one end and individuals at the other and it makes this loop hard for common people&rsquo;s understanding.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Malnutrition</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>complex and multi-dimensional issue,</strong> affected mainly by a number of factors including-
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Poverty</li>
<li>Inadequate food distribution and consumption</li>
<li>Improper maternal infant and child feeding care practices</li>
<li>Inequity and gender imbalances</li>
<li>Poor sanitary and environmental conditions</li>
<li>Restricted access to quality health, education and social care services</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It has <strong>long-lasting and critical effects</strong> on a nation&rsquo;s progress and future.</li>
<li>The <strong>World Bank</strong> reports that the <strong>annual cost of malnutrition in India is at least $10 billion</strong> and is <strong>driven by the loss of productivity, illness and death</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<p>Government has taken several steps to address the concern. The following initiatives can go a long way to address the gap and propel parents and communities to rethink on consumption patterns.</p>
<p><strong>Poshan Abhiyaan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>set up by Government of India in 2017</strong> for a <strong>three-year time frame</strong> commencing from 2017-18 which <strong>aims at targeted reduction of stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low-birth-weight babies</strong> in India.</li>
<li>It is set up under the aegis of the <strong>Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD)</strong>.</li>
<li>At the <strong>agricultural</strong> level, it aims to <strong>amalgamate knowledge of regional food systems</strong>.</li>
<li>At the <strong>consumer</strong> level, it aims to <strong>foster social and behavioural changes</strong> among individuals, especially parents.</li>
<li>It seeks to <strong>improve linkages between communities and health systems,</strong> thus paving the way for a mass movement to promote a transformative change.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones</strong> in India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Harvard Chan School of Public Health</strong> through its <strong>India Research Center</strong> and the <strong>Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</strong> will document and evaluate promising regional dietary practices.</li>
<li>In consultation with the Ministry of WCD, the project team will <strong>select around 12 high focus states</strong> which are <strong>representative of the geographical, social, economic, cultural and structural diversities</strong> of India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In each of the states or group of states, the team will <strong>identify a local partner organization</strong> which has relevant work experience in <strong>Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC)</strong> and nutrition for developing the Poshan atlas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Poshan Atlas</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>food atlas</strong> developed by the Ministry of WCD to keep all the food-data at one place.</li>
<li>The data would be <strong>accessible to policy-makers, administrators, experts and communities to help meet nutritional outcomes</strong>.</li>
<li>The information gained through the atlas will be passed on at the district level for implementation through cooperative tasks among all the stakeholders.</li>
<li>The atlas will create a <strong>repository of traditional foods/crops and cultural practices associated with them</strong>. These tools will help in developing closer ties between the agricultural and nutrition sectors.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Such missions should consider <strong>easing the lengthy processes along the food supply chain</strong> and make <strong>every stakeholder accountable</strong> (government, market and consumers) for their works.</li>
<li><strong>Food and crop diversity need to be linked with agro-ecological patterns</strong> like soil, groundwater, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Awareness</strong> about the traditionally grown crops, about their nutrition and micro-nutrient content, about ways to move away from mono-cropping and increase crop diversity to increase diet diversity should be spread.</li>
<li><strong>Understanding social, behavioural and cultural practices</strong> can promote healthy dietary practices and reinforce healthy dietary behaviours both at individual and community levels.</li>
<li><strong>Creation of a database</strong> linking relevant agro-food system data can be more cost-effective and sustainable over the long run which would save a lot of finances.</li>
</ul>
<p>Awareness and knowledge about our crop diversity and regional variations in nutritious food will provide a nudge for behaviour change across the country propelling demand which, in turn, will provide opportunities to farmers and agro-processing units to address consumer needs. Citizens of India will have to come together and join hands to revive our food and crop diversities and use our traditional knowledge for tackling undernutrition and malnutrition.</p>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fffbe6; border-color: #002fba;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question:</strong></em><br /><br />&ldquo;The awareness of the extent of malnutrition despite agricultural growth has led to a need to converge agriculture and nutrition.&rdquo; Explain.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/convergence-of-agriculture-and-nutrition'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Sangam Age',
			'catname' => 'Paper 1',
			'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The period roughly between the <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> century B.C.</strong> and <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> century A.D.</strong> in South India (the area lying to the south of river Krishna and Tungabhadra) is known as Sangam Period.</li>
<li>It has been named after the Sangam academies held during that period that flourished under the royal patronage of the <strong>Pandya kings</strong> of Madurai.</li>
<li>At the sangams eminent scholars assembled and functioned as the board of censors and the choicest literature was rendered in the nature of anthologies.</li>
<li>These literary works were the earliest specimens of Dravidian literature.</li>
<li>According to the Tamil legends, there were <strong>three</strong> Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) held in the ancient South India popularly called <strong>Muchchangam</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>First Sangam</strong>, is believed to be held at <strong>Madurai</strong>, attended by gods and legendary sages. No literary work of this Sangam is available.</li>
<li>The <strong>Second Sangam</strong> was held at <strong>Kapadapuram</strong>, only <strong>Tolkappiyam</strong> survives from this.</li>
<li>The <strong>Third Sangam</strong> was also held at <strong>Madurai</strong>. A few of these Tamil literary works have survived and are a useful sources to reconstruct the history of the Sangam period.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Literature: Major source giving details of Sangam Age</h3>
<p>The Sangam literature includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named &ndash; Silappathikaram and Manimegalai .</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Tolkappiyam</strong> was authored by Tolkappiyar and is <strong>considered the earliest of Tamil literary work</strong>. Though it is a work on Tamil grammar but it also provides insights on the political and socio-economic conditions of the time.</li>
<li><strong>Ettutogai</strong> (Eight Anthologies) consist of eight works &ndash; Aingurunooru, Narrinai, Aganaooru, Purananooru, Kuruntogai, Kalittogai, Paripadal and Padirruppatu.</li>
<li><strong>The Pattuppattu</strong> (Ten Idylls) consists of ten works &ndash; Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunararruppadai, Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai, Mullaippattu, Nedunalvadai, Maduraikkanji, Kurinjippatttu,Pattinappalai and Malaipadukadam.</li>
<li><strong>Pathinenkilkanakku</strong> contains eighteen works <strong>about ethics and morals</strong>. The most important among these works is Tirukkural authored by <strong>Thiruvalluvar</strong>, the tamil great poet and philosopher.</li>
<li>The two epics <strong>Silappathikaram is written by Elango Adigal and Manimegalai by Sittalai Sattanar</strong>. They also provide valuable details about the Sangam society and polity.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Other Sources</strong> that give details about the Sangam Period are &ndash;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Greek authors like Megasthenes, Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy mentioning about commercial trade contacts between the West and South India.</li>
<li>The Ashokan inscriptions mentioned about the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers to the south of Mauryan empire.</li>
<li>Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga also has mention of Tamil kingdoms.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Political History of Sangam Period<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" width="425" height="349" style="float: right; margin: 5px;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<p>South India, during the Sangam Age, was ruled by three dynasties-<strong>the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas</strong>. The main source of information about these kingdoms is traced from the literary references of Sangam Period.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
<h3>Cheras</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cheras controlled the central and northern parts of Kerala and the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Vanji was their capital and the ports of the west coast, Musiri and Tondi, were under their control.</li>
<li>The emblem of Cheras was <strong>&ldquo;bow and arrow&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>The Pugalur inscription of the 1<sup>st</sup> century AD has reference to three generations of Chera rulers.</li>
<li>The Cheras owed its importance to trade with the Romans. They also built a temple of Augustus there.</li>
<li>The greatest ruler of Cheras was <strong>Senguttuvan, the Red Chera</strong> or the Good Chera, who belonged to the 2nd century A.D.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>His military achievements have been chronicled in epic Silapathikaram, with details about his expedition to the Himalayas where he defeated many north Indian rulers.</li>
<li>Senguttuvan introduced the Pattini cult or the <strong>worship of Kannagi</strong> as the ideal wife in Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>He was the first to send an embassy to China from South India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cholas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cholas controlled the central and northern parts of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Their core area of rule was the <strong>Kaveri delta</strong>, later known as <strong>Cholamandalam</strong>.</li>
<li>Their capital was Uraiyur (near Tiruchirapalli town) and Puhar or Kaviripattinam was an alternative royal residence and chief port town.</li>
<li><strong>Tiger</strong> was their emblem.</li>
<li>The Cholas also maintained an <strong>efficient navy</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>King Karikala</strong> was a famous king of the Sangam Cholas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pattinappalai portrays his life and military conquests.</li>
<li>Many Sangam poems mention the Battle of Venni where he defeated the confederacy of Cheras, Pandyas and eleven minor chieftains.</li>
<li>Karikala&rsquo;s military achievements made him the overlord of the whole Tamil region of that time.</li>
<li>Trade and commerce flourished during his reign.</li>
<li>He <strong>founded the port city of Puhar</strong> (identical with Kaveripattinam) and constructed 160 km of embankment along the Kaveri River.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pandyas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Pandyas ruled from Madurai.</li>
<li>Korkai was their main port, located near the confluence of Thampraparani with the Bay of Bengal. It was famous for pearl fishery and chank diving.</li>
<li>Their emblem was the <strong>&ldquo;Fish&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>They patronized the Tamil Sangams and facilitated the compilation of the Sangam poems.</li>
<li>Rulers kept a regular army.</li>
<li>Trade was prosperous and their pearls were famous.</li>
<li>Sati, caste, idol worship were common. Widows were treated badly.</li>
<li>They adopted the Vedic religion of sacrifice and patronized Brahmin priests.</li>
<li>Their power declined with the invasion of a tribe called the Kalabhras.</li>
<li>After the Sangam Age, this dynasty lost its significance for more than a century, only to rise once again at the end of the 6th century.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Polity and Administration</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the Sangam period <strong>hereditary monarchy</strong> was the form of government.</li>
<li>Each of the dynasties of Sangam age had a royal emblem &ndash; tiger for the Cholas, carp/Fish for the Pandyas, and bow for the Cheras.</li>
<li>The king was assisted by a wide body of officials who were categorised into five councils.</li>
<li>They were <strong>ministers (amaichar), priests (anthanar), envoys (thuthar), military commanders (senapathi), and spies (orrar)</strong>.</li>
<li>The military administration was efficiently organized and a <strong>regular army</strong> was associated with each ruler.</li>
<li>The <strong>chief source of state&rsquo;s income was land revenue</strong> while a custom duty was also imposed on foreign trade.</li>
<li>Major source of fulfilling the royal treasury was the booty captured in wars.</li>
<li>The roads and highways were maintained and guarded to prevent robbery and smuggling.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Society</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tolkappiyam refers to the <strong>Five-fold division of lands</strong> &ndash; Kurinji (hilly tracks), Mullai (pastoral), Marudam (agricultural), Neydal (coastal) and Palai (desert).</li>
<li>Tolkappiyam also refers to <strong>four castes</strong> namely arasar(Ruling Class), anthanar, vanigar(carried on trade and commerce) and vellalar(Agriculturists).</li>
<li>Ancient primitive tribes like Thodas, Irulas, Nagas and Vedars lived in this period.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Position of Women during Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A lot of information is available in the Sangam literature to understand the position of women during the Sangam age.</li>
<li>Women had respect and were allowed intellectual pursuits.There were <strong>women poets like Avvaiyar, Nachchellaiyar, and Kakkaipadiniyar</strong> who flourished and contributed to Tamil literature.</li>
<li>Women were allowed to choose their life partners. But life of widows was miserable.</li>
<li>There is also a mention about the practice of Sati being prevalent in the higher strata of society.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Religion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>primary deity of the Sangam period was Murugan</strong>, who is hailed as Tamil God.</li>
<li>The worship of Murugan was having an ancient origin and the festivals relating to God Murugan was mentioned in the Sangam literature.</li>
<li>Murugan was honoured with six abodes known as Arupadai Veedu.</li>
<li>Other gods worshipped during the Sangam period were Mayon (Vishnu), Vendan (Indiran), Varunan and Korravai.</li>
<li>The <strong>Hero Stone or Nadu Kal worship</strong> was significant in the Sangam period and was erected in memory of the bravery shown by the warriors in the battle.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economy of the Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agriculture was the chief occupation</strong> where rice was the most common crop.</li>
<li>The handicraft included weaving, metal works and carpentry, ship building and making of ornaments using beads, stones and ivory.</li>
<li>These were in great demand in the internal and external trade that was at its peak during the Sangam period.</li>
<li>A high expertise was attained in spinning and weaving of cotton and silk clothes. These were in <strong>great demand in the western world especially for the cotton clothes woven at Uraiyur</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>port city of Puhar</strong> became an important place of foreign trade, as big ships entered this port containing precious goods.</li>
<li>Other significant ports of commercial activity were Tondi, Musiri, Korkai, Arikkamedu and Marakkanam.</li>
<li>Many gold and silver coins that were issued by the Roman Emperors like Augustus, Tiberius and Nero have been found in all parts of Tamil Nadu indicating flourishing trade.</li>
<li><strong>Major exports of the Sangam age were cotton fabrics and spices</strong> like pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric along with ivory products, pearls and precious stones.</li>
<li><strong>Major imports</strong> for the traders were <strong>horses, gold, and sweet wine</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>End of Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sangam period slowly witnessed its decline towards the end of the 3<sup>rd</sup> century A.D.</li>
<li>The Kalabhras occupied the Tamil country post-sangam period between 300 AD to 600 AD, whose period was called an interregnum or 'dark age' by earlier historians.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper1/sangam-age-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>For Mind Map</em></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/sangam-age-1'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Mhadei River',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574065952_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574065952_image4.png" style="float: right;" /></a></h3>
