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PRS Capsule October 2018

Key Highlights of PRS Draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018 released Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Digi Yatri policy Cabinet...

15 Nov 2018 PRS Capsule
Dispute Over Restoration of Konark Sun Temple

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15 Nov 2018 News Analysis
GSAT-29 Satellite Launched

The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched GSAT-29 (Geostationary Satellite) communication satellite through...

15 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Scheme to Promote Young Entrepreneurs in Cooperatives

Union Agriculture Ministry launched National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC’s) youth-friendly scheme ‘Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative...

15 Nov 2018 News Analysis
A Nuanced Understanding of the NBFC Sector

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Two New Initiatives of Ministry of Human Resource Development

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14 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (14th November 2018)

IONS Anniversary Celebrations The 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) commenced with the release of the...

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Ease of Doing Agribusiness Index

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14 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Four Corners: On The Quad’s Agenda

(This editorial is based on the article “Four corners: on the Quad’s agenda” which appears in The Hindu on 6th November 2018. It...

14 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Article 35A

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12 Nov 2018 Paper 2
Article 35A

12 Nov 2018 Paper 2
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12 Nov 2018 News Analysis
World War I Centenary

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World’s First Brain-Like Super-Computer

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World Wide Web Foundation Report

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INSPIRE 2018

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Indian Army Inducts Major Artillery Gun Systems

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10 Nov 2018 News Analysis
The Big Picture: National Database Of Sexual Offenders

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10 Nov 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Mission to Explore Ocean Deeps

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10 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Bannerghatta Park’s Eco-Sensitive Zone Reduced

