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Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

This article is based on “Will India’s idea on disaster management gain global support” that appeared in the Livemint on 24...

25 Jul 2019 News Editorials
Fair and Remunerative Prices for Sugarcane

The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to create an emergency sugar reserve of 4 million tonne and approved the Fair and Remunerative Prices for...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019

The Lok Sabha has passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019. The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Milky Way's Violent Birth Decoded

Based on the Gaia space observatory data, Scientist has observed that the Milky Way, home to our sun and billions of other stars, merged with another...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
R&D Expenditure Ecosystem in India

The report titled “Research and Development (R&D) Expenditure Ecosystem” was also released during the global launch of Global...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Global Innovation Index-2019

The Government of India, has launched the Global Innovation Index (GII) in New Delhi. This is the first time that the GII is being launched in an...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Molecular Framework for Superbugs

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Lucknow-based Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) have designed a novel...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
National Data Quality Forum

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with Population council...

25 Jul 2019 News Analysis
US-Pakistan reattachment

This article is based on “The change triangle” that appeared in The Indian Express on 24th July 2019. It talks about the impact of...

24 Jul 2019 News Editorials
Aaykar Diwas

The 159th Income Tax Day i.e. Aaykar Diwas is being celebrated on 24th July, 2019 by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and all field...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Mauritius Leaks

According to the recently released data by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), as many as 50 entities, or one-fourth of...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
India’s Falling Fertility Rate

India’s total fertility rate (TFR) is declining. It is now 2.2 per woman, nearing the replacement rate of 2.1, according to the latest...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
International Conference on Electric Mobility

In order to discuss the various challenges and opportunities in creating an ecosystem for electric vehicles, the Associated Chambers of Commerce...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
2011 Census Data on Migration

According to census data, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have a disproportionately high number of out-migrants, while migrants constitute more than...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Bharatmala Project

A total of 225 road projects with an aggregate length of 9,613 km have been appraised and approved till March, 2019 under Bharatmala...

24 Jul 2019 News Analysis
Reservation in India

Introduction The age-old caste system of India is responsible for the origination of the reservation system in the country. In simple terms, it...

24 Jul 2019 Paper 2
Chandrayaan 2 and Outer Space Treaty

This article is based on “Raja Mandala: The moon and the law” that appeared in The Indian Express on 23rd July 2019. It talks about the...

23 Jul 2019 News Editorials
Kakinada Hope Island

The project named “Development of Kakinada Hope Island, Konaseema (Andhra Pradesh) as World Class Coastal & Eco Tourism Circuit”...

23 Jul 2019 News Analysis
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government...

23 Jul 2019 International Institutions
Draft Bill Banning Cryptocurrency

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Virtual Currency constituted under the Chairmanship of Subhash Chandra Garg has submitted its report along with...

