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UN Environment Award for India

Nine institutions and individuals from across Asia have been recognized by the United Nations, USAID, Interpol, and the Freeland Foundation for...

23 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Make It The Indian Way

(The editorial is based on the article “Make It The Indian Way” which appears in The Hindu for 21st November 2018. It analyses the...

23 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Kartarpur Corridor

The Union cabinet has approved the construction of a ‘corridor’ linking India with the historic Kartarpur gurdwara on the banks of the...

23 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (22nd November 2018)

Ortolan Bunting in India In a rare sighting, ‘Ortolan Bunting’ bird has been photographed in Mangalore. It is said to be the first...

22 Nov 2018 News Analysis
The Big Picture: ISRO-New Frontiers

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on building smaller launch vehicles that can carry satellites weighing 500 to 700 kg to up...

22 Nov 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
World’s First Online Climate Summit

World leaders are set to participate in an innovative climate change summit that will take place entirely online which makes it a carbon neutral...

22 Nov 2018 News Analysis
US Citizen killed by Tribals in Andaman

An American national who tried to contact protected Sentinelese tribes in Andamans north sentinel island was allegedly killed by them. In August...

22 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing

(The editorial is based on the article “Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing” which appears in BusinessLine. It analyses the issues...

22 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Breathe: An Action Plan for Combating Air Pollution

Introduction NITI Aayog has developed 15 Action Points to combat air pollution across a range of industries and sectors. It calls for concerted...

21 Nov 2018 Summary of Important Reports
Water ATMs

Why in News? According to a report by Safe Water Network (SWN), the government should invest in Water ATMs to provide safe drinking water to...

21 Nov 2018 Paper 3
Water ATMs

21 Nov 2018 Paper 3
IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an amendment that supports a reduced limit on sulphur in ships' fuel oil. The IMO adopted...

21 Nov 2018 News Analysis
GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope

India’s first robotic telescope and the first one designed to observe dynamic or transient events in the universe has started observing the...

21 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Impact Of World War I On India

(The editorial is based on the article “Impact of World War I on India” which appeared in Livemint. It analyses the impacts of World...

21 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Invasive Plant Species Introduced by Kerala Floods

Floods and landslides in Kerala have brought several alien invasive species of plants into the State’s water bodies, posing a threat to native...

21 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (20th November 2018)

Horned Frogs Discovered by DU team A team of biologists from Delhi University (DU), University College Dublin (Ireland) and the National Museum...

20 Nov 2018 News Analysis
In Depth: Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)

Being India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), handles all high-profile cases. Its job is to ensure a fair...

20 Nov 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 November. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World...

20 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Global Education Monitoring Report-2019 : UNESCO

Recently, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its Global Education Monitoring Report 2019...

20 Nov 2018 News Analysis
World Malaria Report 2018

Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) has released World Malaria Report, 2018. The report has mentioned that the number of cases of the...