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10 Nov 2018 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'PRS Capsule October 2018',
			'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
			'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key&nbsp;</strong><strong>Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<div class="border">
<ul class="ticklist">
<li><a href="#1">Draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018 released</a></li>
<li><a href="#2">Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Digi Yatri policy</a></li>
<li><a href="#3">Cabinet approves IRSDC as nodal agency for railway station redevelopment</a></li>
<li><a href="#4">Indian Railways rationalises freight and passenger fares</a></li>
<li><a href="#5">Draft National Policy on Electronics 2018 released</a></li>
<li><a href="#6">Insolvency Law Committee submits report on cross-border insolvency</a></li>
<li><a href="#7">National Financial Reporting Authority</a></li>
<li><a href="#8">Expert Committee submits report on regulating audit firms</a></li>
<li><a href="#9">Competition Commission of India releases note on affordable healthcare</a></li>
<li><a href="#10">CCEA approves Minimum Support Prices for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season</a></li>
<li><a href="#11">CCEA approves creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund</a></li>
<li><a href="#12">Ministry of Home Affairs issues notification on grant of citizenship</a></li>
<li><a href="#13">Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visit India</a></li>
<li><a href="#14">Prime Minister visits Japan</a></li>
<li><a href="#15">Cabinet approves merger of National Council for Vocational Training and National Skill Development Agency</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="1">Draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018 released</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Civil Aviation released the draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018.The draft Bill seeks to implement the Cape Town Convention (Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment), and Protocol (Protocol to the Convention on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment) in India.</li>
<li>The Cape Town Convention/Protocol were adopted in Cape Town in November, 2001.</li>
<li>India became a party to the Convention/Protocol in July, 2008.</li>
<li>The Convention/Protocol primarily seeks to achieve efficient financing of high value mobile equipment, like airframes, helicopters and engines, in order to make the operations cost effective and affordable.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Objectives of the Convention/Protocol include: </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creating an international interest in aircraft objects which will be recognised in all contracting states;</li>
<li>Establishing an electronic international registry for registration of international interests, and providing information related to interests in a particular aircraft;</li>
<li>Providing certain basic default remedies for creditors, to provide them with speedy interim relief;</li>
<li>Creating a legal regime which is applicable universally and administers justice to both parties in case of a dispute.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Need for the legislation:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Certain provisions of the Convention/ Protocol are in conflict with certain provisions of other laws such as the Civil Procedure Code, 2008, the Specific Relief Act, 1963, the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.</li>
<li>Further, international financial institutions are not giving due weightage to accession to the Convention/Protocol by any country unless it is accompanied by an implementing law.</li>
<li>For example, OECD provides 10% discount in the processing fee of a loan to acquire aircraft to airlines of any country that has enacted a law implementing the Convention/Protocol.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Digi Yatri policy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The policy seeks to deliver a seamless, paperless and hassle-free experience to all passengers across all check-points at Indian airports.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key features of the policy include:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Objectives:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enhancing passenger experience and providing a simple and easy experience to all air travellers.</li>
<li>Achieving better throughput using digital framework.</li>
<li>Reducing cost operations by removing redundancies at checkpoints.</li>
<li>Introducing a Digi Yatra system with a digital ID backed by a government issued identity like Aadhaar, and Passport.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Applicability:</strong> The new process will cater to all passengers at any airport in India.</p>
<p><em><strong>Digi Yatra platform:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Digi Yatra platform (with all the digital IDs) will be built by a joint venture company (JVC) or a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The JVC/SPV will be established by the Airports Authority of India (with a minority stake) and all private airport operators.</li>
<li>The Digi Yatra ID platform will offer passenger services such as enrolment, authentication, and consented profile sharing. It will be an ID only platform, and provide an authentication service that airports may implement according to their own solution architecture.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Passenger consent:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creation and use of the Digi Yatra ID by a passenger will be completely voluntary. The platform will strictly take consent from the passenger for sharing of face data for the airport checkpoint clearance only.</li>
<li>Airports may not create profile of users, or use this authentication for marketing without explicit user consent for marketing purpose.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Cabinet approves IRSDC as nodal agency for railway station redevelopment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) as the nodal agency and the main project development agency for redevelopment of railway stations.</li>
<li>The lease tenure period for such projects will be 99 years. IRSDC will prepare the overall strategic plan and business plans for redevelopment of individual or a group of stations.</li>
<li>Upon approval of business plans by the Ministry of Railways, IRSDC or other project development agencies will take up the work of station redevelopment.</li>
<li>The Indian Railways, Rail Land Development Authority, or IRSDC will plan and develop Railway land. This will be done in consultation with urban local bodies, local development authorities or other union territories, to transfer land on free hold basis to Indian Railways.</li>
<li>The Union Cabinet had approved the development of certain categories of stations by Zonal Railways on June 24, 2015.</li>
<li>However, insufficient interest was shown by bidders on such projects, and issues such as multiple sub leasing were raised. Allowing a specialized executing agency (IRSDC) for such projects seeks to address these issues.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Indian Railways rationalises freight and passenger fares</h3>
<p>The Indian Railways has rationalised: (i) the flexi-fare scheme, and (ii) freight fares. The changes in fares include:</p>
<p><strong>Flexi-fare scheme:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Flexi-fare will be discontinued in trains with average monthly occupancy less than 50% throughout the previous year. It will also be discontinued in lean traffic period of three months, in trains with average monthly occupancy between 50-75% throughout the previous year.</li>
<li>Certain discounts in flexi-fares have also been introduced in less patronised classes (such as 2A, 3A, and CC) to increase their occupancy. The flexi-fare scheme was launched on September 9, 2016.</li>
<li>These changes have been introduced based on the recommendations of a committee that was set up to review the scheme, recommendations of the CAG, and representation from passengers.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Freight rates:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Railways has rationalised its freight rates to ensure additional revenue generation across the network. An additional revenue of Rs 3,344 crore is expected from such rationalisation.</li>
<li>This revenue will be utilised to improve passenger amenities. This rationalisation will result in an 8.75% increase in freight rates for major commodities such as coal, iron and steel, iron ore, and raw materials for steel plants.</li>
<li>In addition, the haulage charge of containers has been increased by 5% and the freight rates of other small goods have been increased by 8.75%. Freight rates have not been increased for goods such as food grains, flours, pulses, fertilizers, salt, and sugar, cement, petroleum, and diesel.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Draft National Policy on Electronics 2018 released</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a draft National Policy on Electronics 2018.The draft policy aims to position India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM), by enabling the industry to compete globally. Key features of the draft policy include:</p>
<p><strong>Objectives:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Key objectives of the draft policy include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promoting manufacturing of ESDM to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 2025,</li>
<li>Improving ease of doing business for ESDM industry, and</li>
<li>Encouraging research and innovation in all sub-sectors of electronics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Promoting Competition: The draft policy seeks to create a competitive ESDM sector by incentivizing domestic manufacturing. This will be achieved by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Providing direct tax benefits for setting up new manufacturing units or expanding existing units in the electronic manufacturing sector,</li>
<li>Promoting manufacture of electronic goods covered under the Information Technology Agreement of WTO, and</li>
<li>Exempting import duty on capital equipment not manufactured in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Schemes for manufacturing: The Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme was launched in 2012 to compensate for disadvantages in domestic manufacturing. The scheme provides for capital subsidy of 25% for electronics industry in non-SEZ areas and 20% in SEZ areas. The draft policy proposes replacing this scheme with schemes that are easier to implement such as interest subsidy and credit default guarantee.</li>
<li>Standards: A standards setting body will be established in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Further, an institutional mechanism will be set up for mandating compliance with standards for electronic products.</li>
<li>Export promotion: The draft policy aims to promote export of electronics by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Increasing rate of duty drawback for electronics,</li>
<li>Permitting duty free import of second hand capital goods, and</li>
<li>Entering into Free Trade Agreements with economies such as EU, and Africa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Insolvency Law Committee submits report on cross-border insolvency</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Insolvency Law Committee (Chairman: Mr. Injeti Srinivas) submitted it report recommending amendments to the cross-border insolvency provisions in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.</li>
<li>The Committee proposed a draft &lsquo;Part Z&rsquo; in the Code, based on an analysis of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, 1997.</li>
<li>The Model Law provides a legal framework that states may adopt in their domestic legislation to deal with cross-border insolvency issues.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key recommendations of the Committee include:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Applicability:</strong> The Committee recommended that the draft Part Z should be extended to corporate debtors only, including foreign companies.</li>
<li><strong>Duplicity of regimes:</strong> The Committee noted that currently the Companies Act, 2013 contains provisions to deal with insolvency of foreign companies. It observed that once cross-border insolvency provisions are introduced in the Code, it will result in a dual regime to handle insolvency of foreign companies. It recommended that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs undertake a study of such provisions of the 2013 Act to analyse the efficacy of retaining them.</li>
<li><strong>Reciprocity:</strong> The Committee recommended adoption of the Model Law on a reciprocity basis initially. Reciprocity means that a domestic court will recognise and enforce a foreign court&rsquo;s judgment only if the foreign country has adopted similar legislation to the domestic country.</li>
<li><strong>Centre of Main Interests (COMI):</strong> The Model Law provides that if domestic courts determine that the debtor has its COMI in a foreign country; such foreign proceedings will be recognised as the main proceedings. This recognition will result in certain automatic relief, such as allowing foreign representatives greater powers in handling the debtor&rsquo;s estate. A list of indicative factors comprising COMI may be inserted through rule-making powers. Such factors may include location of the debtor&rsquo;s books and records, location of financing, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Public policy considerations:</strong> Part Z provides that the National Company Law Tribunal may refuse to take action under Part Z if it is contrary to public policy. The Committee recommended that in proceedings where the Tribunal is of the opinion that a violation of public policy may be involved, a notice must be issued to the central government to provide its submissions. If the Tribunal does not issue a notice, the central government may be empowered to apply to it directly.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">National Financial Reporting Authority</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Corporate Affairs constituted the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).</li>
<li>The NFRA is established as an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Jurisdiction</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms under section 132 of the Act would extend to listed companies and large unlisted public companies, the thresholds for which shall be prescribed in the Rules.</li>
<li>The Central Government can also refer such other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Chairperson and Members</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Financial Reporting Authority shall consist of a chairperson, who shall be a person of eminence and having expertise in accountancy, auditing, finance or law to be appointed by the Central Government and such other members not exceeding fifteen consisting of part-time and full-time members as may be prescribed.</li>
<li>Provided that the terms and conditions and the manner of appointment of the chairperson and members shall be such as may be prescribed.</li>
<li>The chairperson and members shall make a declaration to the Central Government in the prescribed form regarding no conflict of interest or lack of independence in respect of his or their appointment.</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 id="8">Expert Committee submits report on regulating audit firms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An Expert Committee submitted its report to the government on &ldquo;Regulating Audit Firms and Networks&rdquo;. The Committee was constituted in April, 2018 pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court.</li>
<li>The report examined the legal regime of auditors and recommended measures to promote development of the audit profession in India.</li>
<li>The Committee scrutinised the networking arrangements adopted by the big four audit firms to understand their legal structure and method of operation.</li>
<li>The Committee also addressed issues concerning conflict of interest and transparency arising out of non-audit services provided by auditors and their network, and recommended necessary checks and balances.</li>
<li>In addition, the report also dealt with issues of concentration of market power in the audit services market.</li>
<li>Committee found the establishment of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as a necessary institutional reform, which would align the Indian audit landscape with the global position on having an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
<li>The NFRA is established as an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
<li>The Committee recommended measures to further strengthen the operation of NFRA to address contemporary challenges in relation to auditors, audit firms and networks operating in India.</li>
<li>The report also dealt with issues concerning advertising, multi-disciplinary practice firms, and branding, and suggested measures to rationalise the existing laws.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Competition Commission of India releases note on affordable healthcare</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Competition Commission of India released a policy note on &lsquo;Making Markets Work for Affordable Healthcare.</li>
<li>The note examines issues in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector which may restrict competition and consumer choice.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key observations and recommendations of the Commission include:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Role of intermediaries:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission observed that drug companies in India charge unreasonably high trade margins which contribute to high drug prices.</li>
<li>Further, self-regulation by trade associations also contributes towards high margins as they control the entire drug distribution system which reduces competition.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended the use of electronic trading of drugs to induce price competition among retailers.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Branded generic drugs:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, the pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generic drugs which limit the price competition induced by generic drugs. In India, branded drugs enjoy a price premium due to perceived quality assurance.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended that the regulatory framework should ensure consistent application of quality control measures, in order to address issues of quality perception.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Vertical arrangements in healthcare services:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission noted that in-house pharmacies of super speciality hospitals are insulated from competition as patients are not typically allowed to purchase any product from outside.</li>
<li>Therefore, it recommended that hospitals should allow consumers to buy standardised consumables from the open market.</li>
<li>Further, the Commission noted that there is no regulatory framework that governs portability of patient data, treatment record, and diagnostic reports between hospitals.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Regulation and competition:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to multiplicity of regulators in the pharmaceutical sector, the implementation of regulations is not uniform.</li>
<li>This has resulted in multiple standards of same products and different levels of regulatory compliance.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended that a mechanism to harmonise the processes followed by state licensing authorities could be developed.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">CCEA approves Minimum Support Prices for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Rabi crops for the 2019-20 marketing season.</li>
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, determines the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of various agricultural commodities based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).</li>
<li>Table shows the change in MSPs for the Rabi crops as compared to the 2018-19 marketing season.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 49.8558%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 49.8559%; text-align: center;" colspan="4"><strong>Table: </strong>MSPs notified for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season (in Rs/quintal)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;"><strong>Crop</strong></td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;"><strong>2018-19</strong></td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">
<p><strong>2019-20</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;"><strong>Change</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Wheat</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">1,735</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">1,840</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;6.1 %</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Barley</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">1,410</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">1,440</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">2.1 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Gram</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,400</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,620</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.0 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Masoor</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,250</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,475</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.3 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Rapeseed and Mustard</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,000</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,200</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Safflower</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,100</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,945</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">20.6%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="11">CCEA approves creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund.</li>
<li>The Fund will provide concessional finance for investment in fisheries development to (i) state and union territory governments and entities, (ii) cooperatives, and (iii) entrepreneurs, among others.</li>
<li>The loans will be provided for a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with repayments to be made over a period of 12 years. The fund is estimated to be worth Rs 7,522 crores.</li>
<li>National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation and Scheduled banks will be Nodal Loaning Entities</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="12">Ministry of Home Affairs issues notification on grant of citizenship</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Under the Act, the central government can register a person as a citizen or grant a certificate of naturalisation, on receipt of an application.</li>
<li>The notification delegates these powers to the District Collector or Secretary of the Home Department, in case of persons belonging to minority communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.</li>
<li>These include Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.</li>
<li>The notification is applicable to such individuals residing in the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Union Territory of Delhi.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="13">Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visit India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visited India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key agreements signed with the two countries are mentioned below:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Russia:</strong> India and Russia signed eight agreements for cooperation in various sectors including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Railways</li>
<li>Fertilizers</li>
<li>Micro, Small and Medium industries</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Uzbekistan:</strong> India and Uzbekistan signed 17 agreements for cooperation in various areas including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tourism</li>
<li>Agriculture and allied sectors</li>
<li>Health and medical science</li>
<li>Illicit drug trafficking</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uzbekistans-president-visit-to-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more...</a></p>
<h3 id="14">Prime Minister visits Japan</h3>
<p>The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, visited Japan. India and Japan signed 32 agreements for cooperation in various areas including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Exchange of information in maritime domain awareness</li>
<li>Artificial intelligence technologies</li>
<li>Primary healthcare</li>
<li>Developing food processing industry</li>
<li>Renewable energy</li>
<li>Environment protection</li>
<li>Electronics</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-japan-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more...</a></p>
<h3 id="15">Cabinet approves merger of National Council for Vocational Training and National Skill Development Agency</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training, which seeks to regulate skill development and vocational training.</p>
<p>It subsumes two existing regulatory institutions:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Council for Vocational Training</li>
<li>National Skill Development Agency</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Chairperson and Members:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Council would be headed by a Chairperson and will have Executive and Non-Executive Members.</li>
<li>The regulator will follow the best practices of regulatory processes, which will help ensure that it performs its functions professionally and as per the applicable laws.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Functions of the Council will include:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recognition and regulation of entities engaged in vocational education and training.</li>
<li>Approval of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-october-2018'
		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Dispute Over Restoration of Konark Sun Temple',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The 13th century Sun Temple at Konark (Odisha) has entered into <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="74" data-gr-id="74">controversy</g> over allegations that the stone carvings on the outer surface are being replaced with plain blocks of stones causing irreplaceable loss to the uniqueness of the temple.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per a regional news report, it is alleged that 40% of the artistic stone carvings of the existing Konark Sun Temple have been replaced by ASI with plain stones.</li>
<li>It is alleged that the stones used in restoration do not match the quality of the original stone blocks, which are still available nearby.</li>
<li>UNESCO guidelines on <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="77" data-gr-id="77">restoration</g> of World Heritage Sites mandate that when an original stone carving is lost, it cannot be replicated. The understanding is that as monuments <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">deteriorate,</g> if one keeps on replicating then nothing original will remain.</li>
<li>However, ASI has denied the allegations of replacement of artistic stone works at the world heritage monument.</li>
</ul>
<h3>About Sun Temple at Konark</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sun temple at Konark was constructed by the <strong>Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha Deva I</strong> in about 1250 A.D.</li>
<li>The name of Konark temple is an amalgamation of two words-Kona meaning corner and Arka meaning the Sun. That is to say that the Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is called Konark.</li>
</ul>
<h3><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">Architecture</g> of the Temple</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The temple was also known as '<strong>BLACK PAGODA</strong>' due to its dark colour and used as a navigational landmark by sailors to Odisha.</li>
<li>It is carefully <strong>oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes</strong> the principal entrance. The temple is built from <strong>Khondalite rocks</strong>.</li>
<li>A masterpiece of creative genius in both conception and realisation, the <strong>temple represents a chariot of the Sun God</strong>, with <strong>twelve pairs of wheels drawn by seven horses</strong> evoking its movement across the heavens.</li>
<li>The original temple had <strong>Vimana </strong>(the structure over the Garbhagriha or inner sanctum) which was supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. But it has fallen off.</li>
<li>The <strong>audience hall (Jagamohana)</strong>, which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins.</li>
<li>Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the <strong>dance hall (Nata Mandira)</strong> and <strong>dining hall (Bhoga Mandapa)</strong>.</li>
<li>The sanctum sanctorum and the Jagamohana together stand on a lofty platform, richly ornamented by friezes of elephants, decorative ornaments interspersed with figures sculptures, often of a highly sensuous character.</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="88" data-gr-id="88">Significance</g> of the Temple</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sun Temple is directly associated with the<strong> idea and belief of the personification of the Sun God</strong>, which is represented in the <strong>Vedas and classical texts</strong>.</li>
<li>Directly and materially linked to the Brahman beliefs, Konark is the invaluable link in the history of the diffusion of the <strong>cult of Surya</strong>, which <strong>originating in Kashmir during the 8th century</strong>, finally reached the shores of Eastern India.</li>
<li>It is embellished with sophisticated and refined iconographical depictions of contemporary life and activities.</li>
<li>The plinth of the temple between the wheels&nbsp;is entirely decorated with reliefs of fantastic lions, musicians and dancers, and erotic groups.</li>
<li>The Sun Temple is the culmination of Kalinga temple architecture, with all its defining elements in <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="89" data-gr-id="89">complete</g> and perfect form.</li>
<li>It was declared a <strong>UNESCO world heritage site in 1984</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Important Sun Temples in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Modhera Surya temple, Gujarat</li>
<li>Martand Sun temple, Kashmir</li>
<li>Katarmal Sun Temple, Uttarakhand</li>
<li>Dakshinarkaa temple Gaya, Bihar&nbsp;</li>
<li>Bhramanya temple, Unao, Madhya Pradesh</li>
<li>Surya Prahaar temple, Assam&nbsp;</li>
<li>Suryanar Kovil Temple at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu</li>
<li>Suryanarayana temple at Arasavalli, Andhra Pradesh</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and preservation of protected monuments.</li>
<li>It is an attached office under the Department of Culture (<strong>Ministry of Culture</strong>).</li>
<li>ASI was founded in <strong>1861</strong> by <strong>Alexander Cunningham</strong> who became its first Director-General.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dispute-over-restoration-of-konark-sun-temple'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'GSAT-29 Satellite Launched',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched<strong> GSAT-29 (Geostationary Satellite)</strong> communication satellite through Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSLV Mk III successfully placed the satellite in <strong>Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)</strong> after three orbit-raising maneuvers, the satellite will be placed in the <strong>Geostationary Orbit.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Payloads on GSLV Mk III</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSAT-29, weighing 3,423kg, is the <strong>heaviest satellite to be put into orbit by ISRO&rsquo;s launch vehicle</strong> and is designed for a mission life of 10 years.</li>
<li>It is a multiband, multi-beam communication satellite which will serve as a testbed for several new and critical technologies.</li>
<li>Its Payload also consists of Geo High-Resolution Camera and an Optical Communication Payload.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSAT-29 will help in providing<strong> internet connectivity</strong> in remote areas especially in<strong> Jammu &amp; Kashmir and North-Eastern regions of India.</strong></li>
<li>Geo-High Resolution Camera will help in high-resolution imaging and help in <strong>surveillance in the Indian Ocean.</strong></li>
<li>Optical Communication payload will help in <strong>data transmission at a very high rate</strong> through the optical communication link.</li>
<li>The successful launch signifies the <strong>completion of the experimental phase of GSLV Mk III and it is now operational.</strong></li>
<li>Future Mission of ISRO, <strong>Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan missions</strong> (human space flight) will also be <strong>launched by GSLV Mk III.</strong></li>
<li>The success of GSLV Mk III marks an important milestone in the Indian space programme towards<strong> achieving self-reliance</strong> in launching heavier satellites.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Types of Orbits</strong></p>
<p>In general, there are two types of orbits:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Polar Synchronous</li>
<li>Geosynchronous</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Polar Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A polar orbit travels<strong> north-south over the poles</strong> and takes approximately<strong> 90 minutes for a full rotation.</strong></li>
<li>These orbits have an <strong>inclination near 90 degrees.</strong> This allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it.</li>
<li>These satellites have many uses such as<strong> monitoring crops, global security, measuring ozone concentrations in the stratosphere or measuring temperatures in the atmosphere.</strong></li>
<li>Almost all the satellites that are in a polar orbit are at <strong>lower altitudes.</strong></li>
