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India’s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front

(The editorial is based on the article “India’s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front” which appears in BusinessLine...

20 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Why in News European Parliament has approved a ban on preventive mass medication in animals using antibiotics or other drugs. What is...

19 Nov 2018 Paper 3
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

19 Nov 2018 Paper 3
Climate Change and the Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation

A new study titled ‘Neoglacial climate anomalies and the Harappan metamorphosis’, conducted by an international team of scientists...

19 Nov 2018 News Analysis
India to Step-up Agri-Diplomacy with China

India is looking forward to increase agricultural exports to China as it proceeds to diversify its agricultural imports. Reasons For India's...

19 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Guidelines for Reduction of Trans Fatty Acids

The Health Department and the Food Safety wing have launched an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, involving the reduction of trans fatty...

19 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (19th November 2018)

Qaumi Ekta Week With a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture...

19 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Heat Is An Invisible Climate Risk

(The editorial is based on the article “Heat is an invisible climate risk” which appears in Livemint for 19th November 2018. It...

19 Nov 2018 News Editorials
States Deny Consent to CBI

The Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments withdrew “general consent” to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigating...

19 Nov 2018 News Analysis
The Big Picture - What Ails NBFCs

A string of defaults at Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Service Ltd's (IL&FS) have triggered sharp falls in Indian stock and debt markets...

17 Nov 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Maternity Leave: Government for Incentive Scheme

The Ministry of Labour & Employment has come up with clarification with respect to Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme. There were some media...

17 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Kg Gets a New Definition

At the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in Versailles (France), delegates of International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)...

17 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (17th November 2018)

Matua Community Recently the Chief Minister of West Bengal conferred Bengal's highest civilian award, the "Banga Bibhushan" to Binapani Devi...

17 Nov 2018 News Analysis
A Crippling Shortage

(The editorial is based on the article “A Crippling Shortage” which appears in The Hindu for 17th November 2018. It analyses the issues...

17 Nov 2018 News Editorials
India's Disputes At WTO

Recently, Australia has referred India to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over subsidies paid to sugarcane farmers. Many countries have filed...

17 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)

16 Nov 2018 Paper 4
Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)

About Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta, on 12th January, 1863. He was a monk and chief disciple of Ramakrishna...

16 Nov 2018 Paper 4
National Financial Reporting Authority

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified rules determining the jurisdiction, powers, function and duties of the National Financial Reporting...

16 Nov 2018 News Analysis
New Super-Earth Discovered

A newly published research paper has reported the discovery of a planet through radial velocity method in orbit around one of the closest stars to...

16 Nov 2018 News Analysis
ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting

PM recently concluded his visit to Singapore and attended the ASEAN-India Summit held on sidelines of 33rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian...