20 Nov 2018 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'UN Environment Award for India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Nine institutions and individuals from across Asia have been recognized by the United Nations, USAID, Interpol, and the Freeland Foundation for outstanding work in preventing transboundary environmental crime in an annual award ceremony in Bangkok.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>United Nation Environment has awarded <strong>Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change</strong> with <strong>Asia Environment Enforcement Awards, 2018 f</strong>or excellent work done by the Bureau in combating <strong>transboundary environmental crime.</strong></li>
<li>The Asia Environment Enforcement Awards publicly recognize and celebrate excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions/teams combating transboundary environmental crime in Asia.</li>
<li>The awards are given to outstanding individuals and/or government organizations/teams that demonstrate excellence and leadership in enforcement of national laws to combat transboundary environmental crime in one of the following eligibility criteria areas: <strong>collaboration; impact; innovation; integrity and gender leadership.</strong></li>
<li><strong>WCCB has been conferred this award in Innovation category.</strong></li>
<li>WCCB has adopted innovative enforcement techniques like an online Wildlife Crime Database Management System to get real time data in order to help analyze trends in crime and devise effective measures to prevent and detect wildlife crimes across India.</li>
<li>This system has been successfully used to analyse trends and for successfully carrying out operations such as:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Operation SAVE KURMA:</strong> species specific operation on turtles</li>
<li><strong>THUNDERBIRD:</strong> it is code-name for INTERPOL&rsquo;s multi-national and multi-species enforcement operation</li>
<li><strong>WILDNET:</strong> to curb illegal trade of wild animals and parts through online platforms</li>
<li><strong>LESKNOW:</strong>&nbsp;to check illegal trade of lesser-known species of animals</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Environmental crimes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environmental crimes, which include<strong> illegal trade in wildlife, illicit trade in forests and forestry products, illegal dumping of waste including chemicals, smuggling of ozone depleting substances and illegal mining,</strong>&nbsp;estimated at up to $258 billion per year.</li>
<li>It is now the fourth largest illegal crime after drug smuggling, counterfeiting and human trafficking.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Make It The Indian Way',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Make It The Indian Way&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu for 21st November 2018. It analyses the opportunities in 3D printing.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>If &lsquo;Make in India&rsquo; is to succeed, it needs to encompass &lsquo;Make it the Indian Way&rsquo;.</strong> Developing countries are fortunate to be in a historic moment when the manufacturing sector is about to go through a transformation run by disruptive technologies &mdash; the country like <strong>India should find a way of making it work in its </strong><g class="gr_ gr_259 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="259" data-gr-id="259">favour</g><strong> rather than against it.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disruptive technologies</strong> are those that significantly alter the way businesses or entire industries operate. Often times, these technologies force companies to alter the way they approach their business or risk losing market share or becoming irrelevant. Recent examples of disruptive technologies include smartphones and e-commerce.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>3D printing is one such new technology</strong> which has many dimensions. But, it has not yet entered our everyday lexicon, and even people who have heard of it view it as a toy technology that geeks play with, creating prototypes of robots using small machines that create <g class="gr_ gr_263 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="263" data-gr-id="263">moulds</g> using materials such as plastic and photosensitive resins.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is 3D printing?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>3D printing is a manufacturing process that creates a three-dimensional object by incrementally adding material until the object is complete (this contrasts with subtractive manufacturing techniques such as carving or milling, in which an object is created by selectively removing parts from a piece of raw material).</li>
<li>The term "3D printing" is increasingly used as a synonym for <strong>Additive Manufacturing.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>How Does It Work?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 3D printing process turns a whole object into thousands of tiny little slices, then makes it from the bottom-up, slice by slice. Those tiny layers stick together to form a solid object.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Additive manufacturing started out as a technology for nerds and geeks trying to build an arm of a robot or a body of a drone in their garages.</li>
<li>Rapid progress in technology over the last five years has diversified the functions and usage of the technology.</li>
<li>Today it is possible to build an entire shoe, including shoelaces, in a university laboratory.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Uses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This technology is used to build helmets, dental implants, medical equipment, parts of jet engines and even entire bodies of cars.</li>
<li>In some industries, nearly all hearing aid manufacturers now use additive manufacturing.</li>
<li>This is also used in improved spare part management for shipbuilding, creating beautiful and durable models for conception and promotion of the construction industry.</li>
<li>Enlargement of molecular structures and mechanical parts for laboratory tooling can also be done through 3D printing.</li>
<li>Examples of tools and machinery can be seen in the food industry like 3D printed sugar.</li>
<li>3D printing has its application in the education sector, Aeronautics, and Space components as well.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for 3D printing</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Traditional manufacturing of mechanical parts involves making a <g class="gr_ gr_269 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="269" data-gr-id="269">mould</g> and then stamping out parts by thousands every day. The equipment to make these parts and <g class="gr_ gr_270 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="270" data-gr-id="270">moulds</g> is expensive, thus the cost of the first hundred units is high. Per unit costs decline only when they are mass produced. Because of limitations of how this technology works, one typically builds many small parts, which are later on assembled on an assembly line using unskilled <g class="gr_ gr_271 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="271" data-gr-id="271">labour</g> or robots to build an entire system.</li>
<li>Traditional manufacturing leads to high inventory costs of multiple parts that need to be produced and stored before being assembled. This makes the design phase complex and costly, rendering it expensive to redesign, to correct initial mistakes or innovate to meet changing consumer needs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Overview</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Industrial 3D printing has begun to transform manufacturing in Western countries.</li>
<li>One recent survey of U.S. manufacturers shows that about 12% have started using additive manufacturing for their products and expectations are that this will result in about 25% of products in the next three-five years.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Opportunities in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It eliminates large capital investments.</strong> Machines are cheaper, inventories can be small and space requirements are not large. Thus, jump-starting manufacturing does not face the massive hurdle of large capital requirement and the traditional small and medium enterprises can easily be adapted and retooled towards high technology manufacturing.</li>
<li><strong>The Indian software industry is well-established, and plans to increase connectivity are well underway as part of &lsquo;Digital India&rsquo;.</strong> This would allow for the creation of manufacturing facilities in small towns and foster industrial development outside of major cities.</li>
<li><strong>It is possible to build products that are better suited for use in harsh environmental conditions.</strong> Products that required assembly of fewer parts also implies that they may be better able to withstand dust and moisture prevalent in our tropical environment and be more durable.</li>
<li><strong>In a country where use-and-throw is an anathema, maintaining old products is far easier</strong> because parts can be manufactured as needed and product life-cycles can be expanded.</li>
<li><strong>Maintaining uniform product quality is far easier</strong> because the entire system is built at the same time and assembly is not required.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Consequences</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It decreases reliance on assembly workers</strong> and bypasses the global supply chain that has allowed countries like China to become prosperous through export of mass-produced items.</li>
<li><strong>This may lead to the creation of software-based design platforms</strong> in the West that distribute work orders to small manufacturing facilities, whether located in developed or developing countries, but ultimately transfer value creation towards software and design and away from physical manufacturing.</li>
<li>This would imply that <g class="gr_ gr_344 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="344" data-gr-id="344">labour-intensive</g><strong> manufacturing exports may be less profitable.</strong></li>
<li>For countries that have already invested in heavy manufacturing,<strong> this shift to adaptive manufacturing will be difficult and expensive.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The &ldquo;Make it the Indian Way&rdquo; approach <strong>needs public-private partnership</strong> and multi-pronged efforts.</li>
<li>There is a <strong>need to accelerate research at our premier engineering schools</strong> on manufacturing machines and methods and encourage the formation of product design centers so that the products built to suit the Indian environment and consumers.</li>
<li><strong>There is a need for government support</strong> to provide incentives for distributed manufacturing in smaller towns, and for the IT industry to work on creating platforms and marketplaces that connect consumer demands, product designers and manufacturers in a seamless way.</li>
</ul>
<p>However, a combination of science and art, with a pinch of Indian entrepreneurship thrown in, will allow to develop a manufacturing ecosystem that will not only allow India to compete with global manufacturing, it will also create products that are uniquely suited to Indian conditions.</p>',
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Kartarpur Corridor',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Union cabinet has approved the construction of a &lsquo;corridor&rsquo; <strong>linking India with the historic Kartarpur gurdwara on the banks of the Ravi river</strong>, in Pakistan.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kartarpur gurudwara is the <strong>revered shrine</strong> across the border where <strong>Guru Nanak Dev</strong>, the founder of Sikhism <strong>spent the last 18 years of his life</strong>.</li>
<li>The corridor will connect the holy shrines of <strong>Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur</strong> district of Punjab in <strong>India</strong> with <strong>Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur</strong> in <strong>Pakistan</strong>.</li>
<li>The length of the corridor is about 4 km (2 km on either side of the international border).</li>
<li>The Pakistan government has also decided to open the corridor.</li>
<li>The corridor will <strong>commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev</strong>.</li>
<li>Pilgrimages between India and Pakistan are governed by the <strong>1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines</strong>, which includes a list of shrines in Pakistan and India open for visitors from the other country, and for which <strong>visas are required</strong>.</li>
<li>The Kartarpur Corridor, which will <strong>provide visa-free access to the shrine</strong> when it becomes ready on both sides, may need a separate treaty.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was <strong>first proposed in 1999</strong> when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore.</li>
<li>The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an <strong>integrated development project with Government of India funding</strong>. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or <strong>550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019</strong>.</li>
<li>It will allow Indian devotees to visit Kartarpur shrine located 2 km inside Pakistan in Narowal district.</li>
<li>Until now, most Indian devotees have had to contend with a darshan using binoculars installed at Dera Baba Nanak Sahib.</li>
<li>India has also asked Pakistan to develop the corridor with suitable facilities in its territory from the International Border to facilitate easier access of Indian pilgrims.</li>
<li>The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a <strong>big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks</strong>, both New Delhi and Islamabad have been able to form a<strong> consensus on the issue</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Additional Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who is the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism.</li>
<li>He advocated the '<strong>Nirguna</strong>' form of bhakti.</li>
<li>He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.</li>
<li>He organised his followers into a <strong>community</strong>. He set up rules for <strong>congregational worship</strong> (<g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="52" data-gr-id="52">sangat</g>) involving <strong>collective recitation</strong>.</li>
<li>He appointed one of his disciples, <strong>Angad</strong>, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years.</li>
<li>The fifth preceptor, <strong>Guru Arjan</strong>, <strong>compiled Baba Guru Nanak&rsquo;s hymns</strong> along with those of his four successors and other religious poets like <strong>Baba Farid</strong>, <strong>Ravidas</strong> (also known as Raidas) and <strong>Kabir</strong> in the <strong>Adi Granth Sahib</strong>.</li>
<li>These hymns, called '<strong>Gurbani</strong>', are composed in many languages.</li>
<li>In the late seventeenth century the tenth preceptor, <strong>Guru Gobind Singh</strong>, included the compositions of the ninth guru,<strong> Guru Tegh Bahadur</strong>, and this scripture was called the <strong>Guru Granth Sahib.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Guru Gobind Singh</strong> also laid the foundation of the <strong>Khalsa Panth (army of the pure)</strong> and defined its five symbols: uncut hair, a dagger, a pair of shorts, a comb and a steel bangle. Under him, the community got consolidated as a <strong>socio-religious and military force.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kartarpur-corridor'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (22nd November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Ortolan Bunting in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a rare sighting, &lsquo;Ortolan Bunting&rsquo; bird has been photographed in Mangalore. It is said to be the <strong>first photographic record</strong> of an <strong>Ortolan bunting in India</strong>.</li>
<li>The Ortolan or Ortolan Buntings (Emberiza hortulana) are <strong>tiny finch-like songbirds</strong> that are part of the bunting family.</li>
<li>The bird <strong>breeds from Mongolia to Europe</strong> and<strong> migrates to Africa via the Middle East</strong>.</li>
<li>The Ortolan Bunting migrates mostly through <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="67" data-gr-id="67">Middle</g> East and while migrating, if an Ortolan loses its way, it may land anywhere.</li>
<li>The International Union for Conservation of Nature&rsquo;s (IUCN) red list of threatened species has placed Ortolan bunting in the &ldquo;<strong>Least Concern</strong>&rdquo; category.</li>
<li>However, it is considered a vulnerable species, especially in <strong>France</strong>, because the bird is trapped to be the centrepiece of a very<strong> popular gourmet dish in French cuisine</strong>.</li>
<li>It is said to be the "<strong>most sadistic dish</strong>" ever as Ortolans used to be netted in great numbers, blinded using a pair of pincers, and kept in small dark boxes.</li>
<li>This <strong>inhumane trapping and slaughter was outlawed in 1999</strong> but is still believed to be practised. In fact, until 2007 up to 50,000 of these birds were said to still have been killed due to lack of enforcement.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Devastation at Point Calimere</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After the <strong>devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja</strong>, Point Calimere resembles a forest in Vietnam that has been laid waste by Agent Orange.</li>
<li><strong>Agent Orange</strong> was a powerful herbicide (Operation Ranch Hand) used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s to eliminate forest cover and crops in Vietnam.</li>
<li>In the <strong>devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja</strong>, thousands of birds that once made the Point Calimere sanctuary their home have died, trees have been uprooted or their branches <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="57" data-gr-id="57">broken</g> or defoliated.</li>
<li>The Point Calimere, the renowned wildlife and bird sanctuary on the seashore in Nagapattinam district (Tamil Nadu), is a <strong>wetland of international importance</strong> as it is one of the 26 designated <strong>Ramsar</strong> sites in India.</li>
<li>The Point Calimere sanctuary consists of shallow waters, shores, long <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="63" data-gr-id="63">sand bars</g>, intertidal flats and intertidal forests,<strong> mangroves, dry evergreen forests</strong>, saline lagoons, as well as human-made salt exploitation sites.</li>
<li><strong>Great flamingo</strong>, <strong>Painted Stork</strong>, Little Stint, Seagull and B<g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="54" data-gr-id="54">rown-</g>headed gull are normally found in the sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Plane Flying With No Moving Parts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ever since the <strong>Wright Brothers</strong> flew the world&rsquo;s first plane more than a century ago, <g class="gr_ gr_62 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="62" data-gr-id="62">aircrafts</g> have typically flown with the help of moving parts such as propellers, turbine blades and fans, and powered by the combustion of fossil fuels or battery packs.</li>
<li>In a revolutionary change, <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</strong> engineers have built and flown a <strong>prototype plane with no moving parts</strong>.</li>
<li>Instead of propellers or turbines, the aircraft is<strong> powered by electrohydrodynamic thrust</strong> or the so-called &ldquo;<strong>ionic wind</strong>&rdquo;, a phenomenon first identified in the 1960s.</li>
<li>When a current passes between two electrodes, it creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage is applied, the resulting &ldquo;ionic wind&rdquo; can produce a thrust without the help of motors or fuel and power a small plane.</li>
<li>Earlier, BAE Systems and the University of Manchester had successfully completed the first phase of flight trials with <strong>MAGMA</strong>, a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which does away with the need for mechanical moving parts used to move flaps to control the aircraft during flight.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Innovation Cell for Higher Education Institutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)</strong>&nbsp;has established an<strong> innovation cell at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)</strong> with an aim to brainstorm new ideas about <strong>promoting innovation in all higher education institutions</strong> across India.</li>
<li>Already, more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have formed Institution&rsquo;s Innovation Councils (IICs) in their campuses to promote innovation through multitudinous modes leading to an innovation promotion eco-system in their campuses.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture: ISRO-New Frontiers',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y39AVy75ok4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on building smaller launch vehicles that can carry satellites weighing 500 to 700 kg to up to 500 kilometers from the earth's</strong> surface. ISRO chief K Sivan said the demand for small satellites is growing and urged the industry to come forward and share ISRO's load as the agency would need 50-60 such vehicles every year. He said the agency is planning to open incubation centers at six places in the country to encourage innovation and startups.</p>
<p><strong>Meanwhile, India and France signed an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO's first human space mission.</strong> French space agency CNES and ISRO signed agreements in the field of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection, and personal hygiene systems. The decision to work together in the field of space was taken during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India in March.</p>
<h3>Role of Industries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian space programme has a massive contribution from the industries. <strong>Up to 50% of the satellites and 70% to 80% of rockets are made by industrial sector of India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>IRNSS 1H and IRNSS 1I both were made by Alpha Design Technologies Private Limited.</strong></li>
<li>ISRO also wants to capture the growing market in launching foreign satellites and therefore it wants to double its launching capacity from present 8 to 20. Hence, to realize such <g class="gr_ gr_174 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="174" data-gr-id="174">phenomenal</g> increase in its capacity it has to share the burden with the private industry.</li>
<li>However, the biggest hurdle is that India doesn't have a proper legislation which can boost the manufacturing industry concerned with space.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>final launch will still remain with ISRO</strong>, as satellite launching is considered as a strategic asset.</li>
<li>Till now it is ISRO which strictly followed the rigid specification that ensured safety, security and overall quality.</li>
<li>If the <g class="gr_ gr_173 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="173" data-gr-id="173">responsibility</g> is given to the private industry for manufacturing, it has to categorically make sure about the specifications. Therefore, another challenge will be about the quality of manufactured goods.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need For Smaller Satellites</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Heavy satellites like the communication satellites that weigh thousands of kilograms have become the mainstay of the space industry, but, nowadays smaller satellites are becoming an attractive option for many countries and business houses.</li>
<li>Smaller satellites are launched for some specific purposes such as monitoring climate change issues, research, and development, etc. And this is where the new startups are featuring in and contributing immensely.</li>
<li>ISRO features in the scenario where there are a lot of foreign companies who want to launch small satellites and minisatellites. Recently ISRO launched 104 satellites which became a record.</li>
<li>However, privately launched satellites in India are still not a reality.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>DRISHTI INPUT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Out of the five United Nations treaties relating to activities in outer space, India has ratified four and signed one.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The "Outer Space Treaty"</li>
<li>The "Rescue Agreement"</li>
<li>The "Liability Convention"</li>
<li>The "Registration Convention"</li>
<li>The "Moon Agreement"</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The only legal regime governing the space industry in India is determined by the Constitution of India, 1950, the Satellite Communications Policy, 2000 and the revised Remote Sensing Data Policy, 2011. There is no separate space law.</li>
<li><a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/854952/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 51</a> and <a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/883495/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 73</a> of the Constitution foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in consonance with the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties, 1968 and strives for the promotion of international peace and security.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Why India needs a robust space law?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India, the only government entity has </strong><g class="gr_ gr_226 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="226" data-gr-id="226">hold</g><strong> over the space sector, i.e., ISRO.</strong> Outsourcing only involves a certain degree of supply and manufacture of components by some commercial industries. Outsourcing would ultimately help reduce ISRO&rsquo;s time spent on satellite and launch vehicle building and let it focus research to enhance India&rsquo;s sorties in outer space.</li>
<li>A detailed and <strong>user-friendly framework would ensure smooth functioning</strong> between ISRO and the private sector and avoid conflict among them and protect the operator and the government when any liability arises in the case of damage.</li>
<li>The advent of <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">commercialisation</g>, calls for revising of domestic laws, such as the laws of contract, transfer of property, most importantly, i<strong>ntellectual property rights, to contemplate space-related issues.</strong></li>
<li>As a signatory to the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, 1972, India is liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space object on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight. However, with no national space law and policy, so, it is tough for India to determine the quantum of damages owed.</li>
<li>I<strong>t&rsquo;s the time for domestic laws to get geared up towards regulating the reuse of launch systems and &lsquo;space junk&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First and foremost, the <strong>private sector should be involved</strong> in research and development.</li>
<li>Launching vehicles and rockets manufacturing can be allocated to private industry.</li>
<li>The governance part of the whole process should be given to ISRO.</li>
<li>Appointment of <strong>efficient officers and proper regulation</strong> would further build the prospect of this industry.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-isro-new-frontiers'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'World’s First Online Climate Summit',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>World leaders are set to participate in an innovative climate change summit that will take place entirely online which makes it a <strong>carbon neutral summit.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By contrast, the <strong>UN's COP21 climate talks in Paris in 2015</strong> generated about <strong>43,000 tons of carbon dioxide</strong>, although much of this was later offset through carbon-credit schemes.</li>
<li>The Virtual Climate Summit is the<strong> brainchild of Marshall Islands President</strong>, whose nation is facing the worst impacts of climate change.</li>
<li>With participants including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this will be the<strong> first global political meeting to be held online.</strong></li>
<li>It will consist of a rolling,<strong> 24-hour livestream</strong> that will begin in the Marshalls' capital Majuro, then include addresses from leaders and panel discussions before delivering a declaration.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The virtual summit's main aim is to<strong> encourage the international community</strong> to restrict global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.</li>
<li><strong>Immediate objective is to cut carbon emissions</strong> since flying is among the most harmful activities for the climate, accounting for about 2.5% of the world&rsquo;s carbon emissions. Also, the online platform will<strong> not put additional pressure</strong> on already resource constraint nation.</li>
<li>A virtual summit also<strong> flattens the playing field,</strong> removes barriers like plane tickets and conference passes that inevitably leave out those most impacted by climate change<strong>. It is more participative.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>first time</strong> that leaders from the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), have come together, and therefore it is also a chance for those on the front line of climate change to make their voices heard.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Climate Vulnerable Forum</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an international partnership of countries <strong>highly vulnerable</strong> to a warming planet. The forum serves as a <strong>South-South cooperation</strong> platform for participating governments to act together to deal with global climate change.</li>
<li>The Forum first met in <strong>Maldives in November 2009.</strong></li>
<li>Other <strong>initiatives taken by CVF</strong> to deal with climate change:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Vulnerable Twenty (V20)</strong> Group of<strong> Ministers of Finance</strong> of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a <strong>dedicated cooperation initiative of economies</strong> systemically vulnerable to climate change.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established on 08 October <strong>2015 at Lima, Peru.</strong></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s primary objective is to promote the mobilisation of<strong> climate finance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Survive Thrive #1.5C</strong> aims to promote actions to keep warming below 1.5&deg;C and urges people to get involved and keep updated on limiting global warming to 1.5&deg;C.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier, a<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-warming-of-1-5-c-ipcc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> UN report</a> warned that threshold could be reached as early as 2030 unless there was unprecedented global action to rein in emissions.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/worlds-first-online-climate-summit'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'US Citizen killed by Tribals in Andaman',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>An American national who tried to contact protected Sentinelese tribes in Andamans north sentinel island was allegedly killed by them.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In August 2018, in order to promote tourism in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, the government excluded 29 inhabited islands which also included North Sentinelese island from the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restricted-%20area%20-permit-eased-for-foreigners-visiting%20-andaman-Islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricted area permit (RAP) regime till December 31, 2022.</a></li>
<li>The lifting of RAP means that foreigners are allowed to visit these islands without prior permission from the government is subject to certain conditions.</li>
<li>Separate approvals of a competent authority would continue to be required for visiting reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries, and tribal reserves.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sentinelese</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sentinelese is a <strong>pre-neolithic, negrito tribe who live in North Sentinel Island of the Andamans.</strong></li>
<li>They are completely isolated with <strong>no contact to the outside world.</strong> The first time they were contacted by a team of Indian anthropologists in 1991.</li>
<li>Due to no contact, the census of Sentinelese is taken through photographing the island individuals from distance. Census 2001 counted them at 39.</li>
<li>Surveys of North Sentinel Island have not found any evidence of agriculture. Instead, the community seems to be hunter-gatherers, getting food through fishing, hunting, and collecting wild plants living on the island.</li>
<li>Sentinelese are also listed under <strong>Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)</strong> by the government of India.</li>
<li>They are protected under the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It declares traditional areas occupied by the tribes as reserves, and prohibited entry of all except those with authorization.</li>
<li>Photographing or filming tribe members is also an offense.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Should Tribes be contacted?</h3>
<p>The situation of the tribal or the Adivasi community in India has always been a challenge. To assimilate or let &ldquo;them&rdquo; be are ongoing debates.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Humans by Nature Social</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Anthropologists who studied &ldquo;uncontacted tribes&rdquo; have said that the tribes were interested in making contact with the outside world, but they were too afraid to do so. Hence, outside contact should be made but only when they have initiated it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Destruction of Tribal Culture</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Contact to the outside world also risks the destruction of tribal culture, knowledge, and languages which can get overwhelmed by outside influence and eventually become extinct.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Health Risk</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &ldquo;uncontacted people&rdquo; are not vaccinated to various diseases, which outsiders may carry unknowingly. There is the health risk to these communities from outside contact.</li>
<li>In America, the contact with outside diseases killed up to 100 million indigenous people following the European arrival.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The academics have suggested that the best path forward is a policy of<strong> "controlled contact"</strong> with these communities instead of a policy of no contact. Carefully managed contact to avoid the spread of disease, but also enable the building of trust and providing aid and medical help if needed is the best way.</li>
<li>Establishing contact with the outside world can also help governments to document their way of life, preserve their culture and their holistic development.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Uncontacted people:</strong> These are indigenous communities that have managed to exist almost entirely outside the purview of the nation-states in which they technically live.</p>
<p><strong>Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PVTGs are centrally recognized special category from among the Scheduled Tribes and were constituted during the 4th five-year plan on the basis of the report of the Dhebar commission (1960-61).</li>
<li>They are the most vulnerable section among tribals and generally inhabit the isolated, remote and difficult areas as small and scattered hamlets/ habitats.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar</strong></p>
<p>The Andaman and Nicobar are home to<strong> six tribes, Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompen.</strong></p>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-citizen-killed-by-tribals-in-andaman'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing&rdquo; which appears in BusinessLine. It analyses the issues related to Agriculture Marketing.)</p>
</div>
<p>Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. Even, with the growth of other sectors, <strong>agriculture still continues to play a dominant part in the overall economic scenario of India</strong>. But, is plagued with many problems. The problem of agri marketing tops the list of issues related to agriculture. Agricultural marketing plays a pivotal role in promoting and sustaining agricultural production and productivity, leading to food security and inclusive growth of the country.</p>
<p><strong>The reform of agricultural markets is a long pending policy issue in India.</strong> Like many other issues related to agriculture, which is a State subject, this one too is caught in a tussle between the Central and State governments.</p>
<p><strong>Agricultural marketing is mainly a state entitlement</strong> with the Central Government providing support under central sector schemes. Starting from the year 1951, various Five-Year Plans focused on the price support programs through <strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP)</strong>, development of physical markets, on-farm and off-farm storage structures, facilities for standardization and grading, packaging and transportation. However, these can only succeed if states are willing and active partners.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP</strong>) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).</p>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The first attempt</strong> for reforms in agricultural markets was made by the Central government by designing a model <strong>Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act in 2003.</strong> It provides for new market channels other than the APMC market- such as direct purchase, private wholesale markets, and contract farming for farmers and buyers alike.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Under the APMC acts,</strong> farmers are required to sell a large number of commodities in the vast majority of the states in a local mandi where intermediaries often manipulate the price. These same intermediaries then sell the produce to the next layer of intermediaries. Because mandis lack good storage and warehousing facilities especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables, substantial wastage occurs undermining the price received by the farmer. Mandis also charge multiple entry, exit, and other fees. Therefore, it is essential that states genuinely reform their APMC acts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;"></ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Then came, <strong>Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (promotion and facilitation) Act, 2017 (APLMA, 2017).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Why Agri Marketing issues are still unaddressed?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Only some States have adopted the APLMA Act fully</strong>. Lack of coverage is one of the main hindrances in addressing the issues of agri marketing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Maharashtra tried to bring this into its APLM Act but had to withdraw this provision due to a traders&rsquo; strike.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>What is needed for <strong>more effective MSP implementation</strong> is the effective provision of procurement by the State and its agencies with the involvement of local institutions like PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) and producer companies.</li>