<li>An orbit is called <strong>sun-synchronous</strong> when the angle between the <strong>line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout the orbit.</strong></li>
<li>These orbits are also referred to as <strong>&ldquo;Low Earth Orbit (LEO)&rdquo;</strong> which enables the onboard camera to take images of the earth under the same sun-illumination conditions during each of the repeated visits, thus making the satellite useful for earth resources monitoring.</li>
<li><strong>It passes over any given point on Earth&rsquo;s surface at the same local solar time.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Geosynchronous Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Geosynchronous satellites are launched into orbit in the same direction the Earth is spinning and can have any inclination.</li>
<li>When the satellite is in orbit at a specific altitude (approximately 36,000km above the Earth's surface)<strong>, it will exactly match the rotation of the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>While, <strong>Geostationary</strong> <strong>orbits</strong> fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but with that one special quality of being<strong> parked over the equator.</strong></li>
<li>In the case of geostationary satellites, the Earth&rsquo;s force of gravity is exactly enough to provide acceleration required for circular motion.</li>
<li><strong>Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit(GTO):</strong> To attain geostationary or geosynchronous earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.</li>
<li>From the <strong>GTO the spacecraft uses its engines to shift to geostationary or geosynchronous orbit.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Scheme to Promote Young Entrepreneurs in Cooperatives',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Union Agriculture Ministry launched National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC&rsquo;s) youth-friendly scheme <strong>&lsquo;Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme&rsquo;</strong> for attracting youth to cooperative business ventures.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme will encourage cooperatives to venture into new and innovative areas.</li>
<li>NCDC has created a <strong>dedicated Rs 1000 crore &lsquo;Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund (CSIF)&rsquo;.</strong> It would have more incentives (funding of up to 80% as against 70% for others) for cooperatives of North Eastern region, Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or Persons with Disabilities (PwD) members.</li>
<li>The scheme <strong>envisages 2% less</strong> than the applicable rate of interest on term loan for the project cost up to Rs 3 crore including <strong>2 years moratorium on payment of principal.</strong></li>
<li>All types of cooperatives in <strong>operation for at least one year</strong> are eligible.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NCDC is a <strong>statutory corporation</strong> set up under <strong>National Cooperative Development Corporation Act , 1962.</strong></li>
<li>The objectives of NCDC are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles.</li>
<li>NCDC functions through its Head Office at<strong> New Delhi</strong> and multiple Regional Offices.</li>
<li>The NCDC has the <strong>unique distinction</strong> of being the <strong>sole statutory organisation</strong> functioning as an apex financial and developmental institution <strong>exclusively devoted to cooperative sector.</strong></li>
<li>NCDC is a major financial institution for cooperatives, and has recently started<strong> Mission Sahakar 22</strong>, which <strong>aims to double farmers&rsquo; income by 2022.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>More about Cooperatives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong> had declared the <strong>year 2012</strong> as the<strong> International Year of Cooperatives</strong>.This recognized the contribution that Cooperatives make to social and economic development through poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.</li>
<li>The role of Cooperatives has acquired new dimension in the changing scenario of globalization and liberalization. The Government of India enacted the<strong> Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act in 2002</strong> and <strong>National Policy for Cooperatives was also formulated in 2002</strong> to provide support for promotion and development of cooperatives as <strong>autonomous, independent and democratic organizations</strong> so that they can play their due role in the socio-economic development of the country.</li>
<li>The Policy further aimed at <strong>reduction of regional imbalances</strong> and strengthening of cooperative education, training and human resource development for professionalisation of cooperative management.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Provisions of Indian Constitution related to Cooperatives</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011</strong> added a <strong>new Part IXB</strong> right after Part IXA (Municipals) regarding the cooperatives working in India.</li>
<li>The word <strong>&ldquo;cooperatives&rdquo; was added after &ldquo;unions and associations&rdquo; in Art. 19(1)(c)</strong> under Part III of the Constitution. This enables all the citizens to form cooperatives by giving it the<strong> status of fundamental right of citizens.</strong></li>
<li>A new <strong>Article 43B was added in the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV)</strong> regarding the &ldquo;promotion of cooperative societies&rdquo;</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Scheme to Promote Young Entrepreneurs in Cooperatives'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'A Nuanced Understanding of the NBFC Sector',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector&rdquo; which appears in The Livemint.)</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have played an irreplaceable role in fueling the growth of the Indian economy and have made a noteworthy contribution towards supporting the government&rsquo;s agenda of extending financial inclusion. They have emerged as key financiers to businesses, especially the high-potential, credit-hungry MSME sector.</p>
<p>The recent multi-level downgrade of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&amp;FS) have represented a liquidity squeeze for the entire non-banking financial company (NBFC) sector. <g id="149" data-gr-id="149">Debt</g> default by a single NBFC has almost turned into a funding crisis for all. India&rsquo;s flourishing shadow finance sector* will face a shake-up after defaults at one major lender battered the nation&rsquo;s financial markets in the past week and reinforced worries about credit risk.</p>
<div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*A shadow finance sector contains the group of financial intermediaries facilitating the creation of credit across the global financial system but whose members are not subject to regulatory oversight.</p>
</div>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Risk aversion in debt markets has heightened to an extent that the market has lost its ability to make a distinction across NBFCs, bracketing all of them in the same risk category, irrespective of the underlying nature of their assets and liabilities.</li>
<li>The liquidity squeeze faced by NBFCs has led to a conflict between the government and the Reserve Bank of India, with the Finance Ministry pushing for easier fund flows while the RBI insisting there&rsquo;s already enough money available in the system.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/535drishti_ A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector_IL&amp;FS.jpg" width="286" height="347" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)?</strong></p>
<div>
<p>A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by Government or local authority or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, purchase or sale of any goods (other than securities) or providing any services and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.</p>
<p>A non-banking institution which is a company and has <g id="142" data-gr-id="142">principal</g> business of receiving deposits under any scheme or arrangement in one lump sum or in installments by way of contributions or in any other <g id="144" data-gr-id="144">manner,</g> is also a non-banking financial company (Residuary non-banking company).</p>
<p>Features of NBFCs</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.</li>
<li>NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.</li>
<li>Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<p><strong>NBFCs can broadly be divided into three segments&mdash;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Asset financing</li>
<li>Personal loans</li>
<li>Business loans</li>
<li>Housing finance companies (HFCs)</li>
</ul>
<p>The predominant asset financing NBFCs are commercial vehicle financiers. The remaining NBFCs provide a range of personal and business loans with widely varying business models.</p>
<p>HFCs, provide housing loans, can be considered as specialized NBFCs that have a separate regulator National Housing Bank (NHB).</p>
<div>
<p>National Housing Bank (NHB)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1987.</li>
<li>NHB is an apex financial institution for housing.</li>
<li>NHB has been established with an objective to operate as a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support incidental to such institutions and for matters connected therewith.</li>
</ul>
<p>NHB registers, regulates and supervises Housing Finance Company (HFCs), keeps surveillance through On-site &amp; Off-site Mechanisms and coordinates with other Regulators.</p>
</div>
<h3>Importance of NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs help attain the objective of macroeconomic policies of creating more jobs in the country by promoting Small and Medium scale Enterprises and private industries through lending them loans.</li>
<li>The financial market relies heavily on non-banking financial institutions for raising capital. The start-ups and small-sized businesses are dependent on funds offered by NBFCs.</li>
<li>NBFCs extend long-term credits to infrastructure, commerce and trade companies. The traditional banks expect timely, schedules and short-term repayment of loans that may not always suit the requirements of these industries.</li>
<li>Non-banking financial companies help in rotation of resources, asset distribution and regulation of income to shape the economic development. They enable converting savings into investments and thus, helps in the <g id="123" data-gr-id="123">mobilisation</g> of funds/resources in the economy.</li>
<li>NBFCs play an important role in promoting inclusive growth in the country, by catering to the diverse financial needs of bank-excluded customers. And very importantly, they also reach out to areas inaccessible to regular banking.</li>
<li>As NBFCs aim to build capital for several industries &ndash; private and otherwise &ndash; they aid in accumulating a capital stock for the country. This directly adds on to the National Income and results in the progression of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).</li>
<li>With quicker decision-making ability and prompt provision of services, NBFCs act as not just complements but also substitutes to banks.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Problems Plaguing NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The decline in asset quality for select NBFCs has stemmed from cases where underwriters (a person or company that underwrites an insurance risk) are inexperienced, or with limited understanding of the local situation and dynamics that drive the demand for credit.</li>
<li>Misalignment in product offerings with customer needs: Small NBFCs, in an effort to capture markets, have expanded into new geographic locations and diversified their product portfolio but are misaligned with consumer needs. When products can&rsquo;t get associated with consumer needs, they become outmoded.</li>
<li>Asset-liability mismatch: Several NBFCs are faced with a liquidity crunch (a time when cash resources are in short supply and demand is high), liabilities maturing and coming up for payment faster than loans in the same tenure.</li>
<li>Lack of a strong regulator, except for housing finance companies, is also one of the challenges faced by NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>There are three primary drivers of the current risk aversion for NBFCs:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first driver relates to short-term funding being used to finance long-term assets&mdash;an <g id="112" data-gr-id="112">asset liability</g> mismatch (ALM).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For micro-finance, the average loan tenure ranges from eight to nine months, for commercial vehicle finance it is 16 to 18 months, while for small business finance it is 12 to 16 months. Thus, the asset side duration for these businesses is very short.</li>
<li>On the liabilities side, the duration either mirrors the asset side, or is longer, and generally ranges from one to two years. Thus, these small to mid-sized NBFCs run a positive ALM mismatch.</li>
<li>Even in the case of affordable housing finance, where one would expect a wide ALM mismatch, low asset duration for affordable housing financiers reduces the ALM gap to negligible. This is further aided by low leverage (debt to equity ratio) and high capital adequacy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The second cause of current risk aversion towards NBFCs has to do with refinancing or rollover* of short-term capital market borrowings.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This concern is linked to the ALM issue, as a smooth rollover of shorter duration liabilities when assets are of longer duration is key for business continuity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The third cause for concern has to do with asset quality.
<ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This primarily pertains to exposure of NBFCs to the real estate sector&mdash;either as builder funding or loan against property (LAP).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*The term &ldquo;Rollover&rdquo; refers to the practice of &ldquo;rolling over&rdquo; a loan, wherein the borrower pays the lender an additional fee in order to extend the loan due date. This additional fee increases the cost of borrowing, and can lead some borrowers to become trapped in a cycle of debt, also known as a &ldquo;debt trap.&rdquo;</p>
</div>
<ul>
<ul></ul>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Efficient engagement of customers: NBFCs must distinguish between active and inactive customers to develop a focused engagement methodology and allocate resources efficiently.</li>
<li>Building effective reward and loyalty programmes to <g id="130" data-gr-id="130">minimise</g> bad debts: NBFCs must increase customer retention by building a strong loyalty programme, with discount, cashback benefits. The program must be <g id="132" data-gr-id="132">customised</g> according to the customer type and factor in <g id="126" data-gr-id="126">right</g> data variables to provide meaningful incentives and value for the customer loyalty.</li>
<li>Over the years, NBFCs have played an important role in providing growth capital to various sectors of the economy. <g id="116" data-gr-id="116">Concerted</g> effort across stakeholders is required to prevent a market contagion that can cut off the critical supply of capital to the grassroots of the nation.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Market Contagion is the spread of market changes from one regional market to others. It can refer to the spread of either economic booms or economic crises throughout a geographic region. Contagions occur both globally and domestically, but they have become more prominent phenomena as the global economy has grown and economies within certain geographic regions have become more correlated with one another.</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<p><img src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/135drishti_A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector.jpg" width="402" height="349" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Two New Initiatives of Ministry of Human Resource Development',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development</strong> launched two new initiatives viz.<strong> Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT).</strong></p>
<h3>Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a three weeks Flagship <strong>leadership development training programme</strong> (2 weeks domestic and one week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in <strong>public funded higher education institutions.</strong></li>
<li>The main objective is to prepare second tier academic heads who are potentially likely to assume leadership roles in the future.</li>
<li>The programme would provide senior faculty, with high academic credentials, the required leadership and managerial skills including skills of problem-solving, handling stress, team building work, conflict management, developing communication skills, understanding and coping with the complexity and challenges of governance in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), financial &amp; general administration.</li>
<li>The implementation of LEAP Programme will be <strong>through 15 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)</strong> top ranked Indian Institutions and <strong>foreign Universities within the top 100 in the world global rankings.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an initiative for <strong>online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty</strong> using the Massive open online courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MOOC is a <strong>free Web-based distance learning program</strong> that is designed for the participation of large numbers of geographically dispersed students.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SWAYAM</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SWAYAM is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the<strong> three cardinal principles</strong> of Education Policy viz., <strong>access, equity and quality.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.</li>
<li>SWAYAM seeks to<strong> bridge the digital divide for students</strong> who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.</li>
<li>SWAYAM platform is indigenously <strong>developed by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) </strong>with the help of<strong> Microsoft.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For implementing ARPIT, 75 discipline-specific institutions have been identified and notified as <strong>National Resource Centres (NRCs).</strong></li>
<li>NRCs will prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in the discipline, new &amp; emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum.</li>
<li>NRCs are <strong>located in a mixed range of institutions</strong> such as, Central Universities, IISc, IUCAA, IITs, IISERs, NITs, State Universities.</li>
<li>ARPIT will be an ongoing exercise so that every year NRCs will continuously develop new refresher module in their earmarked discipline each year.</li>
<li>The training materials will be uploaded and made available through SWAYAM. NRC will also publish the list of the faculty who have been certified.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/two-new-initiatives-of-ministry-of-human-resource-development'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (14th November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>IONS Anniversary Celebrations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) commenced with the release of the &lsquo;Special Cover&rsquo; in Kochi.</li>
<li>The commemorative Special Cover of IONS 10th Anniversary celebrations depicts a map of the Indian Ocean and littoral countries of the IOR, signifying the geopolitical importance of the region.</li>
<li>IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.</li>
<li>There <g class="gr_ gr_37 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="37" data-gr-id="37">are</g> 36 littoral in the Indian Ocean which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>South Asian Littorals</strong> - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka</li>
<li><strong>West Asian Littorals</strong> - Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen</li>
<li><strong>East African Littorals</strong> - Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania</li>
<li><strong>South East Asian and Australian Littorals</strong> - Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul>
<li>The inaugural edition of <strong>IONS-2008 was held in New Delhi</strong>. The theme of the IONS-2008 was &ldquo;Contemporary Transnational Challenges &ndash; International Maritime Connectivities&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The 2nd edition i.e. IONS-2010 was held in Abu-Dhabi. The theme of IONS-2010 was "Together for the Reinforcement of Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean".</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>INDO-Russian joint exercise INDRA 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The joint military <strong>exercise between Indian and Russia</strong> EXERCISE INDRA 2018 on combating insurgency under the aegis of United Nations (UN) is being conducted at Babina Military Station, Jhansi (UP).</li>
<li>The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance <g class="gr_ gr_41 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="41" data-gr-id="41">interoperability</g> of the two Armies in the peacekeeping/ enforcement environment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Exercise Samudra Shakti</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The inaugural edition of <strong>Indian Navy &ndash; Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise &lsquo;Samudra Shakti&rsquo;</strong> is scheduled from 12 to 18 Nov 18.</li>
<li>The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Ease of Doing Agribusiness Index',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Ministry of Agriculture has proposed <strong>a new index to gauge the performance of states</strong> in <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="110" data-gr-id="110">implementation</g> of policies and programs of <g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="109" data-gr-id="109">government</g> of India in the field of agricultural reforms.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The concept is to consider <strong>farming not solely as a production-oriented activity</strong> carried out to achieve food security for the country but as<strong> a business activity carried</strong> out by <g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="98" data-gr-id="98">farmer</g> as <g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="97" data-gr-id="97">entrepreneur</g>.</li>
<li>The index will measure <g class="gr_ gr_129 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="129" data-gr-id="129">performance</g> of state on various sub-parameters
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Marketing Reforms</li>
<li>Reducing <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">cost</g> of inputs</li>
<li>Governance and Land reforms</li>
<li>Risk Mitigation</li>
<li>Increasing production/productivity</li>
<li>Investment in and for agriculture</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Initiative</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will help in developing<strong> competitive spirit among the states and</strong>&nbsp;develop their performance to the highest level.</li>
<li>It will <strong>allow central government to plug the gaps in schemes and programmes</strong> and bring the states lagging behind in implementation up.</li>
<li>By this index, Ministry of Agriculture will be able to<strong> reward high performing states</strong>, by linking their performance with <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">allocation</g> of funds.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Measures <g class="gr_ gr_117 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="117" data-gr-id="117">taken</g> by Government for Farm Sector Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Marketing Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Model &ldquo;The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017&rdquo;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is a model law <strong>seek to end the monopoly of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).</strong></li>
<li>This act has <g class="gr_ gr_101 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="101" data-gr-id="101">provision</g> that<strong> entire state would be treated as a single market, which will remove area limitations of APMC.</strong></li>
<li>It will enhance farmers produce by providing conditions for <g class="gr_ gr_106 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="106" data-gr-id="106">creation</g> of private wholesale markets along with farmers-consumer market yards.</li>
<li><strong>It will enable direct contact between farmers and consumers or other end-user categories.</strong></li>
<li>APLM act will also give <strong>freedom to the farmer to sell his property to any person or agency</strong> at his place of choice, making him get a better return.</li>
<li>This is a model act state can adopt it fully or partially in their own acts as Agriculture is a state subject</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Agriculture Market Scheme (e-NAM)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>National Agriculture Market (NAM) is a <strong>pan-India electronic trading portal</strong> which <strong>networks the existing APMC <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="91" data-gr-id="91">mandis</g></strong> to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.</li>
<li>NAM Portal provides <strong>a single window service for all APMC</strong> related information and services.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reducing Input Cost</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&ldquo;Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)&rdquo;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="89" data-gr-id="89">PKVY</g> aims to<strong> increase the area under organic farming as it ensures higher income to farmers</strong> due to <g class="gr_ gr_113 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="113" data-gr-id="113">comparatively</g> lower cost of cultivation and premium price of organic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was launched for realising the<strong> potential of organic farming in the North Eastern Region of the country.</strong> It is a central sector scheme which has been launched to develop <strong>North East as <g class="gr_ gr_120 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="120" data-gr-id="120">organic</g> hub of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Soil Health Card</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Soil Health Card is one of the<strong> largest universal Soil Health Card Schemes in the world.</strong> It aims to provide <strong>information about <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="114" data-gr-id="114">fertility</g> of land</strong> to farmers based on testing soil samples for 12 parameters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>PMKSY is being implemented to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.</strong> <g class="gr_ gr_125 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">Focus</g> of the program is to provide <g class="gr_ gr_126 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="126" data-gr-id="126">end-to-end</g> solution to irrigation supply chain through
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>development of <g class="gr_ gr_127 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="127" data-gr-id="127">the water</g> resources</li>
<li>creation of an efficient distribution network</li>
<li>improvement of farm level management</li>
<li>water-use efficiency.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Governance and Structural Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Encouraging Contract Farming</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The government has approved <strong>Model Contract Farming Act</strong> which will help farmers to enter pre-season price agreement on their produce</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_123 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="123" data-gr-id="123">Right</g> of Lease Farming</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>NITI Aayog has developed <strong><g class="gr_ gr_124 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="124" data-gr-id="124">Draft</g> Model Agriculture Land Leasing Act</strong> and has circulated it to states for adoption.</li>
<li>This act has provisions which recognizes land leasing and ensure complete ownership of land ownership <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="83" data-gr-id="83">right</g> while recognizing the <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="85" data-gr-id="85">lease holders</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risk Mitigation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri <g class="gr_ gr_86 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="86" data-gr-id="86">Fasal</g> Bima Yojana (<g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="87" data-gr-id="87">PMFBY</g>)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="88" data-gr-id="88">PMFBY</g> aims to provide insurance at <g class="gr_ gr_111 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="111" data-gr-id="111">lowest</g> premium rate to farmers with added benefits.</strong></li>
<li>Under the PMFBY, a uniform maximum premium of only 2 per cent will be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5 per cent for all Rabi crops and 5 <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="90" data-gr-id="90">percent</g> for annual commercial and horticultural crops.</li>
<li>The premium rates to be paid by farmers are very low and balanced premium will be paid by the Government, shared equally by State and Central Government.</li>
<li>The scheme covers risk from pre-sowing to <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="84" data-gr-id="84">post harvest</g> stages and there is no upper limit on Government subsidy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Agricultural Marketing &amp; Farm Friendly Reforms Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This Index was launched by <strong>NITI Aayog.</strong></li>
<li>NITI Aayog has launched this index to <strong>rank States and UTs</strong> based on <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="92" data-gr-id="92">implementation</g> of seven provisions related to farm sector reforms.</li>
<li>This indicator <g class="gr_ gr_105 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="105" data-gr-id="105">reveal</g><strong> ease of doing agribusiness</strong> as well as <strong>opportunities for farmers to benefit from modern trade and commerce</strong> and have <g class="gr_ gr_104 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="104" data-gr-id="104">wider</g> option for sale of her/his produce.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-doing-agri-business-index'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Four Corners: On The Quad’s Agenda',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Four corners: on the Quad&rsquo;s agenda&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 6th November 2018. It analyses the Quad grouping.)</p>
</div>
<p>Officials from the &lsquo;Quadrilateral&rsquo; (Quad) grouping will meet in Singapore on 14 November <strong>to discuss their present challenge of describing what is their common agenda.</strong></p>
<p><strong>While Washington sees the U.S. and India as &ldquo;bookends&rdquo; (occur or be positioned at the end or on either side) of the Indo-Pacific, India, and Japan have included the oceans up to Africa in their definition.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/404drishti_Four corners on the Quad&rsquo;s agenda.jpg" style="float: right;" width="294" height="196" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During this third round, the four countries are expected to discuss infrastructure projects they are working on and building humanitarian disaster response mechanisms.</li>
<li>India and Japan have announced they will combine efforts on a number of projects in South Asia, including bridges and roads in Bangladesh, an LNG facility in Sri Lanka and reconstruction projects in Myanmar&rsquo;s Rakhine province.</li>
<li>Australia has unveiled an ambitious $2 billion project to fund infrastructure and build maritime and military infrastructure in the Pacific region, on which it is willing to cooperate with other Quad members.</li>
<li>The four countries are expected to talk about regional developments, including elections in the Maldives, the collapse of the government in Sri Lanka and the latest developments in North Korea.</li>
<li>As the current Quad talks are being held on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit, it is understood that issues are going to overlap with other regional groupings like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit and the ASEAN-India informal summit.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Quad in International Relations?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the grouping of four democracies &ndash;<strong>India, Australia, the US, and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>All four nations find a common ground of being democratic nations and also support the common interest of unhindered maritime trade and security.</li>
<li>The Quad is billed as four democracies with a shared objective to ensure and <strong>support a &ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo; Indo-Pacific region.</strong></li>
<li>The idea of Quad was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn&rsquo;t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.</li>
<li>Finally, on November 12, 2017, India, Australia, the US and Japan, came together and formed this &ldquo;quadrilateral&rdquo; coalition.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Agenda</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It aims at countering China&rsquo;s aggressive </strong><g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="77" data-gr-id="77">behaviour</g><strong> in the Indo-Pacific region.</strong></li>
<li>India, Australia, and Japan had issued separate statements listing the Indo-Pacific as a major area of the Quad&rsquo;s deliberations and resolved to expand cooperation to uphold a rules-based order and respect for international law in this strategically important region.</li>