16 Nov 2018 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'India’s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;India&rsquo;s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front&rdquo; which appears in BusinessLine for 20th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to jobless growth.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s economic growth since the 1990s has largely been on account of an expansion of the services sector, in which exports of services are seen as having played an important role.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rise in the share of services in GDP was particularly sharp after 1996-97 amounting to 6.8 percentage points over the subsequent 10 years as compared with just 1.9 percentage points during the previous 10 years.</li>
<li>In this period, services as a group came to dominate the Indian economy, accounting for more than half of the country&rsquo;s GDP.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Trends in the services sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic Survey 2013-14 noted that: &ldquo;India has the second fastest growing services sector with CAGR (compound annual growth rate) at 9 percent, just below China&rsquo;s 10.9 percent, during the last 11-year period from 2001 to 2012.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The <strong>compound annual growth rate (CAGR)</strong> is the rate of return that would be required for an investment to grow from its beginning balance to its ending balance assuming the profits were reinvested at the end of each year of the investment&rsquo;s lifespan.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>This trend has continued.</strong> Between 2011-12 and 2016-17, gross value added from services grew at 8.7 percent per annum and accounted for 58 percent of the increase in total gross value added (GVA).</li>
<li>Between 1999-00 and 2004-05,<strong> employment in the tertiary sector increased by only 22 percent</strong>, whereas GDP at constant prices contributed by the services sector expanded by 44 percent.</li>
<li><strong>According to The Economic Survey 2016-17</strong>: &ldquo;Among the top 15 services producer countries, the services sector accounts for more than two-thirds of total employment in 2016 in most of them except India, China, and Mexico where the shares are low. I<strong>ndia has the lowest share of 28.6 percent.&rdquo;</strong></li>
<li>Tertiary sector employment in amounted to only<strong> 25 percent</strong> of the workforce, despite the fact that around <strong>55 percent of GDP</strong> came from this sector.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/567drishti_rising%20share.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/567drishti_rising share.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="447" height="292" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Service Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This growth in services has been accompanied by a significant increase in the exports of services. <strong>India&rsquo;s success in the services exports area has meant that its share of services in total exports (38 percent) is much higher</strong> than in countries such as China, Mexico and Brazil and close to ratios in the UK and the US (Chart 1).</li>
<li>That success has raised India&rsquo;s share in world services exports from<strong> 0.6 percent in 1990 to around 3.5 percent in 2017.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/871drishti_service%20sector export.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/871drishti_service sector export.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="439" height="285" caption="false" /></a></strong></li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s National Accounts Statistics</strong> indicate that the set of &ldquo;new&rdquo; and more productive services &mdash; transport, storage and communication, financial services, and real estate and professional services &mdash; together accounted for 28.5 percent of total gross value added (GVA) in 2016-17. Add on public administration and <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">defence</g> and the railways and the figure rises to 34.2 percent.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The problem of Job Creation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Jobless growth can have <strong>multiple causes</strong>. Such as unskilled job-seekers, insufficient investment, the difficulty of doing business, and inadequate (or inappropriate) social security systems.</li>
<li>Despite the presence of unorganized services, the share of the services sector in total employment was relatively low, and despite the expansion of services, the growth of employment in this sector has been limited.</li>
<li>For example, within the modern services, financial intermediation, and real estate, renting and business activities together recorded an increase in the employment share of only one percentage point between 1999-00 and 2009-10.</li>
<li>Part of the jobs slowdown can be attributed to inflexible <g class="gr_ gr_100 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="100" data-gr-id="100">labour</g> laws and the rise of automation. Since it is not easy to fire employees in India, companies from outside India increasingly prefer to hire less and ramp up automation instead. The automation trend is accelerating not just in manufacturing but in services sectors such as IT too.</li>
<li>Also, the growth in skilled jobs is simply not fast enough to accommodate India's growing literate population.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>If a high growth sector like services does not contribute to absorbing the large numbers of under and unemployed workers in India, the welfare implications of the growth trajectory are bound to be adverse. So, the government should not be solely focussing on the tertiary sector as a whole.</strong></li>
<li>India&rsquo;s alternative growth model, which involves premature diversification in <g class="gr_ gr_81 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="81" data-gr-id="81">favour</g> of high productivity services, won&rsquo;t last long without adequate development of a manufacturing base.</li>
<li><strong>The major policy focus in India has been </strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108"><g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="109" data-gr-id="109">incentivised</g></g><strong> capital investment, not job creation. By the time the government decides what skill to impart, the demand for that skill is gone. This mismatch should be balanced.</strong></li>
<li>Manufacturing sector needs a boost: while the services sector contributes 58% to India&rsquo;s GDP, the manufacturing sector&rsquo;s contribution is 24%. India&rsquo;s late policy resurgence towards manufacturing is the main reason why the country lags behind China. The sector&rsquo;s role in triggering structural change has remained unattended while we have focused on the less employment-providing, less tradeable and less technology-oriented services sector.</li>
<li>Producing periodic and reliable data on employment, regular estimation of job numbers and related indicators will guide guided policy creation.</li>
<li>Promoting entrepreneurial sector and maintaining the dignity of <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="77" data-gr-id="77">labour</g> will also help the economy to tackle the problem of jobless growth.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/732drishti_value.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/732drishti_value.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="444" height="289" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>European Parliament has approved a ban on preventive mass medication in animals using antibiotics or other drugs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Antimicrobial Resistance?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Anti microbial resistance is the <strong>resistance acquired</strong> by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections.</li>
<li>As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.</li>
<li>Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as &ldquo;superbugs&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance is now regarded as a major threat to public health across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How it Happens?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Some bacteria due to the presence of resistance genes are intrinsically resistant and therefore survive on being exposed to antibiotics.</li>
<li>Bacteria can also acquire resistance. This can happen in two ways:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>by sharing and transferring resistance genes present in the rest of the population or</li>
<li>by genetic mutations that help the bacteria survive antibiotic exposure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once the resistance has been acquired, it can spread in the rest of the population of bacteria through reproduction or gene transfer.</li>
</ul>
<p>Reasons for Spread of AMR</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Antibiotic consumption in humans</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unnecessary and injudicious use of antibiotic fixed dose combinations could lead to emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Social factors</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Include self-medication.</li>
<li>Access to antibiotics without prescription.</li>
<li>Lack of knowledge about when to use antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Activities</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mass bathing in rivers as part of religious mass gathering occasions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Antibiotic Consumption in Food Animals</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Antibiotics which are critical to human health are commonly used for growth promotion in poultry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pharmaceutical Industry Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The wastewater effluents from the antibiotic manufacturing units contain a substantial amount of antibiotics, leading to contamination of rivers and lakes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Environmental Sanitation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Untreated disposal of sewage water bodies - leading to contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant organisms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Infection Control Practices in Healthcare Settings</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A report on hand-washing practices of nurses and doctors found that only 31.8% of them washed hands after contact with patients.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A threat</strong> to prevention and treatment of infections - medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements) become very risky.</li>
<li>The failure to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria also poses a greater risk of death.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance <strong>increases the cost</strong> of health care with lengthier stays in hospitals, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs.</li>
<li>Without effective antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infections, the achievements of modern medicine are put at a risk.</li>
<li>Without urgent action, we are heading to <strong>antibiotic apocalypse</strong> &ndash; a future without antibiotics, with bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment and when common infections and minor injuries could once again kill.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance is putting the gains of the Millennium Development Goals at risk and <strong>endangers</strong> achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>AMR in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AMR is of particular concern in developing nations, including India, where the burden of infectious disease is high and healthcare spending is low.</li>
<li>India is among the nations with the highest burden of bacterial infections.</li>
<li>Consequently, the impact of AMR is likely to be higher in the Indian setting.</li>
<li>The National Health Policy 2017 highlights the problem of antimicrobial resistance and calls for effective action to address it.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare (MoHFW) identified AMR as one of the top 10 priorities for the ministry&rsquo;s collaborative work with WHO.</li>
<li>In 2012, India&rsquo;s medical societies adopted the Chennai Declaration, a set of national recommendations to promote antibiotic stewardship.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Red Line campaign demands that prescription-only antibiotics be marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics.</li>
<li>National Policy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance 2011.</li>
<li>National Action Plan on AMR resistance 2017-2021.</li>
<li>India has instituted surveillance of the emergence of drug resistance in disease causing microbes in programmes on Tuberculosis, Vector Borne diseases, AIDS, etc.</li>
<li>Since March 2014 a separate Schedule H-1 has been incorporated in Drug and Cosmetic rules to regulate the sale of antimicrobials in the country.</li>
<li>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the use of antibiotics and several pharmacologically active substances in fisheries.</li>
<li>The government has also capped the maximum levels of drugs that can be used for growth promotion in meat and meat products.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcomings in fighting AMR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A cross-cutting programme dealing with antimicrobial resistance across multiple microbes has been lacking.</li>
<li>Absence of a One Health Approach in addressing AMR &ndash; which recognizes that human well-being is inextricably tied to the health of animals and the environment.</li>
<li>The absence of stringently framed and implemented regulatory frameworks to limit the use of antimicrobials in livestock and food animals, especially for non-therapeutic purposes, has been one of the drivers of antibiotic overuse at the community level.</li>
<li>In India, current effluent standards do not include antibiotic residues, and thus they are not monitored in the pharmaceutical industry effluents.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps to fight against AMR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Infection control in healthcare facilities.</li>
<li>Creating awareness about the use and abuse of antibiotics.</li>
<li>Vaccination can combat drug resistance by reducing the cases of infection and as a result reducing the need for antibiotics.</li>
<li>Strengthening resistance tracking so that data on antimicrobial resistant infections and causes of infection can be gathered to enable formulation of specific strategies to prevent the spread of the resistant bacteria.</li>
<li>Self-medication should be shunned.</li>
<li>Antibiotics should be used only when prescribed by the doctor.</li>
<li>Appropriate and safe use of antibiotics- taking antibiotics only when needed, choosing the right antibiotic and completing the full prescription.</li>
<li>Invest in the search for new antibiotics to keep up with resistant bacteria as well as in new diagnostic tests to track the development of resistance.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AMR has the potential to return the world to a pre-antibiotic era when medicines could not treat even simple infections.</li>
<li>Therefore, to contain AMR, there is need for a <strong>One Health Approach</strong> through coherent, integrated, multi sectoral cooperation and actions, as <strong>human, animal and environmental health are integrated</strong>.</li>
<li>Development of antibiotic resistance breakers (ARBs) to restore effectiveness of older classes of antibiotics.</li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/945ANTIMICROBIAL%20RESISTANCE (AMR).jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/945ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR).jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Climate Change and the Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A new study titled &lsquo;Neoglacial climate anomalies and the Harappan metamorphosis&rsquo;, conducted by an international team of scientists suggests that <strong>climate change may have led to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study looked at<strong> sediments from the Arabian Sea from the continental margin of Pakistan</strong>, reconstructed the Indian winter monsoon for the last 6,000 years, and examined undersea fossils and marine DNA.</li>
<li>The seafloor near the mouth of the Indus is a very low-oxygen environment, so whatever grows and dies in the water is very well preserved in the sediment. Hence, it was used as a sample.</li>
<li>Indian monsoon is the annual phenomenon that collects moisture from the Indian Ocean and spreads it over the Indian subcontinent in the form of rainfall. It influences climate in the region on a large scale and is crucial for the prevalent of annual weather patterns. A sizable population in the region, which is engaged in agriculture, depends on monsoon for their livelihood and survival even in the present time.</li>
</ul>
<h3>A Brief History</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>More than 4,000 years ago, the Harappa culture thrived in the Indus River Valley of what is now modern Pakistan and northwestern India.</li>
<li>They built sophisticated cities, invented sewage systems that predated ancient Rome's, and engaged in long-distance trade with settlements in Mesopotamia.</li>
<li>However, by 1800 BCE, this advanced culture had abandoned their cities, moving instead to smaller villages in the Himalayan foothills.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Study</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, <strong>a wetter winter monsoon</strong> may have led to urban Harappan society turning into a rural one, as inhabitants migrated from a summer flood-deficient river valley to the Himalayan plains.</li>
<li>Later, <strong>a decline in the winter monsoon</strong> could have played a role in the demise of the rural late Harappans.</li>
<li><strong>A shift in temperatures and weather patterns</strong> over the Indus Valley caused summer monsoon rains to gradually dry up, making agriculture difficult or impossible near Harappan cities.</li>
<li>Records for the last 4,500 years generally indicate that temperatures were lower than the Holocene thermal maximum. A general cooling, known as the neoglaciation, occurred between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago.</li>
<li><strong>Floods in the Indus and tributary rivers became less severe</strong> and probably less predictable which affected the Indus people who depended a lot on inundation agriculture.</li>
<li>Changing character of the Indian monsoon affected atmospheric temperatures and the flow of rivers originating in the Himalayas. Both the changing temperature and the changes in river flow would have influenced the crops that were grown in the region.</li>
<li><strong>Ghaggar-Hakra</strong>, which is the probable course of the Saraswati river, dried at the same time.</li>
<li>Between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, strong winter monsoons were characterised by &ldquo;early neoglacial anomalies (ENA)&rdquo; that is characterised by changes in wind and precipitation patterns that are evident across the eastern Northern Hemisphere and tropics.</li>
<li>It was this coordinated climate reorganisation that may have helped trigger the transformation of the urban Harappan civilisation into a rural society. During that time the Indo-Aryan culture was arriving in the region with Iron Age tools and horses and carts.</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_105 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="105" data-gr-id="105">Significance</g> of the Study</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indus story is important today because it provides us with a vivid example of what climate change could do to people. The Indus people were smart and had ways to cope with climate.</li>
<li>The study provides a powerful lesson for today as the migration out of Syria and African countries has some roots in climate change.</li>
<li>Also, sea level rise in recent times due to climate change can lead to huge migrations from low lying regions like Bangladesh, or from hurricane-prone regions in the southern U.S.</li>
<li>The Harappans could cope with the change by migrating but owing to the existing rigid political boundaries with the increasing tendency of protectionism, this option is nearly closed in today's global scenario which ultimately can cause political and social convulsion.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Harappan Civilisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A flourishing civilization emerged on the banks of the river Indus in the second half of the third millennium BCE and spread across large parts of western India.</li>
<li>A marked feature of this ancient civilization was the vivid imagination and artistic sensibilities exuded by the numerous sculptures, seals, potteries, <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="79" data-gr-id="79">jewelleries</g> found at the excavation sites.</li>
<li><strong>Harappa and Mohenjo&ndash;daro &ndash; the two major sites of this civilization</strong> &ndash; are among the earliest and finest examples of urban civic planning. The planned network of roads, houses and drainage systems indicate the planning and engineering skills that developed during those times.</li>
<li>Some of the important sites of the Indus Valley civilization and their archaeological findings are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Harappa in present Pakistan</strong> &ndash; granaries with <g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99">big</g> platform, <g class="gr_ gr_100 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="100" data-gr-id="100">stone</g> symbol of lingam and yoni, mother goddess figure, wheat and barley in wooden mortar, dice, copper scale and mirror.</li>
<li><strong>Mohenjo&ndash;daro in present Pakistan</strong> - bronze dancing girl, the sculpture of bearded priest, the great bath, the great granary.</li>
<li><strong>Dholavira in Gujarat</strong> &ndash; giant water reservoir, unique water harnessing system, stadium, dams and embankments, inscription comprising 10 large sized signs like an advertisement board.</li>
<li><strong>Lothal (Manchester of Indus Valley Civilisation) in Gujarat</strong> &ndash; dockyard, double burial, risk husk, fire altars, painted jar, <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">modern day</g> chess, terracotta figure of <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="85" data-gr-id="85">ship</g>, instruments for measuring 45, 90 and 180-degree angles.</li>
<li><strong>Ropar in Punjab</strong> &ndash; dog buried with human oval pit burials.</li>
<li><strong>Balathal and Kalibangan in Rajasthan</strong> &ndash; bangle factory, toy carts, bones of camel, decorated bricks, citadel and lower town.</li>
<li><strong>Banawali in Haryana</strong> &ndash; toy plough, barley grains, oval-shaped settlement, the only city with radial streets.</li>
<li><strong>Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh</strong> &ndash; impression of a cloth on a trough.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/climate-change-and-the-decline-of-indus-valley-civilisation'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'India to Step-up Agri-Diplomacy with China',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India is looking forward to <g class="gr_ gr_30 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="30" data-gr-id="30">increase</g> agricultural exports to China as it proceeds to diversify its agricultural imports.</p>
<h3>Reasons For India's "Agri-Diplomacy"</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Trade Deficit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is looking for ways to<strong> bridge the huge trade deficit of more than $60 billion with China</strong>. China accounted for about 39% of India&rsquo;s trade deficit in 2017-18.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s total trade with China reached over $89 billion in 2017-18, of which Chinese exports to India were around $76 billion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>US-China Trade War&nbsp;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both the US and China are imposing tariffs on each other. Hence, China is now opening up to non-US imports in order to diversify its import basket.</li>
<li>Beijing recently imposed new tariffs on many American farm produce, including soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, beef, pork, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts <g class="gr_ gr_36 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="36" data-gr-id="36">and</g> vegetables.</li>
<li>India is hoping to take advantage of the Sino-US trade war by exporting more soybean <g class="gr_ gr_32 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="32" data-gr-id="32">produce</g> to China.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps <g class="gr_ gr_46 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="46" data-gr-id="46">taken</g> to Cover Trade Deficit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>During <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="45" data-gr-id="45">Shanghai</g> Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao in 2018. India and China signed an<strong> agreement to include the export of non-Basmati varieties of rice</strong> from India. China is a $1.5-$2 billion market for Indian rice</li>
<li>India has also signed an agreement with China to<strong> increase the export of sugar from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>If India has to cover the huge trade deficit with China, it has to<strong> look beyond agri-diplomacy.</strong> There are many areas in which trade with China can be increased to cover trade deficit like that <strong>pharmaceuticals, information technology services and tourism,</strong> in which India has a significant global footprint, but a minuscule presence in China.</li>
<li>At domestic front, India has to take significant efforts like <strong><g class="gr_ gr_34 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="34" data-gr-id="34">modernization</g> of agriculture</strong> to make it competitive at <g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="35" data-gr-id="35">global</g> level, the high price of India's farming products is a major obstacle.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-to-step-up-agri-diplomacy-with-china'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Guidelines for Reduction of Trans Fatty Acids',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Health Department and the Food Safety wing have launched an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, involving the reduction of trans fatty acids (TFAs), salt and sugar in commercially available foods in<strong> Kerala.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The initiative is being launched with technical support from the <strong>World Bank, WHO and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)</strong>. Unhealthy diet is pushing up<strong> Metabolic Syndrome (MS)</strong> and premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Keralites.</li>
<li><strong>Metabolic syndrome (MS)</strong> is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities &mdash; high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels &mdash; that occur together, raising risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.</li>
<li>Earlier, <strong>Kerala also announced a 14.5% &ldquo;fat tax&rdquo;</strong> on pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through branded outlets, in sync with the World Health Organization&rsquo;s advocacy of using fiscal tools to promote healthy eating.</li>
<li>WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake and has called for the total elimination of TFAs in global food supply by 2023.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Trans-fats</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are <strong>two types of trans-fats</strong> found in foods- naturally occurring and artificial trans-fats.</li>
<li><strong>Naturally occurring</strong> trans-fats are produced in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals may contain small quantities of these fats.</li>
<li>Artificial trans-fats on the other hand are<strong> created by the process hydrogenation,</strong> which is an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid at room temperature.</li>
<li>The primary dietary source of trans-fats in processed foods is <strong>partially hydrogenated oils</strong>. Trans-fats are easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time. They help give foods a desirable taste and texture.</li>
<li>Some of the most basic and most consumed foods that we generally eat almost on a daily basis may include- cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, margarine, cream-filled candies, fried fast foods, doughnuts, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>REPLACE, which is an acronym for Review, Promote, Legislate, Assess, Create and Enforce, is the first global initiative</strong> to eliminate a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is a World Health Organisation (WHO) six step Action Package and guide to global elimination of trans fat.</li>
<li>Denmark was the first country to ban trans fat in 2003 and in three years, their Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) mortality rates plummeted.</li>
<li>As part of the U.N.&rsquo;s Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to <strong>reducing premature death from noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030 (Goal 3).</strong> Global elimination of industrially-produced trans fats will help achieve this goal.</li>
<li>Given India&rsquo;s disease burden of non-communicable diseases and also the urban movement towards healthier foods, this movement is vital for the country to prevent diseases, and the compromised quality of life and deaths caused due to transfats.</li>
<li>Fortunately, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI ) has indicated it's commitment to eliminating industrially produced transfat by 2022 in advance of the WHO target date of 2023.</li>
<li><strong>In 2017,</strong> India implemented a <strong>mandatory limit of 5% trans fat content in fats/oils only.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under <strong>Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006</strong> which consolidates various acts &amp; orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.</li>
<li><strong>Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare, Government of India</strong> is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.</li>