<li><strong>The Contract farming has been taken out of the APMC domain</strong>, citing conflict of interest. Traders and commission agents oppose it due to their business getting adversely affected; the contracted produce does not have to come to the APMC mandi or pass through the mandi agents.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Contract farming</strong> can be defined as agricultural production carried out according to an agreement between a buyer and farmers, which establishes conditions for the production and marketing of a farm product or products.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Not many private markets</strong> could come up during the last 15 years as the local APMCs felt threatened by them and scuttled them, by not allocating land, placing other conditions and even charging a fee from them- despite many of them being granted licenses.</li>
<li><strong>Flawed MSP provision</strong> forces the private traders to buy produce at or above MSP or penalizing for not doing so, can kill the private markets for agricultural produce.</li>
<li>The issue is that who will regulate direct purchase outside the market yard by buyers like food supermarkets or traders or exporters. This is also contradictory to section 4(1) of the Act 2017, which declares the whole State as one unified market.</li>
<li>The act does not deal with issues in the livestock sector which is a very important sector of the agribusiness economy.</li>
<li>By clubbing the farm produce and livestock into one legislation, it also fails to recognize that the dynamics of these markets are very different in terms of perishability, frequency, and nature of transactions.</li>
<li>The model Act asks the APLMC to ensure that traders do not hoard produce but no measures to prevent it are specified. This, therefore, is a half-hearted provision.</li>
<li>Most disappointingly, the <strong>Act ignores the vexed issue of the role of Arthiyas (commission agents or CAs)</strong> in the APMCs and maintains them as central agents in the system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Removal of entry barriers:</strong> Allow buyers to participate across all markets with a single license. Allow farmers to sell in any market of their choice.</li>
<li><strong>Assist price discovery:</strong> Auction of the produce should take place simultaneously on the electronic platform in all regulated markets all over the country.</li>
<li><strong>Standardized scientific assaying and grading:</strong> Reliable assaying and quality testing infrastructure have to be established in every market, and quality-based bidding must be encouraged. Standardization of quality and quantity parameters, dissemination of these parameters to buyers, clearing and settlement mechanisms and dispute resolution are key prerequisites for encouraging participation from remote locations in a pan-India market.</li>
<li><strong>Electronic settlement of sales:</strong> Collection of sale proceeds from the buyer and remitting it to the bank account of the seller must be facilitated by the market;</li>
<li><strong>Removal of controls:</strong> Restrictions on inter- and intra-state transportation of commodities should be removed.</li>
<li>Move to a warehouse-based trading system: In the longer term, the marketing system needs to transform into a warehouse-based trading system. A farmer brings his produce to a warehouse; the produce is graded as per a standard protocol and the farmer is issued a Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (NWR). The NWR guarantees the grade quality of the product for a certain period of time.</li>
<li>I<strong>nvolvement of other stakeholders:</strong> Participation of private players along with farmer producer organizations (FPOs) should be encouraged. The Maharashtra model of linking FPOs with Apni Mandi concept of providing marketing platforms to retail FPOs production to consumers should also be considered.</li>
<li><strong>Improve market infrastructure:</strong> Existing physical infrastructure related to logistics, supply chain, storage should be improved.</li>
<li><strong>New institutional mechanisms:</strong> The public-private partnership (PPP) model adopted by Karnataka with the help of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), wherein an SPV was floated to create a United Market Platform (UMP) model across 65 markets offers some key lessons on some aspects of operationalizing the NAM. Additionally, besides the PPP model, the build-operate-transfer model also needs to be explored. Formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) can be a way forward to implement the strategy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/coop/IndiaActionPlan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NITI Aayog three year agenda</a> calls for reforming the APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees) acts so that farmers are empowered to sell their produce to whomsoever they wish. This will ensure that farmers receive remunerative prices.</li>
<li>On the issue of fragmented agricultural markets in India, the plan recommended plugging the gaps in eNAM (electronic National Agricultural Market) where cross-market purchases are few and far between. These issues held responsible for agriculture becoming a loss-making venture.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/unaddressed-issues-in-agri-marketing'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Breathe: An Action Plan for Combating Air Pollution',
			'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
			'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p><strong>NITI Aayog</strong> has developed <strong>15 Action Points</strong> to combat air pollution across a range of industries and sectors. It calls for concerted action from all levels of governance, cutting across Ministries and Departments.</p>
<h3>Cause For Concern</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>WHO database (2018)</strong> has identified several of India&rsquo;s top cities with some of the highest levels of air pollution in the world.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/175image5.png" width="465" height="482" style="float: right;" /></li>
<li><strong>14</strong> of the world&rsquo;s <strong>15</strong> most polluted cities are in India.</li>
<li>Exposure to the air pollution is leading to diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.</li>
<li>According to <strong>Health of the Nation&rsquo;s States,</strong> household air pollution was responsible for 5% of the total disease burden in India , and outdoor air pollution was responsible for 6% of the burden.</li>
<li>During the winter months, <strong>crop residue burning (CRB)</strong> accounts for <strong>17% of PM10</strong> and <strong>16% of PM2.5 air pollution</strong>. The problem of crop burning is mainly observed in the major paddy producing states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Maharashtra, where CRB is practiced among the sugarcane farmers.</li>
<li>As per <strong>State of Forests Report 2017,</strong> India has a forest cover of more than<strong> 7 Lakh sq km</strong> area that is 21.54% of the total geographical area of the country. Forest fires are a large source of PM. These fires can have a significant impact on local air quality, visibility and human health.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Action Plans for top 10 Most Polluted Cities in India<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/670image1.png" width="422" height="449" style="float: right;" /></h3>
<p><strong>1. Drive Mobility through Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Increasing distribution of electric and hybrid vehicles through necessary financial measures and infrastructural support.</li>
<li>Asking all Central Government offices to replace existing fleets older than 15 years to electric vehicles in the next 3 years i.e. by 2021 April.</li>
<li>Additional incentives like free registration and ease of getting permits for electric 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers should be immediately notified by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).</li>
<li>By boosting Last mile connectivity through clean/e-rickshaws.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Enact Strong Measures to Curb Vehicular Emissions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Implementing a large scale Feebate program from 2020 onwards: A feebate is a policy by which inefficient or polluting vehicles incur a surcharge (fee) while efficient ones receive a rebate (bate).</li>
<li>Issue guidelines for vehicle ownership and usage: Measures like congestion pricing, escalation of taxes and insurances, higher costs of parking, and implementing restrictions on certain areas and times need to be employed to reduce private vehicle usage.</li>
<li>Switch to low Sulphur fuel (10 ppm) and implement Bharat VI (similar to Euro VI) standards for engine emissions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>BS VI norms to be implemented in Delhi NCR by April 2019</li>
<li>BS VII norms to be implemented all over India by April 2020</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>By introducing a voluntary fleet modernisation mechanism supported by financial incentives in the form of discounts from the manufacturers and lower excise duties which will be implemented by MoRTH.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Reduce Emissions by Optimizing the Power Sector</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Expedite strategic decommissioning of old and inefficient power plants as well as upgradation of efficient thermal power plants.</li>
<li>Push rooftop solar and distributed generation: Simplification of rules, regulations and leasing policy for operation and power distribution will augment solar power.</li>
<li>Ensuring high grade low polluting coal to the power plants</li>
<li>Emphasis on improved power reliability in urban areas to eliminate the operation of diesel power generators.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Reform Regulatory Framework for Industrial Air Pollution</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Revise ambient air quality standards of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as well as individual categories of industrial emissions standards and practices.</li>
<li>Furthermore, formulation of a fuel substitution sub-action plan with the following measures should be explored.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mandated increase in content of ash in coal used for powering boilers and thermal plants.</li>
<li>Mandatory use of beneficiated coal promotion of clean coal technologies.</li>
<li>Emission standards for Diesel Generator sets.</li>
<li>Use of Natural gas instead of coal in small boilers.</li>
<li>Nationwide ban on usage of highly polluting fuels such as coke and furnace oil.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Improving environmental auditing process by implementing measures such as random assignment of auditors to industrial plants, payment from a common pool, monitoring for accuracy and accuracy-based bonus payment system etc.</li>
<li>Incentivise law enforcement: Incentivising the performing states will be instrumental to speed up corrective action against air pollution. One of the measures being creation of a competitive &lsquo;Air Pollution Index&rsquo; with sub-indices for corresponding sources of pollution can be used to rank the states and create competition.</li>
<li>This &lsquo;name and shame&rsquo; policy based on the index combined with performance-linked transfers from a common &lsquo;Clear Air Fund&rsquo; (created with the support from the central government under MoEF&amp;CC) can combat air pollution.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Implement a National Emissions Trading System<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/183image7.png" style="float: right;" width="301" height="262" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Introducing a market-based instruments within a regulatory framework based on the concept of &lsquo;polluters pay&rsquo; should be implemented. It would entail capping the individual pollution levels of all industries to certain emission allowance. The currency of trade would be tonnage of pollutants produce such as &lsquo;CO<sub>2</sub> , SOx and NOX units&rsquo;, which are interconvertible. Similar trading units for particulate matter can also be introduced.</li>
<li>The firms operating at a deficit, i.e. emitting more than permitted, can purchase through the open trade exchange from the firms that are operating at a surplus.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>6. Adopt Cleaner Construction Practices</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mandating Environmental Risk Assessment for construction projects.</li>
<li>Revise parameters of Green Building Ratings to include construction process: Higher score on the Green Ratings can then be linked with subsidised financial support.</li>
<li>Set up smog free towers: It is an innovative technological solution deployed across Europe, which cleans the polluted air in an area around it. These can be installed at the point sources of construction activities.</li>
<li>Enforce use of ready-made concrete to eliminate the negative externalities of using Site Batch Concrete.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>7. Implementing a Business Model to Utilize Crop Residue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Direct procurement of crop residue collected by large agro-waste management companies must be done by large thermal units like NTPC at the standard market rate.</li>
<li>Encourage new markets for purchase of crop residues from farmers: Providing subsidies (in term of incentives and tax rebates) to set up new plants of agro-waste management companies in major paddy and sugarcane farming States. State governments can utilize the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for this purpose. In India, NABARD has been accredited with a Direct Access Entity (DAE) to channelize the GCF for recommended projects related to environmental management.</li>
<li>Mandate an inter-State trading model for paddy stubble. For instance, paddy straw collected from Punjab can be procured by other States for mushroom cultivation, ethanol production and various other purposes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>8. Implement an Integrated Waste Management Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to ensure a life cycle approach to products from the manufacturers themselves, holding them responsible for safe disposal of their products. It also encourages producers to use less polluting materials, and is particularly effective in areas like electronics, vehicles, plastic packaging etc.</li>
<li>Adopt landfill taxes and regulation: Charging extra fees at the gate for landfill entry can shift economic viability from more landfilling to treatment/processing methods. The next step would be setting targets for percentage reduction in landfilled biodegradable waste.</li>
<li>Incentivise waste to energy systems: Incentives like tax reduction for energy produced through biogas, consumer subsidies for biogas plants, or incentives for upgraded incineration with energy capture, will help make treatment more viable than dumping or burning.</li>
<li>Decentralize waste processing: Alternatives to landfilling can be effectively implemented, as demonstrated by waste segregation in Bengaluru, pipe and aerobic composting in Alappuzha,recycling business models in Mysuru, municipal segregation models in Panaji, etc.</li>
<li>Pilot blockchain initiatives in waste management. For example, in return for items recycled, tokens are provided to people that can be exchanged for other services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>9. Tackle City Dust through Urban Local Bodies<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/154image3.png" width="611" height="337" style="float: right;" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mitigate city dust by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Undertaking reforestation and afforestation drive along roadsides and medians.</li>
<li>Covering landfills with vegetation.</li>
<li>Planting vertical gardens using pollution absorbing plant varieties on the pillars of over-bridges/flyovers.</li>
<li>Identifying such over-bridges/flyovers where plantation drive in spaces below can be taken up.</li>
<li>Constructing footpaths and pavements alongside road by ULBs, PWD and NHAI.</li>
<li>Relocating brick kilns further away from cities.</li>
<li>Eliminating manual sweeping of roads and the side areas of roads.</li>
<li>Prioritizing identification of sites with silt and garbage on the side of the drains and its removal. Silt removed can be used in road embankments.</li>
<li>Undertake mechanical dust removal: Mechanical dust removal, by, for example, deploying dust absorbing and water spraying vehicles on roads, or mechanized road sweeping machines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/624image4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p><strong>10. Integrate Efforts to Tackle Forest Fires</strong></p>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image6.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Undertake measures to prevent forest fires:</strong> A comprehensive National Policy for Prevention and Control of Forest fires being prepared by MoEFCC should be finalized urgently. Implementation and utilisation of this system should be made mandatory by all state forest departments.</li>
<li><strong>Ensure mitigation of forest fires:</strong> Provision of fire breaks and fire lines that act as barriers in propagation of forest fire should be made mandatory.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>11. Encourage Clean Cooking Practices</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Encourage the use of cleaner fuels such as LPG, biogas, solar energy and electricity.Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana( PMUY ) is a significant step in this case.</li>
<li>Promotion and distribution of fuel efficient chulhas.</li>
<li>Ensure well ventilated homes: This approach can be integrated with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), for building designs that define cooking and living area to maintain healthy air quality inside the house.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>12. Drive Public Ownership through Behavioural Change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Agricultural Pollution: Through existing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), specially designed campaigns must be set up to provide farmers with appropriate information tools such as in-situ mulching and on-farm management techniques.</li>
<li>Indoor Pollution: A culture of clean cooking among households by informing the public about the impact on health needs to be promoted.</li>
<li>Forest Fires: The mechanism of Joint Forest Management Committees established at village level should be leveraged to sensitize traditional forest dwellers on causes and hazards of forest fires.</li>
<li>City Dust: Construction companies for curbing generation of construction waste should be sensitized.</li>
<li>Waste management: Awareness campaigns to accompany positive and negative policy incentivization for people to segregate household waste at source and encourage composting of wet waste and recycling of dry waste.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>13. Develop Consistent and Quantified National, Sub-National and Sectoral Plans<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/516image2.png" style="float: right;" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A comprehensive Action Plan at the national-level should be complemented with well-designed and well-researched State-level and city-level plans, with strong implementation that dovetail into one another and add up to clearly defined outcome targets with timelines, especially for a targeted level of PM2.5 and PM10. The ambitious National Clean Air Programme has announced a reduction in pollution levels in 100 cities by 35% in the next three years and 50% in the next five years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>14. Improve Air Quality Monitoring Systems</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has 39 on-ground real-time air pollution monitoring systems spread across 23 cities as compared to China, which has 1,500 of such systems spread in over 900 cities. To enable interventions to combat air pollution, the numbers of such systems needs to be much higher</li>
<li>Accurately and comprehensively monitor air pollution levels to provide comprehensive data for interventions aimed at improving air quality.</li>
<li>The usage of drones and UAVs can be explored for capturing air quality.</li>
<li>Develop air pollution abatement plans based on monitoring data, aided by geo-mapping of all point sources of pollution.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/breathe-an-action-plan-for-combating-air-pollution'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Water ATMs',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to a report by Safe Water Network (SWN), the government should invest in Water ATMs to provide safe drinking water to people, in areas where building piped infrastructure is difficult.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are Water ATMs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Anytime Water Machines (ATM) is a water dispensation system which can be automatic with a coin or smart card, or manually.</li>
<li>Operated by private companies, water ATMS provide an alternative solution to the safe drinking water challenge.</li>
<li>Essentially water ATM is a community RO.</li>
<li>Installed at various public places such as railway stations, bus stands, places of worship and slums where the need for potable water is acute.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for Water ATM</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) pointed out that only 18% of the rural population has access to potable piped water.</li>
<li>India is ranked at 120 out of 122 countries on the Water Quality Index.</li>
<li>Many households cannot afford to buy a household RO.</li>
<li>70% of water in the country is contaminated by pollutants.</li>
<li>21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.</li>
<li>To fulfil Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring availability and sustainable management of water for all by 2030.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swajal Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has initiated &ldquo;Swajal&rdquo; - a demand driven and community owned program to provide <strong>sustainable access to drinking water</strong> to people in rural areas.</li>
<li>This scheme will aim to provide villages with piped water supply powered by solar energy.</li>
<li>The scheme will train hundreds of rural technicians for operation and maintenance of Swajal units. Thus creating employment opportunities for rural youths besides solving problem of availability and accessibility of drinking water.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Growth of Water ATM</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Community water purification plants have grown from less than 12,000 in 2014 to almost 50,000 in 2018.</li>
<li>Water ATMS have become a popular CSR activity for companies that want to build community assets.</li>
<li>To reach the government&rsquo;s Har Ghar Jal target of 100% piped water by 2030, almost ₹5 lakh crore of infrastructure investment will be required.</li>
<li>It is estimated that if the government spends less than 10% of that amount on small water enterprises, it could provide affordable and safe drinking water at a fraction of the cost.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Affordability:</strong> Its comparatively low investments and operating costs provide a cheaper alternative than exorbitantly priced packaged drinking water.</li>
<li><strong>Environmental Sustainability:</strong> By reducing the use of plastics which is integral to packaged water.</li>
<li><strong>Availability:</strong> Most groundwater in India is estimated to be contaminated with pollutants that cause renal failure and other diseases. Through Water ATMs availability of safe drinking water can be ensured.</li>
<li><strong>Accessibility:</strong> Water ATMs will provide round the clock provision of water. Cashless dispensing and pay-per-use methodology will enhance accessibility. The Water ATMs will reduce the drudgery of women who travel long distances to fetch water saving their time and energy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Water ATMs are being seen as a way of privatising water supply.</li>
<li>Operational and maintenance challenges like timely replacement of malfunctioning filters etc.</li>
<li>Ensuring availability of 24x7 electricity supply to run Water ATMs in rural areas.</li>
<li>RO is expensive and wasteful, and could well be replaced by cheaper technology such as UV purification.</li>
<li>Excessive use of water from particular location may cause drying up of water, exacerbating the water shortage.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Supreme Court has decreed in various judgments that water is a fundamental human right as part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Government needs to play more active role in ensuring its constitutional obligation to provide safe and affordable water to people.</li>
<li>Successful implementation of concept of Water ATMs needs robust policy structures specifying tariffs, quality, maintenance schedules etc.</li>
<li>However, ATMs cannot be standalone solution to the water crisis in the country. The real solution lies in conserving water, in protecting its sources, in using it efficiently.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-water-atms'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Water ATMs',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/933Water%20ATMs.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/933Water ATMs.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper3/mind-map-paper-3-water-atms'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>International Maritime Organization (IMO)</strong> adopted an amendment that supports a reduced limit on sulphur in ships' fuel oil.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IMO adopted the new 0.50% limit from the current 3.50% on sulphur in ships' fuel oil.</li>
<li>The new guidelines will be implemented from January 1, 2020, under <strong>IMO's MARPOL treaty</strong>.</li>
<li>The limit is likely to have benefits for the environment as well as human health.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pollution by Shipping</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Discharge into air</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are more than 52,000 ships sailing the ocean which burn more than 2 billion barrels of heavy fuel oil in one year. (Heavy fuel oil, a crude oil byproduct, contains sulfur concentrations up to 1,800 times higher than the diesel fuel used for cars).</li>
<li><strong>Ships contribute between 2 and 3 percent of the world&rsquo;s total greenhouse gas emissions,</strong> through emission of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ballast Water Discharge</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ballast Water Discharge by ships is responsible for the introduction of invasive species in the oceans.</li>
<li>The oceans take in the water from one port and discharge the water during the next port call thus introducing a variety of non-native species in the sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sound Pollution:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Growing levels of noise pollution in the ocean drive fish away from their habitat into their deaths. Sound Pollution also impacts the marine organism who rely on sound for communication, mating calls and catching prey.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Oil Spills and Chemical Discharges:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Oil spills have huge and immediate economic, social, and environmental impacts.</li>
<li>Local people lose their livelihoods as fisheries and tourism areas are temporarily closed; the cleanup costs are enormous, and tens of thousands of marine animals and plants are killed or harmed.</li>
<li>Many ships illegally discharge bilge oil (a mixture of water, oil, lubricants, and other pollutants that collect in a ship's hold) before entering a port as this is cheaper than disposing of it legally at the port.</li>
<li>Dumped bilge oil accounts for nearly 10% of all oil entering the oceans each year.</li>
<li>Some of these chemicals are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collision with Wildlife:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ships cause physical and other damage: through dropping of anchors, wave disturbances, and striking of whales and other marine mammals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Treaty)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MARPOL is one of the most significant <strong>international marine environmental conventions.</strong></li>
<li>The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships<strong> (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.</strong></li>
<li>The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977.</li>
<li>The current convention is a combination of the 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol, which entered into force on 2 October 1983.</li>
<li>The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships - <strong>and currently includes six technical Annexes:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Annex I: Regulations for the <strong>Prevention of Pollution by Oil</strong></li>
<li>Annex II: Regulations for the<strong> Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk</strong></li>
<li>Annex III: Prevention of Pollution by<strong> Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form</strong></li>
<li>Annex IV: Prevention of Pollution by <strong>Sewage from Ships</strong></li>
<li>Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by<strong> Garbage from Ships</strong></li>
<li>Annex VI: Prevention of<strong> Air Pollution from Ships</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2011, IMO became the first international regulator for a transport sector to adopt globally binding energy efficiency requirements, which apply to all ships globally, regardless of trading pattern or flag State, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>International Maritime Organization</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The International Maritime Organization is a <strong>specialized agency of the United Nations.</strong></li>
<li>IMO is responsible for<strong> measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping</strong> and<strong> to prevent pollution from ships.</strong></li>
<li>It is also involved in legal matters, including <strong>liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>established by means of a Convention</strong> adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva <strong>on 17 March 1948</strong> and met for the first time in January 1959.</li>
<li><strong>It currently has 174 Member States.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/imo-guidelines-on-shipping-fuel'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India&rsquo;s <strong>first robotic telescope</strong> and the<strong> first one designed to observe dynamic or transient events</strong> in the universe has started observing the skies.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The telescope is located at the <strong>Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in Ladakh.</strong></li>
<li>The telescope is a joint project of the Bangalore-based <strong>Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)</strong> and the <strong>Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB).</strong></li>
<li>It is fully funded by the <strong>Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)</strong> of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the <strong>Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) project</strong>, administered by Indo US Science and Technology Forum.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The primary goal of PIRE is to <strong>support high quality projects</strong> in which advances in research and education could not occur without international collaboration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Called GROWTH-India, the facility at Hanle is part of a multi-country collaborative initiative known as <strong>Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)</strong> to observe<strong> transient events in the universe.</strong></li>
<li>The telescope also has the badge of being housed in the <strong>one of the world&rsquo;s highest astronomical observatories</strong> at 4,500 meters.</li>
<li>The 70 cm robotic telescope joins other larger facilities at IAO in Hanle - the <strong>Himalayan Chandra Telescope, the gamma-ray array telescope (HAGAR), and the imaging Cherenkov telescope (MACE).</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The GROWTH program is a 5 year project, funded by the <strong>National Science Foundation (NSF).</strong> NSF is a United States government agency whose mission includes support for all fields of <strong>fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences.</strong></li>
<li>It is an international collaborative network of astronomers and telescopes dedicated to the study of <strong>short-lived cosmic transients and near-earth asteroids.</strong></li>
<li>Cosmic transients are <strong>energetic flashes of light</strong> that are millions to billions of times the brightness of the sun, e.g. explosive deaths of massive stars, white dwarf detonations, etc.</li>
<li>Key follow-up observations of fast-fading or fast-moving events must occur at night promptly after discovery but before the sun rises.</li>
<li>Therefore, a <strong>relay or network of telescopes spanning multiple longitudes (time-zones)</strong> on earth is required to pass the baton amongst each other to<strong> effectively extend the night-time darkness.</strong></li>
<li>GROWTH enables detailed monitoring of events that would otherwise vanish before the next night.</li>
<li>Its goals are <strong>threefold:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Search for <strong>explosions in the optical regime</strong> whenever <strong>Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) group detects a Binary Neutron Star merger.</strong></li>
<li>Study <strong>nearby young supernova explosions.</strong></li>
<li>Study<strong> nearby asteroids.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Universities and research institutes from the US, the UK, Japan, India, Germany, Taiwan and Israel are part of the initiative.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/growth-indias-first-robotic-telescope'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Impact Of World War I On India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Impact of World War I on India&rdquo; which appeared in Livemint. It analyses the impacts of World War I on India.)</p>
</div>
<p>In context please refer: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-war-I-centenary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World War I Centenary&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><strong>When the armed conflict kicked off, the British Expeditionary Force in France was a small, as a fighting force.</strong> Reinforcing it was essential; thus that led to the deployment of the two Indian divisions. Rushed to the Western Front, Indian soldiers fought tenaciously to stop a German breakthrough. By the time Indian soldiers sailed out from Marseilles 14 months later, they and their fellow countrymen-138,608 <strong>Indians in all had helped to weaken Germany&rsquo;s Schlieffen Plan.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Schlieffen Plan</strong>, It was a battle plan first proposed in 1905 by Alfred, Graf (count) von Schlieffen, chief of the German general staff, that was designed to allow Germany to wage a successful two-front war. The plan was heavily modified by Schlieffen&rsquo;s successor, Helmuth von Moltke, prior to and during its implementation in World War I. Moltke&rsquo;s changes, which included a reduction in the size of the attacking army, were blamed for Germany&rsquo;s failure to win a quick victory.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>With the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on 11th November 2018</strong> and the inauguration of monuments to Indian soldiers in France, it is a contribution worth remembering. T<strong>he broader impact of the war on India suffers from a lack of attention.</strong></p>
<h3>Why did India support British&rsquo;s war efforts?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Indian nationalism</strong>, at that time, was <strong>dominated by moderates</strong> <strong>who believed that</strong> Indian contribution to the British war efforts would result in British&rsquo;s benevolence towards the natives and <strong>would grant them more constitutional reforms.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Indian army was distant from the nationalist movement</strong> as magazines, newspapers were not allowed in the barracks and so they fought for the British Raj.</li>
</ul>
<h3>WW I&rsquo;s significance for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The world war ended the myth of the indestructible power of the British Empire</strong> in India as the British faced many humiliating defeats during the war. This raised the self-confidence among Indians.</li>
<li>The soldiers that returned after war<strong> raised the morale of masses.</strong></li>
<li>India supported Britain in the world war on its promise of fighting for democracy but serving India with Rowlatt Act immediately after the war served as an eye-opener for Indians. This <strong>led to the rise of national consciousness and soon Non-Cooperation movement</strong> <strong>was launched.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Formation of USSR after the war</strong> also led to the<strong> rise of communism i</strong>n India with the formation of CPI and imparted a socialist influence on the freedom struggle.</li>
</ul>
<h3><br />What motivated men to fight in war thousands of miles from home?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian soldiers saw it as their duty to bring <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">honour</g> to their clan or caste, by fighting bravely on the battlefield.</li>
<li>The pay for an Indian infantryman was a modest 11 rupees a month, but the additional income earned from participating in the war would have been useful to a hard-pressed peasant family so, money may have been one motive for enlistment.</li>
<li>Indian soldiers frequently expressed a strong sense of personal duty to the King-Emperor George V, who is mentioned in their letters more often than anyone else.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Indian national movement and the country&rsquo;s socio-economic development did not take place in isolation. World War I linked India to global events in profound ways with far-reaching consequences.</strong></p>
<h3>Political Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, the return of Punjabi soldiers after the end of the war also <strong>aroused political activity</strong> against colonial rule in that province, which became the spark for further wider protests. Punjab which supplied a large proportion of the troops turned into an epicenter of nationalism after the war.</li>