<p><strong>Goa and Karnataka</strong> have had long disputes over <strong>water sharing issues of the Mhadei river</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mahadayi or Mhadei, the <strong>west-flowing river, originates in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Western Ghats)</strong>, Belagavi district of <strong>Karnataka</strong>.</li>
<li>It is essentially a <strong>rain-fed river</strong> also called <strong>Mandovi </strong>in Goa.</li>
<li>It is joined by a number of streams to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers (the other one is Zuari river) that flows through Goa.</li>
<li>The river travels 35 km in Karnataka; 82 km in Goa before joining the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Kalasa-Banduri Nala Project</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>undertaken by the Government of Karnataka</strong> to improve drinking water supply to the three districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag.</li>
<li>It involves building across <strong>Kalasa and Banduri, two tributaries of the Mahadayi river</strong> to divert water to the Malaprabha river.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Malaprabha river</strong> supplies the drinking water to Dharwad, Belgaum, and Gadag districts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Kalasa-Banduri project was planned in <strong>1989</strong>; <strong>Goa</strong> raised an <strong>objection</strong> to it.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal</strong> was set up in <strong>2010</strong>. <strong>Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra</strong> are parties to the tribunal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-another-election-another-churn-why-the-mhadeis-waters-are-muddy-again-6124575/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: IE</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mhadei-river'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Jayakwadi Dam',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, several instruments like seismometer, piezometer, slope meter stopped functioning properly at the Jayakwadi dam. The seismometer was installed at the Jayakwadi dam after the devastating earthquake in Latur district, Maharashtra in 1993.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Jayakwadi Dam is located on the <strong>Godavari river</strong> in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069286_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069286_image3.png" width="396" height="274" style="float: right;" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dam aims to address the dual problems of <strong>flooding</strong> along the banks during monsoon months, and that of <strong>drought</strong> during the rest of the year, particularly in the Marathwada region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>seismometer</strong> is an instrument used to <strong>measure and record seismic waves</strong>. Seismic waves study helps geologists to map the interior of the Earth, and measure and locate earthquakes and other ground motions like volcanic eruptions, explosions, etc. precisely.</li>
<li>A <strong>piezometer</strong> is an instrument used for <strong>measuring the pressure of a liquid or gas</strong> or things related to pressure (such as the compressibility of liquid). It measures the strain of a liquid or fuel. They are often placed in boreholes to monitor the pressure or depth of groundwater.</li>
<li>A <strong>slope meter</strong> is used to measure the angles of slope, elevation or despair of an object.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/seismometer-other-key-devices-at-jayakwadi-dam-go-out-of-order/article30004236.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jayakwadi-dam'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'National Agrochemicals Congress',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The first-ever <strong>National Agrochemicals Congress</strong> was held at the <strong>Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi</strong> from 13<sup>th</sup> - 16<sup>th</sup> November 2019. It <strong>will be conducted every three years</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>theme</strong> of the Congress <strong>is &lsquo; Country's Status on Various Fronts of Agrochemicals&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Agrochemicals imply chemicals used in agriculture, such as a pesticide or fertilizer.</li>
<li>The Congress was conducted in view of <strong>the role chemical pesticides still continue to play</strong> in pest management as more and more target-specific and environment-friendly products are being introduced.</li>
<li>It was conducted by the <strong>Society of Pesticide Science India,</strong> headquartered at Division of Agricultural Chemicals,IARI , New Delhi.</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Labelling of pesticide indicating the mode of action,</li>
<li>To rethink on restrictive banning of pesticides in view of risk-based considerations,</li>
<li>Policy regarding data protection of imported technical pesticides and</li>
<li>Policy for the introduction of safe nano-formulations and empowerment of farmers through training and extension.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Agricultural Research Institute</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IARI is the leading institution for agricultural research, education and extension in the country.</li>
<li>It comes <strong>under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</strong>, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591846" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-agrochemicals-congress'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => '250th Session of Rajya Sabha',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Rajya Sabha secretariat</strong> has released the <strong>first-ever analysis</strong> of its legislative work, <strong>&ldquo;Rajya Sabha: The Journey since 1952&rdquo;</strong> on the occasion of the <strong>250<sup>th</sup> session of Rajya Sabha</strong>.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Rajya Sabha has <strong>passed 3,817 Bills</strong> till the end of its 249th session (Monsoon Session, 2019).</li>
<li>The recent monsoon session of Rajya Sabha(2019) has been reported as <strong>the most productive session (103%)</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Productivity signifies the number of hours the House actually functioned compared to the number of hours officially earmarked for it to work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>representation of women in Rajya Sabha increased</strong> from 15 (6.94%) in 1952 to 31 (12.76%) in 2014 but decreased to 26 (10.83%) in 2019.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574064781_Infograph.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574064781_Infograph.png" width="504" height="675" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>Some Unique Events Related to Rajya Sabha</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Casting vote by Chairman:</strong> The <strong>first and the only time</strong> when a Presiding Officer of Rajya Sabha cast his vote was for the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Ordinance, 1991.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Chairman <strong>cannot vote in the first instance</strong>; he can only exercise a casting vote in the case of a tie.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/president-s-rule-in-maharashtra" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>President Rule</strong></a> <strong>approved only by Rajya Sabha:</strong> It has happened only twice for extension of President Rule in Tamil Nadu (1977) and in Haryana (1991 ) when Lok Sabha was dissolved.</li>
<li><strong>Bills passed at the joint sittings of both the Houses of Parliament:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The joint sitting has passed only three bills, namely</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Dowry Prohibition Bill, 1959 passed at a joint sitting in 1961.</li>
<li>The Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill,1978 passed at a joint sitting in 2018.</li>
<li>The Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002 passed at a joint sitting in 2002.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Joint sitting is <strong>extraordinary machinery</strong> provided by the Constitution to <strong>resolve</strong> <strong>a deadlock</strong> between the two Houses over the passage of a bill.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rajya Sabha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>maximum strength</strong> of the Rajya Sabha is <strong>fixed at 250</strong>, out of which, 238 are to be the representatives of the states and union territories (elected indirectly) and <strong>12 are nominated by the president</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The representatives of states are <strong>elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>representatives of each union territory</strong> are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college specially constituted for the purpose</li>
<li>The seats are allotted to the states in the Rajya Sabha on the <strong>basis of the population</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Rajya Sabha <strong>(first constituted in 1952)</strong> is a <strong>permanent body</strong> and not <strong>subject to dissolution</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>one-third of its members retire every second year</strong>.</li>
<li>The retiring members are eligible for re-election and renomination any number of times.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Constitution has <strong>not fixed the term of office</strong> of members of the Rajya Sabha and left it to the Parliament.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Accordingly, the <strong>Parliament</strong> in the <strong>Representation of the People Act (1951)</strong> provided that the term of office of a member of the Rajya Sabha shall be <strong>six years</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Special Powers</strong> of Rajya Sabha include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It can authorize the Parliament to make a <strong>law on a subject enumerated in the State List (Article 249)</strong>.</li>
<li>It can authorize the Parliament to <strong>create new All-India Services</strong> common to both the Centre and states <strong>(Article 312)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/250th-session-of-rajya-sabha'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Sangam Age',
			'catname' => 'Paper 1',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574409421_Sangam%20Age (Mind Map).png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574409421_Sangam Age (Mind Map).png" width="415" height="1618" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/to-the-points/paper1/sangam-age-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>For TTP</em></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper1/sangam-age-2'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Willingdon Island',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Willingdon Island is a seaport located in the city of Kochi, Kerala.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>largest man-made/artificial island</strong> of India and is surrounded by backwaters (a part of a river in which there is little or no current).</li>
<li>It was carved out of <strong>Vembanad Lake</strong> and is connected via road and rail. The island is connected to the mainland by the <strong>Venduruthy Bridge</strong>.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>major commercial centre</strong> and is home to the <strong>Kochi Naval Base</strong> of the Indian Navy, the <strong>Central Institute of Fisheries Technology </strong>and the <strong>Port of Kochi</strong>.</li>
<li>It was named after the <strong>Viceroy Lord Willingdon and was created artificially in 1936</strong> during his rule to improve the trade relations of British India with the rest of the world.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Lord Willingdon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He served as 22<sup>nd</sup> Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1931 to 1936.</li>
<li>Important events of this period include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Second (1931) and Third (1932) Round Table Conferences</li>
<li>Relaunching of Civil Disobedience Movement</li>
<li>Communal Award by Ramsay MacDonald (1932)</li>
<li>Poona Pact (1932)</li>
<li>Government of India Act 1935</li>
<li>Separation of Burma from India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Persecution of Uighurs',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to leaked Chinese government documents, there was a clampdown on Uighurs and other Muslims in the country&rsquo;s western <strong>Xinjiang region</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the United Nations experts and activists, at least 1 million <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unsc-on-persecution-of-minorities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minority groups</a> have been detained in camps in Xinjiang in a crackdown.</li>
<li>The documents reveal that the Chinese leadership&rsquo;s fears were heightened by terrorist attacks in other countries and the U.S. drawdown of troops from Afghanistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Uighur is a predominantly <strong>Turkic-speaking ethnic group</strong>.</li>
<li>They are primarily confined in <strong>China&rsquo;s northwestern region of Xinjiang</strong> and is one of the largest <strong>Muslim group</strong> in that region.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069201_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069201_image2.png" width="447" height="251" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/leaked-chinese-government-documents-show-details-of-xinjiang-clampdown-says-news-report/article29997947.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'SAANS Campaign',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a campaign in Gujarat named <strong>Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS)</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim is <strong>to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia,</strong> which contributes to around 15% of deaths of children under the age of five annually.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To mobilise people to protect children from pneumonia, and train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritised treatment to control the disease.</li>
<li>A child suffering from pneumonia will be treated with a <strong>pre-referral dose of antibiotic amoxicillin</strong> by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-health-mission-and-janani-suraksha-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)</a> workers.</li>
<li><strong>Pulse Oximeter</strong> (device to monitor oxygen saturation) will be used at the Health and Wellness Centre for identification of low oxygen levels in the blood of child and if required, the child can be treated by the use of oxygen cylinders.</li>
<li>A <strong>mass awareness campaign</strong> will be launched about the <strong>effective solutions for pneumonia prevention</strong> like breastfeeding, age-appropriate complementary feeding and immunization etc.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Pneumonia</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Pneumonia is an <strong>infection that inflames the air sacs (alveoli) in one or both lungs</strong>. The air sacs may fill up with fluid or pus, causing symptoms such as a cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing.</li>
<li><strong>Agents:</strong> Many germs can cause pneumonia. The most common are bacteria and viruses in the air that humans breathe.</li>
<li>It is <strong>preventable through vaccination</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Population:</strong> Infants and young children, people older than age 65, and people with weak immune systems.</li>
<li><strong>The prevalence rate among Infants in India:</strong> Under-five mortality rate in the country is 37 per 1000 live births, of which 5.3 deaths are caused due to pneumonia.</li>
<li><strong>Step Taken by India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government aims to achieve a <strong>target</strong> of <strong>reducing pneumonia deaths</strong> among children to <strong>less than three per 1,000 live births by 2025</strong>.</li>
<li>In 2014, India launched <strong>&lsquo;Integrated Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (IAPPD)&rsquo;&nbsp;</strong>to undertake collaborative efforts towards prevention of diarrhoea and Pneumonia related under-five deaths.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/saans-aims-to-reduce-child-mortality/article29997376.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Supreme Court on Religious Practices',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/fraught-course-sabarimala-verdict-supreme-court-6122011/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Fraught course&rdquo;</strong></a>, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-three-cases-sc-wants-clubbed-with-sabarimala-review-women-entry-temple-religious-places-cji-ranjan-gogoi-6121578/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Explained: The three cases SC wants clubbed with Sabarimala review</strong></a>&rdquo;, &ldquo;<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-supreme-courts-sabarimala-order-and-the-essentiality-test-in-religious-practice-6119369/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sabarimala order: What is the &lsquo;essentiality&rsquo; test in religious practice?</strong></a>&rdquo;, which were published in The Indian Express on 16/11/2019. It talks about Indian judiciary&rsquo;s intervention in religious matters, mainly concerning women and their rights.</p>
</div>
<p>The <strong>Supreme Court&rsquo;s five-judge constitution bench</strong> has decided to <strong>refer the Sabarimala temple case,</strong> clubbed with other 3 pending cases broadly related to the rights of women in the sphere of religion, to a <strong>larger 7-judge Bench.</strong> This leads the apex court into potentially dangerous and conflicting territories.</p>