23 Jul 2019 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/will-india-s-idea-on-disaster-management-gain-global-support-1563910265773.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Will India&rsquo;s idea on disaster management gain global support&rdquo;</strong></a>&nbsp;that appeared in the Livemint on 24 July, 2019. It talks about the prospects of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure</p>
</div>
<p>Indian Prime Minister, at the Hamburg G20 meet in 2017, proposed <strong>Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).</strong> It may be taken up at the G7 meet next month in Biarritz, where India has been invited by hosts France, along with Australia, Chile and South Africa.</p>
<h3>What is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each time a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world, countries try to provide immediate relief, but there is no focus on building disaster-resilient Infrastructure.</li>
<li><strong>In this context, Indian PM proposed CDRI which will act as a convening body that will pool best practices and resources from around the world for reshaping construction, transportation, energy, telecommunication and water, so that building in these core infrastructure sectors factors in natural catastrophes.</strong></li>
<li>According to <strong>Sendai framework,</strong> every $1 spent in disaster risk reduction leads to gain of $7. But developing countries face the dilemma of balancing economic investment for development vs disaster resilient infrastructure.</li>
<li>CDRI could fill this gap of funds and technology and help developing countries to build disaster-resilient Infrastructure.</li>
<li>For instance, India is a world leader in preventing human deaths due to disasters. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has praised India&rsquo;s <strong>zero casualty approach</strong> and playing a pioneering role model for global community for drawing up a national and local strategy to reduce disaster losses and risks.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>But India is not so adept in protecting property and infrastructure from extreme weather havoc. In India, the World Bank had estimated that the economic losses due to disasters during the late nineties and early years of this century were close to 2% of the GDP.</li>
<li>This is where CDRI can help.</li>
<li>Japan has expertise in disaster management, rehabilitation and reconstruction, making it the world&rsquo;s safest and most disaster-resilient country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Zero Casualty Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to Indian Meteorological Department&rsquo;s &ldquo;almost pinpoint accuracy&rdquo; of early warnings that helped authorities conduct a well-targeted evacuation plan and minimise the loss of life against extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s zero casualty approach to managing extreme weather events is a major contribution to the implementation of the Sendai framework and the reduction of loss of life from such events.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Apart from it, CDRI will complement India&rsquo;s efforts to bring together a coalition of countries harnessing solar power under the International Solar Alliance framework
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>ISA has enhanced India&rsquo;s soft power by positioning it as a contributor to solutions to the most pressing global problems.</li>
<li>CDRI could be the next major foreign policy innovation in the Indian foreign policy to enhance India&rsquo;s status by serving the needs of the rest of the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Disaster risk reduction?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Disaster risk reduction means identifying the underlying hazards and vulnerabilities, natural or anthropogenic, and taking necessary measures to prevent the creation of disaster from the beginning.</li>
<li>Disaster risk reduction is very critical as disasters are intertwined with development in a three-dimensional nexus.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Disasters eat away hard-earned gains of development of years and decades</li>
<li>Lack of development exposes vulnerable communities to the risks of disasters.</li>
<li>Development creates new risks of disasters, as without proper compliance and due to unregulated development may destroy the natural buffer to disasters.For eg: fossil fuel-based production may give rise to climate-related disaster</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/113clip_image00841.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/113clip_image00841.webp" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="566" height="509" /></a></p>
<p>India&rsquo;s initiative for Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure will help in the development of appropriate infrastructure to face the least developed and developing countries with natural calamities. Also, CDRI will boost India's soft power, but more importantly it has wider connotation than just economics, as synergy between disaster risk reduction, SDG and Climate Accord provides for sustainable and inclusive growth.<br /><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/280Untitled-1.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/280Untitled-1.webp" width="448" height="209" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-color: #1500ff;">
<td style="width: 524px; border-style: dotted; background-color: #fce6dc;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></span><br /><br />Prevention is better than cure. Discuss the statement in the context of disaster risk and reduction. Also, highlight the role that can be played by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Fair and Remunerative Prices for Sugarcane',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to create an <strong>emergency sugar reserve</strong> of <strong>4 million tonne</strong> and approved the <strong>Fair and Remunerative Prices</strong> for sugarcane for the year 2019-20.</p>
<h3>Sugar Industry</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sugar-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sugar industry</a> is an important agro-based industry that impacts rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.</li>
<li>India is the <strong>world&rsquo;s second largest sugar producer</strong> after Brazil and also the <strong>largest consumer</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Price Determination of Sugarcane</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sugarcane prices are determined by:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Federal Government</li>
<li>State Government</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Federal/Central Government announces <strong>Fair and Remunerative Prices</strong> which are determined on the <strong>recommendation</strong> of the <strong>Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices</strong> (CACP) and are <strong>announced</strong> by the <strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,</strong> which is chaired by Prime Minister.</li>
<li>The <strong>State Advised Prices (SAP)</strong> are announced by key sugarcane producing states which are generally <strong>higher than FRP</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It came into existence in January 1965.</li>
<li>It is an advisory body whose recommendations are not binding on Government.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1580066" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fair-and-remunerative-prices-for-sugarcane'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Lok Sabha has passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill <strong>amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,</strong> providing special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, individuals and groups that foster terrorism in India.</li>
<li>The Bill is yet to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features of the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It empowers the government to <strong>designate individuals as terrorists</strong> if the person commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes terrorism or is otherwise involved in terrorism.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This has been done as it is seen that when a terrorist organization is banned, its members form a new organization to spread terrorism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The bill also <strong>empowers the Director-General, National Investigation Agency (NIA)</strong> to grant approval of seizure or attachment of property when the case is being investigated by the agency.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the existing Act, the investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police (DGP) to seize properties that bear any connection to terrorism.</li>
<li>It has been seen that many times a terror accused own properties in different states. In such cases, seeking approval of DGPs of different states becomes very difficult, and the delay caused by the same may enable the accused to transfer properties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It <strong>empowers the officers of the NIA &mdash;</strong> of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The existing Act provides for investigation of cases to be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>No changes being made in arrest or bail provisions. Also, the provision that the burden of proof is on the investigating agency and not on the accused, has not been changed.</li>
<li>The <strong>International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005)</strong> has also been added in the Second Schedule through the Amendment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UAPA, an upgrade on the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act TADA (lapsed in 1995) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act - POTA (repealed in 2004) was originally passed in the year 1967.</li>
<li>Till the year 2004, &ldquo;unlawful" activities referred to actions related to secession and cession of territory. Following the 2004 amendment, <strong>&ldquo;terrorist act" was added</strong> to the list of offences.</li>
<li>The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centre deems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.</li>
<li>According to statistics published by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ncrb-to-track-complaints-on-sexual-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)</strong></a>, 922 cases were reported under UAPA in 2016, which was 5% less than what was recorded in 2014, with 976 cases. At the same time, it was up by 3% from 2015 (897 cases). In total, 2,700 cases were registered over 2014, 2015 and 2016.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Investigation Agency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NIA Act was enacted on 31st December, 2008 and thus the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was born.</li>
<li>At present, NIA is functioning as the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency in India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580136" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unlawful-activities-prevention-amendment-bill-2019'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Milky Way's Violent Birth Decoded',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Based on the Gaia space observatory data, Scientist has observed that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/blacl-holes-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Milky Way</strong></a>, home to our sun and billions of other stars, merged with another smaller galaxy in a cosmic collision roughly 10 billion years ago.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gaia Space Observatory</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gaia is a mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy.</li>
<li>Gaia will provide unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracy needed to produce a census of about one billion stars in our Galaxy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to scientists, the union of the Milky Way and the so-called dwarf galaxy Gaia-Enceladus increased our galaxy&rsquo;s mass by about a quarter and triggered a period of accelerated star formation lasting about 2 to 4 billion years.</li>
<li>Galaxies of all types, including the Milky Way, began to form relatively soon after the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/evidence-of-supernova-remnants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Bang</a></strong> explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago, but were generally smaller than those seen today and were forming stars at a rapid rate. Subsequent galactic mergers were instrumental in configuring galaxies existing now.</li>
<li>Certain stars with higher content of elements other than hydrogen or helium arose in the Milky Way and others with lower such content originated in Gaia-Enceladus, owing to its smaller mass.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/milky-ways-violent-birth-decoded/article28701513.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: The Hindu</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/milky-way-s-violent-birth-decoded'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'R&D Expenditure Ecosystem in India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The report titled<strong> &ldquo;Research and Development (R&amp;D) Expenditure Ecosystem&rdquo;</strong> was also released during the <strong>global launch of Global Innovation Index (GII)&ndash;2019</strong> by the <strong>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The objectives of the report are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To address the data gaps in compiling R&amp;D data so that up to date data on R&amp;D is available in order to reflect India&rsquo;s true rank globally.</li>
<li>The second objective is to examine expenditure trends in various sectors and their shortcomings.</li>
<li>The final objective is to lay down the road map for achieving the desired target of R&amp;D spend by the year 2022, i.e 2% of the GDP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) is a <strong>non-constitutional, non-statutory, independent body</strong> constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister.</li>
<li>As of July, 2019, the Council consists of: <strong>Dr. Bibek Debroy (Chairman), Shri Ratan P. Watal (Member Secretary), Dr. Rathin Roy (Part-Time Member), Dr. Ashima Goyal (Part-Time Member) and Dr. Shamika Ravi (Part-Time Member).</strong></li>
<li>The terms of reference of EAC-PM are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Analyzing any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising him thereon,</li>
<li>Addressing issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views thereon to the Prime Minister.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These could be <strong>either suo-motu</strong> or on <strong>reference from the Prime Minister</strong> or anyone else.</li>
<li>It also includes attending to any other task as may be desired by the Prime Minister from time to time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The growth in research and development (R&amp;D) expenditure should be commensurate with the economy&rsquo;s growth and <strong>should be targeted to reach at least 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2022.</strong></li>
<li>The line ministries at the Centre could be mandated to<strong> allocate a certain percentage</strong> of their budget for research and innovation for developing and deploying technologies as per the priorities of the respective ministries.</li>
<li>To stimulate <strong>private sector&rsquo;s investment in R&amp;D from current 0.35% of GDP,</strong> it is suggested that a minimum percentage of turn-over of the company may be invested in R&amp;D by medium and large enterprises registered in India.</li>
<li>To help and keep the industry enthused to invest in R&amp;D, the <strong>weighted deduction provisions on R&amp;D investment should continue.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>states can partner Centre</strong> to jointly fund research and innovation programmes through socially designed <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-to-hike-monthly-pensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Sponsored Schemes (CSS).</strong></a></li>
<li>The report also pitched for <strong>creating 30 dedicated R&amp;D Exports Hub</strong> and a corpus of<strong> Rs 5,000 crore for funding mega projects</strong> with cross cutting themes which are of national interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Investments in R&amp;D are key inputs in economic growth. The impact of this is proven on productivity, exports, employment and capital formation.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s investment in R&amp;D has shown a <strong>consistent increasing trend</strong> over the years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, as a<strong> fraction of GDP, it has remained constant at around 0.6% to 0.7%.</strong></li>
<li>This is <strong>below the expenditure of countries</strong> like the US (2.8), China (2.1), Israel (4.3) and Korea (4.2).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Government expenditure, <strong>almost entirely the Central Government,</strong> is the driving force of R&amp;D in India which is in contrast to the advanced countries where the private sector is the dominant and driving force of R&amp;D spend.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is a <strong>need for greater participation of State Governments</strong> and the <strong>private sector in overall R&amp;D spending</strong> in India especially in application oriented research and technology development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Earlier in 2018, the Prime Minister of India had underlined that there should be greater emphasis on collaborative R&amp;D by the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) with a focus on partnerships with Indian Institute of Technologies and Universities.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Consequently, one hundred fifty-four such innovation cells have been set up by CPSEs which will work on market oriented research.</li>
<li>From the year 2014-15 to 2017-18, there has been an increase of 116% in R&amp;D spending by CPSEs.</li>
<li>CPSEs of the petroleum and power sector are the biggest spenders in R&amp;D. Therefore, the need of the hour is that all CPSEs must come on board for higher spend on R&amp;D.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580049" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/r-d-expenditure-ecosystem-in-india'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Global Innovation Index-2019',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Government of India, has launched the <strong>Global Innovation Index</strong> (GII) in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is the<strong> first</strong> time that the GII is being launched in an <strong>emerging economy.</strong></li>
<li>The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-institutions-international-world-intellectual-property-organisation-wipo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)</a></strong> and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) are co hosting the event.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Performance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s ranking in the Global Innovation Index is <strong>52</strong> which shows an improvement of 5 points from the last years ranking (57).</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s rankings has been <strong>consistently</strong> increasing over the last few years and is among the top in the world in innovation drivers such as <strong>Information and Communication Technology</strong> (ICT), <strong>services exports, graduates in science and engineering, </strong>the<strong> quality of universities, gross capital formation</strong> (a measure of economy-wide investments) and <strong>creative goods exports.</strong></li>
<li>India stands out in the world&rsquo;s top <strong>science and technology clusters,</strong> with Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi featuring among the top 100 global clusters.</li>
<li>India continues to be the most <strong>innovative economy</strong> in <strong>central</strong> and <strong>southern Asia</strong> (a distinction held since 2011).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Performance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Switzerland</strong> tops the GII index followed by Sweden, United States of America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/876image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/876image1.jpg" width="742" height="370" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Global Innovation Index</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme of <strong>GII- 2019</strong> (12<sup>th</sup> edition) is<strong> &ldquo;Creating Healthy Lives - The Future of Medical Innovation&rdquo;</strong> which aims to explore the role of medical innovation as it shapes the future of healthcare.</li>
<li>It is published annually by <strong>Cornell University, INSEAD</strong> and the <strong>UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).</strong></li>
<li>The GII relies on two sub-indices :<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Innovation Input Sub-Index.</li>
<li>Innovation Output Sub-Index.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These sub indices are built around several key pillars namely , Input pillar and Output pillar :<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Input pillars</strong> capture elements of the national economy that enable innovative activities<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Institutions</li>
<li>Human capital and research</li>
<li>Infrastructure</li>
<li>Market sophistication</li>
<li>Business sophistication.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Output pillars</strong> capture actual evidence of innovation outputs: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Knowledge and technology outputs</li>
<li>Creative outputs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-innovation-index-2019'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Molecular Framework for Superbugs',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Lucknow-based Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) have designed a <strong>novel molecular framework</strong> that would help drugs latch on to the germs and thus prevent them from multiplying.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It&rsquo;s structure is such that it <strong>stops energy production in the bacteria</strong> for 20 minutes thus preventing it from multiplying.</li>
<li>The new molecule <strong>targets gyrase B.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A substance called gyrase is essential for bacteria&rsquo;s survival and multiplication.</li>
<li>In most organisms, there are two types of gyrases &mdash; gyrase A and gyrase B.</li>
<li>Almost all of antibacterial drugs in use currently work by targeting gyrase A. The bugs modify gyrase A in such a way that the drugs fail to bind to them.</li>
<li>Gyrase B is more conserved in organisms and hence difficult to mutate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The new molecule when used in combination with fluoroquinolone drugs, the first line of antibiotic drugs, both gyrase A and gyrase B are attacked, making them more effective. This makes it possible to <strong>destroy the bacteria</strong> with the <strong>same class of drugs</strong> to which they have <strong>developed resistance.</strong></li>
<li>The framework is still in a proof-of-concept stage but the scientists have found it to be effective in lab-grown bacterial cells.</li>
<li>Scientists have also found that the bacteria do not develop resistance to the new molecule that easily.</li>
<li>This development has come at a time when there is a fear that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/superbugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>multidrug-resistant superbugs</strong></a> may kill as many as 10 million people worldwide by the year 2050.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The scientists used <strong>staphylococcus aureus</strong> bacteria frequently found in the nostrils, upper respiratory tract and on the skin of nearly 30% of people for developing the framework.</li>
<li>While this bacteria is innocuous in healthy people, in those with low immunity levels, it causes many infections, some of them lethal. Over the years, it has become resistant to most drugs that are commonly used in clinics.</li>
<li><strong>CDRI</strong> is a constituent laboratory of the <strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research</strong> (CSIR), Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/indian-scientists-find-chink-in-superbug-armour/article28701728.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: HBL</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/molecular-framework-for-superbugs'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'National Data Quality Forum',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/controlling-chikungunya-and-dengue-through-bacteria" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)&rsquo;s</strong></a> National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with Population council (International non profit NGO that conducts research in biomedicine and social science) has launched the <strong>National Data Quality Forum</strong> (NDQF).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) is an <strong>integrated national-level platform</strong> that aims to improve the <strong>quality </strong>of<strong> health</strong> and <strong>demographic data</strong> by generating <strong>meaningful dialogue</strong> around the <strong>improvement</strong> of <strong>data quality</strong> in general, and for health and medical research in particular.</li>
<li>NDQF will bring all relevant stakeholders, subject matter experts, industry leaders, decision makers, and data scientists/analysts on a common platform for discussing improvements in the quality of <strong>data ecosystem</strong> in India.</li>
<li>NDQF will integrate learnings from<strong> scientific</strong> and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions through <strong>periodic workshops</strong> and <strong>conferences.</strong></li>
<li>NDQF&rsquo;s activities will help establish <strong>protocols</strong> and <strong>good practices</strong> of <strong>data collection, storage, use </strong>and<strong> dissemination</strong> that can be applied to <strong>health</strong> and <strong>demographic data,</strong> as well as can be replicated across other industries and sectors also.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Institute for Medical Statistics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NIMS is one of the <strong>permanent institutes</strong> of Institutes of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi.</li>
<li>The Institute came into existence in the year 1977 with the mandate to provide <strong>technical expertise </strong>on<strong> research methodology, programme evaluation, mathematical modeling, data analysis etc.</strong></li>
<li>It is India&rsquo;s only institute to coordinate and standardize the <strong>collection</strong> of <strong>medical</strong> and <strong>health statistics</strong> in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Major Achievements of NIMS</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Establishment of India's <strong>first Clinical Trials Registry</strong>, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strategy-against-the-threat-of-influenza" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment on National Highways (IBBA-NH) among truckers for HIV epidemic in the country.</li>
<li>Identified as the <strong>National Nodal Agency</strong> for the implementation of <strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Project</strong> (IDSP)-Non-Communicable Disease ( IDSP- NCD) risk factor survey.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/icmr-launches-forum-to-improve-data-collection-and-use/article28701398.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-data-quality-forum'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'US-Pakistan reattachment',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-pakistan-donald-trump-imran-khan-kashmir-india-narendra-modi-5846093/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The change triangle&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Indian Express on 24<sup>th</sup> July 2019. It talks about the impact of US-Pakistan reattachment on India&rsquo;s interest.</p>
</div>
<p>The recent US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, has led to the United State quietly replacing its threat of sanctions against Pakistan with renewed engagement.</p>
<p>The US wants to withdraw from Afghanistan and finalize a &ldquo;peace&rdquo; deal with the Taliban, citing the role that Pakistan can play to finalize this deal due to its geopolitical advantage. This is the reason for a complete reversal in the USA's Pakistan policy.</p>
<p>This is being dubbed as a major diplomatic victory of Pakistan and it will affect South Asia as a region and especially India.</p>
<h3>Highlights of US-Pakistan reattachment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A $6-billion <strong>International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout for Pakistan:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US, despite enjoying veto power over IMF decisions, has agreed to grant bail to Pakistan&rsquo;s faltering economy.</li>
<li>This decision of US, to support the bailout to Pakistan, is despite the fact that US's refusal to bail out would have, perhaps, compelled Pakistan to curb terrorism (as Pakistan still continues to shield state-nurtured terrorist outfits).</li>
<li>On the contrary, USA unblocked $1.2 billion aid to Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The US <strong>designation of the leading Baloch separatist group as &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo; outfit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Taliban, despite countless attacks on US forces, is still absent from the US terrorism lists.</li>
