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Financial Stability Report

The Reserve Bank of India released it’s 18th Financial Stability Report (FSR). FSR is a biannual publication. The FSRs are periodic exercise...

02 Jan 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims ( 1st January 2019)

Cinereous Vulture Recently the Cinereous vulture was spotted in Jharkhand, as they migrate from the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia to...

02 Jan 2019 News Analysis
United States and Israel Quit UNESCO

The United States and Israel have officially quit the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural agency, UNESCO. The US filed its notice to...

02 Jan 2019 News Analysis
Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes

(This editorial is based on the article “Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes” which appears in The Hindu on 1st January 2019.) When any...

02 Jan 2019 News Editorials
The Big Picture - Infrastructure and North-East

The central Government has given a big push to a diverse range of infrastructure projects in the North Eastern Region. The emphasis has been on...

01 Jan 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Export Promotion Council (EPC) Established for MSME Sector

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has recently established an Export Promotion Cell (EPC) with an aim to create a...

01 Jan 2019 News Analysis
NASA Spaceship Reaches Ultima Thule

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will fly past the icy object nicknamed Ultima Thule (TOO-lee) in Kuiper belt. Ultima Thule is located 1.6...

01 Jan 2019 News Analysis
Centre Extends AFSPA in Nagaland

The entire State of Nagaland has been declared ‘disturbed area’ for six more months up to June 2019, under Armed Forces (Special Powers)...

01 Jan 2019 News Analysis
The Future of Free Trade

(This editorial is based on the article “The future of free trade” which appears in Livemint on 1st January 2019.) The future of...

01 Jan 2019 News Editorials
Monuments of National Importance

Archaeological Survey of India has declared following monuments of national importance: The ancient Neemrana Baori in Rajasthan's Alwar...

01 Jan 2019 News Analysis
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

Why in News The bill recently got passed in Lok Sabha with 27 amendments. The bill will now be placed in Rajya Sabha. The bill seeks to protect...

31 Dec 2018 Paper 2
Bhutan's PM Visits India

Recently, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering came to India on a state visit. This was the first overseas visit by Bhutanese PM after assuming...

31 Dec 2018 News Analysis
Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity

India submitted its sixth national report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) during the inaugural session of the meeting of the...

31 Dec 2018 News Analysis
New Ecommerce Norms

The government has issued new rules regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion...

31 Dec 2018 News Analysis
Citizen-led Employment Generation is What’s Needed

(This editorial is based on the article “Citizen-led Employment Generation is what’s Needed” which appears in Livemint on 21st...

31 Dec 2018 News Editorials
Cabinet Approved Changes to POCSO Act

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 to make punishment more stringent for...

29 Dec 2018 News Analysis
In Depth: Biodiversity Report

Living Planet Report released by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature documents the state of the earth in terms of biodiversity and indicates the...

29 Dec 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018

The Union Cabinet has approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2018 which were last reviewed and issued in 2011. CRZ Notification...

29 Dec 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (29th December 2018)

Mission Gaganyaan The union cabinet has approved the indigenous manned space mission called Gaganyaan under which a three-member crew will be sent...

29 Dec 2018 News Analysis
National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2018

The Cabinet has approved the draft National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018, which seeks to replace the existing...