<p>The new bench has been tasked with finding the balance between the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/regulating-right-to-freedom-of-religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right to Freedom of Religion</strong></a> and <strong>other constitutionally-guaranteed rights,</strong> especially the <strong>Right to Equality (Article 14:</strong> The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India), defining <strong>&ldquo;essential religious practice&rdquo;</strong> and<strong> &ldquo;constitutional morality&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Context</h3>
<p><strong>Entry of women into the Sabarimala temple</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On 28<sup>th</sup> September <strong>2018, SC lifted the ban</strong> that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 (mainly menstruating women) from <strong>entering the famous Ayyappa shrine</strong> in Kerala by a majority verdict of 4:1.</li>
<li>It held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was <strong>illegal and unconstitutional (Article 14 and 25).</strong></li>
<li>Temple custodians argue that women of menstrual age are prohibited from offering prayers as the deity there, Ayyappa, is a celibate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Muslim women&rsquo;s entry into mosques</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In April <strong>2019,</strong> the SC was moved to seek directions <strong>for allowing Muslim women to enter mosques through the main door,</strong> and to have the &ldquo;Islamic right to visual and auditory access to the <strong>&lsquo;musalla&rsquo;</strong> (main prayer area)&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The petition said that &ldquo;this <strong>act of prohibition is void and unconstitutional</strong> as such practices are not only repugnant to the basic dignity of a woman as an individual but also violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under <strong>Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25</strong> of the Constitution&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The matter was last heard on November 5, 2019, by a Bench comprising CJI-designate Justice S A Bobde and Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Female genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohras</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On September 24, <strong>2018,</strong> a Bench of SC referred the matter in <strong>&lsquo;Sunita Tiwari vs Union of India and Ors&rsquo;</strong> to a larger Bench of the Supreme Court.</li>
<li>The petition, filed under <strong>Article 32</strong> of the Constitution, had questioned the constitutionality of the practice of <strong>Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)</strong> or<strong> &lsquo;khatna&rsquo;,</strong> or <strong>Female Circumcision (FC)</strong> or <strong>&lsquo;khafd&rsquo;,</strong> which the petitioner said was carried out on every girl child in the Dawoodi Bohra community.</li>
<li>The petition relied on the <strong>UN Convention on the Rights of the Child</strong> and the <strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong> and urged that the practice is violative of <strong>Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty).</strong></li>
<li>The Bench submitted that the matter should be referred to a larger Bench, which the SC accepted.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Entry of Parsi women married to non-Parsis in the Agyari</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Special Leave Petition</strong> in<strong> &lsquo;Goolrukh Gupta vs Burjur Pardiwala&rsquo;</strong> arose out of a judgment passed by the Gujarat High Court in <strong>2012.</strong></li>
<li>The petitioner, Goolrukh Contractor Gupta, moved the High Court in 2010 after her friend who too, like her, was a Parsi married to a Hindu, was <strong>denied entry to the Tower of Silence</strong> during her mother&rsquo;s last rites some years before.</li>
<li>In the court, Goolrukh Gupta&rsquo;s counsel, argued that the question was, &ldquo;in the case of marriage between a Hindu and Parsi, does it result in automatic conversion of religion?&rdquo; The matter hence <strong>raised issues of gender justice.</strong></li>
<li>In<strong> December 2017,</strong> a <strong>Constitution Bench observed</strong> that &ldquo;DNA does not evaporate&rdquo; after marrying outside one&rsquo;s religion&rdquo;, and that <strong>by marrying outside her religion, a woman does not &ldquo;surrender her affection to her father&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Doctrine of Essentiality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The doctrine of &ldquo;essentiality&rdquo; was invented by a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the <strong>&lsquo;Shirur Mutt&rsquo; case in 1954.</strong> The court held that the term &ldquo;religion&rdquo; will cover all rituals and practices &ldquo;integral&rdquo; to a religion, and took upon itself the responsibility of determining the essential and non-essential practices of a religion.</li>
<li>Essential religious practice test is a contentious doctrine evolved by the court to protect only such religious practices which were essential and integral to the religion.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Constitutional Morality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Constitutional morality provides a principled understanding for unfolding the work of governance. It specifies norms for institutions to survive and an expectation of behaviour that will meet not just the text but the soul of the Constitution. It also makes the governing institutions and representatives accountable.</li>
<li>Constitutional morality has been used to emancipatory effect in past cases by the apex court. One of the examples is <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-section-377-judgement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>decriminalising homosexuality.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Review parameters usually permit a narrow reconsideration in case of an error in the verdict or discovery of new evidence but <strong>passing on to larger bench could open up new questions,</strong> instead of settling the old ones.</li>
<li>There are concerns within the court itself about <strong>clubbing these four issues</strong> together because this will lead to a situation where not everyone is equally content and a uniform verdict <strong>can give rise to religious conflicts.</strong></li>
<li>The inability to solve issues like this and passing on to the larger benches <strong>narrows down the scope for justice</strong> and for courts as well.</li>
<li>In setting itself the task of<strong> defining this constitutional morality,</strong> the court will now have to go into the question of its limits and boundaries, of its possible clash with religious beliefs and faith.</li>
<li>The <strong>essentiality test impinges on the autonomy and freedom of religion</strong> which was meant to guarantee freedom to practice one&rsquo;s beliefs based on the concept of &ldquo;inward association&rdquo; of man with God.</li>
<li>The Court is <strong>creating problems for itself</strong> as well as <strong>circumscribing individual freedoms and treading into the clergy&rsquo;s domain.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each of these issues must be considered on their own ground with <strong>different redressal mechanisms.</strong> On essential religious practice, SC should go case by case rather than aim for a grand unified theory.</li>
<li>The court has been inconsistent in applying the essential religious practice doctrine and maybe it should be left like that only to avoid further tensions.</li>
<li>Court&rsquo;s push for expanding its remit and for hard clarity on complex questions will prove difficult and maybe counterproductive so it <strong>should not dwell deeper into the religious matter after a certain point.</strong></li>
<li>The court upheld ideas of freedom and equality and the constitutional promise of a pluralistic and inclusive society while redressing an injustice which should be <strong>upheld as a beacon of hope for a just and equal society.</strong></li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f8ffd6;"><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Objectives of gender justice go beyond the boundaries of the courts. Comment.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Essar Insolvency Case',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Supreme Court has recently given its judgement in the <strong>Essar Insolvency case.</strong> The Judgement has paved the way for ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel to take over debt-laden Essar Steel.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1573904953_Image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1573904953_Image2.jpg" width="397" height="371" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In March 2019, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-4th-march-2019-" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)</strong></a> approved global steel-giant ArcelorMittal&rsquo;s bid for Essar Steel.</li>
<li>The <strong>Committee of Creditors (CoC)</strong> approved the resolution plan offered by the ArcelorMittal. Under the resolution plan, ArcelorMittal offered an advance cash payment of about ₹42,000 crore to the financial creditors and capital infusion of ₹8,000 in the next few years. However, the offer did not have much for operational creditors to Essar Steel.</li>
<li>In 2019, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-company-law-appellate-tribunal-nclat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)</strong></a> cleared the CoC&rsquo;s plan but <strong>changed the financial distribution plan</strong> by <strong>ordering an equal recovery plan</strong> for all creditors, including financial and operational creditors.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Wisdom of CoC:</strong> It is the commercial wisdom of the requisite majority (66%) of the CoC under the<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)</strong></a> to negotiate and accept a resolution plan, which may involve <strong>differential payment</strong> to different classes of creditors.</li>
<li><strong>Principle of Equality:</strong> The Court held that the equality principle cannot be stretched to treating unequals equally. This will destroy the very objective of the IBC to resolve stressed assets. <strong>Equitable treatment is to be accorded to each creditor depending upon the class to which it belongs:</strong> secured or unsecured, financial or operational.</li>
<li><strong>Restriction on Tribunals:</strong> Tribunals have no<strong> &ldquo;residual equity jurisdiction&rdquo;</strong> to interfere in the merits of a business decision taken by the CoC. This implies that the NCLT and NCLAT <strong>cannot interfere</strong> with the commercial decisions taken by the CoC.</li>
<li><strong>Financial vs Operational Creditors:</strong> The Court upheld the <strong>primacy of financial creditors</strong> over operational creditors in the distribution of funds received under the corporate insolvency scheme. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court explained that financial creditors are capital-providers for companies, i.e. help companies to purchase assets and run business operations.</li>
<li>Operational creditors, in a way, are beneficiaries of amounts lent by financial creditors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation of Resolution Deadline:</strong> The Supreme Court has <strong>done away with the 330-day mandatory deadline</strong> for the resolution of insolvency and bankruptcy cases after which liquidation is invoked. The bench allowed a bit of flexibility by allowing exceptions where the resolution plan is on the verge of being finalised.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 330-day mark is <strong>violation of Article 14</strong> (right to equal treatment ) of the Constitution <strong>and Article 19(1)(g)</strong> ( Right to carry any business) of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Likely Impact of the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Impact on Banks:</strong> Banks will recover Rs. 42,000 crore against admitted debts of Rs. 49,473 crore- a recovery of about 85% compared to the average recovery of 53% in other resolution cases. This would help banks in boosting their capital adequacy.</li>
<li><strong>Speedy Resolution:</strong> The verdict is likely to reduce legal wrangling between financial and operational creditors and accelerate resolution process.</li>
<li><strong>Foreign Investment:</strong> It will attract investors who were getting wary of the nation&rsquo;s bankruptcy process.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is trying to attract foreign capital to its bad loan cleanup, as it battles the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>worst nonperforming loan ratio</strong> </a>among the world&rsquo;s major economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Upheld the Spirit of IBC:</strong> The removal of mandatory 330-day deadline will facilitate resolution, the ultimate objective of the IBC.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Insolvency Resolution Process in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Eligibility:</strong> Under IBC, companies (both private and public limited company) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) can be considered as defaulting corporate debtors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A <strong>corporate debtor</strong> is any <strong>corporate</strong> organization which owes a debt to any person.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Default Amount:</strong> The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code can be triggered if there is a <strong>minimum default of Rs 1 lakh.</strong> This process can be triggered by way of filing an application before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).</li>
<li><strong>Resolution Initiation:</strong> The process can be initiated by two classes of creditors which would include financial creditors and operational creditors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Creditors:</strong> A Creditor means any person to whom a debt is owed and includes a financial creditor, an operational creditor, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Creditors:</strong> The financial creditor in simple terms is the institution that provided money to the corporate entity in the form of loans, bonds etc. E.g. banks.</li>
<li><strong>Operational Creditors</strong>: An operational creditor is the entity who has a claim for providing any of the four categories to the defaulted corporate- goods, services, employment and Government dues (central govt, state or local bodies).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Appointment of Interim Resolution Professional:</strong> As soon as the matter is admitted by the NCLT, the NCLT proceeds with the appointment of an Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) who takes over the management of the defaulting debtor.</li>
<li><strong>Committee of Creditors (CoC):</strong> A committee consisting only of the financial creditors i.e. the CoC is formed by the IRP. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Only operational creditors having aggregate dues of at least 10% of the total debt are invited into the meeting of CoC <strong>(Operational creditors are not a member of CoC).</strong> The operational creditors don&rsquo;t have any voting power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP):</strong> It includes necessary steps to revive the company such as raising fresh funds for operation, looking for new buyer to sell the company as going concern, etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CoC takes a decision regarding the future of the outstanding debt owed to it. The resolution plan can be implemented only if it has been approved by 66% of the creditors in the CoC</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Liquidation Proceedings:</strong> In the event a resolution plan is not submitted or not approved by the committee of creditors (COC), the CIRP process is deemed to have failed. In such a situation the liquidation proceedings commences subject to the order of the tribunal.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/sc-clears-path-for-arcelormittal-to-acquire-bankrupt-essar-steel/article29988246.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ministrys-report-on-road-accidents-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>annual report</strong></a> on <strong>Road Accidents in India.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report shows <strong>53 crashes and the loss of 17 lives every hour.</strong></li>
<li>The road traffic injuries were the eighth leading cause of death in India in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574238426_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574238426_image1.jpg" width="559" height="429" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to <strong>World Road Statistics ( 2018), India</strong> reports the <strong>highest</strong> number of road accident deaths<strong> followed by the US and China.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>World Road Statistics is released by the <strong>World Road Federation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-status-report-on-road-safety-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>WHO Global Report on Road Safety 2018</strong></a>, India accounts for almost <strong>11%</strong> of the accident-related deaths in the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The road accidents numerics:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It kills almost<strong> 1.5 lakh</strong> people <strong>annually in India.</strong></li>
<li>The accidents, as well as accident-related deaths in the <strong>period 2010-2018, dropped drastically</strong> compared with the previous decades, <strong>despite the very high rate of growth of automobiles.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>road accident severity</strong> (the number of persons killed per 100 accidents) has <strong>increased by 0.6%</strong> in 2018 compared to 2017.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Major Cause:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Over-speeding</strong> is a major cause, accounting for <strong>64.4%</strong> of the persons killed. As the <strong>maximum number of road accidents</strong> occurred on <strong>straight roads.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Two-wheelers</strong> accounted for the <strong>highest share (35.2%)</strong> in total accidents in 2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Age:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>young adults (18-45 years)</strong> accounted for nearly <strong>69.6%</strong> of road accident victims.</li>