<li><strong>They agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.</strong> Quad officials also exchanged views on addressing the common challenges of terrorism and proliferation linkages impacting the region, as well as on enhancing connectivity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and Quad countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China&rsquo;s blatant violation of international norms in recent years, particularly its construction of military facilities on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea, and its growing military and economic power, pose a strategic challenge to the countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including India, the United States, and its allies and strategic partners.</li>
<li>Together with the USA and its other strategic partners, India must, therefore,<strong> take the lead in working towards the establishment of an architecture to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific</strong> and for the security of the global commons &ndash; airspace, space, cyberspace and the sea-lanes of communication to enable the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.</li>
<li><strong>Cooperative security</strong> does not necessarily require a formal military alliance &ndash; it entails the sharing of intelligence; joint counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation efforts; upholding the rules and norms governing maritime trade; providing help to the littoral states to meet their security needs; helping to counter piracy, arms smuggling, and narcotics trafficking; and, undertaking joint humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations in the region.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Criticism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Despite the potential for cooperation, the Quad remains a mechanism without a defined strategic mission.</strong></li>
<li>When the grouping was first formed following cooperation after the 2004 tsunami, the idea was to better coordinate maritime capabilities for disaster situations. When revived in 2017, the grouping seemed to have become a counter to China&rsquo;s growing inroads into the region, despite denials that any particular country had been targeted.</li>
<li><strong>The entire focus on the Indo-Pacific makes the Quad a maritime, rather than a land-based grouping, raising questions whether the cooperation extends to the Asia-Pacific and Eurasian regions.</strong></li>
<li>Even on maritime exercises, there is a lack of concurrence. I<strong>ndia has not admitted Australia in the Malabar exercises with the U.S. and Japan, despite requests from Canberra, and has also resisted raising the level of talks from an official to the political level.</strong></li>
<li>The fact that <strong>India is the only member not in a treaty alliance with the other Quad countries will slow down progress</strong> somewhat, although each member is committed to building a stronger Quadrilateral engagement.</li>
<li>As <strong>protectionism is unfurling</strong> across the globe, <strong>the outcome of this third round in Singapore will be judged by the ability of the group to issue a joint declaration for cooperation.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/four corners: on the quad’s agenda'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Article 35A',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A bunch of petitions have challenged Article 35A which confers the special status to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir (J&amp;K).</li>
<li>The Supreme Court (SC) has adjourned the case and postponed the hearing till January 2019.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is 35A?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Article 35A was added to the Indian Constitution by a <strong>Presidential order in 1954 &ndash;</strong> issued under Article 370 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>This provision allows the President to make certain &ldquo;exceptions and modifications&rdquo; to the Constitution for the benefit of &lsquo;State subjects&rsquo; of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>While <strong>Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to J&amp;K,</strong> Article 35A provides the special rights and privileges to the <strong>permanent residents of J&amp;K</strong>.</li>
<li>The Fundamental Right to Property is still guaranteed in the state. Also, certain special rights are granted to the permanent residents of the state with regard to public employment, acquisition of immovable property, settlement and government scholarships.</li>
<li>It disallows people from outside the state from buying or owning immovable property there, settle permanently, or avail themselves of state-sponsored scholarship schemes.</li>
<li>Only the Jammu-Kashmir assembly can change the definition of Permanent Residents through a law ratified by a two-thirds majority.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Controversy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many believe that this article was incorporated unconstitutionally, dodging Article 368 which emancipates only the Parliament to amend the constitution.</li>
<li>Others consider Article 35 A against the &ldquo;very spirit of oneness of India&rdquo; as it created a &ldquo;class within a class of Indian citizens&rdquo; - by treating non-permanent residents of J&amp;K as &lsquo;second class&rsquo; citizens.</li>
<li>Restricting citizens from other States from getting employment or buying property within J&amp;K is a violation of fundamental rights <strong>under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution</strong>.</li>
<li>There is also probable discrimination on the basis of gender &ndash; since it denies property rights to children of women who marry those from outside the state.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arguments in support of 35A</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Article 35A safeguards the uniqueness of the J&amp;K. Even Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have the laws which state no outsider can buy a land.</li>
<li>This was part of the deal struck between the Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, and the republic of India to protect the privileges of Kashmiri residents from outsiders.</li>
<li>Striking Article 35A down will have various consequences on other constitutional amendments contained in the 1954 Presidential Order. And this can erode the autonomy of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>Striking down Article 35A would allow people from outside J&amp;K to settle in the state and acquire land and property, and the right to vote, thus altering the demography of the state.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The matter is sensitive and requires participation of various stakeholders and requires a larger debate.</li>
<li>This issue requires separate constitutional bench to take a stand about the article.</li>
<li>Though article 35A need relook, any further alteration should not take away the uniqueness of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>Should Article 35A be removed, it must be removed as an expression of the will of the people, through a political process which includes the people of J&amp;K in the discussion.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-article-35a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Mind Map</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-article-35a'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Article 35A',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/812Article%2035A.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/812Article 35A.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-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-article-35a'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => '70% Youth Unaware of Govt’s Skill Development Programmes: WEF',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Seventy percent of youth are unaware of government-run skill development programmes in their area, yet more than seventy percent are very interested in pursuing skills training, according to a &ldquo;Young India and Work&rdquo; study by the Observer Research Foundation and World Economic Forum.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The findings, released recently, sheds light on a disconnect between youth sentiments and government&rsquo;s skill development programme.</li>
<li>The study surveyed a random sample of almost 6,000 youth between 15 and 30 about employment and aspirations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Context</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>About 1.3 million people enter the working age population in India every month.</li>
<li>The half of the country&rsquo;s population of 1.3 billion is below the age of 25, there is a demographic advantage to be <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="67" data-gr-id="67">realised</g>.</li>
<li>While it is clear that this will be <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="63" data-gr-id="63">realised</g> in the context of technological disruption (emergence of Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, Big data, etc.) and in the wake of dramatic changes in the economy and <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="64" data-gr-id="64">labour</g> market, managing these transformations and truly leveraging the possibilities they present, will require an understanding of the expectations and aspirations of India&rsquo;s youth.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Higher education degrees are highly valued, but youth also want new skills:</strong> 96 percent of respondents hope to achieve a bachelor&rsquo;s degree or higher. 76 percent of respondents reported being very interested in pursuing skills development training.</li>
<li><strong>Factors considered while looking for a job:</strong> Good salaries, ample opportunities for promotion and career development, and job security.</li>
<li><strong>While youth prefer public sector jobs, there is discernible interest in entrepreneurship:</strong> 49 percent of youth prefer a job in the public sector. On the other hand, 38 percent of youth selected self-employment as an entrepreneur as their ideal type of job.</li>
<li><strong>The IT Industry is the largest employer of youth:</strong> 17 percent of employed respondents in this survey report working in information technology, communications and telecommunications making the IT industry the largest employer of surveyed youth.</li>
<li><strong>More than a third of surveyed youth are neither employed nor in education:</strong> 34 percent of all surveyed youth are neither <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="69" data-gr-id="69">employed,</g> nor in education.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The majority of respondents in the 15-20 age bracket are in education.</li>
<li>However, over 30 percent of 21 to 25-year-olds reported being neither employed nor in education. Fifty percent of female respondents in the 26-30 age bracket reported being neither employed nor in education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women prefer full-time careers, have less paid work experience, and feel less prepared:</strong> 82 percent of female youth prefer full-time employment as their ideal time commitment for work.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The survey also reveals that men have more paid work experience than women, with 28 percent of male respondents between the ages of 26-30 years having four or more years of paid work experience compared to 18 percent of female respondents.</li>
<li>Overall, men also report feeling more prepared for their ideal job than women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas of Disconnect between policies and aspirations of youth:&nbsp;</strong>Seventy percent of youth are unaware of government-run skill development programmes in their area. The low training participation &mdash; roughly three-fourths of the youth have never enrolled in a skills development programme &mdash; was mostly due to<strong> financial barriers, time constraints and the delay between skills training and finding an appropriate job.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Youth were willing to move for work, but companies emphasized recruiting locally.</li>
<li><strong>Job searches have gone digital but employers and recruiters have not:</strong> 81 percent of respondents report relying on media and internet sources for information and updates on available employment opportunities. On the other hand, a mere&nbsp;14 percent of companies are using online sources for recruitment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Information asymmetry, lack of guidance and work experience are impeding Indian youth from meeting their career aspirations:</strong> 51 percent of youth report that the<strong> lack of guidance</strong> in identifying jobs that match their skill sets is the main barrier they face when looking for a desirable job.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>41 percent of youth view their <strong>lack of work experience</strong> as the main barrier.</li>
<li>Further, 49 percent of youth feel that <strong>interaction with industry professionals is the most valuable form of guidance</strong>. This is closely followed by interaction with professional career counselors.</li>
<li>81 percent of youth view internships or apprenticeships as important for getting hired.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The key findings of the survey point to a high level of optimism and ambition among Indian youth with regard to their future.</li>
<li>India has the opportunity to build a productive and inclusive future of work in the wake of technological disruption.</li>
<li>However, meaningful strategies for managing these transformations cannot evolve in isolation; the expectations and aspirations of young India must be built into solutions for them to be successful.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/70-youth-unaware-of-govts-skill-development-programmes-wef'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'World War I Centenary',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>World leaders gathered at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on <strong>November 11 to mark 100 years since the end of World War I</strong> (1914-18).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>November 11 is observed as Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day) since the end of the World War I to remember members of armed forces who died in the line of duty.</li>
<li>The commemoration marked the signing of the Armistice that brought the fighting to an end at exactly 11 a.m. on Nov 11, 1918.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Paris Peace Forum</strong>, conceived by French President Macron, is intended to highlight the importance of international institutions in helping resolve conflicts, avert wars and spread prosperity.</li>
<li>The aim of the forum is to show that there are lots of forces in the international system &mdash; states, NGOs, foundations, intellectuals, companies &mdash; which believe that there is a need for <g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">world</g> of rules, an open world and a multilateral world.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>World War I</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World War I was <strong>fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers</strong>. The main members of the <strong>Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain</strong>. The <strong>United States</strong> also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main members of the <strong>Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There was no single event that caused World War I. The war happened because of several different events that took place in the years building up to 1914.</li>
<li><strong>Mutual Defense Alliances</strong>: Countries throughout Europe made mutual defence agreements. These treaties meant that if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them.</li>
<li><strong> Imperialism</strong>: Before World War I, Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention among the European countries because of their raw materials. The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in the confrontation that helped push the world into World War I.</li>
<li><strong>Militarism</strong>: As the world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved into war.</li>
<li><strong> Nationalism</strong>: Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria Hungary but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly to the War.</li>
<li><strong>Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: </strong>In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot while he was visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia. He was killed by a Serbian person, who thought that Serbia should control Bosnia instead of Austria. Because its leader had been shot, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. As a result:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Russia got involved as it had an alliance with Serbia.</li>
<li>Germany then declared war on Russia because Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary.</li>
<li>Britain declared war on Germany because of its invasion of neutral Belgium - Britain had agreements to protect both Belgium and France.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of the major battles during the war included the First Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of Gallipoli, and the Battle of Verdun.</li>
<li>The <strong>War ended on November 11, 1918,</strong> when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides.</li>
<li>On June 28, 1919, <strong>World War I officially ended</strong> with the signing of the <strong>Treaty of Versailles</strong>. The Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919, was an attempt to prevent the world from going into another war.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &ldquo;war to end all wars&rdquo; turned out to be the opposite. By ensuring Germany&rsquo;s economic ruin and political humiliation, the post-war settlement provided fertile ground for World War II.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Significance in WWI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India being a former British colony played a vital role in <strong>helping Britain and its allies win over Germany and allies</strong>, a role that is often overlooked.</li>
<li>Being a British colony, the Indian Army contributed a large number of soldiers to the European, Mediterranean and the Middle East conflicts of war in World War I.</li>
<li>The Indian Army fought against the German Empire in East Africa and also on the Western Front.</li>
<li>They served in places as diverse as France and Belgium, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Gallipoli, Palestine and Sinai.</li>
<li><strong>More than 70 thousand of the Indian soldiers</strong> who served British in World War I <strong>lost their lives</strong>. Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army once said: " <strong>Britain couldn't have come through the wars if they hadn't had the Indian Army</strong>."</li>
<li>As high as 100 million British Pounds was given by India to Britain to fund their war anticipating dominion status and home rule in return.</li>
<li>The <strong>British raised men and money from India, as well as large supplies of food, cash, and ammunition, collected by British taxation policies</strong>. In return, the British promised to award self-rule to India at the end of the war which eventually was not delivered.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India Gate</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1931, British commemorated the war by constructing the arch known as India Gate in New Delhi designed by<strong> Edwin Lutyens</strong>.</li>
<li>India Gate has been the focal point to <strong>commemorate over 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives</strong> fighting for the British Army during World War I.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>World War Memorial</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Vice President inaugurated the First World War Memorial constructed by the Government of India at the town of Villers Guislain in France.</li>
<li>It is the first national memorial for the Indian soldiers who died in France during World War I and features the Ashoka emblem.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Saffron Marigold Sacrifice</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Marigold has become the symbol of sacrifice of Indian soldi<g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99">ers</g></strong><g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99"> who d</g>ied in World War I.</li>
<li>This is a part of the <strong>'India Remembers' Project initiated by United Service Institution of India (USI)</strong> which is a national security and defence services think tank based in New Delhi, India.</li>
<li>Since the end of the First World War, <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="92" data-gr-id="92">poppy</g> was adopted as the symbol of remembrance as it grew widely in fields in Europe where some of the major battles were fought.</li>
<li>The Marigold joins the poppy as a symbol of sacrifice.</li>
<li>The marigold was chosen because it is widely available and also because saffron is often seen as a colour of sacrifice.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-war-I-centenary'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'World’s First Brain-Like Super-Computer',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A supercomputer which is designed to work in the same way as the human brain was switched on for the first time.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The supercomputer is named as <strong>Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker) machine.</strong></li>
<li>It has million-processor-core and is capable of completing more than 200 million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors.</li>
<li>The SpiNNaker machine is <strong>designed and built in The University of Manchester, UK.</strong></li>
<li>This supercomputer was conceptualized almost 20 years ago and its construction <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="78" data-gr-id="78">begin</g> in 2006.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How It Works?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Biological neurons are basic brain cells present in the nervous system that communicate by emitting &lsquo;spikes&rsquo; of electrochemical energy.</li>
<li>Neuromorphic computing (electronic circuits mimicking neural-biological architecture) uses large-scale computer systems containing electronic circuits to mimic these spikes in a machine.</li>
<li>SpiNNaker is unique because it does not communicate by sending large amounts of information from point A to B via a standard network like in traditional computer but it mimics the parallel communication architecture of the brain, sending billions of small amounts of information simultaneously to thousands of different destinations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Applications</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The SpiNNaker machine will be capable of simulating a billion simple neurons, or millions of neurons with complex structure and internal dynamics.</li>
<li>The supercomputer will help neuroscientists better understand how the human brain works. It does this by running extremely large scale real-time simulations which simply aren&rsquo;t possible on other machines.</li>
<li>SpiNNaker has been used to simulate a region of the brain called the Basal Ganglia &ndash; an area affected in Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, thus it has massive potential for neurological breakthroughs in science such as pharmaceutical testing.</li>
<li>The SpiNNaker has been harnessed to control a robot, the SpOmnibot. This robot uses the SpiNNaker system to interpret real-time visual information and navigate itself&nbsp;towards certain objects while ignoring others.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Human Brain Project</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Human Brain Project is an effort to construct a virtual human brain.</li>
<li>The Human Brain Project (HBP) is building a research infrastructure to help advance neuroscience, medicine, and computing.</li>
<li>It was started in October&nbsp;2013 and is funded by the European Union.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Biologically-Inspired Massively Parallel Computation (BIMPC):</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a five-year project, which began in March 2013, funded by the&nbsp;European Union.</li>
<li>Its main goal is to use the neuromorphic platform to build models of brain subsystems and of nonneural applications of the brain-inspired architecture.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/worlds-first-brain-like-super-computer'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'World Wide Web Foundation Report',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>World Wide Web Foundation recently released a report on Internet Accessibility and Affordability.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World Wide Web Foundation is established by<strong> Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the Internet.</strong></li>
<li>The WWW Foundation&rsquo;s study is <strong>based on purchasing power,</strong> comparing the price of 1GB of data against average household income.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Findings of Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report has <strong>found a sharp decline in the growth of Internet</strong> access across the globe due to a dip in affordability.</li>
<li>However,<strong> India has shown the reverse trend</strong> in Internet accessibility and affordability because of the decrease in prices.</li>
<li>The report mentions healthy <strong>market competition,</strong> <strong>growth in infrastructure, good policymaking and the role played by TRAI </strong>(which has created an open-access system to measure the quality of service) as factors responsible for India&rsquo;s growth.</li>
<li>India also had an advantage over the developed countries because it had fewer legacy systems (old computer systems) to write off and could tap directly into the mobile internet boom.</li>
<li><strong>Global Digital Divide</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite the global communications boom, one out of every two humans is still offline.</li>
<li><strong>The majority of the people with no internet connection are in nations that are either developing or small and are mostly females</strong><g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="35" data-gr-id="35">..</g></li>
<li>Worldwide,<strong> 2.3 billion people live in a country</strong> where a 1GB mobile <strong>broadband plan is unaffordable</strong> for those earning the average income.</li>
<li>This digital divide undermines opportunities for wider socio-economic development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="" border-bg="">
<p><strong>Inclusive Internet Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Inclusive Internet Index is <strong>commissioned</strong> by <strong>Facebook</strong> and <strong>conducted</strong> <strong>by</strong> <strong>The Economist</strong> <strong>Intelligence</strong> <strong>Unit</strong> (Part of the UK based <em>The Economist</em> Group).</li>
<li>It seeks to measure the extent to which the Internet is not only accessible and affordable but also &ldquo;relevant to all, allowing usage that enables positive social and economic outcomes at individual and group level.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>India was ranked 47th out of 86 countries in Inclusive Internet Index in 2018.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-wide-web-report'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'INSPIRE 2018',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Power Minister inaugurated &lsquo;International Symposium to Promote Innovation &amp; Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE-2018)&rsquo; and awarded the winners of the #InnovateToINSPIRE challenge.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is the second edition of INSPIRE and is being organised by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and World Bank.</li>
<li>The three-day symposium focuses on enhancing grid management, e-Mobility, financial instruments and technologies for energy efficiency in India.</li>
<li>To support investments in new, innovative and scalable business models, EESL and Asian Development Bank (ADB) also signed an agreement for a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of USD 13 million to establish an Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF).</li>
<li>INSPIRE is India&rsquo;s first Energy Efficiency event, bringing together various policy makers, innovators, financiers, influencers and stakeholders to showcase best practices in transformative policies, large scale implementation, financing models and high-impact research initiatives from India and across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The fund aims to expand and sustain investments in the energy efficiency market in India, build market diversification, and scale up existing technologies.</li>
<li>EERF will boost four of EESL&rsquo;s existing technologies. These involve street lighting, domestic lighting, five-star rated ceiling fans and agricultural pumps.</li>
<li>The funding will also help EESL promote three new technologies, on 'super-efficient&rsquo; ceiling fans, tri-generation and smart grids/meters.</li>
<li>The EERF mechanism will help cover the initial investment cost of energy efficiency programmes. Savings from these technologies can be used to finance additional projects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>EESL functions under the administration of Ministry of Power, Government of India and is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency.</li>
<li>It is implementing the world&rsquo;s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Global Environment Facility</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Environment Facility(GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet&rsquo;s most pressing environmental problems.</li>
<li>GEF is an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.</li>
<li>It is based in Washington DC, United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/inspire-2018'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Army Inducts Major Artillery Gun Systems',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Indian Army has received the first batch of its new artillery weapons at Devlali Field Firing Ranges in Maharashtra.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The artillery gun systems include the <strong>M777 American Ultra Light Howitzers, K9 Vajra, and a &lsquo;Composite Gun Tractor&rsquo;</strong> for towing some existing guns in service.</li>
<li>More than three decades have passed since a modern artillery system was inducted by the army, the last being the Bofors FH77B02 in 1987.</li>
</ul>
<h3>K9 Vajra</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The K9 VAJRA-T 155mm/ 52 is a tracked self-propelled howitzer, which has its roots in the K9 Thunder, the mainstay of the South Korean Army.</li>
<li>The Vajra offers a high rate of fire at a long range and is compatible with Indian and standard NATO ammunition.</li>
<li>The K9 Thunder platform is made of all-welded steel armour protection material.</li>
<li>
<p>The K9 gun has been developed under the <strong>`Buy Global&rsquo; programme of the&nbsp; Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)</strong> where foreign companies are allowed to participate &mdash;in this case Hanwha Techwin of South Korea is the technology partner of L&amp;T.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The first 10 K9 Vajra guns have been imported from <strong>South Korea</strong> and have been assembled by<strong> L&amp;T</strong> in India. The balance 90 guns will be largely manufactured in the country.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>M777</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 155mm, 39 Calibre Ultra light Howitzers have been procured from USA under Government to Government Foreign Military Sales in 2016 and will be assembled by U.S.A.'s BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.</li>
<li>It is one of the lightest guns that was actively used in Iraq and Afghanistan, the M777 will be deployed on the high altitude borders with China and Pakistan and is especially useful with the Chinook helicopters that can transport them quickly.</li>
<li>It is smaller and lighter, as it is made of titanium and aluminium alloys and weighs just 4 tonnes. It has effective firing range of 24 km.</li>
<li>It has been procured through the <strong>Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route under the `Buy Global&rsquo; programme of the&nbsp; Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The artillery has always been a battle winning factor. It possesses the ability to strike deep with great accuracy and cause maximum damage to even well-constructed shelters and bunkers.</li>
<li>Other than the Bofors inducted in 1984, Indian Army possessed the 130 mm guns and 105 mm guns inducted in the 1960&rsquo;s and 70&rsquo;s. The 130 mm lacked the ability to fire in mountains and the 105 mm lacked range. Both guns fired limited type of shells with lesser level of fragmentation.</li>
<li>Both M777 and K9 Vajra would enhance firepower in a region where spread of deployment restricts fire support to troops holding ground in the defensive role.</li>
<li>The procurement of state of the art defence equipments not only enhances the capability of armed forces, but also provides technological know-how to the domestic manufacturers. This in turn will push the indigenous manufacturing of defence equipments.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong> Defence Procurement Procedure</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The&nbsp;Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP-2016) had replaced the DPP-2013 based on the recommendations of the <strong>Dhirendra Singh Committee</strong> that was appointed in May 2015 to review the DPP, 2013.</li>
<li>DPP, 2016 focuses to boost the <strong>Make-in-India</strong> initiative of the Government of India, by promoting indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence equipment, platforms and systems.</li>
<li>The government has introduced a<strong> newly incorporated procurement</strong> class called <strong>&ldquo;Buy Indian (IDDM)&rdquo;</strong>, where IDDM stands for <strong>Indigenous Designed Developed and Manufactured</strong>. This would have the first preference in all acquisitions once the DPP comes into effect.</li>
