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Vice President’s Three Nation Tour

Vice President of India completed his visit to Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe from November 1 to 5. During the visit various agreements covering a...

06 Nov 2018 News Analysis
National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam

05 Nov 2018 Paper 2
India-based Neutrino Observatory

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has upheld the environmental clearance granted in March 2018 to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) a major...

05 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine

(This editorial is based on the article “Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine” which appears in The Hindu on 4th November 2018. It analyses the...

05 Nov 2018 News Editorials
RBI-Government Tussle

Recently, deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in a public speech warned against government interference in Reserve Bank's working. The...

05 Nov 2018 News Analysis
The Big Picture - Pending Cases: Way Forward

According to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), around 23 lakh cases, which are over a decade old, are pending in various subordinate courts...

03 Nov 2018 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Support and Outreach Initiative for MSME Sector

The Prime Minister, launched support and outreach programme for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. The programme includes 12...

03 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (3rd November 2018)

Delhi Durbar Painting One of the biggest and most iconic oil paintings in the collection of Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) depicting the Delhi...

03 Nov 2018 News Analysis
NASA’s Dawn Mission

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft (launched in 2007) which orbited the two largest objects (Vesta and Ceres) in the asteroid belt has run out of fuel,...

03 Nov 2018 News Analysis
How Not To Choose Among Allies

(The editorial is based on the article “How Not To Choose Among Allies” which appeared in The Hindu on 3rd November 2018. It analyses...

03 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Net Zero Energy Buildings

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has come out with Net Zero Energy Buildings rating system in collaboration with the World Green Building...

03 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Section 377 Judgement

Why in News? The Supreme Court (SC) recently decriminalised homosexuality by striking off parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)...

02 Nov 2018 Paper 2
Oceans Heating Faster: IPCC Study

The ocean is warming much faster than previously thought, new research has found, suggesting that global climate goals may be even harder to...

02 Nov 2018 News Analysis
China Lifts Ban on Trade of Tiger Bones and Rhino Horns

China has lifted a 25-year old ban on the scientific and medical use of tiger bones and rhinoceros horn. According to conservationists, this lifting...

02 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (2nd November 2018)

Dharma Guardian- 2018 Dharma Guardian 2018 is the joint military exercise between India and Japan. It involves the Indian Army and Japan Ground...

02 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Failing Its Purpose

(The editorial is based on the article “Failing Its Purpose” which appeared in The Indian Express on 30 October 2018. It analyses the...

02 Nov 2018 News Editorials
Section 377 Judgement

02 Nov 2018 Paper 2
Payment Firms Begins Process of Data Localisation

Global card payment companies like Visa and MasterCard have started to comply with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) norms on data...

01 Nov 2018 News Analysis
Building Resilient Cities

Every year, World Cities Day is observed on 31st October. The concept was first brought about by the United Nations. According to the UN, the day...

01 Nov 2018 News Analysis
World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report 2019

India improved its ranking by 23 places to secure 77th rank in World Bank’s latest 'Ease of Doing Business' report, 2019. New Zealand topped...