<li><strong>Minors</strong> involved in road crash deaths were at <strong>6.6% of the total deaths.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gender:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The share of <strong>males</strong> in the number of total accident deaths was <strong>86%</strong> while the share of<strong> females</strong> was around <strong>14%</strong> in 2018</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>State-wise Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As in 2017, the State of<strong> Tamil Nadu</strong> recorded the<strong> highest number of road accidents</strong> in 2018.</li>
<li>Similarly, as in 2017, the <strong>number of persons killed in a road accident</strong> was the<strong> highest in Uttar Pradesh</strong> in 2018.</li>
<li><strong>Delhi</strong> has been ranked <strong>first</strong> in the <strong>total number of road fatalities</strong> compared to other <strong>Indian cities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Road Safety</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Road transport is the<strong> dominant mode of transport in India,</strong> in terms of traffic share and in terms of contribution to the national economy.</li>
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/road-accidents-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>negative externality of expansion in the road network,</strong></a> motorization, and urbanization in the country is the increase in road accidents and road crash fatalities.</li>
<li>Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of death, disabilities and hospitalization in the country imposing huge socio-economic costs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps taken at Global Level</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015):</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The declaration was signed at the<strong> second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil.</strong> The first conference was held in Russia (2009).</li>
<li>Through the Brasilia Declaration countries plan to achieve the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goal 3.6</strong></a> i.e.to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.</li>
<li><strong>United Nations</strong> has also declared <strong>2010-2020 as the decade of action for Road Safety.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>UN Global Road Safety Week:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is celebrated <strong>every two years,</strong> the fifth edition of the UN Global Road Safety Week (6-12 May 2019) highlighted the need for strong leadership for road safety.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps taken Indian Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India has signed the</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-status-report-on-road-safety-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Brasilia declaration</strong></a> and committed to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.</li>
<li><strong>Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc.</li>
<li>It provides for a <strong>Motor Vehicle Accident Fund,</strong> which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.</li>
<li>It also provides for a <strong>National Road Safety Board,</strong> to be created by the Central Government through a notification.</li>
<li>The act also provides for the <strong>protection of good samaritans.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan Committee</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Supreme Court had set up the three-member KS Radhakrishnan panel on <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/road-safety-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>road safety</strong></a> in 2014. The SC had termed the roads in India as &ldquo;giant killers&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/53-road-crashes-17-deaths-per-hour-in-2018-annual-government-report/article30019969.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/road-accidents-in-india-2018'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Solar Eclipse',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Cheruvathur in Kasaragod district, Kerala is one of the three places in the world where the solar eclipse will be most clearly seen on December 26, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will be an <strong>annular solar eclipse</strong> in which the <strong>&lsquo;ring of fire&rsquo;</strong>- a characteristic of this kind of solar eclipse could be clearly observed.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237575_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237575_image2.jpg" width="533" height="280" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Solar Eclipse</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/total-solar-eclipse-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>solar eclipse</strong></a> is a phenomenon that happens when the moon comes in the way of the sun&rsquo;s light. The moon's shadow casts itself on Earth, blocking out the sun's light (as seen from Earth).</li>
<li>The moon's shadow has<strong> two parts:</strong> a central region<strong> (umbra)</strong> and an outer region <strong>(penumbra).</strong> Depending upon which part of the shadow passes over the Earth, one of three types of solar eclipses could be observed:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total Solar Eclipse-</strong> The entire central portion of the sun is blocked out by the moon.</li>
<li><strong>Partial Solar Eclipse-</strong> Only part of the sun's surface is blocked out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>Annular Solar Eclipse-</strong> The sun is covered in such a way that only a small ring-like sliver of light is seen from the sun's disc. This ring is known as the<strong> ring of fire.</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237721_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574237721_image3.png" width="155" height="227" caption="false" style="float: right;" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>An annular eclipse happens when the moon <strong>is farthest from Earth.</strong> As the moon is farther away from Earth, it seems smaller and is<strong> unable to block the entire view of the sun,</strong> because of which the ring-like structure could be observed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>total eclipse</strong> happens about every year and a half somewhere on Earth, while the <strong>partial eclipse</strong> happens at least twice a year somewhere on Earth.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/cheruvathur-to-get-first-glimpse-of-solar-eclipse-in-india/article30020048.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solar-eclipse-1'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'New Sri Lanka Leadership',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/gotabaya-rajapaksa-sri-lanka-elections-colombo-6126280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Towards a Colombo Reset&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in Indian Express on 19/11/2019. It talks about the implications of new Sri Lankan leadership, on India.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, <strong>Gotabaya Rajapaksa</strong> is elected as new President of Sri Lanka. This election was based on security issues that emerged after a suicide bombing attack (claimed by Islamic State) on Easter Sunday this year.</p>
<p>Rajapaksa's win signals the return to power for the controversial family, that is known for its pro-China tilt and also infamously remembered for its brutal acts against Tamil minorities in pursuit of ending the <strong>Sri Lankan civil war</strong> in 2009.</p>
<h3>Rajapaksa Factor</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recent elections in Sri Lanka mark the return of the Rajapaksa brothers to power.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka witnessed an authoritarian family rule <strong>under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa between 2005 and 2015.</strong></li>
<li>Gotabaya Rajapaksa (brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa), a former defence secretary and intelligence officer, accused of committing human rights violations, hailed by many for ending the civil war.</li>
<li>Also, India's relations with Sri Lanka went through a troubled patch during the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency due to his proximity with China.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implications for India</h3>
<p><strong>On the issue of Pro-China tilt</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Geopolitical significance of Sri Lanka</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lanka&rsquo;s location in the Indian Ocean region as an island State has been of strategic geopolitical relevance to several major powers.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka&rsquo;s location can serve both commercial purposes and be used as a military base.</li>
<li>Citing these geopolitical advantages China made massive investments during the Mahinda Rajapaksa tenure.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>String of Pearls</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China is building state of the art gigantic modern ports all along the Indian Ocean and to the south of it, in Gwadar (Pakistan), Chittagong (Bangladesh, Kyauk Phru (Myanmar) and <strong>Hambantota (Sri Lanka).</strong></li>
<li>The string of pearls is a strategic threat to India, as it aims to encircle India to establish Chinese dominance in the Indian Ocean.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the new Sri Lankan President, the narrative about Sri Lanka's renewed tilt towards China has become an issue of concern for India.</li>
<li>Sri Lanka sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean and holds one of the pearls of that String of Pearls (Hambantota).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s interest in maritime silk route and continuous energy flow to the country has resulted in a &ldquo;String of Pearls&rdquo; across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).</li>
<li>China&rsquo;s <strong>debt-trap diplomacy</strong> has led it towards grabbing a 99-year lease on the Hambantota port.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, labelling governments in <strong>Sri Lanka as &ldquo;pro-China&rdquo; or &ldquo;pro-India&rdquo; is irrelevant.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s economic and strategic salience in the subcontinent is not tied to the regime leadership.</li>
<li>Previous Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (considered as pro-India) came to power criticising the Chinese projects in Sri Lanka, but within two years into power, it extended full backing to the Chinese projects.</li>
<li>To add insult to injury, the so called &ldquo;pro-India&rdquo; government stalled key projects (housing projects in Sri Lanka) to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>On the issue of Tamils minorities</h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>History of Civil War</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lanka has been mired in ethnic conflict since the country, formerly known as Ceylon, became independent from British rule in 1948.</li>
<li>In the years following independence, the Sinhalese (Buddhist-majority community), who resented British favouritism toward Tamils (a minority community) during the colonial period, disenfranchised Tamil migrant plantation workers and made Sinhala the official language.</li>
<li>In 1972, the Sinhalese changed the country&rsquo;s name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and made Buddhism nation&rsquo;s primary religion.</li>
<li>In reaction to this, the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) was formed (in 1976) under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, and it began to campaign for a Tamil homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, where most of the island&rsquo;s Tamils reside.</li>
<li>By 1983, this ethnic clash between Sinhalese and Tamilians became a civil war which ended in 2009.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tamil issue is no longer a bilateral issue between India and Sri Lanka. The Western countries have expressed deep concerns about the war crimes in the military campaign against the LTTE.</li>
<li>India's concern is that any additional international pressure on Sri Lanka will automatically increase China&rsquo;s leverage in Sri Lanka.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the era of globalisation, India can&rsquo;t expect its neighbouring countries to shut down economic and commercial engagement with China.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, India and Sri Lanka need a clear <strong>understanding of mutual red lines</strong> relating to national security and a political comfort level.</li>
<li>This should help prevent the recurrence of the controversy over Chinese submarines in Colombo port that generated so much bad blood between the two nations in 2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India is having a stable government at the centre which is not bound by the compulsions of coalition politics. This stability in the Indian government should find synergy with new Sri Lankan president policy which includes<strong> &ldquo;neutrality&rdquo; and &ldquo;non-alignment&rdquo; between major powers.</strong></li>
<li>India needs to invest some political capital in resolving problems such as the long-standing dispute over fisheries and Katchatheevu island dispute.</li>
<li>India in partnership with like-minded countries like Japan should offer sustainable terms for developing infrastructure, defence and counter-terror capabilities in Sri Lanka.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Katchatheevu is an uninhabited islet in the Palk Strait.</li>
<li>Ownership of the island was controversial up until 1974 as during British rule the island was administered by both countries.</li>
<li>India recognized Sri Lanka&rsquo;s equal ownership. However, the legality of the transfer was challenged in the Indian Supreme Court since the recognizing was not ratified by the Indian parliament.</li>
<li>Due to this some sections of Indian society(mainly from Tamil Nadu) claims India&rsquo;s sovereignty over it.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Asian powers particularly India and China must ensure that Asia should not enter the age of great power rivalries, as Asia in the rivalry will hold us back and Asia in cooperation will shape the century.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0808; background-color: #fdffd9;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Examine India Sri Lanka relations in perspective of changing geopolitics of South Asian region.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/new-sri-lanka-leadership'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>bilateral maritime</strong> exercise <strong>Za&rsquo;ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea)&nbsp;</strong>is conducted between <strong>India and Qatar.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152435_Image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152435_Image3.png" style="float: right;" width="236" height="166" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The exercise helps to <strong>strengthen cooperation and enhance interoperability</strong> between the two navies.</li>
<li>It majorly focuses on the<strong> fight against terrorism, maritime piracy, and maritime security.</strong></li>
<li>The participation of <strong>INS Trikand and Patrol Aircraft P8-I</strong> will be noteworthy during exercise.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The P8-I Maritime Patrol Aircraft incorporates the <strong>latest technology for maritime surveillance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591973" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bilateral-maritime-exercise-za-ir-al-bahr'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>6<sup>th</sup> ASEAN Defence Ministers&rsquo; Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus)</strong> is to be held <strong>in Bangkok on 20<sup>th</sup> November 2019.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ADMM-Plus is a platform for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations)</strong></a> <strong>and it&rsquo;s eight Dialogue Partners</strong> to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ADMM-Plus countries include <strong>ten ASEAN Member State</strong> and <strong>eight Plus countries,</strong> namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, ROK, Russian Federation, and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It aims to promote <strong>mutual trust and confidence</strong> between <strong>defence establishments</strong> through greater dialogue and transparency.</li>
<li>The <strong>first ADMM-Plus</strong> was convened at <strong>Ha Noi, Vietnam in 2010.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>2<sup>nd</sup> ASEAN Defence Ministers&rsquo; Meeting (ADMM)</strong> in 2007 at Singapore adopted a resolution to establish the ADMM-Plus</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus follows the chairmanship of the ADMM.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, the ADMM and ADMM Plus is <strong>chaired by Thailand</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It has five areas of practical cooperation, namely <strong>maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations and military medicine.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152152_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574152152_image2.png" width="533" height="416" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591881" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-defence-ministers-meeting-plus'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Space Internet',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the world&rsquo;s leading private company in space technology <strong>SpaceX</strong> has launched the <strong>Starlink Network</strong> in <a href="/printpdf/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Lower Earth Orbit</strong> <strong>(LEO)</strong></a> aimed at <strong>providing low-cost and reliable space-based internet services to the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently, <strong>fibre optic cables or wireless networks</strong> through mobile towers provide <strong>internet services.</strong></li>