<li>Yet, to appease Pakistan, the USA listed the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The action provides Pakistan international legitimacy to come hard on the Balochistan movement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The US's <strong>re-hyphenation of India with Pakistan-</strong> as the USA offered to mediate the Kashmir conflict.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pakistan has continued its policy of &ldquo;internationalisation&rdquo; of the Kashmir issue, with a view for reversing J&amp;K&rsquo;s accession to India, and has used every global forum to criticise India&rsquo;s &ldquo;illegal occupation&rdquo; of Kashmir.</li>
<li>Reacting to this, India has reiterated its longstanding position that there is no room for mediation in Kashmir or on any other India-Pakistan issue.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>All outstanding matters between the two countries would be resolved through bilateral dialogue &mdash; but only when Pakistan ends cross-border terrorism in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The framework for <strong>bilateral resolution</strong> of problems between India and Pakistan was written into the 1972 <strong>Simla Agreement</strong> and reiterated 27 years later in the <strong>Lahore Declaration.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact on India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India left out from Afghanistan's peace process:</strong> India has been literally ousted in Afghanistan &ldquo;peace settlement&rdquo; process, as the Afghan peace process is being discussed by four players comprising China, the US, Russia and Pakistan, ignoring India's stakes in Afghanistan.</li>
<li><strong>India-US tariff tussle:</strong> The US has accused India of not opening the Indian economy enough for American trade and has threatened to clamp new tariffs on Indian exports to America.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The USA also <strong>withdrew the GSP preference from India.</strong></li>
<li>New <strong>sanctions on Iran</strong> have affected Indian trade with Iran.</li>
<li>Subsequently, India had to reduce its allocation to the deep-sea port <strong>(Chabahar Port)</strong> by two-thirds: From Rs 150 crore to Rs 45 crore. This might affect the country&rsquo;s energy security.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India must realize two things:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Geography of Pakistan is its greatest asset (as Pakistan borders middle east, central Asia and Indian ocean).
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pakistan cannot be isolated as all the great powers will have their stakes in the Pakistan geopolitical location.</li>
<li>India should make efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan as now there will be more coherence in Pakistan's approach.</li>
<li>Kartarpur corridor can be a step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The USA retains Pakistan as its &ldquo;major non-NATO ally&rdquo; and refuses to hold Pakistan&rsquo;s military to account for exporting terrorism.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Narrow geopolitical interests guiding America&rsquo;s Pakistan policy will likely continue to affect India's interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>America&rsquo;s Pakistan policy validates the Karl Marx saying -&ldquo;History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce&rdquo;. In this context, India must reassess its strategic convergence with the US and follow a pragmatic foreign policy.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 83px; background-color: #0370ff; border-color: #0800ff;">
<td style="width: 524px; height: 83px; border-style: dotted; background-color: #f7ede1;"><em><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Drishti Input</strong></span></em><br /><br />USA&rsquo;s pursuit of withdrawal from Afghanistan and finalize a &ldquo;peace&rdquo; deal with the Taliban, has led to US-Pakistan reattachment. Discuss the impact of America&rsquo;s U-turn on Pakistan policy on India&rsquo;s interest.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/us-pakistan-reattachment'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Aaykar Diwas',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The 159th Income Tax Day i.e. Aaykar Diwas is being celebrated on 24th July, 2019 by the<strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-april-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)</a></strong> and all field offices.</p>
<h3>Why 24th July?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On <strong>24th July 1860</strong>,<strong> Income Tax</strong> was introduced for the first time in India by <strong>Sir James Wilson</strong> to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the<strong> first</strong> war of independence against British Rule.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The CBDT will also launch a <strong>&ldquo;Kardaata e-Sahyog Abhiyaan</strong>&rdquo; to assist and support taxpayers and other stakeholders in enabling them to e-file their returns and discharge other tax related obligations.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580003" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source: PIB</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aaykar-diwas'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Mauritius Leaks',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>According to the recently released data by the <strong>International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)</strong>, as many as 50 entities, or <strong>one-fourth</strong> of those disclosed in the Mauritius leaks, had India as their only country or one of the countries of activity.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although investment in India through Mauritius is declining but Mauritius has seen a sizeable amount of funds getting routed through by entities operating or investing in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mauritius Leaks</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Mauritius Leaks, data of 200,000 leaked documents (in the form of emails, contracts and bank statements) reveals how one country&rsquo;s <strong>low tax rates</strong> (like Mauritius) were <strong>leveraged and misused</strong> by Multinational Companies for <strong>tax avoidance</strong>.</li>
<li>After Swiss leaks, Panama papers and Paradise papers, Mauritius leaks show how the island nation was used by a long list of corporates to facilitate partnerships with multinationals and, without paying any capital gains tax, remit profits as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tax treaty between India and Mauritius</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)</strong> was signed between India and Mauritius in 1982. Under this, any entity could apply for tax residency and pay zero capital gains tax. This became the principal reason why Mauritius emerged as a top channel for investments being routed into India.</li>
<li>In 2016 India amended its <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-china-signed-amended-dtaa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)</a> with Mauritius, and the new provisions related to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/capital-gain-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">capital gains tax</a> were introduced.</li>
<li><strong>GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rule):</strong> It is an anti-tax avoidance law under Income Tax Act, 1961 of India and is framed by the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.</li>
<li><strong>Common Reporting Standard (CRS):</strong> It is an information standard for the <strong>Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI)</strong> regarding bank accounts on a global level, between tax authorities with the objective of combating tax evasion.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Consortium of Investigative Journalists</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICIJ is a <strong>United States</strong> based <strong>nonprofit organization</strong> with a global network of <strong>reporters</strong> and <strong>media organizations</strong> who work together to investigate the most important issues in the world.</li>
<li>ICIJ has released several important <strong>investigations</strong> &ndash; including the Pulitzer Prize-winning <strong>Panama Papers</strong>.</li>
<li>ICIJ is fully <strong>funded by donations</strong>.</li>
<li>ICIJ encourages <strong>tips, leaks</strong> and <strong>story ideas</strong> from the <strong>public</strong>, whistleblowers, as well as from outstanding investigative journalists.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/icij-mauritius-leaks-jindal-steel-gmr-holdings-among-firms-named-119072300958_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: B.S</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mauritius-leaks'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'India’s Falling Fertility Rate',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India&rsquo;s total fertility rate (TFR) is declining. It is now <strong>2.2 per woman,</strong> nearing the replacement rate of 2.1, according to the latest government data.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government&rsquo;s Sample Registration System in 22 states shows that TFR for India declined to 2.2 in 2017 after being stable at 2.3 between 2013 and 2016.</li>
<li>The 2017 figure is just 10 basis points more than the replacement level of 2.1%.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>TFR</strong> indicates the average number of children expected to be born to a woman during her reproductive span of 15-49 years.</p>
<p><strong>The replacement level</strong> is the number of children needed to replace the parents, after accounting for fatalities, skewed sex ratio, infant mortality, etc. Population starts falling below this level.</p>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The total fertility rate has <strong>more than halved in both urban and rural areas,</strong> falling even below the replacement level in the former where it is 1.7, down from 4.1 in 1971.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In rural areas, TFR has fallen from 5.4 to 2.4 during the same period.</li>
<li>For rural areas, it varies from 1.6 in Delhi and Tamil Nadu to 3.3 in Bihar.</li>
<li>For urban areas, the variation is from <strong>1.1 in Himachal Pradesh to 2.4 in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar</strong>.</li>
<li>Of the 22 states, <strong>only six have a TFR of 2 or more in urban areas</strong>. There are 10 states where TFR is below 2 in rural regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In different age groups, <strong>the 25-29 age is the most fertile</strong>, except in Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, where it peaked between 20 and 24. Only J&amp;K hits the peak after 30.</li>
<li>TFR goes below 2 in both urban and rural areas, where <strong>girls complete schooling</strong> and reduces further as they pass college.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Bihar, with the highest TFR of 3.2,</strong> had the maximum percentage of illiterate women at 26.8%, while Kerala, where the literacy rate among women is 99.3%, had among the lowest fertility rates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As more cities come up, people move for jobs and employment tenure gets shorter, TFR may fall further.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Falling TFR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Higher education</li>
<li>Increased mobility</li>
<li>Late marriage</li>
<li>Financially independent women and</li>
<li>Overall prosperity</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implications for Policymakers</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has entered a<strong> 37-year period of demographic dividend</strong>, which could spell faster economic growth and higher productivity.</li>
<li>As such, the government needs to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/changing-demographic-profile-faster-than-expectation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>engineer its policies to harness the opportunity</strong></a>.</li>
<li>It must also formulate policies to <strong>take care of higher medical costs</strong> as the population ages and productivity shrinks.</li>
<li>India will also need to have an <strong>affordable social security system</strong> that provides pension to the elderly and takes care of their daily needs and medical expenses.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/what-are-india-s-challenges-as-its-fertility-rate-falls-1563907229812.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: Mint</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indias-falling-fertility-rate'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'International Conference on Electric Mobility',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>In order to discuss the various challenges and opportunities in creating an ecosystem for electric vehicles, <strong>the Associated Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)</strong> is organizing an International Conference on &ldquo;Electric Mobility: Challenges and Opportunities&rdquo; on 26<sup>th</sup> July, 2019 in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The global automotive industry is at the <strong>cusp of a paradigm shift</strong> from internal combustion engine vehicles to zero emission vehicles.</li>
<li>India, too, is actively going ahead for<strong> cost effective and viable solutions</strong> to the problem of poor air quality in a number of its cities.</li>
<li>The country has announced a significant <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-electric-mobility-mission-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>shift to an all electric public fleet by 2030</strong></a>, necessitating attention and action by players across sectors including automobile, power and utilities, oil and gas, etc.</li>
<li>The Conference would bring together all concerned groups and stakeholders of various segments of Electric vehicle Industry to a common platform to discuss and explore the future opportunities and creating and ecosystem for Electric Mobility.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Focus Areas of the Conference</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Central and State level policy framework on EV adoption in India</li>
<li>Roadmap for achieving the target of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fame-ii-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>FAME-II policy</strong></a></li>
<li>Indian EV market and key trends</li>
<li>Assessment of manufacturing ecosystem etc.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ASSOCHAM</strong> as a Knowledge Chamber, initiated its endeavour of value creation for Indian industry in 1920.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Having in its fold more than 300 Chambers and Trade Associations, and serving more than 4 lakh members from all over India.</li>
<li>It has contributed significantly in shaping up the Trade, Commerce and Industrial environment of the country.</li>
<li>Not only large industry and trade but also small and medium industrial enterprises, engaged in agriculture and transport, as well as professional bodies and several new industry associations have entered ASSOCHAM's fold.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://assocham.org/eventdetail.php?id=1724" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: Business Standard</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-conference-on-electric-mobility'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => '2011 Census Data on Migration',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>According to census data, <strong>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have a disproportionately high number of out-migrants,</strong> while migrants constitute more than one-third of the population in metros like Delhi and Mumbai.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/migration-in-bengal-delta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Migration</a> is the movement of people from one place to another. It can be over a short or long distance, be short-term or permanent, voluntary or forced, intranational or international.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the 2011 Census, <strong>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are responsible for the most number of migrants</strong> as 20.9 million people migrated outside the state from the two states.</li>
<li>This is 37% of the total number of people who were inter-state migrants according to that enumeration.</li>
<li><strong>Delhi and Mumbai are widely considered migrant magnets</strong> and the 2011 Census bears that out. According to it migrants from other states in Delhi and Mumbai numbered 9.9 million, or almost a third of the combined population of 29.2 million.</li>
<li><strong>The Hindi belt is the main source of migrants.</strong> According to the census, four states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh accounted for 50% of India&rsquo;s total inter-state migrants.</li>
<li>On the other hand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana housed 50% of the country&rsquo;s inter-state migrants.</li>
<li>These shares are much higher than the share of these states in India&rsquo;s total population.</li>
<li><strong>Uttar Pradesh figures in both lists &ndash;</strong> while there are people who leave it in search of livelihoods, there are also clearly people who head for it in search of livelihoods.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Inter-state migrations in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Uttar Pradesh has the highest share of out-migrants while <strong>Maharashtra has the highest share of in-migrants.</strong></li>
<li>The number of inter-state migrants grew at 55% between the 1991 and 2001 Census.</li>
<li>This came down to just 33% between the 2001 and 2011 Census.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons behind Migration</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The reasons vary by gender,</strong> two-thirds of women migrated from their last place of residence because of marriage. The gender-gap in migration for economic purposes (work, business and education) increases with the distance of migration.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For every woman who migrated for work, business or education, the number of men who migrated within district, across districts but within states and across states was 3.2, 4.3 and 7.4 respectively.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Among men, <strong>work and business</strong> account for one-third of total migrations, which is also the single largest reason for migration among men.</li>
<li>While migration for <strong>marriage</strong> among women is skewed towards closer distances, men do not seem to factor in distance while migrating for work.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/migration-from-up-bihar-disproportionately-high/story-K3WAio8TrrvBhd22VbAPLN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: Hindustan Times</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/2011-census-data-on-migration'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Bharatmala Project',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A total of 225 road projects with an aggregate length of 9,613 km have been appraised and approved till March, 2019 under Bharatmala Pariyojana.</p>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Optimizing efficiency of the movement of goods and people across the country.</li>
<li>Generating large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the construction &amp; infrastructure sector and also as part of the enhanced economic activity resulting from better road connectivity across the country.</li>
<li>Connecting 550 Districts in the country through NH linkages.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of Bharatmala Pariyojana</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It calls for <strong>improvement in efficiency of existing corridors</strong> through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke points.</li>
<li>It enhances focus on <strong>improving connectivity in North East</strong> and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>North East Economic corridor enhancing connectivity to state capitals and key towns.</li>
<li>Multimodal freight movement via 7 Waterway terminals on River Brahmaputra &ndash; Dhubri, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, Dibrugarh, Sengajan, Oriyamgh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It emphasis on the <strong>use of technology &amp; scientific planning</strong> for project preparation and asset monitoring.</li>
<li>It calls for seamless connectivity with <strong>neighboring countries:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>24 Integrated check posts (ICPs) identified</li>
<li>Transit through Bangladesh to improve North East connectivity</li>
<li>Integrating Bangladesh &ndash; Bhutan &ndash; Nepal and Myanmar &ndash; Thailand corridors which will make NorthEast hub of East Asia</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Satellite mapping of corridors to identify upgradation requirements</li>
</ul>
<h3>Components of Bharatmala Project</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/724image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/724image1.jpg" width="633" height="380" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatmala-project'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Reservation in India',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The age-old caste system</strong> of India is responsible for the origination of the reservation system in the country.</li>
<li>In simple terms, it is about <strong>facilitating access</strong> to seats in the government jobs, educational institutions, and even legislatures to certain sections of the population.</li>
<li>These sections have faced <strong>historical injustice</strong> due to their caste identity.</li>
<li>As a <strong>quota based affirmative action,</strong> the reservation can also be seen as positive discrimination.</li>
<li>In India, it is governed by government policies backed by the Indian Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Historical Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>William Hunter and Jyotirao Phule</strong> in 1882 originally conceived the idea of caste-based reservation system.</li>
<li>The reservation system that exists today, in its true sense, was introduced in 1933 when British Prime-Minister Ramsay Macdonald presented the <strong>&lsquo;Communal Award&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The award made provision for <strong>separate electorates</strong> for Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and the Dalits.</li>
<li>After long negotiations, Gandhi and Ambedkar signed the <strong>&lsquo;Poona Pact&rsquo;,</strong> where it was decided that there would be a single Hindu electorate with certain reservations in it.</li>
<li>After independence, initially reservations were provided only for SCs and STs.</li>
<li>OBCs were included in the ambit of reservation in 1991 on the recommendations of the <strong>Mandal Commission.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Mandal Commission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In exercise of the powers conferred by <strong>Article 340</strong> of the Constitution, the President appointed a backward class commission in December 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal.</li>
<li>The commission was formed to determine the criteria for <strong>defining India&rsquo;s &ldquo;socially and educationally backward classes&rdquo;</strong> and to recommend steps to be taken for the advancement of those classes.</li>
<li>The Mandal Commission concluded that India&rsquo;s population consisted of approximately 52 percent OBCs, therefore <strong>27% government jobs should be reserved</strong> for them.</li>
<li>The commission has developed<strong> eleven indicators</strong> of social, educational, and economic backwardness.</li>
<li>Apart from identifying backward classes among Hindus, the Commission has also identified <strong>backward classes among non-Hindus</strong> (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists.</li>
<li>It has generated an all-India other backward classes (OBC) list of 3,743 castes and a more underprivileged &ldquo;depressed backward classes&rdquo; list of 2,108 castes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the <strong>Indra Sawhney Case of 1992,</strong> the Supreme Court while upholding the 27 percent quota for backward classes,struck down the government notification reserving 10% government jobs for economically backward classes among the higher castes.</li>
<li>Supreme Court in the same case also upheld the principle that the combined reservation beneficiaries should <strong>not exceed 50 percent</strong> of India&rsquo;s population.</li>
<li>The <strong>concept of &lsquo;creamy layer&rsquo;</strong> also gained currency through this judgment and provision that reservation for backward classes should be confined to initial appointments only and not extend to promotions.</li>
<li>Recently, the Constitutional <strong>(103<sup>rd</sup> Amendment)</strong> Act of 2019 has provided 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the &ldquo;economically backward&rdquo; in the unreserved category.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>amends Articles 15 and 16</strong> of the Constitution by adding clauses empowering the government to provide reservation on the basis of economic backwardness.</li>
<li>This 10% economic reservation is over and above the 50% reservation cap.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Part XVI</strong> deals with reservation of SC and ST in Central and State legislatures.</li>
<li><strong>Article 15(4) and 16(4)</strong> of the Constitution enabled the State and Central Governments to reserve seats in government services for the members of the SC and ST.</li>
<li>The Constitution was amended by the <strong>Constitution (77<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act,</strong> 1995 and a new <strong>clause (4A)</strong> was inserted in <strong>Article 16</strong> to enable the government to provide reservation in promotion.</li>
<li>Later, <strong>clause (4A)</strong> was modified by the Constitution (85<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act, 2001 to provide consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by giving reservation.</li>
<li>Constitutional 81<sup>st</sup> Amendment Act, 2000 inserted <strong>Article 16 (4 B)</strong> which enables the state to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for SCs/STs in the succeeding year, thereby <strong>nullifying the ceiling of fifty percent reservation</strong> on total number of vacancies of that year.</li>
<li><strong>Article 330 and 332</strong> provides for specific representation through reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies respectively.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243D</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Panchayat.</li>
<li><strong>Article 233T</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Municipality.</li>
<li><strong>Article 335</strong> of the constitution says that the claims of STs and STs shall be taken into consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the administration.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Judicial Scrutiny of Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>State of Madras v. Smt.Champakam Dorairajan (1951) case</strong> was the first major verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue of Reservation.The case led to the First amendment in the constitution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court in the case pointed out that while in the case of employment under the State, <strong>Article 16(4)</strong> provides for reservations in favour of backward class of citizens, no such provision was made in Article 15.</li>
<li>Pursuant to the Supreme Court&rsquo;s order in the case the Parliament amended Article 15 by inserting Clause (4).</li>
<li>In <strong>Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) case</strong> the court examined the scope and extent of Article 16(4).</li>
<li>The Court has said that the <strong>creamy layer</strong> of OBCs should be excluded from the list of beneficiaries of reservation, there should not be reservation in promotions; and total reserved quota <strong>should not exceed 50%.</strong></li>
<li>The Parliament responded by enacting <strong>77<sup>th</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act</strong> which introduced Article 16(4A).</li>
<li>The article confers power on the state to reserve seats in favour of SC and ST in promotions in Public Services if the communities are not adequately represented in public employment.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court in <strong>M. Nagaraj v. Union Of India 2006</strong> case while upholding the constitutional validity of Art 16(4A) held that any such reservation policy in order to be constitutionally valid shall satisfy the following three constitutional requirements:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The SC and ST community should be <strong>socially and educationally backward.</strong></li>
<li>The SC and ST communities are <strong>not adequately represented in Public employment.</strong></li>
<li>Such reservation policy <strong>shall not affect the overall efficiency</strong> in the administration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta case of 2018,</strong> Supreme Court holds that reservation in promotions does not require the state to collect quantifiable data on the backwardness of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.</li>
<li>The Court held that creamy layer exclusion extends to SC/STs and, hence the State cannot grant reservations in promotion to SC/ST individuals who belong to the creamy layer of their community.</li>
<li>In May 2019 the Supreme Court upheld the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-upholds-karnataka-law-granting-reservation-in-promotion-for-sc-st" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Karnataka law</strong></a> that allows reservations in promotions for SCs and STs with consequential seniority.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Why reservation needed?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To correct the <strong>historical injustice</strong> faced by backward castes in the country.</li>