29 Dec 2018 News Analysis

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		(int) 0 => [
			'title' => 'Financial Stability Report',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Reserve Bank of India released it&rsquo;s <strong>18th Financial Stability Report (FSR). FSR is a biannual publication.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The FSRs are periodic exercise for reviewing the nature, magnitude and implications of risks that may have a bearing on the <strong>macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.</strong></li>
<li>These reports also assesses the resilience of the financial sector through<strong> stress tests.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Stress tests are used to gauge how certain unfavorable economic scenarios, such as a deep recession or financial crisis will affect a company, industry or specific portfolio. Stress tests are usually <strong>computer-generated simulation</strong> models that test hypothetical scenarios.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It reflects the collective assessment of the <strong>Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong> on risks to the financial stability of the country, as also the resilience of the financial system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s financial system <strong>remains stable</strong>, and the <strong>banking sector shows signs of improvement</strong>, even though the global economic environment and the emerging trends in financial sector pose challenges.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The reasons for these positive signs include <strong>credit growth of banks</strong> coupled with <strong>improvement in the asset quality of the banks.</strong></li>
<li>Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) has improved between March 2018 and September 2018, driven<strong> largely by private sector banks (PVBs).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The global growth outlook for 2018 and 2019 remains steady although the spillover risk to emerging economies because of tightening of financial conditions in Advanced Economies, protectionist trade policies and global geopolitical tension has significantly increased.</li>
<li>On the domestic front, growth of <strong>gross domestic product (GDP) showed slight moderation</strong> in Q2:2018-19 while <strong>inflation remains contained</strong>. At present, Inflation is at 2% which falls in the comfortable range of 2% to 6%.</li>
<li>Slowdown in GDP growth to 7.1%, but there is growth in <strong>Gross Fixed Capital Formation</strong> along with the dip in crude oil prices which are positive for a sustained growth going forward.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gross Fixed Capital Formation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) refers to the<strong> net increase in physical assets (investment minus disposals)</strong>. &nbsp;It does not account for the consumption (depreciation) of fixed capital.</li>
<li>It is a component of <strong>expenditure approach</strong> to calculating Gross Domestic Product (GDP).</li>
<li>GFCF is <strong>not a measure of total investment</strong>, because only the value of net additions to fixed assets is measured, and all kinds of financial assets, as well as stocks of inventories and other operating costs are excluded.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Decline in the ratio of gross non-performing assets (GNPA) to advances since September 2015, with both public sector and private sector lenders posting drops in the key indicator of bad loans.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, State-owned banks continue to have higher levels of bad loans than their private sector peers and are projected to show slower improvements over the second half of the fiscal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Recommended solution is <strong>reforms in governance</strong>, while the weaker ones among the public sector banks need to be<strong> supported through recapitalisation.</strong></li>
<li>Data on <strong>banking frauds</strong> are also a cause for concern. Close to 95% of the frauds reported in the six months were credit-related, with higher exposure to PSBs.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The graph of <strong>both the frauds as well as the amount</strong> involved has been on the <strong>rise steadily</strong> through the four years till FY18.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the wake of the crisis at infra-lender <strong>Infrastructure Leasing &amp; Financial Services (ILFS)</strong> and also a few years after chit fund scams, the RBI pitched for <strong>greater coordination</strong> between <strong>financial sector regulators</strong> to plug any possible gaps which may be exploited by players.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was set up by the Government as the apex level forum in <strong>December 2010.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of FSDC is to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development.</li>
<li>The Chairman of the Council is the <strong>Finance Minister</strong> and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA &amp; IRDA), Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In May, 2018</strong> government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and the Revenue Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>FSDC sub-committee</strong> is headed by the<strong> Governor of RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The Council can invite experts to its meeting if required.</li>
<li>The<strong> Raghuram Rajan committee (2008)</strong> on financial sector reforms first <strong>proposed the creation of FSDC.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/financial-stability-report'
		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims ( 1st January 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Cinereous Vulture<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428446_image37.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428446_image37.png" width="350" caption="false" style="float: right;" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the<strong> Cinereous vulture</strong> was spotted in Jharkhand, as they <strong>migrate from the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia</strong> to warmer places, including India.</li>
<li>While earlier records of this migratory bird have revealed that it comes to northern parts of India up to Rajasthan, but this is for the <strong>first time they have been spotted in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.</strong></li>
<li>The Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) draws its name from <strong>&ldquo;monachus&rdquo;,</strong> which means <strong>hooded (like a monk) in Latin.&nbsp;</strong></li>
<li>In many countries, this bird is called <strong>&lsquo;monk vulture&rsquo;,</strong> because of it&rsquo;s upright standing neck feathers that resemble the hood of a monk.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>dark brown and broad-winged species</strong> with a slightly wedge-shaped tail. The bald head and neck are a bluish gray, with a fluffy collar which is lighter in older birds.</li>
<li>It is classified as <strong>Near Threatened</strong> under the <strong>IUCN Red List.</strong></li>
<li>India is home to<strong> nine species of vultures</strong> and with the population of these birds dwindling, the country has launched a <strong>species-recovery plan</strong> through conservation breeding centres in different parts of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Parivesh Portal</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gujarat government</strong> and <strong>other states</strong> have decided to operationalise&nbsp;<strong>&lsquo;Parivesh&rsquo; (Pro-Active and Responsive Facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub)</strong> portal by January 15.</li>
<li>PARIVESH is a <strong>web-based, application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) Clearances from Central, State and district level authorities.</strong></li>
<li>It automates the entire tracking of proposals which includes online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals and displays status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow.</li>
<li>This portal is developed under <strong>&lsquo;Digital India&rsquo; initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'United States and Israel Quit UNESCO',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>United States and Israel</strong> have officially quit the UN&rsquo;s educational, scientific and cultural agency, UNESCO.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The US filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 which was followed by Israel.</li>
<li>The two countries have blamed UNESCO for having an <strong>anti-Israel bias</strong> like <strong>criticizing Israel&rsquo;s occupation of East Jerusalem,</strong> <strong>naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.</strong></li>
<li>The United States had pulled out of UNESCO in 1984 as well because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. The US rejoined in 2003.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNESCO</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong>, formed in 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.</li>
<li>Its declared purpose is to<strong> contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration</strong> through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.</li>
<li>UNESCO has<strong> 195 Members (including US and Israel).</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/united-states-and-israel-quit-unesco'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 1st January 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>When any crime occurs, inevitably, the unwanted-attention will always shift towards the survivor and not the perpetrator. But in doing so, society often engages in blaming the victim or the survivor. This phenomenon of victim blaming is seen worldwide.</strong> In India, the Supreme Court has taken notice of this phenomenon and has upheld the rights of the victims. Therefore, victims of crime in India now has a right to speak and the nation has a responsibility to listen.</p>
<h3>What is Victim Blaming?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Victim blaming is when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that befell them.</li>
<li>Victim blaming occurs at a disproportionate rate in sexual assault, especially when compared to other crimes.</li>
<li><strong>Example:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In a soci</strong>ety steeped in patriarchy, it's not uncommon for women to be blamed for inviting sexual assault and rape. Victims are often blamed for wearing short skirts or jeans, having boyfriends, being out late at night, or even talking on mobile phones.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Though the &lsquo;victim&rsquo; plays an important role in the criminal justice system his/her welfare is not given due regard by the state instrumentality. <strong>The term &lsquo;victim&rsquo; came to be defined in criminal law only in 2009 in India. Moreover, the victim of a crime is never heard as a victim during the trial of a case, but as a witness.</strong></p>
<h3>Why a legal definition of &lsquo;victim&rsquo; is important?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Crimes are registered in the form of sections of the Indian Penal Code (in numbers) which do not mean anything to the victims of crime in terms of their impact. Crimes do not impact all victims in the same manner.</strong></li>
<li><strong>There is no way to assess the impact suffered by a victim.</strong> And whatever little is tried in this direction is always through a third party, such as a prosecutor or judge, who is invariably incapable of registering the aftermath of victimization. (Only the victim of a crime may truly feel the impact of the crime, others can at best imagine and sympathize with it).<br />
<h3></h3>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Efforts of Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In Sakshi v. Union of India</strong>, the Supreme Court mandated &lsquo;in-camera&rsquo; trials particularly when the victim is a child or rape victim to maintain their privacy and dignity.</li>
<li><strong>In Nirmal Singh Kahlon v. the State of Punjab</strong>, the Apex Court observed that the right to a fair investigation and trial is applicable to the accused as well as the victim and such a right to a victim is provided under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Ergo, a victim of a crime is equally entitled to a fair investigation.</li>
<li><strong>In Bodhisattwa Gautam v. Subhra Chakraborty,</strong> the Supreme Court held that if the court trying an offense of rape has jurisdiction to award compensation at the final stage, the Court also has the right to award interim compensation.</li>
<li><strong>Recently, the Supreme Court issued a slew of directions to protect the identity of victims of rape.</strong> In Nipun Saxena vs Union of India, the SC ordered, among other things, that "In cases where the victim is dead or of unsound mind the name of the victim or her identity should not be disclosed even under the authorization of the next of the kin, unless circumstances justifying the disclosure of her identity exist, which shall be decided by the competent authority, which at present is the Sessions Judge".</li>
<li><a href="/interaction/viewtopic.php?f=38&amp;t=783" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The UN 1985 Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power</strong> </a>effectuated a movement for victim empowerment. That led to significant reforms in the criminal process. It enabled victims to have rights and reasonable protections, and assistance and participation in the system. It also made a powerful plea to provide a voice to the victims of crime during the trial stage.</li>
<li><strong>In Mallikarjun Kodagil (Dead) v. State of Karnataka (2018),</strong> the Supreme Court stressed the need to have a victim impact statement* &ldquo;so that an appropriate punishment is awarded to the convict&rdquo;. This throws up many issues that are of interest to the victims of crimes.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Victim impact statements:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Are written or oral information from crime victims, in their own words, about how a crime has affected them.</li>
<li>Many countries permit them at parole hearings, and victim impact information is generally included in the pre-sentencing report presented to the judge.</li>
<li>The purpose of victim impact statements is to allow crime victims, during the decision-making process on sentencing or parole, to describe to the court the impact of the crime.</li>
<li>Generally, a victim is assisted to submit a detailed form, which is standardized for this purpose, through a prosecutor.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Shortcomings in Law</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Criminal Procedure Code, in Section 235(2), places a mandatory duty on the court to hear the accused on the question of sentence. The idea is to collect personal information and consider it while specifying the quantum of punishment. <strong>While this practice is laudable, it causes a huge disadvantage to the victim of the crime as the trial court is under no legal obligation to hear the victim. As the victim is represented by a prosecutor, her concerns, as well as the impact of her <g class="gr_ gr_122 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="122" data-gr-id="122">victimisation</g>, remain unexpressed.</strong></li>
<li>The trial process is organized in such a manner that the personal appearance of the victim at all the crucial stages is restricted.</li>
<li>The victim is not present when charges are framed against the accused when the accused is discharged when bail is granted when parole is considered, and when punishment or compensation is decided.</li>
<li>By and large, the police, prosecutors and courts do not have any substantive legal obligation towards crime victims.</li>
<li>Often, the family members and friends of victims also make written and verbal statements and not the victim.</li>
<li>Indifference to crime victims remains deep-rooted in the accused-centric criminal justice system. <strong>As such &lsquo;Secondary victimization&rsquo; also takes place when the agencies of the criminal justice system treat victims of crime unfavorably or marginalize them during the trial.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A victim impact statement is an answer to most of the above-mentioned concerns.</strong> It has the potential to alter the course of things for victims of crime in India.</li>
<li><strong>Victim impact statements could provide information about the damage caused to victims by the crime, which is information that would otherwise not be available to the courts.</strong></li>
<li>Details of the financial impact of the crime &mdash; lost wages, medical or counseling expenses, transportation costs and damage to property, including a request for compensation or restitution &mdash; can also be included in these statements.</li>
<li>Hearing the victim during the sentencing will help the court decide the quantum of punishment as well as assess the amount of compensation to be ordered. <strong>The U.S., Canada, Australia, and many countries in Europe have made victim impact statements mandatory. It is time for India to do so too.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Providing timely assistance to victims of crime is of great significance because victims have suffered irreparable damages and harm as a result of a crime. The problems of victims and the impact of crime are long-lasting. Therefore, the agencies of the criminal justice system should be receptive to the needs of the victims of crime and address their issues sincerely and empathetically.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mainstreaming-victims-of-crimes'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture - Infrastructure and North-East',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0W2MFdDi_Z0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The central Government has given a big push to a diverse range of infrastructure projects in the North Eastern Region. The emphasis has been on improving rail, road, air and inland waterways connectivity in the region. In addition to this, schemes such as the National Bamboo mission, Digital North East Vision 2022 and North East Industrial Development Scheme have also been launched for the overall development of the North Eastern states.</p>
<h3>Infrastructural Development in North East</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The North-Eastern Council (NEC) is a nodal agency for economic and social development of the north-east.</strong> Its key members include governors and chief ministers of these eight states.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced connectivity in the Northeast will lead to two benefits.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Along with connectivity, the level of economic activity is bound to increase. Previously, even fiscal concession given to the states failed to attract significant industrial investments. The reason was high logistical costs of moving merchandise to high consumption regions. In this context, better connectivity provides a booster shot to economic activity, including tourism.</li>
<li>The other important benefit is from a strategic standpoint. The region borders China and considering the history of confrontations with China, it is essential that military personnel can be moved swiftly in the region.</li>
<li>For Example, Bogibeel Bridge will vastly improve access to Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Air Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NEC is funding <g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling gr-progress" id="95" data-gr-id="95">upgradation</g> of infrastructure in 12 operational airports.</li>
<li>The Pakyong Airport in Sikkim is the first greenfield airport in Northeast India. It is situated around 30 kilometers from Gangtok.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Road Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NEC is focusing on building roads spanning 10,500 kilometers, which will include inter-state and roads of economic importance.</li>
<li>Despite being the largest state in the country, Arunachal Pradesh has the least road density. The Union Ministry of Road and Transport is planning to expedite the Trans-Arunachal Highway project.</li>
<li>An express highway project along the Brahmaputra River, spanning 1,300 km, will come up and that is expected to resolve connectivity issues in Assam.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Railway Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are plans to provide a railway link for the NE states through 20 major railway projects, encompassing 13 new lines, two gauge conversions and five doublings with a length of nearly 2,624 kilometers.</li>
<li>Construction of a broad gauge railway line connecting Bairabi and Sairang is in progress that will connect capital cities of the north-eastern states by 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Digital connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Telecom Commission has approved a comprehensive strategy to implement BharatNet in North East Region (NER).</li>
<li>Under this strategy, 4240 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the North-East are to be connected by broadband and by satellite connectivity.</li>
<li>The telecom ministry has announced a multitude of goals with respect to North East&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The plan for 100 percent teledensity by 2020.</li>
<li>Expansion of mobile connectivity by 2019.</li>
<li>Last mile connectivity through BharatNet in all the Gram Panchayats including Satellite Connectivity in the difficult and inaccessible GPs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Network for Spectrum (NFS) project for providing Optical fiber connectivity for the defense forces in the border areas and Wi-Fi project to provide internet connectivity to the general rural public.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Bogibeel Bridge</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The combined road and rail bridge, which spans the River Brahmaputra between Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of Assam, is of immense economic and strategic significance for the nation.</li>
<li><strong>This is also Asia&rsquo;s 2nd longest railroad bridge that has a serviceable period of around 120 years.</strong></li>
<li>This is the 4th longest bridge in India after Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Assam), Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Bihar) and Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Mumbai, Maharashtra).</li>
<li>It took 16 years to complete the project as heavy rainfall in the region became the main cause for the slow progress.</li>
<li><strong>As the Bogibeel bridge being situated in an earthquake-prone area, it is built to withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 in Richter Scale.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The bridge will reduce the distance</strong> from Dibrugarh to Rangiya and a train journey from Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, to Dibrugarh (Assam) will be 180km.</li>
<li>People from Dhemaji, Jonai and North Lakhimpur who had to travel the whole day to cross the Brahmaputra to reach Dibrugarh, will now cross the river within hours.</li>
<li><strong>The Bogibeel Bridge is the insignia of the governments Act East Policy.</strong> The 3Cs of the Act East Policy, that is Commerce, Connect and Communicate are catered to by such infrastructure.</li>
<li>Investing in infrastructure would also generate employment and would play a major role in thwarting secessionist movements in the North East region.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>National Bamboo Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Mission envisages promoting holistic growth of the bamboo sector by adopting the area-based, regionally differentiated strategy. It aims to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing.</li>
<li>Under the Mission, steps have been taken to increase the availability of quality planting material by supporting the setting up of new nurseries and strengthening of existing ones.</li>
<li>To address forward integration, the Mission has taken steps to strengthen the marketing of bamboo products, especially those of handicraft items.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>North-East Industrial Development Scheme (</strong><g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="98" data-gr-id="98">NEIDS</g><strong>)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to promote employment in the North East States, Government is incentivizing primarily the MSME Sector through this scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tourism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>International Tourism Mart (ITM) is organized annually with the objective of showcasing the largely untapped tourism potential of the North East region in the domestic and international markets.</li>
<li>10% of the plan allocation of the Ministry of Tourism is marked for the North East region.</li>
<li>There are plans to hold an NER Tourism Mart where tour operators from all over the country can meet and the regional tourism can be showcased.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-infrastructure-and-north-east'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Export Promotion Council (EPC) Established for MSME Sector',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong> has recently established an<strong> Export Promotion Cell (EPC)</strong> with an aim to create a sustainable ecosystem for entire MSME development.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MSME sector has a huge impact on Foreign Exchange earnings and has large export potential.</li>
<li>As per the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), the value of MSME related products is USD 147,390.08 million and share of MSME related products in the country&rsquo;s exports was 48.56% during 2017-18.</li>
<li>In some cases like sports goods, they account for about 100% share to the total exports of the sector.</li>
<li>In addition to the above, MSMEs account for about 85-90 % of leather exports; around 6.11% to India&rsquo;s manufacturing GDP (about 33%to the manufacturing output) and about 25% to the GDP from service activities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objective of EPC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Evaluate readiness of MSMEs to export their products and services.</li>
<li>Recognize areas that can be improved to export effectively and efficiently.</li>
<li><strong>Integration</strong> of MSME into the<strong> global value chain.</strong></li>
<li>The target of <strong>USD 100 billion of exports</strong> from India<strong> by 2020.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Identify potential clusters</strong> which can start exporting directly or through aggregators and export houses with the help of export promotion councils.</li>
<li>Coordinate with other departments and export promotion councils for <strong>increasing shipments of products like khadi, leather, and coir.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Governing Council Composition</span></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chaired by Secretary, Ministry of MSME</strong> and Co-chaired by Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME.</li>
<li>The council will comprise of senior officials and members from the Ministry of MSME, Commerce, MSME Export Promotion Councils, Export Development Authorities, Commodity Boards, and other bodies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Benefits to MSME</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Simplification of procedures.</li>
<li>Incentives for higher production of exports.</li>
<li>Preferential treatments to MSMEs in the market development fund.</li>
<li>Simplification of duty drawback rules.</li>
<li>Products of MSME exporters are displayed in international exhibitions free of cost.</li>
<li>Export Promotion Programmes/Measures</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Marketing Assistance And Export Promotion Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Participation in the International Exhibitions/ Fairs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Training Programmes</strong> on Packaging for Exports.</li>
<li><strong>Marketing Development Assistance</strong> Scheme for MSME exporters (MSME-MDA).</li>
<li>In addition, the above scheme also provides for financial assistance up to Rs. 2.00 lakhs for commissioning specific market studies and assistance for initiating/ contesting anti-dumping cases are available to MSME Association limited to 50% of the total cost or Rs. 1.00 lakh whichever is less.</li>
<li>The <strong>Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)</strong> was introduced in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 w.e.f. 1st April 2015 with the objective to offset infrastructural inefficiencies and associated costs involved in exporting goods/products which are produced /manufactured in India including products produced/manufactured by MSME Sector.</li>
<li>The Government has implemented the<strong> Niryat Bandhu Scheme with an objective to reach out to the exporters from Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong> and mentor them through orientation programmes, counselling sessions, individual facilitation, etc., on various aspects of foreign trade to enable them to get into international trade and boost exports from India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read More About MSME</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/export-promotion-council-established-for-msme-sector'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'NASA Spaceship Reaches Ultima Thule',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>NASA&rsquo;s New Horizons</strong> spacecraft will fly past the icy object nicknamed<strong> Ultima Thule (TOO-lee)</strong> in Kuiper belt.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ultima Thule is located 1.6 billion kilometers beyond Pluto and 6.4 billion kilometers from Earth.</li>