01 Nov 2018 News Analysis

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		(int) 0 => [
			'title' => 'Vice President’s Three Nation Tour',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Vice President of India completed his visit to <strong>Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe</strong> from November 1 to 5.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the visit various agreements covering a range of areas of cooperation were signed.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s relation with Africa has found convergence due to<strong> shared struggle against colonialism, stand against racism and similar post independence developmental issues.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Africa for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Economic Engagements</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has offered <strong>duty-free market access to Africa&rsquo;s least developed countries</strong> under Duty Free Tariff Preferences scheme.</li>
<li>India is also a large market for goods and services generated in Africa. The India-Africa trade is estimated to be around $70 billion, and it can increase up to $100 billion in the next 2-3 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Assistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has been<strong> providing line of credits for various infrastructural projects</strong> in many african countries.</li>
<li>During India Africa Forum Summit in 2008 India has committed $7.5 billion to African infrastructure, covering 137 projects in more than 40 countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Capacity Building Programmes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has provided more than <strong>$1 billion in technical assistance and training to personnel</strong> under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program.</li>
<li>India is also implementing<strong> e-Vidya Bharati and e-Arogya Bharati (e-VBAV) in African countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security Engagement</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has participated in near&shy;ly all <strong>UN peacekeeping operations in Africa.</strong> India is one of the largest contributor to Peacekeeping mission in Africa.</li>
<li>India has <strong>military-to-military cooperation activities, primarily related to the training fields,</strong> with almost one-third of the 54 African nations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation at Global Level</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both India and Africa&rsquo;s viewpoints <strong>converge on issue of UNSC reform.</strong> India has been providing leadership to Least Developed Countries in World Trade Organization and at climate forums.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s initiative of<strong> International Solar Alliance</strong> has found many takers in Africa and many countries have become part of this initiative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India Africa Forum Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The India&ndash;Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) is the official platform for the<strong> African-Indian relations.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>held once in every three years beginning from 2008</strong>.</li>
<li>India by consistently holding India- Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in places like New Delhi (2008), Addis Ababa (2011) and New Delhi (2015) has already forged ties with the 54 African states through the African Union (AU).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>E-VBAB Network Project</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>E-VBAB Network Project is primarily a technological upgrade and extension of the <strong>Pan-African e-Network Project.</strong></li>
<li>The Project aims at imparting tele-education and telemedicine by linking educational institutions and hospitals in India with those from the participating African countries.</li>
<li>The e-VBAB Network Project is completely funded by the Government of India and is open for participation to all our partner countries of India in Africa.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Botswana</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India established diplomatic relations with Botswana immediately after its independence in 1966 and opened its diplomatic mission in Gaborone in 1987.</li>
<li>Botswana is an active member of Southern African Development Community (SADC), South African Customs Union (SACU), WTO and other International organizations.</li>
<li>Diamonds have a significant role in trade relation between two countries, diamond forms approx. 40% of GDP and almost 70% of its export earnings of Botswana and diamond cutting and polishing industries located in India are heavily dependent on supply of rough diamond from Botswana.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Zimbabwe</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the era of the Munhumutapa Kingdom, Indian merchants established strong links with Zimbabwe, trading in textiles, minerals and metals.</li>
<li>In the 17th century, a great son of Zimbabwe, Dom Miguel &ndash; Prince, Priest and Professor, and heir to the imperial throne of the Mutapas &ndash; studied in Goa.</li>
<li>India supported Zimbabwe&rsquo;s freedom struggle. Former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi attended Zimbabwe independence celebrations in 1980.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Malawi</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India established diplomatic ties with Malawi in 1964, the year when Malawi gained its independence.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
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		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'India-based Neutrino Observatory',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has upheld the environmental clearance granted in March 2018 to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) a major scientific research facility that is proposed to be constructed in the<strong> Bodi West Hills (Theni district) of Tamil Nadu</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>However, the project could not be implemented <g class="gr_ gr_72 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="72" data-gr-id="72">till</g> the approval of the National Board of Wildlife is also received.</li>
<li>According to Environmentalists such massive scale of construction <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="85" data-gr-id="85">underground,</g> and controlled blasts, the vibrations from the explosions will badly affect the ecologically <strong>fragile Western Ghats</strong>.</li>
<li>The site which is near the<strong> Kerala-Tamilnadu border</strong> is close to the <strong>Mathikettan Shola National Park</strong>, and a number of hydroelectric projects, which accounts for the majority of the electricity generation in Kerala.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Neutrino</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Proton, neutron, and electron are tiny particles that <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="96" data-gr-id="96">make up</g> atoms. The <strong>neutrino is also a tiny elementary particle</strong>, but it is not part of the atom. Such particles are also found to exist in nature.</li>
<li>Neutrino has a <strong>very tiny mass and no charge</strong>. It <strong>interacts very weakly with other matter particles</strong>. So weakly that every second <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="90" data-gr-id="90">trillions</g> of neutrinos fall on us and pass through our bodies unnoticed.</li>
<li>Neutrinos come from the sun (solar neutrinos) and other stars, cosmic rays that come from beyond the solar system, and from the Big Bang from which our Universe originated. They <strong>can also be produced in the lab</strong>.</li>
<li>The<strong> INO will study atmospheric neutrinos only</strong>. Solar neutrinos have much lower energy than the detector can detect.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INO Project is aimed at building a <strong>world-class underground laboratory</strong> with a rock cover to conduct basic research on neutrino.</li>
<li>The <strong>Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is the nodal institution</strong>. The observatory is to be built jointly with the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.</li>
<li>The observatory will be<strong> located underground</strong> so as to provide adequate <strong>shielding to the neutrino detector from cosmic background radiation</strong>.</li>
<li>The operation of INO will have <strong>no release of radioactive or toxic substances</strong>. It is not a weapons laboratory and will have no strategic or <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">defence</g> applications.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Future Applications of Neutrino Science</h3>
<p>Basic sciences research is needed to understand the properties of particles before they can be applied. 100 years ago, when the electron was discovered, it had no foreseeable uses. Today, a world without electronics cannot be imagined.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Properties of the sun</strong>: The visible light is emitted from the surface of the sun and neutrinos, which travel close to the speed of light, are produced in the core of the sun. Studying these neutrinos can help us understand what goes on in the interior of the sun.</li>
<li><strong> Constituents of the Universe</strong>: Light coming from distant stars can be studied by astronomers, for example, to detect new planets. Likewise, if the properties of neutrinos are understood better, they can be used in astronomy to discover what the universe is made up of.</li>
<li><strong> Probing early Universe</strong>: Neutrinos interact very little with the matter around them, so they travel long distances uninterrupted. The extragalactic (originating outside the Milky Way galaxy) neutrinos we observe may be coming from the distant past. These undamaged messengers can give us a clue about the origin of the universe and the early stages of the infant universe, soon after the Big Bang.</li>
<li><strong> Medical Imaging</strong>: Apart from direct future uses of neutrinos, there are technological applications of the detectors that will be used to study them. For instance, X-ray machines, MRI scans, etc., all came out of research into particle detectors. Hence the <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="69" data-gr-id="69">INO</g> detectors may have applications in medical imaging.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Green Tribunal</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>National Green Tribunal was established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010</strong> for effective and expeditious <strong>disposal of cases relating to environmental protection</strong> and conservation of forests and other natural resources.</li>
<li>It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.</li>
<li>The Tribunal is <strong>not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure</strong>, 1908, but shall be <strong>guided by principles of natural justice</strong>.</li>
<li>The Tribunal's dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.</li>
<li>The Tribunal is mandated to make an <strong><g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="76" data-gr-id="76">endeavour</g> for disposal of applications</strong> or appeals finally <strong>within 6 months of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_75 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="75" data-gr-id="75">filing</g> of the same.</li>
<li>Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="79" data-gr-id="79">circuit</g> procedure for making itself more accessible.</li>
<li><strong>New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal</strong> and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="71" data-gr-id="71">and</g> Chennai shall be the other four place of sitting of the Tribunal.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 4th November 2018. It analyses the problem of air pollution in India.)</p>
</div>
<p>Air pollution has now become a familiar story, repeated with minor variations every year. <strong>India&rsquo;s air pollution issue comes off as a peculiarly urban problem.</strong> <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/275545/WHO-CED-PHE-18.01-eng.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The World Health Organization&rsquo;s Air Pollution and Child Health: Prescribing Clean Air report</a>&nbsp;released earlier this week underlines the fact that the main sources of air pollution may vary from urban to rural areas, but no area is, strictly speaking, safer. This shows the seriousness of the problem spreading everywhere.</p>
<p>Both indoor and outdoor (ambient) air pollution poses several acute and chronic threats to human health, causing over 1.8 million deaths per year. <strong>While indoor pollution had a higher count of deaths two decades ago, ambient air pollution is the bigger killer now according to recent estimates. In reality, both are major killers with both forms of pollution mixing with each other as air flows between homes and the streets.</strong></p>
<p>The UN Environment Programme&rsquo;s recent report titled &lsquo;<a href="http://ccacoalition.org/en/resources/air-pollution-asia-and-pacific-science-based-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-Based Solutions</a>&rsquo; has sounded a warning, pointing out that <strong>only 8% of the population in the countries of the region get to breathe the air of acceptable quality.</strong></p>
<h3>Reasons Behind Air Pollution:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Urban Air Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Every winter, the Indo-Gangetic plains, housing nearly a third of India&rsquo;s population, are blanketed with a thick layer of ambient pollution caused by <strong>stubble burning in nearby states, brick kilns, coal-fired factories and wood fires for heat etc.</strong></li>
<li>Slowing down of air currents in the winter combined with a decreasing temperature also leads to air pollution in northern states of India.</li>
<li>The problem is aggravated by the <strong>burning of urban waste, diesel soot, vehicular exhaust, road and construction dust, and generation of power using coal.</strong></li>
<li>Seasonal additions like<strong> fine dust blowing in from the Thar desert</strong> during some summer months further aggravates the problem.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rural Air Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Burning of agricultural crop residues and garbage.</li>
<li>Burning of solid biomass fuels for cooking.</li>
<li>Increasing deforestation.</li>
<li>Pollution caused by factories in sub-urban areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Effects of Air Pollution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Global Burden of Disease (2016) ranked air pollution as the second highest contributor to death and disability in India, next only to malnutrition.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Of the 1.1 million air pollution-related deaths in 2015, 75% were in rural India.</strong></li>
<li>The report found that India had almost 61,000 deaths of children under the age of five years due to ambient and household pollution. In the under 14 bracket, it had over 100,000 deaths.</li>
<li>The complex mixture of pollutants, which includes carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, arsenic, mercury, sulphur dioxide, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter, is contributing to the <strong>rise of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, lung disease and cancer.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pregnant women pass pollutants they breathe into the </strong>foetus<strong> through placental blood flow, which may result in stillbirths or a </strong>growth retarded<strong> baby.</strong></li>
<li>The elderly too are especially vulnerable to the many ailments that air pollution inflicts.</li>
<li>The health of the economy will also feel the ill effects of air pollution. The physical effects, which range from lethargy to lethal diseases, damages productivity.</li>
<li><strong>It is deeply disturbing to know that India records the highest premature deaths among under-5 children due to toxic air.</strong> This has emerged from the newly-released report of the World Health Organization - Air Pollution and Child Health Prescribing Clean Air.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Promoting the use of biomass fuels for indoor cooking, heating, and light is a significant solution. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana</a>, which aimed at shifting poor households from biomass to clean liquified petroleum gas (LPG), had the right idea. But it hasn&rsquo;t quite worked out that way in practice when it came to implementation. So, the gap between planning of schemes and implementation should be addressed.</li>
<li>Air quality monitoring stations by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should be set up across the country, even in rural areas. All sources of air pollution must be earnestly and effectively tackled, all across the country and all year round.</li>
<li>Proper data collection should be done on how violations of existing emission norms should be addressed. Fine-grained information will foster innovation.</li>
<li>Most crucially, any programme planning should envisage cooperation and coordination across crucial ministries such as health, transport and energy.</li>
<li>A national consensus for concerted action against air pollution must emerge from the national distress, binding the central and state governments to time-bound actions. Targets must be set, monitored and accomplished.</li>
<li>Use of technologies to turn farm residues into a resource, converting them into biofuels and fertilizers may minimise the stubble burning.</li>
<li>Large cities should reorient their investments to prioritise public transport, favouring electric mobility. Sharply escalated, deterrent parking fees can be implemented. If governments delay action on the critical issue of pollution control, public pressure must force them to act.</li>
<li>There should be strict regulations on industries and construction units to control the air pollution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court prohibited the plying of diesel vehicles that are over 10 years old and petrol vehicles that are over 15 years old in the National Capital Region. And also regulated burning crackers.</li>
<li>Green walls with internal watering tanks on flyovers, walls beside roads can also contribute towards fresh air.</li>
<li>But, fighting pollution must be a year-round exercise, not a winter ritual.</li>
<li>Awareness should be created among people which can enable people to protect themselves.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>How are cities around the world tackling air pollution?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Paris</strong> bans cars in many historic central districts at weekends, imposes odd-even bans on vehicles, makes public transport free during major pollution events and encourages car- and bike-sharing programmes.</li>
<li><strong>In Netherland,</strong> politicians have proposed a law to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars from 2025, allowing only electric or hydrogen vehicles. The proposed new law would allow anyone who already owns a petrol or diesel car to continue using it. Most cities encourage bicycle use.</li>
<li><strong>Freiburg in Germany</strong> has 500 km of bike routes, tramways, and a cheap and efficient public transport system. One suburb, Vauban, forbids people to park near their homes and makes car-owners pay &euro;18,000 for a space on the edge of town. In return for living without a car, people are offered cheaper housing, free public transport, and plentiful bicycle spaces.</li>
<li><strong>Oslo in Norway</strong> plans to halve its climate emissions by 2020 and proposes a large no-car zone, the building of 40 miles of new bike lanes, steep congestion charges, a rush-hour fee for motorists, and the removal of many parking spaces.</li>
<li><strong>The southern Brazilian city</strong> of 2 million people has one of the biggest and lowest cost bus systems in the world. Nearly 70% of the city goes to work by public transport and the result is pollution-free air and traffic-free streets.</li>
<li>A joint effort by the <strong>Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Nurturing Green</strong>, an NCR-based company, the oxygen chamber at Gurugram Huda City Centre brings with its over hundreds of anti-polluting plants.</li>