<li>It can be noted that the idea of space internet system is <strong>not new.</strong> It is being used <strong>through Geostationary Satellite</strong> for selective users.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Starlinks</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong><a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/2019-05-17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starlink</a></strong> is a <strong>SpaceX project</strong> to build a broadband <strong>network with a cluster of orbiting spacecraft</strong> that could eventually number thousands.</li>
<li>The Starlink satellites carry <strong>Hall thrusters,</strong> which <strong>use electricity and krypton gas</strong> to generate an <strong>impulse,</strong> to manoeuvre in orbit, maintain altitude and guide the spacecraft back into the atmosphere at the end of their mission.</li>
<li>The<strong> Starlink network</strong> is one of several ongoing efforts <strong>to start beaming data signals from space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Space Internet with Geostationary Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most of the <strong>existing</strong> space-based Internet systems use <strong>satellites in geostationary orbit.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Geostationary orbit</strong> is located at a height of <strong>35,786 km over</strong> the Earth&rsquo;s surface, <strong>directly above the Equator.</strong></li>
<li>Satellites in this orbit move at<strong> speeds of about 11,000 km per hour,</strong> and complete one revolution of the Earth at the same time that the earth rotates once on its axis.</li>
<li>To the observer on the ground, therefore, a<strong> satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Advantages:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> The signals from one geostationary satellite can cover roughly a third of the planet &mdash; and three to four satellites would be enough to cover the entire Earth.</li>
<li><strong>Easier Connectivity:</strong> As satellites appear to be stationary, it is easier to link to them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disadvantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Latency Issues:</strong> The transmission from a satellite in geostationary orbit has a<strong> latency of about 600 milliseconds.</strong> The geostationary satellites are located at higher altitudes compared to LEO, thus <strong>the longer the distance that needs to be covered results into greater latency.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The latency is the time lag between a user seeking data, and the server sending that data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Space Internet with Low Earth Orbit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The LEO extends up to <strong>2,000 km above the Earth&rsquo;s surface.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Advantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduced Latency:</strong> The presence of satellite at a lower height from the Earth&rsquo;s surface, will help to <strong>bring the lag down to 20-30 milliseconds,</strong> roughly the time it takes for terrestrial systems to transfer data.</li>
<li><strong>More Viable:</strong> The signals from satellites in space can <strong>overcome obstacles</strong> faced by fibre-optic cables or wireless networks <strong>easily.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The<strong> traditional ways</strong> to deliver the internet &mdash; fibre-optic <strong>cables or wireless networks </strong>are <strong>not feasible</strong> in remote areas or places with difficult terrain.</li>
<li>Setting up <strong>cables or mobile towers</strong> in these areas is <strong>not viable.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disadvantages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> Due to its <strong>lower height,</strong> its signals cover a <strong>relatively small area.</strong> As a result, <strong>many more satellites are needed</strong> in order to reach signals to every part of the planet.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The satellites in these orbits travel at more than double the speed of satellites in geostationary orbit to balance the effects of gravity. Thus, many more satellites are needed in the network to eliminate breaks in transmission of data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Space Debris:</strong> It will generate <strong>more space debris.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Difficulty in Space Studies:</strong> The constellations of space internet satellites will make it difficult<strong> to observe other space objects, and to detect their signals.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Light Pollution:</strong> There will be an <strong>increased</strong> risk of<strong> light pollution.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Light reflected from the man-made satellites can interfere with &mdash; and be mistaken for &mdash; light coming from other space bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-understanding-space-internet-6126279/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/space-internet'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture- Reviving Real Estate',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/audtcMUe2YI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>A recent study, conducted by <strong>National Real Estate Development Council</strong> and <strong>FICCI,</strong> states that the outlook for the country's real estate sector till Sept 2019, is at the same level as it was in 2014, which is quite bleak.</p>
<p>Recently, the Finance Minister had indicated that the next round of reforms is likely to be focussed on the real estate sector. The Government is working closely with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India</strong></a> to address the issues faced by the real estate sector.</p>
<h3>Where the Root Problem Lies?</h3>
<p>As of 30<sup>th</sup> June 2019, 421 real estate developers are under the <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/16-11-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>corporate insolvency resolution process.</strong></a> The root cause of the problem lies in the liquidity crunch faced by the real estate developers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Diversion of Funds:</strong> The problem begins with the <strong>diversion of funds</strong> by developers to other projects. The developers get the required funds from the buyers at the time of booking which they use as the collateral to secure a loan from the banks, which means they have the required resources.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The problem lies in the deployment of funds. The developers build new projects without bothering to complete their previous ones. Over a period of time, they got caught in a vicious cycle creating a shortage of adequate cash.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Affordable Housing:</strong> Real estate sector is mainly concentrated in luxury housing while the need is of affordable housing. The target customer is mainly upper middle class which leaves a very small customer base for developers and makes these projects unaffordable for other sections of the population. This causes a&nbsp;<strong>huge stock of unsold inventories.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Social Infrastructure:</strong> Housing projects are being developed without proper linkage to social infrastructure i.e. schools, hospitals, market place or adequate connectivity to metro rail, bus stand etc.</li>
<li><strong>Ghost Occupancy:</strong> On one hand there are huge stock inventories (flats) and on the other side the sold inventories face the problem of occupancy. Investments in real estate are being made with the expectation of good future returns which lead to the problem of unoccupied houses (ghost occupancy).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Key Challenges Faced by Real Estates Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Rates:</strong> High land prices in metro cities makes affordable housing projects unviable.</li>
<li><strong>Goods and Service Tax (GST):</strong> For under-construction projects, the GST rate has been reduced from 12% to 5%, but still it is quite high considering the quantum of money to be paid.</li>
<li><strong>Drop in Property Prices:</strong> Post demonetization and implementation of <strong>RERA Act 2016,</strong> there has been a sharp decline in the property prices across the country.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>RERA Act 2016</strong> has increased <strong>transparency</strong> by preventing diversion of funds, curbing the infusion of black money in the real estate sector, which contributed to the drop in the prices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation Issues:</strong> Implementation of existing provisions in a fair and transparent manner is a big issue in the real estate sector.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>For example:</strong> There is a provision of the&nbsp;<strong>economic weaker section</strong> (EWS) building in every housing project. But, generally, these buildings do not go to EWS people and are occupied by working professionals and others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ripple Effect of Downturn in Real Estate Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Unstable Economy:</strong> Real estate is the second-largest contributor to the GDP, therefore, the crisis in this sector will lead to destabilization of the economy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Demands in the steel and cement industry are closely linked to the real estate sector. Therefore, crippling real estate sector is also affecting other important segments of the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Job Crisis:</strong> The<strong> Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)</strong> of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showed that the overall unemployment rate in the country in the financial year 2018 was at 6.1%.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since the real estate sector is the <strong>second-largest</strong> contributor to the labour force and employment, down-turn in this sector is aggravating the job crisis in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drishti Input</strong></p>
<p><strong>Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RERA Act 2016 is a step towards reforming the real estate sector in India, encouraging greater transparency, citizen centricity, accountability and financial discipline.</li>
<li>It had been made <strong>mandatory</strong> for each state and union territory, to form its own regulator and frame the rules to govern the functioning of the regulator.</li>
<li>Real estate projects mandatorily need to be registered with the State Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them.</li>
<li>Real Estate Agents dealing in these projects also need to be registered with Real Estate Regulatory Authorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The act makes it <strong>mandatory</strong> for a developer to deposit <strong>70%</strong> of the collected amount from buyers in an escrow bank account for construction of that project only.</li>
<li>The act also provides for fast track dispute resolution mechanism through the Real Estate Regulatory Authority and Appellate Tribunals across the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Real Estate Development Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) was established as an <strong>autonomous self-regulatory body</strong> in 1998 under the aegis of the&nbsp;<strong>Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.</strong></li>
<li>It was formed with the mandate to induce transparency and ethics in the real estate business and transform the unorganized Indian real estate sector into a matured and globally competitive business sector.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fund:</strong> An <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/a-special-fund-for-housing-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Alternative Investment Fund (AIF)</strong></a> of ₹25,000 crores has been approved by cabinet to revive stalled affordable and middle-income housing projects across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation of Extra Commercial Borrowing (ECB) Guidelines:</strong> ECB guidelines will be relaxed to facilitate the financing of housing sector who are eligible under <strong>Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)</strong> in consultation with RBI.</li>
<li><strong>Housing Building Advance:</strong> To encourage government servants to buy new houses, the interest rates on <strong>House Building Advance</strong> will be lowered and linked with 10-year government-security yields.</li>
<li><strong>GST Rate Cut:</strong> The government has reduced GST rates to a marginal 1% for the affordable housing project and 5% for under-construction houses.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The lower tax burden on home buyers is expected to push demand in the segment which, in turn, will keep developers committed to build more affordable homes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government must not look to penalise the developers but optimize the opportunity so that stalled project can be completed and buyers could get their dream houses.</li>
<li>It should ensure that <strong>funding from AIF</strong> goes to genuine developers who are willing to complete the stalled project and handover the inventories to buyers in given time frame.</li>
<li>The government should focus on the framework to assess the requirement of housing at local levels and then allowing the requisite amount to be developed i.e <strong>need based planning</strong> at local level.</li>
<li><strong>Infrastructure status</strong> to housing segment may lead to flow of funds at cheaper rate and can significantly help in tackling liquidity crunch but government needs to be cautious that fund flows to affordable housing sector only.</li>
<li>Generally, in manufacturing, we first produce, then sell and earn profits but in real estate sector, we first sell and earn profit and then produce which leads to corruption and undelivered promises.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this regard, the government could also try<strong> Singapoarian model</strong> where government created the housing stocks and then sold it off.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The real estate sector has so much to contribute to the people's life in terms of providing shelter, employment etc. But the problem has come to a stage where we need 1.5 crore housing units and at the same time, lakhs of housing units remain unsold.</p>
<p>Majority of projects are still viable and can be handed over to buyers, therefore, capital infusion to genuine developers who are willing to complete the stalled project should be provided with the opportunity.</p>
<p>It is high time to strike the root cause of the problem and convert the crisis into an opportunity to create good solutions and boost the economy.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-reviving-real-estate'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Ministry of Women and Child Development</strong> has launched the <strong>Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK)</strong> in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The BPKK will be a <strong>repository of diverse crops across agro-climatic zones in India</strong> for better nutritional outcomes.</li>
<li>The country has been broadly divided into <strong>fifteen agricultural regions</strong> based on agro climatic features, particularly soil type, climate including temperature and rainfall and its variation and water resources.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574146362_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574146362_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="489" height="566" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the launch event, <strong>the father of the Green Revolution in India, M S Swaminathan</strong> put forward the <strong>five-point action programme</strong> for making India nutrition secure. These are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ensure calorie rich diet for women, expectant mothers and children.</li>
<li>Ensure intake of proteins in the form of pulses to eradicate protein hunger in women and children.</li>
<li>Eradicate hidden hunger due to deficiency of micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B, Iron and Zinc.</li>
<li>Ensure clean drinking water supply.</li>
<li>Spreading nutrition literacy in every village particularly in mothers with children less than 100 days&rsquo; old.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The five point action programme also aligns with different <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-indias-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong></a> such as<strong> SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).</strong></li>
<li>The Government has launched programmes such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/challenges-in-national-nutrition-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>POSHAN Abhiyaan</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-matru-vandana-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)</strong></a> to tackle malnutrition prevalent in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591912" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatiya-poshan-krishi-kosh'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Convergence of Agriculture and Nutrition',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-jan-aandolan-for-nutrition-6124546/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"A jan aandolan for nutrition"</a> which was published in The Indian Express on 18/11/2019. It talks about the government&rsquo;s efforts to tackle malnutrition in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Agricultural productivity in India has seen impressive growth in recent years fuelled by systemic and scientific improvements like the Green Revolution, globalisation and industrialisation of the food sector. Even after all this growth, malnutrition continues to remain a challenge with serious social and economic costs.</p>