<li>To provide a <strong>level playing field</strong> for backward section as they can not compete with those who have had the access of resources and means for centuries.</li>
<li>To ensure <strong>adequate representation</strong> of backward classes in the services under the State.</li>
<li>For <strong>advancement</strong> of backward classes.</li>
<li>To <strong>ensure equality</strong> as basis of meritocracy i.e all people must be brought to the same level before judging them on the basis of merit.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Argument Against Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation in state services led to <strong>divisions and enmity</strong> among government employees, vitiating the atmosphere at workplace.</li>
<li>Eradication, not perpetuation of caste was the objective of the reservation policy but Caste Based Reservation only <strong>perpetuate the notion of caste in society.</strong></li>
<li>Reservation was introduced to ensure that the historically underprivileged communities were given equal access to resources but irrespective of the economic progress they <strong>continue to remain socially disadvantaged.</strong></li>
<li>Reservation destroys self-respect, so much so that competition is no longer on to determine the best but the most backward.</li>
<li>Reservations are the <strong>biggest enemy of meritocracy</strong> which is the foundation of many progressive countries.</li>
<li>It has became <strong>a tool to meet narrow political ends</strong> through invoking class loyalties and primordial identities.</li>
<li>The <strong>dominant and elite class</strong> within the backward castes has appropriated the benefits of reservation and the most marginalised within the backward castes have remained marginalised.</li>
<li>Reservation has become the <strong>mechanism of exclusion rather than inclusion</strong> as many upper caste poors are also facing discrimination and injustice which breeds frustration in the society.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Increasing Demands of Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation is increasingly seen as a <strong>remedy for the adverse effects</strong> of ill-thought out development policies.</li>
<li>In developed states like Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra, in spite of their economies being relatively better, three things have been worrying the people:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Acute agrarian distress,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Stagnation in employment growth </strong>and</li>
<li><strong>Distortions in the development trajectory.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In this backdrop, for governments, it is easier to talk of reservation than to make a <strong>course correction.</strong></li>
<li>Increasing reservation demands among upper castes also arising from the<strong> fear of losing privilege</strong> and the inability to cope with change</li>
<li>Upper castes have begun to feel disadvantaged especially in context of <strong>government jobs</strong> as they don&rsquo;t get similar advantages like backward classes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The reservation benefits should flow to the vast majority of underprivileged children from deprived castes; not to a few privileged children with a caste tag.</li>
<li>High ranks officials families, high income professionals and others above a certain income should not get the reservation benefits especially in government jobs.</li>
<li><strong>Fair and practical ways</strong> to help needy person from each community through reservation is possible and necessary.</li>
<li>The process of reservation should <strong>filter the truly economically deprived</strong> individuals and bring them all to justice</li>
<li>Revolutionary changes in the <strong>education system</strong> at the grass-roots level is need of the hour.</li>
<li>There is also need for <strong>awareness generation</strong> because while the unreserved segments, keep on opposing the provision, the neediest sections from within the reserved segments are hardly aware about how to get benefited from the provision or even whether there are such provisions exists.</li>
<li>The <strong>radical solutions</strong> like excluding the entire creamy layer among all castes from reservation and developing their capabilities instead of offering them reservation for admission to higher education or jobs on a platter.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation is fair, as far as it provides <strong>appropriate positive discrimination</strong> for the benefit of the downtrodden and economically backward Sections of the society.</li>
<li>But when it tends to harm the society and ensures privileges to some at the cost of others for <strong>narrow political ends,</strong> it should be done away with, as soon as possible.</li>
<li>The communities excluded from reservations harbour <strong>animosity and prejudice</strong> against the castes included in the reservation category.</li>
<li>When more people aspire for backwardness rather than of forwardness, <strong>the country itself stagnates.</strong></li>
<li>Meritocracy should not be polluted by injecting relaxation of entry barriers, rather than it should be encouraged by offering <strong>financial aid to the underprivileged.</strong></li>
<li>A<strong> strong political will</strong> is indispensable to find an equilibrium between justice to the backwards, equity for the forwards and efficiency for the entire system.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Chandrayaan 2 and Outer Space Treaty',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/chandrayaan-2-launch-moon-landing-india-space-mission-isro-5842860/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Raja Mandala: The moon and the law&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Indian Express on 23<sup>rd</sup> July 2019. It talks about the need for comprehensive space law, in the context of the new space-age gold rush.</p>
</div>
<p>Though the US was the first country to land humans on the moon (Apollo missions), India's Chandrayaan-1 was the first spacecraft that unveiled the evidence of water in the moon's craters in 2008. After the success of Chandrayaan 1 mission, Chandrayaan 2 has been one of the most anticipated missions of ISRO.</p>
<p>With the success of Chandrayaan 2, India will become the fourth country to soft-land a vehicle on the moon (after the US, Russia and China). For India it is more than symbolism, as the mission envisages a larger aim, however, it poses a bigger question of space sovereignty.</p>
<h3>Chandrayaan 2 mission</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/394MuxRBAH6GMUUuUqS8nC3XS-1200-80.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/394MuxRBAH6GMUUuUqS8nC3XS-1200-80.webp" width="522" height="479" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ISRO had planned the Chandrayaan 2 for 2014. The mission was supposed to be a joint mission along with Russia in which Russia was to provide the lander and rover system, but Russia failed to deliver.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This resulted in a delay in the programme but Russia&rsquo;s non-participation made ISRO design and develop the entire lander-rover system indigenously.</li>
<li>This would make ISRO more self-sufficient in the long run.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>ISRO would be undertaking five to six orbit raising manoeuvres, known as earth orbit burns, to take the Chandrayaan 2 close to the moon.</li>
<li>Subsequently, the lunar orbit burns will be done to establish the orbiter 100 km above the moon surface.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/278Image5.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/278Image5.webp" width="385" height="558" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>This would be followed by the soft landing of the lander.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This landing is going to be the most critical part of this mission, (ISRO is calling &ldquo;15 minutes of terror&rdquo;) as the velocity of the lander has to be reduced to zero.</li>
<li>A soft landing is not an easy task as Israel&rsquo;s attempt for a soft landing on the moon had resulted in failure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The lander-rover system on the moon would function only for one moon day (equivalent to 14 Earth days) and during this period the rover could travel a maximum distance of 500 metres on the moon&rsquo;s surface.</li>
<li>Through Chandrayaan 2, India will be the first country to do soft landing on the moon's south pole.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The lunar south pole is chosen because <strong>it has places where the sun never sets.</strong></li>
<li>These places are called <strong>&ldquo;Peaks of Eternal Light&rdquo;</strong> (points on any celestial body that receive sunlight through the year)</li>
<li>Near permanent sunlight facilitates the <strong>establishment of lunar stations</strong> with an assured supply of solar energy.</li>
<li>Some of these peaks are fortunately located next to areas that are in permanent darkness and hold significant reserves of lunar ice.</li>
<li>Having easy access to water is obviously critical to a sustainable human presence on the moon.</li>
<li>Water can also be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen, which in turn can be turned into rocket fuel.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>With moon&rsquo;s low gravity, space vehicles need a lot less fuel than on earth for take-off. That could make the moon a convenient way-station from which human explorers could travel to other celestial bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are the issues in Lunar exploration now?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After the discovery of water on the moon and &ldquo;Peaks of Eternal Light, the moon rush on the earth aimed at the lunar south pole, has become a new phenomenon. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s Chang&rsquo;e 4 soft-landed in the Von Karman crater on the dark side of the south polar region.</li>
<li>The US lunar programme, revived by the Trump Administration, now aims to put man back on the moon in the next decade.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>NASA&rsquo;s focus is on the south pole and if it succeeds, it will be the first manned crew to arrive at the south pole.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Jeff Bezos (owner of Amazon) unveiled the Blue Moon project that seeks to land men and women on the moon in the next few years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This <strong>quest for space mining will trigger a new era of conflict and cooperation</strong> and lead to a new space race. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the commercial space industry is estimated to be $1.5 trillion industry by 2040.</li>
<li>The international law of outer space is now defined by the <strong>1967 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-rightful-place-in-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Outer Space Treaty</a> (OST).</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OST affirms that outer space and celestial bodies like the moon cannot be the sole property of any nation. The claims of sovereignty, occupation etc. are not applicable in case of outer space.</li>
<li>It calls the exploration and use of outer space, the province of all mankind.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>However, there is a contradictory provision in outer space treaty.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OST wants states to show &ldquo;due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty&rdquo;.</li>
<li>If the principle of respecting &ldquo;corresponding interests&rdquo; means &ldquo;non-interference&rdquo; in the pre-existing lunar activity of another state, this could end up with up <strong>de-facto ownership for those who first established infrastructure on the moon.</strong></li>
<li>Further, the Outer Space Treaty has <strong>no provision for effective dispute resolution.</strong></li>
<li>Also, OST <strong>does not specify who owns the resources of the moon.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In a law approved in 2015, the US has authorised its citizens to own, transport and sell resources exploited on the moon.</li>
<li>Luxembourg has passed a similar law to attract companies interested in space mining.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The 20<sup>th</sup> century Cold War space race was between the US and the Soviet Union. However, the 21<sup>st</sup>-century competition is projecting geopolitical, economic and commercial interests well beyond the limits of our atmosphere as the world enters into a new space-age gold rush.</p>
<p>In this context, India needs to match the extraordinary success of its scientists with the sustained diplomatic effort at the highest level to take up international space cooperation as a strategic priority and to develop a stronger political voice for India in shaping new rules for the moon and outer space.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" height="68">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-color: #1100ff;">
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #f1f5d5; border-style: dotted;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti input</strong></em></span><br />India needs to match the extraordinary success of its space program with the sustained diplomatic effort at the highest level to take up international space cooperation as a strategic priority. Comment?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/chandrayaan-2-and-outer-space-treaty'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Kakinada Hope Island',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The project named <strong>&ldquo;Development of Kakinada Hope Island, Konaseema (Andhra Pradesh) as World Class Coastal &amp; Eco Tourism Circuit&rdquo;</strong> which was sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been completed.</p>
<h3>About Hope Island</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is tadpole shaped island formed 200 years ago by sand formation in the East Godavari district.</li>
<li>It is situated 10 km from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coringa-mangroves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary</strong></a> and Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Swadesh Darshan Scheme&nbsp;</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Tourism (MoT)</strong> launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-september-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swadesh Darshan Scheme</strong></a> as a <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-to-hike-monthly-pensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Sector Scheme</a> in 2014-15</strong> with the objective of improving connectivity and infrastructure of tourism destinations to enrich overall tourist experience, enhance livelihood and employment opportunities and to attract domestic as well as foreign tourists to the destinations.</li>
<li>The projects for development are identified in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations.</li>
<li><strong>Theme based circuits</strong> include Buddhist, Coastal, Desert, Eco, Heritage,Himalayan, Krishna, North-eastern, Ramayan, Rural, Spiritual, Sufi. Tirthankar, Tribal and Wildlife circuits</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=192073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></strong></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kakinada-hope-island'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)',
			'catname' => 'International Institutions',
			'desc' => '<p>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established under <strong>the National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958</strong></li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Washington, DC, USA</li>
</ul>
<h3>History</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Following World War II, the United States was in direct competition with the erstwhile Soviet Union (the superpower that was disbanded into several sovereign nations including the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, etc. in 1991). That period was called &ldquo;Cold War&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It was the Soviet Union&rsquo;s <strong>launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, </strong>that<strong> first put an object into orbit around Earth.</strong></li>
<li>It was followed in November by the even larger Sputnik II, which carried the <strong>dog Laika.</strong></li>
<li>Only in late January 1958, the United States could launch <strong>Explorer 1,</strong> hoisted aloft by the Army&rsquo;s rocket team, using rocket technology developed from World War II. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though a small spacecraft weighing only 30 pounds, it discovered what are now known as the<strong> Van Allen radiation belts,</strong> named for the University of Iowa scientist Dr. James Van Allen,<strong> launching the new discipline of space science.</strong></li>
<li>Explorer 1 was followed in March, 1958 by the Navy&rsquo;s <strong>Vanguard</strong> 1, 6 inches in diameter and weighing only 3 pounds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NASA&rsquo;s birth was directly related to the launch of the Sputniks and the ensuing race <strong>to demonstrate technological superiority in space.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Driven by the competition of the Cold War,</strong> on <strong>July 29, 1958,</strong> President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the <strong>National Aeronautics and Space Act</strong>, providing for research into the problems of flight within Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere and in space.</li>
<li>After a protracted debate over <strong>military versus civilian control of space,</strong> the act inaugurated a new <strong>civilian agency designated</strong> the National Aeronautics and Space Administration <strong>(NASA).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives of NASA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To expand human knowledge of space</li>
<li>To lead the world in space-related technological innovation</li>
<li>To develop vehicles that can carry both equipment and living organisms into space</li>
<li>To coordinate with international space agencies to achieve the greatest possible scientific advancements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>NASA Missions</h3>
<p>Over the last 60 years, the NASA has achieved every one of the aforesaid goals through various missions some of which are given below, and it continues to seek answers to some of the biggest mysteries in science as it evolves with a changing world.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 3143px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #0a65f7;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Mission</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #0a65f7;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Detail</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Launched: 1997</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Observes particles of solar, interplanetary, interstellar, and galactic origins, spanning the energy range from solar wind ions to galactic cosmic ray nuclei.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere</strong></p>
<p><strong>satellite (AIM) Launched: 2007</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Strange Clouds-</strong> Astronauts on board the International Space Station have been observing electric blue "noctilucent" clouds from Earth-orbit.</li>
<li>Noctilucent or "night-shining" clouds (NLCs) are also known as Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC).</li>
<li>The AIM satellite will orbit Earth at an altitude of 550 km.</li>
<li>AIM will take wide angle photos of NLCs, measure their temperatures and chemical abundances, monitor dusty aerosols, and count meteoroids raining down on Earth.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 56px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 56px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The Apollo Missions Launched: 1968</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 56px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It resulted in American astronauts making a total of 11 space flights and walking on the moon.</li>
<li>The first Apollo flight happened in 1968. The first moon landing took place in 1969. The last moon landing was in 1972.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 61px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 61px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Apollo-Soyuz: An Orbital Partnership Begins Launched: 1975</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 61px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the <strong>first spaceflight to include two participating nations working together</strong> with their own national spacecraft.</li>
<li>The Americans sent up an Apollo command module, while the Russians launched a Soyuz spacecraft.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 54px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aqua Launched: 2002</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 54px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Aqua is an Earth Science satellite mission that collects information on our water systems.</li>
<li>The satellite has six different Earth-observing instruments on board and streams approximately 89 gigabytes of data per day.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 145px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aquarius Mission Operation: 2011 to 2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius /Sat&eacute;lite de Aplicaciones Cient&iacute;ficas (SAC)-D mission was launched June 10, 2011, and ended on June 8, 2015, when an essential part of the power and attitude control system for the spacecraft stopped operating.</li>
<li>Aquarius/SAC-D <strong>mapped the salinity (the concentration of dissolved salt) at the ocean surface,</strong> information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: <strong>the water cycle and ocean circulation.</strong></li>
<li>By measuring ocean salinity from space, Aquarius provided new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 111px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 111px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) Operated: March 2, 2008 to April 20, 2008</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 111px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Arctic is undergoing significant environmental changes related to global climate change.</li>
<li>NASA is extensively <strong>studying the role of air pollution in this climate-sensitive</strong> region as part of the ARCTAS field campaign, the <strong>largest airborne experiment</strong> ever to do so.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 120px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 120px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Artemis Lunar Program Launched: May 2019</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 120px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Artemis program, unveiled by NASA, aims to put astronauts on the lunar surface in 2024 &mdash; and give us <strong>the first female moonwalker.</strong></li>
<li>The initiative comes as the nation prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, which made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin the first people to set foot on another world.</li>
<li>The Greek god who became the namesake of NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and &rsquo;70s had a twin sister named <strong>Artemis,</strong> will lead humans back to the moon.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 122px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 122px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) Launched: 2014</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 122px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Despite its low concentration, <strong>stratospheric water vapor</strong> has large impacts on the earth&rsquo;s energy budget and climate.</li>
<li>Recent studies suggest that even small changes in stratospheric humidity may have climate impacts that are significant compared to those of decadal increases in greenhouse gases.</li>
<li>The ATTREX will perform a series of measurement campaigns using the long-range NASA Global Hawk (GH) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to directly address these problems.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 60px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 60px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aura - Understanding and Protecting the Air We Breathe Launched: 2004</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 60px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Aura (Latin for breeze) is a program dedicated to monitoring the complex interactions that affect the globe using NASA satellites and data systems.</li>
<li>Aura's measurements will enable to <strong>investigate questions about ozone trends, air quality changes and their linkage to climate change.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses- 2013 and 2014)</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a balloon-based Mission that <strong>seeks to measure the precipitation of relativistic electrons from the radiation belts</strong> during two multi-balloon campaigns, operated in the southern hemisphere (option for third northern hemisphere campaign).</li>
<li>The BARREL consists of two Antarctic balloon campaigns conducted in Austral summers of 2013 and 2014.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 72px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CALIPSO (The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation): 2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CALIPSO satellite provides <strong>new insight into the role that clouds and atmospheric aerosols (airborne particles) play in regulating Earth's weather, climate, and air quality.</strong></li>
<li>It was launched on April 28, 2006 with the cloud profiling radar system on the CloudSat satellite.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 145px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cassini-Huygens Operation: 1997 to 2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Cassini mission to Saturn</strong> is one of the most ambitious efforts in planetary space exploration ever mounted.</li>
<li>A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Cassini is a sophisticated robotic spacecraft orbiting the ringed planet and studying the Saturnian system in detail.</li>
<li>Cassini also carried a probe called <strong>Huygens, which parachuted to the surface of Saturn&rsquo;s largest moon, Titan,</strong> in January 2005 and returned spectacular results.</li>
<li>It entered Saturn's atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017 and lost communication with NASA.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 143px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Chandra X-Ray Observatory Launched: By Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999.</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA's ﬂeet of "Great Observatories" along with the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and the now deorbited Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.</li>
<li>Chandra allows scientists from around the world to obtain X-ray images of exotic environments to <strong>help understand the structure and evolution of the universe.</strong></li>
<li>It was named in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Known to the world as Chandra (which means "moon" or "luminous" in Sanskrit), he was widely regarded as one of the foremost astrophysicists of the twentieth century.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 126px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 126px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CINDI: Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamic Investigation Operation: The C/NOFS satellite, which carried NASA's CINDI investigation was launched in 2008 and ended in 2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 126px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CINDI <strong>studied the elements that influence space weather near Earth&rsquo;s equator.</strong></li>
<li>The CINDI investigation is a key component of the science objectives of the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) undertaken by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space and Missile Command Test and Evaluation Directorate.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 74px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Clementine Operation: January 25, 1994 to 21 July 1994</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 74px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Clementine was a joint project between the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and NASA.</li>
<li>It was designed to test sensors and spacecraft components under extended exposure to the space environment and to make scientific observations of the Moon and the near-Earth <strong>asteroid 1620 Geographos.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) Operation: 2015 to 2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CATS, is a lidar remote-sensing instrument that <strong>measured atmospheric aerosols and clouds</strong> from the International Space Station (ISS).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CloudSat: 2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CloudSat is an experimental satellite that <strong>uses radar to observe clouds and precipitation from space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cluster ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA Mission: 1996</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cluster is currently <strong>investigating the Earth's magnetic environment and its interaction with the solar wind</strong> in three dimensions.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 51px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Commercial Crew</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 51px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NASA's Commercial Crew Program is a <strong>partnership to develop and fly human space transportation systems.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 72px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The CGRO Mission (1991 - 2000)</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) was a sophisticated satellite <strong>observatory dedicated to observing the high-energy Universe.</strong></li>