<li>The spacecraft will fly past within 3,500 kilometers of Ultima Thule.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ultima Thule</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This Kuiper Belt object was <strong>discovered</strong> by the <strong>Hubble Space Telescope in 2014.</strong></li>
<li>Officially it is known as <strong>2014 MU69</strong> and is nicknamed as Ultima Thule.</li>
<li>Thule means the most distant places beyond the known world.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ultima Thule will be the <strong>farthest object ever visited by a spacecraft.</strong></li>
<li>Ultima Thule would have relics dating back to solar system&rsquo;s origin 4.5 billion years ago. No spacecraft has visited anything so primitive. This will help in <strong>understanding the origins of our solar system.</strong></li>
<li>The mission will also help in<strong> studying the Ultima Thule.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>New Horizon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Launched</strong>: Jan. 19, 2006</li>
<li><strong>Pluto Flyby:</strong> July 14, 2015</li>
<li><strong>Ultima Thule Flyby:</strong> Jan. 1, 2019</li>
<li><strong>Goal</strong>: Study Pluto, its moons, and Kuiper Belt objects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Kuiper Belt</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Kuiper Belt (also known as the Edgeworth&ndash;Kuiper belt) is a region of the Solar System that<strong> exists beyond the eight major planets,</strong> extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun.<strong> (1 Astronomical Unit (AU) = distance between the Earth and the Sun)</strong></li>
<li>It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System&rsquo;s formation.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nasa-spaceship-reaches-ultima-thule'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Centre Extends AFSPA in Nagaland',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The entire State of <strong>Nagaland</strong> has been<strong> declared &lsquo;disturbed area&rsquo;</strong> for six more months up to June 2019, under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a notification, the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs</strong> said that the Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of State of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of civilian power is necessary.</li>
<li>The decision has been taken as killings, loot and extortion have been going on in various parts of the State which necessitated the action.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Act was enacted in 1958</strong> to bring under control what the government considered &lsquo;disturbed areas&rsquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Jammu &amp; Kashmir has a similar but separate act</strong> Armed Forces (Jammu &amp; Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990.</li>
<li>It is effective in the whole of <strong>Nagaland, Assam, Manipur</strong> (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and<strong> parts of Arunachal Pradesh.</strong> The Centre revoked it in Meghalaya on April 1, 2018.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>empowers the Governor/Administrator of state/UT to declare an area as &lsquo;disturbed&rsquo;.</strong> Once declared, the region has to maintain the status quo for a minimum of three months (according to Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976).</li>
<li>As per the Act, it can be invoked in places where the use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary.</li>
<li>The AFSPA gives power to the Army and Central forces deployed in &ldquo;disturbed areas&rdquo; <strong>to search premises and arrest without warrant, to use force even to the extent of causing death.</strong></li>
<li>It also gives<strong> immunity to security forces</strong> in carrying out various operations and provides cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without the Centre&rsquo;s sanction.</li>
<li>To check arbitrariness there should be a<strong> periodic review of &lsquo;disturbed area&rsquo; every six months.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Debate Around AFSPA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AFSPA has become a controversial act due to the <strong>wide-ranging power</strong> it gives to armed forces and<strong> alleged human rights</strong> <strong>violation</strong> under the act.</li>
<li>There were questions about the <strong>constitutionality of AFSPA,</strong> given that<strong> law and order is a state subject.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Supreme Court&rsquo;s Judgement:</strong> The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of <strong>AFSPA in a 1998 judgment (Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India).</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In this judgment, the Supreme Court held that
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>a <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="57" data-gr-id="57">suo</g>-<g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="58" data-gr-id="58">motu</g> declaration can be made by the Central government, however, it is desirable that the state government should be consulted by the central government before making the declaration;</li>
<li>the declaration has to be for a limited duration and there should be a periodic review of the declaration 6 months have expired;</li>
<li>while exercising the powers conferred upon him by AFSPA, the authorized officer should use minimal force necessary for effective action,</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jeevan Reddy Committee:</strong> In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice B P Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The committee recommended that:
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>AFSPA should be repealed</strong> and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967</li>
<li>The <strong>Unlawful Activities Act should be modified</strong> to clearly specify the powers of the armed forces and paramilitary forces and</li>
<li><strong>Grievance cells</strong> should be set up<strong> in each district</strong> where the armed forces are deployed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Second ARC Recommendation:</strong> The<strong> 5th report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC)</strong> on public order has also recommended the <strong>repeal of the AFSPA.</strong> However, These recommendations have not been implemented.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/centre-extends-afspa-in-nagaland'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'The Future of Free Trade',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;The future of free trade&rdquo; which appears in Livemint on 1st January 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p>The future of &lsquo;free trade&rsquo; world over is in jeopardy or at least it is changing (for the better or worse we don&rsquo;t know yet). In this editorial analysis, we&rsquo;ll see some interesting aspects of the global free trade regime and its predilections towards a new world order.</p>
<p><strong>In 2018, it has been considered that more than any other policy area, trade was &ldquo;disrupted&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<p>Trade - which has been pale, routine in previous years, now dominated front-page headlines, magazine covers etc. It became sort of a household term in political debates across the world.</p>
<p><strong>Constituencies that have traditionally opposed free-trade agreements (FTAs) are now cheering their virtues, and countries not known for their free-trade sensibilities&mdash;including China, Russia, and France&mdash;are nominating themselves as the defenders of the global trade system.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Free Trade Agreements?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non-tariff barriers on substantial trade between them.</li>
<li>FTAs, normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, construction, trading etc.).</li>
<li>FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property rights (IPRs), investment, government procurement, and competition policy, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Current Situation with FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but the remaining 11 signatories have implemented the bulk of the agreement on their own while leaving the door open for the US to rejoin in the future.</strong> More countries have shown an interest in joining, suggesting that the TPP could eventually extend well beyond what was originally envisioned. [Perhaps it will expand in the lines of a new GATT system]</li>
<li>The updated North American Free Trade Agreement&mdash;now to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement &mdash;is largely based on the TPP template, which already included Canada and Mexico, along with some noteworthy additions.</li>
<li>The European Union (EU) is implementing FTAs with Canada, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan, and pursuing deals with Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mercosur (Mercosur, officially Southern Common Market is a South American trade bloc) and others.</li>
<li>The Pacific Alliance continues to expand trade and other partnerships in Latin America.</li>
<li>The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is proceeding apace in the Asia-Pacific region. And the African Union has made more progress toward implementing the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Future of FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>By surrendering its global leadership role, the US has lost the trust of its closest allies and partners and handed a gift to its adversaries.</strong></li>
<li><strong>In this scenario, the EU or China might supplant the US as the global rule-maker, or there will be no rule-maker, and the international order will be governed by drift (i.e without a leader).</strong> Other countries might well imitate the US by pursuing unilateral action and upholding their international obligations only when it suits them. (the US was infamous for using trade to pursue geopolitical ambitions)</li>
<li><strong>It is too early to say which scenario will play out.</strong> But one thing is clear: Nationalism, populism, nativism, and protectionism are on the rise.</li>
<li>Economic insecurities, as well as a growing sense of lost sovereignty, have contributed to an unprecedented degree of political polarization, and not just in the US.</li>
<li>From European countries beset by growth in support for fringe parties to emerging economies mired in corruption, governments everywhere seem to be more inwardly focused and less capable than ever of demonstrating bold leadership&mdash;and precisely when it is most needed to address the disruptive effects of rapid technological and economic change.</li>
<li><strong>Doing well by doing good can&rsquo;t be just a tagline.</strong> It must be a guiding business philosophy, backed by the recognition that the private sector needs a healthy political and economic environment to thrive and must take action to secure it.</li>
<li>In recent decades, public trust in government, the press, corporations, and other leading institutions has declined sharply. If business leaders continue to ignore the health of their operating environment&mdash;or assume that fixing it is someone else&rsquo;s problem&mdash;they are risking even more deglobalization, uncertainty, and instability in the years ahead.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="https://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/FTA-NITI-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India&rsquo;s exports to FTA countries has not outperformed overall export growth or exports to the rest of the world.</a></li>
<li>FTAs have led to increased imports and exports, although the former has been greater.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with ASEAN, Korea, and Japan has widened post-FTAs</li>
<li>According to Economic Survey 2016-17, FTAs have had a bigger impact on metals on the importing side and textiles on the exporting side. A 10% percent reduction in FTA tariffs for metals increases imports by 1.4 %</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s exports are much more responsive to income changes as compared to price changes and thus a tariff reduction/elimination does not boost exports significantly.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic growth has been the defining feature of a historic global success story spanning the past 75 years. Even with its limitations, globalization has lifted more than one billion people out of poverty and delivered unprecedented improvements in virtually all areas of human development. But the job is not done. To prevent backsliding, the focus must shift from aggregate growth to inclusive growth. The gains from growth must accrue not just to those at the top, but to those at all income levels, and not just to global corporations, but <g class="gr_ gr_131 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="131" data-gr-id="131">to</g> small and medium-size businesses as well.</li>
<li><strong>Nationalism, populism, nativism, and protectionism exploit people&rsquo;s sense of being left behind and excluded from the system. That is why we need to focus on ensuring universal inclusion in the economic networks that allow individuals and families to achieve financial security and pursue opportunities for betterment.</strong></li>
<li>Finally, with a leadership vacuum at the international level and paralysis at the national level, it has become all the more necessary for private sector actors to step up, not out of the goodness of their hearts, but in defense of their own interests.</li>
<li><strong>They also need to be thinking about the long-term and about the economic and political environments in which they operate. Beyond corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, that means developing commercially sustainable business models that also &ldquo;serve a social purpose.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Read More: <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/a-note-on-free-trade-agreements-and-their-costs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Note on Free Trade Agreements and Their Costs</a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States has reached an agreement with Mexico and Canada in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).</li>
<li>The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is considered to be a mutually beneficial win for North American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses.</li>
<li>When finalized and implemented, the agreement will create a more balanced, reciprocal trade that supports high-paying jobs for Americans and grows the North American economy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Pacific Alliance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Pacific Alliance is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, which all border the Pacific Ocean.</li>
<li>These countries have come together to form an area of integration with the purpose to ensure complete freedom in the movement of goods, services, capital, and people.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Continental Free Trade Agreement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is a trade agreement between 49 African Union member states, with the goal of creating a single market followed by free movement and a single-currency union.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/the-future-of-free-trade'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Monuments of National Importance',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Archaeological Survey of India has declared following monuments of national importance:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ancient <strong>Neemrana Baori</strong> in Rajasthan's Alwar district;</li>
<li>The <strong>Group of Temples at Ranipur Jharail</strong> in Odisha's Bolangir district;</li>
<li>The <strong>Vishnu Temple in Pithoragarh district,</strong> Uttarakhand;</li>
<li><strong>High Court Building in Nagpur,</strong> Maharashtra,</li>
<li>Two Mughal-era monuments in Agra &mdash; <strong>Haveli of Agha Khan and Hathi Khana.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Court Building Nagpur</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Nagpur High Court building is called a<strong> Poem in Stone because of its beautiful structure.</strong></li>
<li>The most conspicuous feature of the High Court frontage is the Dome, the grand entrance, both towers, and the majestic staircase.</li>
<li>It was designed by <strong>Architect H.A.N. Medd.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Greek influence can be seen prominently in the columns.</strong> The predominant Roman features can be seen in the ornamentation of both square and arched alcoves.</li>
<li>The Renaissance drum is cylindrical and elongated. Over it are Rajasthani Chhatris. The dome has the resonance of the soprano.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428133_image52.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428133_image52.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="660" height="246" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Neemrana Baori&ndash; Rajasthan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Neemrana Stepwell was built in 18th century by Thakur Janak Singh.</strong></li>
<li>It is also known as<strong> Rani Ki Baoli in the local language.</strong></li>
<li>The primary cause of the creation of this step well was to create employment during the famine that hit the area during that period.</li>
<li>It is located in<strong> Alwar district of Rajasthan.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ranipur &ndash;Jharial- Odisha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A group of temples near<strong> Ranipur Jharial in Balangir district of Odisha</strong> has been declared as a monument of national importance.</li>
<li>Ranipur Jharial is known as <strong>&ldquo;Soma Tirth&rdquo; in scriptures.</strong></li>
<li>It is a <strong>combination</strong> <strong>of</strong> religious faiths of<strong> Shaivism, Buddhism, Vaishnavism, and Tantrism.</strong></li>
<li>The site is famous for <strong>Chausath (64) Yogini temples</strong> or the temples without roofs&mdash;known as the hypaethral temples.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological <strong>research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and preservation of protected monuments.</strong></li>
<li>It is an attached office under the <strong>Department of Culture (Ministry of Culture).</strong></li>
<li><strong>ASI was founded in 1861</strong> by Alexander Cunningham who became its first Director-General.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/monuments-of-national-importance'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The bill recently got passed in Lok Sabha with 27 amendments. The bill will now be placed in Rajya Sabha.</li>
<li>The bill seeks to protect the rights of transgender and promote social equality that has eluded them for very long.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Who are Transgender?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the bill transgender means a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at birth.</li>
<li>It includes trans-person with intersex variations, gender-queer and person having such socio-cultural identities as kinnar, hijra, aaravani and jogta.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Timeline of Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2009, appropriate directions were issued by the Election Commission to all provinces to <strong>amend the format of the registration forms to include an option of &ldquo;others&rdquo;</strong>. This enabled transsexual people to tick the column if they didn&rsquo;t want to be identified as either male or female.</li>
<li>The <strong>Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority Vs. Union of India (2014) recognized them as the &ldquo;Third Gender&rdquo;</strong>. In the landmark ruling, Justice K.S Radhakrishnan observed that &ldquo;recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue, but <strong>a human rights issue</strong>&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, was introduced as a private member&rsquo;s Bill by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Tiruchi Siva, and passed by the Rajya Sabha in April 2015.</li>
<li>HIV services for the community are rapidly improving in a targeted manner after the SC verdict. For example, the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) reported that 2,40,000 hijras were provided with HIV prevention and treatment services in 2015, compared to 1,80,000 the previous year.</li>
<li>At the present, Lok Sabha has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016. The bill will now be placed in Rajya Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Provisions of the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prohibition against discrimination:</strong> the Bill prohibits discrimination of transgenders in relation to opportunities for education, job, health care services, and access to services etc.</li>
<li><strong>Right to be recognized as transgender:</strong> every person has a right to be recognized as a transgender.</li>
<li><strong>Procedure for transgender recognition:</strong> A certificate of identity has to be obtained from the District Magistrate, who will issue the certificate based on the District Screening Committee.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The committee will comprise of a Chief Medical Officer, District Social Welfare Officer, Psychologist or Psychiatrist, and a representative of transgender community.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Right of residence:</strong> No transgender person shall be separated from parents or immediate family on the ground of being a transgender.</li>
<li>Provision for establishment of <strong>National Council for Transgender Persons</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Penal Provisions:</strong> it criminalizes: (i) begging, forced or bonded labor (ii) denial of use of a public place; (iii) denial of residence in the household, village, etc.; (iv) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges in the Bills</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Transgender persons are <strong>not defined properly</strong> and the Bill does not have any provision for self-determination of gender.</li>
<li>Bill is <strong>silent on granting reservations</strong> to transgender person, going against the Supreme Court verdict in <strong>NALSA judgment in 2014</strong> which seeks to give reservation to transgender as socially and educationally backward classes.</li>
<li>Begging is a way of life for transgender as they dance or sing and earn money. However bill <strong>criminalizes begging</strong> by making it an offence without taking alternative affirmative action for their social security.</li>
<li>It sets lighter consequences for discrimination and assault on Trans people compared to cis-gender people which prescribes jail sentence of 7 years for sexual assault on women.</li>
<li>The Bill treats <strong>transgender as victims rather than an empowered</strong> subject with rights.</li>
<li>The Standing Committee&rsquo;s concerns about recognizing <strong>rights in marriage, divorce and adoption</strong> of transgender person have not been addressed.</li>
<li>Bill <strong>violates the transgender&rsquo;s constitutional Right to Freedom of Residence</strong> under the Article 19 as they must either stay with their parents or approach a court.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Faced by Transgender</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of legal protection &ndash;</strong> They are subjected to custodial violence, dereliction of duty by state and overall apathy to their issues such as educational, residential, medical and employment.</li>
<li><strong>Poverty &ndash;</strong> Lack of legal protection translates into unemployment for transgender people. They&rsquo;re denied services and experience high rates of unemployment, housing insecurity and marginalization.</li>
<li><strong>Harassment and stigma &ndash;</strong> They are met with ridicule from a society and are considered mentally ill, socially deviant and sexually predatory.</li>
<li><strong>Anti-transgender violence &ndash;</strong> They are forced for gender conformism, aversion based pseudo-psychotherapies, forced marriages, stripping, physical and verbal abuse and are pushed into prostitution by their own families.</li>
<li><strong>Barriers to healthcare &ndash;</strong> Their exposure to basic health care is minimal as they are subject to apathy from medical fraternity with professionals lacking transgender health care competency.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Inclusive approach for Transgender must be planned and adopted by the Government and society.</li>
<li>Legal and the law enforcement systems need to be empowered and sensitized on the issues of Transgender community.</li>
<li>Provision of free legal aid, supportive education, and social entitlement must be ensured for the Transgender community at ground level as suggested by NALSA Judgement.</li>
<li>Separate policies related to health care must be framed and communicated in all private and public hospitals and clinics.</li>
<li>Liberal credit facilities and financial assistance must be ensured to start up their career as an entrepreneur or businessman.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Certain provisions of <strong>Private member bill introduced in 2014 by Tiruchi Siva</strong> can also be incorporated such as reserving 2% of seats in education institutions funded by the government, formation of special employment exchanges for transgender people n government jobs, etc.</li>
<li>The bill should be provisioned in such a manner that it is able to integrate transgender persons seamlessly into the fabric of everyday public life be it public spaces, at workplaces, and in normative domestic spaces.</li>
<li>Policies and regulation alone won&rsquo;t help there is a need to increase awareness and inculcate sense of respect and acceptance for transgender community.</li>
<li>Their grievance of being not included in policies formulation or decision making needs to be allayed and chances for their public participation should increase.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/the-transgender-persons-protection-of-rights-bill-1'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Bhutan's PM Visits India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering came to India on a state visit.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This was the first overseas visit by Bhutanese PM after assuming the office in November 2018.</li>
<li>2018 marks 50 years of the diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Bhutan Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan were established in 1968.</li>
<li>The basic framework of India- Bhutan bilateral relations are defined by the <strong>Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation</strong> which was <strong>signed in 1949 and was revised in 2007</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Military Relations</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is largely responsible for the military security of Bhutan.</strong></li>
<li>As per the 2007 India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, the two nations cooperate closely on issues relating to each other's national interests and neither government should allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation in Hydro Power projects</strong> is an important component of India-Bhutan relations.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hydropower sector is covered under the Protocol to the 2006 agreement on Cooperation in Hydropower which was signed in March 2009.</li>
<li>Under this Protocol, Government of India has agreed to assist Bhutan in developing a minimum of 10,000 MW of hydropower and import the surplus electricity from this to India by the year 2020.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral Trade</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is Bhutan's largest trading partner. In 2016, total bilateral trade between the two countries stood at more than rupees eight thousand crores with total imports around rupees five thousand crores (80% of Bhutan&rsquo;s total imports) and exports rupees around three thousand crores including electricity (90% of Bhutan&rsquo;s total exports).</li>
<li>The trade between the two countries is governed by the<strong> India-Bhutan Trade and Transit Agreement 1972</strong> which was last renewed in November 2016. The Agreement established a<strong> free-trade regime between the two countries.</strong></li>
<li>The trade between the two countries is <strong>transacted in Bhutanese Ngultrums and Indian Rupees.</strong> The Agreement also provides for <strong>dutyfree transit of Bhutanese exports to third countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Bhutan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bhutan and India have historical and cultural linkages.</li>
<li>Bhutan is central to India&rsquo;s <strong>&lsquo;Neighbourhood First&rsquo; policy</strong>. Being a long time partner, India is firmly committed to partner Bhutan's development and economic prosperity.</li>
<li>Bhutan is of great geopolitical importance to India for its location as a landlocked country between India and China.</li>
<li>In the Doklam standoff at the tri-junction near Sikkim in 2017, Bhutan took a pro-India stand on the issue and called the infringement of the border as <g class="gr_ gr_319 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="319" data-gr-id="319">direct</g> violation of border agreement between Bhutan and China.</li>
<li>Bhutan is the only country in South Asia apart from India which refused to participate in China's One Belt One Road initiative.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of the Visit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>ISRO Ground Station</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) will build a ground-station in Bhutan to help Bhutan reap the benefits of the South Asian Satellite- weather information, telemedicine, and disaster relief. <strong><br /></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial and Developmental Assistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has decided to give grant assistance of rupees&nbsp;4500 Crore to Bhutan&rsquo;s 12th Five Year Plan for the period of 2018 to 2023.</li>