<li>FSSAI has been created for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/guidelines-for-reduction-of-trans-fatty-acids'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (19th November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Qaumi Ekta Week</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood, the &ldquo;Qaumi Ekta Week&rdquo; (National Integration Week) will be observed all over the country, from 19th to 25th <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="70" data-gr-id="70">November,</g> 2018.</li>
<li>The <g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="65" data-gr-id="65">week long</g> programmes to be observed during Qaumi Ekta Week are as follows:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>National Integration Day</strong> (November 19, 2018) to emphasize the themes of secularism, anti-communalism <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="64" data-gr-id="64">and</g> non-violence.</li>
<li><strong><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">Welfare</g> of Minorities Day</strong> (November 20, 2018) to emphasize 15 Point Programme launched in 2005 by UPA. It seeks to ensure the welfare of religious minorities through increasing educational and employment opportunities, improving <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="68" data-gr-id="68">living</g> condition, preventing and controlling communal riots etc.</li>
<li><strong>Linguistic Harmony Day</strong> (November 21, 2018) to enable people of each region to appreciate the linguistic heritage of other parts of India.</li>
<li><strong>Weaker Sections Day</strong> (November 22, 2018) to highlight programmes under various Governments which help SCs/STs and weaker sections with particular emphasis on the distribution of surplus land to landless <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="63" data-gr-id="63">labourers</g>.</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Unity Day</strong> (November 23, 2018) to present the Indian tradition of unity in diversity and for promoting cultural conservation and integration.</li>
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Day</strong> (November 24, 2018) to emphasize the importance of Women in Indian Society and their role in <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="56" data-gr-id="56">development</g> of nation-building are highlighted.</li>
<li><strong>Conservation Day</strong> (November 25, 2018) to <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">emphasise</g> the growing need for awareness and action to conserve the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The observation of the &lsquo;Quami Ekta Week&rsquo; will help to highlight the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand actual and potential threats to the eclectic and secular fabric of our country.</li>
<li>The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="58" data-gr-id="58">organisation</g> with the Ministry of Home Affairs, <g class="gr_ gr_62 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="62" data-gr-id="62">organises</g> Communal Harmony Campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week and observes the Communal Harmony Flag Day on 25th November.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Parambikulam Tiger Reserve</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A recent survey held in the reserve spotted 221 varieties of butterflies, 11 of which were endemic to the area.</li>
<li><strong>Buddha Peacock or Buddha </strong><g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="52" data-gr-id="52">Mayoori,</g> is the State butterfly of Kerala.</li>
<li>Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is located in the Palakkad District of Kerala and lies in between the Anamalai hills and Nelliampathy hills of the Southern Western Ghats.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Rare Bird Sighted in Chinnar Sanctuary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lankan Frogmouth has been noticed on the eastern side of the Western Ghats for the first time in Kerala&rsquo;s Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.</li>
<li>Sri Lankan Frogmouth is usually found on the western side of the Western Ghats.</li>
<li>The main feature is that it lays only one egg a year after the mating season in April-May.</li>
<li>It is also found in Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.</li>
<li>It was believed that the species had gone extinct in the State. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is on a project to study its habitat and make a <g class="gr_ gr_59 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="59" data-gr-id="59">favourable</g> environment for it.</li>
<li>Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the rain shadow region in the eastern slope of Western Ghats, adjoining Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in August 1984.</li>
<li>The Park provides ecological connectivity between the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Eravikulam National Park.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-19th-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Heat Is An Invisible Climate Risk',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Heat is an invisible climate risk&rdquo; which appears in Livemint for 19th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to climate change.)</p>
</div>
<p>Climate change often triggers images of melting icebergs and long periods of drought. Study regarding the slow and gradual trend of rising temperatures that directly impacts people&rsquo;s lives, livelihoods and productivity <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">is</g> always missed in this scenario.<strong> Heat is an invisible climate risk that traps communities unaware. Heat is a slow-moving climate hazard that is yet to be recognized as a &lsquo;natural calamity&rsquo; by the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.</strong></p>
<h3>Latest Trends</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recent research from the <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</strong> suggests that heat waves in South Asia could push heat and humidity levels beyond the survivability thresholds of 35&deg;C. The <strong>temperature of 35&deg;C can be considered an upper limit</strong> on human survivability.</li>
<li>The most intense hazard from extreme future heat waves is concentrated around densely populated <strong>agricultural regions of the Ganges and Indus river basins</strong> - a region inhabited by about one-fifth of the global human population.</li>
<li>Heat waves, without mitigation, presents a serious and<strong> unique risk in South Asia</strong> due to an unprecedented combination of severe natural hazard and acute vulnerability.</li>
</ul>
<p>The latest <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/sr15/sr15_draft.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) special report</a> presents the difference between the two scenarios of global warming at 1.5&deg;C and at 2&deg;C above pre-industrial levels.</p>
<p><strong>1.5&deg;C and 2&deg;C warmer worlds</strong></p>
<p>The global climate has changed relative to the preindustrial period with multiple lines of evidence that these changes have had impacts on organisms and ecosystems, as well as human systems and human well-being.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Substantial changes in regional climate occur between 1.5&deg;C and 2&deg;C, depending on the variable and region in question. Particularly large differences are found for temperature extremes.</strong></li>
<li>Limiting global warming to 1.5&deg;C limits risks of increases in heavy precipitation events in several regions.</li>
<li>Risks to natural and human systems are lower at 1.5<sup>o</sup>C than 2<sup>o</sup>C.</li>
<li>Some regions are projected to experience multiple compound climate-related risks at 1.5&deg;C that will increase with the warming of 2&deg;C.</li>
<li><strong>Global warming of 2&deg;C would lead to an expansion of areas with significant increases in runoff as well as those affected by flood hazard, as compared to conditions at 1.5&deg;C global warming.</strong></li>
<li>The ocean has absorbed about 30% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide, resulting in ocean acidification and changes to carbonate chemistry that are unprecedented in the last 65 million years at least.</li>
<li>Global mean sea level rise will be around 0.1 m (10 cm) less by the end of the century in a 1.5&deg;C world as compared to a 2&deg;C warmer world.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)</strong> recently released a <a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/DRAFT-India%20Cooling%20Action%20Plan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">draft of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).</a>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Importance of ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The ICAP is an opportunity for cities, state governments and policymakers to address &lsquo;cooling&rsquo; as a national adaptation need.</strong></li>
<li>Reports like ICAP are also needed to develop an institutionally coherent approach, addressing technology, regulating future urban growth, protecting natural ecosystems, retrofitting existing built forms and planning for vulnerable people.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcomings in ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICAP in its current form fails to address future cooling demand through technology innovations.</li>
<li>ICAP fails to integrate future climate trends in its projection of heat risk under different geographic conditions. Cooling requirements in dry and arid regions, as opposed to humid coastal regions, will vary drastically; so will the technology and planning.</li>
<li>In response to increasing threats, ICAP misses a crucial opportunity to
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>mandate retrofitting guidelines</strong> for existing buildings, infrastructure and services to potentially reduce urban heat island effects;</li>
<li><strong>create awareness</strong> and encourage informed participation to plan for collective heat resilience rather than focusing on a greater reliance on personal cooling solutions;</li>
<li><strong>ensure early warning alerts include heat warnings</strong> and personal resilience strategies that are responsive to dry and humid heat conditions, factoring temperature and humidity as two simultaneous risk factors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions for ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It must <strong>consider critical interventions</strong> to integrate heat action and cooling strategies towards a sustainable, equitable and climate resilient future.</li>
<li>Integrating climate projections in a city and regional plans can emphasize the need for climate-sensitive urban environments and potentially reduce ambient temperatures.</li>
<li>In addition to land use plans, the report should suggest cities to use remote sensing data to produce vulnerability maps that correlate urban <strong>heat islands*</strong> with depleted tree covers, under different temperature scenarios.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*The term <strong>"heat island"</strong> describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8&ndash;5.4&deg;F (1&ndash;3&deg;C) warmer than its surroundings.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;"></ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This can help cities<strong> identify highly exposed areas</strong> and target interventions such as increasing tree cover and <strong>mandating building regulations</strong> towards climate sensitive urban development.</li>
<li><strong>Heat vulnerability maps</strong> under different climate scenarios can be used to inform decision-makers of the costs of inaction by correlating data on health impacts, economic productivity loss, and risks of emigration.</li>
<li>It should provide to <strong>increase awareness on heat stress</strong> to influence long-term adaptation action.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>People retrofit their homes, buildings, and <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="107" data-gr-id="107">neighbourhoods</g> in response to increasing heat and flood risk, but rarely come together to plant trees and plan for long-term heat resilience. <strong>Behavioral change among people is a key line of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_111 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="111" data-gr-id="111">defence</g><strong> against increasing temperatures.</strong></li>
<li>A recent study conducted in poor and vulnerable communities in Surat showed that residents living in poor communities lack the information, awareness, and understanding of the severity of heat risk on their bodies and their lives. <strong>For example,</strong> respondents said they lose an average of 7-8 workdays during extreme summers due to illnesses and exhaustion. Some daily-wage workers reported job loss and the inability to find new jobs once they had recovered. Unfortunately, people still perceive heat as an inconvenience and respond to it by adopting personal comfort habits rather than organize or demand <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar replaceWithoutSep" id="91" data-gr-id="91">for</g> long-term solutions.</li>
<li>In most cases, people who are vulnerable to increasing heat have limited or no knowledge of how they can protect themselves from heat stress or treat themselves when exposed to extreme heat. Therefore, awareness should be generated about changing heat trends.</li>
<li>ICAP is an opportunity for cities to leverage existing adaptation potential in poor communities and channel this towards long-term cooling action. It would do this by way of planting more trees in the <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="96" data-gr-id="96">neighbourhood</g>, identifying common institutions to be designed as <strong>&lsquo;cooling shelters</strong>&rsquo; and mandating improved <g class="gr_ gr_104 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="104" data-gr-id="104">labour</g> and housing conditions through <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="110" data-gr-id="110">labour</g> unions, companies, and pro-poor housing authorities.</li>
<li><strong>Currently, the most disaster preparedness action focuses on flood risk and other natural disasters (sudden shocks like earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires etc).</strong> This should change and action plans should be developed for long-term risks like climate change, as well.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.climateemergencyinstitute.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLIMATE EMERGENCY INSTITUTE</a> - Learn more about climate change, take responsibility and spread the word.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/930drishti_our-world-at-15c-nex.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/930drishti_our-world-at-15c-nex.png" width="373" height="279" caption="false" /></a><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/985drishti_iea-cop22-alert.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/985drishti_iea-cop22-alert.png" style="float: right;" width="380" height="286" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/heat-is-an-invisible-climate-risk'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'States Deny Consent to CBI',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments withdrew &ldquo;general consent&rdquo; to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigating cases in their respective states.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Past several states have withdrawn consent like Sikkim, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh <g class="gr_ gr_27 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="27" data-gr-id="27">and</g> Karnataka.</li>
</ul>
<h3>General Consent</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unlike the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is governed by its own <strong>NIA Act, 2008</strong> and has jurisdiction across the country, the CBI is governed by the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946</strong>&nbsp;(DSPE Act, 1946) that makes consent of a state government <g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="35" data-gr-id="35">mandatory</g> for conducting <g class="gr_ gr_33 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="33" data-gr-id="33">investigation</g> in that state.</li>
<li>There are two kinds of <strong>consent</strong>: <strong>case-specific and general</strong>. Given that the CBI has jurisdiction only over central government departments and employees, it can investigate a case involving state government employees or a violent crime in a given state only after that state government gives its consent.&nbsp;<strong>Section 6</strong> <strong>of the DSPE Act, 1946</strong> empowers the state government to give or deny consent to CBI officer to investigate the matter within the state.</li>
<li>&ldquo;General consent&rdquo; is normally given to help the CBI seamlessly conduct its investigation into cases of corruption against central government employees in the concerned state. Almost all states have given such consent.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Withdrawal of General Consent</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It means the CBI will not be able to register any fresh case involving a central government official or a private person stationed in these two states without getting case-specific consent.</li>
<li>Withdrawal of consent will only bar the CBI from registering a case within the jurisdiction of Andhra and Bengal. The CBI could still file cases in Delhi and continue to probe people inside the two states.</li>
<li>Cases registered anywhere else in the country, but involving people stationed in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, would allow CBI&rsquo;s jurisdiction to extend to these states.</li>
<li>In simple terms withdrawal of consent simply means that CBI officers will lose all powers of a police officer as soon as they enter the state unless the state government has allowed them.</li>
<li>It will have no impact on <g class="gr_ gr_28 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="28" data-gr-id="28">investigation</g> of cases already registered with CBI as old cases were registered when general consent existed.</li>
</ul>
<ul></ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/states-deny-consent-to-cbi'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture - What Ails NBFCs',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yluV3eeHMMo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A string of defaults at Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Service Ltd's (IL&amp;FS) have triggered sharp falls in Indian stock and debt markets amid fears of contagion within the rest of the country&rsquo;s financial sector. In October 2018, the government took control of IL&amp;FS to protect the financial system and markets from potential <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="93" data-gr-id="93">collapse,</g> and replaced its board. The new board has submitted a plan to revive the debt-laden firm.</p>
<p>The Department of Economic Affairs(DEA) fears significant default from large non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies in the next six weeks if no additional liquidity support is provided to these firms. Nearly 2 trillion rupees of NBFC and HFC debt is due for redemption by the end of December, the DEA said in its letter. It said it estimates a funding gap of as much as 1 trillion rupees by the end of the year. The DEA, in a letter to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, described the financial situation as "still fragile" when discussing the financial stability impact of the default.</p>
<h3>What are NBFCs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The non-banking financial companies are registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and deals in the business of loans and advances, investments in bonds/shares/debentures/stock and other marketable securities viz. lease, hire-purchase, insurance business, but do not include any institution which is principally engaged in the business of agricultural activity, purchase of any goods and services (other than securities), industrial activity and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.</li>
<li>There are two kinds of NBFCs&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Deposit-taking NBFCs: The non-banking companies, registered with the Reserve Bank of India can accept the public deposits and must comply with the following regulations issued by RBI.</li>
<li>Non-deposit taking NBFCs</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Major difference between Banks and NBFCs</strong></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p><strong>Basic</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p><strong>NBFCs</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p><strong>Banks</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Meaning</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>They provide certain banking services without holding Bank License.</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>It is government authorized financial intermediary which provides banking services to the public.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Regulated under</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Companies Act 2013</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Banking Regulation Act 1949</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Demand Deposit</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Cannot be Accepted</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Can be Accepted</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>FDI</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Allowed up to 100%</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Allowed up to 74% for Private Sector Bank</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Payment and Settlement system</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not a part of the System</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>An Integral part of the System</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Maintenance of Reserve Ratios</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not Required</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Mandatory</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Deposit Insurance Facility</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not Available</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Available</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Transaction Services</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Cannot be provided by NBFC</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Provided by Bank</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>What are the major fund sources for the NBFCs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Long Term
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These are through loans obtained from banks and insurance companies in a single quantum. A good credit rating is mandatory for raising large sums at a competitive interest rate.</li>
<li>Bonds are also used as a common route to reduce the interest rate on the sources of funds. In some cases, tax-free bonds are also issued for priority sectors such as infrastructure and roads.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Short Term
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Short term loans offered by an NBFC can be issued by raising funds through Commercial Paper (CPs), debentures and inter-corporate deposits. CPs are short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by companies, with a tenure of 3 months to 12 months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Potential of NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs is a form of shadow banking. The total loans from NBFCs of 5.46 trillion Rupees are 20% of banking credit itself.</li>
<li>The year on year rise of total banking credit is 2.6%, whereas, loan to NBFCs has risen by 41%.</li>
<li>As of March 2018, there were 11,402 NBFCs registered with the RBI, of which 156 were deposit accepting NBFCs (NBFCs-D), and 249 systemically important non-deposit accepting NBFCs (NBFCs-ND-SI).</li>
<li>The aggregate balance sheet size of the NBFC sector as of March 2018 was Rs 22.1 lakh crore.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What ails NBFCs and particularly IL&amp;FS?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Several corporates, mutual funds <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">and</g> insurance companies had invested in short-term instruments such as commercial papers (CPs) and non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of the IL&amp;FS group that has been defaulting on payments since August 2018. This has stoked fears that funds of many could have been stuck in IL&amp;FS debt instruments which, in <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="77" data-gr-id="77">turn</g> could lead to a liquidity crunch for them. This has become a cause of concern that the funding cost for NBFCs will zoom and result in a sharp decline in their margins.</li>
<li>Banks have slowed down lending to NBFCs, virtually closing a major resource avenue for NBFCs.</li>
<li>The fundamental <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="84" data-gr-id="84">issue,</g> is an asset-liability mismatch in the operations of NBFCs like IL&amp;FS. These firms borrow funds from the market &mdash; for 3 or 5 years &mdash; and lend for longer tenures &mdash; 10 to 15 years. Now, because interest rate <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">are</g> rising, the margin of NBFCs have suffered and consequently, funding to NBFCs has decreased. Hence, lack of funds has triggered such a scenario.</li>
<li>Further, because of erosion of credibility of debt payment, their stocks have suffered majorly.</li>
<li>There were more than 200 subsidiaries in case of IL&amp;FS which brought considerable management problem, further worsening the status of NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs should be under <g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="87" data-gr-id="87">greater</g> supervision of the RBI with <g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="88" data-gr-id="88">better</g> regulatory mechanism. <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="89" data-gr-id="89">Since,</g> they deal with a substantial portion of credit of the market, they cannot be left unregulated. This would ensure that they are not lending beyond their means.</li>
<li>Instead of bringing all the NBFCs under supervision, effort must be made to focus on the systemically Important NBFCs, which are around 250.</li>
<li>Adequate funding is necessary to make NBFCs a viable platform for investment in various developmental projects. Consequently, the first step would be to strengthen the banking sector.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-what-ails-nbfcs'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Maternity Leave: Government for Incentive Scheme',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment has come up with clarification with respect to Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There were some media reports that this Scheme has been approved/notified. However, it is clarified that Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment is in the <strong>process of obtaining necessary budgetary grant</strong> and approvals of Competent Authorities.</li>
<li>The reports that it will be funded from Labour Welfare Cess, is also incorrect, as <strong>no such cess exists under this Ministry.</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Building and Other Construction Workers&rsquo; Welfare Cess (BOCW) Act, 1996</strong> provides for collection of cess for construction workers <strong>by states/union territories.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>State and the Local governments</strong> collect the Cess and then <strong>transfer to the State Welfare Boards.</strong></li>
<li>The states/UTs should ensure that the welfare schemes funded from cess fund should be<strong> exclusively for building and other construction workers only.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Diversion of cess fund</strong> for welfare of other category of workers is<strong> not permissible</strong> under the BOCW Act.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 applies to <strong>establishments employing 10 or more persons</strong> in Factories, Mines, Plantation, Shops &amp; Establishments and other entities.</li>
<li>The main purpose of this Act is to regulate the employment of women in certain establishments for certain period before and after childbirth and to provide maternity benefit and certain other benefits.</li>
<li>The Act was amended through the <a href="/infographics/info-paper2/the-maternity-benefit-amendment-act-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017</a> which, inter alia, has <strong>increased</strong> the paid maternity leave to women employees<strong> from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.</strong></li>
<li>While the implementation of the provision is good in Public Sector, there are reports that it is <strong>poor in Private Sector</strong> and in <strong>contract jobs.</strong></li>
<li>There is also a wide perception that private entities are not encouraging the hiring of women employees because if they are employed, they may have to provide maternity benefit to them, <strong>particularly 26 weeks of paid holiday.</strong></li>
<li>Therefore, &nbsp;the extended maternity leave has become a<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture:-challenges-for-working-mothers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> deterrent for female employees</a> who are asked to quit or retrenched on flimsy grounds before they go on maternity leave.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Proposed Solution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment is working on an<strong> incentive scheme wherein 7 weeks&rsquo; wages would be reimbursed to employers</strong> who employ women workers with <strong>wage ceiling upto Rs. 15000/-</strong> and provide the maternity benefit of 26 weeks paid leave, subject to certain conditions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The proposed Scheme, if &nbsp;approved and implemented shall ensure the women in this <strong>country an equal access to employment</strong> and other approved benefits along with <strong>adequate safety and secure environment.</strong></li>