<li>Compton, at 17 tons, was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at the time of its launch on April 5, 1991 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.</li>
<li>Compton was safely deorbited and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on June 4, 2000.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 83px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>COBE</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1989 to 1993</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The purpose of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission was to take <strong>precise measurements of the diffuse radiation between 1 micrometer and 1 cm over the whole celestial sphere.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2003</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CHIPS is a NASA astrophysics spacecraft that <strong>targets the hot and diffuse nebulae</strong> at about a million degrees temperature.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 81px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 81px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CubeSats</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 81px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called <strong>nanosatellites.</strong></li>
<li>CubeSats are built to standard dimensions (Units or &ldquo;U&rdquo;) of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.</li>
<li>They can be 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size, and typically weigh less than 1.33 kg (3 lbs) per U.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Curiosity: 2011</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A rover named Curiosity is part of NASA's <strong>Mars Exploration Program,</strong> a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.</li>
<li>Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability."</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 83px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2016</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CYGNSS mission will <strong>use eight micro-satellites to measure wind speeds over Earth's oceans, increasing the ability of scientists to understand and predict hurricanes.</strong></li>
<li>Each satellite will take information based on the signals from four GPS satellites.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2021</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The DART is a <strong>planetary defense-driven test</strong> of technologies for preventing an impact of Earth by a hazardous asteroid.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 124px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 124px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The Dawn</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 2007 to 2018</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 124px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Dawn was a mission <strong>to the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt &ndash; Vesta and Ceres.</strong></li>
<li>Vesta is rocky, while dwarf planet Ceres is icy.</li>
<li>Each followed a very different evolutionary path, constrained by the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of the solar system.</li>
<li>When Dawn visited Ceres and Vesta, the spacecraft brought us back in solar system time.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS)</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1984 to 2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ERBS was designed to <strong>investigate how energy from the Sun is absorbed and re-radiated by the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>Understanding this process helps reveal patterns in Earth's weather.<br />It was launched on the Space Shuttle Challenger.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 143px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2018</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ECOSTRESS <strong>measures the temperature of plants</strong> and use that information to better understand how much water plants need and how they respond to stress.</li>
<li>It uses a multispectral thermal infrared radiometer to measure the surface temperature.</li>
<li>The radiometer was deployed on the International Space Station in 2018.<br />The radiometer will acquire the most detailed temperature images of the surface ever acquired from space and will be able to measure the temperature of an individual farmers field.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 68px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 68px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>FAST (the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer)</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1996 to 2009</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 68px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The FAST <strong>investigated the behavior of ionized gas, called plasma, and particles during auroras.</strong></li>
<li>As the FAST flew over the poles&mdash;the most common regions where auroras form&mdash;it took quick, high-resolution bursts of data on particles, electric and magnetic fields, and plasma.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 70px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 70px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Galileo</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1989 to 2003</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 70px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Galileo spacecraft <strong>orbited Jupiter</strong> for almost eight years, and made close passes by all its major moons.</li>
<li>Its camera and nine other instruments sent back reports that allowed scientists to determine, among other things, that <strong>Jupiter&rsquo;s icy moon Europa</strong> probably has a subsurface ocean with more water than the total amount found on Earth.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 116px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 116px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Hubble Space Telescope</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 1990</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 116px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NASA named the <strong>world's first space-based optical telescope</strong> after American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dr. Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe, which provided the foundation for the big-bang theory.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Hubble is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe.</li>
<li>Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 99px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 99px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>IceBridge Mission</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2009</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 99px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IceBridge is the <strong>largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice</strong> ever flown.</li>
<li>It yields an unprecedented three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice.</li>
<li>Data collected during IceBridge will help scientists bridge the gap in polar observations between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) - launched in 2003 and de-orbited in 2010 and ICESat-2, launched in 2018.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>International Space Station (IIS)</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ISS is a <strong>multi-nation construction project</strong> that is the largest single structure humans ever put into space.</li>
<li>Its main construction was completed between 1998 and 2011, although the station continually evolves to include new missions and experiments.</li>
<li>The NASA , Roscosmos (Russia) and the European Space Agency are the major partners of the space station.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 78px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 78px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>The James Webb Space Telescope</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2021</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 78px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) will be a<strong> large infrared telescope</strong> with a 6.5-meter primary mirror.</li>
<li>The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021.</li>
<li><strong>It will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe</strong> and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 43px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 43px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Mars 2020 Rover</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2020</strong>
<p></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 43px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rover will<strong> search for signs of habitable conditions on Mars</strong> in the ancient past and for signs of past microbial life itself.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 97px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 97px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Orion spacecraft: Underdevelopment</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 97px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Orion is a new NASA spacecraft for astronauts.</li>
<li>The spacecraft will play an important part in the journey to Mars.</li>
<li>Orion will serve as the <strong>exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 75px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 75px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) Launching: 2022</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 75px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The PACE is NASA's <strong>Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission,</strong> currently in the design phase of mission development.</li>
<li>It will extend and improve NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Rosetta</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 2004 to 2016</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rosetta was a spacecraft on a ten-year mission<strong> to catch the comet "67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko" (C-G)</strong> and answer some of our questions about comets.</li>
<li>This was a European Space Agency mission with support and instruments from NASA.</li>
<li>Rosetta was the first spacecraft to soft-land a robot on a comet.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Draft Bill Banning Cryptocurrency',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Inter-Ministerial Committee on Virtual Currency</strong> constituted under the Chairmanship of <strong>Subhash Chandra Garg</strong> has submitted its report along with <strong>Draft Bill &lsquo;Banning of Cryptocurrency &amp; Regulation of Official Digital </strong>Currency<strong> Bill, 2019&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Provisions of the Draft Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-move-to-ban-cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cryptocurrency</strong></a> <strong>cannot be</strong> used as legal tender or currency at any place in India.</li>
<li>The bill prohibits everyone to mine, generate, hold, sell, deal in, issue, transfer, dispose of or use Cryptocurrency in the territory of India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Central Government</strong> is allowed to declare <strong>Digital Rupee</strong> to be legal tender with the consent of the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/utkarsh-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Reserve Bank of India.</strong></a></li>
<li>The <strong>Reserve Bank</strong> is empowered to declare any <strong>official foreign digital currency</strong> to be recognised as foreign currency in India.</li>
<li>The use of <strong>Distributed Ledger Technology</strong> for creating a network for delivery of any financial or other services or for creating value, without involving any use of cryptocurrency is not prohibited.</li>
<li>Direct or indirect use of Cryptocurrency shall be punishable with <strong>fine</strong> or imprisonment of <strong>1 year</strong> which may be extended to <strong>10 years or both.</strong></li>
<li>The maximum amount of fine that may be imposed upon a person for an offence shall be as follows: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>the higher of,&ndash;</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>three times the</strong> loss or harm caused by the person; or</li>
<li><strong>three times the</strong> gains made by the person.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Court is empowered to transfer any fees recovered, to the Consolidated Fund of India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Central Government</strong> on the recommendation of investigating agency without being bound to it, is empowered to grant immunity for any offence under the act.</li>
<li>The bill also provides that <strong>no such immunity</strong> can be granted by the Central Government in cases where the <strong>proceedings for the prosecution</strong> for any such offence have been instituted before the date of receipt of application for grant of such immunity.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/441image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/441image1.jpg" width="595" height="959" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Digital Rupee</strong> means a form of currency<strong> issued</strong> digitally by the <strong>Reserve Bank</strong> and <strong>approved</strong> by the <strong>Central Government</strong> to be legal tender.</li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-move-to-ban-cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Blockchain</strong></a> is one type of a <strong>distributed ledger.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.livemint.com/industry/banking/government-panel-suggests-ban-on-private-cryptocurrencies-1563796292369.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: Livemint</a></strong></p>',
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => 'Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/will-india-s-idea-on-disaster-management-gain-global-support-1563910265773.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Will India&rsquo;s idea on disaster management gain global support&rdquo;</strong></a>&nbsp;that appeared in the Livemint on 24 July, 2019. It talks about the prospects of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure</p>
</div>
<p>Indian Prime Minister, at the Hamburg G20 meet in 2017, proposed <strong>Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).</strong> It may be taken up at the G7 meet next month in Biarritz, where India has been invited by hosts France, along with Australia, Chile and South Africa.</p>
<h3>What is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Each time a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world, countries try to provide immediate relief, but there is no focus on building disaster-resilient Infrastructure.</li>
<li><strong>In this context, Indian PM proposed CDRI which will act as a convening body that will pool best practices and resources from around the world for reshaping construction, transportation, energy, telecommunication and water, so that building in these core infrastructure sectors factors in natural catastrophes.</strong></li>
<li>According to <strong>Sendai framework,</strong> every $1 spent in disaster risk reduction leads to gain of $7. But developing countries face the dilemma of balancing economic investment for development vs disaster resilient infrastructure.</li>
<li>CDRI could fill this gap of funds and technology and help developing countries to build disaster-resilient Infrastructure.</li>
<li>For instance, India is a world leader in preventing human deaths due to disasters. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has praised India&rsquo;s <strong>zero casualty approach</strong> and playing a pioneering role model for global community for drawing up a national and local strategy to reduce disaster losses and risks.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>But India is not so adept in protecting property and infrastructure from extreme weather havoc. In India, the World Bank had estimated that the economic losses due to disasters during the late nineties and early years of this century were close to 2% of the GDP.</li>
<li>This is where CDRI can help.</li>
<li>Japan has expertise in disaster management, rehabilitation and reconstruction, making it the world&rsquo;s safest and most disaster-resilient country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Zero Casualty Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to Indian Meteorological Department&rsquo;s &ldquo;almost pinpoint accuracy&rdquo; of early warnings that helped authorities conduct a well-targeted evacuation plan and minimise the loss of life against extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s zero casualty approach to managing extreme weather events is a major contribution to the implementation of the Sendai framework and the reduction of loss of life from such events.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Apart from it, CDRI will complement India&rsquo;s efforts to bring together a coalition of countries harnessing solar power under the International Solar Alliance framework
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>ISA has enhanced India&rsquo;s soft power by positioning it as a contributor to solutions to the most pressing global problems.</li>
<li>CDRI could be the next major foreign policy innovation in the Indian foreign policy to enhance India&rsquo;s status by serving the needs of the rest of the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Disaster risk reduction?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Disaster risk reduction means identifying the underlying hazards and vulnerabilities, natural or anthropogenic, and taking necessary measures to prevent the creation of disaster from the beginning.</li>
<li>Disaster risk reduction is very critical as disasters are intertwined with development in a three-dimensional nexus.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Disasters eat away hard-earned gains of development of years and decades</li>
<li>Lack of development exposes vulnerable communities to the risks of disasters.</li>
<li>Development creates new risks of disasters, as without proper compliance and due to unregulated development may destroy the natural buffer to disasters.For eg: fossil fuel-based production may give rise to climate-related disaster</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/113clip_image00841.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/113clip_image00841.webp" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="566" height="509" /></a></p>
<p>India&rsquo;s initiative for Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure will help in the development of appropriate infrastructure to face the least developed and developing countries with natural calamities. Also, CDRI will boost India's soft power, but more importantly it has wider connotation than just economics, as synergy between disaster risk reduction, SDG and Climate Accord provides for sustainable and inclusive growth.<br /><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/280Untitled-1.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/280Untitled-1.webp" width="448" height="209" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-color: #1500ff;">
<td style="width: 524px; border-style: dotted; background-color: #fce6dc;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em></span><br /><br />Prevention is better than cure. Discuss the statement in the context of disaster risk and reduction. Also, highlight the role that can be played by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/coalition-for-disaster-resilient-infrastructure'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Fair and Remunerative Prices for Sugarcane',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to create an <strong>emergency sugar reserve</strong> of <strong>4 million tonne</strong> and approved the <strong>Fair and Remunerative Prices</strong> for sugarcane for the year 2019-20.</p>
<h3>Sugar Industry</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sugar-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sugar industry</a> is an important agro-based industry that impacts rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.</li>
<li>India is the <strong>world&rsquo;s second largest sugar producer</strong> after Brazil and also the <strong>largest consumer</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Price Determination of Sugarcane</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sugarcane prices are determined by:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Federal Government</li>
<li>State Government</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Federal/Central Government announces <strong>Fair and Remunerative Prices</strong> which are determined on the <strong>recommendation</strong> of the <strong>Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices</strong> (CACP) and are <strong>announced</strong> by the <strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,</strong> which is chaired by Prime Minister.</li>
<li>The <strong>State Advised Prices (SAP)</strong> are announced by key sugarcane producing states which are generally <strong>higher than FRP</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It came into existence in January 1965.</li>
<li>It is an advisory body whose recommendations are not binding on Government.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1580066" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fair-and-remunerative-prices-for-sugarcane'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Lok Sabha has passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill <strong>amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,</strong> providing special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, individuals and groups that foster terrorism in India.</li>
<li>The Bill is yet to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features of the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It empowers the government to <strong>designate individuals as terrorists</strong> if the person commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes terrorism or is otherwise involved in terrorism.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This has been done as it is seen that when a terrorist organization is banned, its members form a new organization to spread terrorism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The bill also <strong>empowers the Director-General, National Investigation Agency (NIA)</strong> to grant approval of seizure or attachment of property when the case is being investigated by the agency.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the existing Act, the investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police (DGP) to seize properties that bear any connection to terrorism.</li>
<li>It has been seen that many times a terror accused own properties in different states. In such cases, seeking approval of DGPs of different states becomes very difficult, and the delay caused by the same may enable the accused to transfer properties.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It <strong>empowers the officers of the NIA &mdash;</strong> of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The existing Act provides for investigation of cases to be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>No changes being made in arrest or bail provisions. Also, the provision that the burden of proof is on the investigating agency and not on the accused, has not been changed.</li>
<li>The <strong>International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005)</strong> has also been added in the Second Schedule through the Amendment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UAPA, an upgrade on the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act TADA (lapsed in 1995) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act - POTA (repealed in 2004) was originally passed in the year 1967.</li>
<li>Till the year 2004, &ldquo;unlawful" activities referred to actions related to secession and cession of territory. Following the 2004 amendment, <strong>&ldquo;terrorist act" was added</strong> to the list of offences.</li>
<li>The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centre deems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.</li>
<li>According to statistics published by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ncrb-to-track-complaints-on-sexual-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)</strong></a>, 922 cases were reported under UAPA in 2016, which was 5% less than what was recorded in 2014, with 976 cases. At the same time, it was up by 3% from 2015 (897 cases). In total, 2,700 cases were registered over 2014, 2015 and 2016.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Investigation Agency</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NIA Act was enacted on 31st December, 2008 and thus the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was born.</li>
<li>At present, NIA is functioning as the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency in India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580136" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unlawful-activities-prevention-amendment-bill-2019'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Milky Way's Violent Birth Decoded',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Based on the Gaia space observatory data, Scientist has observed that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/blacl-holes-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Milky Way</strong></a>, home to our sun and billions of other stars, merged with another smaller galaxy in a cosmic collision roughly 10 billion years ago.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gaia Space Observatory</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gaia is a mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, in the process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy.</li>
<li>Gaia will provide unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracy needed to produce a census of about one billion stars in our Galaxy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to scientists, the union of the Milky Way and the so-called dwarf galaxy Gaia-Enceladus increased our galaxy&rsquo;s mass by about a quarter and triggered a period of accelerated star formation lasting about 2 to 4 billion years.</li>
<li>Galaxies of all types, including the Milky Way, began to form relatively soon after the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/evidence-of-supernova-remnants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Bang</a></strong> explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago, but were generally smaller than those seen today and were forming stars at a rapid rate. Subsequent galactic mergers were instrumental in configuring galaxies existing now.</li>
<li>Certain stars with higher content of elements other than hydrogen or helium arose in the Milky Way and others with lower such content originated in Gaia-Enceladus, owing to its smaller mass.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/milky-ways-violent-birth-decoded/article28701513.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: The Hindu</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/milky-way-s-violent-birth-decoded'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'R&D Expenditure Ecosystem in India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The report titled<strong> &ldquo;Research and Development (R&amp;D) Expenditure Ecosystem&rdquo;</strong> was also released during the <strong>global launch of Global Innovation Index (GII)&ndash;2019</strong> by the <strong>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The objectives of the report are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To address the data gaps in compiling R&amp;D data so that up to date data on R&amp;D is available in order to reflect India&rsquo;s true rank globally.</li>
<li>The second objective is to examine expenditure trends in various sectors and their shortcomings.</li>
<li>The final objective is to lay down the road map for achieving the desired target of R&amp;D spend by the year 2022, i.e 2% of the GDP.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) is a <strong>non-constitutional, non-statutory, independent body</strong> constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister.</li>
<li>As of July, 2019, the Council consists of: <strong>Dr. Bibek Debroy (Chairman), Shri Ratan P. Watal (Member Secretary), Dr. Rathin Roy (Part-Time Member), Dr. Ashima Goyal (Part-Time Member) and Dr. Shamika Ravi (Part-Time Member).</strong></li>
<li>The terms of reference of EAC-PM are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Analyzing any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising him thereon,</li>
<li>Addressing issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views thereon to the Prime Minister.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These could be <strong>either suo-motu</strong> or on <strong>reference from the Prime Minister</strong> or anyone else.</li>
<li>It also includes attending to any other task as may be desired by the Prime Minister from time to time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The growth in research and development (R&amp;D) expenditure should be commensurate with the economy&rsquo;s growth and <strong>should be targeted to reach at least 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2022.</strong></li>
<li>The line ministries at the Centre could be mandated to<strong> allocate a certain percentage</strong> of their budget for research and innovation for developing and deploying technologies as per the priorities of the respective ministries.</li>
<li>To stimulate <strong>private sector&rsquo;s investment in R&amp;D from current 0.35% of GDP,</strong> it is suggested that a minimum percentage of turn-over of the company may be invested in R&amp;D by medium and large enterprises registered in India.</li>