<li>An entire vertical forest city is being set up in <strong>Liuzhou (China)</strong> with a tree cover that will act as an air filter &ndash; with 40,000 trees and more than a million plants. The aim is to absorb pollution and produce oxygen. The city is being designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti and is expected to be completed by 2020.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'RBI-Government Tussle',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in a public speech warned against government interference in Reserve Bank's working.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Finance recently started consultation with RBI governor on issues such as easing the PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) framework and providing more credit to small units.</li>
<li>This is prior to issuing the directions to RBI under Section 7 of RBI Act of 1934, such directives under this section has never been issued in past since 1934.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Prompt Corrective Action (PCA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PCA norms allow the <strong>RBI to place certain restrictions such as halting branch expansion and stopping dividend payment.</strong> It can even cap a bank&rsquo;s lending limit to one entity or sector.</li>
<li>Other corrective actions that can be imposed on banks include special audit, restructuring operations and activation of the recovery plan. Banks&rsquo; promoters can be asked to bring in new management, too. The RBI can also supersede the bank&rsquo;s board, under PCA.</li>
<li>The provisions of the revised PCA framework became effective from April 1, 2017, based on the financials of the banks for the year ended on March 31, 2017. The framework will be reviewed after three years.</li>
<li>When is PCA invoked?
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The PCA is invoked when banks breach certain regulatory requirement like minimum capital, return on asset and quantum of non-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues between RBI and Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Easing Norms of Prompt Corrective Action</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has asked the RBI to give exemption to power companies under the PCA framework.</li>
<li>The government wants RBI to ease lending rules under PCA, as it could help reduce pressure on MSME through credit availability.</li>
<li>RBI has said that such move will jeopardize all efforts of dealing with country&rsquo;s Non-Performing Asset (NPA) Crisis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Section 7 of RBI Act of 1934</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government which is a stakeholder in 21 public sector bank is issuing the direction to RBI, the regulator of banks.</li>
<li>This section empowers the <strong>government to issue directions to RBI in public interest.</strong></li>
<li>The section states that directions must be issued after consultation with RBI governor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>RBI Surpluses</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Every year RBI earns interests from the domestic and foreign bonds it holds. This income is used in running the operation of RBI and rest is accrued as surplus. Out of this surplus, RBI holds some amount to itself as equity capital to maintain its creditworthiness and pays the rest to the government.</li>
<li>In 2015 RBI&rsquo;s risk analysis showed that its equity position of around Rs 10 lakh crore was adequate, the Bank decided to transfer its entire surplus to the government (around Rs 65,876 crore for 2015-16).</li>
<li>The government is of the opinion that RBI should pay more dividend reasons being that the building up of buffers such as the Contingency Fund and Asset Reserve by the RBI has been far in excess of what is required to maintain creditworthiness.</li>
<li>RBI, on the other hand, says that increasing the dividend payment to the government can prove to be inflationary as there will be more money in the market and may harm the RBI&rsquo;s major task of macroeconomic stability.</li>
<li>The surplus is also meant to cover a situation where the rupee appreciates against one or more of the currencies or if there is a decline in the rupee value of gold.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The tussle between RBI and government can impact the image of India as a stable market as investors require long-term policy consistency, such interference in the working of RBI can impact investment in the Indian economy. Thus it is necessary that the government should respect the mandate given to RBI as a regulator of the banks.</li>
<li>On the other hand, it must also be understood that constitutionally RBI is not independent, it is a part of the government, thus accountable to people. The independence of the central bank is maintained as it has positive externalities on the economy. The autonomy must also come with accountability. Thus it can be said that by invoking section 7 of RBI Act 1934, the government is acting within power given to it under the act.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/29-10-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on Independence of RBI</a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-government-tussle'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'The Big Picture - Pending Cases: Way Forward',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="padding-left: 180px;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V7vNs8rH95Q" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to the <strong>National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), around 23 lakh cases, which are over a decade old, are pending in various subordinate courts of the country. These cases constitute 8.29 percent of the total nearly 2.50 crore cases pending in the lower courts.</strong> Of these, nearly 6 lakh cases are civil in nature and nearly 17 lakh are criminal in nature. Civil cases usually involve private disputes between persons or <g class="gr_ gr_137 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="137" data-gr-id="137">organisations</g>. Criminal cases involve an action that is considered to be harmful to society as a whole. The National Judicial Data Grid is a part of the ongoing e-Courts Integrated Mission Mode Project.<strong> The NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify manage and reduce pendency of cases.</strong> The e-Committee of the Supreme Court had launched the National Judicial Data Grid to provide data on cases pending in the district courts across the country.</p>
<h3>What are the main reasons for such pendency?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The two important aspects that are plaguing the judiciary are
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Filling of the vacancies</li>
<li>Inadequate number of judges</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The average court does not work more than five to six hours, which includes the lunch hour. The question is why cannot court work for eight hours a day?</li>
<li>The kind of cases that the judges encounter every day is not only varied in their substance but also <g class="gr_ gr_131 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="131" data-gr-id="131">importance</g>. When the judges are burdened with so many cases it is impractical to suggest that the judges can do a thorough research on every case. Consequently, the quality of such judgments is brought into question, leading to further appeals. Lack of proper research team/system is also one of the reasons for the delay in judicial proceedings.</li>
<li>Another important reason for such a high pendency is the practice of seeking adjournments. Usually the lower courts, at the drop of the hat, seek adjournment ad infinitum.</li>
<li>Another important reason is litigation. The cost of litigation is very low in India. There have been cases where people moved the court for salary dispute of as low as rupees 20.</li>
<li>Besides, in most of the courts apart from the judicial functioning, the administrative work also falls upon the judges. These allied works take a lot of time.</li>
<li>In most of the courts, there isn&rsquo;t a cordial functioning between the Bench and the Bar. Constant tussle leads wastage of court time.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>DRISHTI INPUT</em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most States and their High Courts do not adhere to the schedule laid down by the Supreme Court for filling up judicial vacancies.</li>
<li>Power Battle between the Executive and Judiciary. The process of selection of judges has been a bone of contention between the executive and the judiciary.</li>
<li>Increasing literacy- the number of cases being filed every year is increasing. The reason being is increased awareness with increased literacy. Kerala, for example, gets 28 new cases per 1,000 people. It has a literacy rate of over 90%. Jharkhand, which has a literacy rate of around 53%, gets four cases per 1,000.</li>
<li>Indian government &ndash; the largest litigant. It is responsible for nearly half the pending cases. Many of them are actually cases of one department of the government suing another, leaving decision-making to the courts.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Reasons behind Government being the largest litigator:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most of the times hallow appeals are made by the govt. This is done just to avoid their responsibility or answerability of why they have lost a particular case.</li>
<li>They want to fight it till the end (an ego trip). Consequently, it affects the efficiency of the government.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why it is that some courts perform better than the other?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The most important reason for some courts to perform better is the presence of quality judges.</li>
<li>They are decisive with regards to judgment.</li>
<li>The best example here would be regarding section 377. The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court decided there should be a final resolution of the matter within a given time. Within months the final judgment was pronounced by the nine-judge constitutional bench.</li>
<li>Is there a dearth of quality of judges? To put it in brief, yes. Most of the judges come from the pool of advocates practicing in their respective courts. Top advocates are often reluctant to join the bench because of the fear that they will be hit financially. Consequently, there are very fewer options to choose from.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First and foremost effort must be doubled up to fill the pending vacancies in the lower courts. Increase the number of strength of judges at subordinate courts.</li>
<li>In order to attract the best of mind and maintain the quality of judges, the remuneration ought to be increased. This is a kind of infrastructural spending that will help in the long run.</li>
<li>It would be incorrect to say that the cost of litigation should be increased. If that happens then litigants would pursue extrajudicial measures to get justice and this might not be a healthy tradition to establish. The best way forward is that legislative amendments should be made where only the most important cases should reach the higher courts.</li>
<li>Another most important way out is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Most of the cases which are civil in nature can be tackled by mediation, arbitration, conciliation, and Lok Adalats. These non-conventional methodologies can bring down the number of cases considerably. However, proper legislation has to be instituted in this regard.</li>
<li>Every judge should have a minimum of 2 member research team to aid her/him.</li>
<li>Adjournments should be allowed strictly based on the rules and regulations established in the Civil Procedure Code and Code of Criminal Procedure.</li>
<li>There is a need for improvement in judicial education. The law schools focus on grooming lawyers as opposed to the future members of the judiciary. Hence, the focus should be made to shape the judicial curricula accordingly.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-pending-cases-way-forward'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Support and Outreach Initiative for MSME Sector',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The Prime Minister, launched support and outreach programme for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The programme includes <strong>12 key initiatives</strong> which will help the growth, expansion and facilitation of MSMEs across the country.</li>
<li>There are <strong>five key aspects</strong> for facilitating the MSME sector, viz. <strong>access to credit, access to market, technology upgradation, ease of doing business, and a sense of security for employees</strong>. The 12 initiatives will address each of these five categories.</li>
<li>The announcement comes when the Government is already working on <strong>steps to improve liquidity</strong> in the financial markets to provide <strong>relief to the Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong>, which have a high exposure to the MSME sector. After banks, NBFCs are major lenders to the MSMEs.</li>
<li>
<p>MSME entrepreneurs are facing several problems i.e. Poor infrastructure, Access to modern technology, Access to markets, Getting statutory clearances related to power, environment, labour etc.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Access to Credit</h3>
<p>1. Launch of the <strong>59 minute loan portal</strong> to enable easy access to credit for MSMEs.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The loans <strong>upto Rs. 1 crore</strong> can be granted in-principle approval through this portal, in just 59 minutes.</li>
<li>The link to this portal will be available through the GST portal.</li>
</ul>
<p>2. A <strong>2% interest subvention</strong> for all GST registered MSMEs, on fresh or incremental loans.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increase in interest rebate</strong> from 3% to 5% for exporters who receive loans in the pre-shipment and post-shipment period.</li>
</ul>
<p>3. All companies with a <strong>turnover more than Rs. 500 crore</strong>, must now <strong>compulsorily</strong> be brought on the <strong>Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Joining this portal will enable entrepreneurs to access credit from banks, based on their upcoming receivables.</li>
<li>This will resolve their problems of cash cycle.</li>
<li>Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) is the institutional mechanism for facilitating the <strong>financing of trade receivables of MSMEs from corporate and other buyers</strong>, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), through multiple financiers.&nbsp;It has been set up under the <strong>regulatory framework set up by RBI under Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Access to Markets</h3>
<p>4. Public sector companies have now been asked to <strong>compulsorily procure 25%</strong>, instead of 20% of their total purchases, from MSMEs.</p>
<p>5. Out of the 25% procurement mandated from MSMEs,<strong> 3%</strong>&nbsp;must now be reserved for<strong> women entrepreneurs.</strong></p>
<p>6. All public sector undertakings of the Union Government must now compulsorily be a part of<strong>&nbsp;Government e-Marketplace (GeM)</strong>. They should also get all their vendors registered on GeM.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Government e-Marketplace (GeM)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GeM is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by the government ministries, departments, public sector undertakings (PSU) etc.</li>
<li>It has been envisaged as <strong>National Procurement Portal</strong> of India.</li>
<li>It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology).</li>
<li>It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&amp;D), <strong>Ministry of Commerce and Industry</strong>.</li>
<li>GeM is a completely<strong> paperless, cashless</strong> and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Technology Upgradation</h3>
<p>7. 20 hubs, and 100 spokes in the form of tool rooms will be established across the country to <strong>facilitate product design.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A toolroom is a room where tools are stored or, in a factory, a space where tools are made and repaired for use throughout the rest of the factory.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ease of Doing Business</h3>
<p>8.&nbsp;<strong>Clusters of pharma MSMEs</strong> will be formed and 70% cost of establishing these clusters will be borne by the Union Government.</p>
<p>9. In order to <strong>simplify the government procedures</strong>, the return under 8 labour laws and 10 Union regulations must now be filed only once a year.</p>
<p>10. The establishments to be visited by an Inspector will be decided through a <strong>computerised random allotment.</strong></p>
<p>11. Environmental Clearance under air pollution and water pollution laws, have been <strong>merged into one</strong>. Also, the return will be accepted through self-certification.</p>
<p>12. For minor violations under the Companies Act, the entrepreneur will no longer have to approach the Courts, but can correct them through simple procedures.</p>
<h3>Importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Backbone of Indian economy</strong>: The importance of MSMEs is attributable to their calibre for (a) employment generation (b) low capital and technology requirement (c) promotion of industrial development in rural areas (d) use of traditional or inherited skill (e) use of local resources (f) mobilization of resources and exportability of products.</li>
<li><strong>Contribution to growth parameters</strong>: The sector contributes around 38% to the country&rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP), 40% to overall exports and 45% to overall manufacturing output.</li>
<li><strong>Contribution to job creation</strong>: The MSME sector generates around 100 million jobs through over 46 million units situated throughout the geographical expanse of the country. MSME sector is the second largest employment providing sector in India after agriculture.</li>
<li><strong>Diversity:</strong> The MSME sector in India is quite diverse in terms of its size, level of technology employed, range of products and services provided and target markets.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Recent Initiatives to Promote MSME Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM)</strong>: It is a simple one-page registration form to promote ease of doing business for MSMEs in India.</li>
<li>A Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship <strong>(ASPIRE)</strong>: The scheme promotes innovation &amp; rural entrepreneurship through rural Livelihood Business Incubator (LBI), Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Fund of Funds for start up creation in the agro-based industry.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme</strong>: To facilitate easy flow of credit, guarantee cover is provided for collateral free credit extended to MSMEs.</li>
<li>Prime Minister&rsquo;s Employment Generation Programme <strong>(PMEGP)</strong>: is a credit linked subsidy scheme, for setting up of new micro-enterprises and to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country.</li>
<li>Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries <strong>(SFURTI)</strong>: The scheme aims to make <strong>traditional industries</strong> more productive and competitive by organizing the traditional industries and artisans <strong>into clusters</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS)</strong> for Technology Upgradation: CLCSS aims at facilitating technology upgradation of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by providing <strong>15% capital subsidy</strong> for purchase of plant &amp; machinery.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (3rd November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Delhi Durbar Painting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One of the biggest and most iconic<strong> oil paintings in the collection of Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) depicting the Delhi Durbar of 1903, has been restored.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/535delhi%20durbar painting.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></strong></li>
<li>A few years ago, a termite attack had affected the painting and the conservation unit of the VMH took on the job of restoring the painting to its former glory.</li>
<li>Titled &lsquo;State Entry Into Delhi&rsquo;, the painting was<strong> commissioned by the then British government</strong>. <strong>Painted by British artist Roderick Mackenzie</strong>, the<strong> picture shows Viceroy Lord Curzon, seated on an elephant and leading the ceremonial procession of the Delhi Durbar followed by several Indian kings.</strong></li>