<li><strong>There was a surge of nationalism and rise of mass civil disobedience</strong> when the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms&rsquo; failed to deliver on the expectation of home rule that had led to popular support for the British war effort.</li>
<li>As the war dragged on, c<strong>asualties mounted and recruitment methods grew more coercive, resentment grew to fuel nationalism.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Social Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Between 1911 and 1921,<strong> literacy rates increased</strong> significantly in heavily recruited communities. This effect is strongest for men of military age, which is consistent with the notion that soldiers learned to read and write on their foreign campaigns.</li>
<li>Respect for particular communities who participated in the war grew in the society.</li>
<li>The huge number of non-combatants were also recruited from India- such as nurses, doctors etc. l<strong>eaving Indian society deprived of essential services </strong>in a situation where such skills were already scarce in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economic Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There was a <strong>sharp increase in demand for Indian goods</strong> in Britain as production capabilities in Britain itself were diverted to the war effort.</li>
<li>However, the disruption in shipping lanes because of the war also meant that Indian industry faced inconvenience because of the shortage of inputs that were earlier imported from Britain and Germany. <strong>There was excess demand as well as supply bottlenecks.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Another result was inflation.</strong> Industrial prices nearly doubled in the six years after 1914. Accelerating prices benefitted Indian industry.</li>
<li><strong>Farm prices rose as well</strong>, but at a slower pace than industrial prices. The internal terms of trade(ratio of export prices to import prices) moved against agriculture. This trend continued for most of the next few decades, and especially during the collapse in global commodity prices during the Great Depression.</li>
<li><strong>Demand for food supplies, particularly cereals, led to rampant food inflation.</strong></li>
<li>Exports of cash crops like jute suffered due to the loss of the European market. Meanwhile, rising military demand for jute products compensated for the decline in civilian demand with jute mills in Bengal establishing monopolies; skewed income distribution grew even more so.</li>
<li><strong>The drain on the Indian economy</strong> in the form of cash, kind and loans to the British government came to about 367 million pounds.</li>
<li><strong>Domestic manufacturing sectors such as cotton benefited</strong> from the decline in British goods that had dominated the pre-war market.</li>
<li><strong>The steel sector benefited as well.</strong> For instance, the ailing Tata steel mills were handed a lifeline in the form of a contract to supply rails to the Mesopotamian campaign.</li>
<li><strong>British investment was rerouted to the UK,</strong> creating opportunities for Indian capital. In short, the war economy boosted Indian capitalism in some ways at least.</li>
</ul>
<p>Learn More: <a href="https://prezi.com/6obvgyeohvfh/the-social-effects-of-world-war-one-on-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Impacts of WW I</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/impact-of-wwi-on-india'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Invasive Plant Species Introduced by Kerala Floods',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Floods and landslides in Kerala have brought several alien invasive species of plants into the State&rsquo;s water bodies, posing a threat to native biodiversity and the aquatic environment.</span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The physical routes and paths formed due to landslides and the overflow of rivers had paved the way for the establishment of primary colonies of invasive species like </span><b>Nila grass</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Mimosa <g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="76" data-gr-id="76">diplotricha</g>), </span><b>Mikania</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Mikania <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="80" data-gr-id="80">micrantha</g>), </span><b>Lantana</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Lantana <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="83" data-gr-id="83">camara</g>) and </span><b>Siam weed</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Chromolaena <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="84" data-gr-id="84">odorata</g>).</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Invasive Species</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An invasive species can be </span><b>any kind of living organism</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">&mdash;an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism&rsquo;s seeds or eggs&mdash;that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">They can harm the environment, the economy, or even human health. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive species alter the environment they invade and are difficult and expensive to control after they colonise a landscape, having </span><b>phenotypic plasticity</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (the ability to adapt to environmental stress). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive plant species </span><b>transform the soil structure</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="63" data-gr-id="63">micro environment</g> to their advantage by producing </span><b>allelochemicals</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> which cause the destruction of native species and local biodiversity.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Allelochemical</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is produced by a living organism that exerts a detrimental physiological effect on individuals of another species when released into the environment.&nbsp;For example:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An invasive species <strong>Anthemis cotula</strong> can excrete allelochemicals to inhibit seed germination and retarding <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="64" data-gr-id="64">seedling</g> growth of its native competitors.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Black Walnut</strong> produce allelochemical called <strong>Juglone</strong> which adversely affects plants like tomatoes, pepper, potato etc.</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Threats to Native Ecosystem of Kerala</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The spread of the invasive species could threaten cultivable land and wildlife habitats alike. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">For instance:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive species like the </span><b>water hyacinth</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Eichhornia crassipes) and </span><b>giant <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="67" data-gr-id="67">salvinia</g></b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Salvinia <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="71" data-gr-id="71">molesta</g>), present in the </span><b>backwaters of the Kuttanad region</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, had started <strong>colonising paddy fields</strong>, cultivated lands and other isolated water bodies in nearby areas.</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Kole wetland</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (part of Vembanad-Kole wetlands, a Ramsar site) in Thrissur, has been colonised by invasive plants, especially grass species, such as <g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="66" data-gr-id="66">matamat</g> (Rhynchospora <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="74" data-gr-id="74">corymbosa</g>), <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="79" data-gr-id="79">desho</g> grass (Pennisetum <g class="gr_ gr_82 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="82" data-gr-id="82">pedicellatum</g>), giant <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="85" data-gr-id="85">salvinia</g> and water hyacinth which<strong> may lead to the conversion of marshy wetlands into dry land</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In many areas of Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki districts, seeds of invasive species from mountainous areas have spread to new spaces formed by landslides which <strong>can grow very fast in landslide-affected areas</strong> by using available nutrients, while native species cannot adapt to such conditions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In <strong>rubber plantations</strong>, <strong>cover crops</strong> (species <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="70" data-gr-id="70">grown</g> mainly to prevent soil erosion) like mucuna (Mucuna <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="69" data-gr-id="69">bracteata</g>), a nitrogen-regulating plant, are more likely to establish themselves in the new areas and subsequently <strong>spread into the forests</strong> through the corridors created by landslides. This could <strong>affect the soil and destroy the microhabitat of that area</strong>.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The threat of invasive species should be addressed in the process of <strong>post-flood reconstruction</strong> in the State.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Community participation</strong> should be given importance in identifying and reporting the invasive species to Forest Departments.</span></li>
<li>A <strong>comprehensive survey</strong> should be conducted by the Forest Department to identify the area and density of the spread of invasive species in wildlife sanctuaries, National Parks and Protected Areas.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adequate time and budget should be allocated to handle this herculean task.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong></strong></h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</strong> to the <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong> is an <strong>international agreement</strong> which aims to <strong>ensure the safe handling</strong>, transport and use of<strong> living modified organisms (LMOs)</strong> resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.</li>
<li>It was adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003.</li>
<li>CBD recognize that there is an <strong>urgent need to address the impact of invasive species</strong>. It states that &ldquo;Each Contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate, prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Additional Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System</strong> is the <strong>only system</strong> in India that favours <strong>rice cultivation below sea level</strong> in the land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In order to safeguard and support the world's agricultural heritage systems, <strong>Food and Agriculture Organization</strong> (<g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="65" data-gr-id="65">specialized</g> agency of the United Nations) started an initiative for the identification and the dynamic conservation of <strong>Globally Important Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS)</strong> in 2002. These <strong>traditional agricultural systems</strong> represent models of sustainable agricultural production.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three recognised <strong>GIAHS sites in India</strong>:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Kuttanad</strong> Below Sea Level Farming System of Kerala</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Koraput</strong> Traditional Agriculture of Odisha</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Pampore</strong> Saffron Heritage of Kashmir</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/invasive-plant-species-introduced-by-kerala-floods'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (20th November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Horned Frogs Discovered by DU team</h3>
<h3></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">A team of biologists from Delhi University (DU), University College Dublin (Ireland) and the National Museum (UK) have discovered <strong>four new species of horned frogs</strong> from the <strong>Himalayan regions of Northeast India</strong>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team also comprised <strong>S D Biju</strong> from DU&rsquo;s Department of Environmental Studies, known as the &lsquo;<strong>Frogman of India</strong>&rsquo;.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Horned frogs get their name from the fleshy horn-like projection on the upper eyelids of some species, and were discovered in the<strong> forests of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The scientists named the four new Indian species as </span><b><g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="52" data-gr-id="52">Himalayan</g> horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="56" data-gr-id="56">himalayana</g>); the </span><b>Garo white-lipped horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="57" data-gr-id="57">oreocrypta</g>); the </span><b><g class="gr_ gr_55 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="55" data-gr-id="55">Yellow spotted</g> white-lipped horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="58" data-gr-id="58">flavipunctata</g>)<g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="54" data-gr-id="54">; and</g> the </span><b>Giant Himalayan horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">periosa</g>). </span></li>
</ul>
<h3>India's First Elephant Hospital in Mathura</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">India's <strong>first specialized hospital for elephants</strong> was opened in <strong>Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hospital armed with facilities such as <strong>wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquilization devices and quarantine facilities</strong>, has not only come as a respite to the elephants but is also attracting local and foreign tourists.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Located close to the elephant conservation and care centre, the hospital is <strong>designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants</strong> and is equipped with a medical hoist for lifting elephants.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Solar Bubble Dryer</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An innovative drying technology, Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD), developed jointly by <strong>International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines</strong>; Grainpro, a leading post-harvest solution providing company; and University of Hohenheim, Germany, was introduced to farmers in Odisha.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The SBD is a <strong>low-cost drying technology</strong> that aims to provide a <strong>simple and flexible alternative to sun-drying</strong> while protecting from spillage, animals, weather and vehicles running over the grains.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new technology has been developed in such a way that farmers can dismantle the machinery and reassemble it on their own. Power can be drawn both from solar energy and traditional electricity.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Elephant Corridors as ESZ</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) to consider declaring all elephant corridors in the country as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are areas<strong> notified by MoEFCC around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are </span><b>regulated under the Environment (Protection Act) of 1986</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to come up in such areas.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guidelines <strong>prohibit activities such as commercial mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.</span></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-20th-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth: Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6nFDpQmHOQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Being India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), handles all high-profile cases. <strong>Its job is to ensure a fair and an impartial probe.</strong> But in recent days, the agency has been in the news for all the inappropriate reasons. Two top officials of the agency - <strong>Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were involved in a major squabble</strong> that led to<strong> government intervention.</strong> Both officers have been had been sent on leave, with the government claiming that the decision was taken to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI.</p>
<h3>The Internal Feud</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Spat between top officials of CBI is first of its kind in the history of CBI.</li>
<li>A<strong>lok Verma objected to Rakesh Asthana&rsquo;s elevation as special Director</strong> of CBI before Central Vigilance Commission(CVC).</li>
<li>But, <strong>CVC cleared Asthana&rsquo;s promotion</strong> in a unanimous decision.</li>
<li><strong>Public Interest Litigation</strong> filed by <strong>NGO Common Cause</strong> against the decision was also <strong>turned down by the Supreme Court.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Rakesh Asthana,</strong> in charge of special investigation team handling sensitive cases including those related to Vijay Mallya, AgustaWestland etc., <strong>also filed a complaint against Alok Verma - alleging corruption.</strong></li>
<li>CVC sought files of cases mentioned in the tussle between these two people.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Genesis of CBI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Origins of CBI can be traced back to the <strong>Special Police Establishment (SPE) set up in 1941</strong> in order to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in War &amp; Supply Department of India during World War II.</li>
<li>The need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption was felt after the end of World War II. So, <strong>DSPE (Delhi Special Police Establishment) Act, 1946</strong> was brought that gave the legal power of investigating cases to CBI.</li>
<li>CBI comes under the jurisdiction of the <strong>Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>The appointment procedure of CBI Director</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CBI is headed by an IPS officer of the rank of Director General of Police.</li>
<li>Till 2014, the appointments were made on the basis of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.</li>
<li>In 2003, DSPE Act was revised on Supreme Court&rsquo;s recommendation. A committee that had members from Central Vigilance Commission, Secretaries from Home Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances would send recommendations to Central Government for the appointment of CBI Director.</li>
<li>In 2014, the Lokpal Act provided a committee for appointment of CBI Director was formed:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Headed by Prime Minister</strong></li>
<li><strong>Other members - Leader of Opposition/ Leader of the single largest opposition party, Chief Justice of India/ a Supreme Court Judge.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Home Ministry sends a list of eligible candidates to DoPT. Then, the DoPT prepares the final list on basis of seniority, integrity, and experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases, and sends it to the committee.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Functions of CBI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Investigating cases against the central govt. employees or concerning affairs of central govt.</li>
<li>Investigation of cases in which the financial interest of the central govt. are involved.</li>
<li>And, cases related to breaches in central laws. Big cases of frauds cheating and embezzlement.</li>
<li>Cases committed by gangs and criminals which have ramifications in several states.</li>
<li>Cases having inter-state and international ramifications.</li>
<li>Initially, CBI was tasked with the responsibility of investigation with respect to central govt. employees. However, since 1965 the powers of the investigating unit was expanded. So, it takes up investigation of Economic offenses, conventional cases on a selective basis.</li>
<li>It also obliges the state if they put in a request to investigate a certain case. Central Government authorizes CBI to investigate cases in any state.</li>
<li>It takes up cases as directed by the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Supreme court, High Court can ask CBI to investigate without state&rsquo;s consent.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>CID</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in<strong> 1902 by the British Government,</strong> CID (Crime Investigation Department) is an investigation and intelligence department of state police. On the other hand, CBI is an agency of the Central Government.</li>
<li>CID is looking into murder, assault, riot or any cases as directed by r<strong>espective High Courts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-central-bureau-of-investigation-cbi-'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'World Toilet Day',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 November.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2013, the<strong> United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day</strong>. It is <strong>coordinated by UN-Water</strong> in collaboration with governments and partners.</li>
<li>It is a day that seeks to engage and educate people and their communities worldwide to encourage support for sanitation-related issues.</li>
<li>It also aims to <strong>break the stigma around sanitation</strong> as the silence around the issue of toilets and sanitation has deadly consequences.</li>
<li>The theme of World Toilet Day-2018 is &ldquo; <strong>When Nature Calls</strong>&rdquo; which emphasizes that when nature calls, <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="84" data-gr-id="84">toilet</g> is needed but billions of people don&rsquo;t have toilets.</li>
<li>Human faeces, on a massive scale, are not being captured or treated, contaminating the water and soil that sustain human life.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Sanitation Crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Toilets save <g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="76" data-gr-id="76">lives,</g> because human waste spreads killer diseases. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.</li>
<li>Today, globally <strong>4.5 billion people live without a safe toilet</strong> and 892 million people still practise open defecation.</li>
<li><strong>SDG 6</strong> aims to ensure that everyone has a<strong> safe toilet</strong> and that <strong>no-one practices open defecation by 2030</strong>. Failure to achieve this goal risks the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.</li>
<li>The impact of exposure to human faeces on this scale has a <strong>devastating impact on public health</strong>, living and working conditions, nutrition, education and economic productivity across the world.</li>
<li>Sanitation is important for preventing many diseases including diarrhoea, intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma.</li>
<li>Universal access to sanitation in households and schools is essential in:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Reducing diseases</li>
<li>Improving nutritional status of children</li>
<li>Enhancing <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="93" data-gr-id="93">safety</g>, and well-being of children</li>
<li>Increasing educational prospects, especially for women and girls</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation is a serious issue in India, with <strong>more than 60% of Indians still defecate in the open</strong>, and more than 80 million people in urban areas still do not have access to safe toilets.</li>
<li>Over one lakh <strong>children die in India due to diarrhoea-related diseases</strong>, close to 20% of the global statistic of child deaths due to diarrhoea, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that 90% of these deaths<strong> can be directly attributed to improper sanitation facilities.</strong></li>
<li>From an economic perspective, the <strong>inadequate urban sanitation</strong> has lead to a <strong>financial loss to the economy </strong>equivalent to 6.4% of India's Gross domestic product (GDP).</li>
<li>Further, hundreds of <strong>manual scavengers</strong> who scrape the waste with their bare hands without any protective gear or masks, die each year cleaning out sewers in cities across India.</li>
<li><strong>Community toilet blocks (CTB)</strong> can enable access, but the <strong>distance of the CTB from the home</strong> can deter its usage and cast a shadow on its<strong> safety</strong>, especially for <strong>women</strong>.</li>
<li>On average, women and girls hold their bladders for more than 13 hours a day, leading to many reproductive and urinary tract infections.</li>
<li>Many women in India also prefer liquid meals for dinner, eat less and restrict water intake due to the lack of safety of CTBs during the night.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nature-based sanitation solutions (NBS)</strong> should be encouraged which harness the power of ecosystems to help treat human waste before it returns to the environment.</li>
<li>Most NBS essentially involve the protection and management of vegetation, soils and/or wetlands, including rivers and lakes. For instance:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Composting</strong> latrines that capture and treat human waste on site, producing a free supply of fertiliser to help grow crops etc.</li>
<li><strong>Human-made wetlands</strong> and reed-beds <strong>filter wastewater</strong> before it is released back into <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="70" data-gr-id="70">water courses</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="74" data-gr-id="74">Behavioral</g> change</strong> should be focussed upon by the government along with the construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission ( launched on 2 October 2014)&nbsp; which is aimed to eliminate open defecation by 2019.</li>
<li><strong>Technological solutions</strong> should be leveraged for <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="90" data-gr-id="90">sustainable</g> solution of sanitation and hygiene. For instance:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently a machine launched by Sulabh International (a social service organization) can be adopted for eliminating manual scavenging. The machine injects high-pressure water into the tunnels and tanks and then collects the waste with a mechanical bucket operated from ground level. A remote control inspection camera generates high-resolution images of the sewer system.</li>
<li><strong>Reinvented toilets</strong> promoted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can be adopted. Reinvented toilets are special as they turn liquid waste into clear water for <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">flushing,</g> and solids into pellets ar ash that is fertilizer.</li>
<li>While the reinvented toilet gets optimized, India should, in parallel, look at <strong>Omni processors for faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP)</strong>. These zero emission processors will end dumping of faecal sludge taken from septic tanks into rivers, lakes, farms and open spaces. They can also prevent the death of workers in septic tanks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p></p>',
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Global Education Monitoring Report-2019 : UNESCO',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its&nbsp; <strong>Global Education Monitoring Report 2019 titled- &ldquo;Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges, not Walls&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report highlights <strong>countries&rsquo; achievements and shortcomings</strong> in ensuring the right of migrant and refugee children to benefit from quality education.</li>
<li>The number of migrant and refugee school-age children around the world in 2018<strong> has grown by 26% since 2000</strong> and could fill half a million classrooms.</li>
<li>The right of these children to quality education, even if increasingly recognized on paper, is challenged in practical.&nbsp; The two years since the landmark <strong>New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016</strong>, refugees have missed 1.5 billion days of school.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On <strong>September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly</strong> unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.</li>
<li>The New York Declaration reaffirms the <strong>importance of the international refugee regime</strong> and contains a wide range of <strong>commitments by Member State</strong>s to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move.</li>
<li>It has paved the way for the adoption of <strong>two new global compacts in 2018:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>a global compact on<strong> refugees</strong> and</li>
<li>a global compact for <strong>safe, orderly and regular migration.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It also warns of the <strong>negative impact on education</strong> for children who are left behind as their parents migrate. Test scores were lower among left-behind children aged 5-8.</li>
<li>Nevertheless, there <strong>has been progress in the inclusion of refugees in national education systems</strong>, as seen in eight of the top ten refugee hosting countries. <strong>Canada and Ireland</strong> are among the global leaders in implementing inclusive education policies for immigrants.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UNESCO, formed in 1945,</strong> is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.</li>
<li>UNESCO has <strong>195 member states</strong> and ten associate members.</li>
<li>India was a<strong> founder member</strong> of the Organisation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>India Specific Findings</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Literacy levels in <strong>rural households of India dip with seasonal migration</strong>. About 80% of seasonal migrant children in major cities lacked access to education near work sites, and 40% are likely to end up in work rather than education, experiencing abuse and exploitation.</li>
<li>The <strong>construction sector absorbs the majority</strong> of short-term migrants. About 77% of kiln workers reported lack of access to early childhood or primary education for their children.</li>
<li>It lauds <strong>Right to Education Act in 2009</strong> which made it <strong>mandatory</strong> for local authorities to <strong>admit migrant children.</strong> National-level guidelines were issued, allowing for flexible admission of children, providing transport and volunteers to support with mobile education, create seasonal hostels and improve coordination between sending and receiving districts and states.</li>
<li>The report says some State governments have also taken steps for migrant children&rsquo;s education. However, most interventions are focused on keeping children in home communities instead of actively addressing the challenges faced by those who are already on the move.</li>
<li>It also talks about challenges wherein the progress of out-of-school children did not improve learning in any substantial way. Teachers on the site<strong>s cited culture, language, lifestyle, cleanliness and clothing as major barriers between them and the kiln labour community. </strong>Teacher and student<strong> absenteeism</strong> were rampant.</li>
<li>The report sees the growth of <strong>slums and informal settlements</strong> where schools are often<strong> scarce</strong> due to migration as a challenge.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protect the<strong> right to education of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Include <strong>migrants and displaced people i</strong>n the national education system.</li>
<li>Understand and plan to meet the <strong>education needs of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Represent<strong> migration and displacement histories</strong> in education accurately to challenge prejudices.</li>
<li><strong>Prepare teachers</strong> of migrants and refugees to address diversity and hardship.</li>
<li>Harness the<strong> potential of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Support<strong> education needs</strong> of migrants and displaced people<strong> in humanitarian and development aid.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India, along with China, is home to some of the <strong>world&rsquo;s largest internal population movements</strong> and the report shows that the scale of seasonal migration has a significant impact on education.</li>
<li>Therefore, the UNESCO report <strong>urges policy makers to strengthen public education</strong> for rural migrant children living in slums.</li>
<li>Migration and displacement are two global challenges that needs to be addressed in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general and <strong>SDG 4, i.e. &lsquo;Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all&rsquo;, in particular.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'World Malaria Report 2018',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, <strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong> has released <strong>World Malaria Report, 2018.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report has mentioned that the number of cases of the disease increased by 2 million to 219 million in 2017 from 217 million cases in 2016.</li>
<li>In 2017 Malaria killed 4,35,000 people, majority of them childrens.</li>
<li>Malaria occurs in 91 countries but about 90% of the cases and deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Malaria cases</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Fifteen countries in <strong>sub-Saharan Africa and India carried almost 80% of the global malaria burden. </strong></li>
<li>Five countries accounted for nearly half of<strong> all malaria cases</strong> worldwide: Nigeria (25%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Mozambique (5%)<strong>, India (4%</strong>) and Uganda (4%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malaria deaths</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2017, there were an estimated 435 000 deaths from malaria globally, compared with 451 000 estimated deaths in 2016.</li>
<li>Nearly 80% of <strong>global malaria deaths</strong> in 2017 were concentrated in 17 countries in the WHO African Region and India. <strong>India accounted for 4% of global malaria deaths.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malaria-related anaemia</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 2018 report includes a section on <strong>malaria-related anaemia,</strong> a condition that, left untreated, can result in death, especially among vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children aged under 5 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges in Global Malaria Response</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>High Burden Countries</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2017, <strong>11 countries accounted for approximately 70% of estimated malaria cases</strong> and deaths globally: <strong>10 in sub-Saharan Africa and India. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Among these countries, only India reported progress in reducing its malaria cases in 2017 compared to 2016.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>High Burden to High Impact</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WHO also released a new country-driven approach &ndash; &ldquo;High burden to high impact&rdquo; to enhance response to malaria in countries where Malaria cases increased in 2017 as compared to 2016.</li>
<li>Catalyzed by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the approach is founded upon four pillars:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>galvanize national and global political attention to reduce malaria deaths;</li>
<li>drive impact in country through the strategic use of information;</li>
<li>establish best global guidance, policies and strategies suitable for all malaria endemic countries;</li>
<li>implement a coordinated country response</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>&ldquo;High burden to high impact&rdquo; calls for increased funding, with an emphasis on domestic funding for malaria, and better targeting of resources.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Decline in Funding</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 24 out of 41 high-burden countries, which rely on external funding for malaria programmes, the average level of funding available per person at risk declined in 2015&ndash;2017 compared to 2012&ndash;2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Drug Resistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs)</strong> have been integral to the recent success of global malaria control, and protecting their efficacy for the treatment of malaria is a global health priority.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Insecticide Resistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Of the 80 malaria endemic countries that provided data for 2010&ndash;2017, resistance to at least one of the four insecticide classes in one malaria vector from collection site was detected in 68 countries.</li>
<li>In view of the current situation, <strong>resistance monitoring and management plans are essential,</strong> in line with the WHO Global plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (NSPME) (2017-22)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Government of India has launched <strong>NSPME (2017-22). </strong></li>
<li>The Strategic Plan gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country depending upon the endemicity of malaria in the next 5 years.</li>
<li>The NSPME is based on <strong>National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016</strong> which is in line with <strong>WHO&rsquo;s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Strategy to Eradicate Malaria</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NSP divides the country into four categories, from 0 to 3. The plan is to eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) by 2022 in all Category 1 and 2 districts.</li>
<li>The remaining districts are to be brought under a pre-elimination and elimination programme.</li>
<li>The NSP also aims to maintain a malaria-free status for areas where transmission has been interrupted.</li>
<li>It seeks to achieve universal case detection and treatment services in endemic districts to ensure 100% diagnosis of all suspected cases, and full treatment of all confirmed cases.</li>
<li>The plan has four components, based on WHO recommendations: diagnosis and case management; surveillance and epidemic response; prevention &mdash; integrated vector management; &lsquo;cross-cutting&rsquo; interventions, which include advocacy, communication, research and development and other initiatives</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		'title' => 'UN Environment Award for India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Nine institutions and individuals from across Asia have been recognized by the United Nations, USAID, Interpol, and the Freeland Foundation for outstanding work in preventing transboundary environmental crime in an annual award ceremony in Bangkok.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>United Nation Environment has awarded <strong>Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change</strong> with <strong>Asia Environment Enforcement Awards, 2018 f</strong>or excellent work done by the Bureau in combating <strong>transboundary environmental crime.</strong></li>