<li>To help and keep the industry enthused to invest in R&amp;D, the <strong>weighted deduction provisions on R&amp;D investment should continue.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>states can partner Centre</strong> to jointly fund research and innovation programmes through socially designed <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-to-hike-monthly-pensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Sponsored Schemes (CSS).</strong></a></li>
<li>The report also pitched for <strong>creating 30 dedicated R&amp;D Exports Hub</strong> and a corpus of<strong> Rs 5,000 crore for funding mega projects</strong> with cross cutting themes which are of national interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Investments in R&amp;D are key inputs in economic growth. The impact of this is proven on productivity, exports, employment and capital formation.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s investment in R&amp;D has shown a <strong>consistent increasing trend</strong> over the years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, as a<strong> fraction of GDP, it has remained constant at around 0.6% to 0.7%.</strong></li>
<li>This is <strong>below the expenditure of countries</strong> like the US (2.8), China (2.1), Israel (4.3) and Korea (4.2).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Government expenditure, <strong>almost entirely the Central Government,</strong> is the driving force of R&amp;D in India which is in contrast to the advanced countries where the private sector is the dominant and driving force of R&amp;D spend.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is a <strong>need for greater participation of State Governments</strong> and the <strong>private sector in overall R&amp;D spending</strong> in India especially in application oriented research and technology development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Earlier in 2018, the Prime Minister of India had underlined that there should be greater emphasis on collaborative R&amp;D by the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) with a focus on partnerships with Indian Institute of Technologies and Universities.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Consequently, one hundred fifty-four such innovation cells have been set up by CPSEs which will work on market oriented research.</li>
<li>From the year 2014-15 to 2017-18, there has been an increase of 116% in R&amp;D spending by CPSEs.</li>
<li>CPSEs of the petroleum and power sector are the biggest spenders in R&amp;D. Therefore, the need of the hour is that all CPSEs must come on board for higher spend on R&amp;D.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580049" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/r-d-expenditure-ecosystem-in-india'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Global Innovation Index-2019',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Government of India, has launched the <strong>Global Innovation Index</strong> (GII) in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is the<strong> first</strong> time that the GII is being launched in an <strong>emerging economy.</strong></li>
<li>The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-institutions-international-world-intellectual-property-organisation-wipo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)</a></strong> and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) are co hosting the event.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Performance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s ranking in the Global Innovation Index is <strong>52</strong> which shows an improvement of 5 points from the last years ranking (57).</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s rankings has been <strong>consistently</strong> increasing over the last few years and is among the top in the world in innovation drivers such as <strong>Information and Communication Technology</strong> (ICT), <strong>services exports, graduates in science and engineering, </strong>the<strong> quality of universities, gross capital formation</strong> (a measure of economy-wide investments) and <strong>creative goods exports.</strong></li>
<li>India stands out in the world&rsquo;s top <strong>science and technology clusters,</strong> with Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi featuring among the top 100 global clusters.</li>
<li>India continues to be the most <strong>innovative economy</strong> in <strong>central</strong> and <strong>southern Asia</strong> (a distinction held since 2011).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Performance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Switzerland</strong> tops the GII index followed by Sweden, United States of America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/876image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/876image1.jpg" width="742" height="370" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Global Innovation Index</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme of <strong>GII- 2019</strong> (12<sup>th</sup> edition) is<strong> &ldquo;Creating Healthy Lives - The Future of Medical Innovation&rdquo;</strong> which aims to explore the role of medical innovation as it shapes the future of healthcare.</li>
<li>It is published annually by <strong>Cornell University, INSEAD</strong> and the <strong>UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).</strong></li>
<li>The GII relies on two sub-indices :<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Innovation Input Sub-Index.</li>
<li>Innovation Output Sub-Index.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These sub indices are built around several key pillars namely , Input pillar and Output pillar :<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Input pillars</strong> capture elements of the national economy that enable innovative activities<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Institutions</li>
<li>Human capital and research</li>
<li>Infrastructure</li>
<li>Market sophistication</li>
<li>Business sophistication.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Output pillars</strong> capture actual evidence of innovation outputs: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Knowledge and technology outputs</li>
<li>Creative outputs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-innovation-index-2019'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Molecular Framework for Superbugs',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Lucknow-based Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) have designed a <strong>novel molecular framework</strong> that would help drugs latch on to the germs and thus prevent them from multiplying.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It&rsquo;s structure is such that it <strong>stops energy production in the bacteria</strong> for 20 minutes thus preventing it from multiplying.</li>
<li>The new molecule <strong>targets gyrase B.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A substance called gyrase is essential for bacteria&rsquo;s survival and multiplication.</li>
<li>In most organisms, there are two types of gyrases &mdash; gyrase A and gyrase B.</li>
<li>Almost all of antibacterial drugs in use currently work by targeting gyrase A. The bugs modify gyrase A in such a way that the drugs fail to bind to them.</li>
<li>Gyrase B is more conserved in organisms and hence difficult to mutate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The new molecule when used in combination with fluoroquinolone drugs, the first line of antibiotic drugs, both gyrase A and gyrase B are attacked, making them more effective. This makes it possible to <strong>destroy the bacteria</strong> with the <strong>same class of drugs</strong> to which they have <strong>developed resistance.</strong></li>
<li>The framework is still in a proof-of-concept stage but the scientists have found it to be effective in lab-grown bacterial cells.</li>
<li>Scientists have also found that the bacteria do not develop resistance to the new molecule that easily.</li>
<li>This development has come at a time when there is a fear that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/superbugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>multidrug-resistant superbugs</strong></a> may kill as many as 10 million people worldwide by the year 2050.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The scientists used <strong>staphylococcus aureus</strong> bacteria frequently found in the nostrils, upper respiratory tract and on the skin of nearly 30% of people for developing the framework.</li>
<li>While this bacteria is innocuous in healthy people, in those with low immunity levels, it causes many infections, some of them lethal. Over the years, it has become resistant to most drugs that are commonly used in clinics.</li>
<li><strong>CDRI</strong> is a constituent laboratory of the <strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research</strong> (CSIR), Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/indian-scientists-find-chink-in-superbug-armour/article28701728.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: HBL</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/molecular-framework-for-superbugs'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'National Data Quality Forum',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/controlling-chikungunya-and-dengue-through-bacteria" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)&rsquo;s</strong></a> National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with Population council (International non profit NGO that conducts research in biomedicine and social science) has launched the <strong>National Data Quality Forum</strong> (NDQF).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) is an <strong>integrated national-level platform</strong> that aims to improve the <strong>quality </strong>of<strong> health</strong> and <strong>demographic data</strong> by generating <strong>meaningful dialogue</strong> around the <strong>improvement</strong> of <strong>data quality</strong> in general, and for health and medical research in particular.</li>
<li>NDQF will bring all relevant stakeholders, subject matter experts, industry leaders, decision makers, and data scientists/analysts on a common platform for discussing improvements in the quality of <strong>data ecosystem</strong> in India.</li>
<li>NDQF will integrate learnings from<strong> scientific</strong> and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions through <strong>periodic workshops</strong> and <strong>conferences.</strong></li>
<li>NDQF&rsquo;s activities will help establish <strong>protocols</strong> and <strong>good practices</strong> of <strong>data collection, storage, use </strong>and<strong> dissemination</strong> that can be applied to <strong>health</strong> and <strong>demographic data,</strong> as well as can be replicated across other industries and sectors also.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Institute for Medical Statistics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NIMS is one of the <strong>permanent institutes</strong> of Institutes of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi.</li>
<li>The Institute came into existence in the year 1977 with the mandate to provide <strong>technical expertise </strong>on<strong> research methodology, programme evaluation, mathematical modeling, data analysis etc.</strong></li>
<li>It is India&rsquo;s only institute to coordinate and standardize the <strong>collection</strong> of <strong>medical</strong> and <strong>health statistics</strong> in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Major Achievements of NIMS</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Establishment of India's <strong>first Clinical Trials Registry</strong>, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strategy-against-the-threat-of-influenza" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment on National Highways (IBBA-NH) among truckers for HIV epidemic in the country.</li>
<li>Identified as the <strong>National Nodal Agency</strong> for the implementation of <strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Project</strong> (IDSP)-Non-Communicable Disease ( IDSP- NCD) risk factor survey.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/icmr-launches-forum-to-improve-data-collection-and-use/article28701398.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-data-quality-forum'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'US-Pakistan reattachment',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-pakistan-donald-trump-imran-khan-kashmir-india-narendra-modi-5846093/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The change triangle&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Indian Express on 24<sup>th</sup> July 2019. It talks about the impact of US-Pakistan reattachment on India&rsquo;s interest.</p>
</div>
<p>The recent US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, has led to the United State quietly replacing its threat of sanctions against Pakistan with renewed engagement.</p>
<p>The US wants to withdraw from Afghanistan and finalize a &ldquo;peace&rdquo; deal with the Taliban, citing the role that Pakistan can play to finalize this deal due to its geopolitical advantage. This is the reason for a complete reversal in the USA's Pakistan policy.</p>
<p>This is being dubbed as a major diplomatic victory of Pakistan and it will affect South Asia as a region and especially India.</p>
<h3>Highlights of US-Pakistan reattachment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A $6-billion <strong>International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout for Pakistan:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US, despite enjoying veto power over IMF decisions, has agreed to grant bail to Pakistan&rsquo;s faltering economy.</li>
<li>This decision of US, to support the bailout to Pakistan, is despite the fact that US's refusal to bail out would have, perhaps, compelled Pakistan to curb terrorism (as Pakistan still continues to shield state-nurtured terrorist outfits).</li>
<li>On the contrary, USA unblocked $1.2 billion aid to Pakistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The US <strong>designation of the leading Baloch separatist group as &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo; outfit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Taliban, despite countless attacks on US forces, is still absent from the US terrorism lists.</li>
<li>Yet, to appease Pakistan, the USA listed the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The action provides Pakistan international legitimacy to come hard on the Balochistan movement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The US's <strong>re-hyphenation of India with Pakistan-</strong> as the USA offered to mediate the Kashmir conflict.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Pakistan has continued its policy of &ldquo;internationalisation&rdquo; of the Kashmir issue, with a view for reversing J&amp;K&rsquo;s accession to India, and has used every global forum to criticise India&rsquo;s &ldquo;illegal occupation&rdquo; of Kashmir.</li>
<li>Reacting to this, India has reiterated its longstanding position that there is no room for mediation in Kashmir or on any other India-Pakistan issue.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>All outstanding matters between the two countries would be resolved through bilateral dialogue &mdash; but only when Pakistan ends cross-border terrorism in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The framework for <strong>bilateral resolution</strong> of problems between India and Pakistan was written into the 1972 <strong>Simla Agreement</strong> and reiterated 27 years later in the <strong>Lahore Declaration.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact on India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India left out from Afghanistan's peace process:</strong> India has been literally ousted in Afghanistan &ldquo;peace settlement&rdquo; process, as the Afghan peace process is being discussed by four players comprising China, the US, Russia and Pakistan, ignoring India's stakes in Afghanistan.</li>
<li><strong>India-US tariff tussle:</strong> The US has accused India of not opening the Indian economy enough for American trade and has threatened to clamp new tariffs on Indian exports to America.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The USA also <strong>withdrew the GSP preference from India.</strong></li>
<li>New <strong>sanctions on Iran</strong> have affected Indian trade with Iran.</li>
<li>Subsequently, India had to reduce its allocation to the deep-sea port <strong>(Chabahar Port)</strong> by two-thirds: From Rs 150 crore to Rs 45 crore. This might affect the country&rsquo;s energy security.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India must realize two things:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Geography of Pakistan is its greatest asset (as Pakistan borders middle east, central Asia and Indian ocean).
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pakistan cannot be isolated as all the great powers will have their stakes in the Pakistan geopolitical location.</li>
<li>India should make efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan as now there will be more coherence in Pakistan's approach.</li>
<li>Kartarpur corridor can be a step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The USA retains Pakistan as its &ldquo;major non-NATO ally&rdquo; and refuses to hold Pakistan&rsquo;s military to account for exporting terrorism.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Narrow geopolitical interests guiding America&rsquo;s Pakistan policy will likely continue to affect India's interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>America&rsquo;s Pakistan policy validates the Karl Marx saying -&ldquo;History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce&rdquo;. In this context, India must reassess its strategic convergence with the US and follow a pragmatic foreign policy.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 83px; background-color: #0370ff; border-color: #0800ff;">
<td style="width: 524px; height: 83px; border-style: dotted; background-color: #f7ede1;"><em><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Drishti Input</strong></span></em><br /><br />USA&rsquo;s pursuit of withdrawal from Afghanistan and finalize a &ldquo;peace&rdquo; deal with the Taliban, has led to US-Pakistan reattachment. Discuss the impact of America&rsquo;s U-turn on Pakistan policy on India&rsquo;s interest.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/us-pakistan-reattachment'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Aaykar Diwas',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The 159th Income Tax Day i.e. Aaykar Diwas is being celebrated on 24th July, 2019 by the<strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-april-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)</a></strong> and all field offices.</p>
<h3>Why 24th July?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On <strong>24th July 1860</strong>,<strong> Income Tax</strong> was introduced for the first time in India by <strong>Sir James Wilson</strong> to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the<strong> first</strong> war of independence against British Rule.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The CBDT will also launch a <strong>&ldquo;Kardaata e-Sahyog Abhiyaan</strong>&rdquo; to assist and support taxpayers and other stakeholders in enabling them to e-file their returns and discharge other tax related obligations.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580003" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source: PIB</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aaykar-diwas'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Mauritius Leaks',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>According to the recently released data by the <strong>International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)</strong>, as many as 50 entities, or <strong>one-fourth</strong> of those disclosed in the Mauritius leaks, had India as their only country or one of the countries of activity.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although investment in India through Mauritius is declining but Mauritius has seen a sizeable amount of funds getting routed through by entities operating or investing in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mauritius Leaks</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Mauritius Leaks, data of 200,000 leaked documents (in the form of emails, contracts and bank statements) reveals how one country&rsquo;s <strong>low tax rates</strong> (like Mauritius) were <strong>leveraged and misused</strong> by Multinational Companies for <strong>tax avoidance</strong>.</li>
<li>After Swiss leaks, Panama papers and Paradise papers, Mauritius leaks show how the island nation was used by a long list of corporates to facilitate partnerships with multinationals and, without paying any capital gains tax, remit profits as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tax treaty between India and Mauritius</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)</strong> was signed between India and Mauritius in 1982. Under this, any entity could apply for tax residency and pay zero capital gains tax. This became the principal reason why Mauritius emerged as a top channel for investments being routed into India.</li>
<li>In 2016 India amended its <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-china-signed-amended-dtaa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)</a> with Mauritius, and the new provisions related to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/capital-gain-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">capital gains tax</a> were introduced.</li>
<li><strong>GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rule):</strong> It is an anti-tax avoidance law under Income Tax Act, 1961 of India and is framed by the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.</li>
<li><strong>Common Reporting Standard (CRS):</strong> It is an information standard for the <strong>Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEOI)</strong> regarding bank accounts on a global level, between tax authorities with the objective of combating tax evasion.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Consortium of Investigative Journalists</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICIJ is a <strong>United States</strong> based <strong>nonprofit organization</strong> with a global network of <strong>reporters</strong> and <strong>media organizations</strong> who work together to investigate the most important issues in the world.</li>
<li>ICIJ has released several important <strong>investigations</strong> &ndash; including the Pulitzer Prize-winning <strong>Panama Papers</strong>.</li>
<li>ICIJ is fully <strong>funded by donations</strong>.</li>
<li>ICIJ encourages <strong>tips, leaks</strong> and <strong>story ideas</strong> from the <strong>public</strong>, whistleblowers, as well as from outstanding investigative journalists.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/icij-mauritius-leaks-jindal-steel-gmr-holdings-among-firms-named-119072300958_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: B.S</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mauritius-leaks'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'India’s Falling Fertility Rate',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India&rsquo;s total fertility rate (TFR) is declining. It is now <strong>2.2 per woman,</strong> nearing the replacement rate of 2.1, according to the latest government data.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government&rsquo;s Sample Registration System in 22 states shows that TFR for India declined to 2.2 in 2017 after being stable at 2.3 between 2013 and 2016.</li>
<li>The 2017 figure is just 10 basis points more than the replacement level of 2.1%.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>TFR</strong> indicates the average number of children expected to be born to a woman during her reproductive span of 15-49 years.</p>
<p><strong>The replacement level</strong> is the number of children needed to replace the parents, after accounting for fatalities, skewed sex ratio, infant mortality, etc. Population starts falling below this level.</p>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The total fertility rate has <strong>more than halved in both urban and rural areas,</strong> falling even below the replacement level in the former where it is 1.7, down from 4.1 in 1971.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In rural areas, TFR has fallen from 5.4 to 2.4 during the same period.</li>
<li>For rural areas, it varies from 1.6 in Delhi and Tamil Nadu to 3.3 in Bihar.</li>
<li>For urban areas, the variation is from <strong>1.1 in Himachal Pradesh to 2.4 in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar</strong>.</li>
<li>Of the 22 states, <strong>only six have a TFR of 2 or more in urban areas</strong>. There are 10 states where TFR is below 2 in rural regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In different age groups, <strong>the 25-29 age is the most fertile</strong>, except in Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, where it peaked between 20 and 24. Only J&amp;K hits the peak after 30.</li>
<li>TFR goes below 2 in both urban and rural areas, where <strong>girls complete schooling</strong> and reduces further as they pass college.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Bihar, with the highest TFR of 3.2,</strong> had the maximum percentage of illiterate women at 26.8%, while Kerala, where the literacy rate among women is 99.3%, had among the lowest fertility rates.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As more cities come up, people move for jobs and employment tenure gets shorter, TFR may fall further.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Falling TFR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Higher education</li>
<li>Increased mobility</li>
<li>Late marriage</li>
<li>Financially independent women and</li>
<li>Overall prosperity</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implications for Policymakers</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has entered a<strong> 37-year period of demographic dividend</strong>, which could spell faster economic growth and higher productivity.</li>
<li>As such, the government needs to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/changing-demographic-profile-faster-than-expectation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>engineer its policies to harness the opportunity</strong></a>.</li>
<li>It must also formulate policies to <strong>take care of higher medical costs</strong> as the population ages and productivity shrinks.</li>
<li>India will also need to have an <strong>affordable social security system</strong> that provides pension to the elderly and takes care of their daily needs and medical expenses.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/what-are-india-s-challenges-as-its-fertility-rate-falls-1563907229812.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: Mint</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indias-falling-fertility-rate'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'International Conference on Electric Mobility',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>In order to discuss the various challenges and opportunities in creating an ecosystem for electric vehicles, <strong>the Associated Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)</strong> is organizing an International Conference on &ldquo;Electric Mobility: Challenges and Opportunities&rdquo; on 26<sup>th</sup> July, 2019 in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The global automotive industry is at the <strong>cusp of a paradigm shift</strong> from internal combustion engine vehicles to zero emission vehicles.</li>
<li>India, too, is actively going ahead for<strong> cost effective and viable solutions</strong> to the problem of poor air quality in a number of its cities.</li>
<li>The country has announced a significant <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-electric-mobility-mission-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>shift to an all electric public fleet by 2030</strong></a>, necessitating attention and action by players across sectors including automobile, power and utilities, oil and gas, etc.</li>
<li>The Conference would bring together all concerned groups and stakeholders of various segments of Electric vehicle Industry to a common platform to discuss and explore the future opportunities and creating and ecosystem for Electric Mobility.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Focus Areas of the Conference</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Central and State level policy framework on EV adoption in India</li>
<li>Roadmap for achieving the target of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fame-ii-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>FAME-II policy</strong></a></li>
<li>Indian EV market and key trends</li>
<li>Assessment of manufacturing ecosystem etc.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ASSOCHAM</strong> as a Knowledge Chamber, initiated its endeavour of value creation for Indian industry in 1920.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Having in its fold more than 300 Chambers and Trade Associations, and serving more than 4 lakh members from all over India.</li>
<li>It has contributed significantly in shaping up the Trade, Commerce and Industrial environment of the country.</li>
<li>Not only large industry and trade but also small and medium industrial enterprises, engaged in agriculture and transport, as well as professional bodies and several new industry associations have entered ASSOCHAM's fold.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://assocham.org/eventdetail.php?id=1724" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: Business Standard</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-conference-on-electric-mobility'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => '2011 Census Data on Migration',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>According to census data, <strong>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have a disproportionately high number of out-migrants,</strong> while migrants constitute more than one-third of the population in metros like Delhi and Mumbai.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/migration-in-bengal-delta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Migration</a> is the movement of people from one place to another. It can be over a short or long distance, be short-term or permanent, voluntary or forced, intranational or international.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the 2011 Census, <strong>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are responsible for the most number of migrants</strong> as 20.9 million people migrated outside the state from the two states.</li>