<li>Delhi Durbar, as the term suggests, is borrowed from Mughal vocabulary and with all its pomp and grandeur was an attempt by the British to appropriate Mughal culture.</li>
<li>The Delhi Durbar was an Indian imperial style mass assembly organized by the British in Delhi, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar,<strong> it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire.</strong></li>
<li>All three Imperial durbars celebrated coronations. The<strong> first declared Queen Victoria</strong> the Empress of India and was proclaimed with title<strong> &ldquo;<g class="gr_ gr_51 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="51" data-gr-id="51">Kaisar</g>-i-Hind&rdquo;.</strong> The <strong>second confirmed her son King Edward VII</strong> as Emperor of India and the third his son <strong>King George V</strong>.</li>
<li>However, <strong>King George V</strong> was the<strong> only monarch</strong> to attend a durbar.</li>
<li>Although Calcutta was then the capital of British India, Lord Lytton, Governor-General of India in 1877, chose <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="53" data-gr-id="53">a ground</g> just outside old Delhi for the first durbar, believing that the former capital of the Mughals would have a greater cultural significance in the minds of Indians.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s First Uterine Transplant Baby</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, doctors in Pune have successfully delivered a child to a woman who had undergone a uterine transplant.</li>
<li><strong>This is the first such birth in India and the 12th in the world.</strong></li>
<li>The first successful transplant was performed in Saudi Arabia in 2002 but did not result in pregnancy. The first birth after a transplant, in 2014, happened in Sweden.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Uterine Transplant</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, about<strong> 17% of all women face issues relating to infertility,</strong> and the reason is related to the uterus in 20% of such cases.</li>
<li>For women whose uterus is not healthy, or who do not have one since birth, a transplant of the uterus is the <strong>newest form of infertility treatment.</strong></li>
<li>Usually, women related to the recipient are potential donors. <strong>The donor may be either living or <g class="gr_ gr_55 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="55" data-gr-id="55">deceased,</g> and is chosen from among women up to age 60.</strong></li>
<li>The transplanted uterus is removed after the woman has gone through one or two childbirths.</li>
<li><strong>Normal reproduction is not possible</strong> with a transplanted uterus. Therefore, the egg is fertilised through in-vitro fertilisation.</li>
<li>The childbirth happens through <strong>surgical intervention.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-3rd-november-2018-'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'NASA’s Dawn Mission',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>NASA&rsquo;s Dawn spacecraft (launched in 2007) which orbited the <strong>two largest objects (Vesta and Ceres) in the asteroid belt</strong> has run out of fuel, ending a historic 11-year mission that unravelled many mysteries of our solar system.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mission managers of Dawn Mission concluded that the spacecraft finally ran out of <strong>hydrazine, the fuel that enables the spacecraft to control its pointing.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_23 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="23" data-gr-id="23">Significance</g> of the Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The astounding images and data that Dawn collected from Vesta and Ceres are critical to understanding the history and evolution of the solar system.</li>
<li>In 2011, when Dawn arrived at Vesta, <strong>the spacecraft became the first to orbit</strong> a body in the <strong>region between Mars and Jupiter</strong>.</li>
<li>In 2015, when Dawn went into orbit around Ceres, a dwarf planet that is also in the asteroid belt, the mission became the <strong>first to visit a dwarf planet</strong> and go into orbit around two destinations beyond Earth.</li>
<li>The data Dawn beamed back to Earth from <g class="gr_ gr_22 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="22" data-gr-id="22">its</g> four science experiments enabled scientists to compare two planet-like worlds that evolved very differently.</li>
<li>Among its accomplishments, Dawn <strong>showed how important location</strong> was to the way objects in the early solar system formed and evolved.</li>
<li>Dawn also reinforced the idea that <strong>dwarf planets could have hosted</strong> oceans over a significant part of their history and potentially still do.</li>
<li>Dawn&rsquo;s data sets will be deeply mined by scientists working on <strong>how planets grow and differentiate</strong>, and when and where life could have formed in our solar system.</li>
<li>Ceres and Vesta are <strong>important to the study of distant planetary systems</strong>, too, as they provide a glimpse of the conditions that may exist around young stars.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nasas-dawn-mission'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'How Not To Choose Among Allies',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;How Not To Choose Among Allies&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu on 3rd November 2018. It analyses the U.S sanctions on Iran and its effects on India.)</p>
</div>
<p>In context please refer: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Reimposes Sanctions on Iran</a></p>
<p>In May 2012, the then U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited Delhi on behalf of Western countries negotiating the J<strong>oint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA</strong> (the nuclear deal with Iran) to convince India to cut its oil imports from Iran.<strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/391941Untitled.png" width="413" height="215" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" caption="false" /></strong></p>
<p>Eventually, India agreed to cut its imports by only about 15%. But cumulative global pressure had the desired impact on Iran, where inflation had risen more than 40% and oil exports declined from 2.5 million barrels of crude each day to about 1 million.<strong> JCPOA negotiations that followed eventually led to a deal hailed by the United Nations.</strong></p>
<p>Unlike in 2012, the U.S.&rsquo;s EU allies in 2018 are working closely with its arch rivals like Russia and China, primarily with a view to supporting trade with Tehran to ensure that the Iranian regime does not walk out of the nuclear deal.</p>
<p>U.S. officials have led a series of delegations to New Delhi in the last few months with a similar mission, but with a completely new and different backdrop:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Trump administration has already walked out of the JCPOA.</li>
<li>The U.S. has no support from any other country involved in the deal, and the UN has expressed grave misgivings about the decision.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has given no evidence that Iran in any way violated the terms of the JCPOA</strong> &mdash; the International Atomic Energy Agency&rsquo;s June report concluded that Iran&rsquo;s stockpile of uranium and heavy water, as well as its implementation of additional protocols, were &ldquo;in compliance&rdquo; with the agreement.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. may succeed in squeezing Iran economically, but it is increasingly getting politically isolated.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Sanctions on Iran</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Iran</strong> <g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="88" data-gr-id="88">being</g><strong> one of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">the</g><strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">&nbsp;the world&rsquo;s</g> largest oil producers</strong>, oil export forms the major part of Iran&rsquo;s trade with the rest of the world. Sanctions targeting oil exports have a deep impact on the economy of Iran.</li>
<li><strong>US sanctions led to the crash in the value of Iranian currency Rial</strong> and that further led to a huge inflation in Iran.</li>
<li>Also, the aviation sector in Iran will be particularly hit by US sanctions. Tourism in Iran which had benefited from the nuclear deal could also be affected by renewed sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>Fundamentalist forces in Iran were against the JCPOA, the imposition of sanctions despite adhering to the deal strengthens the radical forces which are against any engagement with the western world, the US in particular.</strong></li>
<li>Political instability because of months-long protests in Iran over deteriorating economic conditions and charges of corruption and mismanagement. <strong>Protesters are now targeting the government of President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal as a way of boosting the economy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Possible Options for Iran</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Learning from previous lessons, it has already increased price discounts since May, worth around USD 10-15 million a month to large importers like China and India compared with last year.</li>
<li><strong>Iran can opt for other options such </strong>as<strong> allowing buyers to pay in kind, trade in other currencies, or extend credit - even keep the money in an escrow account in Switzerland and wait until these sanctions are over.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Iran can get its oil to a friendly port, where it could be blended with oil from elsewhere and resold.</strong></li>
<li>Iran says it will not accept major drops in its oil sales, putting pressure particularly on Europe, which was buying more than a fifth of its oil, to resist US demands.</li>
<li><strong>The European Union said it would adhere to the deal and would ensure sanctions on Iran remain lifted as long as Tehran continues to meet its commitments. Russia and China have also said they will remain in the deal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts on India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>With trade levels receding, the Iranian regime may lose interest in the Chabahar option, and focus on its main port of Bandar Abbas instead, derailing India&rsquo;s plans for regional connectivity.</strong></li>
<li>Another impact would be on India&rsquo;s investment in the Chabahar port, which would face both direct and indirect sanctions: as shippers, port suppliers and trading companies refuse to participate in the project. (It threatens India&rsquo;s $500 million investment in the port and its $2 billion plan for a railway line to circumvent Pakistan and reach Afghanistan and Central Asian trade lines.)</li>
<li>Apart from Chabahar, India&rsquo;s interest in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), which runs through Iran, which will improve connectivity with five Central Asian republics, may also get affected.</li>
<li>For India, the impact of the American sanctions plan would be manifold, regardless of the waiver as waivers are temporary.</li>
<li><strong>Most worrying for India is that all of the above outcomes will follow regardless of whether the U.S. gives India a waiver for sanctions or not.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has said that it is only issuing temporary waivers, and the waivers are strictly linked to the condition that countries receiving them keep cutting down their purchases from Iran.</strong></li>
<li>Along with the JCPOA-linked sanctions, India continues to face sanctions linked to the <strong>Countering America&rsquo;s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)</strong>, which puts more strictures on dealings with Iran, Russia and North Korea.</li>
<li>Finally, there would be an impact on India&rsquo;s regional security situation, which could see the Iranian-Arab divide deepen, Afghanistan&rsquo;s choices dwindle and an angry Iran pitched closer into the China-Russia corner.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has an extremely important and growing relationship with the US.</li>
<li>Indian officials have made a beeline for Washington to discuss the reasons why India deserves a waiver, from both Iran and CAATSA sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has been informed of India&rsquo;s energy requirement compulsions, and of the cut of about 35-50% in its oil purchases from Iran. On the CAATSA front, the U.S. has also been assured of a significant reduction in Indian </strong><g class="gr_ gr_120 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="120" data-gr-id="120">defence</g><strong> dependence on Russia, and that no weapons procured, like the recently purchased S-400 missile system, would be used against American interests.</strong></li>
<li>But since India also has geopolitical compulsions, and an age-old relationship with Iran as well as its Arab <g class="gr_ gr_126 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="126" data-gr-id="126">neighbours</g>, I<strong>ndia needs to maintain a fine balance between the U.S. and Iran.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/how-not-to-choose-among-allies'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Net Zero Energy Buildings',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)</strong> has come out with Net Zero Energy Buildings rating system in collaboration with the <strong>World Green Building Council</strong> and <strong>the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGBC also launched &lsquo;<strong>Green Building Rating System for Hill Habitats</strong>&rsquo; intended for hill cities, differentiating the sustainability needs of urban development in hills as compared to cities in the plains.</li>
<li>The theme for Green Building Congress 2018 is &lsquo;<strong>Green Built Environment for People &amp; the Planet</strong>&rsquo;.</li>
<li>IGBC plans to promote the <strong>concept of &lsquo;Net Zero&rsquo;</strong> in India. Under this initiative, the focus is <strong>reducing the annual energy consumption by 40-50%</strong>&nbsp;with respect to national baseline and cut down energy cost by about 30 per cent.</li>
<li>The rating system launched during the IGBC's 16th Green building Congress 2018 seeks to complement the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and the National Solar Mission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A net-zero energy building is one that <strong>relies on renewable sources to produce as much energy as it uses</strong>, usually as measured over the course of a year.</li>
<li>Homes and other structures that create almost as much energy as they use are sometimes called near-zero energy buildings.</li>
<li>It is also possible for a building to produce an energy surplus, sending excess back to the electrical grid.</li>
<li>Net-zero energy buildings start with<strong> energy-conscious design</strong>. Many features work without an energy source. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In cold climates, south-facing buildings with large expanses of windows on that side can produce heat through passive solar gain.</li>
<li>On the cold north side of the building, smaller windows can angle to wider openings, permitting more light while limiting heat loss.</li>
<li>In warmer seasons, passive ventilation systems can pull cool air up from the lower levels and vent it through the building's highest point.</li>
<li>Rooftop systems can collect rainwater to reduce usage of treated water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Solar panels, heat recovery systems, geothermal heating and wind turbines</strong> are among the other technologies used to achieve net-zero status.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indira Paryavaran Bhavan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indira Paryavaran Bhavan in <strong>New Delhi</strong> is <strong>India&rsquo;s first <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">net zero</g> energy building</strong> that has been constructed with the adoption of solar passive design and energy-efficient building materials.</li>
<li>It is one of the exemplary projects to be rated under Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) and has set standards that can be emulated by upcoming buildings.</li>
<li>The design allows for<strong> 75% of natural daylight to be utilised to reduce energy consumption</strong>.</li>
<li>The entire building has an <strong>access friendly design for differently-abled persons</strong>.</li>
<li>The building is fully <strong>compliant with</strong> the requirements of the <strong>Energy Conservation Building Code of India (ECBC)</strong>.</li>
<li>Total energy savings of about 40% have been achieved through the adoption of energy efficient system of air-conditioning.</li>
<li>Green materials like <strong>fly ash bricks, regional building materials, materials with high recyclable content, high reflectance terrace tiles and rock wool insulation</strong> of outer walls have been used.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for NZEB along with Green Building</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to <strong>increasing urbanisation</strong>, it becomes imperative to plan and conceive the cities as green, right from the initial stages.</li>
<li>While, various amenities like lighting, air conditioning, water heating provide comfort to building occupants, but also <strong>consume </strong><strong><g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="76" data-gr-id="76">enormous</g> amount of energy and add to pollution</strong>.</li>
<li>Buildings have <strong><g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="97" data-gr-id="97">enormous</g> impact on </strong><strong><g class="gr_ gr_116 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="116" data-gr-id="116">environment</g></strong>,<strong> human health and economy</strong>. The energy used to heat and power our buildings leads to consumption of large amounts of energy, mainly from burning of fossil fuels, oil, natural gases and coal, which generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide, the most widespread greenhouse gas.</li>
<li>Further, building construction industry produces <g class="gr_ gr_81 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="81" data-gr-id="81">huge</g> amount of demolition waste and greenhouse gases (35-40%).</li>
<li><strong>Building green</strong> is about creating buildings that optimize on the <strong>use of local materials, local ecology</strong> and most importantly they are<strong> built to reduce power, water and material requirements.</strong></li>
<li>Such sustainably built green buildings are <strong>environmentally responsible</strong> and <strong>resource-efficient</strong>, right from location selection to the demolition after its life cycle ends.</li>
<li>According to TERI estimates, if all buildings in Indian urban areas were made to adopt green building concepts, India could save more than 8,400 megawatts of power, which is enough to light 550,000 homes a year.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Green Building Certifying Agencies</strong></p>
<p>There are various certifying agencies that help <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">building</g> developers to implement these principles and get <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="91" data-gr-id="91">green</g> certification. Some of them are:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>LEED-India</strong> &ndash; Leadership in Energy &amp; Environmental Design (LEED) is an <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="93" data-gr-id="93">international</g> recognized certification system for the green buildings. The LEED-India Green Building Rating System is an international benchmark for the design, construction and operation of <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">high performance</g> green buildings (provided by IGBC).</li>
<li><strong>IGBC Ratings</strong> &ndash; The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a division of the Confederation of Indian Industry that works closely with the government and aims at <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="79" data-gr-id="79">sustainably</g> built environment.</li>
<li><strong>BEE-ECBC</strong> &ndash; The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) was established by the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to set energy efficiency standards for design and construction of buildings.</li>