<li>A transitional Trade Support Facility of rupees 400 Crore over a period of five years is also established to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro Power Cooperation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both countries reiterated their commitment to jointly develop 10,000 MWs of hydropower generating capacity in Bhutan.</li>
<li>Both countries agreed to commission 720 MW Mangdechhu hydro-power project in Bhutan as early as possible.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Bhutan Government has taken the decision to launch the RuPay Cards.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bhutan PM's visit is based on Bhutan&rsquo;s <strong>&lsquo;India First&rsquo; policy</strong> like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/maldives-presidents-visit-to-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Maldives.&nbsp;</a>The visit signals India&rsquo;s pivotal position in South Asia.</li>
<li>Bhutan is trying to convert the relationship with India from the traditional &ldquo;donor and aid recipient&rdquo; to that of investment and trade. India should try to seize the moment and move from being Bhutan&rsquo;s largest developmental partner to Bhutan&rsquo;s largest investor and business partner.</li>
<li>Bhutan is looking to expand and diversify its revenue basket. India can play an important role in helping Bhutanese private sector both manufacturing and services to build their capacities.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bhutans-pm-visits-india'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India submitted its <strong>sixth national report (NR6)</strong> to the<strong> Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong> during the inaugural session of the meeting of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) organized by the <strong>National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>NR6</strong> highlights the progress India has made in achieving the<a href="http://nbaindia.in/uploaded/Targets/ExplanatoryNoteonNationalTargets.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT)</strong></a> set under the convention process.</li>
<li>With this India is among the <strong>first five countries</strong> in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversity-rich mega diverse nations, to have submitted Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).</li>
<li>The submission of national reports is a<strong> mandatory obligation</strong> on parties to international treaties, including the CBD.</li>
<li>India developed <strong>12 National Biodiversity Targets</strong> in line with <strong>20 global Aichi biodiversity targets.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is one of the few countries where<strong> forest cover is on the rise</strong>, according to the <strong>15<sup>th</sup> India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017.</strong></li>
<li>While India has e<strong>xceeded/overachieved two NBTs,</strong> it is on track to achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More than 20% of India&rsquo;s total geographical area is under biodiversity conservation, India has exceeded the terrestrial component of 17% of<strong> Aichi target 11.</strong></li>
<li>India published the first <strong>internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC)</strong> under the Protocol in 2015, and since then published nearly 75% of the IRCCs. Thereby, achieving target relating to access and benefit sharing (ABS) by operationalising the Nagoya Protocol on ABS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>population of Lion</strong> has <strong>risen</strong> to over 520 in 2015, and elephants to 30,000 in 2015.</li>
<li><strong>One-horned Indian Rhino</strong> which was on the brink of extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2400.</li>
<li>Further, while globally over 0.3 % of total recorded species are critically endangered, <strong>in India only 0.08% of the species</strong> recorded are in this category.</li>
<li>Measures have been adopted for <strong>sustainable management</strong> of agriculture, fisheries and forests, with a view to provide food and nutritional security to all without destroying the natural resource base while ensuring intergenerational environmental equity.</li>
<li>Programmes are in place to<strong> maintain genetic diversity</strong> of cultivated plants, farms livestock and their wild relatives, towards minimising genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.</li>
<li>Mechanisms and enabling environment are being created for recognising and protecting the vast heritage of coded and oral <strong>traditional knowledge</strong> relating to biodiversity.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty</strong> to conserve biodiversity has been in force<strong> since 1993.</strong> It has <strong>3 main objectives:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>conservation</strong> of biological diversity.</li>
<li>The <strong>sustainable use</strong> of the components of biological diversity.</li>
<li>The <strong>fair and equitable sharing</strong> of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nearly all countries have ratified it (notably, the US has signed but not ratified).</li>
<li>The CBD Secretariat is based in <strong>Montreal, Canada</strong> and it operates under the <strong>United Nations Environment Programme.</strong></li>
<li>The Parties (Countries) under Convention of Biodiversity (CBD), meet at regular interval and these meetings are <strong>called Conference of Parties (COP).</strong></li>
<li>On 29 January 2000, the Conference of the Parties to the <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (COP5)</strong> adopted a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the <strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.</strong> It came into force on 11 September 2003.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Protocol seeks to <strong>protect biological diversity</strong> from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from <strong>modern biotechnology.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Nagoya Protocol</strong> on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted on <strong>29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan at COP10.</strong> It entered into force on 12 October 2014.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: <strong>the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.</strong></li>
<li>It not only applies to genetic resources that are covered by the CBD, and to the benefits arising from their utilization<strong> but also covers traditional knowledge (TK)</strong> associated with genetic resources that are covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its utilization.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Along with Nagoya Protocol on Genetic Resources, the COP-10 <strong>also adopted a ten-year framework</strong> for action by all countries to save biodiversity.</li>
<li>Officially known as <strong>&ldquo;Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020&rdquo;,</strong> provide a set of <strong>20 ambitious yet achievable targets (divided into 5 sections: A to E), collectively known as the Aichi Targets for biodiversity.</strong></li>
<li>The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Strategic Goal A:</strong> Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal B:</strong> Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal C:</strong> To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal D:</strong> Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal E:</strong> Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India enacted<strong> Biological Diversity Act in 2002</strong> for giving effect to the provisions of the CBD.</li>
<li>The National Biodiversity Authority is a <strong>statutory body</strong>, which was established by the Central Government in 2003 to implement India&rsquo;s Biological Diversity Act (2002).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.</li>
<li>The NBA is headquartered in <strong>Chennai, Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Biological Diversity Day is observed on 22 May</strong>. Theme for 2018: <strong>"Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity".</strong></li>
<li>United Nations General Assembly had declared the period 2011-2020 to be the <strong>&ldquo;United Nations Decade on Biodiversity&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sixth-national-report-to-the-convention-of-biological-diversity'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'New Ecommerce Norms',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The government has issued new rules regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Department of Industrial Policy &amp; Promotion (DIPP) issued a clarification to the existing rules pertaining to FDI in e-commerce companies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New Rules by DIPP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The vendors that have any stake owned by an e-commerce company (equity stake) cannot sell their products on that e-commerce company&rsquo;s portal.</li>
<li>Any vendor who purchases 25% or more of its inventory from an e-commerce group company will be considered to be controlled by that e-commerce company, and thereby barred from selling on its portal.</li>
<li>The policy mandates that no seller can sell its products exclusively on any marketplace platform and that all vendors on the e-commerce platform should be provided services in a &ldquo;fair and non-discriminatory manner&rdquo;. Services include fulfillment, logistics, warehousing, advertisement, payments, and financing among others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why New Rules?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Large e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Flipkart, while not owning inventory themselves, have been providing a platform for their group companies such as CloudTail and WS Retail respectively.</li>
<li>E-commerce companies with foreign investments can only operate under the marketplace model, and not under the inventory model, which has allowed them to sell products much cheaper than independent sellers.</li>
<li>Some see this as skewing the playing field, especially as these vendors enjoyed special incentives from the e-commerce firm, over others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of DIPP Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The DIPP policy is directed at protecting small vendors on e-commerce websites. It seeks to ensure small players selling on the portals are not discriminated against in favor of vendors in which e-commerce companies have a stake.</li>
<li>Smaller marketplaces that do not have a stake in any vendors will also be able to now compete with the big firms. It can also boost the Start-Up India initiative of the government.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>e-Commerce in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a type of business model, or segment of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual to conduct business over an electronic network, typically the internet.</li>
<li>In India, there are three types of e-commerce business model:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inventory base model of e-commerce</li>
<li>Marketplace base model of e-commerce</li>
<li>The hybrid model of inventory based and marketplace model.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Marketplace and Inventory-Based Model</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Marketplace based model of e-commerce means providing an information technology platform by an e-commerce entity on a digital &amp; electronic network to act as a facilitator between the buyer and seller.</li>
<li>In a marketplace model, the e-commerce firm is not allowed to directly or indirectly influence the sale price of goods or services and is required to offer a level playing field to all vendors.</li>
<li>Inventory based model of e-commerce means an e-commerce activity where the inventory of goods and services is owned by e-commerce entity and is sold to the consumers directly.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>FDI guidelines for e-Commerce</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DIPP has issued guidelines for FDI in e-commerce:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India 100% FDI is permitted in B2B e-commerce, however, No FDI is permitted in B2C e-commerce.</li>
<li>100% FDI under automatic route is permitted in the marketplace model of e-commerce, while FDI is not permitted in inventory based model of e-commerce.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-e-commerce-norms'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Citizen-led Employment Generation is What’s Needed',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Citizen-led Employment Generation is what&rsquo;s Needed&rdquo; which appears in Livemint on 21st December 2018.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>As one of the youngest countries in the world, India often feels secure in the growth of its demography and a decreasing dependency ratio.</strong> On the negative side, demographic liability comes as part and parcel of a demographic dividend.</p>
<p><strong>China is going through the pains of a working-age population too, that has peaked at 1 billion citizens and is starting to decline rapidly. In 15 years, a similar process will happen in India, as our dependency ratio peaks and then declines.</strong></p>
<p>The next decade will be decisive for India to use its growing demography to foster inclusive growth. This next decade is a &ldquo;do or die&rdquo; moment for ending unemployment. Towards this end, which is &lsquo;Citizen-led Employment Generation&rsquo;, a new strategy has been devised by PwC* called <strong>&lsquo;Nagarik: Transformation through large-scale employment generation&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<p>[PwC* - PricewaterhouseCoopers is a multinational professional services network headquartered in London, United Kingdom; among other services, they are known for their auditing services]</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is the dependency ratio</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The dependency ratio is a measure showing the ratio of the number of dependents aged zero to 14 and over the age of 65 to the total population aged 15 to 64.</li>
<li>This indicator gives insight into the number of people of non-working age compared to the number of those of working age.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The two emerging demographic perspectives that can be observed in India:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The north and east have high fertility rates, low labor force participation and high marginal employment.</li>
<li>In contrast, the west and south have low fertility rates and, in some instances, is showing a shortage of manpower.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is resulting in interstate migration, creating social tensions. The west and south are resentful when they see &ldquo;outsiders&rdquo; stream in on packed trains. The north and east are likely to experience increasing social strife when a digitally alive population fails to fulfill their aspiration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Creating large-scale local employment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Achieving inclusive growth and creating large-scale local employment requires a focus on smaller districts that house a majority of our population and still remain rural or semi-urban and in some cases tribal.</li>
<li>Employment generation also requires a district-level effort for job creation that links local entrepreneurs to markets, with solutions that specifically use local resources.</li>
<li><strong>To achieve this, a new approach to large-scale employment called NAGARIK has been mooted.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>What is the Nagarik Approach?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a new approach to large-scale employment that understands that employment generation is the task of citizens, society, and the private sector, not just the government.</li>
<li><strong>It is, therefore, a platform that is market-led, and citizen-driven.</strong></li>
<li>It visualizes citizens, the private sector and government playing an active role in job creation through entrepreneurship, execution, and enablement.</li>
<li>Access to market and technology are the two key pillars of this strategy. Resources would be sourced and consumed at the local level, saving time and costs.</li>
<li><strong>It focuses on all the components of employment and customizes its focus depending on the key challenge of a specific district, state or nation.</strong> For example, while the number of new jobs to be created may be the key concern for UP and Jharkhand, with 48% of marginal labor in their workforce, the states might focus more on converting marginal employment to full time.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/650drishti-ias_nagarik.PNG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/650drishti-ias_nagarik.PNG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="686" height="311" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key advantages of Nagarik</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nagarik shifts our mindset towards citizens</strong> &ndash; from seeing them only as consumers to valuing them as producers, with local value addition from local resources as a key feature of the solution.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik complements &lsquo;business as usual&rsquo; job creation and the recent focus on skill development</strong>. States and districts will continue creating employment in the normal course of growth while Nagarik tackles the &lsquo;extra employment&rsquo; that is required given the strong demographic growth in population.</li>
<li><strong>Employment opportunities created by Nagarik in a district are largely local,</strong> and this helps reduce migration, social stress and creates local economic activity, rather than a remittance economy.</li>
<li><strong>The quantum of funding required from the government is relatively low</strong> &ndash; typically 30% of the overall funding, with banking and private capital as key sources of finance to help generate employment.</li>
<li><strong>The flow of products becomes more local as local resourc</strong>es (agricultural, dairy, animal husbandry, tribal produce) are also consumed locally, reducing the round trip time and cost to and from a large urban center.</li>
<li><strong>Over time, the Nagarik solution would reduce the cost of producing goods in larger cities,</strong> diversify the sourcing options of existing factories and actively shift the economy to smaller districts.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nagarik requires support and participation from the representatives of the peopl</strong>e who can actively encourage citizens to take part in the solution.</li>
<li>Nagarik should be seen as helping create a people&rsquo;s movement aided by government and private sector funding and expertise.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik has direct applicability to the backward states in the north and the east.</strong></li>
<li>These 10 states [Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam] have 62% of our total population but will have 80% of new employment requirements over the coming decade. By creating local employment, widespread migration from these states can be reduced.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik is equally applicable in other parts of the country, where the urban-rural divide creates &lsquo;contrasts and economic divides&rsquo; that need to be bridged.</strong></li>
<li>Nagarik should be seen as a once in a lifetime opportunity to focus on building the real India, involving citizens and utilizing the bountiful resources of our smaller districts where employment is most needed.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/citizen-led-employment-generation-is-whats-needed'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Cabinet Approved Changes to POCSO Act',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 to make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The earlier amendment allowed the death penalty only in cases of sexual assault of girls below 12 years but now it will be applicable to boys also.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gender neutral</strong>: The amendment will include the death penalty in all cases of aggravated penetrative sexual assault against children, both boys and girls, below the age of 18, thus making the Act <strong>gender neutra</strong>l.</li>
<li><strong>Definition</strong>: The definition of &lsquo;sexual assault&rsquo; in POCSO has been amended to include administering hormones to children expedite their sexual maturity for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.</li>
<li>The <strong>existing definition covers 20 categories</strong> of penetrative sexual crimes against children and the Cabinet has approved adding sexual assault of children who are victims of calamities or natural disasters, taking it up to 21 categories.</li>
<li><strong>New category</strong>: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has cited reported rapes of young girls in the aftermath of Kedarnath floods and that children constitute 50-60% of victims of calamities to make a case for including rapes in course of natural calamities as the 21st category.</li>
<li><strong>List of perpetrators</strong>: The 21 categories under aggravated penetrative sexual assault cover child victims who have been subject to penetrative sexual assault by a police officer or a member of the armed forces or security forces, by a public servant, a relative, the staff of a jail or remand home or protection home, staff of a hospital, educational institution, or religious institution among others.</li>
<li><strong>More stringent punishment</strong>: The amendments extend the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault from a minimum of 10 years to a minimum of 20 years, up to a maximum of life imprisonment and even the death penalty under Section 6 of POCSO Act.</li>
<li>Punitive measures have been made more stringent in cases where children are used for <strong>pornography</strong> as well as for storing such content.</li>
<li>It also includes the gangrape of a child or use of deadly weapons during penetrative sexual assault, a sexual assault that incapacitates the child physically or mentally, makes a girl child pregnant, inflicts the child with HIV or any life-threatening disease.</li>
<li>The maximum <strong>punishment of death</strong> will also be applicable when sexual assault victims are children with mental or physical disabilities, in cases of repeat offenders, rape and attempt to murder, and rape during communal violence.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Analysis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The amendments may protect the interest of vulnerable children in times of distress and ensure their safety and dignity.</li>
<li>The amendment is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions incorporated in the Act.</li>
<li>However data shows that less than 3% of all POCSO cases end in convictions and experts warn against the chilling effect the death penalty may have on reporting the crime.</li>
<li>Systemic changes in law enforcement and prosecution hold the key to tackling child sexual abuse.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to Protect the Children from Offences of Sexual Assault, Sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children.</li>
<li>The Act defines<strong> a child as any person below eighteen years of age</strong>, and regards the best interests and welfare of the child as matter of paramount importance at every stage, to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>defines different forms of sexual abuse</strong>, including <strong>penetrative</strong> and <strong>non penetrative assault</strong>, as well as <strong>sexual harassment</strong> and <strong>pornography</strong>.</li>
<li>The Act deems a sexual assault to be &ldquo;<strong>aggravated</strong>&rdquo; under certain circumstances, such as <strong>when the abused child is mentally ill</strong> or when the <strong>abuse is committed by a person in a position of trust or authority</strong> like a family member, police officer, teacher, or doctor.</li>
<li>The Act also casts the police in the role of child protectors during the investigative process.</li>
<li>The Act stipulates that a case of child sexual abuse <strong>must be disposed of within one year</strong> from the date the offence is reported.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>POCSO e-Box</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) e-Box <strong>launched in 2016</strong> is an<strong> online complaint box for reporting child sexual abuse</strong>.</li>
<li>It is an <strong>National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)</strong> initiative to help children report such crimes directly to the Commission.</li>
<li>The online complaint management system enables <strong>easy reporting and timely action against the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012</strong>.</li>
<li>E-Box is very simple to operate and will help to maintain the confidentiality of the complaint.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approved-changes-to-pocso-act'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth: Biodiversity Report ',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fGu4T8_ambQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Living Planet Report released by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature documents the state of the earth in terms of biodiversity and indicates the raising demand on natural resources and its impact on nature and wildlife. The report is said to reveal the health of the Earth.</strong></p>
<p>Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has destroyed more than 80% of all mammals and half of the plants on the planet. Many scientists feel that the world has begun its 6th mass extinction caused by human beings. The Living Planet Report 2018 presents a picture of the impact of human activities on worlds wildlife, forest, oceans, and rivers. According to it, humans pose a risk to the planet.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>World Wildlife Fund</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.</li>
<li>HQ- Switzerland<br /><br /><strong>Living Planet Repo</strong>rt</li>
<li>Published every two years by WWF since 1998.</li>
<li>It is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns Raised by WWF 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate which can only be seen during a mass extinction.</li>
<li>Humans have made many innovations to make their life much easier but in this process, they have over-exploited the resources and damaged the web of life.</li>
<li>World&rsquo;s 7.6 billion people represent only 0.01 of all living things, yet since the inception of civilization, they have caused the destruction of 83% mammal and half of the plants.</li>
<li>If the conservation efforts won&rsquo;t come in action now, the situation may worsen as the consumption percentage has raised 119% in the last 3 years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Main Cause of Concern- PLASTIC</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Only 15% plastic waste is left on the earth&rsquo;s surface and rest reaches the sea.</li>
<li>In 2010, about 4.8 million to 12.7 million tonnes of waste went into the sea. 35% of turtles ate plastic in the form of food.</li>
<li>The Report warns that if the plastic flow into the sea isn&rsquo;t stopped immediately, then by 2050 plastic will be found in the digestive system of 99% of marine organisms.</li>
<li>Microplastics, which never decompose, will reach aquatic animals through food and cause danger for them.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth witnessed the decline in mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians between 1970-2014. Data covers over 16700 population belonging to 4000 species.</li>
<li>Destruction of natural habitats is the biggest cause of wildlife losses. Three-quarters of land on Earth is affected by human activities.</li>
<li>Killing for food is another major cause for wildlife losses. 300 mammal species have already <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">being</g> eaten into extinction.</li>
<li>Major habitats suffering are water bodies like rivers, ponds etc. Oceans are massively overfished - more than half being industrially fished.</li>
<li>Wildlife population in rivers, lakes has fallen to 83% due to agricultural activities and increased number of dams.</li>
<li>Ocean acidification is occurring at a rate not seen in the last 300 million years.</li>
<li>50% of shallow water corals have estimated to have been lost in the past 30 years.</li>
<li>89% loss <g class="gr_ gr_266 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="266" data-gr-id="266">in vertebrate</g> population in South America and Central America due to deforestation.</li>
<li>A fifth of the Amazon has disappeared in just 50 years.</li>
<li>The area of minimally disturbed forests has declined by 92 million hectares between 2000-2013.</li>
<li>Humans are responsible for releasing 100 billion tonnes of carbon into the ecosystem every 10 years.</li>
<li>According to the Report, around 70,000 medicinal plant species have also been affected.</li>
<li>Human activities associated with production and processing have an enormous effect on biodiversity. Agriculture accounts for a lion&rsquo;s share in the conversion of forest land, a decrease in forest area impact both plant and animals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Human beings must change their approach to development. They need to understand how protecting nature is also about protecting themselves.</li>
<li>The Report calls for new goals post-2020 alongside Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals.</li>