<li>This is 37% of the total number of people who were inter-state migrants according to that enumeration.</li>
<li><strong>Delhi and Mumbai are widely considered migrant magnets</strong> and the 2011 Census bears that out. According to it migrants from other states in Delhi and Mumbai numbered 9.9 million, or almost a third of the combined population of 29.2 million.</li>
<li><strong>The Hindi belt is the main source of migrants.</strong> According to the census, four states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh accounted for 50% of India&rsquo;s total inter-state migrants.</li>
<li>On the other hand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana housed 50% of the country&rsquo;s inter-state migrants.</li>
<li>These shares are much higher than the share of these states in India&rsquo;s total population.</li>
<li><strong>Uttar Pradesh figures in both lists &ndash;</strong> while there are people who leave it in search of livelihoods, there are also clearly people who head for it in search of livelihoods.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Inter-state migrations in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Uttar Pradesh has the highest share of out-migrants while <strong>Maharashtra has the highest share of in-migrants.</strong></li>
<li>The number of inter-state migrants grew at 55% between the 1991 and 2001 Census.</li>
<li>This came down to just 33% between the 2001 and 2011 Census.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons behind Migration</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The reasons vary by gender,</strong> two-thirds of women migrated from their last place of residence because of marriage. The gender-gap in migration for economic purposes (work, business and education) increases with the distance of migration.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For every woman who migrated for work, business or education, the number of men who migrated within district, across districts but within states and across states was 3.2, 4.3 and 7.4 respectively.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Among men, <strong>work and business</strong> account for one-third of total migrations, which is also the single largest reason for migration among men.</li>
<li>While migration for <strong>marriage</strong> among women is skewed towards closer distances, men do not seem to factor in distance while migrating for work.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/migration-from-up-bihar-disproportionately-high/story-K3WAio8TrrvBhd22VbAPLN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: Hindustan Times</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/2011-census-data-on-migration'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Bharatmala Project',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A total of 225 road projects with an aggregate length of 9,613 km have been appraised and approved till March, 2019 under Bharatmala Pariyojana.</p>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Optimizing efficiency of the movement of goods and people across the country.</li>
<li>Generating large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the construction &amp; infrastructure sector and also as part of the enhanced economic activity resulting from better road connectivity across the country.</li>
<li>Connecting 550 Districts in the country through NH linkages.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Highlights of Bharatmala Pariyojana</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It calls for <strong>improvement in efficiency of existing corridors</strong> through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke points.</li>
<li>It enhances focus on <strong>improving connectivity in North East</strong> and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>North East Economic corridor enhancing connectivity to state capitals and key towns.</li>
<li>Multimodal freight movement via 7 Waterway terminals on River Brahmaputra &ndash; Dhubri, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, Dibrugarh, Sengajan, Oriyamgh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It emphasis on the <strong>use of technology &amp; scientific planning</strong> for project preparation and asset monitoring.</li>
<li>It calls for seamless connectivity with <strong>neighboring countries:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>24 Integrated check posts (ICPs) identified</li>
<li>Transit through Bangladesh to improve North East connectivity</li>
<li>Integrating Bangladesh &ndash; Bhutan &ndash; Nepal and Myanmar &ndash; Thailand corridors which will make NorthEast hub of East Asia</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Satellite mapping of corridors to identify upgradation requirements</li>
</ul>
<h3>Components of Bharatmala Project</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/724image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/724image1.jpg" width="633" height="380" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharatmala-project'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Reservation in India',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The age-old caste system</strong> of India is responsible for the origination of the reservation system in the country.</li>
<li>In simple terms, it is about <strong>facilitating access</strong> to seats in the government jobs, educational institutions, and even legislatures to certain sections of the population.</li>
<li>These sections have faced <strong>historical injustice</strong> due to their caste identity.</li>
<li>As a <strong>quota based affirmative action,</strong> the reservation can also be seen as positive discrimination.</li>
<li>In India, it is governed by government policies backed by the Indian Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Historical Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>William Hunter and Jyotirao Phule</strong> in 1882 originally conceived the idea of caste-based reservation system.</li>
<li>The reservation system that exists today, in its true sense, was introduced in 1933 when British Prime-Minister Ramsay Macdonald presented the <strong>&lsquo;Communal Award&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The award made provision for <strong>separate electorates</strong> for Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and the Dalits.</li>
<li>After long negotiations, Gandhi and Ambedkar signed the <strong>&lsquo;Poona Pact&rsquo;,</strong> where it was decided that there would be a single Hindu electorate with certain reservations in it.</li>
<li>After independence, initially reservations were provided only for SCs and STs.</li>
<li>OBCs were included in the ambit of reservation in 1991 on the recommendations of the <strong>Mandal Commission.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Mandal Commission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In exercise of the powers conferred by <strong>Article 340</strong> of the Constitution, the President appointed a backward class commission in December 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal.</li>
<li>The commission was formed to determine the criteria for <strong>defining India&rsquo;s &ldquo;socially and educationally backward classes&rdquo;</strong> and to recommend steps to be taken for the advancement of those classes.</li>
<li>The Mandal Commission concluded that India&rsquo;s population consisted of approximately 52 percent OBCs, therefore <strong>27% government jobs should be reserved</strong> for them.</li>
<li>The commission has developed<strong> eleven indicators</strong> of social, educational, and economic backwardness.</li>
<li>Apart from identifying backward classes among Hindus, the Commission has also identified <strong>backward classes among non-Hindus</strong> (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists.</li>
<li>It has generated an all-India other backward classes (OBC) list of 3,743 castes and a more underprivileged &ldquo;depressed backward classes&rdquo; list of 2,108 castes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the <strong>Indra Sawhney Case of 1992,</strong> the Supreme Court while upholding the 27 percent quota for backward classes,struck down the government notification reserving 10% government jobs for economically backward classes among the higher castes.</li>
<li>Supreme Court in the same case also upheld the principle that the combined reservation beneficiaries should <strong>not exceed 50 percent</strong> of India&rsquo;s population.</li>
<li>The <strong>concept of &lsquo;creamy layer&rsquo;</strong> also gained currency through this judgment and provision that reservation for backward classes should be confined to initial appointments only and not extend to promotions.</li>
<li>Recently, the Constitutional <strong>(103<sup>rd</sup> Amendment)</strong> Act of 2019 has provided 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the &ldquo;economically backward&rdquo; in the unreserved category.</li>
<li>The Act <strong>amends Articles 15 and 16</strong> of the Constitution by adding clauses empowering the government to provide reservation on the basis of economic backwardness.</li>
<li>This 10% economic reservation is over and above the 50% reservation cap.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Part XVI</strong> deals with reservation of SC and ST in Central and State legislatures.</li>
<li><strong>Article 15(4) and 16(4)</strong> of the Constitution enabled the State and Central Governments to reserve seats in government services for the members of the SC and ST.</li>
<li>The Constitution was amended by the <strong>Constitution (77<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act,</strong> 1995 and a new <strong>clause (4A)</strong> was inserted in <strong>Article 16</strong> to enable the government to provide reservation in promotion.</li>
<li>Later, <strong>clause (4A)</strong> was modified by the Constitution (85<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act, 2001 to provide consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by giving reservation.</li>
<li>Constitutional 81<sup>st</sup> Amendment Act, 2000 inserted <strong>Article 16 (4 B)</strong> which enables the state to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for SCs/STs in the succeeding year, thereby <strong>nullifying the ceiling of fifty percent reservation</strong> on total number of vacancies of that year.</li>
<li><strong>Article 330 and 332</strong> provides for specific representation through reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies respectively.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243D</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Panchayat.</li>
<li><strong>Article 233T</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Municipality.</li>
<li><strong>Article 335</strong> of the constitution says that the claims of STs and STs shall be taken into consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the administration.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Judicial Scrutiny of Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>State of Madras v. Smt.Champakam Dorairajan (1951) case</strong> was the first major verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue of Reservation.The case led to the First amendment in the constitution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court in the case pointed out that while in the case of employment under the State, <strong>Article 16(4)</strong> provides for reservations in favour of backward class of citizens, no such provision was made in Article 15.</li>
<li>Pursuant to the Supreme Court&rsquo;s order in the case the Parliament amended Article 15 by inserting Clause (4).</li>
<li>In <strong>Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) case</strong> the court examined the scope and extent of Article 16(4).</li>
<li>The Court has said that the <strong>creamy layer</strong> of OBCs should be excluded from the list of beneficiaries of reservation, there should not be reservation in promotions; and total reserved quota <strong>should not exceed 50%.</strong></li>
<li>The Parliament responded by enacting <strong>77<sup>th</sup> Constitutional Amendment Act</strong> which introduced Article 16(4A).</li>
<li>The article confers power on the state to reserve seats in favour of SC and ST in promotions in Public Services if the communities are not adequately represented in public employment.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court in <strong>M. Nagaraj v. Union Of India 2006</strong> case while upholding the constitutional validity of Art 16(4A) held that any such reservation policy in order to be constitutionally valid shall satisfy the following three constitutional requirements:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The SC and ST community should be <strong>socially and educationally backward.</strong></li>
<li>The SC and ST communities are <strong>not adequately represented in Public employment.</strong></li>
<li>Such reservation policy <strong>shall not affect the overall efficiency</strong> in the administration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta case of 2018,</strong> Supreme Court holds that reservation in promotions does not require the state to collect quantifiable data on the backwardness of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.</li>
<li>The Court held that creamy layer exclusion extends to SC/STs and, hence the State cannot grant reservations in promotion to SC/ST individuals who belong to the creamy layer of their community.</li>
<li>In May 2019 the Supreme Court upheld the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-upholds-karnataka-law-granting-reservation-in-promotion-for-sc-st" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Karnataka law</strong></a> that allows reservations in promotions for SCs and STs with consequential seniority.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Why reservation needed?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To correct the <strong>historical injustice</strong> faced by backward castes in the country.</li>
<li>To provide a <strong>level playing field</strong> for backward section as they can not compete with those who have had the access of resources and means for centuries.</li>
<li>To ensure <strong>adequate representation</strong> of backward classes in the services under the State.</li>
<li>For <strong>advancement</strong> of backward classes.</li>
<li>To <strong>ensure equality</strong> as basis of meritocracy i.e all people must be brought to the same level before judging them on the basis of merit.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Argument Against Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation in state services led to <strong>divisions and enmity</strong> among government employees, vitiating the atmosphere at workplace.</li>
<li>Eradication, not perpetuation of caste was the objective of the reservation policy but Caste Based Reservation only <strong>perpetuate the notion of caste in society.</strong></li>
<li>Reservation was introduced to ensure that the historically underprivileged communities were given equal access to resources but irrespective of the economic progress they <strong>continue to remain socially disadvantaged.</strong></li>
<li>Reservation destroys self-respect, so much so that competition is no longer on to determine the best but the most backward.</li>
<li>Reservations are the <strong>biggest enemy of meritocracy</strong> which is the foundation of many progressive countries.</li>
<li>It has became <strong>a tool to meet narrow political ends</strong> through invoking class loyalties and primordial identities.</li>
<li>The <strong>dominant and elite class</strong> within the backward castes has appropriated the benefits of reservation and the most marginalised within the backward castes have remained marginalised.</li>
<li>Reservation has become the <strong>mechanism of exclusion rather than inclusion</strong> as many upper caste poors are also facing discrimination and injustice which breeds frustration in the society.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons Behind Increasing Demands of Reservation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation is increasingly seen as a <strong>remedy for the adverse effects</strong> of ill-thought out development policies.</li>
<li>In developed states like Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra, in spite of their economies being relatively better, three things have been worrying the people:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Acute agrarian distress,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Stagnation in employment growth </strong>and</li>
<li><strong>Distortions in the development trajectory.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In this backdrop, for governments, it is easier to talk of reservation than to make a <strong>course correction.</strong></li>
<li>Increasing reservation demands among upper castes also arising from the<strong> fear of losing privilege</strong> and the inability to cope with change</li>
<li>Upper castes have begun to feel disadvantaged especially in context of <strong>government jobs</strong> as they don&rsquo;t get similar advantages like backward classes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The reservation benefits should flow to the vast majority of underprivileged children from deprived castes; not to a few privileged children with a caste tag.</li>
<li>High ranks officials families, high income professionals and others above a certain income should not get the reservation benefits especially in government jobs.</li>
<li><strong>Fair and practical ways</strong> to help needy person from each community through reservation is possible and necessary.</li>
<li>The process of reservation should <strong>filter the truly economically deprived</strong> individuals and bring them all to justice</li>
<li>Revolutionary changes in the <strong>education system</strong> at the grass-roots level is need of the hour.</li>
<li>There is also need for <strong>awareness generation</strong> because while the unreserved segments, keep on opposing the provision, the neediest sections from within the reserved segments are hardly aware about how to get benefited from the provision or even whether there are such provisions exists.</li>
<li>The <strong>radical solutions</strong> like excluding the entire creamy layer among all castes from reservation and developing their capabilities instead of offering them reservation for admission to higher education or jobs on a platter.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation is fair, as far as it provides <strong>appropriate positive discrimination</strong> for the benefit of the downtrodden and economically backward Sections of the society.</li>
<li>But when it tends to harm the society and ensures privileges to some at the cost of others for <strong>narrow political ends,</strong> it should be done away with, as soon as possible.</li>
<li>The communities excluded from reservations harbour <strong>animosity and prejudice</strong> against the castes included in the reservation category.</li>
<li>When more people aspire for backwardness rather than of forwardness, <strong>the country itself stagnates.</strong></li>
<li>Meritocracy should not be polluted by injecting relaxation of entry barriers, rather than it should be encouraged by offering <strong>financial aid to the underprivileged.</strong></li>
<li>A<strong> strong political will</strong> is indispensable to find an equilibrium between justice to the backwards, equity for the forwards and efficiency for the entire system.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Chandrayaan 2 and Outer Space Treaty',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/chandrayaan-2-launch-moon-landing-india-space-mission-isro-5842860/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Raja Mandala: The moon and the law&rdquo;</strong></a> that appeared in The Indian Express on 23<sup>rd</sup> July 2019. It talks about the need for comprehensive space law, in the context of the new space-age gold rush.</p>
</div>
<p>Though the US was the first country to land humans on the moon (Apollo missions), India's Chandrayaan-1 was the first spacecraft that unveiled the evidence of water in the moon's craters in 2008. After the success of Chandrayaan 1 mission, Chandrayaan 2 has been one of the most anticipated missions of ISRO.</p>
<p>With the success of Chandrayaan 2, India will become the fourth country to soft-land a vehicle on the moon (after the US, Russia and China). For India it is more than symbolism, as the mission envisages a larger aim, however, it poses a bigger question of space sovereignty.</p>
<h3>Chandrayaan 2 mission</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/394MuxRBAH6GMUUuUqS8nC3XS-1200-80.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/394MuxRBAH6GMUUuUqS8nC3XS-1200-80.webp" width="522" height="479" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ISRO had planned the Chandrayaan 2 for 2014. The mission was supposed to be a joint mission along with Russia in which Russia was to provide the lander and rover system, but Russia failed to deliver.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This resulted in a delay in the programme but Russia&rsquo;s non-participation made ISRO design and develop the entire lander-rover system indigenously.</li>
<li>This would make ISRO more self-sufficient in the long run.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>ISRO would be undertaking five to six orbit raising manoeuvres, known as earth orbit burns, to take the Chandrayaan 2 close to the moon.</li>
<li>Subsequently, the lunar orbit burns will be done to establish the orbiter 100 km above the moon surface.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/278Image5.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/278Image5.webp" width="385" height="558" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>This would be followed by the soft landing of the lander.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This landing is going to be the most critical part of this mission, (ISRO is calling &ldquo;15 minutes of terror&rdquo;) as the velocity of the lander has to be reduced to zero.</li>
<li>A soft landing is not an easy task as Israel&rsquo;s attempt for a soft landing on the moon had resulted in failure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The lander-rover system on the moon would function only for one moon day (equivalent to 14 Earth days) and during this period the rover could travel a maximum distance of 500 metres on the moon&rsquo;s surface.</li>
<li>Through Chandrayaan 2, India will be the first country to do soft landing on the moon's south pole.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The lunar south pole is chosen because <strong>it has places where the sun never sets.</strong></li>
<li>These places are called <strong>&ldquo;Peaks of Eternal Light&rdquo;</strong> (points on any celestial body that receive sunlight through the year)</li>
<li>Near permanent sunlight facilitates the <strong>establishment of lunar stations</strong> with an assured supply of solar energy.</li>
<li>Some of these peaks are fortunately located next to areas that are in permanent darkness and hold significant reserves of lunar ice.</li>
<li>Having easy access to water is obviously critical to a sustainable human presence on the moon.</li>
<li>Water can also be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen, which in turn can be turned into rocket fuel.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>With moon&rsquo;s low gravity, space vehicles need a lot less fuel than on earth for take-off. That could make the moon a convenient way-station from which human explorers could travel to other celestial bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are the issues in Lunar exploration now?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After the discovery of water on the moon and &ldquo;Peaks of Eternal Light, the moon rush on the earth aimed at the lunar south pole, has become a new phenomenon. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China&rsquo;s Chang&rsquo;e 4 soft-landed in the Von Karman crater on the dark side of the south polar region.</li>
<li>The US lunar programme, revived by the Trump Administration, now aims to put man back on the moon in the next decade.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>NASA&rsquo;s focus is on the south pole and if it succeeds, it will be the first manned crew to arrive at the south pole.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Jeff Bezos (owner of Amazon) unveiled the Blue Moon project that seeks to land men and women on the moon in the next few years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This <strong>quest for space mining will trigger a new era of conflict and cooperation</strong> and lead to a new space race. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the commercial space industry is estimated to be $1.5 trillion industry by 2040.</li>
<li>The international law of outer space is now defined by the <strong>1967 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-rightful-place-in-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Outer Space Treaty</a> (OST).</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OST affirms that outer space and celestial bodies like the moon cannot be the sole property of any nation. The claims of sovereignty, occupation etc. are not applicable in case of outer space.</li>
<li>It calls the exploration and use of outer space, the province of all mankind.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>However, there is a contradictory provision in outer space treaty.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The OST wants states to show &ldquo;due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty&rdquo;.</li>
<li>If the principle of respecting &ldquo;corresponding interests&rdquo; means &ldquo;non-interference&rdquo; in the pre-existing lunar activity of another state, this could end up with up <strong>de-facto ownership for those who first established infrastructure on the moon.</strong></li>
<li>Further, the Outer Space Treaty has <strong>no provision for effective dispute resolution.</strong></li>
<li>Also, OST <strong>does not specify who owns the resources of the moon.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In a law approved in 2015, the US has authorised its citizens to own, transport and sell resources exploited on the moon.</li>
<li>Luxembourg has passed a similar law to attract companies interested in space mining.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The 20<sup>th</sup> century Cold War space race was between the US and the Soviet Union. However, the 21<sup>st</sup>-century competition is projecting geopolitical, economic and commercial interests well beyond the limits of our atmosphere as the world enters into a new space-age gold rush.</p>
<p>In this context, India needs to match the extraordinary success of its scientists with the sustained diplomatic effort at the highest level to take up international space cooperation as a strategic priority and to develop a stronger political voice for India in shaping new rules for the moon and outer space.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" height="68">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-color: #1100ff;">
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #f1f5d5; border-style: dotted;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti input</strong></em></span><br />India needs to match the extraordinary success of its space program with the sustained diplomatic effort at the highest level to take up international space cooperation as a strategic priority. Comment?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/chandrayaan-2-and-outer-space-treaty'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Kakinada Hope Island',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The project named <strong>&ldquo;Development of Kakinada Hope Island, Konaseema (Andhra Pradesh) as World Class Coastal &amp; Eco Tourism Circuit&rdquo;</strong> which was sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been completed.</p>
<h3>About Hope Island</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is tadpole shaped island formed 200 years ago by sand formation in the East Godavari district.</li>
<li>It is situated 10 km from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coringa-mangroves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary</strong></a> and Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Swadesh Darshan Scheme&nbsp;</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Tourism (MoT)</strong> launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-september-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swadesh Darshan Scheme</strong></a> as a <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-to-hike-monthly-pensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Sector Scheme</a> in 2014-15</strong> with the objective of improving connectivity and infrastructure of tourism destinations to enrich overall tourist experience, enhance livelihood and employment opportunities and to attract domestic as well as foreign tourists to the destinations.</li>
<li>The projects for development are identified in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations.</li>
<li><strong>Theme based circuits</strong> include Buddhist, Coastal, Desert, Eco, Heritage,Himalayan, Krishna, North-eastern, Ramayan, Rural, Spiritual, Sufi. Tirthankar, Tribal and Wildlife circuits</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=192073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: PIB</a></strong></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kakinada-hope-island'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)',
		'catname' => 'International Institutions',
		'desc' => '<p>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established under <strong>the National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958</strong></li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Washington, DC, USA</li>
</ul>