<li><strong>TERI GRIHA</strong> &ndash; The Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is a national rating system for green buildings that is adopted while designing and evaluating new buildings.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/net-zero-energy-buildings'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Section 377 Judgement',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Supreme Court (SC) recently decriminalised homosexuality by striking off parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which were held violative of Fundamental Rights of LGBTQ Community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Observations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SC made it clear that Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality before law and this applies to all classes of citizens therby restoring &lsquo;inclusiveness&rsquo; of LGBTQ Community.</li>
<li>SC upheld the pre-eminence of Constitutional morality in India by observing that equality before law cannot be denied by giving precedence to public or religious morality.</li>
<li>SC noted that modern psychiatric studies and legislations recognise that gay persons and transgender do not suffer from a mental disorder and therefore cannot be penalized.</li>
<li>SC observed that homosexuality is not unique to humans, which dispels the prejudice that it is against the order of nature.</li>
<li>Supreme Court stated that the &lsquo;Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Law in Relation to Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity&rsquo; should be applied as a part of Indian law.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Yogyakarta Principles</strong> recognise freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity as part of Human Rights. They were outlined in 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia by a distinguished group of International Human Right experts.</p>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Section 377</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code 1860, a relic of British India, states that &ldquo;whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished.&rdquo;</li>
<li>This included private consensual sex between adults of same sex.</li>
<li>After the recent SC judgement, provisions of Section 377 remain applicable in cases of non-consensual carnal intercourse with adults, all acts of carnal intercourse with minors, and acts of bestiality.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues Involved</h3>
<p><strong>Fundamental Rights</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sexual orientation and its relationship to the Fundamental Rights of the individuals has been at the heart of the debate.</li>
<li>SC in its judgement specifically said that the Right to Privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lie at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 14 (Equality before Law), Article 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth), Article 21 (Protection of life and liberty) and Article 19 (Freedom of expression) of the Constitution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court, while decriminalising consensual sex between homosexuals, observed that members of the LGBTQ community possessed the same fundamental rights as others.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Health Issues</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Criminalisation of homosexuality leads to discrimination and results in LGBTQ people getting poor or inadequate access to services within the health system.</li>
<li>It also creates barriers to both the availability and the ability to access HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.</li>
<li>Public health evidence also indicates a clear relationship of a lack of social acceptance and legal rights with substance abuse, violence, isolation, and mental illness.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Law and morality</strong></p>
<p>Those against legalising gay sex argue that it is against the moral values of the society. However, activists arguing for it say what is forbidden in religion need not be prohibited in law.</p>
<p><strong>Landmark Judgements related to issues </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Naz Foundation vs. Govt. of NCT of Delhi (2009)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Delhi High Court struck off section 377, legalising consensual homosexual activities between adults.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suresh Kumar Koushal Case (2013)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC overturned the previous judgment by Delhi High Court (2009) that decriminalised homosexual acts and criminalised homosexuality once again.</li>
<li>SC argued that in 150 years, less than 200 persons had been prosecuted under Section 377.</li>
<li>Therefore, "plight of sexual minorities" could not be used as argument for deciding constitutionality of law.</li>
<li>Further, SC ruled that it was for the legislature to look into desirability of deleting section 377 of IPC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India (2017)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC ruled that Fundamental Right to Privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty and thus, comes under Article 21 of the Indian constitution.</li>
<li>SC declared that bodily autonomy was an integral part of the right to privacy.</li>
<li>This bodily autonomy has within its ambit sexual orientation of an individual.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Navtej Singh Johar vs. Union Of India (2018)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Decriminalised homosexuality.</li>
<li>Dismissed the position taken by SC in Suresh Kumar Koushal case (2013) that the LGBTQ community constitute a minuscule minority and so there was no need to decriminalise homosexual sex.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Decriminalising Homosexuality</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sexual minorities in India are one step closer to living with dignity.</li>
<li>LGBTQ Community will be able to come out in the open with their sexual preferences.</li>
<li>Discrimination faced by them in accessing health and their harassment by Police will cease.</li>
<li><strong>Decriminalisation has also been associated with more self-acceptance as well as psychological and emotional security among LGBTQ Community. </strong></li>
<li>This judgement will spur LGBTQ Community to demand more progressive laws like Gay marriage laws, right to form partnerships, inheritance, employment equality, protection from gender-identity-based discrimination among others.</li>
<li>The judgment has opened up grey areas, and guidelines will be needed to deal with cases where, say, a gay individual withdraws &ldquo;consent&rdquo; and lodges a complaint against the partner. <strong>India&rsquo;s laws on sexual assault do not recognise men as victims of rape. </strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Though the judgement goes a long way in removing the stigma attached with the LGTBQ community, there is need for a multi pronged approach to deal with issue of prejudice and discrimination prevalent in society against them.</li>
<li>The LGTBQ community needs an anti-discrimination law that empowers them to build productive lives and relationships irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation and place the onus to change on state and society and not the individual.</li>
<li>Government bodies, especially related to Health, and Law and Order need to be sensitised and made aware about the changed position of law to ensure that the LGBTQ community is not denied public services or harassed for their sexual orientation.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-section-377-judgement" 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-section-377-judgement'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Oceans Heating Faster: IPCC Study',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The ocean is warming much faster than previously thought, new research has found, suggesting that global climate goals may be even harder to reach.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study concluded that the global oceans may be absorbing up to 60% more heat since the 1990s than older estimates had found.</li>
<li>The higher-than-expected amount of heat in the oceans means more heat is being retained within Earth&rsquo;s climate system each year, rather than escaping into space. In essence, more heat in the oceans signals that global warming is more advanced than scientists thought.</li>
<li>Previous estimates from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the oceans were taking up around 8 <g class="gr_ gr_46 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="46" data-gr-id="46">zetajoules</g> of energy each year. (1 Zetajoules= 10<sup>21</sup> Joules)<sup></sup>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new research has put this figure around 13 <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="47" data-gr-id="47">zetajoules</g>. This suggests that the Earth, as a whole, is more sensitive to climate change than previous estimates, i.e. the planet may respond more strongly to future greenhouse gas emissions than expected.</li>
<li>For a perspective, total energy consumption around the world is around half a <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="45" data-gr-id="45">zetajoule</g> annually, according to the International Energy Agency.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This may have some grave implications for global efforts to meet the climate targets outlined under the Paris Agreement under which nations are striving to keep global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius of their pre-industrial levels, or a more ambitious 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.</li>
<li>Recently, the&nbsp;<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-warming-of-1-5-c-ipcc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPCC released a report on the 1.5 C threshold</a>, concluding that meeting the target will require an &ldquo;unprecedented&rdquo; effort from world leaders and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.</li>
<li>The findings suggest if governments are to prevent temperatures from rising above 2 degree Celsius, emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas produced by human activities, must be reduced by 25 <g class="gr_ gr_48 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="48" data-gr-id="48">per cent</g> compared to what was previously estimated.</li>
<li>The new study isn&rsquo;t actually the first to suggest that the IPCC&rsquo;s previous estimates may be too low. In the past few years, other research has also suggested that the oceans may be warming faster&mdash;although the exact rate varies from study to study.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Methodology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Scientists normally measure ocean temperatures using thermometers, but stitching together a global temperature record requires thermometers around the globe.</li>
<li>But before 2007 or so, ocean floats were much more sparse, and scientists also widely relied on measurements taken by passing ships. That made it a little difficult to estimate ocean changes throughout the <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="56" data-gr-id="56">world,</g> because these data tended to be concentrated mainly in major shipping routes.</li>
<li>An international consortium, in 2007 began a program, known as<strong> Argo,</strong> creating an international network of ocean-temperature and salt content measuring instruments.</li>
<li>Because of the issues with collecting direct ocean data in past decades, the new research attempted to solve the problem without using direct ocean measurements at all. Instead, it relied on measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dating back to 1991.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess energy trapped within the world&rsquo;s atmosphere.</li>
<li>There&rsquo;s a strong relationship between ocean heat and the amount of dissolved gas from the atmosphere that oceans can hold. As the ocean warms, its ability to take in oxygen and carbon dioxide decreases and more of those gases remain in the atmosphere.</li>
<li>
<p>By observing changes in atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide levels&mdash;controlling for other factors, like human emissions of greenhouse gases&mdash;the scientists were able to estimate how the ocean&rsquo;s heat content had changed over the last few decades.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, since this is a novel approach, it is unclear if it will hold up to further scrutiny. Also, this methodology works best over long periods of time but does not detail what happens year to year.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/oceans-heating-faster-ipcc-study'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'China Lifts Ban on Trade of Tiger Bones and Rhino Horns',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>China has lifted a 25-year old ban on the scientific and <strong>medical use of tiger bones and rhinoceros horn</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to conservationists, this lifting of <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="68" data-gr-id="68">ban</g> would have devastating consequences globally for the endangered species.</li>
<li>Tiger bone and rhino horns are used in <strong>Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)</strong> and are used to treat insomnia and gout.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tiger parts were removed from the official TCM pharmacopoeia, a list regulated by China&rsquo;s health <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="80" data-gr-id="80">ministry,</g> when the country first banned the trade of tiger parts in 1993.</li>
<li>In 2010, the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, an international non-profit established in Beijing, urged its members to stop using tiger parts or parts from other endangered wildlife.</li>
<li>China, under<strong> President Xi Jinping, has sought to portray itself as more environment-friendly</strong>, passing stricter protections over wildlife and natural resources.</li>
<li><strong>In 2016, China banned the sale of ivory</strong> which was believed to be a cure for everything from cancer to sore throats in order to reduce poaching of elephants.</li>
<li>However, the more <strong>stringent regulations have come into conflict with Chinese medicine diplomacy</strong>, an effort to use TCM to expand the <strong>country&rsquo;s soft power</strong> globally.</li>
<li>Further, <strong>higher living standards have increased Chinese demand for animal parts</strong>, valued for their supposed life-extending powers. A recent fervour for <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="67" data-gr-id="67">ejiao</g>, a &ldquo;blood-enriching&rdquo; gelatin made from animal hides, has spurred scrutiny over donkeys, mainly from Africa, slaughtered annually to meet Chinese demand.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India's Concern</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorities and wildlife conservationists in Assam are concerned</strong> about the detrimental effect on the <strong>state&rsquo;s one-horned </strong>rhino after China has lifted a 25-year-old ban on use and trade of rhino horn and tiger bone- products.</li>
<li>According to the latest count,<strong> Kaziranga National Park in Assam</strong> has 2,413 one-horned rhinos and in 2018, five rhinos fell to poachers. <strong>Rhino horns poached from here will turn up in China&rsquo;s markets as &lsquo;legal&rsquo; products</strong>. This is an indirect way to open up markets for poached products.</li>
<li>This might give a boost to rhino poachers and traffickers of horns, who might attempt a spurt in their activities with the hope of laundering the products as legally acceptable in China.</li>
<li>Multiple <g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="87" data-gr-id="87">researches</g> and study papers have established that<strong> rhino horns poached from Assam land up in China through Myanmar</strong>. A report by the <strong>International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)</strong> in 2017 noted that <strong>Myanmar&rsquo;s Shan state was a notorious backdoor wildlife trafficking hub</strong> through which rhino horns are taken to China.</li>
<li>The<strong> World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong>, a leading NGO in wildlife conservation and endangered species, <strong>has urged China to maintain the ban</strong>, adding that the trade will have devastating consequences globally.</li>
<li>The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) clearly states that tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts and derivatives.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WWF is an <strong>international non-governmental organization</strong> founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.</li>
<li>Its Headquarters is in <strong>Gland, Switzerland</strong>.</li>
<li>Its mission is to stop the degradation of the planet&rsquo;s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.</li>
<li>The <strong>Living Planet Report</strong> published every two years by WWF is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CITES is an <strong>international agreement between governments</strong>.</li>
<li>It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of <strong>IUCN</strong> (The World Conservation Union).</li>
<li>Its aim is to ensure that <strong>international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival</strong>.</li>
<li>Although CITES is <strong>legally binding</strong> on the Parties but it <strong>does not take the place of national laws</strong>. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.</li>
<li>The species covered by CITES are listed in <strong>three Appendices</strong>, according to the degree of protection they need.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction</strong>. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction</strong>, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one country</strong>, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.</li>
<li>A specimen of a CITES-listed species may be imported into or exported (or re-exported) from a State party to the Convention only if the appropriate document has been obtained and presented for clearance at the port of entry or exit.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/china-lifts-ban-on-trade-of-tiger-bones-and-rhino-horns'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (2nd November 2018)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Dharma Guardian- 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Dharma Guardian 2018 is the<strong> joint military</strong> exercise between <strong>India and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>It involves the Indian Army and Japan Ground Self Defence Force at Counter Insurgency Warfare School, Vairengte, Mizoram, India.</li>
<li>It will be a 14-day long exercise, with emphasis on increasing interoperability between forces from both countries.</li>
<li>Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.</li>
<li>Exercise 'DHARMA GUARDIAN-2018' is another step in deepening strategic ties including closer defense cooperation between the two countries.</li>
<li><strong>JIMEX and MALABAR</strong> are the <strong>Naval exercises</strong> conducted by Indian and Japanese Navy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Veer Surendra Sai</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="57" data-gr-id="57">renaming</g> of Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as &ldquo;Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Veer Surendra Sai was a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha. He played a significant role in the first Indian struggle for freedom of 1857.</li>
<li>Surendra Sai began protesting the British at age 18 in 1827, moved operations to the hilly tracts of Western Orissa in 1857 and continued until he surrendered in 1862.</li>
<li>Though the great revolt of 1857 was suppressed elsewhere in India in 1858, it continued till 1862 in the district of Sambalpur in Orissa, largely due to efforts of Veer Surendra Sai.</li>
<li>In 2005, Government of India decided to put a statue of Veer Surendra Sai at the premises of Parliament of India to <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">honour</g> him.</li>
</ul>
<h3>LMDC and BASIC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is hosting two key meetings in New Delhi with a group of countries called the LMDC (Like Minded Developing Countries-India, China, Venezuela, Iran, etc.) and BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China), ahead of December climate talks in Katowice, Poland.</li>
<li>BASIC is a group of four large newly industrialized countries &ndash; Brazil, South Africa, India <g class="gr_ gr_59 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="59" data-gr-id="59">and</g> China. It was formed in 2009.</li>