<p>There has been a significant disconnect between agriculture and nutrition due to the demands on quantity rather than quality, driven by exponential population growth but there is a need to converge agriculture and nutrition if the problem has to be tackled.</p>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is a <strong>geographically and culturally vast country</strong> which makes it far difficult to keep track of the levels of malnutrition.</li>
<li>The <strong>advent of modern food systems</strong> has resulted in a loss of knowledge on and consumption of traditional and local nutrient-rich foods in favour of less nutritious industrialised and processed food products.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the replacement of nutrient-dense millets by other grains has been a result of globalisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Missions to tackle nutrition from farm to table <strong>involve multiple stakeholders,</strong> with the government at one end and individuals at the other and it makes this loop hard for common people&rsquo;s understanding.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Malnutrition</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>complex and multi-dimensional issue,</strong> affected mainly by a number of factors including-
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Poverty</li>
<li>Inadequate food distribution and consumption</li>
<li>Improper maternal infant and child feeding care practices</li>
<li>Inequity and gender imbalances</li>
<li>Poor sanitary and environmental conditions</li>
<li>Restricted access to quality health, education and social care services</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It has <strong>long-lasting and critical effects</strong> on a nation&rsquo;s progress and future.</li>
<li>The <strong>World Bank</strong> reports that the <strong>annual cost of malnutrition in India is at least $10 billion</strong> and is <strong>driven by the loss of productivity, illness and death</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<p>Government has taken several steps to address the concern. The following initiatives can go a long way to address the gap and propel parents and communities to rethink on consumption patterns.</p>
<p><strong>Poshan Abhiyaan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>set up by Government of India in 2017</strong> for a <strong>three-year time frame</strong> commencing from 2017-18 which <strong>aims at targeted reduction of stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low-birth-weight babies</strong> in India.</li>
<li>It is set up under the aegis of the <strong>Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD)</strong>.</li>
<li>At the <strong>agricultural</strong> level, it aims to <strong>amalgamate knowledge of regional food systems</strong>.</li>
<li>At the <strong>consumer</strong> level, it aims to <strong>foster social and behavioural changes</strong> among individuals, especially parents.</li>
<li>It seeks to <strong>improve linkages between communities and health systems,</strong> thus paving the way for a mass movement to promote a transformative change.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones</strong> in India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Harvard Chan School of Public Health</strong> through its <strong>India Research Center</strong> and the <strong>Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</strong> will document and evaluate promising regional dietary practices.</li>
<li>In consultation with the Ministry of WCD, the project team will <strong>select around 12 high focus states</strong> which are <strong>representative of the geographical, social, economic, cultural and structural diversities</strong> of India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In each of the states or group of states, the team will <strong>identify a local partner organization</strong> which has relevant work experience in <strong>Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC)</strong> and nutrition for developing the Poshan atlas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Poshan Atlas</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>food atlas</strong> developed by the Ministry of WCD to keep all the food-data at one place.</li>
<li>The data would be <strong>accessible to policy-makers, administrators, experts and communities to help meet nutritional outcomes</strong>.</li>
<li>The information gained through the atlas will be passed on at the district level for implementation through cooperative tasks among all the stakeholders.</li>
<li>The atlas will create a <strong>repository of traditional foods/crops and cultural practices associated with them</strong>. These tools will help in developing closer ties between the agricultural and nutrition sectors.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Such missions should consider <strong>easing the lengthy processes along the food supply chain</strong> and make <strong>every stakeholder accountable</strong> (government, market and consumers) for their works.</li>
<li><strong>Food and crop diversity need to be linked with agro-ecological patterns</strong> like soil, groundwater, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Awareness</strong> about the traditionally grown crops, about their nutrition and micro-nutrient content, about ways to move away from mono-cropping and increase crop diversity to increase diet diversity should be spread.</li>
<li><strong>Understanding social, behavioural and cultural practices</strong> can promote healthy dietary practices and reinforce healthy dietary behaviours both at individual and community levels.</li>
<li><strong>Creation of a database</strong> linking relevant agro-food system data can be more cost-effective and sustainable over the long run which would save a lot of finances.</li>
</ul>
<p>Awareness and knowledge about our crop diversity and regional variations in nutritious food will provide a nudge for behaviour change across the country propelling demand which, in turn, will provide opportunities to farmers and agro-processing units to address consumer needs. Citizens of India will have to come together and join hands to revive our food and crop diversities and use our traditional knowledge for tackling undernutrition and malnutrition.</p>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fffbe6; border-color: #002fba;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question:</strong></em><br /><br />&ldquo;The awareness of the extent of malnutrition despite agricultural growth has led to a need to converge agriculture and nutrition.&rdquo; Explain.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/convergence-of-agriculture-and-nutrition'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Sangam Age',
		'catname' => 'Paper 1',
		'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The period roughly between the <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> century B.C.</strong> and <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> century A.D.</strong> in South India (the area lying to the south of river Krishna and Tungabhadra) is known as Sangam Period.</li>
<li>It has been named after the Sangam academies held during that period that flourished under the royal patronage of the <strong>Pandya kings</strong> of Madurai.</li>
<li>At the sangams eminent scholars assembled and functioned as the board of censors and the choicest literature was rendered in the nature of anthologies.</li>
<li>These literary works were the earliest specimens of Dravidian literature.</li>
<li>According to the Tamil legends, there were <strong>three</strong> Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) held in the ancient South India popularly called <strong>Muchchangam</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>First Sangam</strong>, is believed to be held at <strong>Madurai</strong>, attended by gods and legendary sages. No literary work of this Sangam is available.</li>
<li>The <strong>Second Sangam</strong> was held at <strong>Kapadapuram</strong>, only <strong>Tolkappiyam</strong> survives from this.</li>
<li>The <strong>Third Sangam</strong> was also held at <strong>Madurai</strong>. A few of these Tamil literary works have survived and are a useful sources to reconstruct the history of the Sangam period.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Literature: Major source giving details of Sangam Age</h3>
<p>The Sangam literature includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named &ndash; Silappathikaram and Manimegalai .</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Tolkappiyam</strong> was authored by Tolkappiyar and is <strong>considered the earliest of Tamil literary work</strong>. Though it is a work on Tamil grammar but it also provides insights on the political and socio-economic conditions of the time.</li>
<li><strong>Ettutogai</strong> (Eight Anthologies) consist of eight works &ndash; Aingurunooru, Narrinai, Aganaooru, Purananooru, Kuruntogai, Kalittogai, Paripadal and Padirruppatu.</li>
<li><strong>The Pattuppattu</strong> (Ten Idylls) consists of ten works &ndash; Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunararruppadai, Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai, Mullaippattu, Nedunalvadai, Maduraikkanji, Kurinjippatttu,Pattinappalai and Malaipadukadam.</li>
<li><strong>Pathinenkilkanakku</strong> contains eighteen works <strong>about ethics and morals</strong>. The most important among these works is Tirukkural authored by <strong>Thiruvalluvar</strong>, the tamil great poet and philosopher.</li>
<li>The two epics <strong>Silappathikaram is written by Elango Adigal and Manimegalai by Sittalai Sattanar</strong>. They also provide valuable details about the Sangam society and polity.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Other Sources</strong> that give details about the Sangam Period are &ndash;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Greek authors like Megasthenes, Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy mentioning about commercial trade contacts between the West and South India.</li>
<li>The Ashokan inscriptions mentioned about the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers to the south of Mauryan empire.</li>
<li>Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga also has mention of Tamil kingdoms.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Political History of Sangam Period<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" width="425" height="349" style="float: right; margin: 5px;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<p>South India, during the Sangam Age, was ruled by three dynasties-<strong>the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas</strong>. The main source of information about these kingdoms is traced from the literary references of Sangam Period.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574077011_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
<h3>Cheras</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cheras controlled the central and northern parts of Kerala and the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Vanji was their capital and the ports of the west coast, Musiri and Tondi, were under their control.</li>
<li>The emblem of Cheras was <strong>&ldquo;bow and arrow&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>The Pugalur inscription of the 1<sup>st</sup> century AD has reference to three generations of Chera rulers.</li>
<li>The Cheras owed its importance to trade with the Romans. They also built a temple of Augustus there.</li>
<li>The greatest ruler of Cheras was <strong>Senguttuvan, the Red Chera</strong> or the Good Chera, who belonged to the 2nd century A.D.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>His military achievements have been chronicled in epic Silapathikaram, with details about his expedition to the Himalayas where he defeated many north Indian rulers.</li>
<li>Senguttuvan introduced the Pattini cult or the <strong>worship of Kannagi</strong> as the ideal wife in Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>He was the first to send an embassy to China from South India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cholas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cholas controlled the central and northern parts of Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Their core area of rule was the <strong>Kaveri delta</strong>, later known as <strong>Cholamandalam</strong>.</li>
<li>Their capital was Uraiyur (near Tiruchirapalli town) and Puhar or Kaviripattinam was an alternative royal residence and chief port town.</li>
<li><strong>Tiger</strong> was their emblem.</li>
<li>The Cholas also maintained an <strong>efficient navy</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>King Karikala</strong> was a famous king of the Sangam Cholas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pattinappalai portrays his life and military conquests.</li>
<li>Many Sangam poems mention the Battle of Venni where he defeated the confederacy of Cheras, Pandyas and eleven minor chieftains.</li>
<li>Karikala&rsquo;s military achievements made him the overlord of the whole Tamil region of that time.</li>
<li>Trade and commerce flourished during his reign.</li>
<li>He <strong>founded the port city of Puhar</strong> (identical with Kaveripattinam) and constructed 160 km of embankment along the Kaveri River.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pandyas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Pandyas ruled from Madurai.</li>
<li>Korkai was their main port, located near the confluence of Thampraparani with the Bay of Bengal. It was famous for pearl fishery and chank diving.</li>
<li>Their emblem was the <strong>&ldquo;Fish&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>They patronized the Tamil Sangams and facilitated the compilation of the Sangam poems.</li>
<li>Rulers kept a regular army.</li>
<li>Trade was prosperous and their pearls were famous.</li>
<li>Sati, caste, idol worship were common. Widows were treated badly.</li>
<li>They adopted the Vedic religion of sacrifice and patronized Brahmin priests.</li>
<li>Their power declined with the invasion of a tribe called the Kalabhras.</li>
<li>After the Sangam Age, this dynasty lost its significance for more than a century, only to rise once again at the end of the 6th century.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Polity and Administration</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the Sangam period <strong>hereditary monarchy</strong> was the form of government.</li>
<li>Each of the dynasties of Sangam age had a royal emblem &ndash; tiger for the Cholas, carp/Fish for the Pandyas, and bow for the Cheras.</li>
<li>The king was assisted by a wide body of officials who were categorised into five councils.</li>
<li>They were <strong>ministers (amaichar), priests (anthanar), envoys (thuthar), military commanders (senapathi), and spies (orrar)</strong>.</li>
<li>The military administration was efficiently organized and a <strong>regular army</strong> was associated with each ruler.</li>
<li>The <strong>chief source of state&rsquo;s income was land revenue</strong> while a custom duty was also imposed on foreign trade.</li>
<li>Major source of fulfilling the royal treasury was the booty captured in wars.</li>
<li>The roads and highways were maintained and guarded to prevent robbery and smuggling.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sangam Society</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tolkappiyam refers to the <strong>Five-fold division of lands</strong> &ndash; Kurinji (hilly tracks), Mullai (pastoral), Marudam (agricultural), Neydal (coastal) and Palai (desert).</li>
<li>Tolkappiyam also refers to <strong>four castes</strong> namely arasar(Ruling Class), anthanar, vanigar(carried on trade and commerce) and vellalar(Agriculturists).</li>
<li>Ancient primitive tribes like Thodas, Irulas, Nagas and Vedars lived in this period.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Position of Women during Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A lot of information is available in the Sangam literature to understand the position of women during the Sangam age.</li>
<li>Women had respect and were allowed intellectual pursuits.There were <strong>women poets like Avvaiyar, Nachchellaiyar, and Kakkaipadiniyar</strong> who flourished and contributed to Tamil literature.</li>
<li>Women were allowed to choose their life partners. But life of widows was miserable.</li>
<li>There is also a mention about the practice of Sati being prevalent in the higher strata of society.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Religion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>primary deity of the Sangam period was Murugan</strong>, who is hailed as Tamil God.</li>
<li>The worship of Murugan was having an ancient origin and the festivals relating to God Murugan was mentioned in the Sangam literature.</li>
<li>Murugan was honoured with six abodes known as Arupadai Veedu.</li>
<li>Other gods worshipped during the Sangam period were Mayon (Vishnu), Vendan (Indiran), Varunan and Korravai.</li>
<li>The <strong>Hero Stone or Nadu Kal worship</strong> was significant in the Sangam period and was erected in memory of the bravery shown by the warriors in the battle.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economy of the Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agriculture was the chief occupation</strong> where rice was the most common crop.</li>
<li>The handicraft included weaving, metal works and carpentry, ship building and making of ornaments using beads, stones and ivory.</li>
<li>These were in great demand in the internal and external trade that was at its peak during the Sangam period.</li>
<li>A high expertise was attained in spinning and weaving of cotton and silk clothes. These were in <strong>great demand in the western world especially for the cotton clothes woven at Uraiyur</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>port city of Puhar</strong> became an important place of foreign trade, as big ships entered this port containing precious goods.</li>