<li>The Asia Environment Enforcement Awards publicly recognize and celebrate excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions/teams combating transboundary environmental crime in Asia.</li>
<li>The awards are given to outstanding individuals and/or government organizations/teams that demonstrate excellence and leadership in enforcement of national laws to combat transboundary environmental crime in one of the following eligibility criteria areas: <strong>collaboration; impact; innovation; integrity and gender leadership.</strong></li>
<li><strong>WCCB has been conferred this award in Innovation category.</strong></li>
<li>WCCB has adopted innovative enforcement techniques like an online Wildlife Crime Database Management System to get real time data in order to help analyze trends in crime and devise effective measures to prevent and detect wildlife crimes across India.</li>
<li>This system has been successfully used to analyse trends and for successfully carrying out operations such as:
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<li><strong>Operation SAVE KURMA:</strong> species specific operation on turtles</li>
<li><strong>THUNDERBIRD:</strong> it is code-name for INTERPOL&rsquo;s multi-national and multi-species enforcement operation</li>
<li><strong>WILDNET:</strong> to curb illegal trade of wild animals and parts through online platforms</li>
<li><strong>LESKNOW:</strong>&nbsp;to check illegal trade of lesser-known species of animals</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Environmental crimes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environmental crimes, which include<strong> illegal trade in wildlife, illicit trade in forests and forestry products, illegal dumping of waste including chemicals, smuggling of ozone depleting substances and illegal mining,</strong>&nbsp;estimated at up to $258 billion per year.</li>
<li>It is now the fourth largest illegal crime after drug smuggling, counterfeiting and human trafficking.</li>
</ul>
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Make It The Indian Way',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Make It The Indian Way&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu for 21st November 2018. It analyses the opportunities in 3D printing.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>If &lsquo;Make in India&rsquo; is to succeed, it needs to encompass &lsquo;Make it the Indian Way&rsquo;.</strong> Developing countries are fortunate to be in a historic moment when the manufacturing sector is about to go through a transformation run by disruptive technologies &mdash; the country like <strong>India should find a way of making it work in its </strong><g class="gr_ gr_259 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="259" data-gr-id="259">favour</g><strong> rather than against it.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Disruptive technologies</strong> are those that significantly alter the way businesses or entire industries operate. Often times, these technologies force companies to alter the way they approach their business or risk losing market share or becoming irrelevant. Recent examples of disruptive technologies include smartphones and e-commerce.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>3D printing is one such new technology</strong> which has many dimensions. But, it has not yet entered our everyday lexicon, and even people who have heard of it view it as a toy technology that geeks play with, creating prototypes of robots using small machines that create <g class="gr_ gr_263 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="263" data-gr-id="263">moulds</g> using materials such as plastic and photosensitive resins.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is 3D printing?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>3D printing is a manufacturing process that creates a three-dimensional object by incrementally adding material until the object is complete (this contrasts with subtractive manufacturing techniques such as carving or milling, in which an object is created by selectively removing parts from a piece of raw material).</li>
<li>The term "3D printing" is increasingly used as a synonym for <strong>Additive Manufacturing.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>How Does It Work?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 3D printing process turns a whole object into thousands of tiny little slices, then makes it from the bottom-up, slice by slice. Those tiny layers stick together to form a solid object.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Additive manufacturing started out as a technology for nerds and geeks trying to build an arm of a robot or a body of a drone in their garages.</li>
<li>Rapid progress in technology over the last five years has diversified the functions and usage of the technology.</li>
<li>Today it is possible to build an entire shoe, including shoelaces, in a university laboratory.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Uses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This technology is used to build helmets, dental implants, medical equipment, parts of jet engines and even entire bodies of cars.</li>
<li>In some industries, nearly all hearing aid manufacturers now use additive manufacturing.</li>
<li>This is also used in improved spare part management for shipbuilding, creating beautiful and durable models for conception and promotion of the construction industry.</li>
<li>Enlargement of molecular structures and mechanical parts for laboratory tooling can also be done through 3D printing.</li>
<li>Examples of tools and machinery can be seen in the food industry like 3D printed sugar.</li>
<li>3D printing has its application in the education sector, Aeronautics, and Space components as well.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for 3D printing</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Traditional manufacturing of mechanical parts involves making a <g class="gr_ gr_269 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="269" data-gr-id="269">mould</g> and then stamping out parts by thousands every day. The equipment to make these parts and <g class="gr_ gr_270 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="270" data-gr-id="270">moulds</g> is expensive, thus the cost of the first hundred units is high. Per unit costs decline only when they are mass produced. Because of limitations of how this technology works, one typically builds many small parts, which are later on assembled on an assembly line using unskilled <g class="gr_ gr_271 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="271" data-gr-id="271">labour</g> or robots to build an entire system.</li>
<li>Traditional manufacturing leads to high inventory costs of multiple parts that need to be produced and stored before being assembled. This makes the design phase complex and costly, rendering it expensive to redesign, to correct initial mistakes or innovate to meet changing consumer needs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Overview</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Industrial 3D printing has begun to transform manufacturing in Western countries.</li>
<li>One recent survey of U.S. manufacturers shows that about 12% have started using additive manufacturing for their products and expectations are that this will result in about 25% of products in the next three-five years.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Opportunities in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It eliminates large capital investments.</strong> Machines are cheaper, inventories can be small and space requirements are not large. Thus, jump-starting manufacturing does not face the massive hurdle of large capital requirement and the traditional small and medium enterprises can easily be adapted and retooled towards high technology manufacturing.</li>
<li><strong>The Indian software industry is well-established, and plans to increase connectivity are well underway as part of &lsquo;Digital India&rsquo;.</strong> This would allow for the creation of manufacturing facilities in small towns and foster industrial development outside of major cities.</li>
<li><strong>It is possible to build products that are better suited for use in harsh environmental conditions.</strong> Products that required assembly of fewer parts also implies that they may be better able to withstand dust and moisture prevalent in our tropical environment and be more durable.</li>
<li><strong>In a country where use-and-throw is an anathema, maintaining old products is far easier</strong> because parts can be manufactured as needed and product life-cycles can be expanded.</li>
<li><strong>Maintaining uniform product quality is far easier</strong> because the entire system is built at the same time and assembly is not required.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Consequences</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It decreases reliance on assembly workers</strong> and bypasses the global supply chain that has allowed countries like China to become prosperous through export of mass-produced items.</li>
<li><strong>This may lead to the creation of software-based design platforms</strong> in the West that distribute work orders to small manufacturing facilities, whether located in developed or developing countries, but ultimately transfer value creation towards software and design and away from physical manufacturing.</li>
<li>This would imply that <g class="gr_ gr_344 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="344" data-gr-id="344">labour-intensive</g><strong> manufacturing exports may be less profitable.</strong></li>
<li>For countries that have already invested in heavy manufacturing,<strong> this shift to adaptive manufacturing will be difficult and expensive.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The &ldquo;Make it the Indian Way&rdquo; approach <strong>needs public-private partnership</strong> and multi-pronged efforts.</li>
<li>There is a <strong>need to accelerate research at our premier engineering schools</strong> on manufacturing machines and methods and encourage the formation of product design centers so that the products built to suit the Indian environment and consumers.</li>
<li><strong>There is a need for government support</strong> to provide incentives for distributed manufacturing in smaller towns, and for the IT industry to work on creating platforms and marketplaces that connect consumer demands, product designers and manufacturers in a seamless way.</li>
</ul>
<p>However, a combination of science and art, with a pinch of Indian entrepreneurship thrown in, will allow to develop a manufacturing ecosystem that will not only allow India to compete with global manufacturing, it will also create products that are uniquely suited to Indian conditions.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/make-it-the-indian-way'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Kartarpur Corridor',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Union cabinet has approved the construction of a &lsquo;corridor&rsquo; <strong>linking India with the historic Kartarpur gurdwara on the banks of the Ravi river</strong>, in Pakistan.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kartarpur gurudwara is the <strong>revered shrine</strong> across the border where <strong>Guru Nanak Dev</strong>, the founder of Sikhism <strong>spent the last 18 years of his life</strong>.</li>
<li>The corridor will connect the holy shrines of <strong>Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur</strong> district of Punjab in <strong>India</strong> with <strong>Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur</strong> in <strong>Pakistan</strong>.</li>
<li>The length of the corridor is about 4 km (2 km on either side of the international border).</li>
<li>The Pakistan government has also decided to open the corridor.</li>
<li>The corridor will <strong>commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev</strong>.</li>
<li>Pilgrimages between India and Pakistan are governed by the <strong>1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines</strong>, which includes a list of shrines in Pakistan and India open for visitors from the other country, and for which <strong>visas are required</strong>.</li>
<li>The Kartarpur Corridor, which will <strong>provide visa-free access to the shrine</strong> when it becomes ready on both sides, may need a separate treaty.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was <strong>first proposed in 1999</strong> when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore.</li>
<li>The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an <strong>integrated development project with Government of India funding</strong>. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or <strong>550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019</strong>.</li>
<li>It will allow Indian devotees to visit Kartarpur shrine located 2 km inside Pakistan in Narowal district.</li>
<li>Until now, most Indian devotees have had to contend with a darshan using binoculars installed at Dera Baba Nanak Sahib.</li>
<li>India has also asked Pakistan to develop the corridor with suitable facilities in its territory from the International Border to facilitate easier access of Indian pilgrims.</li>
<li>The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a <strong>big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks</strong>, both New Delhi and Islamabad have been able to form a<strong> consensus on the issue</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Additional Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who is the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism.</li>
<li>He advocated the '<strong>Nirguna</strong>' form of bhakti.</li>
<li>He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.</li>
<li>He organised his followers into a <strong>community</strong>. He set up rules for <strong>congregational worship</strong> (<g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="52" data-gr-id="52">sangat</g>) involving <strong>collective recitation</strong>.</li>
<li>He appointed one of his disciples, <strong>Angad</strong>, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years.</li>
<li>The fifth preceptor, <strong>Guru Arjan</strong>, <strong>compiled Baba Guru Nanak&rsquo;s hymns</strong> along with those of his four successors and other religious poets like <strong>Baba Farid</strong>, <strong>Ravidas</strong> (also known as Raidas) and <strong>Kabir</strong> in the <strong>Adi Granth Sahib</strong>.</li>
<li>These hymns, called '<strong>Gurbani</strong>', are composed in many languages.</li>
<li>In the late seventeenth century the tenth preceptor, <strong>Guru Gobind Singh</strong>, included the compositions of the ninth guru,<strong> Guru Tegh Bahadur</strong>, and this scripture was called the <strong>Guru Granth Sahib.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Guru Gobind Singh</strong> also laid the foundation of the <strong>Khalsa Panth (army of the pure)</strong> and defined its five symbols: uncut hair, a dagger, a pair of shorts, a comb and a steel bangle. Under him, the community got consolidated as a <strong>socio-religious and military force.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kartarpur-corridor'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (22nd November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Ortolan Bunting in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a rare sighting, &lsquo;Ortolan Bunting&rsquo; bird has been photographed in Mangalore. It is said to be the <strong>first photographic record</strong> of an <strong>Ortolan bunting in India</strong>.</li>
<li>The Ortolan or Ortolan Buntings (Emberiza hortulana) are <strong>tiny finch-like songbirds</strong> that are part of the bunting family.</li>
<li>The bird <strong>breeds from Mongolia to Europe</strong> and<strong> migrates to Africa via the Middle East</strong>.</li>
<li>The Ortolan Bunting migrates mostly through <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="67" data-gr-id="67">Middle</g> East and while migrating, if an Ortolan loses its way, it may land anywhere.</li>
<li>The International Union for Conservation of Nature&rsquo;s (IUCN) red list of threatened species has placed Ortolan bunting in the &ldquo;<strong>Least Concern</strong>&rdquo; category.</li>
<li>However, it is considered a vulnerable species, especially in <strong>France</strong>, because the bird is trapped to be the centrepiece of a very<strong> popular gourmet dish in French cuisine</strong>.</li>
<li>It is said to be the "<strong>most sadistic dish</strong>" ever as Ortolans used to be netted in great numbers, blinded using a pair of pincers, and kept in small dark boxes.</li>
<li>This <strong>inhumane trapping and slaughter was outlawed in 1999</strong> but is still believed to be practised. In fact, until 2007 up to 50,000 of these birds were said to still have been killed due to lack of enforcement.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Devastation at Point Calimere</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After the <strong>devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja</strong>, Point Calimere resembles a forest in Vietnam that has been laid waste by Agent Orange.</li>
<li><strong>Agent Orange</strong> was a powerful herbicide (Operation Ranch Hand) used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s to eliminate forest cover and crops in Vietnam.</li>
<li>In the <strong>devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja</strong>, thousands of birds that once made the Point Calimere sanctuary their home have died, trees have been uprooted or their branches <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="57" data-gr-id="57">broken</g> or defoliated.</li>
<li>The Point Calimere, the renowned wildlife and bird sanctuary on the seashore in Nagapattinam district (Tamil Nadu), is a <strong>wetland of international importance</strong> as it is one of the 26 designated <strong>Ramsar</strong> sites in India.</li>
<li>The Point Calimere sanctuary consists of shallow waters, shores, long <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="63" data-gr-id="63">sand bars</g>, intertidal flats and intertidal forests,<strong> mangroves, dry evergreen forests</strong>, saline lagoons, as well as human-made salt exploitation sites.</li>
<li><strong>Great flamingo</strong>, <strong>Painted Stork</strong>, Little Stint, Seagull and B<g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="54" data-gr-id="54">rown-</g>headed gull are normally found in the sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Plane Flying With No Moving Parts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ever since the <strong>Wright Brothers</strong> flew the world&rsquo;s first plane more than a century ago, <g class="gr_ gr_62 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="62" data-gr-id="62">aircrafts</g> have typically flown with the help of moving parts such as propellers, turbine blades and fans, and powered by the combustion of fossil fuels or battery packs.</li>
<li>In a revolutionary change, <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</strong> engineers have built and flown a <strong>prototype plane with no moving parts</strong>.</li>
<li>Instead of propellers or turbines, the aircraft is<strong> powered by electrohydrodynamic thrust</strong> or the so-called &ldquo;<strong>ionic wind</strong>&rdquo;, a phenomenon first identified in the 1960s.</li>
<li>When a current passes between two electrodes, it creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage is applied, the resulting &ldquo;ionic wind&rdquo; can produce a thrust without the help of motors or fuel and power a small plane.</li>
<li>Earlier, BAE Systems and the University of Manchester had successfully completed the first phase of flight trials with <strong>MAGMA</strong>, a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which does away with the need for mechanical moving parts used to move flaps to control the aircraft during flight.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Innovation Cell for Higher Education Institutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)</strong>&nbsp;has established an<strong> innovation cell at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)</strong> with an aim to brainstorm new ideas about <strong>promoting innovation in all higher education institutions</strong> across India.</li>
<li>Already, more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have formed Institution&rsquo;s Innovation Councils (IICs) in their campuses to promote innovation through multitudinous modes leading to an innovation promotion eco-system in their campuses.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: ISRO-New Frontiers',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y39AVy75ok4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on building smaller launch vehicles that can carry satellites weighing 500 to 700 kg to up to 500 kilometers from the earth's</strong> surface. ISRO chief K Sivan said the demand for small satellites is growing and urged the industry to come forward and share ISRO's load as the agency would need 50-60 such vehicles every year. He said the agency is planning to open incubation centers at six places in the country to encourage innovation and startups.</p>
<p><strong>Meanwhile, India and France signed an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO's first human space mission.</strong> French space agency CNES and ISRO signed agreements in the field of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection, and personal hygiene systems. The decision to work together in the field of space was taken during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India in March.</p>
<h3>Role of Industries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian space programme has a massive contribution from the industries. <strong>Up to 50% of the satellites and 70% to 80% of rockets are made by industrial sector of India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>IRNSS 1H and IRNSS 1I both were made by Alpha Design Technologies Private Limited.</strong></li>
<li>ISRO also wants to capture the growing market in launching foreign satellites and therefore it wants to double its launching capacity from present 8 to 20. Hence, to realize such <g class="gr_ gr_174 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="174" data-gr-id="174">phenomenal</g> increase in its capacity it has to share the burden with the private industry.</li>
<li>However, the biggest hurdle is that India doesn't have a proper legislation which can boost the manufacturing industry concerned with space.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>final launch will still remain with ISRO</strong>, as satellite launching is considered as a strategic asset.</li>
<li>Till now it is ISRO which strictly followed the rigid specification that ensured safety, security and overall quality.</li>
<li>If the <g class="gr_ gr_173 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="173" data-gr-id="173">responsibility</g> is given to the private industry for manufacturing, it has to categorically make sure about the specifications. Therefore, another challenge will be about the quality of manufactured goods.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need For Smaller Satellites</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Heavy satellites like the communication satellites that weigh thousands of kilograms have become the mainstay of the space industry, but, nowadays smaller satellites are becoming an attractive option for many countries and business houses.</li>
<li>Smaller satellites are launched for some specific purposes such as monitoring climate change issues, research, and development, etc. And this is where the new startups are featuring in and contributing immensely.</li>
<li>ISRO features in the scenario where there are a lot of foreign companies who want to launch small satellites and minisatellites. Recently ISRO launched 104 satellites which became a record.</li>
<li>However, privately launched satellites in India are still not a reality.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>DRISHTI INPUT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Out of the five United Nations treaties relating to activities in outer space, India has ratified four and signed one.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The "Outer Space Treaty"</li>
<li>The "Rescue Agreement"</li>
<li>The "Liability Convention"</li>
<li>The "Registration Convention"</li>
<li>The "Moon Agreement"</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The only legal regime governing the space industry in India is determined by the Constitution of India, 1950, the Satellite Communications Policy, 2000 and the revised Remote Sensing Data Policy, 2011. There is no separate space law.</li>
<li><a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/854952/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 51</a> and <a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/883495/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 73</a> of the Constitution foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in consonance with the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties, 1968 and strives for the promotion of international peace and security.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Why India needs a robust space law?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India, the only government entity has </strong><g class="gr_ gr_226 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="226" data-gr-id="226">hold</g><strong> over the space sector, i.e., ISRO.</strong> Outsourcing only involves a certain degree of supply and manufacture of components by some commercial industries. Outsourcing would ultimately help reduce ISRO&rsquo;s time spent on satellite and launch vehicle building and let it focus research to enhance India&rsquo;s sorties in outer space.</li>
<li>A detailed and <strong>user-friendly framework would ensure smooth functioning</strong> between ISRO and the private sector and avoid conflict among them and protect the operator and the government when any liability arises in the case of damage.</li>
<li>The advent of <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">commercialisation</g>, calls for revising of domestic laws, such as the laws of contract, transfer of property, most importantly, i<strong>ntellectual property rights, to contemplate space-related issues.</strong></li>
<li>As a signatory to the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, 1972, India is liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space object on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight. However, with no national space law and policy, so, it is tough for India to determine the quantum of damages owed.</li>
<li>I<strong>t&rsquo;s the time for domestic laws to get geared up towards regulating the reuse of launch systems and &lsquo;space junk&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First and foremost, the <strong>private sector should be involved</strong> in research and development.</li>
<li>Launching vehicles and rockets manufacturing can be allocated to private industry.</li>
<li>The governance part of the whole process should be given to ISRO.</li>
<li>Appointment of <strong>efficient officers and proper regulation</strong> would further build the prospect of this industry.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-isro-new-frontiers'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'World’s First Online Climate Summit',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>World leaders are set to participate in an innovative climate change summit that will take place entirely online which makes it a <strong>carbon neutral summit.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By contrast, the <strong>UN's COP21 climate talks in Paris in 2015</strong> generated about <strong>43,000 tons of carbon dioxide</strong>, although much of this was later offset through carbon-credit schemes.</li>
<li>The Virtual Climate Summit is the<strong> brainchild of Marshall Islands President</strong>, whose nation is facing the worst impacts of climate change.</li>
<li>With participants including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this will be the<strong> first global political meeting to be held online.</strong></li>
<li>It will consist of a rolling,<strong> 24-hour livestream</strong> that will begin in the Marshalls' capital Majuro, then include addresses from leaders and panel discussions before delivering a declaration.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The virtual summit's main aim is to<strong> encourage the international community</strong> to restrict global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.</li>
<li><strong>Immediate objective is to cut carbon emissions</strong> since flying is among the most harmful activities for the climate, accounting for about 2.5% of the world&rsquo;s carbon emissions. Also, the online platform will<strong> not put additional pressure</strong> on already resource constraint nation.</li>
<li>A virtual summit also<strong> flattens the playing field,</strong> removes barriers like plane tickets and conference passes that inevitably leave out those most impacted by climate change<strong>. It is more participative.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>first time</strong> that leaders from the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), have come together, and therefore it is also a chance for those on the front line of climate change to make their voices heard.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Climate Vulnerable Forum</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an international partnership of countries <strong>highly vulnerable</strong> to a warming planet. The forum serves as a <strong>South-South cooperation</strong> platform for participating governments to act together to deal with global climate change.</li>
<li>The Forum first met in <strong>Maldives in November 2009.</strong></li>
<li>Other <strong>initiatives taken by CVF</strong> to deal with climate change:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Vulnerable Twenty (V20)</strong> Group of<strong> Ministers of Finance</strong> of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a <strong>dedicated cooperation initiative of economies</strong> systemically vulnerable to climate change.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established on 08 October <strong>2015 at Lima, Peru.</strong></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s primary objective is to promote the mobilisation of<strong> climate finance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Survive Thrive #1.5C</strong> aims to promote actions to keep warming below 1.5&deg;C and urges people to get involved and keep updated on limiting global warming to 1.5&deg;C.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier, a<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-warming-of-1-5-c-ipcc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> UN report</a> warned that threshold could be reached as early as 2030 unless there was unprecedented global action to rein in emissions.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/worlds-first-online-climate-summit'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'US Citizen killed by Tribals in Andaman',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>An American national who tried to contact protected Sentinelese tribes in Andamans north sentinel island was allegedly killed by them.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In August 2018, in order to promote tourism in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, the government excluded 29 inhabited islands which also included North Sentinelese island from the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restricted-%20area%20-permit-eased-for-foreigners-visiting%20-andaman-Islands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricted area permit (RAP) regime till December 31, 2022.</a></li>
<li>The lifting of RAP means that foreigners are allowed to visit these islands without prior permission from the government is subject to certain conditions.</li>
<li>Separate approvals of a competent authority would continue to be required for visiting reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries, and tribal reserves.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sentinelese</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sentinelese is a <strong>pre-neolithic, negrito tribe who live in North Sentinel Island of the Andamans.</strong></li>
<li>They are completely isolated with <strong>no contact to the outside world.</strong> The first time they were contacted by a team of Indian anthropologists in 1991.</li>
<li>Due to no contact, the census of Sentinelese is taken through photographing the island individuals from distance. Census 2001 counted them at 39.</li>
<li>Surveys of North Sentinel Island have not found any evidence of agriculture. Instead, the community seems to be hunter-gatherers, getting food through fishing, hunting, and collecting wild plants living on the island.</li>
<li>Sentinelese are also listed under <strong>Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)</strong> by the government of India.</li>
<li>They are protected under the <strong>Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It declares traditional areas occupied by the tribes as reserves, and prohibited entry of all except those with authorization.</li>
<li>Photographing or filming tribe members is also an offense.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Should Tribes be contacted?</h3>
<p>The situation of the tribal or the Adivasi community in India has always been a challenge. To assimilate or let &ldquo;them&rdquo; be are ongoing debates.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Humans by Nature Social</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Anthropologists who studied &ldquo;uncontacted tribes&rdquo; have said that the tribes were interested in making contact with the outside world, but they were too afraid to do so. Hence, outside contact should be made but only when they have initiated it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Destruction of Tribal Culture</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Contact to the outside world also risks the destruction of tribal culture, knowledge, and languages which can get overwhelmed by outside influence and eventually become extinct.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Health Risk</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &ldquo;uncontacted people&rdquo; are not vaccinated to various diseases, which outsiders may carry unknowingly. There is the health risk to these communities from outside contact.</li>
<li>In America, the contact with outside diseases killed up to 100 million indigenous people following the European arrival.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The academics have suggested that the best path forward is a policy of<strong> "controlled contact"</strong> with these communities instead of a policy of no contact. Carefully managed contact to avoid the spread of disease, but also enable the building of trust and providing aid and medical help if needed is the best way.</li>
<li>Establishing contact with the outside world can also help governments to document their way of life, preserve their culture and their holistic development.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Uncontacted people:</strong> These are indigenous communities that have managed to exist almost entirely outside the purview of the nation-states in which they technically live.</p>
<p><strong>Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PVTGs are centrally recognized special category from among the Scheduled Tribes and were constituted during the 4th five-year plan on the basis of the report of the Dhebar commission (1960-61).</li>
<li>They are the most vulnerable section among tribals and generally inhabit the isolated, remote and difficult areas as small and scattered hamlets/ habitats.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar</strong></p>
<p>The Andaman and Nicobar are home to<strong> six tribes, Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompen.</strong></p>
</div>',
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	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Unaddressed Issues In Agri Marketing&rdquo; which appears in BusinessLine. It analyses the issues related to Agriculture Marketing.)</p>
</div>
<p>Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. Even, with the growth of other sectors, <strong>agriculture still continues to play a dominant part in the overall economic scenario of India</strong>. But, is plagued with many problems. The problem of agri marketing tops the list of issues related to agriculture. Agricultural marketing plays a pivotal role in promoting and sustaining agricultural production and productivity, leading to food security and inclusive growth of the country.</p>
<p><strong>The reform of agricultural markets is a long pending policy issue in India.</strong> Like many other issues related to agriculture, which is a State subject, this one too is caught in a tussle between the Central and State governments.</p>
<p><strong>Agricultural marketing is mainly a state entitlement</strong> with the Central Government providing support under central sector schemes. Starting from the year 1951, various Five-Year Plans focused on the price support programs through <strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP)</strong>, development of physical markets, on-farm and off-farm storage structures, facilities for standardization and grading, packaging and transportation. However, these can only succeed if states are willing and active partners.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP</strong>) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).</p>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The first attempt</strong> for reforms in agricultural markets was made by the Central government by designing a model <strong>Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act in 2003.</strong> It provides for new market channels other than the APMC market- such as direct purchase, private wholesale markets, and contract farming for farmers and buyers alike.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Under the APMC acts,</strong> farmers are required to sell a large number of commodities in the vast majority of the states in a local mandi where intermediaries often manipulate the price. These same intermediaries then sell the produce to the next layer of intermediaries. Because mandis lack good storage and warehousing facilities especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables, substantial wastage occurs undermining the price received by the farmer. Mandis also charge multiple entry, exit, and other fees. Therefore, it is essential that states genuinely reform their APMC acts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;"></ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Then came, <strong>Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (promotion and facilitation) Act, 2017 (APLMA, 2017).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Why Agri Marketing issues are still unaddressed?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Only some States have adopted the APLMA Act fully</strong>. Lack of coverage is one of the main hindrances in addressing the issues of agri marketing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Maharashtra tried to bring this into its APLM Act but had to withdraw this provision due to a traders&rsquo; strike.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>What is needed for <strong>more effective MSP implementation</strong> is the effective provision of procurement by the State and its agencies with the involvement of local institutions like PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) and producer companies.</li>