<li>The Conference of Parties (COP), a league of at least 190 countries signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), meets annually to discuss ways to address issues related to climate change.</li>
<li>The <strong>Katowice talks</strong> will be 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or <strong>COP24.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Ease of Moving Index, 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways <g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="54" data-gr-id="54">has</g> released India&rsquo;s first Ease of Mobility Index 2018.</li>
<li>The report has been prepared by Ola Mobility Institute - Ola&rsquo;s research and social innovation arm.</li>
<li>As part of report findings, Kolkata ranks the highest in terms of affordability of public transportation with 80% of commuters finding Kolkata&rsquo;s public transport reasonable and affordable.</li>
<li>Chennai emerged as the city with the most sustainable mobility practices amongst other metros in the country.</li>
<li>The Index offers a source of information to aid transit agencies and urban planners to make informed decisions and align solutions with the preference of commuters.</li>
<li>The report further seeks to offer a comprehensive action plan for cities to further strengthen their public transportation systems and improve the overall state of mobility.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-2nd-november-2018'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Failing Its Purpose',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Failing Its Purpose&rdquo; which appeared in The Indian Express on 30 October 2018. It analyses the enactment of RTE Act.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>The role of education in facilitating social and economic progress or development is irreplaceable.</strong> Education helps improve functional and analytical abilities and opens up opportunities for individuals and groups. Education is not a mere tool to enhance efficiency, but an effective mechanism to augur democratic participation in social life.</p>
<p><strong>Education is a dynamic and powerful force in social and economic empowerment but its effectiveness depends on its spread, utilization, and social circumstances.</strong> In this direction, one exemplary effort that came into effect is the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 (RTE).</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Provisions of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 (RTE)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every child in the age group of 6-14 has the right to free and compulsory education in a neighborhood school, till the completion of elementary education.</li>
<li>The act prohibits donation, capitation fee, screening test/interview of child or parents, physical punishment or mental harassment, private tuition by teachers, and running schools without recognition.</li>
<li>Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act mandates unaided and non-minority schools to keep aside 25% seats for underprivileged children of society through a random selection process. The government will fund the education of these children. No seats in this quota can be left vacant.</li>
<li>All private schools will have to apply for recognition, failing which they will be penalized as per the laid down norms.</li>
<li>No child can be held back, expelled and required to pass the board examination till the completion of elementary education. [This is now set to change through The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017]</li>
<li>The amendment Bill which has been passed only by Lok Sabha till <g class="gr_ gr_141 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="141" data-gr-id="141">now,</g> amends this provision to state that a regular examination will be held in class 5 and class 8 at the end of every academic year. If a child fails the exam, he will be given additional <g class="gr_ gr_142 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="142" data-gr-id="142">instruction,</g> and will have to take a re-examination. If he fails in the re-examination, the relevant central or state government may decide to allow schools to detain the child.</li>
<li>The Act lays down the norms and standards of Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school working days, teacher working hours.</li>
<li>The Act prohibits the deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to <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">local</g> authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.</li>
<li>There is provision for the establishment of commissions to supervise the implementation of the act.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of RTE Act:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a &lsquo;neighbourhood school&rsquo; means that distance can no longer be a barrier to education.</li>
<li>It aims to provide free and compulsory education which means that it is now the obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. The act also makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age-appropriate class.</li>
<li>It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authorities, and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments. Hence, makes the government responsible for delivering proper service.</li>
<li>It prohibits physical punishment and mental harassment of students and aims at providing <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">student-friendly</g> environment in schools.</li>
<li>It aims for the development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the child&rsquo;s knowledge, potentiality and talent, and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centred learning.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Has the purpose been served after the enactment of RTE Act?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Community surveys revealed that the level of awareness about RTE is quite poor. Many people don't yet know about this constitutional provision which guarantees children their right to education.</li>
<li>The focus of the RTE Act is primarily on &ldquo;inputs&rdquo; (like infrastructure) rather than &ldquo;outcomes&rdquo;. Still, classrooms in most schools lack basic infrastructure, and two or more classes are conducted in the same room at the same time.</li>
<li>The study reveals that 62.50% of students still feel discrimination on the basis of gender, caste, and religion (behavior of teachers is governed by these categories). There is no provision in this Act to address this social problem which widens the gap among students of various sections of society.</li>
<li>Available evidence shows that enactment of RTE hardly led to any improvement in the delivery of quality education. Learning <g class="gr_ gr_117 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="117" data-gr-id="117">outcomes,</g> declined during the years that followed the legislation.</li>
<li>The manner in which reimbursement is to be provided by the government to private schools has created a number of confusions and led to corruption.</li>
<li>The norms and standards prescribed in the schedule for a school are far removed from ground reality. One of the clauses of <g class="gr_ gr_118 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="118" data-gr-id="118">RTE</g> Act penalizes private unrecognized schools, although they provide similar or better, teaching services compared to government <g class="gr_ gr_119 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="119" data-gr-id="119">schools,</g> while spending a much smaller amount.</li>
<li>The act allows only children between the ages 6-14 to get the privileges. It leaves out younger kids (0-6) and an older one (14-18) despite the fact that India has signed the U.N. Charter which states clearly that free education should be made compulsory to all children up to the age of 18 years.</li>
<li>Enrollment ratio of girls is still low and the ratio of dropouts are more. Therefore counseling of parents and community leaders are critical to <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="110" data-gr-id="110">retain</g> girls in schools, a fact that is not covered in the Act.</li>
<li>The Act also has no provisions to take education to children with special needs. Moreover, Minority Religious Schools have not been brought under the RTE as well.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Effective implementation of existing provisions of the RTE Act is required and engagement of civil society should be improved to make it more effective.</li>
<li>It is also necessary to establish a modality through which the RTE Act is protected and a system needs to be evolved to deal with gaps in implementation.</li>
<li>States should ensure all sanctioned posts of teachers lying vacant are filled up immediately to achieve targets.</li>
<li>The minimum pupil-teacher ratio should be maintained in each school as per the provisions. This will only be possible by recruiting more qualified and trained teachers.</li>
<li>Every untrained teacher within the system must be trained as per the National Council of Teacher Education recommendations; no untrained teacher should be recruited. Teacher education must be revamped to provide orientation on various aspects of RTE.</li>
<li>Support should be provided for local-level teachers and activists in school education to create a joint cadre of people committed to the principles of equitable, quality, free and compulsory education.</li>
<li>More percent of GDP must be allotted to education. Enough funds should be allocated to develop infrastructural facilities in schools.</li>
<li>The government should protect all school spaces from being privatized, including through public-private partnerships.</li>
<li>Though the RTE Act has a provision for including overage children in its ambit, in reality, this is not happening; hence proper groundwork needs to be initiated with the help of civil society to meet targets.</li>
<li>The RTE Act must be extended to include early childhood care and education.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/469image1.jpg" width="584" height="436" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Data on learning outcomes under the RTE as documented in The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014. <br /></span></em><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">(Graphic: KPMG&rsquo;s 2017 Report &ldquo;Assessing the RTE Act&rdquo;)</span></em></span></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/failing-its-purpose'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Section 377 Judgement',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/133Section%20377 Judgement.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/133Section 377 Judgement.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-section-377-judgement'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Payment Firms Begins Process of Data Localisation',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Global card payment companies like Visa and MasterCard have started to comply with the Reserve Bank of India&rsquo;s (RBI) norms on data localization.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>RBI gave October 15 as the deadline for global financial technology</strong> companies to comply with its data localization norms in India and to store transaction data of Indian customers within India.</li>
<li>In a circular in April 2018 RBI said that all system providers shall ensure that the entire data relating to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India.</li>
<li>This covered not only card payment services by Visa and MasterCard but also of companies such as Paytm, WhatsApp and Google which offer electronic or digital payment services.</li>
<li>This data includes the full end-to-end transaction details/ information collected/carried/processed as part of the message/payment instruction.</li>
<li><strong>RBI&rsquo;s directives were followed by the draft data protection law recommended by the Srikrishna committee.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Data Localisation?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data localization is the <strong>practice of storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of the country</strong> where the data is generated. As of now, most of these data are stored, in a cloud, outside India.</li>
<li>Localization mandates that companies collecting critical data about consumers must store and process them within the borders of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Data Localisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The main intent behind data localization is to<strong> protect the personal and financial information of the country&rsquo;s citizens and residents</strong> from foreign surveillance like social media giant Facebook sharing user data with Cambridge Analytica, which is alleged to have influenced voting outcomes.</li>
<li>It gives<strong> local governments and regulators the jurisdiction to call for the data when required.</strong> This aspect has gained importance after a spate of lynchings across States which was linked to WhatsApp rumor.</li>
<li>RBI has said that unfettered access to data stored by system providers and third-party vendors in the payments ecosystem will ensure better monitoring.</li>
<li><strong>Data localization is essential to national security.</strong> Where data is not localized, the agencies need to rely on mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) to obtain access, delaying investigations.</li>
<li>On-shoring global data could also create domestic jobs and skills in data storage and analytics too.</li>
<li>Global service providers like Facebook and Google collect all sorts of data about its consumers. It is necessary to have greater accountability from these firms about the end-use of the data.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s one billion-strong consumer market prove to be a stronger bargaining chip when it comes to pushing for data localization.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues with respect to Data Localisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Maintaining multiple local data centers may lead to <strong>significant investments in infrastructure and higher costs for global companies.</strong></li>
<li>One of the argument is that localization will help in enhancing data security. But, by storing data at multiple locations, service providers enhance their data security in case of a breach at one location.</li>
<li>
<p>The impact of data localization on the<strong> economy and on data-driven innovation will be highly negative.</strong> European Centre for International Political Economy - ECIPE 2014 Study has estimated GDP loss of 0.8%, reduced growth by 20%, decrease in FDI by 1.9%. World GDP grew by 10.1% on account of trade of $7.8 trillion &ndash; out of which data flows account for $2.8 trillion (Mckinsey Study 2016) and India&rsquo;s share is a mere $175 billion.</p>
</li>
<li>Clouds and large service providers implement risk-based security programs that track the latest threats and vulnerabilities, with the latest technology tools, and highly skilled manpower. <strong>Small organizations can not invest that much for security, while the risks are similar.</strong> The norms should not discourage that since India as the global hub of IT/BPM industry is home to such data processing.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data localization may not entirely avoid Facebook-Cambridge Analytica-like episodes but it can ensure that domestic law enforcement can respond more effectively to such issues.</li>
<li>It is said that data localization will help avoid the vulnerabilities of relying on the fiber optic cable network. The Cyber Security Report 2017 released by Telstra reported that businesses in India were most at risk to cybersecurity attacks. Thus, a mandatory border control provision may not be the solution to avoiding security breach incidents. Instead, using superior encryption and adoption of robust security measures will help to prevent the security breach.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The <strong>Justice Srikrishna Committee Report</strong> and the <strong>Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018</strong> (Data Protection Bill) has proposed:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>all personal data to which the law applies must have at least one serving copy stored in India</li>
<li>personal data critical to national interest must be stored and processed only in India</li>
<li>the Centre will have the power to exempt transfers on the basis of strategic or practical considerations.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/payment-firms-begins-process-of-data-localisation'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Building Resilient Cities',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Every year, <strong>World Cities Day is observed on 31st October</strong>. The concept was first brought about by the<strong> United Nations</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the UN, the day is expected to:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>promote the international community&rsquo;s interest in global urbanisation,</li>
<li>push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanisation, and</li>
<li>contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The theme for World Cities Day 2018 was '<strong>Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities</strong>' because cities need support to become resilient and develop their capacity to absorb the impact of hazards, protect and preserve human life and limit damage to and destruction of public and private assets while continuing to provide infrastructure and services after a crisis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why the world needs to focus on resilience</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>About 1.4 million people move to cities around the world every week and nearly <strong>55% of the world&rsquo;s population now lives in urban areas</strong>. Such <strong>rapid urbanisation</strong> can strain local capacities, contributing to increased risk from natural and <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="45" data-gr-id="45">human made</g> disasters.</li>
<li>As <strong>more people are concentrated in cities</strong>, dependent on local services and networks, the risks from natural and <g class="gr_ gr_44 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="44" data-gr-id="44">human made</g> disasters grow.</li>
<li>The <strong>poor and vulnerable, living in substandard, hazardous places</strong> are most at risk with around 1 billion people living in slums.</li>
<li>People exposed to natural hazards in poorest nations are more than seven times likely to die than those in the richest.</li>
<li>Challenges to resilience can also be economic, cultural, civic and social and develop over time such as economic downturns or crises, high unemployment, lack of inclusion, social cohesion or discrimination, disease outbreaks and terrorism.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to build resilience</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cities can protect against economic shocks by <strong>diversifying their economy, creating opportunities for business and employment</strong>, and engaging the private sector.</li>
<li>They can build <strong>socially cohesive societies becoming democratic, sustainable and inclusive</strong> by ensuring residents from all backgrounds take part in decision making.</li>
<li>To build<strong> climate and environment resilience</strong>, authorities need to plan cities properly to minimize the overall effect on the environment as well as ensuring resilience through <strong>strengthened infrastructure, good planning and public education</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Responses to disasters in urban areas</strong> can promote <strong>greater resilience to future crises</strong> and support long-term development goals.</li>
<li>The need for resilient cities is recognised in the <strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong>, <strong>the Paris Agreement for Climate Change</strong>, <strong>the Sendai Framework</strong> and in the <strong>New Urban Agenda (Habitat-III)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>UN-Habitat</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UN-Habitat</strong> is the <strong>United Nations programme</strong> working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.</li>
<li>The first international UN conference to fully recognize the challenge of urbanization was held in 1976 in <strong>Vancouver, Canada (Habitat I)</strong></li>
<li>In 1996, the United Nations held a second conference &ndash; <strong>Habitat II in Istanbul, Turkey</strong> to assess two decades of progress since Habitat I in Vancouver and to set fresh goals for the new millennium.</li>