<li>The workplaces will be <strong>more and more responsive to the family needs</strong> of the working women.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/maternity-benefits-and-workplace-equality-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more about issue of maternity benefits</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/maternity-leave-government-for-incentive-scheme'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Kg Gets a New Definition',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>At the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in Versailles (France), delegates of International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) voted to <strong>redefine the kilogram</strong> in terms of a tiny but unchanging value called the "<strong>Planck constant</strong>".</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new definition involves an apparatus called the <strong>Kibble balance</strong>, which makes use of the constant to measure the mass of an object using a precisely measured electromagnetic force.</li>
<li>They also voted to update definitions for the ampere ( the unit of electrical current), the Kelvin ( the unit of temperature) and the mole (amount of a substance).</li>
<li>The new definitions agreed by the BIPM will come into force from <strong>May 20, 2019</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Since the 19<sup>th</sup> century, scientists have based their definition of the fundamental unit of mass on a physical object &mdash; <strong>a shining platinum-iridium cylinder or Le Grand K (weighed exactly a kilogram)</strong> known as the <strong>International Prototype of the Kilogram</strong>.</li>
<li>It is housed at the headquarters of BIPM in Sevres, France.</li>
<li>All modern mass measurements are derived from the kilogram, whether micrograms of pharmaceutical medicine or gold dust, kilos of fruit or fish or tonnes of steel.</li>
<li>The problem is the <strong>prototype doesn't always weigh the same</strong>. Even inside its three glass bell jars it<strong> picks up microparticles of dirt</strong> and is affected by the atmosphere. Sometimes it needs cleaning, which <strong>can affect its mass</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New Concepts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Since 1967, <strong>the second</strong> has been defined as the <strong>time it takes for a certain amount of energy to be released as radiation from atoms of Caesium-133</strong>. This became the basis of all measures of time and is used in <strong>atomic clocks</strong>.</li>
<li>Once the second was defined, <strong>the metre</strong> fell into place. This was based on another universal constant: the speed of light. Today, the metre is defined as <strong>the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second</strong> (which is already defined).</li>
<li>The kilogram comes next. The <strong>Planck constant</strong>, which Kilogram is based on, is <strong>usually measured in joule seconds</strong>, but this can also be <strong>expressed as kilogram square metres per second.</strong></li>
<li>By adding measurements of a second and a metre, along with an exact knowledge of Planck&rsquo;s constant, precise definition of the kilogram can be obtained.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new definition of the second helped ease communication across the world via technologies like GPS and the Internet. In the same way, experts say the change in the kilogram will be better for technology, retail and health.</li>
<li>In daily life, however, the new SI units will have little immediate practical consequence</li>
<li>Defining the units based on physical constants means that scientists will be able to measure them at any place or time, and on any scale.</li>
<li>This will pave the way for far <strong>more accurate measurements</strong> and lays a more stable foundation for science.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>BIPM and CGPM</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Metre Convention</strong> is the treaty that created<strong> the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)</strong>, an <strong>intergovernmental organization</strong> under the authority of the <strong>General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)</strong> and the supervision of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM).</li>
<li>The Convention was signed in Paris on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Metre Convention established a permanent organizational structure for member governments to act in common accord on all matters relating to units of measurement.</li>
<li><strong>In 1889 the 1<sup>st</sup> CGPM sanctioned the international prototypes for the metre and the kilogram</strong>. Together with the astronomical second as the unit of time, these units constituted a three-dimensional mechanical unit system similar to the CGS system (centimetre&ndash;gram&ndash;second system).</li>
<li>Following an international inquiry by the BIPM, which began in 1948, the 10th CGPM, in 1954, approved the introduction of the ampere, the Kelvin and the candela as base units, respectively, for electric current, thermodynamic temperature and luminous intensity.</li>
<li>The name <strong>International System of Units</strong>, with the abbreviation SI, was given to the system by the <strong>11<sup>th</sup> CGPM in 1960</strong>.</li>
<li>At the 14<sup>th</sup> CGPM in 1971, after lengthy discussions between physicists and chemists, the current version of the SI was completed by adding the mole as the base unit for amount of substance, bringing the total number of base units to seven.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> became a signatory to the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1957.</li>
<li>As of 7 August 2018, there are <strong>60 Member States of BIPM including India</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kg-gets-a-new-definition'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (17th November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Matua Community</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the Chief Minister of West Bengal conferred <strong>Bengal's highest civilian award, the "Banga Bibhushan"</strong> to <strong>Binapani Devi popularly known as 'Baro-Maa' within the Matua community.</strong></li>
<li>Matuas are an <strong>influential lower caste Hindu community</strong> which had mostly migrated from East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to settle in West Bengal.</li>
<li>In the beginning Matua-mahasangha followed simplified rituals, but <strong>later adopted Vaishnavism.</strong></li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was founded in the <strong>mid-1800s by Harichand Thakur, at Gopalganj in the Faridpur province of present-day Bangladesh</strong>. He preached love, tolerance, gender equality and non-distinction irrespective of caste, class and creed.</span></p>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-17th-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'A Crippling Shortage',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;A Crippling Shortage&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu for 17th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to vacancies in subordinate courts.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>According to recent data, there is a backlog of nearly 3.3 crore cases of which almost 2.84 crore cases belong in the subordinate courts.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Lack of human resource in judiciary attributes to the pendency of cases.</strong> The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of more than 5,000 vacancies for subordinate judicial posts even as pendency touched crores.<br /><br />The Supreme Court on 15th November pulled up various State governments and the administrative side of the High Courts for the delay in filling vacancies in subordinate judicial services.</p>
<p>A study released last year, by the<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/551ea026e4b0adba21a8f9df/t/5a2921888165f56fcb059a09/1512645048174/Ranking_Lower_Judiciary_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy</a> revealed that the recruitment cycle in most States far exceeded the time limit prescribed by the Supreme Court. This time limit is 153 days for a two-tier recruitment process and 273 days for a three-tier process. Most States took longer to appoint junior civil judges as well as district judges by direct recruitment.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/755Drishti_A Crippling shortage.jpg" style="float: right;" width="356" height="323" /></p>
<h3>Facts &amp; Figures</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a five-page order earlier, the Supreme Court had recorded that there were a total of 22,036 posts in the district and subordinate judiciary, ranging from district judges to junior civil judges, across the States. It said 5,133 out of the 22,036 posts were vacant.</li>
<li><strong>In the subordinate courts, vacancies have increased from 19% to 26% between 2006 and 2017.</strong></li>
<li>As of 2017, subordinate courts have a vacancy of 26% (5,746) against a sanctioned strength of 22,474 judges.</li>
<li><strong>The highest share of vacancies in the subordinate courts (where sanctioned strength is over 100 judges) is in Bihar where there is a vacancy of 46% (835 vacancies), followed by UP at 42% (1281 vacancies).</strong></li>
<li><strong>The lowest vacancies are in West Bengal where there is a vacancy of 4% (40 vacancies), followed by Andhra Pradesh of 7% (66 vacancies).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Recruitment Procedure</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the Constitution, district judges are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court.</li>
<li>Other subordinate judicial officers are appointed as per rules framed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court and the State Public Service Commission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Structure of the Lower Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The lower judiciary broadly comprises three cadres of judges. These include :
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>District Judge</li>
<li>Senior Civil Judge</li>
<li>Civil Judge (Junior Division)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>These posts jointly include judges having civil as well as criminal jurisdiction even though they are termed Civil Judge (Senior Division)&rsquo; and &lsquo;Civil Judges (Junior Division)&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The exact designation of posts under each of these cadres differs from state to state in their hierarchy and nomenclature.</strong></li>
<li>At the district level, the District Court lies at the apex and is the appellate court for all civil and criminal matters. It also plays a supervisory role over other courts, such as those headed by Civil Judges (Senior Division) and Civil Judges (Junior Division).</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/975drishti_indian%20judiciary flow chart.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/975drishti_indian judiciary flow chart.jpg" width="994" height="695" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3><br />Reasons for Vacancies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Systemic defects in the appointment process most certainly contribute to vacancies in the lower judiciary. For example, <strong>exams are not conducted frequently enough to fill vacancies as they arise and even when they are, High Courts are often unable to find enough meritorious candidates to fill the vacancies advertised.</strong></li>
<li><strong>A sheer lethargic approach for conducting the appointment process on time is another reason for increasing vacancies.</strong></li>
<li>Being late in the process of calling for applications, holding recruitment examinations and declaring the results, and, more significantly, finding the funds to pay and accommodate the newly appointed judges and magistrates is also one of the reasons.</li>
<li>Unclear recruitment procedures, and difficulties in coordination between the High Court and State Public Service Commission, also frequently give rise to disputes and litigations surrounding recruitment, further stalling the process of recruitment.</li>
<li>Little quantitative and qualitative data on the appointment process exists, and thus no impactful reform has emerged in the area.</li>
<li>Moreover, it is found that the source of the problem often lay in poor infrastructure, from courtrooms to residences for judges.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Arising from Vacancies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Increase in the pendency of cases</strong> for long periods over the years results in an increase in the number of undertrials in prisons (accused prisoners awaiting trial). As of 2015, there were over four lakh prisoners in jails. Of these, two-thirds were undertrials (2.8 lakh) and the remaining one-third were convicted.</li>
<li>Any failure to allocate the required human and financial resources leads to the<strong> crippling of judicial work in the subordinate courts.</strong> It also amounts to letting down poor litigants and undertrials, who stand to suffer the most due to judicial delay.</li>
<li>Vacancies mean <strong>more work for a district&rsquo;s remaining judges.</strong> This forces judges to take up heavy workloads in an effort to compensate for the vacancy which reduces the efficiency of judges.</li>
<li>Heavier caseloads due to vacancies meant they spent less time considering individual cases <strong>raises troubling concerns about the quality of justice dispensed.</strong></li>
<li>A <strong>delay in resolving motions and hearing trials which lead to the pendency of cases</strong> piling up is the most common impact of vacancies in the posts judges and court administrators.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Public Service Commissions should recruit the necessary staff to assist these judges, while State governments should build courts or provide working space for them. The recruitment of judges to fill vacancies should also begin earnestly.</li>
<li>A smooth and time-bound process of making appointments require a close coordination between the High Courts and the State Public Service Commissions. This coordination should be facilitated by the respective State Governments and High Courts as best as possible.</li>
<li>Subordinate courts perform the most critical judicial functions that affect the life of the common man: conducting trials, settling civil disputes, and implementing the bare bones of the law. This is a very important area for justice and it, therefore, demands a massive infusion of both manpower and resources that should not be denied at all costs.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/884Infograph%20(Indian Judiciary)-01.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/884Infograph (Indian Judiciary)-01.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="462" height="1816" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-crippling-shortage'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'India's Disputes At WTO',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, Australia has referred India to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over subsidies paid to sugarcane farmers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many countries have filed complaints in WTO against various welfare and subsidy programs run by <g class="gr_ gr_130 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="130" data-gr-id="130">government</g> of India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Complaints Against India&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On November 12 US filed a complaint against India alleging that India has paid out far more in cotton subsidies than the WTO rules permit.</li>
<li>On November 7, India lost a trade dispute at the WTO after a settlement panel upheld Japan&rsquo;s complaint on the imposition of safeguard duty on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products during September 2015 and March 2018.</li>
<li>In May 2018, the US submitted a communication under provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) on certain measures of India providing Market Price Support (MPS) to wheat and rice for the years 2010-11 to 2013-14.</li>
<li>In this communication, <g class="gr_ gr_137 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="137" data-gr-id="137">US</g> stated that India has &ldquo;under-reported&rdquo; its domestic support provided for wheat and rice and violated its commitments under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.</li>
<li>In 2016, the dispute settlement panel had ruled in <g class="gr_ gr_138 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="138" data-gr-id="138">favour</g> of a US complaint against the requirement that power producers under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission compulsorily procure a part of solar panels and modules for their projects from domestic producers.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Australia Stand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Australia has said that it will <g class="gr_ gr_140 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="140" data-gr-id="140">utilise</g> the established global trading rules to defend the interests of its farmers and will continue to support the right of Australia's sugar industry to compete on equal terms with domestic Indian industry.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On September 27, the government of India had approved <g class="gr_ gr_124 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="124" data-gr-id="124">a Rs</g> 5,538-crore package for the sugar industry.</li>
<li>India has maintained its stand that the country&rsquo;s sugar exports comply with WTO rules. India does not extend a subsidy to its farmers for <g class="gr_ gr_125 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">exports,</g> but instead gives <strong>a production subsidy.</strong></li>
<li>On the issue of MPS being violative of WTO norms, India has dismissed these allegations and has demanded that MPS should be calculated by using the recent reference period instead of 1986/88 prices, which was factored in at the time of the creation of the WTO.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Countervailing Duty and Anti-Dumping Duty</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Countervailing Duty:</strong> It is imposed on imported goods to counterbalance subsidy provided by the exporter country.</li>
<li><strong>Anti-Dumping Duty:</strong> An antidumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dumping is a process where a company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges on its own home market.</li>
<li>To protect local businesses and markets, many countries impose stiff duties on products they believe are being dumped in their national market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Agreement On Agriculture (AoA)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AoA is aimed to remove trade barriers and to promote transparent market access and integration of global markets. Agreement on agriculture stands on three pillars:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Domestic Support:</strong> It calls for <g class="gr_ gr_135 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="135" data-gr-id="135">reduction</g> in domestic subsidies that distorts free trade and fair price.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Under this provision, the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) is to be reduced by 20% over a period of 6 years by developed countries and 13% over a period of 10 years by developing countries.</li>
<li>Under this, Subsidies are categorized into:
<ol>
<li><strong>Green Box:</strong> subsidies that <strong>do not distort trade,</strong> or at most cause minimal distortion.
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-roman;">
<li>They are <strong>government-funded</strong> and must <strong>not involve price support.</strong></li>
<li>They also <strong>include environmental protection and regional development programmes.</strong></li>
<li>&ldquo;Green box&rdquo; subsidies are therefore<strong> allowed without limits</strong>, provided they comply with the policy-specific criteria.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><strong>Amber Box:</strong> All domestic support measures considered to <strong>distort production and trade</strong> (with some exceptions) fall into the amber box as all domestic supports except those in the blue and green boxes.
<ol>
<li>These include<strong> measures to support prices, or subsidies directly related to production quantities.</strong></li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><strong>Blue Box:</strong> This is the &ldquo;amber box with conditions&rdquo;. Such conditions are <strong>designed to reduce distortion.</strong>
<ol>
<li>Any support that would normally be in the amber box is placed in the blue box if the support also<strong> requires farmers to limit production.</strong></li>
<li>At present,<strong> there are no limits on spending on blue box subsidies.</strong></li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Market Access:</strong> Market access for goods in the WTO means the conditions, tariff and non-tariff measures, agreed by members for the entry of specific goods into their markets. The market access requires that tariffs fixed (like <g class="gr_ gr_139 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="139" data-gr-id="139">custom</g> duties) by individual countries be cut progressively to allow free trade. It also required countries to remove non-tariff barriers and convert them to Tariff duties.</li>
<li><strong>Export Subsidy:</strong> Subsidy on inputs of agriculture, making export cheaper or other incentives for exports such as import duty remission etc are included under export subsidies. These can result in <g class="gr_ gr_112 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="112" data-gr-id="112">dumping</g> of highly subsidized (and cheap) products in other country and damage <g class="gr_ gr_113 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="113" data-gr-id="113">domestic</g> agriculture sector of <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">other country</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">Principle</g> of Trade Without Discrimination at WTO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Most Favored Nation (MFN):</strong> Treating other nations equally. Under the WTO principle of <g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="109" data-gr-id="109">trading</g> system, countries normally are not allowed to discriminate between their trading partners.</li>
<li><strong>National Treatment:</strong> Treating foreigners and locals equally. Under this principle, foreign goods are given <g class="gr_ gr_102 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="102" data-gr-id="102">same</g> treatment as one&rsquo;s own.</li>
<li><strong>Free Trade:</strong> Lowering trade barriers is one of the most obvious means of encouraging trade.</li>
<li><strong>Predictability:</strong> With stability, predictability and binding commitments, WTO principle seeks to encourage investment, create jobs and to accrue the benefits of competition to consumers in the form of choice quality and lower prices.</li>
<li><strong>Promoting Fair Competition:</strong> WTO agreements also aim to support fair competition in trade in agriculture, intellectual property, services etc.</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging Development and Economic Reforms:</strong> Developing countries that need <g class="gr_ gr_101 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="101" data-gr-id="101">flexibility</g> to implement the system&rsquo;s agreements are given special assistance and trade concessions under WTO rules. This promotes economic reforms and development in these countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) makes decisions on trade disputes between member countries.</li>
<li>DSB consists of all WTO members.</li>
<li>The DSB makes all its decisions by consensus.</li>
<li>The DSB has the sole authority to establish panels of experts to consider the <g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="98" data-gr-id="98">case,</g> and to accept or reject the panels&rsquo; findings or the results of an appeal.</li>
<li>It monitors the implementation of the rulings and <g class="gr_ gr_103 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="103" data-gr-id="103">recommendations,</g> and has the power to authorize retaliation when a country does not comply with a ruling.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india's-disputes-at-wto'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)',
			'catname' => 'Paper 4',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/574Indian%20Thinker Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902).jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/574Indian Thinker Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902).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-paper4/mind-map-paper-4-indian-thinker-swami-vivekanand-1863-1902'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)',
			'catname' => 'Paper 4',
			'desc' => '<h3>About Swami Vivekananda</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta, on 12th January, 1863.</li>
<li>He was a monk and chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa.</li>
<li>He introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the world stage during the late 19th century.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Vedanta</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>based on Upanishads</strong> and their interpretation.</li>
<li>Its aim was to <strong>enquire about &lsquo;Brahman&rsquo; (ultimate reality)</strong> which was the <strong>central concept of Upanishads</strong>.</li>
<li>It saw <strong>Veda as the ultimate source of information</strong> and whose authority could not be questioned.</li>
<li>It emphasized on path of knowledge (jnana) as opposed to that of sacrifice (karma).</li>
<li>Ultimate aim of knowledge was <strong>'Moksha'</strong> i.e. liberation from <strong>'sansara'</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He established Ramakrishna Mission in 1987, named after his Guru Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The institution did extensive educational and philanthropic work in India.</li>
<li>He also represented India in the first Parliament of Religion held in Chicago (U.S.) in 1893.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Core Values Of Swami Vivekanand&rsquo;s Philosophy</h3>
<p><strong>Ethics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Morality in both individual life and social life is mostly based on fear of societal censure.</li>
<li>But Vivekananda gave a new theory of ethics and new principle of morality based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman.</li>
<li>Ethics according to Vivekananda was nothing but a code of conduct that helps a man to be a good citizen.</li>
<li>We should be pure because purity is our real nature, our true divine Self or Atman.</li>
<li>Similarly, we should love and serve our neighbours because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit known as Paramatma or Brahman.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Religion</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One of the most significant contributions of Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent Reality, common to all humanity.</li>
<li>This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priest craft and intolerance.</li>
<li>He believed that every religion offered a pathway to the eternal supreme &ndash; supreme freedom, supreme knowledge, supreme happiness.</li>
<li>This can be accomplished by realising one&rsquo;s ATMA as part of PARAMATMA.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Education</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda laid the greatest emphasis on education for the regeneration of our motherland.</li>
<li>According to him, a nation is advanced in proportion as education is spread among the masses.</li>
<li>He said that our process of education should be such that it helps the students to manifest their innate knowledge and power.</li>
<li>He advocated a man-making character-building education.</li>
<li>He said that education must make the students self-reliant and help them face the challenges of life. He was highly critical of the so-called educated who do not care for the poor and downtrodden.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Rationality </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was in complete agreement with the methods and results of modern science.</li>
<li>He did not discard reason in favor of faith.</li>
<li>He recognized intuition or inspiration as a higher faculty than reason. But the truth derived from intuition had to be explained and systematized by reason.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Nationalism </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Though growth of Nationalism is attributed to the Western influence but Swami Vivekananda&rsquo;s nationalism is deeply rooted in Indian spirituality and morality.</li>
<li>His nationalism is based on Humanism and Universalism, the two cardinal features of Indian spiritual culture.</li>
<li>Unlike western nationalism which is secular in nature, Swami Vivekananda&rsquo;s nationalism is based on religion which is life blood of the Indian people.</li>
<li>The basis of his nationalism are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Deep concern for masses, freedom and equality through which one expresses self, spiritual integration of the world on the basis of universal brotherhood.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Karmyoga&rdquo; a system of ethics to attain freedom both political and spiritual through selfless service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>His writings and speeches established motherland as the only deity to be worshiped in the mind and heart of countrymen.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Youth</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swamiji believed that if our youth is determined, there can be nothing impossible for them to achieve in the world.</li>
<li>He urged youth to have dedication to the cause to attain success. Pursuing a challenge with utmost dedication is really the road to success, for our youth.</li>
<li>Hence Swamiji called upon the youth to not only build up their mental energies, but their physical ones as well. He wanted &lsquo;muscles of iron&rsquo; as well as &lsquo;nerves of steel&rsquo;.</li>
<li>His birthday on January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day and the week commencing from that day is known as the National Youth Week.</li>
<li>As part of National Youth Week celebrations, the Government of India holds the National Youth Festival every year.</li>
<li>The youth festival aims to propagate the concept of national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure amongst the youth by exhibiting their cultural prowess in a common platform.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda belonged to the 19th century, yet his message and his life are more relevant today than in the past and perhaps, will be more relevant in future.</li>