<li>The Report suggests three necessary steps in a roadmap for the post-2020 agenda:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>clearly specify the goal for biodiversity recovery,</li>
<li>develop a set of measurable and relevant indicators of progress, and</li>
<li>agree to a suite of actions that can collectively achieve the goal in the required timeframe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Man-animal conflicts should be reduced, afforestation should be done and laws should be sharpened to punish the poachers.</li>
<li>Use of technology should be done in the right way for biodiversity conservation.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-biodiversity-report'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2018 which were last reviewed and issued in 2011.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CRZ Notification 2018 is based on the recommendations of <strong>Shailesh Nayak committee.</strong></li>
<li>The notification was released after a series of representations received by the Ministry of Environment, Forest &amp; Climate Change (MoEFCC) from various Coastal States/UTs for a comprehensive review of the provisions of the CRZ Notification, 2011.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Coastal Regulation Zones</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Coastal stretches of seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers, and backwaters were declared as CRZs under coastal zone regulation notification in 1991.</li>
<li>CRZs have been classified into 4 zones for the purpose of regulation:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>CRZ-I:</strong> includes <strong>ecologically sensitive areas,</strong> where no construction is allowed except activities for atomic power plants, defense.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-II:</strong> includes designated <strong>urban areas</strong> that are substantially built up. Construction activities are allowed on the landward side only.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-III:</strong> includes relatively undisturbed areas, <strong>mainly rural areas</strong>. No new construction of buildings allowed in this zone except repairing of the existing ones. However, constructions of dwelling units in the plot area lying between 200-500m of the high tide line is allowed.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-IV:</strong>&nbsp;includes the water area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 nautical miles seaward. Except for fishing and related activities, all actions impugning on the sea and tidal water will be regulated in this zone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Salient Features of Notification 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Floor Space Index Norms Eased:</strong> In CRZ, 2011 Notification, for CRZ-II (Urban) areas, Floor Space Index (FSI) was frozen as per 1991 Development Control Regulation (DCR) levels.In the CRZ, 2018 Notification, it has been decided to de-freeze the same and permits FSI for construction projects to enable redevelopment of these areas to meet the emerging needs.</li>
<li><strong>New Categories for densely populated rural areas:</strong> For CRZ-III (Rural) areas, two separate categories have now been stipulated as below:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>CRZ-III A -</strong> These are densely populated rural areas with a <strong>population density of 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Such areas will have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50 meters from the High Tide Line as against 200 meters from the High Tide Line stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-III B</strong> - Rural areas with a <strong>population density of below 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census.</strong> Such areas shall continue to have an NDZ of 200 meters from the HTL.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tourism infrastructure in coastal areas:</strong> Temporary tourism facilities such as toilet blocks, change rooms, drinking water facilities etc. have now been permitted in Beaches. However, a minimum distance of 10 m from HTL should be maintained for setting up of such facilities.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ Clearances streamlined:</strong> Only such projects/activities, which are located in the CRZ-I (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and CRZ IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 Nautical Miles seaward) will be required to be cleared by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. For, the CRZ-II (urban) or CRZ III (rural) areas, the CRZ clearance will be considered at the state level by the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA).</li>
<li><strong>No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20 meters for Islands:</strong> For islands close to the mainland coast and for all Backwater Islands in the mainland, NDZ of 20 m has been stipulated.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ecologically Sensitive Areas have been accorded special importance: Specific guidelines related to their conservation and management plans have been drawn up as a part of the CRZ Notification.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution abatement:</strong> In order to address pollution in Coastal areas treatment facilities have been made permissible activities in CRZ-I B area (the area between the Low tide line and High tide line) subject to necessary safeguards.</li>
<li><strong>Defense and strategic projects</strong> are exempted from regulations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Economic Growth:</strong> The proposed CRZ Notification, 2018 will lead to enhanced activities in the coastal regions thereby promoting economic growth while also conserving the coastal regions.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Tourism and Employment:</strong> It will result in significant employment generation and in better living standard and add value to the economy of India.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Conservation Efforts:</strong> The new notification is expected to rejuvenate the coastal areas while reducing their vulnerabilities.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Housing:</strong>&nbsp;De-freezing FSI Norms will add to creating additional opportunities for affordable housing. This will benefit not only the housing sector but the people looking for shelter.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The notification has simplified procedures for environmental clearances and will open up fragile intertidal areas to real estate agents adding up to the coastal degradation.</li>
<li>The notification fails to address the concerns raised by the fishermen.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coastal-regulation-zone-crz-notification-2018'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (29th December 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Mission Gaganyaan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The union cabinet has approved the <strong>indigenous manned space mission called Gaganyaan</strong> under which a <strong>three-member crew</strong> will be sent to space for <strong>at least seven days.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>testing phase</strong> of the mission is expected to begin from <strong>December 2020</strong> and the mission will be<strong> undertaken in 2022.</strong></li>
<li>The mission, if successful, will add India into the elite club of three countries (the US, Russia, and China) that have sent a manned mission to the outer space.</li>
<li>A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ISRO and the Federal Space Agency of Russia &lsquo;ROSCOSMOS&rsquo; on joint activities in the field of the human spaceflight programme during Russian President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to New Delhi in October 2018.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper3-mission-gaganyaan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In Depth: Mission Gaganyaan</a></p>
<h3>Kashmir Stag</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kashmir Stag locally known as <strong>Hangul</strong> is a <strong>subspecies of the European red deer</strong>, found in <strong>Kashmir</strong>. It is the only subspecies of red deer in India and the <strong>state animal of Jammu and Kashmir</strong>.</li>
<li>First identified by <g class="gr_ gr_25 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="25" data-gr-id="25">Alferd</g> Wagner in 1844, the species is believed to have traveled all the way from Bukhara in Central Asia to Kashmir.</li>
<li>The animal is classified as &lsquo;<strong>critically endangered</strong>&rsquo; by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).</li>
<li><strong>Dachigam National Park</strong> near Srinagar is considered the last undisturbed home of the Hangul.</li>
<li>The challenges that hangul faces include poaching, threats from insurgency and the border conflict between India and Pakistan.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-29th-december-2018'
		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2018',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Cabinet has approved the draft <strong>National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018,</strong> which seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM) with a new body to ensure transparency.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is on the<strong> lines of National Medical Commission Bill</strong> that is meant to regulate allopathy medicine system.</li>
<li>The NCIM will promote availability of affordable healthcare services in all parts of the country.</li>
<li>The Cabinet has also approved the draft <strong>National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2018,</strong> aimed at replacing the <strong>Central Council for Homoeopathy,</strong> which is the current regulatory body for homoeopathy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Salient Features</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill provides for the constitution of a <strong>National Commission with four autonomous boards</strong> entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha &amp; Sowarigpa under the Board of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa respectively.</li>
<li>In order to ensure transparency the draft bill also proposes a <strong>common entrance exam and an exit exam</strong> that all graduates will have to clear to obtain their license to practice Indian medicine.</li>
<li>Further, a <strong>teacher's eligibility test</strong> has been proposed in the Bill to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.</li>
<li>Establishes<strong> two common boards</strong>&mdash; <strong>board of assessment and rating</strong> to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Indian systems of medicine; and a <strong>board of ethics and registration</strong> of practitioners of Indian systems of medicine to maintain a National Register and deal with ethical issues.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Systems of Medicine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has recognized <strong>six systems of medicine viz. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga, Naturopathy and Homoeopathy.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) was formed on 9th November 2014</strong> to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of healthcare.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&amp;H) which was created in March 1995 and renamed as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, with focused attention for development of Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unani System of Medicine</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unani system originated in <strong>Greece</strong> and its foundation was laid by<strong> Hippocrates.</strong></li>
<li>However, the system owes its <strong>present form to the Arabs</strong> who not only saved much of the Greek literature by rendering it into Arabic but also enriched the medicine of their day with their own contributions.</li>
<li>It was introduced in<strong> India by the Arabs and Persians</strong> sometime around the eleventh century.</li>
<li>India has the largest number of Unani educational, research and health care institutions.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ayurveda</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word &lsquo;Ayurveda&rsquo; has derived out of fusion of two separate words- &lsquo;<strong>&Aacute;yu&rsquo; i.e. life and &lsquo;veda&rsquo; i.e. knowledge.</strong> Thus in literal meaning Ayurveda is the <strong>science of life.</strong></li>
<li>It aims to keep structural and functional entities in a state of equilibrium, which signifies good health (Swasthya) through various <strong>procedures, regimen, diet, medicines and behavior change.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Siddha system</strong>&nbsp;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Siddha system of medicine is practiced in some parts of <strong>South India especially in the state of Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li>The term &lsquo;Siddha&rsquo; has come from &lsquo;Siddhi&rsquo;- which means achievement. Siddhars were the men who achieved supreme knowledge in the field of <strong>medicine, yoga or tapa (meditation).</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sowa-Rigpa</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&ldquo;Sowa-Rigpa&rdquo; commonly known as <strong>Tibetan system</strong> of medicine is one of the oldest, living and well documented medical tradition of the world.</li>
<li>It has been originated from Tibet and popularly practiced in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and Russia. The majority of theory and practice of <strong>Sowa-Rigpa is similar to &ldquo;Ayurveda&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>Sowa-Rigpa is based on the principle that bodies of all the living beings and non living objects of the universe are composed of<strong> five Cosmo physical elements of Jung-wa-nga (Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu and Akash).</strong></li>
<li>When the proportion of these elements is in imbalance in our body, disorder results.</li>
<li>It was <strong>recognized by the Government in 2011.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Homoeopathy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word &lsquo;Homoeopathy&rsquo; is derived from two <strong>Greek words,</strong> Homois meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering. It was introduced in India in <strong>18th Century.</strong></li>
<li>Homoeopathy simply means treating diseases with remedies, prescribed in minute doses, which are capable of producing symptoms similar to the disease when taken by healthy people, i.e.principle of -<strong> "Similia Similibus Curantur&rdquo; which means "likes are cured by likes&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>It takes a <strong>holistic approach</strong> towards the sick individual through promotion of inner <strong>balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels.</strong></li>
</ul>
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => 'Financial Stability Report',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Reserve Bank of India released it&rsquo;s <strong>18th Financial Stability Report (FSR). FSR is a biannual publication.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The FSRs are periodic exercise for reviewing the nature, magnitude and implications of risks that may have a bearing on the <strong>macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.</strong></li>
<li>These reports also assesses the resilience of the financial sector through<strong> stress tests.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Stress tests are used to gauge how certain unfavorable economic scenarios, such as a deep recession or financial crisis will affect a company, industry or specific portfolio. Stress tests are usually <strong>computer-generated simulation</strong> models that test hypothetical scenarios.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It reflects the collective assessment of the <strong>Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong> on risks to the financial stability of the country, as also the resilience of the financial system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s financial system <strong>remains stable</strong>, and the <strong>banking sector shows signs of improvement</strong>, even though the global economic environment and the emerging trends in financial sector pose challenges.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The reasons for these positive signs include <strong>credit growth of banks</strong> coupled with <strong>improvement in the asset quality of the banks.</strong></li>
<li>Credit growth of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) has improved between March 2018 and September 2018, driven<strong> largely by private sector banks (PVBs).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The global growth outlook for 2018 and 2019 remains steady although the spillover risk to emerging economies because of tightening of financial conditions in Advanced Economies, protectionist trade policies and global geopolitical tension has significantly increased.</li>
<li>On the domestic front, growth of <strong>gross domestic product (GDP) showed slight moderation</strong> in Q2:2018-19 while <strong>inflation remains contained</strong>. At present, Inflation is at 2% which falls in the comfortable range of 2% to 6%.</li>
<li>Slowdown in GDP growth to 7.1%, but there is growth in <strong>Gross Fixed Capital Formation</strong> along with the dip in crude oil prices which are positive for a sustained growth going forward.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gross Fixed Capital Formation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) refers to the<strong> net increase in physical assets (investment minus disposals)</strong>. &nbsp;It does not account for the consumption (depreciation) of fixed capital.</li>
<li>It is a component of <strong>expenditure approach</strong> to calculating Gross Domestic Product (GDP).</li>
<li>GFCF is <strong>not a measure of total investment</strong>, because only the value of net additions to fixed assets is measured, and all kinds of financial assets, as well as stocks of inventories and other operating costs are excluded.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Decline in the ratio of gross non-performing assets (GNPA) to advances since September 2015, with both public sector and private sector lenders posting drops in the key indicator of bad loans.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, State-owned banks continue to have higher levels of bad loans than their private sector peers and are projected to show slower improvements over the second half of the fiscal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Recommended solution is <strong>reforms in governance</strong>, while the weaker ones among the public sector banks need to be<strong> supported through recapitalisation.</strong></li>
<li>Data on <strong>banking frauds</strong> are also a cause for concern. Close to 95% of the frauds reported in the six months were credit-related, with higher exposure to PSBs.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The graph of <strong>both the frauds as well as the amount</strong> involved has been on the <strong>rise steadily</strong> through the four years till FY18.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the wake of the crisis at infra-lender <strong>Infrastructure Leasing &amp; Financial Services (ILFS)</strong> and also a few years after chit fund scams, the RBI pitched for <strong>greater coordination</strong> between <strong>financial sector regulators</strong> to plug any possible gaps which may be exploited by players.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was set up by the Government as the apex level forum in <strong>December 2010.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of FSDC is to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development.</li>
<li>The Chairman of the Council is the <strong>Finance Minister</strong> and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA &amp; IRDA), Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In May, 2018</strong> government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and the Revenue Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>FSDC sub-committee</strong> is headed by the<strong> Governor of RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The Council can invite experts to its meeting if required.</li>
<li>The<strong> Raghuram Rajan committee (2008)</strong> on financial sector reforms first <strong>proposed the creation of FSDC.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims ( 1st January 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Cinereous Vulture<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428446_image37.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428446_image37.png" width="350" caption="false" style="float: right;" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the<strong> Cinereous vulture</strong> was spotted in Jharkhand, as they <strong>migrate from the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia</strong> to warmer places, including India.</li>
<li>While earlier records of this migratory bird have revealed that it comes to northern parts of India up to Rajasthan, but this is for the <strong>first time they have been spotted in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.</strong></li>
<li>The Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) draws its name from <strong>&ldquo;monachus&rdquo;,</strong> which means <strong>hooded (like a monk) in Latin.&nbsp;</strong></li>
<li>In many countries, this bird is called <strong>&lsquo;monk vulture&rsquo;,</strong> because of it&rsquo;s upright standing neck feathers that resemble the hood of a monk.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>dark brown and broad-winged species</strong> with a slightly wedge-shaped tail. The bald head and neck are a bluish gray, with a fluffy collar which is lighter in older birds.</li>
<li>It is classified as <strong>Near Threatened</strong> under the <strong>IUCN Red List.</strong></li>
<li>India is home to<strong> nine species of vultures</strong> and with the population of these birds dwindling, the country has launched a <strong>species-recovery plan</strong> through conservation breeding centres in different parts of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Parivesh Portal</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gujarat government</strong> and <strong>other states</strong> have decided to operationalise&nbsp;<strong>&lsquo;Parivesh&rsquo; (Pro-Active and Responsive Facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub)</strong> portal by January 15.</li>
<li>PARIVESH is a <strong>web-based, application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) Clearances from Central, State and district level authorities.</strong></li>
<li>It automates the entire tracking of proposals which includes online submission of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals and displays status of the proposals at each stage of the workflow.</li>
<li>This portal is developed under <strong>&lsquo;Digital India&rsquo; initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).</strong></li>
</ul>',
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	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'United States and Israel Quit UNESCO',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>United States and Israel</strong> have officially quit the UN&rsquo;s educational, scientific and cultural agency, UNESCO.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The US filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 which was followed by Israel.</li>
<li>The two countries have blamed UNESCO for having an <strong>anti-Israel bias</strong> like <strong>criticizing Israel&rsquo;s occupation of East Jerusalem,</strong> <strong>naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.</strong></li>
<li>The United States had pulled out of UNESCO in 1984 as well because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. The US rejoined in 2003.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNESCO</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong>, formed in 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.</li>
<li>Its declared purpose is to<strong> contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration</strong> through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.</li>
<li>UNESCO has<strong> 195 Members (including US and Israel).</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Mainstreaming Victims of Crimes&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 1st January 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>When any crime occurs, inevitably, the unwanted-attention will always shift towards the survivor and not the perpetrator. But in doing so, society often engages in blaming the victim or the survivor. This phenomenon of victim blaming is seen worldwide.</strong> In India, the Supreme Court has taken notice of this phenomenon and has upheld the rights of the victims. Therefore, victims of crime in India now has a right to speak and the nation has a responsibility to listen.</p>
<h3>What is Victim Blaming?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Victim blaming is when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that befell them.</li>
<li>Victim blaming occurs at a disproportionate rate in sexual assault, especially when compared to other crimes.</li>
<li><strong>Example:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>In a soci</strong>ety steeped in patriarchy, it's not uncommon for women to be blamed for inviting sexual assault and rape. Victims are often blamed for wearing short skirts or jeans, having boyfriends, being out late at night, or even talking on mobile phones.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Though the &lsquo;victim&rsquo; plays an important role in the criminal justice system his/her welfare is not given due regard by the state instrumentality. <strong>The term &lsquo;victim&rsquo; came to be defined in criminal law only in 2009 in India. Moreover, the victim of a crime is never heard as a victim during the trial of a case, but as a witness.</strong></p>
<h3>Why a legal definition of &lsquo;victim&rsquo; is important?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Crimes are registered in the form of sections of the Indian Penal Code (in numbers) which do not mean anything to the victims of crime in terms of their impact. Crimes do not impact all victims in the same manner.</strong></li>
<li><strong>There is no way to assess the impact suffered by a victim.</strong> And whatever little is tried in this direction is always through a third party, such as a prosecutor or judge, who is invariably incapable of registering the aftermath of victimization. (Only the victim of a crime may truly feel the impact of the crime, others can at best imagine and sympathize with it).<br />
<h3></h3>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Efforts of Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In Sakshi v. Union of India</strong>, the Supreme Court mandated &lsquo;in-camera&rsquo; trials particularly when the victim is a child or rape victim to maintain their privacy and dignity.</li>
<li><strong>In Nirmal Singh Kahlon v. the State of Punjab</strong>, the Apex Court observed that the right to a fair investigation and trial is applicable to the accused as well as the victim and such a right to a victim is provided under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Ergo, a victim of a crime is equally entitled to a fair investigation.</li>
<li><strong>In Bodhisattwa Gautam v. Subhra Chakraborty,</strong> the Supreme Court held that if the court trying an offense of rape has jurisdiction to award compensation at the final stage, the Court also has the right to award interim compensation.</li>
<li><strong>Recently, the Supreme Court issued a slew of directions to protect the identity of victims of rape.</strong> In Nipun Saxena vs Union of India, the SC ordered, among other things, that "In cases where the victim is dead or of unsound mind the name of the victim or her identity should not be disclosed even under the authorization of the next of the kin, unless circumstances justifying the disclosure of her identity exist, which shall be decided by the competent authority, which at present is the Sessions Judge".</li>
<li><a href="/interaction/viewtopic.php?f=38&amp;t=783" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The UN 1985 Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power</strong> </a>effectuated a movement for victim empowerment. That led to significant reforms in the criminal process. It enabled victims to have rights and reasonable protections, and assistance and participation in the system. It also made a powerful plea to provide a voice to the victims of crime during the trial stage.</li>
<li><strong>In Mallikarjun Kodagil (Dead) v. State of Karnataka (2018),</strong> the Supreme Court stressed the need to have a victim impact statement* &ldquo;so that an appropriate punishment is awarded to the convict&rdquo;. This throws up many issues that are of interest to the victims of crimes.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Victim impact statements:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Are written or oral information from crime victims, in their own words, about how a crime has affected them.</li>
<li>Many countries permit them at parole hearings, and victim impact information is generally included in the pre-sentencing report presented to the judge.</li>
<li>The purpose of victim impact statements is to allow crime victims, during the decision-making process on sentencing or parole, to describe to the court the impact of the crime.</li>