<li>In 2016, at the <strong>UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development ( Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador</strong>, New Urban Agenda was signed. This is an action-oriented document which sets <strong>global standards of achieving SDG11</strong>, rethinking the way cities are built and managed.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/building-resilient-cities'
		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>India improved its ranking by 23 places to secure 77<sup>th</sup> rank in World Bank&rsquo;s latest 'Ease of Doing Business' report, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>New Zealand topped the list of 190 countries in ease of doing business, followed by Singapore, Denmark, and Hong Kong.</li>
<li>The report also recognises India and&nbsp;Djibouti as the only economies to be top 10 improvers in this year&rsquo;s assessment, for the second successive time. Moreover, India is the only large country this year to have achieved such a significant shift.</li>
<li>India has improved its rank in 6 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to Frontier score) on 7 out of the 10 indicators.</li>
<li>The most dramatic improvements have been registered in the indicators related to <strong>'Construction Permits'</strong> and '<strong>Trading across Borders'</strong>. In grant of construction permits, India's rank improved from 181 in 2017 to 52 in 2018, an improvement of 129 ranks in a single year. In 'Trading across Borders', India's rank improved by 66 positions moving from 146 in 2017 to 80 in 2018.</li>
<li>In 2018 report, India had leapfrogged by 30 places to move into the top 100 rankings among 190 countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Initiatives for Improvement in Doing Business</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Starting a Business</strong>: India made starting a business easier by fully integrating multiple application forms into a general incorporation form. India also replaced the value added tax with the GST (Goods and Services Tax) for which the registration process is faster. At the same time, Mumbai abolished the practice of site inspections for registering companies under the Shops and Establishments Act.</li>
<li><strong>Dealing with Construction Permits</strong>: India streamlined the process of obtaining a building permit and made it faster and less expensive to obtain a construction permit. It also improved building quality control by introducing decennial liability and insurance.</li>
<li><strong>Getting Electricity</strong>: The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission reduced charges for low voltage connections. Getting electricity was also made easier in Delhi through a reduction in the time for the utility to carry out the external connection works.</li>
<li><strong>Getting Credit</strong>: India strengthened access to credit by amending its insolvency law. Secured creditors are now given absolute priority over other claims within insolvency proceedings.</li>
<li><strong>Paying Taxes</strong>: India made paying taxes easier by replacing many indirect taxes with a single indirect tax, the GST, for the entire country. India also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the corporate income tax rate and the employees&rsquo; provident funds scheme rate paid by the employer.</li>
<li><strong>Trading across Borders</strong>: India reduced the time and cost to export and import through various initiatives, including the implementation of electronic sealing of containers, the upgrading of port infrastructure and allowing electronic submission of supporting documents with digital signatures.</li>
<li>Separately, the government had also announced implementation of&nbsp;<strong>eBiz portal</strong> which will offer <strong>Government-to- business (G2B)</strong> services for investors and business activities, through a single window to cut time and cost and improve business environment.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The <strong>establishment of debt recovery tribunals</strong> in India "reduced non-performing loans by 28 percent and lowered interest rates on larger loans, suggesting that faster processing of debt recovery cases cut the cost of credit.</li>
<li>Under its<strong> National Trade Facilitation Action Plan 2017-2020,</strong> India implemented several initiatives that improved the efficiency of cross-border trade, reducing border and documentary compliance time for both exports and imports.</li>
<li>Investor facilitation cell created under the <strong>Invest India agency.</strong></li>
<li>Government of India has also started to rank its 36 states and Union Territories "to further promote Ease of Doing Business" in the country which is promoting Competitive Federalism.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ease of Doing Business Report</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report was introduced in <strong>2003</strong>&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide an assessment of objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on <strong>ten parameters</strong> affecting a business through its life cycle.</li>
<li>
<p>The 10 parameters are- starting a business, construction permits, getting electricity, getting credit, paying taxes, trade across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.</p>
</li>
<li>It ranks countries on the basis of <strong>Distance to Frontier (DTF)</strong>, a score that shows the <strong>gap of an economy</strong> to the <strong>global best practice.</strong>&nbsp; For example, a score of 75 means an economy was 25 percentage points away from the frontier constructed from the best performances across all economies and across time.</li>
<li>This year, India&rsquo;s DTF score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 in the previous year (2018).</li>
<li>Other reports published by World Bank:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>World Development Report</li>
<li>Global Economic Prospects Report</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-banks-human-capital-index-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Capital Index</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is facing challenges primarily in two criteria: enforcing contracts and registering property because of the complexities involved.</li>
<li>Although, the Central Government has amended the Commercial Courts, Commercial Divisions and Commercial Appellate Divisions Act, 2015, to allow district court-level commercial courts. Similarly, the state governments of Delhi and Maharashtra have invested heavily in digitizing land records and building online solutions for registration and mutation.</li>
<li>But these efforts are merely the first steps in the right direction as the time taken to complete these formalities underlies primarily why we continue to lag on these indicators.</li>
<li>Lack of transparency, accountability, clearances complexity, and lack of clarity in policy direction&ndash; leading to lack of investment pose the biggest challenges in doing business in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India's rapid growth will offer opportunities for both local and global business and will also create jobs which are the need of the hour due to the rising demographic dividend.</li>
<li>Better rank in ease of doing business and greater awareness about opportunities in Indian business sector would attract foreign investors to invest in India and will also bring advanced technologies to the country.</li>
<li>If India aims to reach a higher rank in the index then there is lot of work which needs to be done.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s jump in ease of doing business rankings will hopefully be a spur for further reforms, which, if successful, will lead both to a better business environment and greater prosperity for all.</li>
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		'title' => 'Vice President’s Three Nation Tour',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Vice President of India completed his visit to <strong>Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe</strong> from November 1 to 5.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the visit various agreements covering a range of areas of cooperation were signed.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s relation with Africa has found convergence due to<strong> shared struggle against colonialism, stand against racism and similar post independence developmental issues.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Africa for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Economic Engagements</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has offered <strong>duty-free market access to Africa&rsquo;s least developed countries</strong> under Duty Free Tariff Preferences scheme.</li>
<li>India is also a large market for goods and services generated in Africa. The India-Africa trade is estimated to be around $70 billion, and it can increase up to $100 billion in the next 2-3 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Assistance</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has been<strong> providing line of credits for various infrastructural projects</strong> in many african countries.</li>
<li>During India Africa Forum Summit in 2008 India has committed $7.5 billion to African infrastructure, covering 137 projects in more than 40 countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Capacity Building Programmes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has provided more than <strong>$1 billion in technical assistance and training to personnel</strong> under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program.</li>
<li>India is also implementing<strong> e-Vidya Bharati and e-Arogya Bharati (e-VBAV) in African countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security Engagement</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has participated in near&shy;ly all <strong>UN peacekeeping operations in Africa.</strong> India is one of the largest contributor to Peacekeeping mission in Africa.</li>
<li>India has <strong>military-to-military cooperation activities, primarily related to the training fields,</strong> with almost one-third of the 54 African nations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation at Global Level</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both India and Africa&rsquo;s viewpoints <strong>converge on issue of UNSC reform.</strong> India has been providing leadership to Least Developed Countries in World Trade Organization and at climate forums.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s initiative of<strong> International Solar Alliance</strong> has found many takers in Africa and many countries have become part of this initiative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India Africa Forum Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The India&ndash;Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) is the official platform for the<strong> African-Indian relations.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>held once in every three years beginning from 2008</strong>.</li>
<li>India by consistently holding India- Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in places like New Delhi (2008), Addis Ababa (2011) and New Delhi (2015) has already forged ties with the 54 African states through the African Union (AU).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>E-VBAB Network Project</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>E-VBAB Network Project is primarily a technological upgrade and extension of the <strong>Pan-African e-Network Project.</strong></li>
<li>The Project aims at imparting tele-education and telemedicine by linking educational institutions and hospitals in India with those from the participating African countries.</li>
<li>The e-VBAB Network Project is completely funded by the Government of India and is open for participation to all our partner countries of India in Africa.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Botswana</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India established diplomatic relations with Botswana immediately after its independence in 1966 and opened its diplomatic mission in Gaborone in 1987.</li>
<li>Botswana is an active member of Southern African Development Community (SADC), South African Customs Union (SACU), WTO and other International organizations.</li>
<li>Diamonds have a significant role in trade relation between two countries, diamond forms approx. 40% of GDP and almost 70% of its export earnings of Botswana and diamond cutting and polishing industries located in India are heavily dependent on supply of rough diamond from Botswana.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Zimbabwe</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>During the era of the Munhumutapa Kingdom, Indian merchants established strong links with Zimbabwe, trading in textiles, minerals and metals.</li>
<li>In the 17th century, a great son of Zimbabwe, Dom Miguel &ndash; Prince, Priest and Professor, and heir to the imperial throne of the Mutapas &ndash; studied in Goa.</li>
<li>India supported Zimbabwe&rsquo;s freedom struggle. Former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi attended Zimbabwe independence celebrations in 1980.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India-Malawi</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India established diplomatic ties with Malawi in 1964, the year when Malawi gained its independence.</li>
</ul>
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		'title' => 'National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
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		'title' => 'India-based Neutrino Observatory',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has upheld the environmental clearance granted in March 2018 to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) a major scientific research facility that is proposed to be constructed in the<strong> Bodi West Hills (Theni district) of Tamil Nadu</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>However, the project could not be implemented <g class="gr_ gr_72 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="72" data-gr-id="72">till</g> the approval of the National Board of Wildlife is also received.</li>
<li>According to Environmentalists such massive scale of construction <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="85" data-gr-id="85">underground,</g> and controlled blasts, the vibrations from the explosions will badly affect the ecologically <strong>fragile Western Ghats</strong>.</li>
<li>The site which is near the<strong> Kerala-Tamilnadu border</strong> is close to the <strong>Mathikettan Shola National Park</strong>, and a number of hydroelectric projects, which accounts for the majority of the electricity generation in Kerala.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Neutrino</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Proton, neutron, and electron are tiny particles that <g class="gr_ gr_96 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="96" data-gr-id="96">make up</g> atoms. The <strong>neutrino is also a tiny elementary particle</strong>, but it is not part of the atom. Such particles are also found to exist in nature.</li>
<li>Neutrino has a <strong>very tiny mass and no charge</strong>. It <strong>interacts very weakly with other matter particles</strong>. So weakly that every second <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="90" data-gr-id="90">trillions</g> of neutrinos fall on us and pass through our bodies unnoticed.</li>
<li>Neutrinos come from the sun (solar neutrinos) and other stars, cosmic rays that come from beyond the solar system, and from the Big Bang from which our Universe originated. They <strong>can also be produced in the lab</strong>.</li>
<li>The<strong> INO will study atmospheric neutrinos only</strong>. Solar neutrinos have much lower energy than the detector can detect.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INO Project is aimed at building a <strong>world-class underground laboratory</strong> with a rock cover to conduct basic research on neutrino.</li>
<li>The <strong>Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is the nodal institution</strong>. The observatory is to be built jointly with the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.</li>
<li>The observatory will be<strong> located underground</strong> so as to provide adequate <strong>shielding to the neutrino detector from cosmic background radiation</strong>.</li>
<li>The operation of INO will have <strong>no release of radioactive or toxic substances</strong>. It is not a weapons laboratory and will have no strategic or <g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="83" data-gr-id="83">defence</g> applications.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Future Applications of Neutrino Science</h3>
<p>Basic sciences research is needed to understand the properties of particles before they can be applied. 100 years ago, when the electron was discovered, it had no foreseeable uses. Today, a world without electronics cannot be imagined.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Properties of the sun</strong>: The visible light is emitted from the surface of the sun and neutrinos, which travel close to the speed of light, are produced in the core of the sun. Studying these neutrinos can help us understand what goes on in the interior of the sun.</li>
<li><strong> Constituents of the Universe</strong>: Light coming from distant stars can be studied by astronomers, for example, to detect new planets. Likewise, if the properties of neutrinos are understood better, they can be used in astronomy to discover what the universe is made up of.</li>
<li><strong> Probing early Universe</strong>: Neutrinos interact very little with the matter around them, so they travel long distances uninterrupted. The extragalactic (originating outside the Milky Way galaxy) neutrinos we observe may be coming from the distant past. These undamaged messengers can give us a clue about the origin of the universe and the early stages of the infant universe, soon after the Big Bang.</li>
<li><strong> Medical Imaging</strong>: Apart from direct future uses of neutrinos, there are technological applications of the detectors that will be used to study them. For instance, X-ray machines, MRI scans, etc., all came out of research into particle detectors. Hence the <g class="gr_ gr_69 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="69" data-gr-id="69">INO</g> detectors may have applications in medical imaging.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Green Tribunal</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>National Green Tribunal was established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010</strong> for effective and expeditious <strong>disposal of cases relating to environmental protection</strong> and conservation of forests and other natural resources.</li>
<li>It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.</li>
<li>The Tribunal is <strong>not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure</strong>, 1908, but shall be <strong>guided by principles of natural justice</strong>.</li>
<li>The Tribunal's dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.</li>
<li>The Tribunal is mandated to make an <strong><g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="76" data-gr-id="76">endeavour</g> for disposal of applications</strong> or appeals finally <strong>within 6 months of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_75 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="75" data-gr-id="75">filing</g> of the same.</li>
<li>Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="79" data-gr-id="79">circuit</g> procedure for making itself more accessible.</li>
<li><strong>New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal</strong> and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="71" data-gr-id="71">and</g> Chennai shall be the other four place of sitting of the Tribunal.</li>
</ul>
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	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Wrong Doctor, Wrong Medicine&rdquo; which appears in The Hindu on 4th November 2018. It analyses the problem of air pollution in India.)</p>
</div>
<p>Air pollution has now become a familiar story, repeated with minor variations every year. <strong>India&rsquo;s air pollution issue comes off as a peculiarly urban problem.</strong> <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/275545/WHO-CED-PHE-18.01-eng.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The World Health Organization&rsquo;s Air Pollution and Child Health: Prescribing Clean Air report</a>&nbsp;released earlier this week underlines the fact that the main sources of air pollution may vary from urban to rural areas, but no area is, strictly speaking, safer. This shows the seriousness of the problem spreading everywhere.</p>