<li>Persons like Swami Vivekananda do not cease to exist with their physical death - their influence and their thought, the work which they initiate, go on gaining momentum as years pass by, and ultimately, reach a fulfilment which they envisaged.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper4/to-the-point-paper-4-indian-thinker-swami-vivekanand-1863-1902'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'National Financial Reporting Authority',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>The Ministry of Corporate Affairs</strong> has notified rules determining the jurisdiction, powers, function and duties of the <strong>National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Companies Act, 2013</strong> provided for the creation of a National Financial Reporting Authority.</li>
<li>Earlier, the Union Cabinet on March 1, 2018 approved the creation of a National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as an <strong>independent regulator</strong> for the auditing profession, in an attempt to tighten regulatory oversight over chartered accountants and plug loopholes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The need for establishing NFRA was felt in the wake of accounting scams and to establish an independent regulator for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits.</li>
<li><strong>Section 132 of the Companies Act 2013</strong> gives the central government the power to set up such an authority.</li>
<li>A<strong> Parliamentary Standing Committee</strong> had also<strong> recommended</strong> that the National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards be institutionalized by setting up an NFRA.</li>
<li>At present, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the auditing regulator. ICAI plays the <strong>advisory role</strong> with respect to accounting and auditing standards and policies.</li>
<li>Setting up the NFRA indicates, to an extent, the lack of trust in ICAI to effectively address malpractices associated with accounting and auditing profession.</li>
<li>The current regulator ICAI is against setting up of NFRA. ICAI is of the view that NFRA should not be given the power of investigation as the ICAI&nbsp;is doing the same work. Also, the multiplicity of regulators will not serve any purpose as steps suggested by the government for NFRA are already being undertaken by the institute.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Institute of Chartered Accountants of India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a<strong> statutory body.</strong></li>
<li>It was established by <strong>The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.</strong></li>
<li>The Institute functions under the administrative control of the<strong> Ministry of Corporate Affairs.</strong></li>
<li>It is aimed at r<strong>egulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in the country.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NFRA will oversee the quality of service and undertake investigation of the auditors of<strong> listed entities</strong>; <strong>unlisted entities with paid-up capital of not less than ₹500 crore</strong> or <strong>annual turnover of over ₹1,000 crore or those having aggregate loans, debentures or deposits of not less than ₹500 crore as of March 31 of the preceding financial year. </strong>While ICAI retains jurisdiction of small listed companies.</li>
<li>The NFRA will also have oversight over a<strong>uditors of banks, insurers, electricity firms and also those body corporates referred to it by the Centre.</strong></li>
<li>It will investigate matters, <strong>either suo moto or on a reference made to it by the Central Government,</strong> of professional misconduct by chartered accountants (CA) or CA firms, impose penalty and debar the CA or CA firm for up to 10 years.</li>
<li>Make recommendations to the Central Government on the formulation and laying down of accounting and auditing policies and standards for adoption by companies or class of companies or their auditors.</li>
<li>Monitor and enforce the compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards in such manner as prescribed.</li>
<li>Oversee the <strong>quality of service of the professions</strong> associated with ensuring compliance with such standards, and suggest measures required for improvement in quality of service and such other related matters. This will make Quality Review Board (QRB)&nbsp; redundant, which was mandated earlier to&nbsp;look into the quality of service rendered by auditors.</li>
<li>The rules also provide for a <strong>detailed procedure on disciplinary proceedings</strong> that will be undertaken by the NFRA. It has mandated <strong>time-bound disposal (90 days)</strong> of the show cause notice through a summary procedure.</li>
<li>The National Financial Reporting Authority shall consist of members <strong>not exceeding fifteen part time and full-time members.</strong></li>
<li>The chairperson and members, who are in full-time employment with National Financial Reporting Authority, shall not be associated with any audit firm (including related consultancy firms) during the course of their appointment and two years after ceasing to hold such appointment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits of establishing NFRA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the constitution of NFRA, India is now eligible to become a member of the I<strong>nternational Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR)</strong>, which was denied until now for want of an independent audit oversight body in the country. This will enhance investor confidence as well as standing of India in the global arena.</li>
<li>Improvement in foreign/domestic investments.</li>
<li>Enhancement of economic growth.</li>
<li>Supporting the globalisation of business by meeting international practices.</li>
<li>Further development of auditing profession.</li>
<li>Establishment of NFRA will free resources for the ICAI to work on developing new and complex skills needed in the uncertain world of technology.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>
<p>The NFRA has an uphill task of creating a structure and processes for effectively delivering on the complete range of functions like standards setting, professional development, quality monitoring and disciplining of medium and large-size audit firm. Moreover, disposal of disciplinary cases in 90 days, is going to be onerous and challenging task.</p>
</li>
<li>The NFRA should keep its distance from ICAI. Otherwise, it will be yet another case of regulatory capture.</li>
<li>For the NFRA to be effective, it should consist of independent experts with an impeccable record of integrity.</li>
<li>The NFRA should also look at company secretaries who are currently governed by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) as they have an equally important role in examining rule compliance.</li>
<li>There is no contradiction or overlap between NFRA and ICAI, as each of them has their exclusive jurisdiction. Hence, both should meaningfully co-exist and harness mutual synergies and complementarities.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-financial-reporting-authority'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'New Super-Earth Discovered',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><br />A newly published research paper has reported the <strong>discovery of a planet through radial velocity method</strong> in orbit around one of the closest stars to the Sun, <strong>Barnard&rsquo;s star</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The potentially <strong>rocky planet</strong> is known as <strong>Barnard&rsquo;s star b</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Barnard&rsquo;s star</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At nearly 6 light years away, Barnard&rsquo;s star is the <strong>next closest star to the Sun</strong> after the<strong> Alpha Centauri triple system</strong> (Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, Alpha Centauri C or Proxima Centauri).</li>
<li>It is a type of faint, low-mass star called a red dwarf. Red dwarfs are considered to be the best places to look for exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Barnard&rsquo;s star b</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Barnard&rsquo;s star b is a &lsquo;<strong>Super-Earth</strong>&rsquo; with a mass of at least 3.2 times that of the Earth, and it orbits around Barnard&rsquo;s star once every 233 days.</li>
<li>Super Earth is just a planet with more mass than Earth, but less than a larger planet like Uranus or Neptune.</li>
<li>Barnard&rsquo;s star b is the <strong>second-closest known exoplanet to the Sun after Proxima b</strong> (discovered in 2016) orbiting around the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The planet lies at a distance from the star in a region that is known as the '<strong>snow line</strong>'.</li>
<li><g class="gr_ gr_39 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="39" data-gr-id="39"><g class="gr_ gr_40 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="40" data-gr-id="40">Snow</g> line</g> is beyond the habitable zone in which liquid water, and possibly life, could exist.</li>
<li>The planet&rsquo;s surface temperature is estimated to be around -170&deg;C, meaning it is likely to be a frozen world. Such conditions would make it uninviting to Earth-like life.</li>
<li>However, if the planet has a substantial atmosphere, the temperature could be higher and thus conditions could be potentially more hospitable.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Radial Velocity Method</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The researchers used the radial velocity method also known as Doppler spectroscopy during observations that led to the discovery of Barnard&rsquo;s star b.</li>
<li>This technique detects wobbles (fluctuations) in a star which are likely to be caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.</li>
<li>These wobbles affect the light coming from the star. As the star moves towards the Earth its spectrum appears slightly shifted towards the blue and, as it moves away, it is shifted towards the red.</li>
<li>This is the first time that this technique has been used to detect a planet this small so far away from its host star.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>PM recently concluded his visit to Singapore and attended the ASEAN-India Summit held on sidelines of <strong>33rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN is hosting these Summits.</li>
<li>India also participated in <strong>3rd &ldquo;Quad&rdquo; Meeting.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Meeting</h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About ASEAN</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established in 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).</li>
<li>The ASEAN members are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On sidelines of 33rd ASEAN Summit, India-ASEAN Summit was also organized.</li>
<li>As strategic partners, India and ASEAN have trade and economic relations.</li>
<li>Trade between India and ASEAN stood at around <strong>$ 81 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10% of India&rsquo;s total trade</strong>. Exports to<strong> ASEAN countries constitute 11% of India&rsquo;s total exports.</strong></li>
<li>India and ASEAN have a combined population of <strong>1.9 billion which is a quarter of the world&rsquo;s population</strong> and the combined GDP of $5 trillion.</li>
<li>In 2017, India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their engagement and the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit was held on January 25th, 2017.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s relation with ASEAN is marked by <strong>3 C's Culture, Commerce and Connectivity.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/burning-issues-of-the-month/association-of-southeast-asian-nations-asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More About ASEAN-India Relationship</a></p>
<h3>13th East Asia Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India also participated in 13th East Asia Summit.</li>
<li>The East Asia Summit <strong>(Established: 2005)</strong> is a <strong>forum of 18 countries</strong> of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of <strong>regional peace, security, and prosperity.</strong></li>
<li>There are<strong> six priority areas of regional cooperation</strong> within the framework of the EAS: Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity.</li>
<li>India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.</li>
<li>The members of East Asia Summit consists of <strong>10 ASEAN nations</strong> (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos), and <strong>8 other members-</strong> Australia, China, <strong>India</strong>, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2nd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Prime Minister also participated at the 2nd RCEP Summit, they reviewed the progress that has been made in the negotiations of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rcep-ministerial-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCEP.</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>3rd Quad Meeting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>grouping of four democracies &ndash;India, Australia, the US, and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>The Quad association of members who have a shared objective to ensure and support a <strong>&ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo;</strong> Indo-Pacific region and<strong> rules-based global order.</strong></li>
<li>Connectivity, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity was the focus of the conversation at the third meeting of the &lsquo;Quad&rsquo; countries.</li>
<li>The US, Japan, and Australia emphasized &ldquo;rules-based order&rdquo; in their statements, which was missing from the Indian statement.</li>
<li>A serious discussion took place on Sri Lanka and Maldives, both in India&rsquo;s immediate neighborhood and influenced by China&rsquo;s expansionism.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/four%20corners:%20on%20the%20quad%E2%80%99s%20agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More About Quad</a></p>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="71" data-gr-id="71">Significance</g> of the Meetings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Such meetings give a platform to<strong> India to have a greater role for the economic integration</strong> of the region and to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.</li>
<li>Such meetings help India to take a closer look at pressing issues in bilateral relations and the overall security and economic situation in India&rsquo;s extended <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="68" data-gr-id="68">neighbourhood</g>.</li>
<li>Many of the ten members of the <strong>ASEAN perceive India as a much-needed counterbalance to China.</strong></li>
<li>India also <g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="66" data-gr-id="66">realises</g> the centrality of ASEAN in its extended neighborhood through its 'Act East Policy'.</li>
<li>India could work on the implementation of connectivity projects, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, and building new trade and transport linkages with all the ASEAN states.</li>
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		'title' => 'India’s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;India&rsquo;s Service Sector Boom Has Failed On The Jobs Front&rdquo; which appears in BusinessLine for 20th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to jobless growth.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s economic growth since the 1990s has largely been on account of an expansion of the services sector, in which exports of services are seen as having played an important role.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rise in the share of services in GDP was particularly sharp after 1996-97 amounting to 6.8 percentage points over the subsequent 10 years as compared with just 1.9 percentage points during the previous 10 years.</li>
<li>In this period, services as a group came to dominate the Indian economy, accounting for more than half of the country&rsquo;s GDP.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Trends in the services sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economic Survey 2013-14 noted that: &ldquo;India has the second fastest growing services sector with CAGR (compound annual growth rate) at 9 percent, just below China&rsquo;s 10.9 percent, during the last 11-year period from 2001 to 2012.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The <strong>compound annual growth rate (CAGR)</strong> is the rate of return that would be required for an investment to grow from its beginning balance to its ending balance assuming the profits were reinvested at the end of each year of the investment&rsquo;s lifespan.</p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>This trend has continued.</strong> Between 2011-12 and 2016-17, gross value added from services grew at 8.7 percent per annum and accounted for 58 percent of the increase in total gross value added (GVA).</li>
<li>Between 1999-00 and 2004-05,<strong> employment in the tertiary sector increased by only 22 percent</strong>, whereas GDP at constant prices contributed by the services sector expanded by 44 percent.</li>
<li><strong>According to The Economic Survey 2016-17</strong>: &ldquo;Among the top 15 services producer countries, the services sector accounts for more than two-thirds of total employment in 2016 in most of them except India, China, and Mexico where the shares are low. I<strong>ndia has the lowest share of 28.6 percent.&rdquo;</strong></li>
<li>Tertiary sector employment in amounted to only<strong> 25 percent</strong> of the workforce, despite the fact that around <strong>55 percent of GDP</strong> came from this sector.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/567drishti_rising%20share.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/567drishti_rising share.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="447" height="292" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Service Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This growth in services has been accompanied by a significant increase in the exports of services. <strong>India&rsquo;s success in the services exports area has meant that its share of services in total exports (38 percent) is much higher</strong> than in countries such as China, Mexico and Brazil and close to ratios in the UK and the US (Chart 1).</li>
<li>That success has raised India&rsquo;s share in world services exports from<strong> 0.6 percent in 1990 to around 3.5 percent in 2017.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/871drishti_service%20sector export.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/871drishti_service sector export.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="439" height="285" caption="false" /></a></strong></li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s National Accounts Statistics</strong> indicate that the set of &ldquo;new&rdquo; and more productive services &mdash; transport, storage and communication, financial services, and real estate and professional services &mdash; together accounted for 28.5 percent of total gross value added (GVA) in 2016-17. Add on public administration and <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">defence</g> and the railways and the figure rises to 34.2 percent.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The problem of Job Creation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Jobless growth can have <strong>multiple causes</strong>. Such as unskilled job-seekers, insufficient investment, the difficulty of doing business, and inadequate (or inappropriate) social security systems.</li>
<li>Despite the presence of unorganized services, the share of the services sector in total employment was relatively low, and despite the expansion of services, the growth of employment in this sector has been limited.</li>
<li>For example, within the modern services, financial intermediation, and real estate, renting and business activities together recorded an increase in the employment share of only one percentage point between 1999-00 and 2009-10.</li>
<li>Part of the jobs slowdown can be attributed to inflexible <g class="gr_ gr_100 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="100" data-gr-id="100">labour</g> laws and the rise of automation. Since it is not easy to fire employees in India, companies from outside India increasingly prefer to hire less and ramp up automation instead. The automation trend is accelerating not just in manufacturing but in services sectors such as IT too.</li>
<li>Also, the growth in skilled jobs is simply not fast enough to accommodate India's growing literate population.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>If a high growth sector like services does not contribute to absorbing the large numbers of under and unemployed workers in India, the welfare implications of the growth trajectory are bound to be adverse. So, the government should not be solely focussing on the tertiary sector as a whole.</strong></li>
<li>India&rsquo;s alternative growth model, which involves premature diversification in <g class="gr_ gr_81 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="81" data-gr-id="81">favour</g> of high productivity services, won&rsquo;t last long without adequate development of a manufacturing base.</li>
<li><strong>The major policy focus in India has been </strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108"><g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="109" data-gr-id="109">incentivised</g></g><strong> capital investment, not job creation. By the time the government decides what skill to impart, the demand for that skill is gone. This mismatch should be balanced.</strong></li>
<li>Manufacturing sector needs a boost: while the services sector contributes 58% to India&rsquo;s GDP, the manufacturing sector&rsquo;s contribution is 24%. India&rsquo;s late policy resurgence towards manufacturing is the main reason why the country lags behind China. The sector&rsquo;s role in triggering structural change has remained unattended while we have focused on the less employment-providing, less tradeable and less technology-oriented services sector.</li>
<li>Producing periodic and reliable data on employment, regular estimation of job numbers and related indicators will guide guided policy creation.</li>
<li>Promoting entrepreneurial sector and maintaining the dignity of <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="77" data-gr-id="77">labour</g> will also help the economy to tackle the problem of jobless growth.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/732drishti_value.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/732drishti_value.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="444" height="289" caption="false" /></a></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>European Parliament has approved a ban on preventive mass medication in animals using antibiotics or other drugs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Antimicrobial Resistance?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Anti microbial resistance is the <strong>resistance acquired</strong> by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections.</li>
<li>As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.</li>
<li>Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as &ldquo;superbugs&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance is now regarded as a major threat to public health across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How it Happens?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Some bacteria due to the presence of resistance genes are intrinsically resistant and therefore survive on being exposed to antibiotics.</li>
<li>Bacteria can also acquire resistance. This can happen in two ways:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>by sharing and transferring resistance genes present in the rest of the population or</li>
<li>by genetic mutations that help the bacteria survive antibiotic exposure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once the resistance has been acquired, it can spread in the rest of the population of bacteria through reproduction or gene transfer.</li>
</ul>
<p>Reasons for Spread of AMR</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Antibiotic consumption in humans</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unnecessary and injudicious use of antibiotic fixed dose combinations could lead to emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Social factors</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Include self-medication.</li>
<li>Access to antibiotics without prescription.</li>
<li>Lack of knowledge about when to use antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Activities</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mass bathing in rivers as part of religious mass gathering occasions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Antibiotic Consumption in Food Animals</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Antibiotics which are critical to human health are commonly used for growth promotion in poultry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pharmaceutical Industry Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The wastewater effluents from the antibiotic manufacturing units contain a substantial amount of antibiotics, leading to contamination of rivers and lakes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Environmental Sanitation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Untreated disposal of sewage water bodies - leading to contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant organisms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Infection Control Practices in Healthcare Settings</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A report on hand-washing practices of nurses and doctors found that only 31.8% of them washed hands after contact with patients.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A threat</strong> to prevention and treatment of infections - medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements) become very risky.</li>
<li>The failure to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria also poses a greater risk of death.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance <strong>increases the cost</strong> of health care with lengthier stays in hospitals, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs.</li>
<li>Without effective antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infections, the achievements of modern medicine are put at a risk.</li>
<li>Without urgent action, we are heading to <strong>antibiotic apocalypse</strong> &ndash; a future without antibiotics, with bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment and when common infections and minor injuries could once again kill.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial resistance is putting the gains of the Millennium Development Goals at risk and <strong>endangers</strong> achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>AMR in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AMR is of particular concern in developing nations, including India, where the burden of infectious disease is high and healthcare spending is low.</li>
<li>India is among the nations with the highest burden of bacterial infections.</li>
<li>Consequently, the impact of AMR is likely to be higher in the Indian setting.</li>
<li>The National Health Policy 2017 highlights the problem of antimicrobial resistance and calls for effective action to address it.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare (MoHFW) identified AMR as one of the top 10 priorities for the ministry&rsquo;s collaborative work with WHO.</li>
<li>In 2012, India&rsquo;s medical societies adopted the Chennai Declaration, a set of national recommendations to promote antibiotic stewardship.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Red Line campaign demands that prescription-only antibiotics be marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics.</li>
<li>National Policy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance 2011.</li>
<li>National Action Plan on AMR resistance 2017-2021.</li>
<li>India has instituted surveillance of the emergence of drug resistance in disease causing microbes in programmes on Tuberculosis, Vector Borne diseases, AIDS, etc.</li>
<li>Since March 2014 a separate Schedule H-1 has been incorporated in Drug and Cosmetic rules to regulate the sale of antimicrobials in the country.</li>
<li>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the use of antibiotics and several pharmacologically active substances in fisheries.</li>
<li>The government has also capped the maximum levels of drugs that can be used for growth promotion in meat and meat products.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcomings in fighting AMR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A cross-cutting programme dealing with antimicrobial resistance across multiple microbes has been lacking.</li>
<li>Absence of a One Health Approach in addressing AMR &ndash; which recognizes that human well-being is inextricably tied to the health of animals and the environment.</li>
<li>The absence of stringently framed and implemented regulatory frameworks to limit the use of antimicrobials in livestock and food animals, especially for non-therapeutic purposes, has been one of the drivers of antibiotic overuse at the community level.</li>
<li>In India, current effluent standards do not include antibiotic residues, and thus they are not monitored in the pharmaceutical industry effluents.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps to fight against AMR</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Infection control in healthcare facilities.</li>
<li>Creating awareness about the use and abuse of antibiotics.</li>
<li>Vaccination can combat drug resistance by reducing the cases of infection and as a result reducing the need for antibiotics.</li>
<li>Strengthening resistance tracking so that data on antimicrobial resistant infections and causes of infection can be gathered to enable formulation of specific strategies to prevent the spread of the resistant bacteria.</li>
<li>Self-medication should be shunned.</li>
<li>Antibiotics should be used only when prescribed by the doctor.</li>
<li>Appropriate and safe use of antibiotics- taking antibiotics only when needed, choosing the right antibiotic and completing the full prescription.</li>
<li>Invest in the search for new antibiotics to keep up with resistant bacteria as well as in new diagnostic tests to track the development of resistance.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AMR has the potential to return the world to a pre-antibiotic era when medicines could not treat even simple infections.</li>
<li>Therefore, to contain AMR, there is need for a <strong>One Health Approach</strong> through coherent, integrated, multi sectoral cooperation and actions, as <strong>human, animal and environmental health are integrated</strong>.</li>