<li>Besides this, <strong>preference</strong> has been accorded to <strong>&lsquo;Buy (Indian)&rsquo; and &lsquo;Buy and Make (Indian)&rsquo;</strong> categories of capital acquisition over &lsquo;Buy (Global)&rsquo; &amp; &lsquo;Buy &amp; Make (Global)&rsquo; categories.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture: National Database Of Sexual Offenders',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m0vPtTeK9Ho" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For the first time, India released the National Database of Sexual Offenders in September 2018. <strong>The registry contains key details like names, photographs, residential address, fingerprints, DNA samples, and PAN and Aadhaar numbers, of convicted sexual offenders.</strong> The database, which will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, will also contain o<strong>ver 4.5 lakh cases.</strong> The cases have profiles of first-time and repeat offenders as well. Before India, UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Trinidad have maintained the data record. However, in the US, documents can be accessed by the public. But in India, the details will be available only to the law enforcement agencies. The decision to set up the database was taken in this year (2018) following nationwide outrage over cases of sexual assault on minors.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>DRISHTI INPUT</em></p>
<p><strong>What is the National Database of Sexual Offenders?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India became the ninth country in the world</strong> to have a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), accessible only to law enforcement agencies <strong>for the purpose of &ldquo;investigation and monitoring&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The database will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, which will also track whether the State police are updating the records on time or not. The database also includes offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, and eve-teasing.</li>
<li><strong>At present, the database contains 4.4 lakh entries.</strong> But, as of now, it does not have records of juvenile offenders, but they are likely to be included in the later stage.</li>
<li>NDSO will maintain a database of cases classified as posing a <strong>low danger for a period of 15 years.</strong> The database of cases, which are classified as a <strong>moderate danger, will be stored for 25 years.</strong> The data for cases involving repeat and habitual offenders criminals, convicted gang rapists, and custodial rapes will be stored permanently.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of NDSO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rise in the sexual offenders in the past couple of years is alarming.</li>
<li>In 2015-16 alone the increase was around 10000 sexual offenders. On the one hand, there is a continuous increase in the sexual offenders and on the other the conviction rate is very low. As compared to 2007 the conviction rate has dipped down to almost half.</li>
<li>The <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="89" data-gr-id="89">NDSO&rsquo;s</g> purpose is to act as a deterrent against future assault. This database would prevent the registered offenders from committing the crime again, as it has been seen that in most of the cases it is a repeat <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="91" data-gr-id="91">offence</g>.</li>
<li>To make the police verification system more robust that will help in the recruitment process. Especially, in schools, playhouse, household maid, etc.</li>
<li>Since India already had a database for economic offenders (civil), NDSO is only a logical follow up to list the perpetrators of heinous crimes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Limitations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Even though it is a good exercise but it is limited in scope. Only the registered cases would be circulated. Lakhs of cases go unreported every year. Consequently, the success of the database would depend upon the quantum of cases being reported.</li>
<li>In most of the cases (around 28%), the offenders are either a family member or a person who wields extreme power. In such situations, the cases go unreported.</li>
<li>The arrested and the charge sheeted data will be circulated through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems. However, it only the police and the investigative agencies that would be privy to the data. The data will not be shared with the general public.</li>
<li>It does not have the power to stop crime.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Should the Database be Made Public?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, following the western countries, the list/database ought to be in the public domain. So that the general public could take precaution against such perpetrators. Further, the name being made public would shame the person and would act as a deterrence.</li>
<li>However, on the other hand, if the name is made public it leaves little scope for the perpetrator to reform. Might make them more adamant to commit more crime.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One positive thing is that more and more women are coming forward and registering cases of a sexual <g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="108" data-gr-id="108">offence</g> against the perpetrators.<strong> Favorable media coverage and de-stigmatization o</strong>f such cases by widespread campaign have empowered the women to come forward.</li>
<li>Now, the <strong>conviction rate has to go up</strong>. An entire criminal justice system has to speed up.</li>
<li>Mandatory registration of FIRs and if cases are found where police are reluctant to register a case then <strong>immediate prosecution</strong> of the police personnel.</li>
<li>The number of police with respect to population is abysmally low in case of India. Hence, t<strong>he number of police personnel has to go up substantially.</strong> Besides the frequency of patrolling has to increase drastically. Induction of more women constable in the police force can also act as one of the solutions.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>law enforcement agencies that have to use the data judiciously.</strong> Constant updating of the data is a must.</li>
<li>Most importantly, the fundamental change should be instituted from within the family. Values should start from home itself. Most of the heinous crimes are committed within the four corners of the walls. That is a space where the police, that is the state cannot enter. Hence, <strong>family morality has to stand vanguard against such depraved actions.</strong></li>
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Mission to Explore Ocean Deeps',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>A submarine mission called "Five Deeps" will explore the bottom of each of the world's oceans.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Five Deeps Expedition is the<strong> first manned expedition</strong> to the deepest points in each of the world&rsquo;s five oceans.</li>
<li>Deep Oceans remain uncharted territory for humans, while hundreds of people have ventured into space, only three people have touched down on the deepest known places in oceans.</li>
<li>The expedition provides the unprecedented opportunity to sample life across a gradient of depths, temperatures, salinity, food supply, latitude and in places around the world that were formed, split, or united millions of years ago by the shifting of the Earth&rsquo;s tectonic plates.</li>
<li><strong>Five spots in oceans where expedition will go are</strong>:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Puerto Rico Trench</span>&nbsp;(Atlantic Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>South Sandwich Trench</strong> (Southern Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Java Trench</strong> (Indian Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Challenger Deep</strong> (Pacific Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Molloy Deep</strong> (Arctic Ocean)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>DSV Limiting Factor</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The expedition crew will use <strong>Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor</strong> submarine for exploring the ocean deeps.</li>
<li>Limiting Factor is the<strong> only human-occupied vessel that can visit any place in oceans, at any depth</strong>, and from any properly-equipped ship.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Goals of the Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To collect samples which will be used in research involving effects of <strong>undersea seismic activity</strong></li>
<li>Find<strong> deep-sea features and habitats</strong> using high-resolution multibeam sonar and learn about lives in those habitats</li>
<li>Discover how organisms survive in<strong> Hadalpelagic zones</strong></li>
<li>Determine the organism's&rsquo; role in each given ecosystem</li>
<li>Connect the Five Deeps through genetic differentiation of species found on the dives</li>
</ul>
<h3><br />Zones in the Ocean</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Scientists have divided the ocean into five main layers. These layers, known as "zones", extend from the surface to the most extreme depths.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Epipelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The surface layer of the ocean is known as the epipelagic zone.</li>
<li>It extends from the<strong> surface to 200 meters (656 feet).</strong></li>
<li>It is also known as the <strong>sunlight zone</strong> because this is where most of the visible light exists.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Mesopelagic</strong> <strong>Zone</strong> <strong>-</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Below the epipelagic zone is the mesopelagic zone, extending from <strong>200 meters (656 feet) to 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).</strong></li>
<li>The mesopelagic zone is sometimes referred to as the <strong>twilight zone or the midwater zone</strong>.</li>
<li>The light that penetrates to this depth is extremely faint.</li>
<li><strong>Bioluminescent creatures</strong> (visible light produced by the creatures themselves) starts appearing in this zone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bathypelagic Zone </strong>-
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This zone extends from <strong>1,000 meters (3,281 feet) down to 4,000 meters (13,124 feet).</strong></li>
<li>It is sometimes referred to as the <strong>midnight zone or the dark zone.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Abyssopelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is also known as the <strong>abyssal zone</strong> or simply as the abyss.</li>
<li>It extends from<strong> 4,000 meters (13,124 feet) to 6,000 meters (19,686 feet).</strong></li>
<li>The water temperature is near freezing, and there is no light at all.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hadalpelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This layer extends from <strong>6,000 meters (19,686 feet) to the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean.</strong></li>
<li>These areas are mostly found in deep water trenches and canyons.</li>
<li><strong>The deepest point in the ocean is located in the Mariana Trench off the coast of Japan at 35,797 feet (10,911 meters).</strong></li>
<li>The temperature of the water is just above freezing, and the pressure is 800 times as that on the surface.</li>
<li>In spite of the pressure and temperature, life can still be found here.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Deep Ocean Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India has also launched a<strong> &lsquo;Deep Ocean Mission&rsquo;</strong> for<strong> exploration of polymetallic nodules in Central Indian Ocean Basin.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Polymetallic nodules contain multiple metals</strong> like copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, aluminum, silver, gold, and platinum etc. in variable constitutions and are precipitate of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from the deep interior of the oceanic crust.</li>
<li>Of these, cobalt, copper, and nickel are of much importance and in great demand in India as cobalt is used extensively in medical treatment and nickel in batteries.</li>
<li>It will reduce India&rsquo;s dependence on imports of cobalt and other rare earth metals.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Bannerghatta Park’s Eco-Sensitive Zone Reduced',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) had issued a new draft notification for Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), nearly 2.5 years after the first draft notification had declared an ESZ of 268.96 sq.km. In the latest notification, the Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) was reduced to 169 sq.km.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>reduction in the ESZ</strong>, which regulates and prohibits certain activities that may destroy the forest, may <strong>open up more areas</strong> in the vicinity <strong>for</strong> <strong>mining and commercial development</strong> around the rapidly-urbanising Bengaluru city.</li>
<li>Areas, where ESZ has been cut down drastically, are either being mined or are prospective mining areas. The other sector that will benefit from the cutting down of ESZ is real estate as land has now been freed from environmental constraints along highways close to BNP.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are <strong>areas notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)</strong>, Government of India around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.</li>
<li>Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are regulated under the <strong>Environment (Protection Act) of 1986</strong> and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to come up in such areas.</li>
<li>As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.</li>
<li>Industries classified as prohibited under guidelines for declaration of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are not allowed to operate in these zones.</li>
<li>The guidelines prohibit activities such as commercial mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects.</li>
<li>Activities such as felling of trees, commercial use of natural water resources, including groundwater harvesting and setting up of hotels and resorts, are regulated in these areas.</li>
<li>The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of ESZ</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the course of industrialisation, urbanisation and other developmental initiatives, <g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="65" data-gr-id="65">lot</g> of changes occur in the landscape which may sometimes become the cause of natural disasters like earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, cloudburst etc.</li>
<li>In order to preserve certain regions/areas bestowed with unique plants, animals, terrains Government has declared them as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, etc.</li>
<li>Further,<strong> to minimise the impact of urbanisation</strong> and other developmental activities, areas adjacent to such protected areas have been declared as Eco-Sensitive Zones.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2017-2031</strong> endeavours to protect areas outside the protected area network to prevent isolation/destruction of fragments of biodiversity.</li>
<li>The purpose of declaring eco-sensitive zones around protected areas is for <strong>creating some kind of &lsquo;Shock Absorber&rsquo;</strong> to the protected area. They would also <strong>act as a transition zone</strong> from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.</li>
<li>Protection of eco-sensitive zones has assumed importance in view of the overzealous developmental initiatives in fragile ecosystems. A balanced, rational developmental approach is the need of the hour.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bannerghatta National Park</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bannerghatta National Park is located near Bangalore in <strong>Karnataka</strong>.</li>
<li>Wildlife such as elephants, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild boar, sloth bear, Sambar, Chital, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and hares are found in abundance.</li>
<li>The <strong>Bannerghatta Biological Park</strong> has been an integral part of Bannerghatta National Park and emerged out as an independent establishment during the year 2002.</li>
<li>In order to meet the growing demand for eco-recreation, eco-tourism and conservation, some area of forest from the National park were set aside to constitute as Biological Park.</li>
<li>Bannerghatta Biological Park is <strong>one among the few places in the world</strong> where <strong>wilderness is preserved so close to a big city</strong>. It is having different units such as <strong>Zoo, Safari, Butterfly Park and Rescue Center (Conservation of captive animals)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
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		'title' => 'PRS Capsule October 2018',
		'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
		'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key&nbsp;</strong><strong>Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<div class="border">
<ul class="ticklist">
<li><a href="#1">Draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018 released</a></li>
<li><a href="#2">Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Digi Yatri policy</a></li>
<li><a href="#3">Cabinet approves IRSDC as nodal agency for railway station redevelopment</a></li>
<li><a href="#4">Indian Railways rationalises freight and passenger fares</a></li>
<li><a href="#5">Draft National Policy on Electronics 2018 released</a></li>
<li><a href="#6">Insolvency Law Committee submits report on cross-border insolvency</a></li>
<li><a href="#7">National Financial Reporting Authority</a></li>
<li><a href="#8">Expert Committee submits report on regulating audit firms</a></li>
<li><a href="#9">Competition Commission of India releases note on affordable healthcare</a></li>
<li><a href="#10">CCEA approves Minimum Support Prices for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season</a></li>
<li><a href="#11">CCEA approves creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund</a></li>
<li><a href="#12">Ministry of Home Affairs issues notification on grant of citizenship</a></li>
<li><a href="#13">Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visit India</a></li>
<li><a href="#14">Prime Minister visits Japan</a></li>
<li><a href="#15">Cabinet approves merger of National Council for Vocational Training and National Skill Development Agency</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="1">Draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018 released</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Civil Aviation released the draft Cape Town Convention Bill, 2018.The draft Bill seeks to implement the Cape Town Convention (Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment), and Protocol (Protocol to the Convention on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment) in India.</li>
<li>The Cape Town Convention/Protocol were adopted in Cape Town in November, 2001.</li>
<li>India became a party to the Convention/Protocol in July, 2008.</li>
<li>The Convention/Protocol primarily seeks to achieve efficient financing of high value mobile equipment, like airframes, helicopters and engines, in order to make the operations cost effective and affordable.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Objectives of the Convention/Protocol include: </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creating an international interest in aircraft objects which will be recognised in all contracting states;</li>
<li>Establishing an electronic international registry for registration of international interests, and providing information related to interests in a particular aircraft;</li>
<li>Providing certain basic default remedies for creditors, to provide them with speedy interim relief;</li>
<li>Creating a legal regime which is applicable universally and administers justice to both parties in case of a dispute.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Need for the legislation:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Certain provisions of the Convention/ Protocol are in conflict with certain provisions of other laws such as the Civil Procedure Code, 2008, the Specific Relief Act, 1963, the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.</li>
<li>Further, international financial institutions are not giving due weightage to accession to the Convention/Protocol by any country unless it is accompanied by an implementing law.</li>
<li>For example, OECD provides 10% discount in the processing fee of a loan to acquire aircraft to airlines of any country that has enacted a law implementing the Convention/Protocol.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2">Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Digi Yatri policy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The policy seeks to deliver a seamless, paperless and hassle-free experience to all passengers across all check-points at Indian airports.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key features of the policy include:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Objectives:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enhancing passenger experience and providing a simple and easy experience to all air travellers.</li>
<li>Achieving better throughput using digital framework.</li>
<li>Reducing cost operations by removing redundancies at checkpoints.</li>
<li>Introducing a Digi Yatra system with a digital ID backed by a government issued identity like Aadhaar, and Passport.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Applicability:</strong> The new process will cater to all passengers at any airport in India.</p>
<p><em><strong>Digi Yatra platform:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Digi Yatra platform (with all the digital IDs) will be built by a joint venture company (JVC) or a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The JVC/SPV will be established by the Airports Authority of India (with a minority stake) and all private airport operators.</li>
<li>The Digi Yatra ID platform will offer passenger services such as enrolment, authentication, and consented profile sharing. It will be an ID only platform, and provide an authentication service that airports may implement according to their own solution architecture.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Passenger consent:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Creation and use of the Digi Yatra ID by a passenger will be completely voluntary. The platform will strictly take consent from the passenger for sharing of face data for the airport checkpoint clearance only.</li>
<li>Airports may not create profile of users, or use this authentication for marketing without explicit user consent for marketing purpose.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">Cabinet approves IRSDC as nodal agency for railway station redevelopment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet approved the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) as the nodal agency and the main project development agency for redevelopment of railway stations.</li>
<li>The lease tenure period for such projects will be 99 years. IRSDC will prepare the overall strategic plan and business plans for redevelopment of individual or a group of stations.</li>
<li>Upon approval of business plans by the Ministry of Railways, IRSDC or other project development agencies will take up the work of station redevelopment.</li>
<li>The Indian Railways, Rail Land Development Authority, or IRSDC will plan and develop Railway land. This will be done in consultation with urban local bodies, local development authorities or other union territories, to transfer land on free hold basis to Indian Railways.</li>
<li>The Union Cabinet had approved the development of certain categories of stations by Zonal Railways on June 24, 2015.</li>
<li>However, insufficient interest was shown by bidders on such projects, and issues such as multiple sub leasing were raised. Allowing a specialized executing agency (IRSDC) for such projects seeks to address these issues.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="4">Indian Railways rationalises freight and passenger fares</h3>
<p>The Indian Railways has rationalised: (i) the flexi-fare scheme, and (ii) freight fares. The changes in fares include:</p>
<p><strong>Flexi-fare scheme:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Flexi-fare will be discontinued in trains with average monthly occupancy less than 50% throughout the previous year. It will also be discontinued in lean traffic period of three months, in trains with average monthly occupancy between 50-75% throughout the previous year.</li>
<li>Certain discounts in flexi-fares have also been introduced in less patronised classes (such as 2A, 3A, and CC) to increase their occupancy. The flexi-fare scheme was launched on September 9, 2016.</li>
<li>These changes have been introduced based on the recommendations of a committee that was set up to review the scheme, recommendations of the CAG, and representation from passengers.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Freight rates:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Railways has rationalised its freight rates to ensure additional revenue generation across the network. An additional revenue of Rs 3,344 crore is expected from such rationalisation.</li>
<li>This revenue will be utilised to improve passenger amenities. This rationalisation will result in an 8.75% increase in freight rates for major commodities such as coal, iron and steel, iron ore, and raw materials for steel plants.</li>
<li>In addition, the haulage charge of containers has been increased by 5% and the freight rates of other small goods have been increased by 8.75%. Freight rates have not been increased for goods such as food grains, flours, pulses, fertilizers, salt, and sugar, cement, petroleum, and diesel.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="5">Draft National Policy on Electronics 2018 released</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a draft National Policy on Electronics 2018.The draft policy aims to position India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM), by enabling the industry to compete globally. Key features of the draft policy include:</p>
<p><strong>Objectives:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Key objectives of the draft policy include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promoting manufacturing of ESDM to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 2025,</li>
<li>Improving ease of doing business for ESDM industry, and</li>
<li>Encouraging research and innovation in all sub-sectors of electronics.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Promoting Competition: The draft policy seeks to create a competitive ESDM sector by incentivizing domestic manufacturing. This will be achieved by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Providing direct tax benefits for setting up new manufacturing units or expanding existing units in the electronic manufacturing sector,</li>
<li>Promoting manufacture of electronic goods covered under the Information Technology Agreement of WTO, and</li>
<li>Exempting import duty on capital equipment not manufactured in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Schemes for manufacturing: The Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme was launched in 2012 to compensate for disadvantages in domestic manufacturing. The scheme provides for capital subsidy of 25% for electronics industry in non-SEZ areas and 20% in SEZ areas. The draft policy proposes replacing this scheme with schemes that are easier to implement such as interest subsidy and credit default guarantee.</li>
<li>Standards: A standards setting body will be established in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Further, an institutional mechanism will be set up for mandating compliance with standards for electronic products.</li>
<li>Export promotion: The draft policy aims to promote export of electronics by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Increasing rate of duty drawback for electronics,</li>
<li>Permitting duty free import of second hand capital goods, and</li>
<li>Entering into Free Trade Agreements with economies such as EU, and Africa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="6">Insolvency Law Committee submits report on cross-border insolvency</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Insolvency Law Committee (Chairman: Mr. Injeti Srinivas) submitted it report recommending amendments to the cross-border insolvency provisions in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.</li>
<li>The Committee proposed a draft &lsquo;Part Z&rsquo; in the Code, based on an analysis of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, 1997.</li>
<li>The Model Law provides a legal framework that states may adopt in their domestic legislation to deal with cross-border insolvency issues.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key recommendations of the Committee include:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Applicability:</strong> The Committee recommended that the draft Part Z should be extended to corporate debtors only, including foreign companies.</li>
<li><strong>Duplicity of regimes:</strong> The Committee noted that currently the Companies Act, 2013 contains provisions to deal with insolvency of foreign companies. It observed that once cross-border insolvency provisions are introduced in the Code, it will result in a dual regime to handle insolvency of foreign companies. It recommended that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs undertake a study of such provisions of the 2013 Act to analyse the efficacy of retaining them.</li>
<li><strong>Reciprocity:</strong> The Committee recommended adoption of the Model Law on a reciprocity basis initially. Reciprocity means that a domestic court will recognise and enforce a foreign court&rsquo;s judgment only if the foreign country has adopted similar legislation to the domestic country.</li>
<li><strong>Centre of Main Interests (COMI):</strong> The Model Law provides that if domestic courts determine that the debtor has its COMI in a foreign country; such foreign proceedings will be recognised as the main proceedings. This recognition will result in certain automatic relief, such as allowing foreign representatives greater powers in handling the debtor&rsquo;s estate. A list of indicative factors comprising COMI may be inserted through rule-making powers. Such factors may include location of the debtor&rsquo;s books and records, location of financing, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Public policy considerations:</strong> Part Z provides that the National Company Law Tribunal may refuse to take action under Part Z if it is contrary to public policy. The Committee recommended that in proceedings where the Tribunal is of the opinion that a violation of public policy may be involved, a notice must be issued to the central government to provide its submissions. If the Tribunal does not issue a notice, the central government may be empowered to apply to it directly.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">National Financial Reporting Authority</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Corporate Affairs constituted the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).</li>
<li>The NFRA is established as an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Jurisdiction</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms under section 132 of the Act would extend to listed companies and large unlisted public companies, the thresholds for which shall be prescribed in the Rules.</li>
<li>The Central Government can also refer such other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Chairperson and Members</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Financial Reporting Authority shall consist of a chairperson, who shall be a person of eminence and having expertise in accountancy, auditing, finance or law to be appointed by the Central Government and such other members not exceeding fifteen consisting of part-time and full-time members as may be prescribed.</li>
<li>Provided that the terms and conditions and the manner of appointment of the chairperson and members shall be such as may be prescribed.</li>
<li>The chairperson and members shall make a declaration to the Central Government in the prescribed form regarding no conflict of interest or lack of independence in respect of his or their appointment.</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 id="8">Expert Committee submits report on regulating audit firms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An Expert Committee submitted its report to the government on &ldquo;Regulating Audit Firms and Networks&rdquo;. The Committee was constituted in April, 2018 pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court.</li>
<li>The report examined the legal regime of auditors and recommended measures to promote development of the audit profession in India.</li>
<li>The Committee scrutinised the networking arrangements adopted by the big four audit firms to understand their legal structure and method of operation.</li>
<li>The Committee also addressed issues concerning conflict of interest and transparency arising out of non-audit services provided by auditors and their network, and recommended necessary checks and balances.</li>
<li>In addition, the report also dealt with issues of concentration of market power in the audit services market.</li>
<li>Committee found the establishment of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as a necessary institutional reform, which would align the Indian audit landscape with the global position on having an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
<li>The NFRA is established as an independent regulator for auditors.</li>
<li>The Committee recommended measures to further strengthen the operation of NFRA to address contemporary challenges in relation to auditors, audit firms and networks operating in India.</li>
<li>The report also dealt with issues concerning advertising, multi-disciplinary practice firms, and branding, and suggested measures to rationalise the existing laws.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Competition Commission of India releases note on affordable healthcare</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Competition Commission of India released a policy note on &lsquo;Making Markets Work for Affordable Healthcare.</li>
<li>The note examines issues in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector which may restrict competition and consumer choice.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key observations and recommendations of the Commission include:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Role of intermediaries:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission observed that drug companies in India charge unreasonably high trade margins which contribute to high drug prices.</li>