<li>Generally, a victim is assisted to submit a detailed form, which is standardized for this purpose, through a prosecutor.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Shortcomings in Law</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Criminal Procedure Code, in Section 235(2), places a mandatory duty on the court to hear the accused on the question of sentence. The idea is to collect personal information and consider it while specifying the quantum of punishment. <strong>While this practice is laudable, it causes a huge disadvantage to the victim of the crime as the trial court is under no legal obligation to hear the victim. As the victim is represented by a prosecutor, her concerns, as well as the impact of her <g class="gr_ gr_122 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="122" data-gr-id="122">victimisation</g>, remain unexpressed.</strong></li>
<li>The trial process is organized in such a manner that the personal appearance of the victim at all the crucial stages is restricted.</li>
<li>The victim is not present when charges are framed against the accused when the accused is discharged when bail is granted when parole is considered, and when punishment or compensation is decided.</li>
<li>By and large, the police, prosecutors and courts do not have any substantive legal obligation towards crime victims.</li>
<li>Often, the family members and friends of victims also make written and verbal statements and not the victim.</li>
<li>Indifference to crime victims remains deep-rooted in the accused-centric criminal justice system. <strong>As such &lsquo;Secondary victimization&rsquo; also takes place when the agencies of the criminal justice system treat victims of crime unfavorably or marginalize them during the trial.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A victim impact statement is an answer to most of the above-mentioned concerns.</strong> It has the potential to alter the course of things for victims of crime in India.</li>
<li><strong>Victim impact statements could provide information about the damage caused to victims by the crime, which is information that would otherwise not be available to the courts.</strong></li>
<li>Details of the financial impact of the crime &mdash; lost wages, medical or counseling expenses, transportation costs and damage to property, including a request for compensation or restitution &mdash; can also be included in these statements.</li>
<li>Hearing the victim during the sentencing will help the court decide the quantum of punishment as well as assess the amount of compensation to be ordered. <strong>The U.S., Canada, Australia, and many countries in Europe have made victim impact statements mandatory. It is time for India to do so too.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Providing timely assistance to victims of crime is of great significance because victims have suffered irreparable damages and harm as a result of a crime. The problems of victims and the impact of crime are long-lasting. Therefore, the agencies of the criminal justice system should be receptive to the needs of the victims of crime and address their issues sincerely and empathetically.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture - Infrastructure and North-East',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0W2MFdDi_Z0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The central Government has given a big push to a diverse range of infrastructure projects in the North Eastern Region. The emphasis has been on improving rail, road, air and inland waterways connectivity in the region. In addition to this, schemes such as the National Bamboo mission, Digital North East Vision 2022 and North East Industrial Development Scheme have also been launched for the overall development of the North Eastern states.</p>
<h3>Infrastructural Development in North East</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The North-Eastern Council (NEC) is a nodal agency for economic and social development of the north-east.</strong> Its key members include governors and chief ministers of these eight states.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced connectivity in the Northeast will lead to two benefits.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Along with connectivity, the level of economic activity is bound to increase. Previously, even fiscal concession given to the states failed to attract significant industrial investments. The reason was high logistical costs of moving merchandise to high consumption regions. In this context, better connectivity provides a booster shot to economic activity, including tourism.</li>
<li>The other important benefit is from a strategic standpoint. The region borders China and considering the history of confrontations with China, it is essential that military personnel can be moved swiftly in the region.</li>
<li>For Example, Bogibeel Bridge will vastly improve access to Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Air Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NEC is funding <g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling gr-progress" id="95" data-gr-id="95">upgradation</g> of infrastructure in 12 operational airports.</li>
<li>The Pakyong Airport in Sikkim is the first greenfield airport in Northeast India. It is situated around 30 kilometers from Gangtok.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Road Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NEC is focusing on building roads spanning 10,500 kilometers, which will include inter-state and roads of economic importance.</li>
<li>Despite being the largest state in the country, Arunachal Pradesh has the least road density. The Union Ministry of Road and Transport is planning to expedite the Trans-Arunachal Highway project.</li>
<li>An express highway project along the Brahmaputra River, spanning 1,300 km, will come up and that is expected to resolve connectivity issues in Assam.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Railway Connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are plans to provide a railway link for the NE states through 20 major railway projects, encompassing 13 new lines, two gauge conversions and five doublings with a length of nearly 2,624 kilometers.</li>
<li>Construction of a broad gauge railway line connecting Bairabi and Sairang is in progress that will connect capital cities of the north-eastern states by 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Digital connectivity</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Telecom Commission has approved a comprehensive strategy to implement BharatNet in North East Region (NER).</li>
<li>Under this strategy, 4240 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the North-East are to be connected by broadband and by satellite connectivity.</li>
<li>The telecom ministry has announced a multitude of goals with respect to North East&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The plan for 100 percent teledensity by 2020.</li>
<li>Expansion of mobile connectivity by 2019.</li>
<li>Last mile connectivity through BharatNet in all the Gram Panchayats including Satellite Connectivity in the difficult and inaccessible GPs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Network for Spectrum (NFS) project for providing Optical fiber connectivity for the defense forces in the border areas and Wi-Fi project to provide internet connectivity to the general rural public.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Bogibeel Bridge</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The combined road and rail bridge, which spans the River Brahmaputra between Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of Assam, is of immense economic and strategic significance for the nation.</li>
<li><strong>This is also Asia&rsquo;s 2nd longest railroad bridge that has a serviceable period of around 120 years.</strong></li>
<li>This is the 4th longest bridge in India after Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Assam), Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Bihar) and Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Mumbai, Maharashtra).</li>
<li>It took 16 years to complete the project as heavy rainfall in the region became the main cause for the slow progress.</li>
<li><strong>As the Bogibeel bridge being situated in an earthquake-prone area, it is built to withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 in Richter Scale.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The bridge will reduce the distance</strong> from Dibrugarh to Rangiya and a train journey from Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, to Dibrugarh (Assam) will be 180km.</li>
<li>People from Dhemaji, Jonai and North Lakhimpur who had to travel the whole day to cross the Brahmaputra to reach Dibrugarh, will now cross the river within hours.</li>
<li><strong>The Bogibeel Bridge is the insignia of the governments Act East Policy.</strong> The 3Cs of the Act East Policy, that is Commerce, Connect and Communicate are catered to by such infrastructure.</li>
<li>Investing in infrastructure would also generate employment and would play a major role in thwarting secessionist movements in the North East region.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>National Bamboo Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Mission envisages promoting holistic growth of the bamboo sector by adopting the area-based, regionally differentiated strategy. It aims to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing.</li>
<li>Under the Mission, steps have been taken to increase the availability of quality planting material by supporting the setting up of new nurseries and strengthening of existing ones.</li>
<li>To address forward integration, the Mission has taken steps to strengthen the marketing of bamboo products, especially those of handicraft items.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>North-East Industrial Development Scheme (</strong><g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="98" data-gr-id="98">NEIDS</g><strong>)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to promote employment in the North East States, Government is incentivizing primarily the MSME Sector through this scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tourism</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>International Tourism Mart (ITM) is organized annually with the objective of showcasing the largely untapped tourism potential of the North East region in the domestic and international markets.</li>
<li>10% of the plan allocation of the Ministry of Tourism is marked for the North East region.</li>
<li>There are plans to hold an NER Tourism Mart where tour operators from all over the country can meet and the regional tourism can be showcased.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-infrastructure-and-north-east'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Export Promotion Council (EPC) Established for MSME Sector',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong> has recently established an<strong> Export Promotion Cell (EPC)</strong> with an aim to create a sustainable ecosystem for entire MSME development.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MSME sector has a huge impact on Foreign Exchange earnings and has large export potential.</li>
<li>As per the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), the value of MSME related products is USD 147,390.08 million and share of MSME related products in the country&rsquo;s exports was 48.56% during 2017-18.</li>
<li>In some cases like sports goods, they account for about 100% share to the total exports of the sector.</li>
<li>In addition to the above, MSMEs account for about 85-90 % of leather exports; around 6.11% to India&rsquo;s manufacturing GDP (about 33%to the manufacturing output) and about 25% to the GDP from service activities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objective of EPC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Evaluate readiness of MSMEs to export their products and services.</li>
<li>Recognize areas that can be improved to export effectively and efficiently.</li>
<li><strong>Integration</strong> of MSME into the<strong> global value chain.</strong></li>
<li>The target of <strong>USD 100 billion of exports</strong> from India<strong> by 2020.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Identify potential clusters</strong> which can start exporting directly or through aggregators and export houses with the help of export promotion councils.</li>
<li>Coordinate with other departments and export promotion councils for <strong>increasing shipments of products like khadi, leather, and coir.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Governing Council Composition</span></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chaired by Secretary, Ministry of MSME</strong> and Co-chaired by Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME.</li>
<li>The council will comprise of senior officials and members from the Ministry of MSME, Commerce, MSME Export Promotion Councils, Export Development Authorities, Commodity Boards, and other bodies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Benefits to MSME</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Simplification of procedures.</li>
<li>Incentives for higher production of exports.</li>
<li>Preferential treatments to MSMEs in the market development fund.</li>
<li>Simplification of duty drawback rules.</li>
<li>Products of MSME exporters are displayed in international exhibitions free of cost.</li>
<li>Export Promotion Programmes/Measures</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Marketing Assistance And Export Promotion Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Participation in the International Exhibitions/ Fairs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Training Programmes</strong> on Packaging for Exports.</li>
<li><strong>Marketing Development Assistance</strong> Scheme for MSME exporters (MSME-MDA).</li>
<li>In addition, the above scheme also provides for financial assistance up to Rs. 2.00 lakhs for commissioning specific market studies and assistance for initiating/ contesting anti-dumping cases are available to MSME Association limited to 50% of the total cost or Rs. 1.00 lakh whichever is less.</li>
<li>The <strong>Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)</strong> was introduced in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 w.e.f. 1st April 2015 with the objective to offset infrastructural inefficiencies and associated costs involved in exporting goods/products which are produced /manufactured in India including products produced/manufactured by MSME Sector.</li>
<li>The Government has implemented the<strong> Niryat Bandhu Scheme with an objective to reach out to the exporters from Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong> and mentor them through orientation programmes, counselling sessions, individual facilitation, etc., on various aspects of foreign trade to enable them to get into international trade and boost exports from India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read More About MSME</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/export-promotion-council-established-for-msme-sector'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'NASA Spaceship Reaches Ultima Thule',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>NASA&rsquo;s New Horizons</strong> spacecraft will fly past the icy object nicknamed<strong> Ultima Thule (TOO-lee)</strong> in Kuiper belt.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ultima Thule is located 1.6 billion kilometers beyond Pluto and 6.4 billion kilometers from Earth.</li>
<li>The spacecraft will fly past within 3,500 kilometers of Ultima Thule.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ultima Thule</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This Kuiper Belt object was <strong>discovered</strong> by the <strong>Hubble Space Telescope in 2014.</strong></li>
<li>Officially it is known as <strong>2014 MU69</strong> and is nicknamed as Ultima Thule.</li>
<li>Thule means the most distant places beyond the known world.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ultima Thule will be the <strong>farthest object ever visited by a spacecraft.</strong></li>
<li>Ultima Thule would have relics dating back to solar system&rsquo;s origin 4.5 billion years ago. No spacecraft has visited anything so primitive. This will help in <strong>understanding the origins of our solar system.</strong></li>
<li>The mission will also help in<strong> studying the Ultima Thule.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>New Horizon</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Launched</strong>: Jan. 19, 2006</li>
<li><strong>Pluto Flyby:</strong> July 14, 2015</li>
<li><strong>Ultima Thule Flyby:</strong> Jan. 1, 2019</li>
<li><strong>Goal</strong>: Study Pluto, its moons, and Kuiper Belt objects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Kuiper Belt</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Kuiper Belt (also known as the Edgeworth&ndash;Kuiper belt) is a region of the Solar System that<strong> exists beyond the eight major planets,</strong> extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun.<strong> (1 Astronomical Unit (AU) = distance between the Earth and the Sun)</strong></li>
<li>It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System&rsquo;s formation.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nasa-spaceship-reaches-ultima-thule'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Centre Extends AFSPA in Nagaland',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The entire State of <strong>Nagaland</strong> has been<strong> declared &lsquo;disturbed area&rsquo;</strong> for six more months up to June 2019, under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a notification, the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs</strong> said that the Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of State of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of civilian power is necessary.</li>
<li>The decision has been taken as killings, loot and extortion have been going on in various parts of the State which necessitated the action.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Act was enacted in 1958</strong> to bring under control what the government considered &lsquo;disturbed areas&rsquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Jammu &amp; Kashmir has a similar but separate act</strong> Armed Forces (Jammu &amp; Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990.</li>
<li>It is effective in the whole of <strong>Nagaland, Assam, Manipur</strong> (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and<strong> parts of Arunachal Pradesh.</strong> The Centre revoked it in Meghalaya on April 1, 2018.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>empowers the Governor/Administrator of state/UT to declare an area as &lsquo;disturbed&rsquo;.</strong> Once declared, the region has to maintain the status quo for a minimum of three months (according to Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976).</li>
<li>As per the Act, it can be invoked in places where the use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary.</li>
<li>The AFSPA gives power to the Army and Central forces deployed in &ldquo;disturbed areas&rdquo; <strong>to search premises and arrest without warrant, to use force even to the extent of causing death.</strong></li>
<li>It also gives<strong> immunity to security forces</strong> in carrying out various operations and provides cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without the Centre&rsquo;s sanction.</li>
<li>To check arbitrariness there should be a<strong> periodic review of &lsquo;disturbed area&rsquo; every six months.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Debate Around AFSPA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AFSPA has become a controversial act due to the <strong>wide-ranging power</strong> it gives to armed forces and<strong> alleged human rights</strong> <strong>violation</strong> under the act.</li>
<li>There were questions about the <strong>constitutionality of AFSPA,</strong> given that<strong> law and order is a state subject.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Supreme Court&rsquo;s Judgement:</strong> The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of <strong>AFSPA in a 1998 judgment (Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India).</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In this judgment, the Supreme Court held that
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>a <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="57" data-gr-id="57">suo</g>-<g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="58" data-gr-id="58">motu</g> declaration can be made by the Central government, however, it is desirable that the state government should be consulted by the central government before making the declaration;</li>
<li>the declaration has to be for a limited duration and there should be a periodic review of the declaration 6 months have expired;</li>
<li>while exercising the powers conferred upon him by AFSPA, the authorized officer should use minimal force necessary for effective action,</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jeevan Reddy Committee:</strong> In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice B P Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The committee recommended that:
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>AFSPA should be repealed</strong> and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967</li>
<li>The <strong>Unlawful Activities Act should be modified</strong> to clearly specify the powers of the armed forces and paramilitary forces and</li>
<li><strong>Grievance cells</strong> should be set up<strong> in each district</strong> where the armed forces are deployed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Second ARC Recommendation:</strong> The<strong> 5th report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC)</strong> on public order has also recommended the <strong>repeal of the AFSPA.</strong> However, These recommendations have not been implemented.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/centre-extends-afspa-in-nagaland'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'The Future of Free Trade',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;The future of free trade&rdquo; which appears in Livemint on 1st January 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p>The future of &lsquo;free trade&rsquo; world over is in jeopardy or at least it is changing (for the better or worse we don&rsquo;t know yet). In this editorial analysis, we&rsquo;ll see some interesting aspects of the global free trade regime and its predilections towards a new world order.</p>
<p><strong>In 2018, it has been considered that more than any other policy area, trade was &ldquo;disrupted&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<p>Trade - which has been pale, routine in previous years, now dominated front-page headlines, magazine covers etc. It became sort of a household term in political debates across the world.</p>
<p><strong>Constituencies that have traditionally opposed free-trade agreements (FTAs) are now cheering their virtues, and countries not known for their free-trade sensibilities&mdash;including China, Russia, and France&mdash;are nominating themselves as the defenders of the global trade system.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Free Trade Agreements?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non-tariff barriers on substantial trade between them.</li>
<li>FTAs, normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, construction, trading etc.).</li>
<li>FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property rights (IPRs), investment, government procurement, and competition policy, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Current Situation with FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but the remaining 11 signatories have implemented the bulk of the agreement on their own while leaving the door open for the US to rejoin in the future.</strong> More countries have shown an interest in joining, suggesting that the TPP could eventually extend well beyond what was originally envisioned. [Perhaps it will expand in the lines of a new GATT system]</li>
<li>The updated North American Free Trade Agreement&mdash;now to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement &mdash;is largely based on the TPP template, which already included Canada and Mexico, along with some noteworthy additions.</li>
<li>The European Union (EU) is implementing FTAs with Canada, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan, and pursuing deals with Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mercosur (Mercosur, officially Southern Common Market is a South American trade bloc) and others.</li>
<li>The Pacific Alliance continues to expand trade and other partnerships in Latin America.</li>
<li>The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is proceeding apace in the Asia-Pacific region. And the African Union has made more progress toward implementing the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Future of FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>By surrendering its global leadership role, the US has lost the trust of its closest allies and partners and handed a gift to its adversaries.</strong></li>
<li><strong>In this scenario, the EU or China might supplant the US as the global rule-maker, or there will be no rule-maker, and the international order will be governed by drift (i.e without a leader).</strong> Other countries might well imitate the US by pursuing unilateral action and upholding their international obligations only when it suits them. (the US was infamous for using trade to pursue geopolitical ambitions)</li>
<li><strong>It is too early to say which scenario will play out.</strong> But one thing is clear: Nationalism, populism, nativism, and protectionism are on the rise.</li>
<li>Economic insecurities, as well as a growing sense of lost sovereignty, have contributed to an unprecedented degree of political polarization, and not just in the US.</li>
<li>From European countries beset by growth in support for fringe parties to emerging economies mired in corruption, governments everywhere seem to be more inwardly focused and less capable than ever of demonstrating bold leadership&mdash;and precisely when it is most needed to address the disruptive effects of rapid technological and economic change.</li>
<li><strong>Doing well by doing good can&rsquo;t be just a tagline.</strong> It must be a guiding business philosophy, backed by the recognition that the private sector needs a healthy political and economic environment to thrive and must take action to secure it.</li>
<li>In recent decades, public trust in government, the press, corporations, and other leading institutions has declined sharply. If business leaders continue to ignore the health of their operating environment&mdash;or assume that fixing it is someone else&rsquo;s problem&mdash;they are risking even more deglobalization, uncertainty, and instability in the years ahead.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and FTAs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="https://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/FTA-NITI-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India&rsquo;s exports to FTA countries has not outperformed overall export growth or exports to the rest of the world.</a></li>
<li>FTAs have led to increased imports and exports, although the former has been greater.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with ASEAN, Korea, and Japan has widened post-FTAs</li>
<li>According to Economic Survey 2016-17, FTAs have had a bigger impact on metals on the importing side and textiles on the exporting side. A 10% percent reduction in FTA tariffs for metals increases imports by 1.4 %</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s exports are much more responsive to income changes as compared to price changes and thus a tariff reduction/elimination does not boost exports significantly.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic growth has been the defining feature of a historic global success story spanning the past 75 years. Even with its limitations, globalization has lifted more than one billion people out of poverty and delivered unprecedented improvements in virtually all areas of human development. But the job is not done. To prevent backsliding, the focus must shift from aggregate growth to inclusive growth. The gains from growth must accrue not just to those at the top, but to those at all income levels, and not just to global corporations, but <g class="gr_ gr_131 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="131" data-gr-id="131">to</g> small and medium-size businesses as well.</li>
<li><strong>Nationalism, populism, nativism, and protectionism exploit people&rsquo;s sense of being left behind and excluded from the system. That is why we need to focus on ensuring universal inclusion in the economic networks that allow individuals and families to achieve financial security and pursue opportunities for betterment.</strong></li>
<li>Finally, with a leadership vacuum at the international level and paralysis at the national level, it has become all the more necessary for private sector actors to step up, not out of the goodness of their hearts, but in defense of their own interests.</li>
<li><strong>They also need to be thinking about the long-term and about the economic and political environments in which they operate. Beyond corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, that means developing commercially sustainable business models that also &ldquo;serve a social purpose.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Read More: <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/a-note-on-free-trade-agreements-and-their-costs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Note on Free Trade Agreements and Their Costs</a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States has reached an agreement with Mexico and Canada in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).</li>
<li>The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is considered to be a mutually beneficial win for North American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses.</li>
<li>When finalized and implemented, the agreement will create a more balanced, reciprocal trade that supports high-paying jobs for Americans and grows the North American economy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Pacific Alliance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Pacific Alliance is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, which all border the Pacific Ocean.</li>