<li>Development of antibiotic resistance breakers (ARBs) to restore effectiveness of older classes of antibiotics.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/to-the-point-paper-3-antimicrobial-resistance-amr'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/945ANTIMICROBIAL%20RESISTANCE (AMR).jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/945ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR).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-antimicrobial-resistance-amr'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Climate Change and the Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A new study titled &lsquo;Neoglacial climate anomalies and the Harappan metamorphosis&rsquo;, conducted by an international team of scientists suggests that <strong>climate change may have led to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study looked at<strong> sediments from the Arabian Sea from the continental margin of Pakistan</strong>, reconstructed the Indian winter monsoon for the last 6,000 years, and examined undersea fossils and marine DNA.</li>
<li>The seafloor near the mouth of the Indus is a very low-oxygen environment, so whatever grows and dies in the water is very well preserved in the sediment. Hence, it was used as a sample.</li>
<li>Indian monsoon is the annual phenomenon that collects moisture from the Indian Ocean and spreads it over the Indian subcontinent in the form of rainfall. It influences climate in the region on a large scale and is crucial for the prevalent of annual weather patterns. A sizable population in the region, which is engaged in agriculture, depends on monsoon for their livelihood and survival even in the present time.</li>
</ul>
<h3>A Brief History</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>More than 4,000 years ago, the Harappa culture thrived in the Indus River Valley of what is now modern Pakistan and northwestern India.</li>
<li>They built sophisticated cities, invented sewage systems that predated ancient Rome's, and engaged in long-distance trade with settlements in Mesopotamia.</li>
<li>However, by 1800 BCE, this advanced culture had abandoned their cities, moving instead to smaller villages in the Himalayan foothills.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Study</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, <strong>a wetter winter monsoon</strong> may have led to urban Harappan society turning into a rural one, as inhabitants migrated from a summer flood-deficient river valley to the Himalayan plains.</li>
<li>Later, <strong>a decline in the winter monsoon</strong> could have played a role in the demise of the rural late Harappans.</li>
<li><strong>A shift in temperatures and weather patterns</strong> over the Indus Valley caused summer monsoon rains to gradually dry up, making agriculture difficult or impossible near Harappan cities.</li>
<li>Records for the last 4,500 years generally indicate that temperatures were lower than the Holocene thermal maximum. A general cooling, known as the neoglaciation, occurred between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago.</li>
<li><strong>Floods in the Indus and tributary rivers became less severe</strong> and probably less predictable which affected the Indus people who depended a lot on inundation agriculture.</li>
<li>Changing character of the Indian monsoon affected atmospheric temperatures and the flow of rivers originating in the Himalayas. Both the changing temperature and the changes in river flow would have influenced the crops that were grown in the region.</li>
<li><strong>Ghaggar-Hakra</strong>, which is the probable course of the Saraswati river, dried at the same time.</li>
<li>Between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, strong winter monsoons were characterised by &ldquo;early neoglacial anomalies (ENA)&rdquo; that is characterised by changes in wind and precipitation patterns that are evident across the eastern Northern Hemisphere and tropics.</li>
<li>It was this coordinated climate reorganisation that may have helped trigger the transformation of the urban Harappan civilisation into a rural society. During that time the Indo-Aryan culture was arriving in the region with Iron Age tools and horses and carts.</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_105 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="105" data-gr-id="105">Significance</g> of the Study</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indus story is important today because it provides us with a vivid example of what climate change could do to people. The Indus people were smart and had ways to cope with climate.</li>
<li>The study provides a powerful lesson for today as the migration out of Syria and African countries has some roots in climate change.</li>
<li>Also, sea level rise in recent times due to climate change can lead to huge migrations from low lying regions like Bangladesh, or from hurricane-prone regions in the southern U.S.</li>
<li>The Harappans could cope with the change by migrating but owing to the existing rigid political boundaries with the increasing tendency of protectionism, this option is nearly closed in today's global scenario which ultimately can cause political and social convulsion.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Harappan Civilisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A flourishing civilization emerged on the banks of the river Indus in the second half of the third millennium BCE and spread across large parts of western India.</li>
<li>A marked feature of this ancient civilization was the vivid imagination and artistic sensibilities exuded by the numerous sculptures, seals, potteries, <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="79" data-gr-id="79">jewelleries</g> found at the excavation sites.</li>
<li><strong>Harappa and Mohenjo&ndash;daro &ndash; the two major sites of this civilization</strong> &ndash; are among the earliest and finest examples of urban civic planning. The planned network of roads, houses and drainage systems indicate the planning and engineering skills that developed during those times.</li>
<li>Some of the important sites of the Indus Valley civilization and their archaeological findings are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Harappa in present Pakistan</strong> &ndash; granaries with <g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99">big</g> platform, <g class="gr_ gr_100 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="100" data-gr-id="100">stone</g> symbol of lingam and yoni, mother goddess figure, wheat and barley in wooden mortar, dice, copper scale and mirror.</li>
<li><strong>Mohenjo&ndash;daro in present Pakistan</strong> - bronze dancing girl, the sculpture of bearded priest, the great bath, the great granary.</li>
<li><strong>Dholavira in Gujarat</strong> &ndash; giant water reservoir, unique water harnessing system, stadium, dams and embankments, inscription comprising 10 large sized signs like an advertisement board.</li>
<li><strong>Lothal (Manchester of Indus Valley Civilisation) in Gujarat</strong> &ndash; dockyard, double burial, risk husk, fire altars, painted jar, <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">modern day</g> chess, terracotta figure of <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="85" data-gr-id="85">ship</g>, instruments for measuring 45, 90 and 180-degree angles.</li>
<li><strong>Ropar in Punjab</strong> &ndash; dog buried with human oval pit burials.</li>
<li><strong>Balathal and Kalibangan in Rajasthan</strong> &ndash; bangle factory, toy carts, bones of camel, decorated bricks, citadel and lower town.</li>
<li><strong>Banawali in Haryana</strong> &ndash; toy plough, barley grains, oval-shaped settlement, the only city with radial streets.</li>
<li><strong>Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh</strong> &ndash; impression of a cloth on a trough.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/climate-change-and-the-decline-of-indus-valley-civilisation'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'India to Step-up Agri-Diplomacy with China',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India is looking forward to <g class="gr_ gr_30 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="30" data-gr-id="30">increase</g> agricultural exports to China as it proceeds to diversify its agricultural imports.</p>
<h3>Reasons For India's "Agri-Diplomacy"</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Trade Deficit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is looking for ways to<strong> bridge the huge trade deficit of more than $60 billion with China</strong>. China accounted for about 39% of India&rsquo;s trade deficit in 2017-18.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s total trade with China reached over $89 billion in 2017-18, of which Chinese exports to India were around $76 billion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>US-China Trade War&nbsp;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both the US and China are imposing tariffs on each other. Hence, China is now opening up to non-US imports in order to diversify its import basket.</li>
<li>Beijing recently imposed new tariffs on many American farm produce, including soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, beef, pork, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts <g class="gr_ gr_36 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="36" data-gr-id="36">and</g> vegetables.</li>
<li>India is hoping to take advantage of the Sino-US trade war by exporting more soybean <g class="gr_ gr_32 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="32" data-gr-id="32">produce</g> to China.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps <g class="gr_ gr_46 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="46" data-gr-id="46">taken</g> to Cover Trade Deficit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>During <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="45" data-gr-id="45">Shanghai</g> Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao in 2018. India and China signed an<strong> agreement to include the export of non-Basmati varieties of rice</strong> from India. China is a $1.5-$2 billion market for Indian rice</li>
<li>India has also signed an agreement with China to<strong> increase the export of sugar from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>If India has to cover the huge trade deficit with China, it has to<strong> look beyond agri-diplomacy.</strong> There are many areas in which trade with China can be increased to cover trade deficit like that <strong>pharmaceuticals, information technology services and tourism,</strong> in which India has a significant global footprint, but a minuscule presence in China.</li>
<li>At domestic front, India has to take significant efforts like <strong><g class="gr_ gr_34 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="34" data-gr-id="34">modernization</g> of agriculture</strong> to make it competitive at <g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="35" data-gr-id="35">global</g> level, the high price of India's farming products is a major obstacle.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-to-step-up-agri-diplomacy-with-china'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Guidelines for Reduction of Trans Fatty Acids',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Health Department and the Food Safety wing have launched an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, involving the reduction of trans fatty acids (TFAs), salt and sugar in commercially available foods in<strong> Kerala.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The initiative is being launched with technical support from the <strong>World Bank, WHO and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)</strong>. Unhealthy diet is pushing up<strong> Metabolic Syndrome (MS)</strong> and premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Keralites.</li>
<li><strong>Metabolic syndrome (MS)</strong> is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities &mdash; high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels &mdash; that occur together, raising risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.</li>
<li>Earlier, <strong>Kerala also announced a 14.5% &ldquo;fat tax&rdquo;</strong> on pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through branded outlets, in sync with the World Health Organization&rsquo;s advocacy of using fiscal tools to promote healthy eating.</li>
<li>WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake and has called for the total elimination of TFAs in global food supply by 2023.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Trans-fats</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are <strong>two types of trans-fats</strong> found in foods- naturally occurring and artificial trans-fats.</li>
<li><strong>Naturally occurring</strong> trans-fats are produced in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals may contain small quantities of these fats.</li>
<li>Artificial trans-fats on the other hand are<strong> created by the process hydrogenation,</strong> which is an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid at room temperature.</li>
<li>The primary dietary source of trans-fats in processed foods is <strong>partially hydrogenated oils</strong>. Trans-fats are easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time. They help give foods a desirable taste and texture.</li>
<li>Some of the most basic and most consumed foods that we generally eat almost on a daily basis may include- cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, margarine, cream-filled candies, fried fast foods, doughnuts, etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>REPLACE, which is an acronym for Review, Promote, Legislate, Assess, Create and Enforce, is the first global initiative</strong> to eliminate a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is a World Health Organisation (WHO) six step Action Package and guide to global elimination of trans fat.</li>
<li>Denmark was the first country to ban trans fat in 2003 and in three years, their Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) mortality rates plummeted.</li>
<li>As part of the U.N.&rsquo;s Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to <strong>reducing premature death from noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030 (Goal 3).</strong> Global elimination of industrially-produced trans fats will help achieve this goal.</li>
<li>Given India&rsquo;s disease burden of non-communicable diseases and also the urban movement towards healthier foods, this movement is vital for the country to prevent diseases, and the compromised quality of life and deaths caused due to transfats.</li>
<li>Fortunately, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI ) has indicated it's commitment to eliminating industrially produced transfat by 2022 in advance of the WHO target date of 2023.</li>
<li><strong>In 2017,</strong> India implemented a <strong>mandatory limit of 5% trans fat content in fats/oils only.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under <strong>Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006</strong> which consolidates various acts &amp; orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.</li>
<li><strong>Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare, Government of India</strong> is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.</li>
<li>FSSAI has been created for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/guidelines-for-reduction-of-trans-fatty-acids'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (19th November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Qaumi Ekta Week</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood, the &ldquo;Qaumi Ekta Week&rdquo; (National Integration Week) will be observed all over the country, from 19th to 25th <g class="gr_ gr_70 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="70" data-gr-id="70">November,</g> 2018.</li>
<li>The <g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="65" data-gr-id="65">week long</g> programmes to be observed during Qaumi Ekta Week are as follows:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>National Integration Day</strong> (November 19, 2018) to emphasize the themes of secularism, anti-communalism <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="64" data-gr-id="64">and</g> non-violence.</li>
<li><strong><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">Welfare</g> of Minorities Day</strong> (November 20, 2018) to emphasize 15 Point Programme launched in 2005 by UPA. It seeks to ensure the welfare of religious minorities through increasing educational and employment opportunities, improving <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="68" data-gr-id="68">living</g> condition, preventing and controlling communal riots etc.</li>
<li><strong>Linguistic Harmony Day</strong> (November 21, 2018) to enable people of each region to appreciate the linguistic heritage of other parts of India.</li>
<li><strong>Weaker Sections Day</strong> (November 22, 2018) to highlight programmes under various Governments which help SCs/STs and weaker sections with particular emphasis on the distribution of surplus land to landless <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="63" data-gr-id="63">labourers</g>.</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Unity Day</strong> (November 23, 2018) to present the Indian tradition of unity in diversity and for promoting cultural conservation and integration.</li>
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Day</strong> (November 24, 2018) to emphasize the importance of Women in Indian Society and their role in <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="56" data-gr-id="56">development</g> of nation-building are highlighted.</li>
<li><strong>Conservation Day</strong> (November 25, 2018) to <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">emphasise</g> the growing need for awareness and action to conserve the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The observation of the &lsquo;Quami Ekta Week&rsquo; will help to highlight the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand actual and potential threats to the eclectic and secular fabric of our country.</li>
<li>The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="58" data-gr-id="58">organisation</g> with the Ministry of Home Affairs, <g class="gr_ gr_62 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="62" data-gr-id="62">organises</g> Communal Harmony Campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week and observes the Communal Harmony Flag Day on 25th November.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Parambikulam Tiger Reserve</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A recent survey held in the reserve spotted 221 varieties of butterflies, 11 of which were endemic to the area.</li>
<li><strong>Buddha Peacock or Buddha </strong><g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="52" data-gr-id="52">Mayoori,</g> is the State butterfly of Kerala.</li>
<li>Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is located in the Palakkad District of Kerala and lies in between the Anamalai hills and Nelliampathy hills of the Southern Western Ghats.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Rare Bird Sighted in Chinnar Sanctuary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sri Lankan Frogmouth has been noticed on the eastern side of the Western Ghats for the first time in Kerala&rsquo;s Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.</li>
<li>Sri Lankan Frogmouth is usually found on the western side of the Western Ghats.</li>
<li>The main feature is that it lays only one egg a year after the mating season in April-May.</li>
<li>It is also found in Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.</li>
<li>It was believed that the species had gone extinct in the State. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is on a project to study its habitat and make a <g class="gr_ gr_59 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="59" data-gr-id="59">favourable</g> environment for it.</li>
<li>Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the rain shadow region in the eastern slope of Western Ghats, adjoining Tamil Nadu.</li>
<li>Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in August 1984.</li>
<li>The Park provides ecological connectivity between the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Eravikulam National Park.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-19th-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Heat Is An Invisible Climate Risk',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Heat is an invisible climate risk&rdquo; which appears in Livemint for 19th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to climate change.)</p>
</div>
<p>Climate change often triggers images of melting icebergs and long periods of drought. Study regarding the slow and gradual trend of rising temperatures that directly impacts people&rsquo;s lives, livelihoods and productivity <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">is</g> always missed in this scenario.<strong> Heat is an invisible climate risk that traps communities unaware. Heat is a slow-moving climate hazard that is yet to be recognized as a &lsquo;natural calamity&rsquo; by the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.</strong></p>
<h3>Latest Trends</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recent research from the <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</strong> suggests that heat waves in South Asia could push heat and humidity levels beyond the survivability thresholds of 35&deg;C. The <strong>temperature of 35&deg;C can be considered an upper limit</strong> on human survivability.</li>
<li>The most intense hazard from extreme future heat waves is concentrated around densely populated <strong>agricultural regions of the Ganges and Indus river basins</strong> - a region inhabited by about one-fifth of the global human population.</li>
<li>Heat waves, without mitigation, presents a serious and<strong> unique risk in South Asia</strong> due to an unprecedented combination of severe natural hazard and acute vulnerability.</li>
</ul>
<p>The latest <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/sr15/sr15_draft.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) special report</a> presents the difference between the two scenarios of global warming at 1.5&deg;C and at 2&deg;C above pre-industrial levels.</p>
<p><strong>1.5&deg;C and 2&deg;C warmer worlds</strong></p>
<p>The global climate has changed relative to the preindustrial period with multiple lines of evidence that these changes have had impacts on organisms and ecosystems, as well as human systems and human well-being.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Substantial changes in regional climate occur between 1.5&deg;C and 2&deg;C, depending on the variable and region in question. Particularly large differences are found for temperature extremes.</strong></li>
<li>Limiting global warming to 1.5&deg;C limits risks of increases in heavy precipitation events in several regions.</li>
<li>Risks to natural and human systems are lower at 1.5<sup>o</sup>C than 2<sup>o</sup>C.</li>
<li>Some regions are projected to experience multiple compound climate-related risks at 1.5&deg;C that will increase with the warming of 2&deg;C.</li>
<li><strong>Global warming of 2&deg;C would lead to an expansion of areas with significant increases in runoff as well as those affected by flood hazard, as compared to conditions at 1.5&deg;C global warming.</strong></li>
<li>The ocean has absorbed about 30% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide, resulting in ocean acidification and changes to carbonate chemistry that are unprecedented in the last 65 million years at least.</li>
<li>Global mean sea level rise will be around 0.1 m (10 cm) less by the end of the century in a 1.5&deg;C world as compared to a 2&deg;C warmer world.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)</strong> recently released a <a href="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/DRAFT-India%20Cooling%20Action%20Plan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">draft of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).</a>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Importance of ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The ICAP is an opportunity for cities, state governments and policymakers to address &lsquo;cooling&rsquo; as a national adaptation need.</strong></li>
<li>Reports like ICAP are also needed to develop an institutionally coherent approach, addressing technology, regulating future urban growth, protecting natural ecosystems, retrofitting existing built forms and planning for vulnerable people.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcomings in ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICAP in its current form fails to address future cooling demand through technology innovations.</li>
<li>ICAP fails to integrate future climate trends in its projection of heat risk under different geographic conditions. Cooling requirements in dry and arid regions, as opposed to humid coastal regions, will vary drastically; so will the technology and planning.</li>
<li>In response to increasing threats, ICAP misses a crucial opportunity to
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>mandate retrofitting guidelines</strong> for existing buildings, infrastructure and services to potentially reduce urban heat island effects;</li>
<li><strong>create awareness</strong> and encourage informed participation to plan for collective heat resilience rather than focusing on a greater reliance on personal cooling solutions;</li>
<li><strong>ensure early warning alerts include heat warnings</strong> and personal resilience strategies that are responsive to dry and humid heat conditions, factoring temperature and humidity as two simultaneous risk factors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions for ICAP</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It must <strong>consider critical interventions</strong> to integrate heat action and cooling strategies towards a sustainable, equitable and climate resilient future.</li>
<li>Integrating climate projections in a city and regional plans can emphasize the need for climate-sensitive urban environments and potentially reduce ambient temperatures.</li>
<li>In addition to land use plans, the report should suggest cities to use remote sensing data to produce vulnerability maps that correlate urban <strong>heat islands*</strong> with depleted tree covers, under different temperature scenarios.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*The term <strong>"heat island"</strong> describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8&ndash;5.4&deg;F (1&ndash;3&deg;C) warmer than its surroundings.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;"></ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This can help cities<strong> identify highly exposed areas</strong> and target interventions such as increasing tree cover and <strong>mandating building regulations</strong> towards climate sensitive urban development.</li>
<li><strong>Heat vulnerability maps</strong> under different climate scenarios can be used to inform decision-makers of the costs of inaction by correlating data on health impacts, economic productivity loss, and risks of emigration.</li>
<li>It should provide to <strong>increase awareness on heat stress</strong> to influence long-term adaptation action.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>People retrofit their homes, buildings, and <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="107" data-gr-id="107">neighbourhoods</g> in response to increasing heat and flood risk, but rarely come together to plant trees and plan for long-term heat resilience. <strong>Behavioral change among people is a key line of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_111 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="111" data-gr-id="111">defence</g><strong> against increasing temperatures.</strong></li>
<li>A recent study conducted in poor and vulnerable communities in Surat showed that residents living in poor communities lack the information, awareness, and understanding of the severity of heat risk on their bodies and their lives. <strong>For example,</strong> respondents said they lose an average of 7-8 workdays during extreme summers due to illnesses and exhaustion. Some daily-wage workers reported job loss and the inability to find new jobs once they had recovered. Unfortunately, people still perceive heat as an inconvenience and respond to it by adopting personal comfort habits rather than organize or demand <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar replaceWithoutSep" id="91" data-gr-id="91">for</g> long-term solutions.</li>
<li>In most cases, people who are vulnerable to increasing heat have limited or no knowledge of how they can protect themselves from heat stress or treat themselves when exposed to extreme heat. Therefore, awareness should be generated about changing heat trends.</li>
<li>ICAP is an opportunity for cities to leverage existing adaptation potential in poor communities and channel this towards long-term cooling action. It would do this by way of planting more trees in the <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="96" data-gr-id="96">neighbourhood</g>, identifying common institutions to be designed as <strong>&lsquo;cooling shelters</strong>&rsquo; and mandating improved <g class="gr_ gr_104 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="104" data-gr-id="104">labour</g> and housing conditions through <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="110" data-gr-id="110">labour</g> unions, companies, and pro-poor housing authorities.</li>
<li><strong>Currently, the most disaster preparedness action focuses on flood risk and other natural disasters (sudden shocks like earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires etc).</strong> This should change and action plans should be developed for long-term risks like climate change, as well.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.climateemergencyinstitute.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLIMATE EMERGENCY INSTITUTE</a> - Learn more about climate change, take responsibility and spread the word.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/930drishti_our-world-at-15c-nex.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/930drishti_our-world-at-15c-nex.png" width="373" height="279" caption="false" /></a><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/985drishti_iea-cop22-alert.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/985drishti_iea-cop22-alert.png" style="float: right;" width="380" height="286" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/heat-is-an-invisible-climate-risk'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'States Deny Consent to CBI',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments withdrew &ldquo;general consent&rdquo; to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigating cases in their respective states.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Past several states have withdrawn consent like Sikkim, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh <g class="gr_ gr_27 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="27" data-gr-id="27">and</g> Karnataka.</li>