<li>Other significant ports of commercial activity were Tondi, Musiri, Korkai, Arikkamedu and Marakkanam.</li>
<li>Many gold and silver coins that were issued by the Roman Emperors like Augustus, Tiberius and Nero have been found in all parts of Tamil Nadu indicating flourishing trade.</li>
<li><strong>Major exports of the Sangam age were cotton fabrics and spices</strong> like pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric along with ivory products, pearls and precious stones.</li>
<li><strong>Major imports</strong> for the traders were <strong>horses, gold, and sweet wine</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>End of Sangam Age</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sangam period slowly witnessed its decline towards the end of the 3<sup>rd</sup> century A.D.</li>
<li>The Kalabhras occupied the Tamil country post-sangam period between 300 AD to 600 AD, whose period was called an interregnum or 'dark age' by earlier historians.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper1/sangam-age-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>For Mind Map</em></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/sangam-age-1'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Mhadei River',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574065952_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574065952_image4.png" style="float: right;" /></a></h3>
<p><strong>Goa and Karnataka</strong> have had long disputes over <strong>water sharing issues of the Mhadei river</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mahadayi or Mhadei, the <strong>west-flowing river, originates in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Western Ghats)</strong>, Belagavi district of <strong>Karnataka</strong>.</li>
<li>It is essentially a <strong>rain-fed river</strong> also called <strong>Mandovi </strong>in Goa.</li>
<li>It is joined by a number of streams to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers (the other one is Zuari river) that flows through Goa.</li>
<li>The river travels 35 km in Karnataka; 82 km in Goa before joining the Arabian Sea.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Kalasa-Banduri Nala Project</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>undertaken by the Government of Karnataka</strong> to improve drinking water supply to the three districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag.</li>
<li>It involves building across <strong>Kalasa and Banduri, two tributaries of the Mahadayi river</strong> to divert water to the Malaprabha river.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Malaprabha river</strong> supplies the drinking water to Dharwad, Belgaum, and Gadag districts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Kalasa-Banduri project was planned in <strong>1989</strong>; <strong>Goa</strong> raised an <strong>objection</strong> to it.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal</strong> was set up in <strong>2010</strong>. <strong>Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra</strong> are parties to the tribunal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-another-election-another-churn-why-the-mhadeis-waters-are-muddy-again-6124575/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: IE</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mhadei-river'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Jayakwadi Dam',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, several instruments like seismometer, piezometer, slope meter stopped functioning properly at the Jayakwadi dam. The seismometer was installed at the Jayakwadi dam after the devastating earthquake in Latur district, Maharashtra in 1993.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Jayakwadi Dam is located on the <strong>Godavari river</strong> in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069286_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069286_image3.png" width="396" height="274" style="float: right;" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dam aims to address the dual problems of <strong>flooding</strong> along the banks during monsoon months, and that of <strong>drought</strong> during the rest of the year, particularly in the Marathwada region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>seismometer</strong> is an instrument used to <strong>measure and record seismic waves</strong>. Seismic waves study helps geologists to map the interior of the Earth, and measure and locate earthquakes and other ground motions like volcanic eruptions, explosions, etc. precisely.</li>
<li>A <strong>piezometer</strong> is an instrument used for <strong>measuring the pressure of a liquid or gas</strong> or things related to pressure (such as the compressibility of liquid). It measures the strain of a liquid or fuel. They are often placed in boreholes to monitor the pressure or depth of groundwater.</li>
<li>A <strong>slope meter</strong> is used to measure the angles of slope, elevation or despair of an object.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/seismometer-other-key-devices-at-jayakwadi-dam-go-out-of-order/article30004236.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jayakwadi-dam'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'National Agrochemicals Congress',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The first-ever <strong>National Agrochemicals Congress</strong> was held at the <strong>Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi</strong> from 13<sup>th</sup> - 16<sup>th</sup> November 2019. It <strong>will be conducted every three years</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>theme</strong> of the Congress <strong>is &lsquo; Country's Status on Various Fronts of Agrochemicals&rsquo;</strong>.</li>
<li>Agrochemicals imply chemicals used in agriculture, such as a pesticide or fertilizer.</li>
<li>The Congress was conducted in view of <strong>the role chemical pesticides still continue to play</strong> in pest management as more and more target-specific and environment-friendly products are being introduced.</li>
<li>It was conducted by the <strong>Society of Pesticide Science India,</strong> headquartered at Division of Agricultural Chemicals,IARI , New Delhi.</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Labelling of pesticide indicating the mode of action,</li>
<li>To rethink on restrictive banning of pesticides in view of risk-based considerations,</li>
<li>Policy regarding data protection of imported technical pesticides and</li>
<li>Policy for the introduction of safe nano-formulations and empowerment of farmers through training and extension.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Agricultural Research Institute</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IARI is the leading institution for agricultural research, education and extension in the country.</li>
<li>It comes <strong>under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</strong>, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Council is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591846" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-agrochemicals-congress'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => '250th Session of Rajya Sabha',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Rajya Sabha secretariat</strong> has released the <strong>first-ever analysis</strong> of its legislative work, <strong>&ldquo;Rajya Sabha: The Journey since 1952&rdquo;</strong> on the occasion of the <strong>250<sup>th</sup> session of Rajya Sabha</strong>.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Rajya Sabha has <strong>passed 3,817 Bills</strong> till the end of its 249th session (Monsoon Session, 2019).</li>
<li>The recent monsoon session of Rajya Sabha(2019) has been reported as <strong>the most productive session (103%)</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Productivity signifies the number of hours the House actually functioned compared to the number of hours officially earmarked for it to work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>representation of women in Rajya Sabha increased</strong> from 15 (6.94%) in 1952 to 31 (12.76%) in 2014 but decreased to 26 (10.83%) in 2019.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574064781_Infograph.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574064781_Infograph.png" width="504" height="675" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>Some Unique Events Related to Rajya Sabha</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Casting vote by Chairman:</strong> The <strong>first and the only time</strong> when a Presiding Officer of Rajya Sabha cast his vote was for the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Ordinance, 1991.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Chairman <strong>cannot vote in the first instance</strong>; he can only exercise a casting vote in the case of a tie.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/president-s-rule-in-maharashtra" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>President Rule</strong></a> <strong>approved only by Rajya Sabha:</strong> It has happened only twice for extension of President Rule in Tamil Nadu (1977) and in Haryana (1991 ) when Lok Sabha was dissolved.</li>
<li><strong>Bills passed at the joint sittings of both the Houses of Parliament:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The joint sitting has passed only three bills, namely</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Dowry Prohibition Bill, 1959 passed at a joint sitting in 1961.</li>
<li>The Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill,1978 passed at a joint sitting in 2018.</li>
<li>The Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002 passed at a joint sitting in 2002.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Joint sitting is <strong>extraordinary machinery</strong> provided by the Constitution to <strong>resolve</strong> <strong>a deadlock</strong> between the two Houses over the passage of a bill.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rajya Sabha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>maximum strength</strong> of the Rajya Sabha is <strong>fixed at 250</strong>, out of which, 238 are to be the representatives of the states and union territories (elected indirectly) and <strong>12 are nominated by the president</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The representatives of states are <strong>elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>representatives of each union territory</strong> are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college specially constituted for the purpose</li>
<li>The seats are allotted to the states in the Rajya Sabha on the <strong>basis of the population</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Rajya Sabha <strong>(first constituted in 1952)</strong> is a <strong>permanent body</strong> and not <strong>subject to dissolution</strong>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>one-third of its members retire every second year</strong>.</li>
<li>The retiring members are eligible for re-election and renomination any number of times.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Constitution has <strong>not fixed the term of office</strong> of members of the Rajya Sabha and left it to the Parliament.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Accordingly, the <strong>Parliament</strong> in the <strong>Representation of the People Act (1951)</strong> provided that the term of office of a member of the Rajya Sabha shall be <strong>six years</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Special Powers</strong> of Rajya Sabha include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It can authorize the Parliament to make a <strong>law on a subject enumerated in the State List (Article 249)</strong>.</li>
<li>It can authorize the Parliament to <strong>create new All-India Services</strong> common to both the Centre and states <strong>(Article 312)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1591877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/250th-session-of-rajya-sabha'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Sangam Age',
		'catname' => 'Paper 1',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574409421_Sangam%20Age (Mind Map).png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574409421_Sangam Age (Mind Map).png" width="415" height="1618" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/to-the-points/paper1/sangam-age-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>For TTP</em></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper1/sangam-age-2'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Willingdon Island',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Willingdon Island is a seaport located in the city of Kochi, Kerala.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>largest man-made/artificial island</strong> of India and is surrounded by backwaters (a part of a river in which there is little or no current).</li>
<li>It was carved out of <strong>Vembanad Lake</strong> and is connected via road and rail. The island is connected to the mainland by the <strong>Venduruthy Bridge</strong>.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>major commercial centre</strong> and is home to the <strong>Kochi Naval Base</strong> of the Indian Navy, the <strong>Central Institute of Fisheries Technology </strong>and the <strong>Port of Kochi</strong>.</li>
<li>It was named after the <strong>Viceroy Lord Willingdon and was created artificially in 1936</strong> during his rule to improve the trade relations of British India with the rest of the world.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Lord Willingdon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He served as 22<sup>nd</sup> Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1931 to 1936.</li>
<li>Important events of this period include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Second (1931) and Third (1932) Round Table Conferences</li>
<li>Relaunching of Civil Disobedience Movement</li>
<li>Communal Award by Ramsay MacDonald (1932)</li>
<li>Poona Pact (1932)</li>
<li>Government of India Act 1935</li>
<li>Separation of Burma from India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/willingdon-island'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Persecution of Uighurs',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to leaked Chinese government documents, there was a clampdown on Uighurs and other Muslims in the country&rsquo;s western <strong>Xinjiang region</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the United Nations experts and activists, at least 1 million <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unsc-on-persecution-of-minorities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minority groups</a> have been detained in camps in Xinjiang in a crackdown.</li>
<li>The documents reveal that the Chinese leadership&rsquo;s fears were heightened by terrorist attacks in other countries and the U.S. drawdown of troops from Afghanistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Uighur is a predominantly <strong>Turkic-speaking ethnic group</strong>.</li>
<li>They are primarily confined in <strong>China&rsquo;s northwestern region of Xinjiang</strong> and is one of the largest <strong>Muslim group</strong> in that region.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069201_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1574069201_image2.png" width="447" height="251" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/leaked-chinese-government-documents-show-details-of-xinjiang-clampdown-says-news-report/article29997947.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/persecution-of-uighurs'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'SAANS Campaign',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a campaign in Gujarat named <strong>Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS)</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim is <strong>to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia,</strong> which contributes to around 15% of deaths of children under the age of five annually.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To mobilise people to protect children from pneumonia, and train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritised treatment to control the disease.</li>
<li>A child suffering from pneumonia will be treated with a <strong>pre-referral dose of antibiotic amoxicillin</strong> by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-health-mission-and-janani-suraksha-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)</a> workers.</li>
<li><strong>Pulse Oximeter</strong> (device to monitor oxygen saturation) will be used at the Health and Wellness Centre for identification of low oxygen levels in the blood of child and if required, the child can be treated by the use of oxygen cylinders.</li>
<li>A <strong>mass awareness campaign</strong> will be launched about the <strong>effective solutions for pneumonia prevention</strong> like breastfeeding, age-appropriate complementary feeding and immunization etc.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Pneumonia</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Pneumonia is an <strong>infection that inflames the air sacs (alveoli) in one or both lungs</strong>. The air sacs may fill up with fluid or pus, causing symptoms such as a cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing.</li>
<li><strong>Agents:</strong> Many germs can cause pneumonia. The most common are bacteria and viruses in the air that humans breathe.</li>
<li>It is <strong>preventable through vaccination</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Population:</strong> Infants and young children, people older than age 65, and people with weak immune systems.</li>
<li><strong>The prevalence rate among Infants in India:</strong> Under-five mortality rate in the country is 37 per 1000 live births, of which 5.3 deaths are caused due to pneumonia.</li>
<li><strong>Step Taken by India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government aims to achieve a <strong>target</strong> of <strong>reducing pneumonia deaths</strong> among children to <strong>less than three per 1,000 live births by 2025</strong>.</li>