<li>Further, self-regulation by trade associations also contributes towards high margins as they control the entire drug distribution system which reduces competition.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended the use of electronic trading of drugs to induce price competition among retailers.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Branded generic drugs:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, the pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generic drugs which limit the price competition induced by generic drugs. In India, branded drugs enjoy a price premium due to perceived quality assurance.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended that the regulatory framework should ensure consistent application of quality control measures, in order to address issues of quality perception.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Vertical arrangements in healthcare services:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Commission noted that in-house pharmacies of super speciality hospitals are insulated from competition as patients are not typically allowed to purchase any product from outside.</li>
<li>Therefore, it recommended that hospitals should allow consumers to buy standardised consumables from the open market.</li>
<li>Further, the Commission noted that there is no regulatory framework that governs portability of patient data, treatment record, and diagnostic reports between hospitals.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Regulation and competition:</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to multiplicity of regulators in the pharmaceutical sector, the implementation of regulations is not uniform.</li>
<li>This has resulted in multiple standards of same products and different levels of regulatory compliance.</li>
<li>The Commission recommended that a mechanism to harmonise the processes followed by state licensing authorities could be developed.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">CCEA approves Minimum Support Prices for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Rabi crops for the 2019-20 marketing season.</li>
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, determines the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of various agricultural commodities based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).</li>
<li>Table shows the change in MSPs for the Rabi crops as compared to the 2018-19 marketing season.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 49.8558%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 49.8559%; text-align: center;" colspan="4"><strong>Table: </strong>MSPs notified for Rabi crops for 2019-20 marketing season (in Rs/quintal)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;"><strong>Crop</strong></td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;"><strong>2018-19</strong></td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">
<p><strong>2019-20</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;"><strong>Change</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Wheat</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">1,735</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">1,840</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;6.1 %</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Barley</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">1,410</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">1,440</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">2.1 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Gram</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,400</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,620</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.0 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Masoor</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,250</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,475</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.3 %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Rapeseed and Mustard</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,000</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,200</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">5.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.8628%;">
<p>Safflower</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 9.80336%; text-align: center;">4,100</td>
<td style="width: 11.094%; text-align: center;">4,945</td>
<td style="width: 9.09569%; text-align: center;">20.6%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="11">CCEA approves creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund.</li>
<li>The Fund will provide concessional finance for investment in fisheries development to (i) state and union territory governments and entities, (ii) cooperatives, and (iii) entrepreneurs, among others.</li>
<li>The loans will be provided for a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with repayments to be made over a period of 12 years. The fund is estimated to be worth Rs 7,522 crores.</li>
<li>National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation and Scheduled banks will be Nodal Loaning Entities</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="12">Ministry of Home Affairs issues notification on grant of citizenship</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Under the Act, the central government can register a person as a citizen or grant a certificate of naturalisation, on receipt of an application.</li>
<li>The notification delegates these powers to the District Collector or Secretary of the Home Department, in case of persons belonging to minority communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.</li>
<li>These include Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.</li>
<li>The notification is applicable to such individuals residing in the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Union Territory of Delhi.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="13">Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visit India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan visited India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key agreements signed with the two countries are mentioned below:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Russia:</strong> India and Russia signed eight agreements for cooperation in various sectors including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Railways</li>
<li>Fertilizers</li>
<li>Micro, Small and Medium industries</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Uzbekistan:</strong> India and Uzbekistan signed 17 agreements for cooperation in various areas including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tourism</li>
<li>Agriculture and allied sectors</li>
<li>Health and medical science</li>
<li>Illicit drug trafficking</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uzbekistans-president-visit-to-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more...</a></p>
<h3 id="14">Prime Minister visits Japan</h3>
<p>The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, visited Japan. India and Japan signed 32 agreements for cooperation in various areas including:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Exchange of information in maritime domain awareness</li>
<li>Artificial intelligence technologies</li>
<li>Primary healthcare</li>
<li>Developing food processing industry</li>
<li>Renewable energy</li>
<li>Environment protection</li>
<li>Electronics</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-japan-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more...</a></p>
<h3 id="15">Cabinet approves merger of National Council for Vocational Training and National Skill Development Agency</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training, which seeks to regulate skill development and vocational training.</p>
<p>It subsumes two existing regulatory institutions:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>National Council for Vocational Training</li>
<li>National Skill Development Agency</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Chairperson and Members:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Council would be headed by a Chairperson and will have Executive and Non-Executive Members.</li>
<li>The regulator will follow the best practices of regulatory processes, which will help ensure that it performs its functions professionally and as per the applicable laws.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Functions of the Council will include:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recognition and regulation of entities engaged in vocational education and training.</li>
<li>Approval of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils.</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-october-2018'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Dispute Over Restoration of Konark Sun Temple',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The 13th century Sun Temple at Konark (Odisha) has entered into <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="74" data-gr-id="74">controversy</g> over allegations that the stone carvings on the outer surface are being replaced with plain blocks of stones causing irreplaceable loss to the uniqueness of the temple.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per a regional news report, it is alleged that 40% of the artistic stone carvings of the existing Konark Sun Temple have been replaced by ASI with plain stones.</li>
<li>It is alleged that the stones used in restoration do not match the quality of the original stone blocks, which are still available nearby.</li>
<li>UNESCO guidelines on <g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="77" data-gr-id="77">restoration</g> of World Heritage Sites mandate that when an original stone carving is lost, it cannot be replicated. The understanding is that as monuments <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="78" data-gr-id="78">deteriorate,</g> if one keeps on replicating then nothing original will remain.</li>
<li>However, ASI has denied the allegations of replacement of artistic stone works at the world heritage monument.</li>
</ul>
<h3>About Sun Temple at Konark</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sun temple at Konark was constructed by the <strong>Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha Deva I</strong> in about 1250 A.D.</li>
<li>The name of Konark temple is an amalgamation of two words-Kona meaning corner and Arka meaning the Sun. That is to say that the Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is called Konark.</li>
</ul>
<h3><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">Architecture</g> of the Temple</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The temple was also known as '<strong>BLACK PAGODA</strong>' due to its dark colour and used as a navigational landmark by sailors to Odisha.</li>
<li>It is carefully <strong>oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes</strong> the principal entrance. The temple is built from <strong>Khondalite rocks</strong>.</li>
<li>A masterpiece of creative genius in both conception and realisation, the <strong>temple represents a chariot of the Sun God</strong>, with <strong>twelve pairs of wheels drawn by seven horses</strong> evoking its movement across the heavens.</li>
<li>The original temple had <strong>Vimana </strong>(the structure over the Garbhagriha or inner sanctum) which was supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. But it has fallen off.</li>
<li>The <strong>audience hall (Jagamohana)</strong>, which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins.</li>
<li>Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the <strong>dance hall (Nata Mandira)</strong> and <strong>dining hall (Bhoga Mandapa)</strong>.</li>
<li>The sanctum sanctorum and the Jagamohana together stand on a lofty platform, richly ornamented by friezes of elephants, decorative ornaments interspersed with figures sculptures, often of a highly sensuous character.</li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="88" data-gr-id="88">Significance</g> of the Temple</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sun Temple is directly associated with the<strong> idea and belief of the personification of the Sun God</strong>, which is represented in the <strong>Vedas and classical texts</strong>.</li>
<li>Directly and materially linked to the Brahman beliefs, Konark is the invaluable link in the history of the diffusion of the <strong>cult of Surya</strong>, which <strong>originating in Kashmir during the 8th century</strong>, finally reached the shores of Eastern India.</li>
<li>It is embellished with sophisticated and refined iconographical depictions of contemporary life and activities.</li>
<li>The plinth of the temple between the wheels&nbsp;is entirely decorated with reliefs of fantastic lions, musicians and dancers, and erotic groups.</li>
<li>The Sun Temple is the culmination of Kalinga temple architecture, with all its defining elements in <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="89" data-gr-id="89">complete</g> and perfect form.</li>
<li>It was declared a <strong>UNESCO world heritage site in 1984</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Important Sun Temples in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Modhera Surya temple, Gujarat</li>
<li>Martand Sun temple, Kashmir</li>
<li>Katarmal Sun Temple, Uttarakhand</li>
<li>Dakshinarkaa temple Gaya, Bihar&nbsp;</li>
<li>Bhramanya temple, Unao, Madhya Pradesh</li>
<li>Surya Prahaar temple, Assam&nbsp;</li>
<li>Suryanar Kovil Temple at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu</li>
<li>Suryanarayana temple at Arasavalli, Andhra Pradesh</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and preservation of protected monuments.</li>
<li>It is an attached office under the Department of Culture (<strong>Ministry of Culture</strong>).</li>
<li>ASI was founded in <strong>1861</strong> by <strong>Alexander Cunningham</strong> who became its first Director-General.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dispute-over-restoration-of-konark-sun-temple'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'GSAT-29 Satellite Launched',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched<strong> GSAT-29 (Geostationary Satellite)</strong> communication satellite through Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSLV Mk III successfully placed the satellite in <strong>Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)</strong> after three orbit-raising maneuvers, the satellite will be placed in the <strong>Geostationary Orbit.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Payloads on GSLV Mk III</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSAT-29, weighing 3,423kg, is the <strong>heaviest satellite to be put into orbit by ISRO&rsquo;s launch vehicle</strong> and is designed for a mission life of 10 years.</li>
<li>It is a multiband, multi-beam communication satellite which will serve as a testbed for several new and critical technologies.</li>
<li>Its Payload also consists of Geo High-Resolution Camera and an Optical Communication Payload.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GSAT-29 will help in providing<strong> internet connectivity</strong> in remote areas especially in<strong> Jammu &amp; Kashmir and North-Eastern regions of India.</strong></li>
<li>Geo-High Resolution Camera will help in high-resolution imaging and help in <strong>surveillance in the Indian Ocean.</strong></li>
<li>Optical Communication payload will help in <strong>data transmission at a very high rate</strong> through the optical communication link.</li>
<li>The successful launch signifies the <strong>completion of the experimental phase of GSLV Mk III and it is now operational.</strong></li>
<li>Future Mission of ISRO, <strong>Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan missions</strong> (human space flight) will also be <strong>launched by GSLV Mk III.</strong></li>
<li>The success of GSLV Mk III marks an important milestone in the Indian space programme towards<strong> achieving self-reliance</strong> in launching heavier satellites.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Types of Orbits</strong></p>
<p>In general, there are two types of orbits:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Polar Synchronous</li>
<li>Geosynchronous</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Polar Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A polar orbit travels<strong> north-south over the poles</strong> and takes approximately<strong> 90 minutes for a full rotation.</strong></li>
<li>These orbits have an <strong>inclination near 90 degrees.</strong> This allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it.</li>
<li>These satellites have many uses such as<strong> monitoring crops, global security, measuring ozone concentrations in the stratosphere or measuring temperatures in the atmosphere.</strong></li>
<li>Almost all the satellites that are in a polar orbit are at <strong>lower altitudes.</strong></li>
<li>An orbit is called <strong>sun-synchronous</strong> when the angle between the <strong>line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout the orbit.</strong></li>
<li>These orbits are also referred to as <strong>&ldquo;Low Earth Orbit (LEO)&rdquo;</strong> which enables the onboard camera to take images of the earth under the same sun-illumination conditions during each of the repeated visits, thus making the satellite useful for earth resources monitoring.</li>
<li><strong>It passes over any given point on Earth&rsquo;s surface at the same local solar time.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Geosynchronous Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Geosynchronous satellites are launched into orbit in the same direction the Earth is spinning and can have any inclination.</li>
<li>When the satellite is in orbit at a specific altitude (approximately 36,000km above the Earth's surface)<strong>, it will exactly match the rotation of the Earth.</strong></li>
<li>While, <strong>Geostationary</strong> <strong>orbits</strong> fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but with that one special quality of being<strong> parked over the equator.</strong></li>
<li>In the case of geostationary satellites, the Earth&rsquo;s force of gravity is exactly enough to provide acceleration required for circular motion.</li>
<li><strong>Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit(GTO):</strong> To attain geostationary or geosynchronous earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.</li>
<li>From the <strong>GTO the spacecraft uses its engines to shift to geostationary or geosynchronous orbit.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Scheme to Promote Young Entrepreneurs in Cooperatives',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Union Agriculture Ministry launched National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC&rsquo;s) youth-friendly scheme <strong>&lsquo;Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme&rsquo;</strong> for attracting youth to cooperative business ventures.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme will encourage cooperatives to venture into new and innovative areas.</li>
<li>NCDC has created a <strong>dedicated Rs 1000 crore &lsquo;Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund (CSIF)&rsquo;.</strong> It would have more incentives (funding of up to 80% as against 70% for others) for cooperatives of North Eastern region, Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or Persons with Disabilities (PwD) members.</li>
<li>The scheme <strong>envisages 2% less</strong> than the applicable rate of interest on term loan for the project cost up to Rs 3 crore including <strong>2 years moratorium on payment of principal.</strong></li>
<li>All types of cooperatives in <strong>operation for at least one year</strong> are eligible.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NCDC is a <strong>statutory corporation</strong> set up under <strong>National Cooperative Development Corporation Act , 1962.</strong></li>
<li>The objectives of NCDC are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles.</li>
<li>NCDC functions through its Head Office at<strong> New Delhi</strong> and multiple Regional Offices.</li>
<li>The NCDC has the <strong>unique distinction</strong> of being the <strong>sole statutory organisation</strong> functioning as an apex financial and developmental institution <strong>exclusively devoted to cooperative sector.</strong></li>
<li>NCDC is a major financial institution for cooperatives, and has recently started<strong> Mission Sahakar 22</strong>, which <strong>aims to double farmers&rsquo; income by 2022.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>More about Cooperatives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong> had declared the <strong>year 2012</strong> as the<strong> International Year of Cooperatives</strong>.This recognized the contribution that Cooperatives make to social and economic development through poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.</li>
<li>The role of Cooperatives has acquired new dimension in the changing scenario of globalization and liberalization. The Government of India enacted the<strong> Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act in 2002</strong> and <strong>National Policy for Cooperatives was also formulated in 2002</strong> to provide support for promotion and development of cooperatives as <strong>autonomous, independent and democratic organizations</strong> so that they can play their due role in the socio-economic development of the country.</li>
<li>The Policy further aimed at <strong>reduction of regional imbalances</strong> and strengthening of cooperative education, training and human resource development for professionalisation of cooperative management.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Provisions of Indian Constitution related to Cooperatives</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011</strong> added a <strong>new Part IXB</strong> right after Part IXA (Municipals) regarding the cooperatives working in India.</li>
<li>The word <strong>&ldquo;cooperatives&rdquo; was added after &ldquo;unions and associations&rdquo; in Art. 19(1)(c)</strong> under Part III of the Constitution. This enables all the citizens to form cooperatives by giving it the<strong> status of fundamental right of citizens.</strong></li>
<li>A new <strong>Article 43B was added in the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV)</strong> regarding the &ldquo;promotion of cooperative societies&rdquo;</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Scheme to Promote Young Entrepreneurs in Cooperatives'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'A Nuanced Understanding of the NBFC Sector',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector&rdquo; which appears in The Livemint.)</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have played an irreplaceable role in fueling the growth of the Indian economy and have made a noteworthy contribution towards supporting the government&rsquo;s agenda of extending financial inclusion. They have emerged as key financiers to businesses, especially the high-potential, credit-hungry MSME sector.</p>
<p>The recent multi-level downgrade of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&amp;FS) have represented a liquidity squeeze for the entire non-banking financial company (NBFC) sector. <g id="149" data-gr-id="149">Debt</g> default by a single NBFC has almost turned into a funding crisis for all. India&rsquo;s flourishing shadow finance sector* will face a shake-up after defaults at one major lender battered the nation&rsquo;s financial markets in the past week and reinforced worries about credit risk.</p>
<div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*A shadow finance sector contains the group of financial intermediaries facilitating the creation of credit across the global financial system but whose members are not subject to regulatory oversight.</p>
</div>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Risk aversion in debt markets has heightened to an extent that the market has lost its ability to make a distinction across NBFCs, bracketing all of them in the same risk category, irrespective of the underlying nature of their assets and liabilities.</li>
<li>The liquidity squeeze faced by NBFCs has led to a conflict between the government and the Reserve Bank of India, with the Finance Ministry pushing for easier fund flows while the RBI insisting there&rsquo;s already enough money available in the system.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/535drishti_ A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector_IL&amp;FS.jpg" width="286" height="347" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)?</strong></p>
<div>
<p>A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by Government or local authority or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, purchase or sale of any goods (other than securities) or providing any services and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.</p>
<p>A non-banking institution which is a company and has <g id="142" data-gr-id="142">principal</g> business of receiving deposits under any scheme or arrangement in one lump sum or in installments by way of contributions or in any other <g id="144" data-gr-id="144">manner,</g> is also a non-banking financial company (Residuary non-banking company).</p>
<p>Features of NBFCs</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.</li>
<li>NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.</li>
<li>Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<p><strong>NBFCs can broadly be divided into three segments&mdash;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Asset financing</li>
<li>Personal loans</li>
<li>Business loans</li>
<li>Housing finance companies (HFCs)</li>
</ul>
<p>The predominant asset financing NBFCs are commercial vehicle financiers. The remaining NBFCs provide a range of personal and business loans with widely varying business models.</p>
<p>HFCs, provide housing loans, can be considered as specialized NBFCs that have a separate regulator National Housing Bank (NHB).</p>
<div>
<p>National Housing Bank (NHB)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1987.</li>
<li>NHB is an apex financial institution for housing.</li>
<li>NHB has been established with an objective to operate as a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support incidental to such institutions and for matters connected therewith.</li>
</ul>
<p>NHB registers, regulates and supervises Housing Finance Company (HFCs), keeps surveillance through On-site &amp; Off-site Mechanisms and coordinates with other Regulators.</p>
</div>
<h3>Importance of NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBFCs help attain the objective of macroeconomic policies of creating more jobs in the country by promoting Small and Medium scale Enterprises and private industries through lending them loans.</li>
<li>The financial market relies heavily on non-banking financial institutions for raising capital. The start-ups and small-sized businesses are dependent on funds offered by NBFCs.</li>
<li>NBFCs extend long-term credits to infrastructure, commerce and trade companies. The traditional banks expect timely, schedules and short-term repayment of loans that may not always suit the requirements of these industries.</li>
<li>Non-banking financial companies help in rotation of resources, asset distribution and regulation of income to shape the economic development. They enable converting savings into investments and thus, helps in the <g id="123" data-gr-id="123">mobilisation</g> of funds/resources in the economy.</li>
<li>NBFCs play an important role in promoting inclusive growth in the country, by catering to the diverse financial needs of bank-excluded customers. And very importantly, they also reach out to areas inaccessible to regular banking.</li>
<li>As NBFCs aim to build capital for several industries &ndash; private and otherwise &ndash; they aid in accumulating a capital stock for the country. This directly adds on to the National Income and results in the progression of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).</li>
<li>With quicker decision-making ability and prompt provision of services, NBFCs act as not just complements but also substitutes to banks.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Problems Plaguing NBFCs</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The decline in asset quality for select NBFCs has stemmed from cases where underwriters (a person or company that underwrites an insurance risk) are inexperienced, or with limited understanding of the local situation and dynamics that drive the demand for credit.</li>
<li>Misalignment in product offerings with customer needs: Small NBFCs, in an effort to capture markets, have expanded into new geographic locations and diversified their product portfolio but are misaligned with consumer needs. When products can&rsquo;t get associated with consumer needs, they become outmoded.</li>
<li>Asset-liability mismatch: Several NBFCs are faced with a liquidity crunch (a time when cash resources are in short supply and demand is high), liabilities maturing and coming up for payment faster than loans in the same tenure.</li>
<li>Lack of a strong regulator, except for housing finance companies, is also one of the challenges faced by NBFCs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>There are three primary drivers of the current risk aversion for NBFCs:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first driver relates to short-term funding being used to finance long-term assets&mdash;an <g id="112" data-gr-id="112">asset liability</g> mismatch (ALM).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For micro-finance, the average loan tenure ranges from eight to nine months, for commercial vehicle finance it is 16 to 18 months, while for small business finance it is 12 to 16 months. Thus, the asset side duration for these businesses is very short.</li>
<li>On the liabilities side, the duration either mirrors the asset side, or is longer, and generally ranges from one to two years. Thus, these small to mid-sized NBFCs run a positive ALM mismatch.</li>
<li>Even in the case of affordable housing finance, where one would expect a wide ALM mismatch, low asset duration for affordable housing financiers reduces the ALM gap to negligible. This is further aided by low leverage (debt to equity ratio) and high capital adequacy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The second cause of current risk aversion towards NBFCs has to do with refinancing or rollover* of short-term capital market borrowings.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This concern is linked to the ALM issue, as a smooth rollover of shorter duration liabilities when assets are of longer duration is key for business continuity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The third cause for concern has to do with asset quality.
<ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This primarily pertains to exposure of NBFCs to the real estate sector&mdash;either as builder funding or loan against property (LAP).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul></ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>*The term &ldquo;Rollover&rdquo; refers to the practice of &ldquo;rolling over&rdquo; a loan, wherein the borrower pays the lender an additional fee in order to extend the loan due date. This additional fee increases the cost of borrowing, and can lead some borrowers to become trapped in a cycle of debt, also known as a &ldquo;debt trap.&rdquo;</p>
</div>
<ul>
<ul></ul>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Efficient engagement of customers: NBFCs must distinguish between active and inactive customers to develop a focused engagement methodology and allocate resources efficiently.</li>
<li>Building effective reward and loyalty programmes to <g id="130" data-gr-id="130">minimise</g> bad debts: NBFCs must increase customer retention by building a strong loyalty programme, with discount, cashback benefits. The program must be <g id="132" data-gr-id="132">customised</g> according to the customer type and factor in <g id="126" data-gr-id="126">right</g> data variables to provide meaningful incentives and value for the customer loyalty.</li>
<li>Over the years, NBFCs have played an important role in providing growth capital to various sectors of the economy. <g id="116" data-gr-id="116">Concerted</g> effort across stakeholders is required to prevent a market contagion that can cut off the critical supply of capital to the grassroots of the nation.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Market Contagion is the spread of market changes from one regional market to others. It can refer to the spread of either economic booms or economic crises throughout a geographic region. Contagions occur both globally and domestically, but they have become more prominent phenomena as the global economy has grown and economies within certain geographic regions have become more correlated with one another.</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<p><img src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/135drishti_A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector.jpg" width="402" height="349" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/A nuanced understanding of the NBFC sector'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Two New Initiatives of Ministry of Human Resource Development',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development</strong> launched two new initiatives viz.<strong> Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT).</strong></p>
<h3>Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a three weeks Flagship <strong>leadership development training programme</strong> (2 weeks domestic and one week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in <strong>public funded higher education institutions.</strong></li>
<li>The main objective is to prepare second tier academic heads who are potentially likely to assume leadership roles in the future.</li>
<li>The programme would provide senior faculty, with high academic credentials, the required leadership and managerial skills including skills of problem-solving, handling stress, team building work, conflict management, developing communication skills, understanding and coping with the complexity and challenges of governance in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), financial &amp; general administration.</li>