</ul>
<h3>General Consent</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unlike the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is governed by its own <strong>NIA Act, 2008</strong> and has jurisdiction across the country, the CBI is governed by the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946</strong>&nbsp;(DSPE Act, 1946) that makes consent of a state government <g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="35" data-gr-id="35">mandatory</g> for conducting <g class="gr_ gr_33 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="33" data-gr-id="33">investigation</g> in that state.</li>
<li>There are two kinds of <strong>consent</strong>: <strong>case-specific and general</strong>. Given that the CBI has jurisdiction only over central government departments and employees, it can investigate a case involving state government employees or a violent crime in a given state only after that state government gives its consent.&nbsp;<strong>Section 6</strong> <strong>of the DSPE Act, 1946</strong> empowers the state government to give or deny consent to CBI officer to investigate the matter within the state.</li>
<li>&ldquo;General consent&rdquo; is normally given to help the CBI seamlessly conduct its investigation into cases of corruption against central government employees in the concerned state. Almost all states have given such consent.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Withdrawal of General Consent</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It means the CBI will not be able to register any fresh case involving a central government official or a private person stationed in these two states without getting case-specific consent.</li>
<li>Withdrawal of consent will only bar the CBI from registering a case within the jurisdiction of Andhra and Bengal. The CBI could still file cases in Delhi and continue to probe people inside the two states.</li>
<li>Cases registered anywhere else in the country, but involving people stationed in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, would allow CBI&rsquo;s jurisdiction to extend to these states.</li>
<li>In simple terms withdrawal of consent simply means that CBI officers will lose all powers of a police officer as soon as they enter the state unless the state government has allowed them.</li>
<li>It will have no impact on <g class="gr_ gr_28 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="28" data-gr-id="28">investigation</g> of cases already registered with CBI as old cases were registered when general consent existed.</li>
</ul>
<ul></ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/states-deny-consent-to-cbi'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture - What Ails NBFCs',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yluV3eeHMMo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A string of defaults at Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Service Ltd's (IL&amp;FS) have triggered sharp falls in Indian stock and debt markets amid fears of contagion within the rest of the country&rsquo;s financial sector. In October 2018, the government took control of IL&amp;FS to protect the financial system and markets from potential <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="93" data-gr-id="93">collapse,</g> and replaced its board. The new board has submitted a plan to revive the debt-laden firm.</p>
<p>The Department of Economic Affairs(DEA) fears significant default from large non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies in the next six weeks if no additional liquidity support is provided to these firms. Nearly 2 trillion rupees of NBFC and HFC debt is due for redemption by the end of December, the DEA said in its letter. It said it estimates a funding gap of as much as 1 trillion rupees by the end of the year. The DEA, in a letter to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, described the financial situation as "still fragile" when discussing the financial stability impact of the default.</p>
<h3>What are NBFCs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The non-banking financial companies are registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and deals in the business of loans and advances, investments in bonds/shares/debentures/stock and other marketable securities viz. lease, hire-purchase, insurance business, but do not include any institution which is principally engaged in the business of agricultural activity, purchase of any goods and services (other than securities), industrial activity and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.</li>
<li>There are two kinds of NBFCs&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Deposit-taking NBFCs: The non-banking companies, registered with the Reserve Bank of India can accept the public deposits and must comply with the following regulations issued by RBI.</li>
<li>Non-deposit taking NBFCs</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Major difference between Banks and NBFCs</strong></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p><strong>Basic</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p><strong>NBFCs</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p><strong>Banks</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Meaning</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>They provide certain banking services without holding Bank License.</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>It is government authorized financial intermediary which provides banking services to the public.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Regulated under</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Companies Act 2013</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Banking Regulation Act 1949</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Demand Deposit</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Cannot be Accepted</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Can be Accepted</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>FDI</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Allowed up to 100%</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Allowed up to 74% for Private Sector Bank</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Payment and Settlement system</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not a part of the System</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>An Integral part of the System</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Maintenance of Reserve Ratios</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not Required</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Mandatory</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Deposit Insurance Facility</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Not Available</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Available</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="215" style="width: 23.1614%;">
<p>Transaction Services</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 28.5608%;">
<p>Cannot be provided by NBFC</p>
</td>
<td width="215" style="width: 37.3528%;">
<p>Provided by Bank</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>What are the major fund sources for the NBFCs?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Long Term
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These are through loans obtained from banks and insurance companies in a single quantum. A good credit rating is mandatory for raising large sums at a competitive interest rate.</li>
<li>Bonds are also used as a common route to reduce the interest rate on the sources of funds. In some cases, tax-free bonds are also issued for priority sectors such as infrastructure and roads.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Short Term
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Short term loans offered by an NBFC can be issued by raising funds through Commercial Paper (CPs), debentures and inter-corporate deposits. CPs are short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by companies, with a tenure of 3 months to 12 months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Potential of NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs is a form of shadow banking. The total loans from NBFCs of 5.46 trillion Rupees are 20% of banking credit itself.</li>
<li>The year on year rise of total banking credit is 2.6%, whereas, loan to NBFCs has risen by 41%.</li>
<li>As of March 2018, there were 11,402 NBFCs registered with the RBI, of which 156 were deposit accepting NBFCs (NBFCs-D), and 249 systemically important non-deposit accepting NBFCs (NBFCs-ND-SI).</li>
<li>The aggregate balance sheet size of the NBFC sector as of March 2018 was Rs 22.1 lakh crore.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What ails NBFCs and particularly IL&amp;FS?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Several corporates, mutual funds <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">and</g> insurance companies had invested in short-term instruments such as commercial papers (CPs) and non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of the IL&amp;FS group that has been defaulting on payments since August 2018. This has stoked fears that funds of many could have been stuck in IL&amp;FS debt instruments which, in <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="77" data-gr-id="77">turn</g> could lead to a liquidity crunch for them. This has become a cause of concern that the funding cost for NBFCs will zoom and result in a sharp decline in their margins.</li>
<li>Banks have slowed down lending to NBFCs, virtually closing a major resource avenue for NBFCs.</li>
<li>The fundamental <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="84" data-gr-id="84">issue,</g> is an asset-liability mismatch in the operations of NBFCs like IL&amp;FS. These firms borrow funds from the market &mdash; for 3 or 5 years &mdash; and lend for longer tenures &mdash; 10 to 15 years. Now, because interest rate <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">are</g> rising, the margin of NBFCs have suffered and consequently, funding to NBFCs has decreased. Hence, lack of funds has triggered such a scenario.</li>
<li>Further, because of erosion of credibility of debt payment, their stocks have suffered majorly.</li>
<li>There were more than 200 subsidiaries in case of IL&amp;FS which brought considerable management problem, further worsening the status of NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs should be under <g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="87" data-gr-id="87">greater</g> supervision of the RBI with <g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="88" data-gr-id="88">better</g> regulatory mechanism. <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="89" data-gr-id="89">Since,</g> they deal with a substantial portion of credit of the market, they cannot be left unregulated. This would ensure that they are not lending beyond their means.</li>
<li>Instead of bringing all the NBFCs under supervision, effort must be made to focus on the systemically Important NBFCs, which are around 250.</li>
<li>Adequate funding is necessary to make NBFCs a viable platform for investment in various developmental projects. Consequently, the first step would be to strengthen the banking sector.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-what-ails-nbfcs'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Maternity Leave: Government for Incentive Scheme',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment has come up with clarification with respect to Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There were some media reports that this Scheme has been approved/notified. However, it is clarified that Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment is in the <strong>process of obtaining necessary budgetary grant</strong> and approvals of Competent Authorities.</li>
<li>The reports that it will be funded from Labour Welfare Cess, is also incorrect, as <strong>no such cess exists under this Ministry.</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Building and Other Construction Workers&rsquo; Welfare Cess (BOCW) Act, 1996</strong> provides for collection of cess for construction workers <strong>by states/union territories.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>State and the Local governments</strong> collect the Cess and then <strong>transfer to the State Welfare Boards.</strong></li>
<li>The states/UTs should ensure that the welfare schemes funded from cess fund should be<strong> exclusively for building and other construction workers only.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Diversion of cess fund</strong> for welfare of other category of workers is<strong> not permissible</strong> under the BOCW Act.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 applies to <strong>establishments employing 10 or more persons</strong> in Factories, Mines, Plantation, Shops &amp; Establishments and other entities.</li>
<li>The main purpose of this Act is to regulate the employment of women in certain establishments for certain period before and after childbirth and to provide maternity benefit and certain other benefits.</li>
<li>The Act was amended through the <a href="/infographics/info-paper2/the-maternity-benefit-amendment-act-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017</a> which, inter alia, has <strong>increased</strong> the paid maternity leave to women employees<strong> from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.</strong></li>
<li>While the implementation of the provision is good in Public Sector, there are reports that it is <strong>poor in Private Sector</strong> and in <strong>contract jobs.</strong></li>
<li>There is also a wide perception that private entities are not encouraging the hiring of women employees because if they are employed, they may have to provide maternity benefit to them, <strong>particularly 26 weeks of paid holiday.</strong></li>
<li>Therefore, &nbsp;the extended maternity leave has become a<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture:-challenges-for-working-mothers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> deterrent for female employees</a> who are asked to quit or retrenched on flimsy grounds before they go on maternity leave.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Proposed Solution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment is working on an<strong> incentive scheme wherein 7 weeks&rsquo; wages would be reimbursed to employers</strong> who employ women workers with <strong>wage ceiling upto Rs. 15000/-</strong> and provide the maternity benefit of 26 weeks paid leave, subject to certain conditions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The proposed Scheme, if &nbsp;approved and implemented shall ensure the women in this <strong>country an equal access to employment</strong> and other approved benefits along with <strong>adequate safety and secure environment.</strong></li>
<li>The workplaces will be <strong>more and more responsive to the family needs</strong> of the working women.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/maternity-benefits-and-workplace-equality-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more about issue of maternity benefits</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/maternity-leave-government-for-incentive-scheme'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Kg Gets a New Definition',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>At the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in Versailles (France), delegates of International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) voted to <strong>redefine the kilogram</strong> in terms of a tiny but unchanging value called the "<strong>Planck constant</strong>".</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new definition involves an apparatus called the <strong>Kibble balance</strong>, which makes use of the constant to measure the mass of an object using a precisely measured electromagnetic force.</li>
<li>They also voted to update definitions for the ampere ( the unit of electrical current), the Kelvin ( the unit of temperature) and the mole (amount of a substance).</li>
<li>The new definitions agreed by the BIPM will come into force from <strong>May 20, 2019</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Since the 19<sup>th</sup> century, scientists have based their definition of the fundamental unit of mass on a physical object &mdash; <strong>a shining platinum-iridium cylinder or Le Grand K (weighed exactly a kilogram)</strong> known as the <strong>International Prototype of the Kilogram</strong>.</li>
<li>It is housed at the headquarters of BIPM in Sevres, France.</li>
<li>All modern mass measurements are derived from the kilogram, whether micrograms of pharmaceutical medicine or gold dust, kilos of fruit or fish or tonnes of steel.</li>
<li>The problem is the <strong>prototype doesn't always weigh the same</strong>. Even inside its three glass bell jars it<strong> picks up microparticles of dirt</strong> and is affected by the atmosphere. Sometimes it needs cleaning, which <strong>can affect its mass</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New Concepts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Since 1967, <strong>the second</strong> has been defined as the <strong>time it takes for a certain amount of energy to be released as radiation from atoms of Caesium-133</strong>. This became the basis of all measures of time and is used in <strong>atomic clocks</strong>.</li>
<li>Once the second was defined, <strong>the metre</strong> fell into place. This was based on another universal constant: the speed of light. Today, the metre is defined as <strong>the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second</strong> (which is already defined).</li>
<li>The kilogram comes next. The <strong>Planck constant</strong>, which Kilogram is based on, is <strong>usually measured in joule seconds</strong>, but this can also be <strong>expressed as kilogram square metres per second.</strong></li>
<li>By adding measurements of a second and a metre, along with an exact knowledge of Planck&rsquo;s constant, precise definition of the kilogram can be obtained.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new definition of the second helped ease communication across the world via technologies like GPS and the Internet. In the same way, experts say the change in the kilogram will be better for technology, retail and health.</li>
<li>In daily life, however, the new SI units will have little immediate practical consequence</li>
<li>Defining the units based on physical constants means that scientists will be able to measure them at any place or time, and on any scale.</li>
<li>This will pave the way for far <strong>more accurate measurements</strong> and lays a more stable foundation for science.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>BIPM and CGPM</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Metre Convention</strong> is the treaty that created<strong> the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)</strong>, an <strong>intergovernmental organization</strong> under the authority of the <strong>General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)</strong> and the supervision of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM).</li>
<li>The Convention was signed in Paris on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Metre Convention established a permanent organizational structure for member governments to act in common accord on all matters relating to units of measurement.</li>
<li><strong>In 1889 the 1<sup>st</sup> CGPM sanctioned the international prototypes for the metre and the kilogram</strong>. Together with the astronomical second as the unit of time, these units constituted a three-dimensional mechanical unit system similar to the CGS system (centimetre&ndash;gram&ndash;second system).</li>
<li>Following an international inquiry by the BIPM, which began in 1948, the 10th CGPM, in 1954, approved the introduction of the ampere, the Kelvin and the candela as base units, respectively, for electric current, thermodynamic temperature and luminous intensity.</li>
<li>The name <strong>International System of Units</strong>, with the abbreviation SI, was given to the system by the <strong>11<sup>th</sup> CGPM in 1960</strong>.</li>
<li>At the 14<sup>th</sup> CGPM in 1971, after lengthy discussions between physicists and chemists, the current version of the SI was completed by adding the mole as the base unit for amount of substance, bringing the total number of base units to seven.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> became a signatory to the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1957.</li>
<li>As of 7 August 2018, there are <strong>60 Member States of BIPM including India</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kg-gets-a-new-definition'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (17th November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Matua Community</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the Chief Minister of West Bengal conferred <strong>Bengal's highest civilian award, the "Banga Bibhushan"</strong> to <strong>Binapani Devi popularly known as 'Baro-Maa' within the Matua community.</strong></li>
<li>Matuas are an <strong>influential lower caste Hindu community</strong> which had mostly migrated from East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to settle in West Bengal.</li>
<li>In the beginning Matua-mahasangha followed simplified rituals, but <strong>later adopted Vaishnavism.</strong></li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was founded in the <strong>mid-1800s by Harichand Thakur, at Gopalganj in the Faridpur province of present-day Bangladesh</strong>. He preached love, tolerance, gender equality and non-distinction irrespective of caste, class and creed.</span></p>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-17th-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'A Crippling Shortage',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;A Crippling Shortage&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu for 17th November 2018. It analyses the issues related to vacancies in subordinate courts.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>According to recent data, there is a backlog of nearly 3.3 crore cases of which almost 2.84 crore cases belong in the subordinate courts.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Lack of human resource in judiciary attributes to the pendency of cases.</strong> The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of more than 5,000 vacancies for subordinate judicial posts even as pendency touched crores.<br /><br />The Supreme Court on 15th November pulled up various State governments and the administrative side of the High Courts for the delay in filling vacancies in subordinate judicial services.</p>
<p>A study released last year, by the<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/551ea026e4b0adba21a8f9df/t/5a2921888165f56fcb059a09/1512645048174/Ranking_Lower_Judiciary_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy</a> revealed that the recruitment cycle in most States far exceeded the time limit prescribed by the Supreme Court. This time limit is 153 days for a two-tier recruitment process and 273 days for a three-tier process. Most States took longer to appoint junior civil judges as well as district judges by direct recruitment.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/755Drishti_A Crippling shortage.jpg" style="float: right;" width="356" height="323" /></p>
<h3>Facts &amp; Figures</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In a five-page order earlier, the Supreme Court had recorded that there were a total of 22,036 posts in the district and subordinate judiciary, ranging from district judges to junior civil judges, across the States. It said 5,133 out of the 22,036 posts were vacant.</li>
<li><strong>In the subordinate courts, vacancies have increased from 19% to 26% between 2006 and 2017.</strong></li>
<li>As of 2017, subordinate courts have a vacancy of 26% (5,746) against a sanctioned strength of 22,474 judges.</li>
<li><strong>The highest share of vacancies in the subordinate courts (where sanctioned strength is over 100 judges) is in Bihar where there is a vacancy of 46% (835 vacancies), followed by UP at 42% (1281 vacancies).</strong></li>
<li><strong>The lowest vacancies are in West Bengal where there is a vacancy of 4% (40 vacancies), followed by Andhra Pradesh of 7% (66 vacancies).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Recruitment Procedure</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the Constitution, district judges are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court.</li>
<li>Other subordinate judicial officers are appointed as per rules framed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court and the State Public Service Commission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Structure of the Lower Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The lower judiciary broadly comprises three cadres of judges. These include :
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>District Judge</li>
<li>Senior Civil Judge</li>
<li>Civil Judge (Junior Division)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>These posts jointly include judges having civil as well as criminal jurisdiction even though they are termed Civil Judge (Senior Division)&rsquo; and &lsquo;Civil Judges (Junior Division)&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The exact designation of posts under each of these cadres differs from state to state in their hierarchy and nomenclature.</strong></li>
<li>At the district level, the District Court lies at the apex and is the appellate court for all civil and criminal matters. It also plays a supervisory role over other courts, such as those headed by Civil Judges (Senior Division) and Civil Judges (Junior Division).</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/975drishti_indian%20judiciary flow chart.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/975drishti_indian judiciary flow chart.jpg" width="994" height="695" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3><br />Reasons for Vacancies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Systemic defects in the appointment process most certainly contribute to vacancies in the lower judiciary. For example, <strong>exams are not conducted frequently enough to fill vacancies as they arise and even when they are, High Courts are often unable to find enough meritorious candidates to fill the vacancies advertised.</strong></li>
<li><strong>A sheer lethargic approach for conducting the appointment process on time is another reason for increasing vacancies.</strong></li>
<li>Being late in the process of calling for applications, holding recruitment examinations and declaring the results, and, more significantly, finding the funds to pay and accommodate the newly appointed judges and magistrates is also one of the reasons.</li>
<li>Unclear recruitment procedures, and difficulties in coordination between the High Court and State Public Service Commission, also frequently give rise to disputes and litigations surrounding recruitment, further stalling the process of recruitment.</li>
<li>Little quantitative and qualitative data on the appointment process exists, and thus no impactful reform has emerged in the area.</li>
<li>Moreover, it is found that the source of the problem often lay in poor infrastructure, from courtrooms to residences for judges.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Arising from Vacancies</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Increase in the pendency of cases</strong> for long periods over the years results in an increase in the number of undertrials in prisons (accused prisoners awaiting trial). As of 2015, there were over four lakh prisoners in jails. Of these, two-thirds were undertrials (2.8 lakh) and the remaining one-third were convicted.</li>
<li>Any failure to allocate the required human and financial resources leads to the<strong> crippling of judicial work in the subordinate courts.</strong> It also amounts to letting down poor litigants and undertrials, who stand to suffer the most due to judicial delay.</li>
<li>Vacancies mean <strong>more work for a district&rsquo;s remaining judges.</strong> This forces judges to take up heavy workloads in an effort to compensate for the vacancy which reduces the efficiency of judges.</li>
<li>Heavier caseloads due to vacancies meant they spent less time considering individual cases <strong>raises troubling concerns about the quality of justice dispensed.</strong></li>
<li>A <strong>delay in resolving motions and hearing trials which lead to the pendency of cases</strong> piling up is the most common impact of vacancies in the posts judges and court administrators.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Public Service Commissions should recruit the necessary staff to assist these judges, while State governments should build courts or provide working space for them. The recruitment of judges to fill vacancies should also begin earnestly.</li>
<li>A smooth and time-bound process of making appointments require a close coordination between the High Courts and the State Public Service Commissions. This coordination should be facilitated by the respective State Governments and High Courts as best as possible.</li>
<li>Subordinate courts perform the most critical judicial functions that affect the life of the common man: conducting trials, settling civil disputes, and implementing the bare bones of the law. This is a very important area for justice and it, therefore, demands a massive infusion of both manpower and resources that should not be denied at all costs.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/884Infograph%20(Indian Judiciary)-01.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/884Infograph (Indian Judiciary)-01.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="462" height="1816" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-crippling-shortage'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'India's Disputes At WTO',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, Australia has referred India to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over subsidies paid to sugarcane farmers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many countries have filed complaints in WTO against various welfare and subsidy programs run by <g class="gr_ gr_130 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="130" data-gr-id="130">government</g> of India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Complaints Against India&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On November 12 US filed a complaint against India alleging that India has paid out far more in cotton subsidies than the WTO rules permit.</li>