<li><strong>The Contract farming has been taken out of the APMC domain</strong>, citing conflict of interest. Traders and commission agents oppose it due to their business getting adversely affected; the contracted produce does not have to come to the APMC mandi or pass through the mandi agents.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Contract farming</strong> can be defined as agricultural production carried out according to an agreement between a buyer and farmers, which establishes conditions for the production and marketing of a farm product or products.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Not many private markets</strong> could come up during the last 15 years as the local APMCs felt threatened by them and scuttled them, by not allocating land, placing other conditions and even charging a fee from them- despite many of them being granted licenses.</li>
<li><strong>Flawed MSP provision</strong> forces the private traders to buy produce at or above MSP or penalizing for not doing so, can kill the private markets for agricultural produce.</li>
<li>The issue is that who will regulate direct purchase outside the market yard by buyers like food supermarkets or traders or exporters. This is also contradictory to section 4(1) of the Act 2017, which declares the whole State as one unified market.</li>
<li>The act does not deal with issues in the livestock sector which is a very important sector of the agribusiness economy.</li>
<li>By clubbing the farm produce and livestock into one legislation, it also fails to recognize that the dynamics of these markets are very different in terms of perishability, frequency, and nature of transactions.</li>
<li>The model Act asks the APLMC to ensure that traders do not hoard produce but no measures to prevent it are specified. This, therefore, is a half-hearted provision.</li>
<li>Most disappointingly, the <strong>Act ignores the vexed issue of the role of Arthiyas (commission agents or CAs)</strong> in the APMCs and maintains them as central agents in the system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Removal of entry barriers:</strong> Allow buyers to participate across all markets with a single license. Allow farmers to sell in any market of their choice.</li>
<li><strong>Assist price discovery:</strong> Auction of the produce should take place simultaneously on the electronic platform in all regulated markets all over the country.</li>
<li><strong>Standardized scientific assaying and grading:</strong> Reliable assaying and quality testing infrastructure have to be established in every market, and quality-based bidding must be encouraged. Standardization of quality and quantity parameters, dissemination of these parameters to buyers, clearing and settlement mechanisms and dispute resolution are key prerequisites for encouraging participation from remote locations in a pan-India market.</li>
<li><strong>Electronic settlement of sales:</strong> Collection of sale proceeds from the buyer and remitting it to the bank account of the seller must be facilitated by the market;</li>
<li><strong>Removal of controls:</strong> Restrictions on inter- and intra-state transportation of commodities should be removed.</li>
<li>Move to a warehouse-based trading system: In the longer term, the marketing system needs to transform into a warehouse-based trading system. A farmer brings his produce to a warehouse; the produce is graded as per a standard protocol and the farmer is issued a Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (NWR). The NWR guarantees the grade quality of the product for a certain period of time.</li>
<li>I<strong>nvolvement of other stakeholders:</strong> Participation of private players along with farmer producer organizations (FPOs) should be encouraged. The Maharashtra model of linking FPOs with Apni Mandi concept of providing marketing platforms to retail FPOs production to consumers should also be considered.</li>
<li><strong>Improve market infrastructure:</strong> Existing physical infrastructure related to logistics, supply chain, storage should be improved.</li>
<li><strong>New institutional mechanisms:</strong> The public-private partnership (PPP) model adopted by Karnataka with the help of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), wherein an SPV was floated to create a United Market Platform (UMP) model across 65 markets offers some key lessons on some aspects of operationalizing the NAM. Additionally, besides the PPP model, the build-operate-transfer model also needs to be explored. Formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) can be a way forward to implement the strategy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/coop/IndiaActionPlan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NITI Aayog three year agenda</a> calls for reforming the APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees) acts so that farmers are empowered to sell their produce to whomsoever they wish. This will ensure that farmers receive remunerative prices.</li>
<li>On the issue of fragmented agricultural markets in India, the plan recommended plugging the gaps in eNAM (electronic National Agricultural Market) where cross-market purchases are few and far between. These issues held responsible for agriculture becoming a loss-making venture.</li>
</ul>',
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	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Breathe: An Action Plan for Combating Air Pollution',
		'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
		'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p><strong>NITI Aayog</strong> has developed <strong>15 Action Points</strong> to combat air pollution across a range of industries and sectors. It calls for concerted action from all levels of governance, cutting across Ministries and Departments.</p>
<h3>Cause For Concern</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>WHO database (2018)</strong> has identified several of India&rsquo;s top cities with some of the highest levels of air pollution in the world.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/175image5.png" width="465" height="482" style="float: right;" /></li>
<li><strong>14</strong> of the world&rsquo;s <strong>15</strong> most polluted cities are in India.</li>
<li>Exposure to the air pollution is leading to diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.</li>
<li>According to <strong>Health of the Nation&rsquo;s States,</strong> household air pollution was responsible for 5% of the total disease burden in India , and outdoor air pollution was responsible for 6% of the burden.</li>
<li>During the winter months, <strong>crop residue burning (CRB)</strong> accounts for <strong>17% of PM10</strong> and <strong>16% of PM2.5 air pollution</strong>. The problem of crop burning is mainly observed in the major paddy producing states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Maharashtra, where CRB is practiced among the sugarcane farmers.</li>
<li>As per <strong>State of Forests Report 2017,</strong> India has a forest cover of more than<strong> 7 Lakh sq km</strong> area that is 21.54% of the total geographical area of the country. Forest fires are a large source of PM. These fires can have a significant impact on local air quality, visibility and human health.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Action Plans for top 10 Most Polluted Cities in India<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/670image1.png" width="422" height="449" style="float: right;" /></h3>
<p><strong>1. Drive Mobility through Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Increasing distribution of electric and hybrid vehicles through necessary financial measures and infrastructural support.</li>
<li>Asking all Central Government offices to replace existing fleets older than 15 years to electric vehicles in the next 3 years i.e. by 2021 April.</li>
<li>Additional incentives like free registration and ease of getting permits for electric 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers should be immediately notified by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).</li>
<li>By boosting Last mile connectivity through clean/e-rickshaws.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Enact Strong Measures to Curb Vehicular Emissions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Implementing a large scale Feebate program from 2020 onwards: A feebate is a policy by which inefficient or polluting vehicles incur a surcharge (fee) while efficient ones receive a rebate (bate).</li>
<li>Issue guidelines for vehicle ownership and usage: Measures like congestion pricing, escalation of taxes and insurances, higher costs of parking, and implementing restrictions on certain areas and times need to be employed to reduce private vehicle usage.</li>
<li>Switch to low Sulphur fuel (10 ppm) and implement Bharat VI (similar to Euro VI) standards for engine emissions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>BS VI norms to be implemented in Delhi NCR by April 2019</li>
<li>BS VII norms to be implemented all over India by April 2020</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>By introducing a voluntary fleet modernisation mechanism supported by financial incentives in the form of discounts from the manufacturers and lower excise duties which will be implemented by MoRTH.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Reduce Emissions by Optimizing the Power Sector</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Expedite strategic decommissioning of old and inefficient power plants as well as upgradation of efficient thermal power plants.</li>
<li>Push rooftop solar and distributed generation: Simplification of rules, regulations and leasing policy for operation and power distribution will augment solar power.</li>
<li>Ensuring high grade low polluting coal to the power plants</li>
<li>Emphasis on improved power reliability in urban areas to eliminate the operation of diesel power generators.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Reform Regulatory Framework for Industrial Air Pollution</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Revise ambient air quality standards of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as well as individual categories of industrial emissions standards and practices.</li>
<li>Furthermore, formulation of a fuel substitution sub-action plan with the following measures should be explored.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mandated increase in content of ash in coal used for powering boilers and thermal plants.</li>
<li>Mandatory use of beneficiated coal promotion of clean coal technologies.</li>
<li>Emission standards for Diesel Generator sets.</li>
<li>Use of Natural gas instead of coal in small boilers.</li>
<li>Nationwide ban on usage of highly polluting fuels such as coke and furnace oil.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Improving environmental auditing process by implementing measures such as random assignment of auditors to industrial plants, payment from a common pool, monitoring for accuracy and accuracy-based bonus payment system etc.</li>
<li>Incentivise law enforcement: Incentivising the performing states will be instrumental to speed up corrective action against air pollution. One of the measures being creation of a competitive &lsquo;Air Pollution Index&rsquo; with sub-indices for corresponding sources of pollution can be used to rank the states and create competition.</li>
<li>This &lsquo;name and shame&rsquo; policy based on the index combined with performance-linked transfers from a common &lsquo;Clear Air Fund&rsquo; (created with the support from the central government under MoEF&amp;CC) can combat air pollution.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Implement a National Emissions Trading System<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/183image7.png" style="float: right;" width="301" height="262" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Introducing a market-based instruments within a regulatory framework based on the concept of &lsquo;polluters pay&rsquo; should be implemented. It would entail capping the individual pollution levels of all industries to certain emission allowance. The currency of trade would be tonnage of pollutants produce such as &lsquo;CO<sub>2</sub> , SOx and NOX units&rsquo;, which are interconvertible. Similar trading units for particulate matter can also be introduced.</li>
<li>The firms operating at a deficit, i.e. emitting more than permitted, can purchase through the open trade exchange from the firms that are operating at a surplus.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>6. Adopt Cleaner Construction Practices</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mandating Environmental Risk Assessment for construction projects.</li>
<li>Revise parameters of Green Building Ratings to include construction process: Higher score on the Green Ratings can then be linked with subsidised financial support.</li>
<li>Set up smog free towers: It is an innovative technological solution deployed across Europe, which cleans the polluted air in an area around it. These can be installed at the point sources of construction activities.</li>
<li>Enforce use of ready-made concrete to eliminate the negative externalities of using Site Batch Concrete.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>7. Implementing a Business Model to Utilize Crop Residue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Direct procurement of crop residue collected by large agro-waste management companies must be done by large thermal units like NTPC at the standard market rate.</li>
<li>Encourage new markets for purchase of crop residues from farmers: Providing subsidies (in term of incentives and tax rebates) to set up new plants of agro-waste management companies in major paddy and sugarcane farming States. State governments can utilize the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for this purpose. In India, NABARD has been accredited with a Direct Access Entity (DAE) to channelize the GCF for recommended projects related to environmental management.</li>
<li>Mandate an inter-State trading model for paddy stubble. For instance, paddy straw collected from Punjab can be procured by other States for mushroom cultivation, ethanol production and various other purposes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>8. Implement an Integrated Waste Management Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to ensure a life cycle approach to products from the manufacturers themselves, holding them responsible for safe disposal of their products. It also encourages producers to use less polluting materials, and is particularly effective in areas like electronics, vehicles, plastic packaging etc.</li>
<li>Adopt landfill taxes and regulation: Charging extra fees at the gate for landfill entry can shift economic viability from more landfilling to treatment/processing methods. The next step would be setting targets for percentage reduction in landfilled biodegradable waste.</li>
<li>Incentivise waste to energy systems: Incentives like tax reduction for energy produced through biogas, consumer subsidies for biogas plants, or incentives for upgraded incineration with energy capture, will help make treatment more viable than dumping or burning.</li>
<li>Decentralize waste processing: Alternatives to landfilling can be effectively implemented, as demonstrated by waste segregation in Bengaluru, pipe and aerobic composting in Alappuzha,recycling business models in Mysuru, municipal segregation models in Panaji, etc.</li>
<li>Pilot blockchain initiatives in waste management. For example, in return for items recycled, tokens are provided to people that can be exchanged for other services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>9. Tackle City Dust through Urban Local Bodies<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/154image3.png" width="611" height="337" style="float: right;" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mitigate city dust by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Undertaking reforestation and afforestation drive along roadsides and medians.</li>
<li>Covering landfills with vegetation.</li>
<li>Planting vertical gardens using pollution absorbing plant varieties on the pillars of over-bridges/flyovers.</li>
<li>Identifying such over-bridges/flyovers where plantation drive in spaces below can be taken up.</li>
<li>Constructing footpaths and pavements alongside road by ULBs, PWD and NHAI.</li>
<li>Relocating brick kilns further away from cities.</li>
<li>Eliminating manual sweeping of roads and the side areas of roads.</li>
<li>Prioritizing identification of sites with silt and garbage on the side of the drains and its removal. Silt removed can be used in road embankments.</li>
<li>Undertake mechanical dust removal: Mechanical dust removal, by, for example, deploying dust absorbing and water spraying vehicles on roads, or mechanized road sweeping machines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/624image4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p><strong>10. Integrate Efforts to Tackle Forest Fires</strong></p>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/399image6.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Undertake measures to prevent forest fires:</strong> A comprehensive National Policy for Prevention and Control of Forest fires being prepared by MoEFCC should be finalized urgently. Implementation and utilisation of this system should be made mandatory by all state forest departments.</li>
<li><strong>Ensure mitigation of forest fires:</strong> Provision of fire breaks and fire lines that act as barriers in propagation of forest fire should be made mandatory.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>11. Encourage Clean Cooking Practices</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Encourage the use of cleaner fuels such as LPG, biogas, solar energy and electricity.Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana( PMUY ) is a significant step in this case.</li>
<li>Promotion and distribution of fuel efficient chulhas.</li>
<li>Ensure well ventilated homes: This approach can be integrated with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), for building designs that define cooking and living area to maintain healthy air quality inside the house.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>12. Drive Public Ownership through Behavioural Change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Agricultural Pollution: Through existing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), specially designed campaigns must be set up to provide farmers with appropriate information tools such as in-situ mulching and on-farm management techniques.</li>
<li>Indoor Pollution: A culture of clean cooking among households by informing the public about the impact on health needs to be promoted.</li>
<li>Forest Fires: The mechanism of Joint Forest Management Committees established at village level should be leveraged to sensitize traditional forest dwellers on causes and hazards of forest fires.</li>
<li>City Dust: Construction companies for curbing generation of construction waste should be sensitized.</li>
<li>Waste management: Awareness campaigns to accompany positive and negative policy incentivization for people to segregate household waste at source and encourage composting of wet waste and recycling of dry waste.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>13. Develop Consistent and Quantified National, Sub-National and Sectoral Plans<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/516image2.png" style="float: right;" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A comprehensive Action Plan at the national-level should be complemented with well-designed and well-researched State-level and city-level plans, with strong implementation that dovetail into one another and add up to clearly defined outcome targets with timelines, especially for a targeted level of PM2.5 and PM10. The ambitious National Clean Air Programme has announced a reduction in pollution levels in 100 cities by 35% in the next three years and 50% in the next five years.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>14. Improve Air Quality Monitoring Systems</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has 39 on-ground real-time air pollution monitoring systems spread across 23 cities as compared to China, which has 1,500 of such systems spread in over 900 cities. To enable interventions to combat air pollution, the numbers of such systems needs to be much higher</li>
<li>Accurately and comprehensively monitor air pollution levels to provide comprehensive data for interventions aimed at improving air quality.</li>
<li>The usage of drones and UAVs can be explored for capturing air quality.</li>
<li>Develop air pollution abatement plans based on monitoring data, aided by geo-mapping of all point sources of pollution.</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/breathe-an-action-plan-for-combating-air-pollution'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Water ATMs',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to a report by Safe Water Network (SWN), the government should invest in Water ATMs to provide safe drinking water to people, in areas where building piped infrastructure is difficult.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What are Water ATMs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Anytime Water Machines (ATM) is a water dispensation system which can be automatic with a coin or smart card, or manually.</li>
<li>Operated by private companies, water ATMS provide an alternative solution to the safe drinking water challenge.</li>
<li>Essentially water ATM is a community RO.</li>
<li>Installed at various public places such as railway stations, bus stands, places of worship and slums where the need for potable water is acute.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Need for Water ATM</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) pointed out that only 18% of the rural population has access to potable piped water.</li>
<li>India is ranked at 120 out of 122 countries on the Water Quality Index.</li>
<li>Many households cannot afford to buy a household RO.</li>
<li>70% of water in the country is contaminated by pollutants.</li>
<li>21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.</li>
<li>To fulfil Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring availability and sustainable management of water for all by 2030.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swajal Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has initiated &ldquo;Swajal&rdquo; - a demand driven and community owned program to provide <strong>sustainable access to drinking water</strong> to people in rural areas.</li>
<li>This scheme will aim to provide villages with piped water supply powered by solar energy.</li>
<li>The scheme will train hundreds of rural technicians for operation and maintenance of Swajal units. Thus creating employment opportunities for rural youths besides solving problem of availability and accessibility of drinking water.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Growth of Water ATM</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Community water purification plants have grown from less than 12,000 in 2014 to almost 50,000 in 2018.</li>
<li>Water ATMS have become a popular CSR activity for companies that want to build community assets.</li>
<li>To reach the government&rsquo;s Har Ghar Jal target of 100% piped water by 2030, almost ₹5 lakh crore of infrastructure investment will be required.</li>
<li>It is estimated that if the government spends less than 10% of that amount on small water enterprises, it could provide affordable and safe drinking water at a fraction of the cost.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Advantages</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Affordability:</strong> Its comparatively low investments and operating costs provide a cheaper alternative than exorbitantly priced packaged drinking water.</li>
<li><strong>Environmental Sustainability:</strong> By reducing the use of plastics which is integral to packaged water.</li>
<li><strong>Availability:</strong> Most groundwater in India is estimated to be contaminated with pollutants that cause renal failure and other diseases. Through Water ATMs availability of safe drinking water can be ensured.</li>
<li><strong>Accessibility:</strong> Water ATMs will provide round the clock provision of water. Cashless dispensing and pay-per-use methodology will enhance accessibility. The Water ATMs will reduce the drudgery of women who travel long distances to fetch water saving their time and energy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Water ATMs are being seen as a way of privatising water supply.</li>
<li>Operational and maintenance challenges like timely replacement of malfunctioning filters etc.</li>
<li>Ensuring availability of 24x7 electricity supply to run Water ATMs in rural areas.</li>
<li>RO is expensive and wasteful, and could well be replaced by cheaper technology such as UV purification.</li>
<li>Excessive use of water from particular location may cause drying up of water, exacerbating the water shortage.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Supreme Court has decreed in various judgments that water is a fundamental human right as part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Government needs to play more active role in ensuring its constitutional obligation to provide safe and affordable water to people.</li>
<li>Successful implementation of concept of Water ATMs needs robust policy structures specifying tariffs, quality, maintenance schedules etc.</li>
<li>However, ATMs cannot be standalone solution to the water crisis in the country. The real solution lies in conserving water, in protecting its sources, in using it efficiently.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-water-atms'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Water ATMs',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/933Water%20ATMs.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/933Water ATMs.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper3/mind-map-paper-3-water-atms'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>International Maritime Organization (IMO)</strong> adopted an amendment that supports a reduced limit on sulphur in ships' fuel oil.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The IMO adopted the new 0.50% limit from the current 3.50% on sulphur in ships' fuel oil.</li>
<li>The new guidelines will be implemented from January 1, 2020, under <strong>IMO's MARPOL treaty</strong>.</li>
<li>The limit is likely to have benefits for the environment as well as human health.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pollution by Shipping</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Discharge into air</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are more than 52,000 ships sailing the ocean which burn more than 2 billion barrels of heavy fuel oil in one year. (Heavy fuel oil, a crude oil byproduct, contains sulfur concentrations up to 1,800 times higher than the diesel fuel used for cars).</li>
<li><strong>Ships contribute between 2 and 3 percent of the world&rsquo;s total greenhouse gas emissions,</strong> through emission of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ballast Water Discharge</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ballast Water Discharge by ships is responsible for the introduction of invasive species in the oceans.</li>
<li>The oceans take in the water from one port and discharge the water during the next port call thus introducing a variety of non-native species in the sea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sound Pollution:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Growing levels of noise pollution in the ocean drive fish away from their habitat into their deaths. Sound Pollution also impacts the marine organism who rely on sound for communication, mating calls and catching prey.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Oil Spills and Chemical Discharges:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Oil spills have huge and immediate economic, social, and environmental impacts.</li>
<li>Local people lose their livelihoods as fisheries and tourism areas are temporarily closed; the cleanup costs are enormous, and tens of thousands of marine animals and plants are killed or harmed.</li>
<li>Many ships illegally discharge bilge oil (a mixture of water, oil, lubricants, and other pollutants that collect in a ship's hold) before entering a port as this is cheaper than disposing of it legally at the port.</li>
<li>Dumped bilge oil accounts for nearly 10% of all oil entering the oceans each year.</li>
<li>Some of these chemicals are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Collision with Wildlife:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ships cause physical and other damage: through dropping of anchors, wave disturbances, and striking of whales and other marine mammals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Treaty)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MARPOL is one of the most significant <strong>international marine environmental conventions.</strong></li>
<li>The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships<strong> (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.</strong></li>
<li>The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977.</li>
<li>The current convention is a combination of the 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol, which entered into force on 2 October 1983.</li>
<li>The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships - <strong>and currently includes six technical Annexes:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Annex I: Regulations for the <strong>Prevention of Pollution by Oil</strong></li>
<li>Annex II: Regulations for the<strong> Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk</strong></li>
<li>Annex III: Prevention of Pollution by<strong> Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form</strong></li>
<li>Annex IV: Prevention of Pollution by <strong>Sewage from Ships</strong></li>
<li>Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by<strong> Garbage from Ships</strong></li>
<li>Annex VI: Prevention of<strong> Air Pollution from Ships</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2011, IMO became the first international regulator for a transport sector to adopt globally binding energy efficiency requirements, which apply to all ships globally, regardless of trading pattern or flag State, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>International Maritime Organization</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The International Maritime Organization is a <strong>specialized agency of the United Nations.</strong></li>
<li>IMO is responsible for<strong> measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping</strong> and<strong> to prevent pollution from ships.</strong></li>
<li>It is also involved in legal matters, including <strong>liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>established by means of a Convention</strong> adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva <strong>on 17 March 1948</strong> and met for the first time in January 1959.</li>
<li><strong>It currently has 174 Member States.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/imo-guidelines-on-shipping-fuel'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India&rsquo;s <strong>first robotic telescope</strong> and the<strong> first one designed to observe dynamic or transient events</strong> in the universe has started observing the skies.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The telescope is located at the <strong>Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in Ladakh.</strong></li>
<li>The telescope is a joint project of the Bangalore-based <strong>Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)</strong> and the <strong>Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB).</strong></li>
<li>It is fully funded by the <strong>Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)</strong> of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the <strong>Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) project</strong>, administered by Indo US Science and Technology Forum.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The primary goal of PIRE is to <strong>support high quality projects</strong> in which advances in research and education could not occur without international collaboration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Called GROWTH-India, the facility at Hanle is part of a multi-country collaborative initiative known as <strong>Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)</strong> to observe<strong> transient events in the universe.</strong></li>
<li>The telescope also has the badge of being housed in the <strong>one of the world&rsquo;s highest astronomical observatories</strong> at 4,500 meters.</li>
<li>The 70 cm robotic telescope joins other larger facilities at IAO in Hanle - the <strong>Himalayan Chandra Telescope, the gamma-ray array telescope (HAGAR), and the imaging Cherenkov telescope (MACE).</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The GROWTH program is a 5 year project, funded by the <strong>National Science Foundation (NSF).</strong> NSF is a United States government agency whose mission includes support for all fields of <strong>fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences.</strong></li>
<li>It is an international collaborative network of astronomers and telescopes dedicated to the study of <strong>short-lived cosmic transients and near-earth asteroids.</strong></li>
<li>Cosmic transients are <strong>energetic flashes of light</strong> that are millions to billions of times the brightness of the sun, e.g. explosive deaths of massive stars, white dwarf detonations, etc.</li>
<li>Key follow-up observations of fast-fading or fast-moving events must occur at night promptly after discovery but before the sun rises.</li>
<li>Therefore, a <strong>relay or network of telescopes spanning multiple longitudes (time-zones)</strong> on earth is required to pass the baton amongst each other to<strong> effectively extend the night-time darkness.</strong></li>
<li>GROWTH enables detailed monitoring of events that would otherwise vanish before the next night.</li>
<li>Its goals are <strong>threefold:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Search for <strong>explosions in the optical regime</strong> whenever <strong>Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) group detects a Binary Neutron Star merger.</strong></li>
<li>Study <strong>nearby young supernova explosions.</strong></li>
<li>Study<strong> nearby asteroids.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Universities and research institutes from the US, the UK, Japan, India, Germany, Taiwan and Israel are part of the initiative.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/growth-indias-first-robotic-telescope'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Impact Of World War I On India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Impact of World War I on India&rdquo; which appeared in Livemint. It analyses the impacts of World War I on India.)</p>
</div>
<p>In context please refer: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-war-I-centenary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World War I Centenary&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><strong>When the armed conflict kicked off, the British Expeditionary Force in France was a small, as a fighting force.</strong> Reinforcing it was essential; thus that led to the deployment of the two Indian divisions. Rushed to the Western Front, Indian soldiers fought tenaciously to stop a German breakthrough. By the time Indian soldiers sailed out from Marseilles 14 months later, they and their fellow countrymen-138,608 <strong>Indians in all had helped to weaken Germany&rsquo;s Schlieffen Plan.</strong></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Schlieffen Plan</strong>, It was a battle plan first proposed in 1905 by Alfred, Graf (count) von Schlieffen, chief of the German general staff, that was designed to allow Germany to wage a successful two-front war. The plan was heavily modified by Schlieffen&rsquo;s successor, Helmuth von Moltke, prior to and during its implementation in World War I. Moltke&rsquo;s changes, which included a reduction in the size of the attacking army, were blamed for Germany&rsquo;s failure to win a quick victory.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>With the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on 11th November 2018</strong> and the inauguration of monuments to Indian soldiers in France, it is a contribution worth remembering. T<strong>he broader impact of the war on India suffers from a lack of attention.</strong></p>
<h3>Why did India support British&rsquo;s war efforts?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Indian nationalism</strong>, at that time, was <strong>dominated by moderates</strong> <strong>who believed that</strong> Indian contribution to the British war efforts would result in British&rsquo;s benevolence towards the natives and <strong>would grant them more constitutional reforms.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Indian army was distant from the nationalist movement</strong> as magazines, newspapers were not allowed in the barracks and so they fought for the British Raj.</li>
</ul>
<h3>WW I&rsquo;s significance for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The world war ended the myth of the indestructible power of the British Empire</strong> in India as the British faced many humiliating defeats during the war. This raised the self-confidence among Indians.</li>
<li>The soldiers that returned after war<strong> raised the morale of masses.</strong></li>
<li>India supported Britain in the world war on its promise of fighting for democracy but serving India with Rowlatt Act immediately after the war served as an eye-opener for Indians. This <strong>led to the rise of national consciousness and soon Non-Cooperation movement</strong> <strong>was launched.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Formation of USSR after the war</strong> also led to the<strong> rise of communism i</strong>n India with the formation of CPI and imparted a socialist influence on the freedom struggle.</li>
</ul>
<h3><br />What motivated men to fight in war thousands of miles from home?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian soldiers saw it as their duty to bring <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">honour</g> to their clan or caste, by fighting bravely on the battlefield.</li>
<li>The pay for an Indian infantryman was a modest 11 rupees a month, but the additional income earned from participating in the war would have been useful to a hard-pressed peasant family so, money may have been one motive for enlistment.</li>
<li>Indian soldiers frequently expressed a strong sense of personal duty to the King-Emperor George V, who is mentioned in their letters more often than anyone else.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Indian national movement and the country&rsquo;s socio-economic development did not take place in isolation. World War I linked India to global events in profound ways with far-reaching consequences.</strong></p>
<h3>Political Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, the return of Punjabi soldiers after the end of the war also <strong>aroused political activity</strong> against colonial rule in that province, which became the spark for further wider protests. Punjab which supplied a large proportion of the troops turned into an epicenter of nationalism after the war.</li>