<li>The implementation of LEAP Programme will be <strong>through 15 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)</strong> top ranked Indian Institutions and <strong>foreign Universities within the top 100 in the world global rankings.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an initiative for <strong>online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty</strong> using the Massive open online courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>MOOC is a <strong>free Web-based distance learning program</strong> that is designed for the participation of large numbers of geographically dispersed students.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SWAYAM</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SWAYAM is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the<strong> three cardinal principles</strong> of Education Policy viz., <strong>access, equity and quality.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.</li>
<li>SWAYAM seeks to<strong> bridge the digital divide for students</strong> who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.</li>
<li>SWAYAM platform is indigenously <strong>developed by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) </strong>with the help of<strong> Microsoft.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For implementing ARPIT, 75 discipline-specific institutions have been identified and notified as <strong>National Resource Centres (NRCs).</strong></li>
<li>NRCs will prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in the discipline, new &amp; emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum.</li>
<li>NRCs are <strong>located in a mixed range of institutions</strong> such as, Central Universities, IISc, IUCAA, IITs, IISERs, NITs, State Universities.</li>
<li>ARPIT will be an ongoing exercise so that every year NRCs will continuously develop new refresher module in their earmarked discipline each year.</li>
<li>The training materials will be uploaded and made available through SWAYAM. NRC will also publish the list of the faculty who have been certified.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/two-new-initiatives-of-ministry-of-human-resource-development'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (14th November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>IONS Anniversary Celebrations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) commenced with the release of the &lsquo;Special Cover&rsquo; in Kochi.</li>
<li>The commemorative Special Cover of IONS 10th Anniversary celebrations depicts a map of the Indian Ocean and littoral countries of the IOR, signifying the geopolitical importance of the region.</li>
<li>IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.</li>
<li>There <g class="gr_ gr_37 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="37" data-gr-id="37">are</g> 36 littoral in the Indian Ocean which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>South Asian Littorals</strong> - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka</li>
<li><strong>West Asian Littorals</strong> - Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen</li>
<li><strong>East African Littorals</strong> - Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania</li>
<li><strong>South East Asian and Australian Littorals</strong> - Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul>
<li>The inaugural edition of <strong>IONS-2008 was held in New Delhi</strong>. The theme of the IONS-2008 was &ldquo;Contemporary Transnational Challenges &ndash; International Maritime Connectivities&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The 2nd edition i.e. IONS-2010 was held in Abu-Dhabi. The theme of IONS-2010 was "Together for the Reinforcement of Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean".</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>INDO-Russian joint exercise INDRA 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The joint military <strong>exercise between Indian and Russia</strong> EXERCISE INDRA 2018 on combating insurgency under the aegis of United Nations (UN) is being conducted at Babina Military Station, Jhansi (UP).</li>
<li>The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance <g class="gr_ gr_41 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="41" data-gr-id="41">interoperability</g> of the two Armies in the peacekeeping/ enforcement environment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Exercise Samudra Shakti</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The inaugural edition of <strong>Indian Navy &ndash; Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise &lsquo;Samudra Shakti&rsquo;</strong> is scheduled from 12 to 18 Nov 18.</li>
<li>The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-14th-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Ease of Doing Agribusiness Index',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Ministry of Agriculture has proposed <strong>a new index to gauge the performance of states</strong> in <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="110" data-gr-id="110">implementation</g> of policies and programs of <g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="109" data-gr-id="109">government</g> of India in the field of agricultural reforms.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The concept is to consider <strong>farming not solely as a production-oriented activity</strong> carried out to achieve food security for the country but as<strong> a business activity carried</strong> out by <g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="98" data-gr-id="98">farmer</g> as <g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="97" data-gr-id="97">entrepreneur</g>.</li>
<li>The index will measure <g class="gr_ gr_129 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="129" data-gr-id="129">performance</g> of state on various sub-parameters
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Marketing Reforms</li>
<li>Reducing <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">cost</g> of inputs</li>
<li>Governance and Land reforms</li>
<li>Risk Mitigation</li>
<li>Increasing production/productivity</li>
<li>Investment in and for agriculture</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Initiative</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will help in developing<strong> competitive spirit among the states and</strong>&nbsp;develop their performance to the highest level.</li>
<li>It will <strong>allow central government to plug the gaps in schemes and programmes</strong> and bring the states lagging behind in implementation up.</li>
<li>By this index, Ministry of Agriculture will be able to<strong> reward high performing states</strong>, by linking their performance with <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">allocation</g> of funds.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Measures <g class="gr_ gr_117 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="117" data-gr-id="117">taken</g> by Government for Farm Sector Reforms</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Marketing Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Model &ldquo;The Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017&rdquo;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is a model law <strong>seek to end the monopoly of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).</strong></li>
<li>This act has <g class="gr_ gr_101 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="101" data-gr-id="101">provision</g> that<strong> entire state would be treated as a single market, which will remove area limitations of APMC.</strong></li>
<li>It will enhance farmers produce by providing conditions for <g class="gr_ gr_106 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="106" data-gr-id="106">creation</g> of private wholesale markets along with farmers-consumer market yards.</li>
<li><strong>It will enable direct contact between farmers and consumers or other end-user categories.</strong></li>
<li>APLM act will also give <strong>freedom to the farmer to sell his property to any person or agency</strong> at his place of choice, making him get a better return.</li>
<li>This is a model act state can adopt it fully or partially in their own acts as Agriculture is a state subject</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Agriculture Market Scheme (e-NAM)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>National Agriculture Market (NAM) is a <strong>pan-India electronic trading portal</strong> which <strong>networks the existing APMC <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="91" data-gr-id="91">mandis</g></strong> to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.</li>
<li>NAM Portal provides <strong>a single window service for all APMC</strong> related information and services.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reducing Input Cost</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&ldquo;Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)&rdquo;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="89" data-gr-id="89">PKVY</g> aims to<strong> increase the area under organic farming as it ensures higher income to farmers</strong> due to <g class="gr_ gr_113 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="113" data-gr-id="113">comparatively</g> lower cost of cultivation and premium price of organic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was launched for realising the<strong> potential of organic farming in the North Eastern Region of the country.</strong> It is a central sector scheme which has been launched to develop <strong>North East as <g class="gr_ gr_120 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="120" data-gr-id="120">organic</g> hub of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Soil Health Card</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Soil Health Card is one of the<strong> largest universal Soil Health Card Schemes in the world.</strong> It aims to provide <strong>information about <g class="gr_ gr_114 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="114" data-gr-id="114">fertility</g> of land</strong> to farmers based on testing soil samples for 12 parameters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>PMKSY is being implemented to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.</strong> <g class="gr_ gr_125 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">Focus</g> of the program is to provide <g class="gr_ gr_126 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="126" data-gr-id="126">end-to-end</g> solution to irrigation supply chain through
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>development of <g class="gr_ gr_127 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="127" data-gr-id="127">the water</g> resources</li>
<li>creation of an efficient distribution network</li>
<li>improvement of farm level management</li>
<li>water-use efficiency.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Governance and Structural Reforms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Encouraging Contract Farming</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The government has approved <strong>Model Contract Farming Act</strong> which will help farmers to enter pre-season price agreement on their produce</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_123 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="123" data-gr-id="123">Right</g> of Lease Farming</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>NITI Aayog has developed <strong><g class="gr_ gr_124 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="124" data-gr-id="124">Draft</g> Model Agriculture Land Leasing Act</strong> and has circulated it to states for adoption.</li>
<li>This act has provisions which recognizes land leasing and ensure complete ownership of land ownership <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="83" data-gr-id="83">right</g> while recognizing the <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="85" data-gr-id="85">lease holders</g>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risk Mitigation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri <g class="gr_ gr_86 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="86" data-gr-id="86">Fasal</g> Bima Yojana (<g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="87" data-gr-id="87">PMFBY</g>)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong><g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="88" data-gr-id="88">PMFBY</g> aims to provide insurance at <g class="gr_ gr_111 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="111" data-gr-id="111">lowest</g> premium rate to farmers with added benefits.</strong></li>
<li>Under the PMFBY, a uniform maximum premium of only 2 per cent will be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5 per cent for all Rabi crops and 5 <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="90" data-gr-id="90">percent</g> for annual commercial and horticultural crops.</li>
<li>The premium rates to be paid by farmers are very low and balanced premium will be paid by the Government, shared equally by State and Central Government.</li>
<li>The scheme covers risk from pre-sowing to <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="84" data-gr-id="84">post harvest</g> stages and there is no upper limit on Government subsidy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Agricultural Marketing &amp; Farm Friendly Reforms Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This Index was launched by <strong>NITI Aayog.</strong></li>
<li>NITI Aayog has launched this index to <strong>rank States and UTs</strong> based on <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="92" data-gr-id="92">implementation</g> of seven provisions related to farm sector reforms.</li>
<li>This indicator <g class="gr_ gr_105 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="105" data-gr-id="105">reveal</g><strong> ease of doing agribusiness</strong> as well as <strong>opportunities for farmers to benefit from modern trade and commerce</strong> and have <g class="gr_ gr_104 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="104" data-gr-id="104">wider</g> option for sale of her/his produce.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-doing-agri-business-index'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Four Corners: On The Quad’s Agenda',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Four corners: on the Quad&rsquo;s agenda&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 6th November 2018. It analyses the Quad grouping.)</p>
</div>
<p>Officials from the &lsquo;Quadrilateral&rsquo; (Quad) grouping will meet in Singapore on 14 November <strong>to discuss their present challenge of describing what is their common agenda.</strong></p>
<p><strong>While Washington sees the U.S. and India as &ldquo;bookends&rdquo; (occur or be positioned at the end or on either side) of the Indo-Pacific, India, and Japan have included the oceans up to Africa in their definition.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/404drishti_Four corners on the Quad&rsquo;s agenda.jpg" style="float: right;" width="294" height="196" /></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During this third round, the four countries are expected to discuss infrastructure projects they are working on and building humanitarian disaster response mechanisms.</li>
<li>India and Japan have announced they will combine efforts on a number of projects in South Asia, including bridges and roads in Bangladesh, an LNG facility in Sri Lanka and reconstruction projects in Myanmar&rsquo;s Rakhine province.</li>
<li>Australia has unveiled an ambitious $2 billion project to fund infrastructure and build maritime and military infrastructure in the Pacific region, on which it is willing to cooperate with other Quad members.</li>
<li>The four countries are expected to talk about regional developments, including elections in the Maldives, the collapse of the government in Sri Lanka and the latest developments in North Korea.</li>
<li>As the current Quad talks are being held on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit, it is understood that issues are going to overlap with other regional groupings like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit and the ASEAN-India informal summit.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>What is Quad in International Relations?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the grouping of four democracies &ndash;<strong>India, Australia, the US, and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>All four nations find a common ground of being democratic nations and also support the common interest of unhindered maritime trade and security.</li>
<li>The Quad is billed as four democracies with a shared objective to ensure and <strong>support a &ldquo;free, open and prosperous&rdquo; Indo-Pacific region.</strong></li>
<li>The idea of Quad was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn&rsquo;t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it, apparently due to Chinese pressure.</li>
<li>Finally, on November 12, 2017, India, Australia, the US and Japan, came together and formed this &ldquo;quadrilateral&rdquo; coalition.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Agenda</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>It aims at countering China&rsquo;s aggressive </strong><g class="gr_ gr_77 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="77" data-gr-id="77">behaviour</g><strong> in the Indo-Pacific region.</strong></li>
<li>India, Australia, and Japan had issued separate statements listing the Indo-Pacific as a major area of the Quad&rsquo;s deliberations and resolved to expand cooperation to uphold a rules-based order and respect for international law in this strategically important region.</li>
<li><strong>They agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.</strong> Quad officials also exchanged views on addressing the common challenges of terrorism and proliferation linkages impacting the region, as well as on enhancing connectivity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and Quad countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China&rsquo;s blatant violation of international norms in recent years, particularly its construction of military facilities on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea, and its growing military and economic power, pose a strategic challenge to the countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including India, the United States, and its allies and strategic partners.</li>
<li>Together with the USA and its other strategic partners, India must, therefore,<strong> take the lead in working towards the establishment of an architecture to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific</strong> and for the security of the global commons &ndash; airspace, space, cyberspace and the sea-lanes of communication to enable the freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.</li>
<li><strong>Cooperative security</strong> does not necessarily require a formal military alliance &ndash; it entails the sharing of intelligence; joint counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation efforts; upholding the rules and norms governing maritime trade; providing help to the littoral states to meet their security needs; helping to counter piracy, arms smuggling, and narcotics trafficking; and, undertaking joint humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations in the region.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Criticism</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Despite the potential for cooperation, the Quad remains a mechanism without a defined strategic mission.</strong></li>
<li>When the grouping was first formed following cooperation after the 2004 tsunami, the idea was to better coordinate maritime capabilities for disaster situations. When revived in 2017, the grouping seemed to have become a counter to China&rsquo;s growing inroads into the region, despite denials that any particular country had been targeted.</li>
<li><strong>The entire focus on the Indo-Pacific makes the Quad a maritime, rather than a land-based grouping, raising questions whether the cooperation extends to the Asia-Pacific and Eurasian regions.</strong></li>
<li>Even on maritime exercises, there is a lack of concurrence. I<strong>ndia has not admitted Australia in the Malabar exercises with the U.S. and Japan, despite requests from Canberra, and has also resisted raising the level of talks from an official to the political level.</strong></li>
<li>The fact that <strong>India is the only member not in a treaty alliance with the other Quad countries will slow down progress</strong> somewhat, although each member is committed to building a stronger Quadrilateral engagement.</li>
<li>As <strong>protectionism is unfurling</strong> across the globe, <strong>the outcome of this third round in Singapore will be judged by the ability of the group to issue a joint declaration for cooperation.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/four corners: on the quad’s agenda'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Article 35A',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A bunch of petitions have challenged Article 35A which confers the special status to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir (J&amp;K).</li>
<li>The Supreme Court (SC) has adjourned the case and postponed the hearing till January 2019.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is 35A?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Article 35A was added to the Indian Constitution by a <strong>Presidential order in 1954 &ndash;</strong> issued under Article 370 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>This provision allows the President to make certain &ldquo;exceptions and modifications&rdquo; to the Constitution for the benefit of &lsquo;State subjects&rsquo; of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>While <strong>Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to J&amp;K,</strong> Article 35A provides the special rights and privileges to the <strong>permanent residents of J&amp;K</strong>.</li>
<li>The Fundamental Right to Property is still guaranteed in the state. Also, certain special rights are granted to the permanent residents of the state with regard to public employment, acquisition of immovable property, settlement and government scholarships.</li>
<li>It disallows people from outside the state from buying or owning immovable property there, settle permanently, or avail themselves of state-sponsored scholarship schemes.</li>
<li>Only the Jammu-Kashmir assembly can change the definition of Permanent Residents through a law ratified by a two-thirds majority.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Controversy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many believe that this article was incorporated unconstitutionally, dodging Article 368 which emancipates only the Parliament to amend the constitution.</li>
<li>Others consider Article 35 A against the &ldquo;very spirit of oneness of India&rdquo; as it created a &ldquo;class within a class of Indian citizens&rdquo; - by treating non-permanent residents of J&amp;K as &lsquo;second class&rsquo; citizens.</li>
<li>Restricting citizens from other States from getting employment or buying property within J&amp;K is a violation of fundamental rights <strong>under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution</strong>.</li>
<li>There is also probable discrimination on the basis of gender &ndash; since it denies property rights to children of women who marry those from outside the state.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arguments in support of 35A</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Article 35A safeguards the uniqueness of the J&amp;K. Even Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have the laws which state no outsider can buy a land.</li>
<li>This was part of the deal struck between the Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, and the republic of India to protect the privileges of Kashmiri residents from outsiders.</li>
<li>Striking Article 35A down will have various consequences on other constitutional amendments contained in the 1954 Presidential Order. And this can erode the autonomy of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>Striking down Article 35A would allow people from outside J&amp;K to settle in the state and acquire land and property, and the right to vote, thus altering the demography of the state.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The matter is sensitive and requires participation of various stakeholders and requires a larger debate.</li>
<li>This issue requires separate constitutional bench to take a stand about the article.</li>
<li>Though article 35A need relook, any further alteration should not take away the uniqueness of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>Should Article 35A be removed, it must be removed as an expression of the will of the people, through a political process which includes the people of J&amp;K in the discussion.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-article-35a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Mind Map</a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-article-35a'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Article 35A',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/812Article%2035A.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/812Article 35A.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-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-article-35a'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => '70% Youth Unaware of Govt’s Skill Development Programmes: WEF',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Seventy percent of youth are unaware of government-run skill development programmes in their area, yet more than seventy percent are very interested in pursuing skills training, according to a &ldquo;Young India and Work&rdquo; study by the Observer Research Foundation and World Economic Forum.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The findings, released recently, sheds light on a disconnect between youth sentiments and government&rsquo;s skill development programme.</li>
<li>The study surveyed a random sample of almost 6,000 youth between 15 and 30 about employment and aspirations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Context</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>About 1.3 million people enter the working age population in India every month.</li>
<li>The half of the country&rsquo;s population of 1.3 billion is below the age of 25, there is a demographic advantage to be <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="67" data-gr-id="67">realised</g>.</li>
<li>While it is clear that this will be <g class="gr_ gr_63 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="63" data-gr-id="63">realised</g> in the context of technological disruption (emergence of Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, Big data, etc.) and in the wake of dramatic changes in the economy and <g class="gr_ gr_64 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="64" data-gr-id="64">labour</g> market, managing these transformations and truly leveraging the possibilities they present, will require an understanding of the expectations and aspirations of India&rsquo;s youth.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings of the Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Higher education degrees are highly valued, but youth also want new skills:</strong> 96 percent of respondents hope to achieve a bachelor&rsquo;s degree or higher. 76 percent of respondents reported being very interested in pursuing skills development training.</li>
<li><strong>Factors considered while looking for a job:</strong> Good salaries, ample opportunities for promotion and career development, and job security.</li>
<li><strong>While youth prefer public sector jobs, there is discernible interest in entrepreneurship:</strong> 49 percent of youth prefer a job in the public sector. On the other hand, 38 percent of youth selected self-employment as an entrepreneur as their ideal type of job.</li>
<li><strong>The IT Industry is the largest employer of youth:</strong> 17 percent of employed respondents in this survey report working in information technology, communications and telecommunications making the IT industry the largest employer of surveyed youth.</li>
<li><strong>More than a third of surveyed youth are neither employed nor in education:</strong> 34 percent of all surveyed youth are neither <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="69" data-gr-id="69">employed,</g> nor in education.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The majority of respondents in the 15-20 age bracket are in education.</li>
<li>However, over 30 percent of 21 to 25-year-olds reported being neither employed nor in education. Fifty percent of female respondents in the 26-30 age bracket reported being neither employed nor in education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women prefer full-time careers, have less paid work experience, and feel less prepared:</strong> 82 percent of female youth prefer full-time employment as their ideal time commitment for work.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The survey also reveals that men have more paid work experience than women, with 28 percent of male respondents between the ages of 26-30 years having four or more years of paid work experience compared to 18 percent of female respondents.</li>
<li>Overall, men also report feeling more prepared for their ideal job than women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas of Disconnect between policies and aspirations of youth:&nbsp;</strong>Seventy percent of youth are unaware of government-run skill development programmes in their area. The low training participation &mdash; roughly three-fourths of the youth have never enrolled in a skills development programme &mdash; was mostly due to<strong> financial barriers, time constraints and the delay between skills training and finding an appropriate job.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Youth were willing to move for work, but companies emphasized recruiting locally.</li>
<li><strong>Job searches have gone digital but employers and recruiters have not:</strong> 81 percent of respondents report relying on media and internet sources for information and updates on available employment opportunities. On the other hand, a mere&nbsp;14 percent of companies are using online sources for recruitment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Information asymmetry, lack of guidance and work experience are impeding Indian youth from meeting their career aspirations:</strong> 51 percent of youth report that the<strong> lack of guidance</strong> in identifying jobs that match their skill sets is the main barrier they face when looking for a desirable job.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>41 percent of youth view their <strong>lack of work experience</strong> as the main barrier.</li>
<li>Further, 49 percent of youth feel that <strong>interaction with industry professionals is the most valuable form of guidance</strong>. This is closely followed by interaction with professional career counselors.</li>
<li>81 percent of youth view internships or apprenticeships as important for getting hired.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The key findings of the survey point to a high level of optimism and ambition among Indian youth with regard to their future.</li>
<li>India has the opportunity to build a productive and inclusive future of work in the wake of technological disruption.</li>
<li>However, meaningful strategies for managing these transformations cannot evolve in isolation; the expectations and aspirations of young India must be built into solutions for them to be successful.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/70-youth-unaware-of-govts-skill-development-programmes-wef'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'World War I Centenary',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>World leaders gathered at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on <strong>November 11 to mark 100 years since the end of World War I</strong> (1914-18).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>November 11 is observed as Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day) since the end of the World War I to remember members of armed forces who died in the line of duty.</li>
<li>The commemoration marked the signing of the Armistice that brought the fighting to an end at exactly 11 a.m. on Nov 11, 1918.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Paris Peace Forum</strong>, conceived by French President Macron, is intended to highlight the importance of international institutions in helping resolve conflicts, avert wars and spread prosperity.</li>
<li>The aim of the forum is to show that there are lots of forces in the international system &mdash; states, NGOs, foundations, intellectuals, companies &mdash; which believe that there is a need for <g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">world</g> of rules, an open world and a multilateral world.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>World War I</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World War I was <strong>fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers</strong>. The main members of the <strong>Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain</strong>. The <strong>United States</strong> also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main members of the <strong>Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There was no single event that caused World War I. The war happened because of several different events that took place in the years building up to 1914.</li>
<li><strong>Mutual Defense Alliances</strong>: Countries throughout Europe made mutual defence agreements. These treaties meant that if one country was attacked, allied countries were bound to defend them.</li>
<li><strong> Imperialism</strong>: Before World War I, Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention among the European countries because of their raw materials. The increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in the confrontation that helped push the world into World War I.</li>
<li><strong>Militarism</strong>: As the world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time period. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved into war.</li>
<li><strong> Nationalism</strong>: Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina to no longer be part of Austria Hungary but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly to the War.</li>
<li><strong>Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: </strong>In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot while he was visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia. He was killed by a Serbian person, who thought that Serbia should control Bosnia instead of Austria. Because its leader had been shot, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. As a result:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Russia got involved as it had an alliance with Serbia.</li>
<li>Germany then declared war on Russia because Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary.</li>