<h3>History</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Following World War II, the United States was in direct competition with the erstwhile Soviet Union (the superpower that was disbanded into several sovereign nations including the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, etc. in 1991). That period was called &ldquo;Cold War&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It was the Soviet Union&rsquo;s <strong>launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, </strong>that<strong> first put an object into orbit around Earth.</strong></li>
<li>It was followed in November by the even larger Sputnik II, which carried the <strong>dog Laika.</strong></li>
<li>Only in late January 1958, the United States could launch <strong>Explorer 1,</strong> hoisted aloft by the Army&rsquo;s rocket team, using rocket technology developed from World War II. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though a small spacecraft weighing only 30 pounds, it discovered what are now known as the<strong> Van Allen radiation belts,</strong> named for the University of Iowa scientist Dr. James Van Allen,<strong> launching the new discipline of space science.</strong></li>
<li>Explorer 1 was followed in March, 1958 by the Navy&rsquo;s <strong>Vanguard</strong> 1, 6 inches in diameter and weighing only 3 pounds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>NASA&rsquo;s birth was directly related to the launch of the Sputniks and the ensuing race <strong>to demonstrate technological superiority in space.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Driven by the competition of the Cold War,</strong> on <strong>July 29, 1958,</strong> President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the <strong>National Aeronautics and Space Act</strong>, providing for research into the problems of flight within Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere and in space.</li>
<li>After a protracted debate over <strong>military versus civilian control of space,</strong> the act inaugurated a new <strong>civilian agency designated</strong> the National Aeronautics and Space Administration <strong>(NASA).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives of NASA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To expand human knowledge of space</li>
<li>To lead the world in space-related technological innovation</li>
<li>To develop vehicles that can carry both equipment and living organisms into space</li>
<li>To coordinate with international space agencies to achieve the greatest possible scientific advancements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>NASA Missions</h3>
<p>Over the last 60 years, the NASA has achieved every one of the aforesaid goals through various missions some of which are given below, and it continues to seek answers to some of the biggest mysteries in science as it evolves with a changing world.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 3143px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #0a65f7;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Mission</strong></span></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #0a65f7;"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Detail</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Launched: 1997</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Observes particles of solar, interplanetary, interstellar, and galactic origins, spanning the energy range from solar wind ions to galactic cosmic ray nuclei.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere</strong></p>
<p><strong>satellite (AIM) Launched: 2007</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Strange Clouds-</strong> Astronauts on board the International Space Station have been observing electric blue "noctilucent" clouds from Earth-orbit.</li>
<li>Noctilucent or "night-shining" clouds (NLCs) are also known as Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC).</li>
<li>The AIM satellite will orbit Earth at an altitude of 550 km.</li>
<li>AIM will take wide angle photos of NLCs, measure their temperatures and chemical abundances, monitor dusty aerosols, and count meteoroids raining down on Earth.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 56px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 56px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The Apollo Missions Launched: 1968</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 56px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It resulted in American astronauts making a total of 11 space flights and walking on the moon.</li>
<li>The first Apollo flight happened in 1968. The first moon landing took place in 1969. The last moon landing was in 1972.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 61px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 61px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Apollo-Soyuz: An Orbital Partnership Begins Launched: 1975</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 61px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the <strong>first spaceflight to include two participating nations working together</strong> with their own national spacecraft.</li>
<li>The Americans sent up an Apollo command module, while the Russians launched a Soyuz spacecraft.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 54px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aqua Launched: 2002</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 54px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Aqua is an Earth Science satellite mission that collects information on our water systems.</li>
<li>The satellite has six different Earth-observing instruments on board and streams approximately 89 gigabytes of data per day.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 145px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aquarius Mission Operation: 2011 to 2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius /Sat&eacute;lite de Aplicaciones Cient&iacute;ficas (SAC)-D mission was launched June 10, 2011, and ended on June 8, 2015, when an essential part of the power and attitude control system for the spacecraft stopped operating.</li>
<li>Aquarius/SAC-D <strong>mapped the salinity (the concentration of dissolved salt) at the ocean surface,</strong> information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: <strong>the water cycle and ocean circulation.</strong></li>
<li>By measuring ocean salinity from space, Aquarius provided new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 111px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 111px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) Operated: March 2, 2008 to April 20, 2008</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 111px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Arctic is undergoing significant environmental changes related to global climate change.</li>
<li>NASA is extensively <strong>studying the role of air pollution in this climate-sensitive</strong> region as part of the ARCTAS field campaign, the <strong>largest airborne experiment</strong> ever to do so.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 120px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 120px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Artemis Lunar Program Launched: May 2019</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 120px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Artemis program, unveiled by NASA, aims to put astronauts on the lunar surface in 2024 &mdash; and give us <strong>the first female moonwalker.</strong></li>
<li>The initiative comes as the nation prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, which made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin the first people to set foot on another world.</li>
<li>The Greek god who became the namesake of NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and &rsquo;70s had a twin sister named <strong>Artemis,</strong> will lead humans back to the moon.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 122px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 122px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) Launched: 2014</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 122px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Despite its low concentration, <strong>stratospheric water vapor</strong> has large impacts on the earth&rsquo;s energy budget and climate.</li>
<li>Recent studies suggest that even small changes in stratospheric humidity may have climate impacts that are significant compared to those of decadal increases in greenhouse gases.</li>
<li>The ATTREX will perform a series of measurement campaigns using the long-range NASA Global Hawk (GH) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to directly address these problems.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 60px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 60px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Aura - Understanding and Protecting the Air We Breathe Launched: 2004</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 60px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Aura (Latin for breeze) is a program dedicated to monitoring the complex interactions that affect the globe using NASA satellites and data systems.</li>
<li>Aura's measurements will enable to <strong>investigate questions about ozone trends, air quality changes and their linkage to climate change.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses- 2013 and 2014)</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a balloon-based Mission that <strong>seeks to measure the precipitation of relativistic electrons from the radiation belts</strong> during two multi-balloon campaigns, operated in the southern hemisphere (option for third northern hemisphere campaign).</li>
<li>The BARREL consists of two Antarctic balloon campaigns conducted in Austral summers of 2013 and 2014.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 72px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CALIPSO (The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation): 2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CALIPSO satellite provides <strong>new insight into the role that clouds and atmospheric aerosols (airborne particles) play in regulating Earth's weather, climate, and air quality.</strong></li>
<li>It was launched on April 28, 2006 with the cloud profiling radar system on the CloudSat satellite.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 145px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cassini-Huygens Operation: 1997 to 2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 145px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Cassini mission to Saturn</strong> is one of the most ambitious efforts in planetary space exploration ever mounted.</li>
<li>A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Cassini is a sophisticated robotic spacecraft orbiting the ringed planet and studying the Saturnian system in detail.</li>
<li>Cassini also carried a probe called <strong>Huygens, which parachuted to the surface of Saturn&rsquo;s largest moon, Titan,</strong> in January 2005 and returned spectacular results.</li>
<li>It entered Saturn's atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017 and lost communication with NASA.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 143px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Chandra X-Ray Observatory Launched: By Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999.</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA's ﬂeet of "Great Observatories" along with the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and the now deorbited Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.</li>
<li>Chandra allows scientists from around the world to obtain X-ray images of exotic environments to <strong>help understand the structure and evolution of the universe.</strong></li>
<li>It was named in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Known to the world as Chandra (which means "moon" or "luminous" in Sanskrit), he was widely regarded as one of the foremost astrophysicists of the twentieth century.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 126px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 126px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CINDI: Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamic Investigation Operation: The C/NOFS satellite, which carried NASA's CINDI investigation was launched in 2008 and ended in 2015</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 126px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CINDI <strong>studied the elements that influence space weather near Earth&rsquo;s equator.</strong></li>
<li>The CINDI investigation is a key component of the science objectives of the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) undertaken by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space and Missile Command Test and Evaluation Directorate.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 74px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Clementine Operation: January 25, 1994 to 21 July 1994</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 74px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Clementine was a joint project between the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and NASA.</li>
<li>It was designed to test sensors and spacecraft components under extended exposure to the space environment and to make scientific observations of the Moon and the near-Earth <strong>asteroid 1620 Geographos.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) Operation: 2015 to 2017</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CATS, is a lidar remote-sensing instrument that <strong>measured atmospheric aerosols and clouds</strong> from the International Space Station (ISS).</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CloudSat: 2006</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CloudSat is an experimental satellite that <strong>uses radar to observe clouds and precipitation from space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cluster ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA Mission: 1996</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cluster is currently <strong>investigating the Earth's magnetic environment and its interaction with the solar wind</strong> in three dimensions.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 51px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Commercial Crew</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 51px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NASA's Commercial Crew Program is a <strong>partnership to develop and fly human space transportation systems.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 72px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The CGRO Mission (1991 - 2000)</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 72px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) was a sophisticated satellite <strong>observatory dedicated to observing the high-energy Universe.</strong></li>
<li>Compton, at 17 tons, was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at the time of its launch on April 5, 1991 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.</li>
<li>Compton was safely deorbited and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on June 4, 2000.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 83px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>COBE</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1989 to 1993</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The purpose of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission was to take <strong>precise measurements of the diffuse radiation between 1 micrometer and 1 cm over the whole celestial sphere.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2003</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CHIPS is a NASA astrophysics spacecraft that <strong>targets the hot and diffuse nebulae</strong> at about a million degrees temperature.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 81px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 81px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>CubeSats</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 81px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called <strong>nanosatellites.</strong></li>
<li>CubeSats are built to standard dimensions (Units or &ldquo;U&rdquo;) of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.</li>
<li>They can be 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size, and typically weigh less than 1.33 kg (3 lbs) per U.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Curiosity: 2011</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A rover named Curiosity is part of NASA's <strong>Mars Exploration Program,</strong> a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.</li>
<li>Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability."</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 83px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2016</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 83px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CYGNSS mission will <strong>use eight micro-satellites to measure wind speeds over Earth's oceans, increasing the ability of scientists to understand and predict hurricanes.</strong></li>
<li>Each satellite will take information based on the signals from four GPS satellites.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2021</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 67px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The DART is a <strong>planetary defense-driven test</strong> of technologies for preventing an impact of Earth by a hazardous asteroid.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 124px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 124px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>The Dawn</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 2007 to 2018</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 124px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Dawn was a mission <strong>to the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt &ndash; Vesta and Ceres.</strong></li>
<li>Vesta is rocky, while dwarf planet Ceres is icy.</li>
<li>Each followed a very different evolutionary path, constrained by the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of the solar system.</li>
<li>When Dawn visited Ceres and Vesta, the spacecraft brought us back in solar system time.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 79px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS)</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1984 to 2005</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 79px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ERBS was designed to <strong>investigate how energy from the Sun is absorbed and re-radiated by the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>Understanding this process helps reveal patterns in Earth's weather.<br />It was launched on the Space Shuttle Challenger.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 143px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS)</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2018</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 143px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ECOSTRESS <strong>measures the temperature of plants</strong> and use that information to better understand how much water plants need and how they respond to stress.</li>
<li>It uses a multispectral thermal infrared radiometer to measure the surface temperature.</li>
<li>The radiometer was deployed on the International Space Station in 2018.<br />The radiometer will acquire the most detailed temperature images of the surface ever acquired from space and will be able to measure the temperature of an individual farmers field.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 68px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 68px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>FAST (the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer)</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1996 to 2009</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 68px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The FAST <strong>investigated the behavior of ionized gas, called plasma, and particles during auroras.</strong></li>
<li>As the FAST flew over the poles&mdash;the most common regions where auroras form&mdash;it took quick, high-resolution bursts of data on particles, electric and magnetic fields, and plasma.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 70px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 70px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Galileo</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 1989 to 2003</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 70px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Galileo spacecraft <strong>orbited Jupiter</strong> for almost eight years, and made close passes by all its major moons.</li>
<li>Its camera and nine other instruments sent back reports that allowed scientists to determine, among other things, that <strong>Jupiter&rsquo;s icy moon Europa</strong> probably has a subsurface ocean with more water than the total amount found on Earth.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 116px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 116px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Hubble Space Telescope</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 1990</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 116px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NASA named the <strong>world's first space-based optical telescope</strong> after American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dr. Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe, which provided the foundation for the big-bang theory.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Hubble is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe.</li>
<li>Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 99px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 99px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>IceBridge Mission</strong><br /><strong>Launched: 2009</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 99px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IceBridge is the <strong>largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice</strong> ever flown.</li>
<li>It yields an unprecedented three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice.</li>
<li>Data collected during IceBridge will help scientists bridge the gap in polar observations between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) - launched in 2003 and de-orbited in 2010 and ICESat-2, launched in 2018.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>International Space Station (IIS)</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ISS is a <strong>multi-nation construction project</strong> that is the largest single structure humans ever put into space.</li>
<li>Its main construction was completed between 1998 and 2011, although the station continually evolves to include new missions and experiments.</li>
<li>The NASA , Roscosmos (Russia) and the European Space Agency are the major partners of the space station.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 78px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 78px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>The James Webb Space Telescope</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2021</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 78px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) will be a<strong> large infrared telescope</strong> with a 6.5-meter primary mirror.</li>
<li>The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021.</li>
<li><strong>It will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe</strong> and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 43px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 43px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Mars 2020 Rover</strong><br /><strong>Launching: 2020</strong>
<p></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 43px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rover will<strong> search for signs of habitable conditions on Mars</strong> in the ancient past and for signs of past microbial life itself.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 97px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 97px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;"><strong>Orion spacecraft: Underdevelopment</strong></td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 97px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Orion is a new NASA spacecraft for astronauts.</li>
<li>The spacecraft will play an important part in the journey to Mars.</li>
<li>Orion will serve as the <strong>exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 75px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 75px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) Launching: 2022</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 75px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The PACE is NASA's <strong>Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission,</strong> currently in the design phase of mission development.</li>
<li>It will extend and improve NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 17.9682%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<p><strong>Rosetta</strong><br /><strong>Operation: 2004 to 2016</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 81.956%; height: 19px; vertical-align: top; background-color: #d7e8fa;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rosetta was a spacecraft on a ten-year mission<strong> to catch the comet "67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko" (C-G)</strong> and answer some of our questions about comets.</li>
<li>This was a European Space Agency mission with support and instruments from NASA.</li>
<li>Rosetta was the first spacecraft to soft-land a robot on a comet.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Draft Bill Banning Cryptocurrency',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Inter-Ministerial Committee on Virtual Currency</strong> constituted under the Chairmanship of <strong>Subhash Chandra Garg</strong> has submitted its report along with <strong>Draft Bill &lsquo;Banning of Cryptocurrency &amp; Regulation of Official Digital </strong>Currency<strong> Bill, 2019&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Provisions of the Draft Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-move-to-ban-cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cryptocurrency</strong></a> <strong>cannot be</strong> used as legal tender or currency at any place in India.</li>
<li>The bill prohibits everyone to mine, generate, hold, sell, deal in, issue, transfer, dispose of or use Cryptocurrency in the territory of India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Central Government</strong> is allowed to declare <strong>Digital Rupee</strong> to be legal tender with the consent of the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/utkarsh-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Reserve Bank of India.</strong></a></li>
<li>The <strong>Reserve Bank</strong> is empowered to declare any <strong>official foreign digital currency</strong> to be recognised as foreign currency in India.</li>
<li>The use of <strong>Distributed Ledger Technology</strong> for creating a network for delivery of any financial or other services or for creating value, without involving any use of cryptocurrency is not prohibited.</li>
<li>Direct or indirect use of Cryptocurrency shall be punishable with <strong>fine</strong> or imprisonment of <strong>1 year</strong> which may be extended to <strong>10 years or both.</strong></li>
<li>The maximum amount of fine that may be imposed upon a person for an offence shall be as follows: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>the higher of,&ndash;</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>three times the</strong> loss or harm caused by the person; or</li>
<li><strong>three times the</strong> gains made by the person.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Court is empowered to transfer any fees recovered, to the Consolidated Fund of India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Central Government</strong> on the recommendation of investigating agency without being bound to it, is empowered to grant immunity for any offence under the act.</li>
<li>The bill also provides that <strong>no such immunity</strong> can be granted by the Central Government in cases where the <strong>proceedings for the prosecution</strong> for any such offence have been instituted before the date of receipt of application for grant of such immunity.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/441image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/441image1.jpg" width="595" height="959" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Digital Rupee</strong> means a form of currency<strong> issued</strong> digitally by the <strong>Reserve Bank</strong> and <strong>approved</strong> by the <strong>Central Government</strong> to be legal tender.</li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-move-to-ban-cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Blockchain</strong></a> is one type of a <strong>distributed ledger.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.livemint.com/industry/banking/government-panel-suggests-ban-on-private-cryptocurrencies-1563796292369.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source: Livemint</a></strong></p>',
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		'articles.display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_comments' => 'integer',
		'display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles__pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles.pdf_name' => 'string',
		'pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles__star_rating' => 'integer',
		'articles.star_rating' => 'integer',
		'star_rating' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_in_states' => 'string',
		'articles.display_in_states' => 'string',
		'display_in_states' => 'string'
	],
	'decorators' => (int) 0,
	'executed' => false,
	'hydrate' => true,
	'buffered' => true,
	'formatters' => (int) 0,
	'mapReducers' => (int) 0,
	'contain' => [],
	'matching' => [],
	'extraOptions' => [],
	'repository' => object(App\Model\Table\ArticlesTable) {}

}
$page = (int) 234
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 337
$title = 'Search'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Search/index.ctp, line 85
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 623
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 125
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 93

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