<li><strong>There was a surge of nationalism and rise of mass civil disobedience</strong> when the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms&rsquo; failed to deliver on the expectation of home rule that had led to popular support for the British war effort.</li>
<li>As the war dragged on, c<strong>asualties mounted and recruitment methods grew more coercive, resentment grew to fuel nationalism.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Social Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Between 1911 and 1921,<strong> literacy rates increased</strong> significantly in heavily recruited communities. This effect is strongest for men of military age, which is consistent with the notion that soldiers learned to read and write on their foreign campaigns.</li>
<li>Respect for particular communities who participated in the war grew in the society.</li>
<li>The huge number of non-combatants were also recruited from India- such as nurses, doctors etc. l<strong>eaving Indian society deprived of essential services </strong>in a situation where such skills were already scarce in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economic Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There was a <strong>sharp increase in demand for Indian goods</strong> in Britain as production capabilities in Britain itself were diverted to the war effort.</li>
<li>However, the disruption in shipping lanes because of the war also meant that Indian industry faced inconvenience because of the shortage of inputs that were earlier imported from Britain and Germany. <strong>There was excess demand as well as supply bottlenecks.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Another result was inflation.</strong> Industrial prices nearly doubled in the six years after 1914. Accelerating prices benefitted Indian industry.</li>
<li><strong>Farm prices rose as well</strong>, but at a slower pace than industrial prices. The internal terms of trade(ratio of export prices to import prices) moved against agriculture. This trend continued for most of the next few decades, and especially during the collapse in global commodity prices during the Great Depression.</li>
<li><strong>Demand for food supplies, particularly cereals, led to rampant food inflation.</strong></li>
<li>Exports of cash crops like jute suffered due to the loss of the European market. Meanwhile, rising military demand for jute products compensated for the decline in civilian demand with jute mills in Bengal establishing monopolies; skewed income distribution grew even more so.</li>
<li><strong>The drain on the Indian economy</strong> in the form of cash, kind and loans to the British government came to about 367 million pounds.</li>
<li><strong>Domestic manufacturing sectors such as cotton benefited</strong> from the decline in British goods that had dominated the pre-war market.</li>
<li><strong>The steel sector benefited as well.</strong> For instance, the ailing Tata steel mills were handed a lifeline in the form of a contract to supply rails to the Mesopotamian campaign.</li>
<li><strong>British investment was rerouted to the UK,</strong> creating opportunities for Indian capital. In short, the war economy boosted Indian capitalism in some ways at least.</li>
</ul>
<p>Learn More: <a href="https://prezi.com/6obvgyeohvfh/the-social-effects-of-world-war-one-on-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Impacts of WW I</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/impact-of-wwi-on-india'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Invasive Plant Species Introduced by Kerala Floods',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Floods and landslides in Kerala have brought several alien invasive species of plants into the State&rsquo;s water bodies, posing a threat to native biodiversity and the aquatic environment.</span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The physical routes and paths formed due to landslides and the overflow of rivers had paved the way for the establishment of primary colonies of invasive species like </span><b>Nila grass</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Mimosa <g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="76" data-gr-id="76">diplotricha</g>), </span><b>Mikania</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Mikania <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="80" data-gr-id="80">micrantha</g>), </span><b>Lantana</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Lantana <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="83" data-gr-id="83">camara</g>) and </span><b>Siam weed</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Chromolaena <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="84" data-gr-id="84">odorata</g>).</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Invasive Species</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An invasive species can be </span><b>any kind of living organism</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">&mdash;an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism&rsquo;s seeds or eggs&mdash;that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">They can harm the environment, the economy, or even human health. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive species alter the environment they invade and are difficult and expensive to control after they colonise a landscape, having </span><b>phenotypic plasticity</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (the ability to adapt to environmental stress). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive plant species </span><b>transform the soil structure</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="63" data-gr-id="63">micro environment</g> to their advantage by producing </span><b>allelochemicals</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> which cause the destruction of native species and local biodiversity.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Allelochemical</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is produced by a living organism that exerts a detrimental physiological effect on individuals of another species when released into the environment.&nbsp;For example:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An invasive species <strong>Anthemis cotula</strong> can excrete allelochemicals to inhibit seed germination and retarding <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="64" data-gr-id="64">seedling</g> growth of its native competitors.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Black Walnut</strong> produce allelochemical called <strong>Juglone</strong> which adversely affects plants like tomatoes, pepper, potato etc.</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Threats to Native Ecosystem of Kerala</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The spread of the invasive species could threaten cultivable land and wildlife habitats alike. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">For instance:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invasive species like the </span><b>water hyacinth</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Eichhornia crassipes) and </span><b>giant <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="67" data-gr-id="67">salvinia</g></b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Salvinia <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="71" data-gr-id="71">molesta</g>), present in the </span><b>backwaters of the Kuttanad region</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, had started <strong>colonising paddy fields</strong>, cultivated lands and other isolated water bodies in nearby areas.</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Kole wetland</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (part of Vembanad-Kole wetlands, a Ramsar site) in Thrissur, has been colonised by invasive plants, especially grass species, such as <g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="66" data-gr-id="66">matamat</g> (Rhynchospora <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="74" data-gr-id="74">corymbosa</g>), <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="79" data-gr-id="79">desho</g> grass (Pennisetum <g class="gr_ gr_82 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="82" data-gr-id="82">pedicellatum</g>), giant <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="85" data-gr-id="85">salvinia</g> and water hyacinth which<strong> may lead to the conversion of marshy wetlands into dry land</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In many areas of Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki districts, seeds of invasive species from mountainous areas have spread to new spaces formed by landslides which <strong>can grow very fast in landslide-affected areas</strong> by using available nutrients, while native species cannot adapt to such conditions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In <strong>rubber plantations</strong>, <strong>cover crops</strong> (species <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="70" data-gr-id="70">grown</g> mainly to prevent soil erosion) like mucuna (Mucuna <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="69" data-gr-id="69">bracteata</g>), a nitrogen-regulating plant, are more likely to establish themselves in the new areas and subsequently <strong>spread into the forests</strong> through the corridors created by landslides. This could <strong>affect the soil and destroy the microhabitat of that area</strong>.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The threat of invasive species should be addressed in the process of <strong>post-flood reconstruction</strong> in the State.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Community participation</strong> should be given importance in identifying and reporting the invasive species to Forest Departments.</span></li>
<li>A <strong>comprehensive survey</strong> should be conducted by the Forest Department to identify the area and density of the spread of invasive species in wildlife sanctuaries, National Parks and Protected Areas.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adequate time and budget should be allocated to handle this herculean task.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong></strong></h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</strong> to the <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)</strong> is an <strong>international agreement</strong> which aims to <strong>ensure the safe handling</strong>, transport and use of<strong> living modified organisms (LMOs)</strong> resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.</li>
<li>It was adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003.</li>
<li>CBD recognize that there is an <strong>urgent need to address the impact of invasive species</strong>. It states that &ldquo;Each Contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate, prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Additional Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System</strong> is the <strong>only system</strong> in India that favours <strong>rice cultivation below sea level</strong> in the land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In order to safeguard and support the world's agricultural heritage systems, <strong>Food and Agriculture Organization</strong> (<g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="65" data-gr-id="65">specialized</g> agency of the United Nations) started an initiative for the identification and the dynamic conservation of <strong>Globally Important Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS)</strong> in 2002. These <strong>traditional agricultural systems</strong> represent models of sustainable agricultural production.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three recognised <strong>GIAHS sites in India</strong>:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Kuttanad</strong> Below Sea Level Farming System of Kerala</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Koraput</strong> Traditional Agriculture of Odisha</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Pampore</strong> Saffron Heritage of Kashmir</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/invasive-plant-species-introduced-by-kerala-floods'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (20th November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Horned Frogs Discovered by DU team</h3>
<h3></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">A team of biologists from Delhi University (DU), University College Dublin (Ireland) and the National Museum (UK) have discovered <strong>four new species of horned frogs</strong> from the <strong>Himalayan regions of Northeast India</strong>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team also comprised <strong>S D Biju</strong> from DU&rsquo;s Department of Environmental Studies, known as the &lsquo;<strong>Frogman of India</strong>&rsquo;.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Horned frogs get their name from the fleshy horn-like projection on the upper eyelids of some species, and were discovered in the<strong> forests of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The scientists named the four new Indian species as </span><b><g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="52" data-gr-id="52">Himalayan</g> horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="56" data-gr-id="56">himalayana</g>); the </span><b>Garo white-lipped horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="57" data-gr-id="57">oreocrypta</g>); the </span><b><g class="gr_ gr_55 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="55" data-gr-id="55">Yellow spotted</g> white-lipped horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="58" data-gr-id="58">flavipunctata</g>)<g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="54" data-gr-id="54">; and</g> the </span><b>Giant Himalayan horned frog</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Megophrys <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">periosa</g>). </span></li>
</ul>
<h3>India's First Elephant Hospital in Mathura</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">India's <strong>first specialized hospital for elephants</strong> was opened in <strong>Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hospital armed with facilities such as <strong>wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquilization devices and quarantine facilities</strong>, has not only come as a respite to the elephants but is also attracting local and foreign tourists.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Located close to the elephant conservation and care centre, the hospital is <strong>designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants</strong> and is equipped with a medical hoist for lifting elephants.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Solar Bubble Dryer</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">An innovative drying technology, Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD), developed jointly by <strong>International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines</strong>; Grainpro, a leading post-harvest solution providing company; and University of Hohenheim, Germany, was introduced to farmers in Odisha.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The SBD is a <strong>low-cost drying technology</strong> that aims to provide a <strong>simple and flexible alternative to sun-drying</strong> while protecting from spillage, animals, weather and vehicles running over the grains.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new technology has been developed in such a way that farmers can dismantle the machinery and reassemble it on their own. Power can be drawn both from solar energy and traditional electricity.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>Elephant Corridors as ESZ</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) to consider declaring all elephant corridors in the country as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are areas<strong> notified by MoEFCC around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are </span><b>regulated under the Environment (Protection Act) of 1986</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to come up in such areas.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guidelines <strong>prohibit activities such as commercial mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects</strong>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.</span></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-20th-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth: Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6nFDpQmHOQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Being India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), handles all high-profile cases. <strong>Its job is to ensure a fair and an impartial probe.</strong> But in recent days, the agency has been in the news for all the inappropriate reasons. Two top officials of the agency - <strong>Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were involved in a major squabble</strong> that led to<strong> government intervention.</strong> Both officers have been had been sent on leave, with the government claiming that the decision was taken to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI.</p>
<h3>The Internal Feud</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Spat between top officials of CBI is first of its kind in the history of CBI.</li>
<li>A<strong>lok Verma objected to Rakesh Asthana&rsquo;s elevation as special Director</strong> of CBI before Central Vigilance Commission(CVC).</li>
<li>But, <strong>CVC cleared Asthana&rsquo;s promotion</strong> in a unanimous decision.</li>
<li><strong>Public Interest Litigation</strong> filed by <strong>NGO Common Cause</strong> against the decision was also <strong>turned down by the Supreme Court.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Rakesh Asthana,</strong> in charge of special investigation team handling sensitive cases including those related to Vijay Mallya, AgustaWestland etc., <strong>also filed a complaint against Alok Verma - alleging corruption.</strong></li>
<li>CVC sought files of cases mentioned in the tussle between these two people.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Genesis of CBI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Origins of CBI can be traced back to the <strong>Special Police Establishment (SPE) set up in 1941</strong> in order to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in War &amp; Supply Department of India during World War II.</li>
<li>The need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption was felt after the end of World War II. So, <strong>DSPE (Delhi Special Police Establishment) Act, 1946</strong> was brought that gave the legal power of investigating cases to CBI.</li>
<li>CBI comes under the jurisdiction of the <strong>Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>The appointment procedure of CBI Director</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The CBI is headed by an IPS officer of the rank of Director General of Police.</li>
<li>Till 2014, the appointments were made on the basis of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.</li>
<li>In 2003, DSPE Act was revised on Supreme Court&rsquo;s recommendation. A committee that had members from Central Vigilance Commission, Secretaries from Home Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances would send recommendations to Central Government for the appointment of CBI Director.</li>
<li>In 2014, the Lokpal Act provided a committee for appointment of CBI Director was formed:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Headed by Prime Minister</strong></li>
<li><strong>Other members - Leader of Opposition/ Leader of the single largest opposition party, Chief Justice of India/ a Supreme Court Judge.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Home Ministry sends a list of eligible candidates to DoPT. Then, the DoPT prepares the final list on basis of seniority, integrity, and experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases, and sends it to the committee.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Functions of CBI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Investigating cases against the central govt. employees or concerning affairs of central govt.</li>
<li>Investigation of cases in which the financial interest of the central govt. are involved.</li>
<li>And, cases related to breaches in central laws. Big cases of frauds cheating and embezzlement.</li>
<li>Cases committed by gangs and criminals which have ramifications in several states.</li>
<li>Cases having inter-state and international ramifications.</li>
<li>Initially, CBI was tasked with the responsibility of investigation with respect to central govt. employees. However, since 1965 the powers of the investigating unit was expanded. So, it takes up investigation of Economic offenses, conventional cases on a selective basis.</li>
<li>It also obliges the state if they put in a request to investigate a certain case. Central Government authorizes CBI to investigate cases in any state.</li>
<li>It takes up cases as directed by the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Supreme court, High Court can ask CBI to investigate without state&rsquo;s consent.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>CID</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in<strong> 1902 by the British Government,</strong> CID (Crime Investigation Department) is an investigation and intelligence department of state police. On the other hand, CBI is an agency of the Central Government.</li>
<li>CID is looking into murder, assault, riot or any cases as directed by r<strong>espective High Courts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-central-bureau-of-investigation-cbi-'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'World Toilet Day',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 November.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2013, the<strong> United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day</strong>. It is <strong>coordinated by UN-Water</strong> in collaboration with governments and partners.</li>
<li>It is a day that seeks to engage and educate people and their communities worldwide to encourage support for sanitation-related issues.</li>
<li>It also aims to <strong>break the stigma around sanitation</strong> as the silence around the issue of toilets and sanitation has deadly consequences.</li>
<li>The theme of World Toilet Day-2018 is &ldquo; <strong>When Nature Calls</strong>&rdquo; which emphasizes that when nature calls, <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="84" data-gr-id="84">toilet</g> is needed but billions of people don&rsquo;t have toilets.</li>
<li>Human faeces, on a massive scale, are not being captured or treated, contaminating the water and soil that sustain human life.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Sanitation Crisis</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Toilets save <g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="76" data-gr-id="76">lives,</g> because human waste spreads killer diseases. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.</li>
<li>Today, globally <strong>4.5 billion people live without a safe toilet</strong> and 892 million people still practise open defecation.</li>
<li><strong>SDG 6</strong> aims to ensure that everyone has a<strong> safe toilet</strong> and that <strong>no-one practices open defecation by 2030</strong>. Failure to achieve this goal risks the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.</li>
<li>The impact of exposure to human faeces on this scale has a <strong>devastating impact on public health</strong>, living and working conditions, nutrition, education and economic productivity across the world.</li>
<li>Sanitation is important for preventing many diseases including diarrhoea, intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma.</li>
<li>Universal access to sanitation in households and schools is essential in:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Reducing diseases</li>
<li>Improving nutritional status of children</li>
<li>Enhancing <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="93" data-gr-id="93">safety</g>, and well-being of children</li>
<li>Increasing educational prospects, especially for women and girls</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation is a serious issue in India, with <strong>more than 60% of Indians still defecate in the open</strong>, and more than 80 million people in urban areas still do not have access to safe toilets.</li>
<li>Over one lakh <strong>children die in India due to diarrhoea-related diseases</strong>, close to 20% of the global statistic of child deaths due to diarrhoea, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that 90% of these deaths<strong> can be directly attributed to improper sanitation facilities.</strong></li>
<li>From an economic perspective, the <strong>inadequate urban sanitation</strong> has lead to a <strong>financial loss to the economy </strong>equivalent to 6.4% of India's Gross domestic product (GDP).</li>
<li>Further, hundreds of <strong>manual scavengers</strong> who scrape the waste with their bare hands without any protective gear or masks, die each year cleaning out sewers in cities across India.</li>
<li><strong>Community toilet blocks (CTB)</strong> can enable access, but the <strong>distance of the CTB from the home</strong> can deter its usage and cast a shadow on its<strong> safety</strong>, especially for <strong>women</strong>.</li>
<li>On average, women and girls hold their bladders for more than 13 hours a day, leading to many reproductive and urinary tract infections.</li>
<li>Many women in India also prefer liquid meals for dinner, eat less and restrict water intake due to the lack of safety of CTBs during the night.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Nature-based sanitation solutions (NBS)</strong> should be encouraged which harness the power of ecosystems to help treat human waste before it returns to the environment.</li>
<li>Most NBS essentially involve the protection and management of vegetation, soils and/or wetlands, including rivers and lakes. For instance:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Composting</strong> latrines that capture and treat human waste on site, producing a free supply of fertiliser to help grow crops etc.</li>
<li><strong>Human-made wetlands</strong> and reed-beds <strong>filter wastewater</strong> before it is released back into <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="70" data-gr-id="70">water courses</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="74" data-gr-id="74">Behavioral</g> change</strong> should be focussed upon by the government along with the construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission ( launched on 2 October 2014)&nbsp; which is aimed to eliminate open defecation by 2019.</li>
<li><strong>Technological solutions</strong> should be leveraged for <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="90" data-gr-id="90">sustainable</g> solution of sanitation and hygiene. For instance:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently a machine launched by Sulabh International (a social service organization) can be adopted for eliminating manual scavenging. The machine injects high-pressure water into the tunnels and tanks and then collects the waste with a mechanical bucket operated from ground level. A remote control inspection camera generates high-resolution images of the sewer system.</li>
<li><strong>Reinvented toilets</strong> promoted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can be adopted. Reinvented toilets are special as they turn liquid waste into clear water for <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">flushing,</g> and solids into pellets ar ash that is fertilizer.</li>
<li>While the reinvented toilet gets optimized, India should, in parallel, look at <strong>Omni processors for faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP)</strong>. These zero emission processors will end dumping of faecal sludge taken from septic tanks into rivers, lakes, farms and open spaces. They can also prevent the death of workers in septic tanks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-toilet-day'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Global Education Monitoring Report-2019 : UNESCO',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its&nbsp; <strong>Global Education Monitoring Report 2019 titled- &ldquo;Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges, not Walls&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report highlights <strong>countries&rsquo; achievements and shortcomings</strong> in ensuring the right of migrant and refugee children to benefit from quality education.</li>
<li>The number of migrant and refugee school-age children around the world in 2018<strong> has grown by 26% since 2000</strong> and could fill half a million classrooms.</li>
<li>The right of these children to quality education, even if increasingly recognized on paper, is challenged in practical.&nbsp; The two years since the landmark <strong>New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016</strong>, refugees have missed 1.5 billion days of school.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On <strong>September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly</strong> unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.</li>
<li>The New York Declaration reaffirms the <strong>importance of the international refugee regime</strong> and contains a wide range of <strong>commitments by Member State</strong>s to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move.</li>
<li>It has paved the way for the adoption of <strong>two new global compacts in 2018:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>a global compact on<strong> refugees</strong> and</li>
<li>a global compact for <strong>safe, orderly and regular migration.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It also warns of the <strong>negative impact on education</strong> for children who are left behind as their parents migrate. Test scores were lower among left-behind children aged 5-8.</li>
<li>Nevertheless, there <strong>has been progress in the inclusion of refugees in national education systems</strong>, as seen in eight of the top ten refugee hosting countries. <strong>Canada and Ireland</strong> are among the global leaders in implementing inclusive education policies for immigrants.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UNESCO, formed in 1945,</strong> is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.</li>
<li>UNESCO has <strong>195 member states</strong> and ten associate members.</li>
<li>India was a<strong> founder member</strong> of the Organisation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>India Specific Findings</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Literacy levels in <strong>rural households of India dip with seasonal migration</strong>. About 80% of seasonal migrant children in major cities lacked access to education near work sites, and 40% are likely to end up in work rather than education, experiencing abuse and exploitation.</li>
<li>The <strong>construction sector absorbs the majority</strong> of short-term migrants. About 77% of kiln workers reported lack of access to early childhood or primary education for their children.</li>
<li>It lauds <strong>Right to Education Act in 2009</strong> which made it <strong>mandatory</strong> for local authorities to <strong>admit migrant children.</strong> National-level guidelines were issued, allowing for flexible admission of children, providing transport and volunteers to support with mobile education, create seasonal hostels and improve coordination between sending and receiving districts and states.</li>
<li>The report says some State governments have also taken steps for migrant children&rsquo;s education. However, most interventions are focused on keeping children in home communities instead of actively addressing the challenges faced by those who are already on the move.</li>
<li>It also talks about challenges wherein the progress of out-of-school children did not improve learning in any substantial way. Teachers on the site<strong>s cited culture, language, lifestyle, cleanliness and clothing as major barriers between them and the kiln labour community. </strong>Teacher and student<strong> absenteeism</strong> were rampant.</li>
<li>The report sees the growth of <strong>slums and informal settlements</strong> where schools are often<strong> scarce</strong> due to migration as a challenge.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protect the<strong> right to education of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Include <strong>migrants and displaced people i</strong>n the national education system.</li>
<li>Understand and plan to meet the <strong>education needs of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Represent<strong> migration and displacement histories</strong> in education accurately to challenge prejudices.</li>
<li><strong>Prepare teachers</strong> of migrants and refugees to address diversity and hardship.</li>
<li>Harness the<strong> potential of migrants and displaced people.</strong></li>
<li>Support<strong> education needs</strong> of migrants and displaced people<strong> in humanitarian and development aid.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India, along with China, is home to some of the <strong>world&rsquo;s largest internal population movements</strong> and the report shows that the scale of seasonal migration has a significant impact on education.</li>
<li>Therefore, the UNESCO report <strong>urges policy makers to strengthen public education</strong> for rural migrant children living in slums.</li>
<li>Migration and displacement are two global challenges that needs to be addressed in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general and <strong>SDG 4, i.e. &lsquo;Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all&rsquo;, in particular.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-education-monitoring-report-2019-unesco'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'World Malaria Report 2018',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, <strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong> has released <strong>World Malaria Report, 2018.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report has mentioned that the number of cases of the disease increased by 2 million to 219 million in 2017 from 217 million cases in 2016.</li>
<li>In 2017 Malaria killed 4,35,000 people, majority of them childrens.</li>
<li>Malaria occurs in 91 countries but about 90% of the cases and deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Malaria cases</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Fifteen countries in <strong>sub-Saharan Africa and India carried almost 80% of the global malaria burden. </strong></li>
<li>Five countries accounted for nearly half of<strong> all malaria cases</strong> worldwide: Nigeria (25%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Mozambique (5%)<strong>, India (4%</strong>) and Uganda (4%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malaria deaths</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2017, there were an estimated 435 000 deaths from malaria globally, compared with 451 000 estimated deaths in 2016.</li>
<li>Nearly 80% of <strong>global malaria deaths</strong> in 2017 were concentrated in 17 countries in the WHO African Region and India. <strong>India accounted for 4% of global malaria deaths.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Malaria-related anaemia</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 2018 report includes a section on <strong>malaria-related anaemia,</strong> a condition that, left untreated, can result in death, especially among vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children aged under 5 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges in Global Malaria Response</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>High Burden Countries</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 2017, <strong>11 countries accounted for approximately 70% of estimated malaria cases</strong> and deaths globally: <strong>10 in sub-Saharan Africa and India. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Among these countries, only India reported progress in reducing its malaria cases in 2017 compared to 2016.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>High Burden to High Impact</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WHO also released a new country-driven approach &ndash; &ldquo;High burden to high impact&rdquo; to enhance response to malaria in countries where Malaria cases increased in 2017 as compared to 2016.</li>
<li>Catalyzed by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the approach is founded upon four pillars:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>galvanize national and global political attention to reduce malaria deaths;</li>
<li>drive impact in country through the strategic use of information;</li>
<li>establish best global guidance, policies and strategies suitable for all malaria endemic countries;</li>
<li>implement a coordinated country response</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>&ldquo;High burden to high impact&rdquo; calls for increased funding, with an emphasis on domestic funding for malaria, and better targeting of resources.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Decline in Funding</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In 24 out of 41 high-burden countries, which rely on external funding for malaria programmes, the average level of funding available per person at risk declined in 2015&ndash;2017 compared to 2012&ndash;2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Drug Resistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs)</strong> have been integral to the recent success of global malaria control, and protecting their efficacy for the treatment of malaria is a global health priority.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Insecticide Resistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Of the 80 malaria endemic countries that provided data for 2010&ndash;2017, resistance to at least one of the four insecticide classes in one malaria vector from collection site was detected in 68 countries.</li>
<li>In view of the current situation, <strong>resistance monitoring and management plans are essential,</strong> in line with the WHO Global plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (NSPME) (2017-22)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Government of India has launched <strong>NSPME (2017-22). </strong></li>
<li>The Strategic Plan gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country depending upon the endemicity of malaria in the next 5 years.</li>
<li>The NSPME is based on <strong>National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016</strong> which is in line with <strong>WHO&rsquo;s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Strategy to Eradicate Malaria</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NSP divides the country into four categories, from 0 to 3. The plan is to eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) by 2022 in all Category 1 and 2 districts.</li>
<li>The remaining districts are to be brought under a pre-elimination and elimination programme.</li>
<li>The NSP also aims to maintain a malaria-free status for areas where transmission has been interrupted.</li>
<li>It seeks to achieve universal case detection and treatment services in endemic districts to ensure 100% diagnosis of all suspected cases, and full treatment of all confirmed cases.</li>
<li>The plan has four components, based on WHO recommendations: diagnosis and case management; surveillance and epidemic response; prevention &mdash; integrated vector management; &lsquo;cross-cutting&rsquo; interventions, which include advocacy, communication, research and development and other initiatives</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-malaria-report-2018'
	]
]
$updates = object(Cake\ORM\Query) {