<li>Britain declared war on Germany because of its invasion of neutral Belgium - Britain had agreements to protect both Belgium and France.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of the major battles during the war included the First Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of Gallipoli, and the Battle of Verdun.</li>
<li>The <strong>War ended on November 11, 1918,</strong> when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides.</li>
<li>On June 28, 1919, <strong>World War I officially ended</strong> with the signing of the <strong>Treaty of Versailles</strong>. The Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919, was an attempt to prevent the world from going into another war.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &ldquo;war to end all wars&rdquo; turned out to be the opposite. By ensuring Germany&rsquo;s economic ruin and political humiliation, the post-war settlement provided fertile ground for World War II.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Significance in WWI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India being a former British colony played a vital role in <strong>helping Britain and its allies win over Germany and allies</strong>, a role that is often overlooked.</li>
<li>Being a British colony, the Indian Army contributed a large number of soldiers to the European, Mediterranean and the Middle East conflicts of war in World War I.</li>
<li>The Indian Army fought against the German Empire in East Africa and also on the Western Front.</li>
<li>They served in places as diverse as France and Belgium, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Gallipoli, Palestine and Sinai.</li>
<li><strong>More than 70 thousand of the Indian soldiers</strong> who served British in World War I <strong>lost their lives</strong>. Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army once said: " <strong>Britain couldn't have come through the wars if they hadn't had the Indian Army</strong>."</li>
<li>As high as 100 million British Pounds was given by India to Britain to fund their war anticipating dominion status and home rule in return.</li>
<li>The <strong>British raised men and money from India, as well as large supplies of food, cash, and ammunition, collected by British taxation policies</strong>. In return, the British promised to award self-rule to India at the end of the war which eventually was not delivered.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India Gate</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 1931, British commemorated the war by constructing the arch known as India Gate in New Delhi designed by<strong> Edwin Lutyens</strong>.</li>
<li>India Gate has been the focal point to <strong>commemorate over 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives</strong> fighting for the British Army during World War I.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>World War Memorial</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Vice President inaugurated the First World War Memorial constructed by the Government of India at the town of Villers Guislain in France.</li>
<li>It is the first national memorial for the Indian soldiers who died in France during World War I and features the Ashoka emblem.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Saffron Marigold Sacrifice</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Marigold has become the symbol of sacrifice of Indian soldi<g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99">ers</g></strong><g class="gr_ gr_99 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="99" data-gr-id="99"> who d</g>ied in World War I.</li>
<li>This is a part of the <strong>'India Remembers' Project initiated by United Service Institution of India (USI)</strong> which is a national security and defence services think tank based in New Delhi, India.</li>
<li>Since the end of the First World War, <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="92" data-gr-id="92">poppy</g> was adopted as the symbol of remembrance as it grew widely in fields in Europe where some of the major battles were fought.</li>
<li>The Marigold joins the poppy as a symbol of sacrifice.</li>
<li>The marigold was chosen because it is widely available and also because saffron is often seen as a colour of sacrifice.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-war-I-centenary'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'World’s First Brain-Like Super-Computer',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A supercomputer which is designed to work in the same way as the human brain was switched on for the first time.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The supercomputer is named as <strong>Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker) machine.</strong></li>
<li>It has million-processor-core and is capable of completing more than 200 million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors.</li>
<li>The SpiNNaker machine is <strong>designed and built in The University of Manchester, UK.</strong></li>
<li>This supercomputer was conceptualized almost 20 years ago and its construction <g class="gr_ gr_78 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="78" data-gr-id="78">begin</g> in 2006.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How It Works?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Biological neurons are basic brain cells present in the nervous system that communicate by emitting &lsquo;spikes&rsquo; of electrochemical energy.</li>
<li>Neuromorphic computing (electronic circuits mimicking neural-biological architecture) uses large-scale computer systems containing electronic circuits to mimic these spikes in a machine.</li>
<li>SpiNNaker is unique because it does not communicate by sending large amounts of information from point A to B via a standard network like in traditional computer but it mimics the parallel communication architecture of the brain, sending billions of small amounts of information simultaneously to thousands of different destinations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Applications</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The SpiNNaker machine will be capable of simulating a billion simple neurons, or millions of neurons with complex structure and internal dynamics.</li>
<li>The supercomputer will help neuroscientists better understand how the human brain works. It does this by running extremely large scale real-time simulations which simply aren&rsquo;t possible on other machines.</li>
<li>SpiNNaker has been used to simulate a region of the brain called the Basal Ganglia &ndash; an area affected in Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, thus it has massive potential for neurological breakthroughs in science such as pharmaceutical testing.</li>
<li>The SpiNNaker has been harnessed to control a robot, the SpOmnibot. This robot uses the SpiNNaker system to interpret real-time visual information and navigate itself&nbsp;towards certain objects while ignoring others.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Human Brain Project</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Human Brain Project is an effort to construct a virtual human brain.</li>
<li>The Human Brain Project (HBP) is building a research infrastructure to help advance neuroscience, medicine, and computing.</li>
<li>It was started in October&nbsp;2013 and is funded by the European Union.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Biologically-Inspired Massively Parallel Computation (BIMPC):</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was a five-year project, which began in March 2013, funded by the&nbsp;European Union.</li>
<li>Its main goal is to use the neuromorphic platform to build models of brain subsystems and of nonneural applications of the brain-inspired architecture.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/worlds-first-brain-like-super-computer'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'World Wide Web Foundation Report',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>World Wide Web Foundation recently released a report on Internet Accessibility and Affordability.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>World Wide Web Foundation is established by<strong> Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the Internet.</strong></li>
<li>The WWW Foundation&rsquo;s study is <strong>based on purchasing power,</strong> comparing the price of 1GB of data against average household income.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Major Findings of Report</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report has <strong>found a sharp decline in the growth of Internet</strong> access across the globe due to a dip in affordability.</li>
<li>However,<strong> India has shown the reverse trend</strong> in Internet accessibility and affordability because of the decrease in prices.</li>
<li>The report mentions healthy <strong>market competition,</strong> <strong>growth in infrastructure, good policymaking and the role played by TRAI </strong>(which has created an open-access system to measure the quality of service) as factors responsible for India&rsquo;s growth.</li>
<li>India also had an advantage over the developed countries because it had fewer legacy systems (old computer systems) to write off and could tap directly into the mobile internet boom.</li>
<li><strong>Global Digital Divide</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite the global communications boom, one out of every two humans is still offline.</li>
<li><strong>The majority of the people with no internet connection are in nations that are either developing or small and are mostly females</strong><g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="35" data-gr-id="35">..</g></li>
<li>Worldwide,<strong> 2.3 billion people live in a country</strong> where a 1GB mobile <strong>broadband plan is unaffordable</strong> for those earning the average income.</li>
<li>This digital divide undermines opportunities for wider socio-economic development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="" border-bg="">
<p><strong>Inclusive Internet Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Inclusive Internet Index is <strong>commissioned</strong> by <strong>Facebook</strong> and <strong>conducted</strong> <strong>by</strong> <strong>The Economist</strong> <strong>Intelligence</strong> <strong>Unit</strong> (Part of the UK based <em>The Economist</em> Group).</li>
<li>It seeks to measure the extent to which the Internet is not only accessible and affordable but also &ldquo;relevant to all, allowing usage that enables positive social and economic outcomes at individual and group level.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>India was ranked 47th out of 86 countries in Inclusive Internet Index in 2018.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-wide-web-report'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'INSPIRE 2018',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Power Minister inaugurated &lsquo;International Symposium to Promote Innovation &amp; Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE-2018)&rsquo; and awarded the winners of the #InnovateToINSPIRE challenge.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is the second edition of INSPIRE and is being organised by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and World Bank.</li>
<li>The three-day symposium focuses on enhancing grid management, e-Mobility, financial instruments and technologies for energy efficiency in India.</li>
<li>To support investments in new, innovative and scalable business models, EESL and Asian Development Bank (ADB) also signed an agreement for a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of USD 13 million to establish an Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF).</li>
<li>INSPIRE is India&rsquo;s first Energy Efficiency event, bringing together various policy makers, innovators, financiers, influencers and stakeholders to showcase best practices in transformative policies, large scale implementation, financing models and high-impact research initiatives from India and across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The fund aims to expand and sustain investments in the energy efficiency market in India, build market diversification, and scale up existing technologies.</li>
<li>EERF will boost four of EESL&rsquo;s existing technologies. These involve street lighting, domestic lighting, five-star rated ceiling fans and agricultural pumps.</li>
<li>The funding will also help EESL promote three new technologies, on 'super-efficient&rsquo; ceiling fans, tri-generation and smart grids/meters.</li>
<li>The EERF mechanism will help cover the initial investment cost of energy efficiency programmes. Savings from these technologies can be used to finance additional projects.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>EESL functions under the administration of Ministry of Power, Government of India and is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency.</li>
<li>It is implementing the world&rsquo;s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Global Environment Facility</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Environment Facility(GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet&rsquo;s most pressing environmental problems.</li>
<li>GEF is an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.</li>
<li>It is based in Washington DC, United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/inspire-2018'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Army Inducts Major Artillery Gun Systems',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Indian Army has received the first batch of its new artillery weapons at Devlali Field Firing Ranges in Maharashtra.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The artillery gun systems include the <strong>M777 American Ultra Light Howitzers, K9 Vajra, and a &lsquo;Composite Gun Tractor&rsquo;</strong> for towing some existing guns in service.</li>
<li>More than three decades have passed since a modern artillery system was inducted by the army, the last being the Bofors FH77B02 in 1987.</li>
</ul>
<h3>K9 Vajra</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The K9 VAJRA-T 155mm/ 52 is a tracked self-propelled howitzer, which has its roots in the K9 Thunder, the mainstay of the South Korean Army.</li>
<li>The Vajra offers a high rate of fire at a long range and is compatible with Indian and standard NATO ammunition.</li>
<li>The K9 Thunder platform is made of all-welded steel armour protection material.</li>
<li>
<p>The K9 gun has been developed under the <strong>`Buy Global&rsquo; programme of the&nbsp; Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)</strong> where foreign companies are allowed to participate &mdash;in this case Hanwha Techwin of South Korea is the technology partner of L&amp;T.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The first 10 K9 Vajra guns have been imported from <strong>South Korea</strong> and have been assembled by<strong> L&amp;T</strong> in India. The balance 90 guns will be largely manufactured in the country.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>M777</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 155mm, 39 Calibre Ultra light Howitzers have been procured from USA under Government to Government Foreign Military Sales in 2016 and will be assembled by U.S.A.'s BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence.</li>
<li>It is one of the lightest guns that was actively used in Iraq and Afghanistan, the M777 will be deployed on the high altitude borders with China and Pakistan and is especially useful with the Chinook helicopters that can transport them quickly.</li>
<li>It is smaller and lighter, as it is made of titanium and aluminium alloys and weighs just 4 tonnes. It has effective firing range of 24 km.</li>
<li>It has been procured through the <strong>Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route under the `Buy Global&rsquo; programme of the&nbsp; Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The artillery has always been a battle winning factor. It possesses the ability to strike deep with great accuracy and cause maximum damage to even well-constructed shelters and bunkers.</li>
<li>Other than the Bofors inducted in 1984, Indian Army possessed the 130 mm guns and 105 mm guns inducted in the 1960&rsquo;s and 70&rsquo;s. The 130 mm lacked the ability to fire in mountains and the 105 mm lacked range. Both guns fired limited type of shells with lesser level of fragmentation.</li>
<li>Both M777 and K9 Vajra would enhance firepower in a region where spread of deployment restricts fire support to troops holding ground in the defensive role.</li>
<li>The procurement of state of the art defence equipments not only enhances the capability of armed forces, but also provides technological know-how to the domestic manufacturers. This in turn will push the indigenous manufacturing of defence equipments.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong> Defence Procurement Procedure</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The&nbsp;Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP-2016) had replaced the DPP-2013 based on the recommendations of the <strong>Dhirendra Singh Committee</strong> that was appointed in May 2015 to review the DPP, 2013.</li>
<li>DPP, 2016 focuses to boost the <strong>Make-in-India</strong> initiative of the Government of India, by promoting indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence equipment, platforms and systems.</li>
<li>The government has introduced a<strong> newly incorporated procurement</strong> class called <strong>&ldquo;Buy Indian (IDDM)&rdquo;</strong>, where IDDM stands for <strong>Indigenous Designed Developed and Manufactured</strong>. This would have the first preference in all acquisitions once the DPP comes into effect.</li>
<li>Besides this, <strong>preference</strong> has been accorded to <strong>&lsquo;Buy (Indian)&rsquo; and &lsquo;Buy and Make (Indian)&rsquo;</strong> categories of capital acquisition over &lsquo;Buy (Global)&rsquo; &amp; &lsquo;Buy &amp; Make (Global)&rsquo; categories.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indian-army-inducts-major-artillery-gun-systems'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: National Database Of Sexual Offenders',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m0vPtTeK9Ho" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For the first time, India released the National Database of Sexual Offenders in September 2018. <strong>The registry contains key details like names, photographs, residential address, fingerprints, DNA samples, and PAN and Aadhaar numbers, of convicted sexual offenders.</strong> The database, which will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, will also contain o<strong>ver 4.5 lakh cases.</strong> The cases have profiles of first-time and repeat offenders as well. Before India, UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Trinidad have maintained the data record. However, in the US, documents can be accessed by the public. But in India, the details will be available only to the law enforcement agencies. The decision to set up the database was taken in this year (2018) following nationwide outrage over cases of sexual assault on minors.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>DRISHTI INPUT</em></p>
<p><strong>What is the National Database of Sexual Offenders?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India became the ninth country in the world</strong> to have a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), accessible only to law enforcement agencies <strong>for the purpose of &ldquo;investigation and monitoring&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The database will be maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau, which will also track whether the State police are updating the records on time or not. The database also includes offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, and eve-teasing.</li>
<li><strong>At present, the database contains 4.4 lakh entries.</strong> But, as of now, it does not have records of juvenile offenders, but they are likely to be included in the later stage.</li>
<li>NDSO will maintain a database of cases classified as posing a <strong>low danger for a period of 15 years.</strong> The database of cases, which are classified as a <strong>moderate danger, will be stored for 25 years.</strong> The data for cases involving repeat and habitual offenders criminals, convicted gang rapists, and custodial rapes will be stored permanently.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of NDSO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rise in the sexual offenders in the past couple of years is alarming.</li>
<li>In 2015-16 alone the increase was around 10000 sexual offenders. On the one hand, there is a continuous increase in the sexual offenders and on the other the conviction rate is very low. As compared to 2007 the conviction rate has dipped down to almost half.</li>
<li>The <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="89" data-gr-id="89">NDSO&rsquo;s</g> purpose is to act as a deterrent against future assault. This database would prevent the registered offenders from committing the crime again, as it has been seen that in most of the cases it is a repeat <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="91" data-gr-id="91">offence</g>.</li>
<li>To make the police verification system more robust that will help in the recruitment process. Especially, in schools, playhouse, household maid, etc.</li>
<li>Since India already had a database for economic offenders (civil), NDSO is only a logical follow up to list the perpetrators of heinous crimes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Limitations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Even though it is a good exercise but it is limited in scope. Only the registered cases would be circulated. Lakhs of cases go unreported every year. Consequently, the success of the database would depend upon the quantum of cases being reported.</li>
<li>In most of the cases (around 28%), the offenders are either a family member or a person who wields extreme power. In such situations, the cases go unreported.</li>
<li>The arrested and the charge sheeted data will be circulated through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems. However, it only the police and the investigative agencies that would be privy to the data. The data will not be shared with the general public.</li>
<li>It does not have the power to stop crime.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Should the Database be Made Public?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First, following the western countries, the list/database ought to be in the public domain. So that the general public could take precaution against such perpetrators. Further, the name being made public would shame the person and would act as a deterrence.</li>
<li>However, on the other hand, if the name is made public it leaves little scope for the perpetrator to reform. Might make them more adamant to commit more crime.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One positive thing is that more and more women are coming forward and registering cases of a sexual <g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="108" data-gr-id="108">offence</g> against the perpetrators.<strong> Favorable media coverage and de-stigmatization o</strong>f such cases by widespread campaign have empowered the women to come forward.</li>
<li>Now, the <strong>conviction rate has to go up</strong>. An entire criminal justice system has to speed up.</li>
<li>Mandatory registration of FIRs and if cases are found where police are reluctant to register a case then <strong>immediate prosecution</strong> of the police personnel.</li>
<li>The number of police with respect to population is abysmally low in case of India. Hence, t<strong>he number of police personnel has to go up substantially.</strong> Besides the frequency of patrolling has to increase drastically. Induction of more women constable in the police force can also act as one of the solutions.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>law enforcement agencies that have to use the data judiciously.</strong> Constant updating of the data is a must.</li>
<li>Most importantly, the fundamental change should be instituted from within the family. Values should start from home itself. Most of the heinous crimes are committed within the four corners of the walls. That is a space where the police, that is the state cannot enter. Hence, <strong>family morality has to stand vanguard against such depraved actions.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-national-database-of-sexual-offenders'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Mission to Explore Ocean Deeps',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>A submarine mission called "Five Deeps" will explore the bottom of each of the world's oceans.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Five Deeps Expedition is the<strong> first manned expedition</strong> to the deepest points in each of the world&rsquo;s five oceans.</li>
<li>Deep Oceans remain uncharted territory for humans, while hundreds of people have ventured into space, only three people have touched down on the deepest known places in oceans.</li>
<li>The expedition provides the unprecedented opportunity to sample life across a gradient of depths, temperatures, salinity, food supply, latitude and in places around the world that were formed, split, or united millions of years ago by the shifting of the Earth&rsquo;s tectonic plates.</li>
<li><strong>Five spots in oceans where expedition will go are</strong>:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Puerto Rico Trench</span>&nbsp;(Atlantic Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>South Sandwich Trench</strong> (Southern Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Java Trench</strong> (Indian Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Challenger Deep</strong> (Pacific Ocean)</li>
<li><strong>Molloy Deep</strong> (Arctic Ocean)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>DSV Limiting Factor</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The expedition crew will use <strong>Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor</strong> submarine for exploring the ocean deeps.</li>
<li>Limiting Factor is the<strong> only human-occupied vessel that can visit any place in oceans, at any depth</strong>, and from any properly-equipped ship.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Goals of the Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To collect samples which will be used in research involving effects of <strong>undersea seismic activity</strong></li>
<li>Find<strong> deep-sea features and habitats</strong> using high-resolution multibeam sonar and learn about lives in those habitats</li>
<li>Discover how organisms survive in<strong> Hadalpelagic zones</strong></li>
<li>Determine the organism's&rsquo; role in each given ecosystem</li>
<li>Connect the Five Deeps through genetic differentiation of species found on the dives</li>
</ul>
<h3><br />Zones in the Ocean</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Scientists have divided the ocean into five main layers. These layers, known as "zones", extend from the surface to the most extreme depths.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Epipelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The surface layer of the ocean is known as the epipelagic zone.</li>
<li>It extends from the<strong> surface to 200 meters (656 feet).</strong></li>
<li>It is also known as the <strong>sunlight zone</strong> because this is where most of the visible light exists.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Mesopelagic</strong> <strong>Zone</strong> <strong>-</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Below the epipelagic zone is the mesopelagic zone, extending from <strong>200 meters (656 feet) to 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).</strong></li>
<li>The mesopelagic zone is sometimes referred to as the <strong>twilight zone or the midwater zone</strong>.</li>
<li>The light that penetrates to this depth is extremely faint.</li>
<li><strong>Bioluminescent creatures</strong> (visible light produced by the creatures themselves) starts appearing in this zone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bathypelagic Zone </strong>-
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This zone extends from <strong>1,000 meters (3,281 feet) down to 4,000 meters (13,124 feet).</strong></li>
<li>It is sometimes referred to as the <strong>midnight zone or the dark zone.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Abyssopelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is also known as the <strong>abyssal zone</strong> or simply as the abyss.</li>
<li>It extends from<strong> 4,000 meters (13,124 feet) to 6,000 meters (19,686 feet).</strong></li>
<li>The water temperature is near freezing, and there is no light at all.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Hadalpelagic Zone -</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This layer extends from <strong>6,000 meters (19,686 feet) to the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean.</strong></li>
<li>These areas are mostly found in deep water trenches and canyons.</li>
<li><strong>The deepest point in the ocean is located in the Mariana Trench off the coast of Japan at 35,797 feet (10,911 meters).</strong></li>
<li>The temperature of the water is just above freezing, and the pressure is 800 times as that on the surface.</li>
<li>In spite of the pressure and temperature, life can still be found here.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Deep Ocean Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India has also launched a<strong> &lsquo;Deep Ocean Mission&rsquo;</strong> for<strong> exploration of polymetallic nodules in Central Indian Ocean Basin.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Polymetallic nodules contain multiple metals</strong> like copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, aluminum, silver, gold, and platinum etc. in variable constitutions and are precipitate of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from the deep interior of the oceanic crust.</li>
<li>Of these, cobalt, copper, and nickel are of much importance and in great demand in India as cobalt is used extensively in medical treatment and nickel in batteries.</li>
<li>It will reduce India&rsquo;s dependence on imports of cobalt and other rare earth metals.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Bannerghatta Park’s Eco-Sensitive Zone Reduced',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) had issued a new draft notification for Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), nearly 2.5 years after the first draft notification had declared an ESZ of 268.96 sq.km. In the latest notification, the Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) was reduced to 169 sq.km.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>reduction in the ESZ</strong>, which regulates and prohibits certain activities that may destroy the forest, may <strong>open up more areas</strong> in the vicinity <strong>for</strong> <strong>mining and commercial development</strong> around the rapidly-urbanising Bengaluru city.</li>
<li>Areas, where ESZ has been cut down drastically, are either being mined or are prospective mining areas. The other sector that will benefit from the cutting down of ESZ is real estate as land has now been freed from environmental constraints along highways close to BNP.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are <strong>areas notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)</strong>, Government of India around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.</li>
<li>Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are regulated under the <strong>Environment (Protection Act) of 1986</strong> and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to come up in such areas.</li>
<li>As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.</li>
<li>Industries classified as prohibited under guidelines for declaration of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are not allowed to operate in these zones.</li>
<li>The guidelines prohibit activities such as commercial mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects.</li>
<li>Activities such as felling of trees, commercial use of natural water resources, including groundwater harvesting and setting up of hotels and resorts, are regulated in these areas.</li>
<li>The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of ESZ</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the course of industrialisation, urbanisation and other developmental initiatives, <g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="65" data-gr-id="65">lot</g> of changes occur in the landscape which may sometimes become the cause of natural disasters like earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, cloudburst etc.</li>
<li>In order to preserve certain regions/areas bestowed with unique plants, animals, terrains Government has declared them as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, etc.</li>
<li>Further,<strong> to minimise the impact of urbanisation</strong> and other developmental activities, areas adjacent to such protected areas have been declared as Eco-Sensitive Zones.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2017-2031</strong> endeavours to protect areas outside the protected area network to prevent isolation/destruction of fragments of biodiversity.</li>
<li>The purpose of declaring eco-sensitive zones around protected areas is for <strong>creating some kind of &lsquo;Shock Absorber&rsquo;</strong> to the protected area. They would also <strong>act as a transition zone</strong> from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.</li>
<li>Protection of eco-sensitive zones has assumed importance in view of the overzealous developmental initiatives in fragile ecosystems. A balanced, rational developmental approach is the need of the hour.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bannerghatta National Park</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bannerghatta National Park is located near Bangalore in <strong>Karnataka</strong>.</li>
<li>Wildlife such as elephants, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild boar, sloth bear, Sambar, Chital, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and hares are found in abundance.</li>
<li>The <strong>Bannerghatta Biological Park</strong> has been an integral part of Bannerghatta National Park and emerged out as an independent establishment during the year 2002.</li>
<li>In order to meet the growing demand for eco-recreation, eco-tourism and conservation, some area of forest from the National park were set aside to constitute as Biological Park.</li>
<li>Bannerghatta Biological Park is <strong>one among the few places in the world</strong> where <strong>wilderness is preserved so close to a big city</strong>. It is having different units such as <strong>Zoo, Safari, Butterfly Park and Rescue Center (Conservation of captive animals)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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