<li>These countries have come together to form an area of integration with the purpose to ensure complete freedom in the movement of goods, services, capital, and people.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Continental Free Trade Agreement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is a trade agreement between 49 African Union member states, with the goal of creating a single market followed by free movement and a single-currency union.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/the-future-of-free-trade'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Monuments of National Importance',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Archaeological Survey of India has declared following monuments of national importance:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ancient <strong>Neemrana Baori</strong> in Rajasthan's Alwar district;</li>
<li>The <strong>Group of Temples at Ranipur Jharail</strong> in Odisha's Bolangir district;</li>
<li>The <strong>Vishnu Temple in Pithoragarh district,</strong> Uttarakhand;</li>
<li><strong>High Court Building in Nagpur,</strong> Maharashtra,</li>
<li>Two Mughal-era monuments in Agra &mdash; <strong>Haveli of Agha Khan and Hathi Khana.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Court Building Nagpur</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Nagpur High Court building is called a<strong> Poem in Stone because of its beautiful structure.</strong></li>
<li>The most conspicuous feature of the High Court frontage is the Dome, the grand entrance, both towers, and the majestic staircase.</li>
<li>It was designed by <strong>Architect H.A.N. Medd.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Greek influence can be seen prominently in the columns.</strong> The predominant Roman features can be seen in the ornamentation of both square and arched alcoves.</li>
<li>The Renaissance drum is cylindrical and elongated. Over it are Rajasthani Chhatris. The dome has the resonance of the soprano.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428133_image52.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577428133_image52.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="660" height="246" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Neemrana Baori&ndash; Rajasthan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Neemrana Stepwell was built in 18th century by Thakur Janak Singh.</strong></li>
<li>It is also known as<strong> Rani Ki Baoli in the local language.</strong></li>
<li>The primary cause of the creation of this step well was to create employment during the famine that hit the area during that period.</li>
<li>It is located in<strong> Alwar district of Rajasthan.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ranipur &ndash;Jharial- Odisha</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A group of temples near<strong> Ranipur Jharial in Balangir district of Odisha</strong> has been declared as a monument of national importance.</li>
<li>Ranipur Jharial is known as <strong>&ldquo;Soma Tirth&rdquo; in scriptures.</strong></li>
<li>It is a <strong>combination</strong> <strong>of</strong> religious faiths of<strong> Shaivism, Buddhism, Vaishnavism, and Tantrism.</strong></li>
<li>The site is famous for <strong>Chausath (64) Yogini temples</strong> or the temples without roofs&mdash;known as the hypaethral temples.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological <strong>research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and preservation of protected monuments.</strong></li>
<li>It is an attached office under the <strong>Department of Culture (Ministry of Culture).</strong></li>
<li><strong>ASI was founded in 1861</strong> by Alexander Cunningham who became its first Director-General.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/monuments-of-national-importance'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The bill recently got passed in Lok Sabha with 27 amendments. The bill will now be placed in Rajya Sabha.</li>
<li>The bill seeks to protect the rights of transgender and promote social equality that has eluded them for very long.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Who are Transgender?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the bill transgender means a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at birth.</li>
<li>It includes trans-person with intersex variations, gender-queer and person having such socio-cultural identities as kinnar, hijra, aaravani and jogta.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Timeline of Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2009, appropriate directions were issued by the Election Commission to all provinces to <strong>amend the format of the registration forms to include an option of &ldquo;others&rdquo;</strong>. This enabled transsexual people to tick the column if they didn&rsquo;t want to be identified as either male or female.</li>
<li>The <strong>Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority Vs. Union of India (2014) recognized them as the &ldquo;Third Gender&rdquo;</strong>. In the landmark ruling, Justice K.S Radhakrishnan observed that &ldquo;recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue, but <strong>a human rights issue</strong>&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, was introduced as a private member&rsquo;s Bill by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Tiruchi Siva, and passed by the Rajya Sabha in April 2015.</li>
<li>HIV services for the community are rapidly improving in a targeted manner after the SC verdict. For example, the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) reported that 2,40,000 hijras were provided with HIV prevention and treatment services in 2015, compared to 1,80,000 the previous year.</li>
<li>At the present, Lok Sabha has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016. The bill will now be placed in Rajya Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Provisions of the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prohibition against discrimination:</strong> the Bill prohibits discrimination of transgenders in relation to opportunities for education, job, health care services, and access to services etc.</li>
<li><strong>Right to be recognized as transgender:</strong> every person has a right to be recognized as a transgender.</li>
<li><strong>Procedure for transgender recognition:</strong> A certificate of identity has to be obtained from the District Magistrate, who will issue the certificate based on the District Screening Committee.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The committee will comprise of a Chief Medical Officer, District Social Welfare Officer, Psychologist or Psychiatrist, and a representative of transgender community.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Right of residence:</strong> No transgender person shall be separated from parents or immediate family on the ground of being a transgender.</li>
<li>Provision for establishment of <strong>National Council for Transgender Persons</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Penal Provisions:</strong> it criminalizes: (i) begging, forced or bonded labor (ii) denial of use of a public place; (iii) denial of residence in the household, village, etc.; (iv) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges in the Bills</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Transgender persons are <strong>not defined properly</strong> and the Bill does not have any provision for self-determination of gender.</li>
<li>Bill is <strong>silent on granting reservations</strong> to transgender person, going against the Supreme Court verdict in <strong>NALSA judgment in 2014</strong> which seeks to give reservation to transgender as socially and educationally backward classes.</li>
<li>Begging is a way of life for transgender as they dance or sing and earn money. However bill <strong>criminalizes begging</strong> by making it an offence without taking alternative affirmative action for their social security.</li>
<li>It sets lighter consequences for discrimination and assault on Trans people compared to cis-gender people which prescribes jail sentence of 7 years for sexual assault on women.</li>
<li>The Bill treats <strong>transgender as victims rather than an empowered</strong> subject with rights.</li>
<li>The Standing Committee&rsquo;s concerns about recognizing <strong>rights in marriage, divorce and adoption</strong> of transgender person have not been addressed.</li>
<li>Bill <strong>violates the transgender&rsquo;s constitutional Right to Freedom of Residence</strong> under the Article 19 as they must either stay with their parents or approach a court.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Faced by Transgender</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of legal protection &ndash;</strong> They are subjected to custodial violence, dereliction of duty by state and overall apathy to their issues such as educational, residential, medical and employment.</li>
<li><strong>Poverty &ndash;</strong> Lack of legal protection translates into unemployment for transgender people. They&rsquo;re denied services and experience high rates of unemployment, housing insecurity and marginalization.</li>
<li><strong>Harassment and stigma &ndash;</strong> They are met with ridicule from a society and are considered mentally ill, socially deviant and sexually predatory.</li>
<li><strong>Anti-transgender violence &ndash;</strong> They are forced for gender conformism, aversion based pseudo-psychotherapies, forced marriages, stripping, physical and verbal abuse and are pushed into prostitution by their own families.</li>
<li><strong>Barriers to healthcare &ndash;</strong> Their exposure to basic health care is minimal as they are subject to apathy from medical fraternity with professionals lacking transgender health care competency.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Inclusive approach for Transgender must be planned and adopted by the Government and society.</li>
<li>Legal and the law enforcement systems need to be empowered and sensitized on the issues of Transgender community.</li>
<li>Provision of free legal aid, supportive education, and social entitlement must be ensured for the Transgender community at ground level as suggested by NALSA Judgement.</li>
<li>Separate policies related to health care must be framed and communicated in all private and public hospitals and clinics.</li>
<li>Liberal credit facilities and financial assistance must be ensured to start up their career as an entrepreneur or businessman.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Certain provisions of <strong>Private member bill introduced in 2014 by Tiruchi Siva</strong> can also be incorporated such as reserving 2% of seats in education institutions funded by the government, formation of special employment exchanges for transgender people n government jobs, etc.</li>
<li>The bill should be provisioned in such a manner that it is able to integrate transgender persons seamlessly into the fabric of everyday public life be it public spaces, at workplaces, and in normative domestic spaces.</li>
<li>Policies and regulation alone won&rsquo;t help there is a need to increase awareness and inculcate sense of respect and acceptance for transgender community.</li>
<li>Their grievance of being not included in policies formulation or decision making needs to be allayed and chances for their public participation should increase.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/the-transgender-persons-protection-of-rights-bill-1'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Bhutan's PM Visits India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering came to India on a state visit.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This was the first overseas visit by Bhutanese PM after assuming the office in November 2018.</li>
<li>2018 marks 50 years of the diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Bhutan Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan were established in 1968.</li>
<li>The basic framework of India- Bhutan bilateral relations are defined by the <strong>Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation</strong> which was <strong>signed in 1949 and was revised in 2007</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Military Relations</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is largely responsible for the military security of Bhutan.</strong></li>
<li>As per the 2007 India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, the two nations cooperate closely on issues relating to each other's national interests and neither government should allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation in Hydro Power projects</strong> is an important component of India-Bhutan relations.
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Hydropower sector is covered under the Protocol to the 2006 agreement on Cooperation in Hydropower which was signed in March 2009.</li>
<li>Under this Protocol, Government of India has agreed to assist Bhutan in developing a minimum of 10,000 MW of hydropower and import the surplus electricity from this to India by the year 2020.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral Trade</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is Bhutan's largest trading partner. In 2016, total bilateral trade between the two countries stood at more than rupees eight thousand crores with total imports around rupees five thousand crores (80% of Bhutan&rsquo;s total imports) and exports rupees around three thousand crores including electricity (90% of Bhutan&rsquo;s total exports).</li>
<li>The trade between the two countries is governed by the<strong> India-Bhutan Trade and Transit Agreement 1972</strong> which was last renewed in November 2016. The Agreement established a<strong> free-trade regime between the two countries.</strong></li>
<li>The trade between the two countries is <strong>transacted in Bhutanese Ngultrums and Indian Rupees.</strong> The Agreement also provides for <strong>dutyfree transit of Bhutanese exports to third countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Bhutan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bhutan and India have historical and cultural linkages.</li>
<li>Bhutan is central to India&rsquo;s <strong>&lsquo;Neighbourhood First&rsquo; policy</strong>. Being a long time partner, India is firmly committed to partner Bhutan's development and economic prosperity.</li>
<li>Bhutan is of great geopolitical importance to India for its location as a landlocked country between India and China.</li>
<li>In the Doklam standoff at the tri-junction near Sikkim in 2017, Bhutan took a pro-India stand on the issue and called the infringement of the border as <g class="gr_ gr_319 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="319" data-gr-id="319">direct</g> violation of border agreement between Bhutan and China.</li>
<li>Bhutan is the only country in South Asia apart from India which refused to participate in China's One Belt One Road initiative.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of the Visit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>ISRO Ground Station</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) will build a ground-station in Bhutan to help Bhutan reap the benefits of the South Asian Satellite- weather information, telemedicine, and disaster relief. <strong><br /></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial and Developmental Assistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has decided to give grant assistance of rupees&nbsp;4500 Crore to Bhutan&rsquo;s 12th Five Year Plan for the period of 2018 to 2023.</li>
<li>A transitional Trade Support Facility of rupees 400 Crore over a period of five years is also established to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hydro Power Cooperation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both countries reiterated their commitment to jointly develop 10,000 MWs of hydropower generating capacity in Bhutan.</li>
<li>Both countries agreed to commission 720 MW Mangdechhu hydro-power project in Bhutan as early as possible.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Bhutan Government has taken the decision to launch the RuPay Cards.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bhutan PM's visit is based on Bhutan&rsquo;s <strong>&lsquo;India First&rsquo; policy</strong> like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/maldives-presidents-visit-to-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Maldives.&nbsp;</a>The visit signals India&rsquo;s pivotal position in South Asia.</li>
<li>Bhutan is trying to convert the relationship with India from the traditional &ldquo;donor and aid recipient&rdquo; to that of investment and trade. India should try to seize the moment and move from being Bhutan&rsquo;s largest developmental partner to Bhutan&rsquo;s largest investor and business partner.</li>
<li>Bhutan is looking to expand and diversify its revenue basket. India can play an important role in helping Bhutanese private sector both manufacturing and services to build their capacities.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bhutans-pm-visits-india'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India submitted its <strong>sixth national report (NR6)</strong> to the<strong> Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong> during the inaugural session of the meeting of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) organized by the <strong>National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>NR6</strong> highlights the progress India has made in achieving the<a href="http://nbaindia.in/uploaded/Targets/ExplanatoryNoteonNationalTargets.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT)</strong></a> set under the convention process.</li>
<li>With this India is among the <strong>first five countries</strong> in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversity-rich mega diverse nations, to have submitted Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).</li>
<li>The submission of national reports is a<strong> mandatory obligation</strong> on parties to international treaties, including the CBD.</li>
<li>India developed <strong>12 National Biodiversity Targets</strong> in line with <strong>20 global Aichi biodiversity targets.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is one of the few countries where<strong> forest cover is on the rise</strong>, according to the <strong>15<sup>th</sup> India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017.</strong></li>
<li>While India has e<strong>xceeded/overachieved two NBTs,</strong> it is on track to achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More than 20% of India&rsquo;s total geographical area is under biodiversity conservation, India has exceeded the terrestrial component of 17% of<strong> Aichi target 11.</strong></li>
<li>India published the first <strong>internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC)</strong> under the Protocol in 2015, and since then published nearly 75% of the IRCCs. Thereby, achieving target relating to access and benefit sharing (ABS) by operationalising the Nagoya Protocol on ABS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>population of Lion</strong> has <strong>risen</strong> to over 520 in 2015, and elephants to 30,000 in 2015.</li>
<li><strong>One-horned Indian Rhino</strong> which was on the brink of extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2400.</li>
<li>Further, while globally over 0.3 % of total recorded species are critically endangered, <strong>in India only 0.08% of the species</strong> recorded are in this category.</li>
<li>Measures have been adopted for <strong>sustainable management</strong> of agriculture, fisheries and forests, with a view to provide food and nutritional security to all without destroying the natural resource base while ensuring intergenerational environmental equity.</li>
<li>Programmes are in place to<strong> maintain genetic diversity</strong> of cultivated plants, farms livestock and their wild relatives, towards minimising genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.</li>
<li>Mechanisms and enabling environment are being created for recognising and protecting the vast heritage of coded and oral <strong>traditional knowledge</strong> relating to biodiversity.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty</strong> to conserve biodiversity has been in force<strong> since 1993.</strong> It has <strong>3 main objectives:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>conservation</strong> of biological diversity.</li>
<li>The <strong>sustainable use</strong> of the components of biological diversity.</li>
<li>The <strong>fair and equitable sharing</strong> of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nearly all countries have ratified it (notably, the US has signed but not ratified).</li>
<li>The CBD Secretariat is based in <strong>Montreal, Canada</strong> and it operates under the <strong>United Nations Environment Programme.</strong></li>
<li>The Parties (Countries) under Convention of Biodiversity (CBD), meet at regular interval and these meetings are <strong>called Conference of Parties (COP).</strong></li>
<li>On 29 January 2000, the Conference of the Parties to the <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (COP5)</strong> adopted a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the <strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.</strong> It came into force on 11 September 2003.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Protocol seeks to <strong>protect biological diversity</strong> from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from <strong>modern biotechnology.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Nagoya Protocol</strong> on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted on <strong>29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan at COP10.</strong> It entered into force on 12 October 2014.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: <strong>the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.</strong></li>
<li>It not only applies to genetic resources that are covered by the CBD, and to the benefits arising from their utilization<strong> but also covers traditional knowledge (TK)</strong> associated with genetic resources that are covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its utilization.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Along with Nagoya Protocol on Genetic Resources, the COP-10 <strong>also adopted a ten-year framework</strong> for action by all countries to save biodiversity.</li>
<li>Officially known as <strong>&ldquo;Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020&rdquo;,</strong> provide a set of <strong>20 ambitious yet achievable targets (divided into 5 sections: A to E), collectively known as the Aichi Targets for biodiversity.</strong></li>
<li>The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Strategic Goal A:</strong> Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal B:</strong> Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal C:</strong> To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal D:</strong> Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services</li>
<li><strong>Strategic Goal E:</strong> Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India enacted<strong> Biological Diversity Act in 2002</strong> for giving effect to the provisions of the CBD.</li>
<li>The National Biodiversity Authority is a <strong>statutory body</strong>, which was established by the Central Government in 2003 to implement India&rsquo;s Biological Diversity Act (2002).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.</li>
<li>The NBA is headquartered in <strong>Chennai, Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Biological Diversity Day is observed on 22 May</strong>. Theme for 2018: <strong>"Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity".</strong></li>
<li>United Nations General Assembly had declared the period 2011-2020 to be the <strong>&ldquo;United Nations Decade on Biodiversity&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sixth-national-report-to-the-convention-of-biological-diversity'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'New Ecommerce Norms',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The government has issued new rules regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Department of Industrial Policy &amp; Promotion (DIPP) issued a clarification to the existing rules pertaining to FDI in e-commerce companies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New Rules by DIPP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The vendors that have any stake owned by an e-commerce company (equity stake) cannot sell their products on that e-commerce company&rsquo;s portal.</li>
<li>Any vendor who purchases 25% or more of its inventory from an e-commerce group company will be considered to be controlled by that e-commerce company, and thereby barred from selling on its portal.</li>
<li>The policy mandates that no seller can sell its products exclusively on any marketplace platform and that all vendors on the e-commerce platform should be provided services in a &ldquo;fair and non-discriminatory manner&rdquo;. Services include fulfillment, logistics, warehousing, advertisement, payments, and financing among others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why New Rules?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Large e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Flipkart, while not owning inventory themselves, have been providing a platform for their group companies such as CloudTail and WS Retail respectively.</li>
<li>E-commerce companies with foreign investments can only operate under the marketplace model, and not under the inventory model, which has allowed them to sell products much cheaper than independent sellers.</li>
<li>Some see this as skewing the playing field, especially as these vendors enjoyed special incentives from the e-commerce firm, over others.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of DIPP Norms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The DIPP policy is directed at protecting small vendors on e-commerce websites. It seeks to ensure small players selling on the portals are not discriminated against in favor of vendors in which e-commerce companies have a stake.</li>
<li>Smaller marketplaces that do not have a stake in any vendors will also be able to now compete with the big firms. It can also boost the Start-Up India initiative of the government.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>e-Commerce in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a type of business model, or segment of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual to conduct business over an electronic network, typically the internet.</li>
<li>In India, there are three types of e-commerce business model:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inventory base model of e-commerce</li>
<li>Marketplace base model of e-commerce</li>
<li>The hybrid model of inventory based and marketplace model.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Marketplace and Inventory-Based Model</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Marketplace based model of e-commerce means providing an information technology platform by an e-commerce entity on a digital &amp; electronic network to act as a facilitator between the buyer and seller.</li>
<li>In a marketplace model, the e-commerce firm is not allowed to directly or indirectly influence the sale price of goods or services and is required to offer a level playing field to all vendors.</li>
<li>Inventory based model of e-commerce means an e-commerce activity where the inventory of goods and services is owned by e-commerce entity and is sold to the consumers directly.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>FDI guidelines for e-Commerce</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DIPP has issued guidelines for FDI in e-commerce:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In India 100% FDI is permitted in B2B e-commerce, however, No FDI is permitted in B2C e-commerce.</li>
<li>100% FDI under automatic route is permitted in the marketplace model of e-commerce, while FDI is not permitted in inventory based model of e-commerce.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-e-commerce-norms'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Citizen-led Employment Generation is What’s Needed',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Citizen-led Employment Generation is what&rsquo;s Needed&rdquo; which appears in Livemint on 21st December 2018.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>As one of the youngest countries in the world, India often feels secure in the growth of its demography and a decreasing dependency ratio.</strong> On the negative side, demographic liability comes as part and parcel of a demographic dividend.</p>
<p><strong>China is going through the pains of a working-age population too, that has peaked at 1 billion citizens and is starting to decline rapidly. In 15 years, a similar process will happen in India, as our dependency ratio peaks and then declines.</strong></p>
<p>The next decade will be decisive for India to use its growing demography to foster inclusive growth. This next decade is a &ldquo;do or die&rdquo; moment for ending unemployment. Towards this end, which is &lsquo;Citizen-led Employment Generation&rsquo;, a new strategy has been devised by PwC* called <strong>&lsquo;Nagarik: Transformation through large-scale employment generation&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<p>[PwC* - PricewaterhouseCoopers is a multinational professional services network headquartered in London, United Kingdom; among other services, they are known for their auditing services]</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is the dependency ratio</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The dependency ratio is a measure showing the ratio of the number of dependents aged zero to 14 and over the age of 65 to the total population aged 15 to 64.</li>
<li>This indicator gives insight into the number of people of non-working age compared to the number of those of working age.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The two emerging demographic perspectives that can be observed in India:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The north and east have high fertility rates, low labor force participation and high marginal employment.</li>