<li>On November 7, India lost a trade dispute at the WTO after a settlement panel upheld Japan&rsquo;s complaint on the imposition of safeguard duty on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products during September 2015 and March 2018.</li>
<li>In May 2018, the US submitted a communication under provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) on certain measures of India providing Market Price Support (MPS) to wheat and rice for the years 2010-11 to 2013-14.</li>
<li>In this communication, <g class="gr_ gr_137 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="137" data-gr-id="137">US</g> stated that India has &ldquo;under-reported&rdquo; its domestic support provided for wheat and rice and violated its commitments under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.</li>
<li>In 2016, the dispute settlement panel had ruled in <g class="gr_ gr_138 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="138" data-gr-id="138">favour</g> of a US complaint against the requirement that power producers under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission compulsorily procure a part of solar panels and modules for their projects from domestic producers.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Australia Stand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Australia has said that it will <g class="gr_ gr_140 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="140" data-gr-id="140">utilise</g> the established global trading rules to defend the interests of its farmers and will continue to support the right of Australia's sugar industry to compete on equal terms with domestic Indian industry.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On September 27, the government of India had approved <g class="gr_ gr_124 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="124" data-gr-id="124">a Rs</g> 5,538-crore package for the sugar industry.</li>
<li>India has maintained its stand that the country&rsquo;s sugar exports comply with WTO rules. India does not extend a subsidy to its farmers for <g class="gr_ gr_125 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">exports,</g> but instead gives <strong>a production subsidy.</strong></li>
<li>On the issue of MPS being violative of WTO norms, India has dismissed these allegations and has demanded that MPS should be calculated by using the recent reference period instead of 1986/88 prices, which was factored in at the time of the creation of the WTO.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Countervailing Duty and Anti-Dumping Duty</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Countervailing Duty:</strong> It is imposed on imported goods to counterbalance subsidy provided by the exporter country.</li>
<li><strong>Anti-Dumping Duty:</strong> An antidumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Dumping is a process where a company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges on its own home market.</li>
<li>To protect local businesses and markets, many countries impose stiff duties on products they believe are being dumped in their national market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Agreement On Agriculture (AoA)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>AoA is aimed to remove trade barriers and to promote transparent market access and integration of global markets. Agreement on agriculture stands on three pillars:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Domestic Support:</strong> It calls for <g class="gr_ gr_135 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="135" data-gr-id="135">reduction</g> in domestic subsidies that distorts free trade and fair price.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Under this provision, the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) is to be reduced by 20% over a period of 6 years by developed countries and 13% over a period of 10 years by developing countries.</li>
<li>Under this, Subsidies are categorized into:
<ol>
<li><strong>Green Box:</strong> subsidies that <strong>do not distort trade,</strong> or at most cause minimal distortion.
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-roman;">
<li>They are <strong>government-funded</strong> and must <strong>not involve price support.</strong></li>
<li>They also <strong>include environmental protection and regional development programmes.</strong></li>
<li>&ldquo;Green box&rdquo; subsidies are therefore<strong> allowed without limits</strong>, provided they comply with the policy-specific criteria.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><strong>Amber Box:</strong> All domestic support measures considered to <strong>distort production and trade</strong> (with some exceptions) fall into the amber box as all domestic supports except those in the blue and green boxes.
<ol>
<li>These include<strong> measures to support prices, or subsidies directly related to production quantities.</strong></li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><strong>Blue Box:</strong> This is the &ldquo;amber box with conditions&rdquo;. Such conditions are <strong>designed to reduce distortion.</strong>
<ol>
<li>Any support that would normally be in the amber box is placed in the blue box if the support also<strong> requires farmers to limit production.</strong></li>
<li>At present,<strong> there are no limits on spending on blue box subsidies.</strong></li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Market Access:</strong> Market access for goods in the WTO means the conditions, tariff and non-tariff measures, agreed by members for the entry of specific goods into their markets. The market access requires that tariffs fixed (like <g class="gr_ gr_139 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="139" data-gr-id="139">custom</g> duties) by individual countries be cut progressively to allow free trade. It also required countries to remove non-tariff barriers and convert them to Tariff duties.</li>
<li><strong>Export Subsidy:</strong> Subsidy on inputs of agriculture, making export cheaper or other incentives for exports such as import duty remission etc are included under export subsidies. These can result in <g class="gr_ gr_112 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="112" data-gr-id="112">dumping</g> of highly subsidized (and cheap) products in other country and damage <g class="gr_ gr_113 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="113" data-gr-id="113">domestic</g> agriculture sector of <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="114" data-gr-id="114">other country</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">Principle</g> of Trade Without Discrimination at WTO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Most Favored Nation (MFN):</strong> Treating other nations equally. Under the WTO principle of <g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="109" data-gr-id="109">trading</g> system, countries normally are not allowed to discriminate between their trading partners.</li>
<li><strong>National Treatment:</strong> Treating foreigners and locals equally. Under this principle, foreign goods are given <g class="gr_ gr_102 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="102" data-gr-id="102">same</g> treatment as one&rsquo;s own.</li>
<li><strong>Free Trade:</strong> Lowering trade barriers is one of the most obvious means of encouraging trade.</li>
<li><strong>Predictability:</strong> With stability, predictability and binding commitments, WTO principle seeks to encourage investment, create jobs and to accrue the benefits of competition to consumers in the form of choice quality and lower prices.</li>
<li><strong>Promoting Fair Competition:</strong> WTO agreements also aim to support fair competition in trade in agriculture, intellectual property, services etc.</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging Development and Economic Reforms:</strong> Developing countries that need <g class="gr_ gr_101 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="101" data-gr-id="101">flexibility</g> to implement the system&rsquo;s agreements are given special assistance and trade concessions under WTO rules. This promotes economic reforms and development in these countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) makes decisions on trade disputes between member countries.</li>
<li>DSB consists of all WTO members.</li>
<li>The DSB makes all its decisions by consensus.</li>
<li>The DSB has the sole authority to establish panels of experts to consider the <g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="98" data-gr-id="98">case,</g> and to accept or reject the panels&rsquo; findings or the results of an appeal.</li>
<li>It monitors the implementation of the rulings and <g class="gr_ gr_103 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="103" data-gr-id="103">recommendations,</g> and has the power to authorize retaliation when a country does not comply with a ruling.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india's-disputes-at-wto'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)',
		'catname' => 'Paper 4',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/574Indian%20Thinker Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902).jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/574Indian Thinker Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902).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-paper4/mind-map-paper-4-indian-thinker-swami-vivekanand-1863-1902'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)',
		'catname' => 'Paper 4',
		'desc' => '<h3>About Swami Vivekananda</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta, on 12th January, 1863.</li>
<li>He was a monk and chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa.</li>
<li>He introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the world stage during the late 19th century.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Vedanta</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was <strong>based on Upanishads</strong> and their interpretation.</li>
<li>Its aim was to <strong>enquire about &lsquo;Brahman&rsquo; (ultimate reality)</strong> which was the <strong>central concept of Upanishads</strong>.</li>
<li>It saw <strong>Veda as the ultimate source of information</strong> and whose authority could not be questioned.</li>
<li>It emphasized on path of knowledge (jnana) as opposed to that of sacrifice (karma).</li>
<li>Ultimate aim of knowledge was <strong>'Moksha'</strong> i.e. liberation from <strong>'sansara'</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He established Ramakrishna Mission in 1987, named after his Guru Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The institution did extensive educational and philanthropic work in India.</li>
<li>He also represented India in the first Parliament of Religion held in Chicago (U.S.) in 1893.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Core Values Of Swami Vivekanand&rsquo;s Philosophy</h3>
<p><strong>Ethics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Morality in both individual life and social life is mostly based on fear of societal censure.</li>
<li>But Vivekananda gave a new theory of ethics and new principle of morality based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman.</li>
<li>Ethics according to Vivekananda was nothing but a code of conduct that helps a man to be a good citizen.</li>
<li>We should be pure because purity is our real nature, our true divine Self or Atman.</li>
<li>Similarly, we should love and serve our neighbours because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit known as Paramatma or Brahman.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Religion</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One of the most significant contributions of Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent Reality, common to all humanity.</li>
<li>This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priest craft and intolerance.</li>
<li>He believed that every religion offered a pathway to the eternal supreme &ndash; supreme freedom, supreme knowledge, supreme happiness.</li>
<li>This can be accomplished by realising one&rsquo;s ATMA as part of PARAMATMA.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Education</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda laid the greatest emphasis on education for the regeneration of our motherland.</li>
<li>According to him, a nation is advanced in proportion as education is spread among the masses.</li>
<li>He said that our process of education should be such that it helps the students to manifest their innate knowledge and power.</li>
<li>He advocated a man-making character-building education.</li>
<li>He said that education must make the students self-reliant and help them face the challenges of life. He was highly critical of the so-called educated who do not care for the poor and downtrodden.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Rationality </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>He was in complete agreement with the methods and results of modern science.</li>
<li>He did not discard reason in favor of faith.</li>
<li>He recognized intuition or inspiration as a higher faculty than reason. But the truth derived from intuition had to be explained and systematized by reason.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Nationalism </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Though growth of Nationalism is attributed to the Western influence but Swami Vivekananda&rsquo;s nationalism is deeply rooted in Indian spirituality and morality.</li>
<li>His nationalism is based on Humanism and Universalism, the two cardinal features of Indian spiritual culture.</li>
<li>Unlike western nationalism which is secular in nature, Swami Vivekananda&rsquo;s nationalism is based on religion which is life blood of the Indian people.</li>
<li>The basis of his nationalism are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Deep concern for masses, freedom and equality through which one expresses self, spiritual integration of the world on the basis of universal brotherhood.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Karmyoga&rdquo; a system of ethics to attain freedom both political and spiritual through selfless service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>His writings and speeches established motherland as the only deity to be worshiped in the mind and heart of countrymen.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Youth</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swamiji believed that if our youth is determined, there can be nothing impossible for them to achieve in the world.</li>
<li>He urged youth to have dedication to the cause to attain success. Pursuing a challenge with utmost dedication is really the road to success, for our youth.</li>
<li>Hence Swamiji called upon the youth to not only build up their mental energies, but their physical ones as well. He wanted &lsquo;muscles of iron&rsquo; as well as &lsquo;nerves of steel&rsquo;.</li>
<li>His birthday on January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day and the week commencing from that day is known as the National Youth Week.</li>
<li>As part of National Youth Week celebrations, the Government of India holds the National Youth Festival every year.</li>
<li>The youth festival aims to propagate the concept of national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure amongst the youth by exhibiting their cultural prowess in a common platform.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Swami Vivekananda belonged to the 19th century, yet his message and his life are more relevant today than in the past and perhaps, will be more relevant in future.</li>
<li>Persons like Swami Vivekananda do not cease to exist with their physical death - their influence and their thought, the work which they initiate, go on gaining momentum as years pass by, and ultimately, reach a fulfilment which they envisaged.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper4/to-the-point-paper-4-indian-thinker-swami-vivekanand-1863-1902'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'National Financial Reporting Authority',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>The Ministry of Corporate Affairs</strong> has notified rules determining the jurisdiction, powers, function and duties of the <strong>National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Companies Act, 2013</strong> provided for the creation of a National Financial Reporting Authority.</li>
<li>Earlier, the Union Cabinet on March 1, 2018 approved the creation of a National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as an <strong>independent regulator</strong> for the auditing profession, in an attempt to tighten regulatory oversight over chartered accountants and plug loopholes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The need for establishing NFRA was felt in the wake of accounting scams and to establish an independent regulator for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits.</li>
<li><strong>Section 132 of the Companies Act 2013</strong> gives the central government the power to set up such an authority.</li>
<li>A<strong> Parliamentary Standing Committee</strong> had also<strong> recommended</strong> that the National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards be institutionalized by setting up an NFRA.</li>
<li>At present, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the auditing regulator. ICAI plays the <strong>advisory role</strong> with respect to accounting and auditing standards and policies.</li>
<li>Setting up the NFRA indicates, to an extent, the lack of trust in ICAI to effectively address malpractices associated with accounting and auditing profession.</li>
<li>The current regulator ICAI is against setting up of NFRA. ICAI is of the view that NFRA should not be given the power of investigation as the ICAI&nbsp;is doing the same work. Also, the multiplicity of regulators will not serve any purpose as steps suggested by the government for NFRA are already being undertaken by the institute.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Institute of Chartered Accountants of India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a<strong> statutory body.</strong></li>
<li>It was established by <strong>The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.</strong></li>
<li>The Institute functions under the administrative control of the<strong> Ministry of Corporate Affairs.</strong></li>
<li>It is aimed at r<strong>egulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in the country.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NFRA will oversee the quality of service and undertake investigation of the auditors of<strong> listed entities</strong>; <strong>unlisted entities with paid-up capital of not less than ₹500 crore</strong> or <strong>annual turnover of over ₹1,000 crore or those having aggregate loans, debentures or deposits of not less than ₹500 crore as of March 31 of the preceding financial year. </strong>While ICAI retains jurisdiction of small listed companies.</li>
<li>The NFRA will also have oversight over a<strong>uditors of banks, insurers, electricity firms and also those body corporates referred to it by the Centre.</strong></li>
<li>It will investigate matters, <strong>either suo moto or on a reference made to it by the Central Government,</strong> of professional misconduct by chartered accountants (CA) or CA firms, impose penalty and debar the CA or CA firm for up to 10 years.</li>
<li>Make recommendations to the Central Government on the formulation and laying down of accounting and auditing policies and standards for adoption by companies or class of companies or their auditors.</li>
<li>Monitor and enforce the compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards in such manner as prescribed.</li>
<li>Oversee the <strong>quality of service of the professions</strong> associated with ensuring compliance with such standards, and suggest measures required for improvement in quality of service and such other related matters. This will make Quality Review Board (QRB)&nbsp; redundant, which was mandated earlier to&nbsp;look into the quality of service rendered by auditors.</li>
<li>The rules also provide for a <strong>detailed procedure on disciplinary proceedings</strong> that will be undertaken by the NFRA. It has mandated <strong>time-bound disposal (90 days)</strong> of the show cause notice through a summary procedure.</li>
<li>The National Financial Reporting Authority shall consist of members <strong>not exceeding fifteen part time and full-time members.</strong></li>
<li>The chairperson and members, who are in full-time employment with National Financial Reporting Authority, shall not be associated with any audit firm (including related consultancy firms) during the course of their appointment and two years after ceasing to hold such appointment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits of establishing NFRA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the constitution of NFRA, India is now eligible to become a member of the I<strong>nternational Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR)</strong>, which was denied until now for want of an independent audit oversight body in the country. This will enhance investor confidence as well as standing of India in the global arena.</li>
<li>Improvement in foreign/domestic investments.</li>
<li>Enhancement of economic growth.</li>
<li>Supporting the globalisation of business by meeting international practices.</li>
<li>Further development of auditing profession.</li>
<li>Establishment of NFRA will free resources for the ICAI to work on developing new and complex skills needed in the uncertain world of technology.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>
<p>The NFRA has an uphill task of creating a structure and processes for effectively delivering on the complete range of functions like standards setting, professional development, quality monitoring and disciplining of medium and large-size audit firm. Moreover, disposal of disciplinary cases in 90 days, is going to be onerous and challenging task.</p>
</li>
<li>The NFRA should keep its distance from ICAI. Otherwise, it will be yet another case of regulatory capture.</li>
<li>For the NFRA to be effective, it should consist of independent experts with an impeccable record of integrity.</li>
<li>The NFRA should also look at company secretaries who are currently governed by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) as they have an equally important role in examining rule compliance.</li>
<li>There is no contradiction or overlap between NFRA and ICAI, as each of them has their exclusive jurisdiction. Hence, both should meaningfully co-exist and harness mutual synergies and complementarities.</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-financial-reporting-authority'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'New Super-Earth Discovered',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><br />A newly published research paper has reported the <strong>discovery of a planet through radial velocity method</strong> in orbit around one of the closest stars to the Sun, <strong>Barnard&rsquo;s star</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The potentially <strong>rocky planet</strong> is known as <strong>Barnard&rsquo;s star b</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Barnard&rsquo;s star</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At nearly 6 light years away, Barnard&rsquo;s star is the <strong>next closest star to the Sun</strong> after the<strong> Alpha Centauri triple system</strong> (Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, Alpha Centauri C or Proxima Centauri).</li>
<li>It is a type of faint, low-mass star called a red dwarf. Red dwarfs are considered to be the best places to look for exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Barnard&rsquo;s star b</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Barnard&rsquo;s star b is a &lsquo;<strong>Super-Earth</strong>&rsquo; with a mass of at least 3.2 times that of the Earth, and it orbits around Barnard&rsquo;s star once every 233 days.</li>
<li>Super Earth is just a planet with more mass than Earth, but less than a larger planet like Uranus or Neptune.</li>
<li>Barnard&rsquo;s star b is the <strong>second-closest known exoplanet to the Sun after Proxima b</strong> (discovered in 2016) orbiting around the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The planet lies at a distance from the star in a region that is known as the '<strong>snow line</strong>'.</li>
<li><g class="gr_ gr_39 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="39" data-gr-id="39"><g class="gr_ gr_40 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="40" data-gr-id="40">Snow</g> line</g> is beyond the habitable zone in which liquid water, and possibly life, could exist.</li>
<li>The planet&rsquo;s surface temperature is estimated to be around -170&deg;C, meaning it is likely to be a frozen world. Such conditions would make it uninviting to Earth-like life.</li>
<li>However, if the planet has a substantial atmosphere, the temperature could be higher and thus conditions could be potentially more hospitable.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Radial Velocity Method</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The researchers used the radial velocity method also known as Doppler spectroscopy during observations that led to the discovery of Barnard&rsquo;s star b.</li>
<li>This technique detects wobbles (fluctuations) in a star which are likely to be caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.</li>
<li>These wobbles affect the light coming from the star. As the star moves towards the Earth its spectrum appears slightly shifted towards the blue and, as it moves away, it is shifted towards the red.</li>
<li>This is the first time that this technique has been used to detect a planet this small so far away from its host star.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-super-earth-discovered'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>PM recently concluded his visit to Singapore and attended the ASEAN-India Summit held on sidelines of <strong>33rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN is hosting these Summits.</li>
<li>India also participated in <strong>3rd &ldquo;Quad&rdquo; Meeting.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Meeting</h3>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About ASEAN</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established in 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).</li>
<li>The ASEAN members are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On sidelines of 33rd ASEAN Summit, India-ASEAN Summit was also organized.</li>
<li>As strategic partners, India and ASEAN have trade and economic relations.</li>
<li>Trade between India and ASEAN stood at around <strong>$ 81 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10% of India&rsquo;s total trade</strong>. Exports to<strong> ASEAN countries constitute 11% of India&rsquo;s total exports.</strong></li>
<li>India and ASEAN have a combined population of <strong>1.9 billion which is a quarter of the world&rsquo;s population</strong> and the combined GDP of $5 trillion.</li>
<li>In 2017, India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their engagement and the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit was held on January 25th, 2017.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s relation with ASEAN is marked by <strong>3 C's Culture, Commerce and Connectivity.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/burning-issues-of-the-month/association-of-southeast-asian-nations-asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More About ASEAN-India Relationship</a></p>
<h3>13th East Asia Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India also participated in 13th East Asia Summit.</li>
<li>The East Asia Summit <strong>(Established: 2005)</strong> is a <strong>forum of 18 countries</strong> of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of <strong>regional peace, security, and prosperity.</strong></li>
<li>There are<strong> six priority areas of regional cooperation</strong> within the framework of the EAS: Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity.</li>
<li>India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.</li>
<li>The members of East Asia Summit consists of <strong>10 ASEAN nations</strong> (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos), and <strong>8 other members-</strong> Australia, China, <strong>India</strong>, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2nd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Prime Minister also participated at the 2nd RCEP Summit, they reviewed the progress that has been made in the negotiations of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rcep-ministerial-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCEP.</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>3rd Quad Meeting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>grouping of four democracies &ndash;India, Australia, the US, and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>The Quad association of members who have a shared objective to ensure and support a <strong>&ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo;</strong> Indo-Pacific region and<strong> rules-based global order.</strong></li>
<li>Connectivity, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity was the focus of the conversation at the third meeting of the &lsquo;Quad&rsquo; countries.</li>
<li>The US, Japan, and Australia emphasized &ldquo;rules-based order&rdquo; in their statements, which was missing from the Indian statement.</li>
<li>A serious discussion took place on Sri Lanka and Maldives, both in India&rsquo;s immediate neighborhood and influenced by China&rsquo;s expansionism.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/four%20corners:%20on%20the%20quad%E2%80%99s%20agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More About Quad</a></p>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="71" data-gr-id="71">Significance</g> of the Meetings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Such meetings give a platform to<strong> India to have a greater role for the economic integration</strong> of the region and to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.</li>
<li>Such meetings help India to take a closer look at pressing issues in bilateral relations and the overall security and economic situation in India&rsquo;s extended <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="68" data-gr-id="68">neighbourhood</g>.</li>
<li>Many of the ten members of the <strong>ASEAN perceive India as a much-needed counterbalance to China.</strong></li>
<li>India also <g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="66" data-gr-id="66">realises</g> the centrality of ASEAN in its extended neighborhood through its 'Act East Policy'.</li>
<li>India could work on the implementation of connectivity projects, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, and building new trade and transport linkages with all the ASEAN states.</li>
</ul>',
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