	'(help)' => 'This is a Query object, to get the results execute or iterate it.',
	'sql' => 'SELECT articles.article_id AS `articles__article_id`, articles.category_id AS `articles__category_id`, articles.title AS `articles__title`, articles.description AS `articles__description`, articles.shortdescription AS `articles__shortdescription`, articles.featuredimage AS `articles__featuredimage`, articles.tag_id AS `articles__tag_id`, articles.secondary_tag AS `articles__secondary_tag`, articles.type AS `articles__type`, articles.publishon AS `articles__publishon`, articles.posturl AS `articles__posturl`, articles.metatitle AS `articles__metatitle`, articles.metadescription AS `articles__metadescription`, articles.metakeyword AS `articles__metakeyword`, articles.status AS `articles__status`, articles.sort_order AS `articles__sort_order`, articles.addedby AS `articles__addedby`, articles.updatedby AS `articles__updatedby`, articles.added AS `articles__added`, articles.modified AS `articles__modified`, articles.whatsnewid AS `articles__whatsnewid`, articles.display_printpdf AS `articles__display_printpdf`, articles.display_comments AS `articles__display_comments`, articles.pdf_name AS `articles__pdf_name`, articles.display_archive AS `articles__display_archive` FROM articles articles WHERE status = :c0 ORDER BY publishon desc LIMIT 10',
	'params' => [
		':c0' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'defaultTypes' => [
		'articles__article_id' => 'integer',
		'articles.article_id' => 'integer',
		'article_id' => 'integer',
		'articles__category_id' => 'integer',
		'articles.category_id' => 'integer',
		'category_id' => 'integer',
		'articles__title' => 'string',
		'articles.title' => 'string',
		'title' => 'string',
		'articles__description' => 'text',
		'articles.description' => 'text',
		'description' => 'text',
		'articles__shortdescription' => 'string',
		'articles.shortdescription' => 'string',
		'shortdescription' => 'string',
		'articles__featuredimage' => 'string',
		'articles.featuredimage' => 'string',
		'featuredimage' => 'string',
		'articles__tag_id' => 'integer',
		'articles.tag_id' => 'integer',
		'tag_id' => 'integer',
		'articles__secondary_tag' => 'text',
		'articles.secondary_tag' => 'text',
		'secondary_tag' => 'text',
		'articles__type' => 'integer',
		'articles.type' => 'integer',
		'type' => 'integer',
		'articles__publishon' => 'datetime',
		'articles.publishon' => 'datetime',
		'publishon' => 'datetime',
		'articles__posturl' => 'string',
		'articles.posturl' => 'string',
		'posturl' => 'string',
		'articles__metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles.metatitle' => 'string',
		'metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles__metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles.metadescription' => 'string',
		'metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles__metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles.metakeyword' => 'text',
		'metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles__status' => 'integer',
		'articles.status' => 'integer',
		'status' => 'integer',
		'articles__sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles.sort_order' => 'integer',
		'sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles__addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.addedby' => 'integer',
		'addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.updatedby' => 'integer',
		'updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.added' => 'timestamp',
		'added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.modified' => 'timestamp',
		'modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles.whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_comments' => 'integer',
		'display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles__pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles.pdf_name' => 'string',
		'pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer'
	],
	'decorators' => (int) 0,
	'executed' => false,
	'hydrate' => true,
	'buffered' => true,
	'formatters' => (int) 0,
	'mapReducers' => (int) 0,
	'contain' => [],
	'matching' => [],
	'extraOptions' => [],
	'repository' => object(App\Model\Table\ArticlesTable) {}

}
$page = (int) 237
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 277
$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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