<li>In contrast, the west and south have low fertility rates and, in some instances, is showing a shortage of manpower.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is resulting in interstate migration, creating social tensions. The west and south are resentful when they see &ldquo;outsiders&rdquo; stream in on packed trains. The north and east are likely to experience increasing social strife when a digitally alive population fails to fulfill their aspiration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Creating large-scale local employment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Achieving inclusive growth and creating large-scale local employment requires a focus on smaller districts that house a majority of our population and still remain rural or semi-urban and in some cases tribal.</li>
<li>Employment generation also requires a district-level effort for job creation that links local entrepreneurs to markets, with solutions that specifically use local resources.</li>
<li><strong>To achieve this, a new approach to large-scale employment called NAGARIK has been mooted.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>What is the Nagarik Approach?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a new approach to large-scale employment that understands that employment generation is the task of citizens, society, and the private sector, not just the government.</li>
<li><strong>It is, therefore, a platform that is market-led, and citizen-driven.</strong></li>
<li>It visualizes citizens, the private sector and government playing an active role in job creation through entrepreneurship, execution, and enablement.</li>
<li>Access to market and technology are the two key pillars of this strategy. Resources would be sourced and consumed at the local level, saving time and costs.</li>
<li><strong>It focuses on all the components of employment and customizes its focus depending on the key challenge of a specific district, state or nation.</strong> For example, while the number of new jobs to be created may be the key concern for UP and Jharkhand, with 48% of marginal labor in their workforce, the states might focus more on converting marginal employment to full time.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/650drishti-ias_nagarik.PNG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/650drishti-ias_nagarik.PNG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="686" height="311" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key advantages of Nagarik</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nagarik shifts our mindset towards citizens</strong> &ndash; from seeing them only as consumers to valuing them as producers, with local value addition from local resources as a key feature of the solution.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik complements &lsquo;business as usual&rsquo; job creation and the recent focus on skill development</strong>. States and districts will continue creating employment in the normal course of growth while Nagarik tackles the &lsquo;extra employment&rsquo; that is required given the strong demographic growth in population.</li>
<li><strong>Employment opportunities created by Nagarik in a district are largely local,</strong> and this helps reduce migration, social stress and creates local economic activity, rather than a remittance economy.</li>
<li><strong>The quantum of funding required from the government is relatively low</strong> &ndash; typically 30% of the overall funding, with banking and private capital as key sources of finance to help generate employment.</li>
<li><strong>The flow of products becomes more local as local resourc</strong>es (agricultural, dairy, animal husbandry, tribal produce) are also consumed locally, reducing the round trip time and cost to and from a large urban center.</li>
<li><strong>Over time, the Nagarik solution would reduce the cost of producing goods in larger cities,</strong> diversify the sourcing options of existing factories and actively shift the economy to smaller districts.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nagarik requires support and participation from the representatives of the peopl</strong>e who can actively encourage citizens to take part in the solution.</li>
<li>Nagarik should be seen as helping create a people&rsquo;s movement aided by government and private sector funding and expertise.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik has direct applicability to the backward states in the north and the east.</strong></li>
<li>These 10 states [Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam] have 62% of our total population but will have 80% of new employment requirements over the coming decade. By creating local employment, widespread migration from these states can be reduced.</li>
<li><strong>Nagarik is equally applicable in other parts of the country, where the urban-rural divide creates &lsquo;contrasts and economic divides&rsquo; that need to be bridged.</strong></li>
<li>Nagarik should be seen as a once in a lifetime opportunity to focus on building the real India, involving citizens and utilizing the bountiful resources of our smaller districts where employment is most needed.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/citizen-led-employment-generation-is-whats-needed'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Cabinet Approved Changes to POCSO Act',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 to make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The earlier amendment allowed the death penalty only in cases of sexual assault of girls below 12 years but now it will be applicable to boys also.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gender neutral</strong>: The amendment will include the death penalty in all cases of aggravated penetrative sexual assault against children, both boys and girls, below the age of 18, thus making the Act <strong>gender neutra</strong>l.</li>
<li><strong>Definition</strong>: The definition of &lsquo;sexual assault&rsquo; in POCSO has been amended to include administering hormones to children expedite their sexual maturity for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.</li>
<li>The <strong>existing definition covers 20 categories</strong> of penetrative sexual crimes against children and the Cabinet has approved adding sexual assault of children who are victims of calamities or natural disasters, taking it up to 21 categories.</li>
<li><strong>New category</strong>: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has cited reported rapes of young girls in the aftermath of Kedarnath floods and that children constitute 50-60% of victims of calamities to make a case for including rapes in course of natural calamities as the 21st category.</li>
<li><strong>List of perpetrators</strong>: The 21 categories under aggravated penetrative sexual assault cover child victims who have been subject to penetrative sexual assault by a police officer or a member of the armed forces or security forces, by a public servant, a relative, the staff of a jail or remand home or protection home, staff of a hospital, educational institution, or religious institution among others.</li>
<li><strong>More stringent punishment</strong>: The amendments extend the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault from a minimum of 10 years to a minimum of 20 years, up to a maximum of life imprisonment and even the death penalty under Section 6 of POCSO Act.</li>
<li>Punitive measures have been made more stringent in cases where children are used for <strong>pornography</strong> as well as for storing such content.</li>
<li>It also includes the gangrape of a child or use of deadly weapons during penetrative sexual assault, a sexual assault that incapacitates the child physically or mentally, makes a girl child pregnant, inflicts the child with HIV or any life-threatening disease.</li>
<li>The maximum <strong>punishment of death</strong> will also be applicable when sexual assault victims are children with mental or physical disabilities, in cases of repeat offenders, rape and attempt to murder, and rape during communal violence.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Analysis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The amendments may protect the interest of vulnerable children in times of distress and ensure their safety and dignity.</li>
<li>The amendment is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions incorporated in the Act.</li>
<li>However data shows that less than 3% of all POCSO cases end in convictions and experts warn against the chilling effect the death penalty may have on reporting the crime.</li>
<li>Systemic changes in law enforcement and prosecution hold the key to tackling child sexual abuse.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to Protect the Children from Offences of Sexual Assault, Sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children.</li>
<li>The Act defines<strong> a child as any person below eighteen years of age</strong>, and regards the best interests and welfare of the child as matter of paramount importance at every stage, to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>defines different forms of sexual abuse</strong>, including <strong>penetrative</strong> and <strong>non penetrative assault</strong>, as well as <strong>sexual harassment</strong> and <strong>pornography</strong>.</li>
<li>The Act deems a sexual assault to be &ldquo;<strong>aggravated</strong>&rdquo; under certain circumstances, such as <strong>when the abused child is mentally ill</strong> or when the <strong>abuse is committed by a person in a position of trust or authority</strong> like a family member, police officer, teacher, or doctor.</li>
<li>The Act also casts the police in the role of child protectors during the investigative process.</li>
<li>The Act stipulates that a case of child sexual abuse <strong>must be disposed of within one year</strong> from the date the offence is reported.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>POCSO e-Box</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) e-Box <strong>launched in 2016</strong> is an<strong> online complaint box for reporting child sexual abuse</strong>.</li>
<li>It is an <strong>National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)</strong> initiative to help children report such crimes directly to the Commission.</li>
<li>The online complaint management system enables <strong>easy reporting and timely action against the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012</strong>.</li>
<li>E-Box is very simple to operate and will help to maintain the confidentiality of the complaint.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approved-changes-to-pocso-act'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth: Biodiversity Report ',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fGu4T8_ambQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Living Planet Report released by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature documents the state of the earth in terms of biodiversity and indicates the raising demand on natural resources and its impact on nature and wildlife. The report is said to reveal the health of the Earth.</strong></p>
<p>Since the dawn of civilization, humankind has destroyed more than 80% of all mammals and half of the plants on the planet. Many scientists feel that the world has begun its 6th mass extinction caused by human beings. The Living Planet Report 2018 presents a picture of the impact of human activities on worlds wildlife, forest, oceans, and rivers. According to it, humans pose a risk to the planet.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>DRISHTI INPUT</p>
<p><strong>World Wildlife Fund</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.</li>
<li>HQ- Switzerland<br /><br /><strong>Living Planet Repo</strong>rt</li>
<li>Published every two years by WWF since 1998.</li>
<li>It is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns Raised by WWF 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate which can only be seen during a mass extinction.</li>
<li>Humans have made many innovations to make their life much easier but in this process, they have over-exploited the resources and damaged the web of life.</li>
<li>World&rsquo;s 7.6 billion people represent only 0.01 of all living things, yet since the inception of civilization, they have caused the destruction of 83% mammal and half of the plants.</li>
<li>If the conservation efforts won&rsquo;t come in action now, the situation may worsen as the consumption percentage has raised 119% in the last 3 years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Main Cause of Concern- PLASTIC</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Only 15% plastic waste is left on the earth&rsquo;s surface and rest reaches the sea.</li>
<li>In 2010, about 4.8 million to 12.7 million tonnes of waste went into the sea. 35% of turtles ate plastic in the form of food.</li>
<li>The Report warns that if the plastic flow into the sea isn&rsquo;t stopped immediately, then by 2050 plastic will be found in the digestive system of 99% of marine organisms.</li>
<li>Microplastics, which never decompose, will reach aquatic animals through food and cause danger for them.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earth witnessed the decline in mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians between 1970-2014. Data covers over 16700 population belonging to 4000 species.</li>
<li>Destruction of natural habitats is the biggest cause of wildlife losses. Three-quarters of land on Earth is affected by human activities.</li>
<li>Killing for food is another major cause for wildlife losses. 300 mammal species have already <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">being</g> eaten into extinction.</li>
<li>Major habitats suffering are water bodies like rivers, ponds etc. Oceans are massively overfished - more than half being industrially fished.</li>
<li>Wildlife population in rivers, lakes has fallen to 83% due to agricultural activities and increased number of dams.</li>
<li>Ocean acidification is occurring at a rate not seen in the last 300 million years.</li>
<li>50% of shallow water corals have estimated to have been lost in the past 30 years.</li>
<li>89% loss <g class="gr_ gr_266 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="266" data-gr-id="266">in vertebrate</g> population in South America and Central America due to deforestation.</li>
<li>A fifth of the Amazon has disappeared in just 50 years.</li>
<li>The area of minimally disturbed forests has declined by 92 million hectares between 2000-2013.</li>
<li>Humans are responsible for releasing 100 billion tonnes of carbon into the ecosystem every 10 years.</li>
<li>According to the Report, around 70,000 medicinal plant species have also been affected.</li>
<li>Human activities associated with production and processing have an enormous effect on biodiversity. Agriculture accounts for a lion&rsquo;s share in the conversion of forest land, a decrease in forest area impact both plant and animals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Human beings must change their approach to development. They need to understand how protecting nature is also about protecting themselves.</li>
<li>The Report calls for new goals post-2020 alongside Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals.</li>
<li>The Report suggests three necessary steps in a roadmap for the post-2020 agenda:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>clearly specify the goal for biodiversity recovery,</li>
<li>develop a set of measurable and relevant indicators of progress, and</li>
<li>agree to a suite of actions that can collectively achieve the goal in the required timeframe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Man-animal conflicts should be reduced, afforestation should be done and laws should be sharpened to punish the poachers.</li>
<li>Use of technology should be done in the right way for biodiversity conservation.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-biodiversity-report'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2018 which were last reviewed and issued in 2011.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CRZ Notification 2018 is based on the recommendations of <strong>Shailesh Nayak committee.</strong></li>
<li>The notification was released after a series of representations received by the Ministry of Environment, Forest &amp; Climate Change (MoEFCC) from various Coastal States/UTs for a comprehensive review of the provisions of the CRZ Notification, 2011.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Coastal Regulation Zones</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Coastal stretches of seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers, and backwaters were declared as CRZs under coastal zone regulation notification in 1991.</li>
<li>CRZs have been classified into 4 zones for the purpose of regulation:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>CRZ-I:</strong> includes <strong>ecologically sensitive areas,</strong> where no construction is allowed except activities for atomic power plants, defense.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-II:</strong> includes designated <strong>urban areas</strong> that are substantially built up. Construction activities are allowed on the landward side only.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-III:</strong> includes relatively undisturbed areas, <strong>mainly rural areas</strong>. No new construction of buildings allowed in this zone except repairing of the existing ones. However, constructions of dwelling units in the plot area lying between 200-500m of the high tide line is allowed.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-IV:</strong>&nbsp;includes the water area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 nautical miles seaward. Except for fishing and related activities, all actions impugning on the sea and tidal water will be regulated in this zone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Salient Features of Notification 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Floor Space Index Norms Eased:</strong> In CRZ, 2011 Notification, for CRZ-II (Urban) areas, Floor Space Index (FSI) was frozen as per 1991 Development Control Regulation (DCR) levels.In the CRZ, 2018 Notification, it has been decided to de-freeze the same and permits FSI for construction projects to enable redevelopment of these areas to meet the emerging needs.</li>
<li><strong>New Categories for densely populated rural areas:</strong> For CRZ-III (Rural) areas, two separate categories have now been stipulated as below:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>CRZ-III A -</strong> These are densely populated rural areas with a <strong>population density of 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Such areas will have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50 meters from the High Tide Line as against 200 meters from the High Tide Line stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>CRZ-III B</strong> - Rural areas with a <strong>population density of below 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census.</strong> Such areas shall continue to have an NDZ of 200 meters from the HTL.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tourism infrastructure in coastal areas:</strong> Temporary tourism facilities such as toilet blocks, change rooms, drinking water facilities etc. have now been permitted in Beaches. However, a minimum distance of 10 m from HTL should be maintained for setting up of such facilities.</li>
<li><strong>CRZ Clearances streamlined:</strong> Only such projects/activities, which are located in the CRZ-I (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and CRZ IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 Nautical Miles seaward) will be required to be cleared by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. For, the CRZ-II (urban) or CRZ III (rural) areas, the CRZ clearance will be considered at the state level by the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA).</li>
<li><strong>No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20 meters for Islands:</strong> For islands close to the mainland coast and for all Backwater Islands in the mainland, NDZ of 20 m has been stipulated.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ecologically Sensitive Areas have been accorded special importance: Specific guidelines related to their conservation and management plans have been drawn up as a part of the CRZ Notification.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution abatement:</strong> In order to address pollution in Coastal areas treatment facilities have been made permissible activities in CRZ-I B area (the area between the Low tide line and High tide line) subject to necessary safeguards.</li>
<li><strong>Defense and strategic projects</strong> are exempted from regulations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Economic Growth:</strong> The proposed CRZ Notification, 2018 will lead to enhanced activities in the coastal regions thereby promoting economic growth while also conserving the coastal regions.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Tourism and Employment:</strong> It will result in significant employment generation and in better living standard and add value to the economy of India.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Conservation Efforts:</strong> The new notification is expected to rejuvenate the coastal areas while reducing their vulnerabilities.</li>
<li><strong>Boost to Housing:</strong>&nbsp;De-freezing FSI Norms will add to creating additional opportunities for affordable housing. This will benefit not only the housing sector but the people looking for shelter.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The notification has simplified procedures for environmental clearances and will open up fragile intertidal areas to real estate agents adding up to the coastal degradation.</li>
<li>The notification fails to address the concerns raised by the fishermen.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coastal-regulation-zone-crz-notification-2018'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (29th December 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Mission Gaganyaan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The union cabinet has approved the <strong>indigenous manned space mission called Gaganyaan</strong> under which a <strong>three-member crew</strong> will be sent to space for <strong>at least seven days.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>testing phase</strong> of the mission is expected to begin from <strong>December 2020</strong> and the mission will be<strong> undertaken in 2022.</strong></li>
<li>The mission, if successful, will add India into the elite club of three countries (the US, Russia, and China) that have sent a manned mission to the outer space.</li>
<li>A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ISRO and the Federal Space Agency of Russia &lsquo;ROSCOSMOS&rsquo; on joint activities in the field of the human spaceflight programme during Russian President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to New Delhi in October 2018.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper3-mission-gaganyaan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In Depth: Mission Gaganyaan</a></p>
<h3>Kashmir Stag</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kashmir Stag locally known as <strong>Hangul</strong> is a <strong>subspecies of the European red deer</strong>, found in <strong>Kashmir</strong>. It is the only subspecies of red deer in India and the <strong>state animal of Jammu and Kashmir</strong>.</li>
<li>First identified by <g class="gr_ gr_25 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="25" data-gr-id="25">Alferd</g> Wagner in 1844, the species is believed to have traveled all the way from Bukhara in Central Asia to Kashmir.</li>
<li>The animal is classified as &lsquo;<strong>critically endangered</strong>&rsquo; by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).</li>
<li><strong>Dachigam National Park</strong> near Srinagar is considered the last undisturbed home of the Hangul.</li>
<li>The challenges that hangul faces include poaching, threats from insurgency and the border conflict between India and Pakistan.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-29th-december-2018'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2018',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Cabinet has approved the draft <strong>National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018,</strong> which seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM) with a new body to ensure transparency.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is on the<strong> lines of National Medical Commission Bill</strong> that is meant to regulate allopathy medicine system.</li>
<li>The NCIM will promote availability of affordable healthcare services in all parts of the country.</li>
<li>The Cabinet has also approved the draft <strong>National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2018,</strong> aimed at replacing the <strong>Central Council for Homoeopathy,</strong> which is the current regulatory body for homoeopathy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Salient Features</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill provides for the constitution of a <strong>National Commission with four autonomous boards</strong> entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha &amp; Sowarigpa under the Board of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa respectively.</li>
<li>In order to ensure transparency the draft bill also proposes a <strong>common entrance exam and an exit exam</strong> that all graduates will have to clear to obtain their license to practice Indian medicine.</li>
<li>Further, a <strong>teacher's eligibility test</strong> has been proposed in the Bill to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.</li>
<li>Establishes<strong> two common boards</strong>&mdash; <strong>board of assessment and rating</strong> to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Indian systems of medicine; and a <strong>board of ethics and registration</strong> of practitioners of Indian systems of medicine to maintain a National Register and deal with ethical issues.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Systems of Medicine</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has recognized <strong>six systems of medicine viz. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga, Naturopathy and Homoeopathy.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) was formed on 9th November 2014</strong> to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of healthcare.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&amp;H) which was created in March 1995 and renamed as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, with focused attention for development of Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unani System of Medicine</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unani system originated in <strong>Greece</strong> and its foundation was laid by<strong> Hippocrates.</strong></li>
<li>However, the system owes its <strong>present form to the Arabs</strong> who not only saved much of the Greek literature by rendering it into Arabic but also enriched the medicine of their day with their own contributions.</li>
<li>It was introduced in<strong> India by the Arabs and Persians</strong> sometime around the eleventh century.</li>
<li>India has the largest number of Unani educational, research and health care institutions.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ayurveda</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word &lsquo;Ayurveda&rsquo; has derived out of fusion of two separate words- &lsquo;<strong>&Aacute;yu&rsquo; i.e. life and &lsquo;veda&rsquo; i.e. knowledge.</strong> Thus in literal meaning Ayurveda is the <strong>science of life.</strong></li>
<li>It aims to keep structural and functional entities in a state of equilibrium, which signifies good health (Swasthya) through various <strong>procedures, regimen, diet, medicines and behavior change.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Siddha system</strong>&nbsp;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Siddha system of medicine is practiced in some parts of <strong>South India especially in the state of Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li>The term &lsquo;Siddha&rsquo; has come from &lsquo;Siddhi&rsquo;- which means achievement. Siddhars were the men who achieved supreme knowledge in the field of <strong>medicine, yoga or tapa (meditation).</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sowa-Rigpa</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&ldquo;Sowa-Rigpa&rdquo; commonly known as <strong>Tibetan system</strong> of medicine is one of the oldest, living and well documented medical tradition of the world.</li>
<li>It has been originated from Tibet and popularly practiced in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and Russia. The majority of theory and practice of <strong>Sowa-Rigpa is similar to &ldquo;Ayurveda&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>Sowa-Rigpa is based on the principle that bodies of all the living beings and non living objects of the universe are composed of<strong> five Cosmo physical elements of Jung-wa-nga (Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu and Akash).</strong></li>
<li>When the proportion of these elements is in imbalance in our body, disorder results.</li>
<li>It was <strong>recognized by the Government in 2011.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Homoeopathy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word &lsquo;Homoeopathy&rsquo; is derived from two <strong>Greek words,</strong> Homois meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering. It was introduced in India in <strong>18th Century.</strong></li>
<li>Homoeopathy simply means treating diseases with remedies, prescribed in minute doses, which are capable of producing symptoms similar to the disease when taken by healthy people, i.e.principle of -<strong> "Similia Similibus Curantur&rdquo; which means "likes are cured by likes&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>It takes a <strong>holistic approach</strong> towards the sick individual through promotion of inner <strong>balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels.</strong></li>
</ul>
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