<li>In 2014, India launched <strong>&lsquo;Integrated Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (IAPPD)&rsquo;&nbsp;</strong>to undertake collaborative efforts towards prevention of diarrhoea and Pneumonia related under-five deaths.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/saans-aims-to-reduce-child-mortality/article29997376.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: TH</a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/saans-campaign'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Supreme Court on Religious Practices',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/fraught-course-sabarimala-verdict-supreme-court-6122011/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Fraught course&rdquo;</strong></a>, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-three-cases-sc-wants-clubbed-with-sabarimala-review-women-entry-temple-religious-places-cji-ranjan-gogoi-6121578/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Explained: The three cases SC wants clubbed with Sabarimala review</strong></a>&rdquo;, &ldquo;<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-supreme-courts-sabarimala-order-and-the-essentiality-test-in-religious-practice-6119369/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sabarimala order: What is the &lsquo;essentiality&rsquo; test in religious practice?</strong></a>&rdquo;, which were published in The Indian Express on 16/11/2019. It talks about Indian judiciary&rsquo;s intervention in religious matters, mainly concerning women and their rights.</p>
</div>
<p>The <strong>Supreme Court&rsquo;s five-judge constitution bench</strong> has decided to <strong>refer the Sabarimala temple case,</strong> clubbed with other 3 pending cases broadly related to the rights of women in the sphere of religion, to a <strong>larger 7-judge Bench.</strong> This leads the apex court into potentially dangerous and conflicting territories.</p>
<p>The new bench has been tasked with finding the balance between the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/regulating-right-to-freedom-of-religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right to Freedom of Religion</strong></a> and <strong>other constitutionally-guaranteed rights,</strong> especially the <strong>Right to Equality (Article 14:</strong> The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India), defining <strong>&ldquo;essential religious practice&rdquo;</strong> and<strong> &ldquo;constitutional morality&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Context</h3>
<p><strong>Entry of women into the Sabarimala temple</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On 28<sup>th</sup> September <strong>2018, SC lifted the ban</strong> that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 (mainly menstruating women) from <strong>entering the famous Ayyappa shrine</strong> in Kerala by a majority verdict of 4:1.</li>
<li>It held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was <strong>illegal and unconstitutional (Article 14 and 25).</strong></li>
<li>Temple custodians argue that women of menstrual age are prohibited from offering prayers as the deity there, Ayyappa, is a celibate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Muslim women&rsquo;s entry into mosques</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In April <strong>2019,</strong> the SC was moved to seek directions <strong>for allowing Muslim women to enter mosques through the main door,</strong> and to have the &ldquo;Islamic right to visual and auditory access to the <strong>&lsquo;musalla&rsquo;</strong> (main prayer area)&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The petition said that &ldquo;this <strong>act of prohibition is void and unconstitutional</strong> as such practices are not only repugnant to the basic dignity of a woman as an individual but also violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under <strong>Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25</strong> of the Constitution&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The matter was last heard on November 5, 2019, by a Bench comprising CJI-designate Justice S A Bobde and Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Female genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohras</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On September 24, <strong>2018,</strong> a Bench of SC referred the matter in <strong>&lsquo;Sunita Tiwari vs Union of India and Ors&rsquo;</strong> to a larger Bench of the Supreme Court.</li>
<li>The petition, filed under <strong>Article 32</strong> of the Constitution, had questioned the constitutionality of the practice of <strong>Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)</strong> or<strong> &lsquo;khatna&rsquo;,</strong> or <strong>Female Circumcision (FC)</strong> or <strong>&lsquo;khafd&rsquo;,</strong> which the petitioner said was carried out on every girl child in the Dawoodi Bohra community.</li>
<li>The petition relied on the <strong>UN Convention on the Rights of the Child</strong> and the <strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong> and urged that the practice is violative of <strong>Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty).</strong></li>
<li>The Bench submitted that the matter should be referred to a larger Bench, which the SC accepted.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Entry of Parsi women married to non-Parsis in the Agyari</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Special Leave Petition</strong> in<strong> &lsquo;Goolrukh Gupta vs Burjur Pardiwala&rsquo;</strong> arose out of a judgment passed by the Gujarat High Court in <strong>2012.</strong></li>
<li>The petitioner, Goolrukh Contractor Gupta, moved the High Court in 2010 after her friend who too, like her, was a Parsi married to a Hindu, was <strong>denied entry to the Tower of Silence</strong> during her mother&rsquo;s last rites some years before.</li>
<li>In the court, Goolrukh Gupta&rsquo;s counsel, argued that the question was, &ldquo;in the case of marriage between a Hindu and Parsi, does it result in automatic conversion of religion?&rdquo; The matter hence <strong>raised issues of gender justice.</strong></li>
<li>In<strong> December 2017,</strong> a <strong>Constitution Bench observed</strong> that &ldquo;DNA does not evaporate&rdquo; after marrying outside one&rsquo;s religion&rdquo;, and that <strong>by marrying outside her religion, a woman does not &ldquo;surrender her affection to her father&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Doctrine of Essentiality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The doctrine of &ldquo;essentiality&rdquo; was invented by a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the <strong>&lsquo;Shirur Mutt&rsquo; case in 1954.</strong> The court held that the term &ldquo;religion&rdquo; will cover all rituals and practices &ldquo;integral&rdquo; to a religion, and took upon itself the responsibility of determining the essential and non-essential practices of a religion.</li>
<li>Essential religious practice test is a contentious doctrine evolved by the court to protect only such religious practices which were essential and integral to the religion.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Constitutional Morality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Constitutional morality provides a principled understanding for unfolding the work of governance. It specifies norms for institutions to survive and an expectation of behaviour that will meet not just the text but the soul of the Constitution. It also makes the governing institutions and representatives accountable.</li>
<li>Constitutional morality has been used to emancipatory effect in past cases by the apex court. One of the examples is <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-section-377-judgement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>decriminalising homosexuality.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Review parameters usually permit a narrow reconsideration in case of an error in the verdict or discovery of new evidence but <strong>passing on to larger bench could open up new questions,</strong> instead of settling the old ones.</li>
<li>There are concerns within the court itself about <strong>clubbing these four issues</strong> together because this will lead to a situation where not everyone is equally content and a uniform verdict <strong>can give rise to religious conflicts.</strong></li>
<li>The inability to solve issues like this and passing on to the larger benches <strong>narrows down the scope for justice</strong> and for courts as well.</li>
<li>In setting itself the task of<strong> defining this constitutional morality,</strong> the court will now have to go into the question of its limits and boundaries, of its possible clash with religious beliefs and faith.</li>
<li>The <strong>essentiality test impinges on the autonomy and freedom of religion</strong> which was meant to guarantee freedom to practice one&rsquo;s beliefs based on the concept of &ldquo;inward association&rdquo; of man with God.</li>
<li>The Court is <strong>creating problems for itself</strong> as well as <strong>circumscribing individual freedoms and treading into the clergy&rsquo;s domain.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each of these issues must be considered on their own ground with <strong>different redressal mechanisms.</strong> On essential religious practice, SC should go case by case rather than aim for a grand unified theory.</li>
<li>The court has been inconsistent in applying the essential religious practice doctrine and maybe it should be left like that only to avoid further tensions.</li>
<li>Court&rsquo;s push for expanding its remit and for hard clarity on complex questions will prove difficult and maybe counterproductive so it <strong>should not dwell deeper into the religious matter after a certain point.</strong></li>
<li>The court upheld ideas of freedom and equality and the constitutional promise of a pluralistic and inclusive society while redressing an injustice which should be <strong>upheld as a beacon of hope for a just and equal society.</strong></li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f8ffd6;"><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span><br /><br />Objectives of gender justice go beyond the boundaries of the courts. Comment.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Essar Insolvency Case',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Supreme Court has recently given its judgement in the <strong>Essar Insolvency case.</strong> The Judgement has paved the way for ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel to take over debt-laden Essar Steel.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1573904953_Image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1573904953_Image2.jpg" width="397" height="371" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In March 2019, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-fact-for-prelims-4th-march-2019-" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)</strong></a> approved global steel-giant ArcelorMittal&rsquo;s bid for Essar Steel.</li>
<li>The <strong>Committee of Creditors (CoC)</strong> approved the resolution plan offered by the ArcelorMittal. Under the resolution plan, ArcelorMittal offered an advance cash payment of about ₹42,000 crore to the financial creditors and capital infusion of ₹8,000 in the next few years. However, the offer did not have much for operational creditors to Essar Steel.</li>
<li>In 2019, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-company-law-appellate-tribunal-nclat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)</strong></a> cleared the CoC&rsquo;s plan but <strong>changed the financial distribution plan</strong> by <strong>ordering an equal recovery plan</strong> for all creditors, including financial and operational creditors.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Wisdom of CoC:</strong> It is the commercial wisdom of the requisite majority (66%) of the CoC under the<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)</strong></a> to negotiate and accept a resolution plan, which may involve <strong>differential payment</strong> to different classes of creditors.</li>
<li><strong>Principle of Equality:</strong> The Court held that the equality principle cannot be stretched to treating unequals equally. This will destroy the very objective of the IBC to resolve stressed assets. <strong>Equitable treatment is to be accorded to each creditor depending upon the class to which it belongs:</strong> secured or unsecured, financial or operational.</li>
<li><strong>Restriction on Tribunals:</strong> Tribunals have no<strong> &ldquo;residual equity jurisdiction&rdquo;</strong> to interfere in the merits of a business decision taken by the CoC. This implies that the NCLT and NCLAT <strong>cannot interfere</strong> with the commercial decisions taken by the CoC.</li>
<li><strong>Financial vs Operational Creditors:</strong> The Court upheld the <strong>primacy of financial creditors</strong> over operational creditors in the distribution of funds received under the corporate insolvency scheme. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court explained that financial creditors are capital-providers for companies, i.e. help companies to purchase assets and run business operations.</li>
<li>Operational creditors, in a way, are beneficiaries of amounts lent by financial creditors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation of Resolution Deadline:</strong> The Supreme Court has <strong>done away with the 330-day mandatory deadline</strong> for the resolution of insolvency and bankruptcy cases after which liquidation is invoked. The bench allowed a bit of flexibility by allowing exceptions where the resolution plan is on the verge of being finalised.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 330-day mark is <strong>violation of Article 14</strong> (right to equal treatment ) of the Constitution <strong>and Article 19(1)(g)</strong> ( Right to carry any business) of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Likely Impact of the Judgement</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Impact on Banks:</strong> Banks will recover Rs. 42,000 crore against admitted debts of Rs. 49,473 crore- a recovery of about 85% compared to the average recovery of 53% in other resolution cases. This would help banks in boosting their capital adequacy.</li>
<li><strong>Speedy Resolution:</strong> The verdict is likely to reduce legal wrangling between financial and operational creditors and accelerate resolution process.</li>
<li><strong>Foreign Investment:</strong> It will attract investors who were getting wary of the nation&rsquo;s bankruptcy process.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is trying to attract foreign capital to its bad loan cleanup, as it battles the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/solving-the-npa-crisis-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>worst nonperforming loan ratio</strong> </a>among the world&rsquo;s major economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Upheld the Spirit of IBC:</strong> The removal of mandatory 330-day deadline will facilitate resolution, the ultimate objective of the IBC.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Insolvency Resolution Process in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Eligibility:</strong> Under IBC, companies (both private and public limited company) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) can be considered as defaulting corporate debtors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A <strong>corporate debtor</strong> is any <strong>corporate</strong> organization which owes a debt to any person.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Default Amount:</strong> The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code can be triggered if there is a <strong>minimum default of Rs 1 lakh.</strong> This process can be triggered by way of filing an application before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).</li>
<li><strong>Resolution Initiation:</strong> The process can be initiated by two classes of creditors which would include financial creditors and operational creditors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Creditors:</strong> A Creditor means any person to whom a debt is owed and includes a financial creditor, an operational creditor, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Creditors:</strong> The financial creditor in simple terms is the institution that provided money to the corporate entity in the form of loans, bonds etc. E.g. banks.</li>
<li><strong>Operational Creditors</strong>: An operational creditor is the entity who has a claim for providing any of the four categories to the defaulted corporate- goods, services, employment and Government dues (central govt, state or local bodies).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Appointment of Interim Resolution Professional:</strong> As soon as the matter is admitted by the NCLT, the NCLT proceeds with the appointment of an Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) who takes over the management of the defaulting debtor.</li>
<li><strong>Committee of Creditors (CoC):</strong> A committee consisting only of the financial creditors i.e. the CoC is formed by the IRP. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Only operational creditors having aggregate dues of at least 10% of the total debt are invited into the meeting of CoC <strong>(Operational creditors are not a member of CoC).</strong> The operational creditors don&rsquo;t have any voting power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP):</strong> It includes necessary steps to revive the company such as raising fresh funds for operation, looking for new buyer to sell the company as going concern, etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CoC takes a decision regarding the future of the outstanding debt owed to it. The resolution plan can be implemented only if it has been approved by 66% of the creditors in the CoC</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Liquidation Proceedings:</strong> In the event a resolution plan is not submitted or not approved by the committee of creditors (COC), the CIRP process is deemed to have failed. In such a situation the liquidation proceedings commences subject to the order of the tribunal.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/sc-clears-path-for-arcelormittal-to-acquire-bankrupt-essar-steel/article29988246.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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