<p>Both indoor and outdoor (ambient) air pollution poses several acute and chronic threats to human health, causing over 1.8 million deaths per year. <strong>While indoor pollution had a higher count of deaths two decades ago, ambient air pollution is the bigger killer now according to recent estimates. In reality, both are major killers with both forms of pollution mixing with each other as air flows between homes and the streets.</strong></p>
<p>The UN Environment Programme&rsquo;s recent report titled &lsquo;<a href="http://ccacoalition.org/en/resources/air-pollution-asia-and-pacific-science-based-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-Based Solutions</a>&rsquo; has sounded a warning, pointing out that <strong>only 8% of the population in the countries of the region get to breathe the air of acceptable quality.</strong></p>
<h3>Reasons Behind Air Pollution:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Urban Air Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Every winter, the Indo-Gangetic plains, housing nearly a third of India&rsquo;s population, are blanketed with a thick layer of ambient pollution caused by <strong>stubble burning in nearby states, brick kilns, coal-fired factories and wood fires for heat etc.</strong></li>
<li>Slowing down of air currents in the winter combined with a decreasing temperature also leads to air pollution in northern states of India.</li>
<li>The problem is aggravated by the <strong>burning of urban waste, diesel soot, vehicular exhaust, road and construction dust, and generation of power using coal.</strong></li>
<li>Seasonal additions like<strong> fine dust blowing in from the Thar desert</strong> during some summer months further aggravates the problem.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Rural Air Pollution</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Burning of agricultural crop residues and garbage.</li>
<li>Burning of solid biomass fuels for cooking.</li>
<li>Increasing deforestation.</li>
<li>Pollution caused by factories in sub-urban areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Effects of Air Pollution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Global Burden of Disease (2016) ranked air pollution as the second highest contributor to death and disability in India, next only to malnutrition.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Of the 1.1 million air pollution-related deaths in 2015, 75% were in rural India.</strong></li>
<li>The report found that India had almost 61,000 deaths of children under the age of five years due to ambient and household pollution. In the under 14 bracket, it had over 100,000 deaths.</li>
<li>The complex mixture of pollutants, which includes carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, arsenic, mercury, sulphur dioxide, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter, is contributing to the <strong>rise of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, lung disease and cancer.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pregnant women pass pollutants they breathe into the </strong>foetus<strong> through placental blood flow, which may result in stillbirths or a </strong>growth retarded<strong> baby.</strong></li>
<li>The elderly too are especially vulnerable to the many ailments that air pollution inflicts.</li>
<li>The health of the economy will also feel the ill effects of air pollution. The physical effects, which range from lethargy to lethal diseases, damages productivity.</li>
<li><strong>It is deeply disturbing to know that India records the highest premature deaths among under-5 children due to toxic air.</strong> This has emerged from the newly-released report of the World Health Organization - Air Pollution and Child Health Prescribing Clean Air.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Promoting the use of biomass fuels for indoor cooking, heating, and light is a significant solution. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana</a>, which aimed at shifting poor households from biomass to clean liquified petroleum gas (LPG), had the right idea. But it hasn&rsquo;t quite worked out that way in practice when it came to implementation. So, the gap between planning of schemes and implementation should be addressed.</li>
<li>Air quality monitoring stations by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should be set up across the country, even in rural areas. All sources of air pollution must be earnestly and effectively tackled, all across the country and all year round.</li>
<li>Proper data collection should be done on how violations of existing emission norms should be addressed. Fine-grained information will foster innovation.</li>
<li>Most crucially, any programme planning should envisage cooperation and coordination across crucial ministries such as health, transport and energy.</li>
<li>A national consensus for concerted action against air pollution must emerge from the national distress, binding the central and state governments to time-bound actions. Targets must be set, monitored and accomplished.</li>
<li>Use of technologies to turn farm residues into a resource, converting them into biofuels and fertilizers may minimise the stubble burning.</li>
<li>Large cities should reorient their investments to prioritise public transport, favouring electric mobility. Sharply escalated, deterrent parking fees can be implemented. If governments delay action on the critical issue of pollution control, public pressure must force them to act.</li>
<li>There should be strict regulations on industries and construction units to control the air pollution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court prohibited the plying of diesel vehicles that are over 10 years old and petrol vehicles that are over 15 years old in the National Capital Region. And also regulated burning crackers.</li>
<li>Green walls with internal watering tanks on flyovers, walls beside roads can also contribute towards fresh air.</li>
<li>But, fighting pollution must be a year-round exercise, not a winter ritual.</li>
<li>Awareness should be created among people which can enable people to protect themselves.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>How are cities around the world tackling air pollution?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Paris</strong> bans cars in many historic central districts at weekends, imposes odd-even bans on vehicles, makes public transport free during major pollution events and encourages car- and bike-sharing programmes.</li>
<li><strong>In Netherland,</strong> politicians have proposed a law to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars from 2025, allowing only electric or hydrogen vehicles. The proposed new law would allow anyone who already owns a petrol or diesel car to continue using it. Most cities encourage bicycle use.</li>
<li><strong>Freiburg in Germany</strong> has 500 km of bike routes, tramways, and a cheap and efficient public transport system. One suburb, Vauban, forbids people to park near their homes and makes car-owners pay &euro;18,000 for a space on the edge of town. In return for living without a car, people are offered cheaper housing, free public transport, and plentiful bicycle spaces.</li>
<li><strong>Oslo in Norway</strong> plans to halve its climate emissions by 2020 and proposes a large no-car zone, the building of 40 miles of new bike lanes, steep congestion charges, a rush-hour fee for motorists, and the removal of many parking spaces.</li>
<li><strong>The southern Brazilian city</strong> of 2 million people has one of the biggest and lowest cost bus systems in the world. Nearly 70% of the city goes to work by public transport and the result is pollution-free air and traffic-free streets.</li>
<li>A joint effort by the <strong>Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Nurturing Green</strong>, an NCR-based company, the oxygen chamber at Gurugram Huda City Centre brings with its over hundreds of anti-polluting plants.</li>
<li>An entire vertical forest city is being set up in <strong>Liuzhou (China)</strong> with a tree cover that will act as an air filter &ndash; with 40,000 trees and more than a million plants. The aim is to absorb pollution and produce oxygen. The city is being designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti and is expected to be completed by 2020.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/wrong-doctor,-wrong-medicine'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'RBI-Government Tussle',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in a public speech warned against government interference in Reserve Bank's working.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Finance recently started consultation with RBI governor on issues such as easing the PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) framework and providing more credit to small units.</li>
<li>This is prior to issuing the directions to RBI under Section 7 of RBI Act of 1934, such directives under this section has never been issued in past since 1934.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Prompt Corrective Action (PCA)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PCA norms allow the <strong>RBI to place certain restrictions such as halting branch expansion and stopping dividend payment.</strong> It can even cap a bank&rsquo;s lending limit to one entity or sector.</li>
<li>Other corrective actions that can be imposed on banks include special audit, restructuring operations and activation of the recovery plan. Banks&rsquo; promoters can be asked to bring in new management, too. The RBI can also supersede the bank&rsquo;s board, under PCA.</li>
<li>The provisions of the revised PCA framework became effective from April 1, 2017, based on the financials of the banks for the year ended on March 31, 2017. The framework will be reviewed after three years.</li>
<li>When is PCA invoked?
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The PCA is invoked when banks breach certain regulatory requirement like minimum capital, return on asset and quantum of non-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues between RBI and Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Easing Norms of Prompt Corrective Action</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has asked the RBI to give exemption to power companies under the PCA framework.</li>
<li>The government wants RBI to ease lending rules under PCA, as it could help reduce pressure on MSME through credit availability.</li>
<li>RBI has said that such move will jeopardize all efforts of dealing with country&rsquo;s Non-Performing Asset (NPA) Crisis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Section 7 of RBI Act of 1934</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government which is a stakeholder in 21 public sector bank is issuing the direction to RBI, the regulator of banks.</li>
<li>This section empowers the <strong>government to issue directions to RBI in public interest.</strong></li>
<li>The section states that directions must be issued after consultation with RBI governor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>RBI Surpluses</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Every year RBI earns interests from the domestic and foreign bonds it holds. This income is used in running the operation of RBI and rest is accrued as surplus. Out of this surplus, RBI holds some amount to itself as equity capital to maintain its creditworthiness and pays the rest to the government.</li>
<li>In 2015 RBI&rsquo;s risk analysis showed that its equity position of around Rs 10 lakh crore was adequate, the Bank decided to transfer its entire surplus to the government (around Rs 65,876 crore for 2015-16).</li>
<li>The government is of the opinion that RBI should pay more dividend reasons being that the building up of buffers such as the Contingency Fund and Asset Reserve by the RBI has been far in excess of what is required to maintain creditworthiness.</li>
<li>RBI, on the other hand, says that increasing the dividend payment to the government can prove to be inflationary as there will be more money in the market and may harm the RBI&rsquo;s major task of macroeconomic stability.</li>
<li>The surplus is also meant to cover a situation where the rupee appreciates against one or more of the currencies or if there is a decline in the rupee value of gold.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The tussle between RBI and government can impact the image of India as a stable market as investors require long-term policy consistency, such interference in the working of RBI can impact investment in the Indian economy. Thus it is necessary that the government should respect the mandate given to RBI as a regulator of the banks.</li>
<li>On the other hand, it must also be understood that constitutionally RBI is not independent, it is a part of the government, thus accountable to people. The independence of the central bank is maintained as it has positive externalities on the economy. The autonomy must also come with accountability. Thus it can be said that by invoking section 7 of RBI Act 1934, the government is acting within power given to it under the act.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/29-10-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More on Independence of RBI</a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-government-tussle'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'The Big Picture - Pending Cases: Way Forward',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="padding-left: 180px;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V7vNs8rH95Q" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>According to the <strong>National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), around 23 lakh cases, which are over a decade old, are pending in various subordinate courts of the country. These cases constitute 8.29 percent of the total nearly 2.50 crore cases pending in the lower courts.</strong> Of these, nearly 6 lakh cases are civil in nature and nearly 17 lakh are criminal in nature. Civil cases usually involve private disputes between persons or <g class="gr_ gr_137 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="137" data-gr-id="137">organisations</g>. Criminal cases involve an action that is considered to be harmful to society as a whole. The National Judicial Data Grid is a part of the ongoing e-Courts Integrated Mission Mode Project.<strong> The NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify manage and reduce pendency of cases.</strong> The e-Committee of the Supreme Court had launched the National Judicial Data Grid to provide data on cases pending in the district courts across the country.</p>
<h3>What are the main reasons for such pendency?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The two important aspects that are plaguing the judiciary are
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Filling of the vacancies</li>
<li>Inadequate number of judges</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The average court does not work more than five to six hours, which includes the lunch hour. The question is why cannot court work for eight hours a day?</li>
<li>The kind of cases that the judges encounter every day is not only varied in their substance but also <g class="gr_ gr_131 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="131" data-gr-id="131">importance</g>. When the judges are burdened with so many cases it is impractical to suggest that the judges can do a thorough research on every case. Consequently, the quality of such judgments is brought into question, leading to further appeals. Lack of proper research team/system is also one of the reasons for the delay in judicial proceedings.</li>
<li>Another important reason for such a high pendency is the practice of seeking adjournments. Usually the lower courts, at the drop of the hat, seek adjournment ad infinitum.</li>
<li>Another important reason is litigation. The cost of litigation is very low in India. There have been cases where people moved the court for salary dispute of as low as rupees 20.</li>
<li>Besides, in most of the courts apart from the judicial functioning, the administrative work also falls upon the judges. These allied works take a lot of time.</li>
<li>In most of the courts, there isn&rsquo;t a cordial functioning between the Bench and the Bar. Constant tussle leads wastage of court time.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><em>DRISHTI INPUT</em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most States and their High Courts do not adhere to the schedule laid down by the Supreme Court for filling up judicial vacancies.</li>
<li>Power Battle between the Executive and Judiciary. The process of selection of judges has been a bone of contention between the executive and the judiciary.</li>
<li>Increasing literacy- the number of cases being filed every year is increasing. The reason being is increased awareness with increased literacy. Kerala, for example, gets 28 new cases per 1,000 people. It has a literacy rate of over 90%. Jharkhand, which has a literacy rate of around 53%, gets four cases per 1,000.</li>
<li>Indian government &ndash; the largest litigant. It is responsible for nearly half the pending cases. Many of them are actually cases of one department of the government suing another, leaving decision-making to the courts.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Reasons behind Government being the largest litigator:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most of the times hallow appeals are made by the govt. This is done just to avoid their responsibility or answerability of why they have lost a particular case.</li>
<li>They want to fight it till the end (an ego trip). Consequently, it affects the efficiency of the government.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why it is that some courts perform better than the other?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The most important reason for some courts to perform better is the presence of quality judges.</li>
<li>They are decisive with regards to judgment.</li>
<li>The best example here would be regarding section 377. The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court decided there should be a final resolution of the matter within a given time. Within months the final judgment was pronounced by the nine-judge constitutional bench.</li>
<li>Is there a dearth of quality of judges? To put it in brief, yes. Most of the judges come from the pool of advocates practicing in their respective courts. Top advocates are often reluctant to join the bench because of the fear that they will be hit financially. Consequently, there are very fewer options to choose from.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First and foremost effort must be doubled up to fill the pending vacancies in the lower courts. Increase the number of strength of judges at subordinate courts.</li>
<li>In order to attract the best of mind and maintain the quality of judges, the remuneration ought to be increased. This is a kind of infrastructural spending that will help in the long run.</li>
<li>It would be incorrect to say that the cost of litigation should be increased. If that happens then litigants would pursue extrajudicial measures to get justice and this might not be a healthy tradition to establish. The best way forward is that legislative amendments should be made where only the most important cases should reach the higher courts.</li>
<li>Another most important way out is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Most of the cases which are civil in nature can be tackled by mediation, arbitration, conciliation, and Lok Adalats. These non-conventional methodologies can bring down the number of cases considerably. However, proper legislation has to be instituted in this regard.</li>
<li>Every judge should have a minimum of 2 member research team to aid her/him.</li>
<li>Adjournments should be allowed strictly based on the rules and regulations established in the Civil Procedure Code and Code of Criminal Procedure.</li>
<li>There is a need for improvement in judicial education. The law schools focus on grooming lawyers as opposed to the future members of the judiciary. Hence, the focus should be made to shape the judicial curricula accordingly.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-pending-cases-way-forward'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Support and Outreach Initiative for MSME Sector',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The Prime Minister, launched support and outreach programme for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The programme includes <strong>12 key initiatives</strong> which will help the growth, expansion and facilitation of MSMEs across the country.</li>
<li>There are <strong>five key aspects</strong> for facilitating the MSME sector, viz. <strong>access to credit, access to market, technology upgradation, ease of doing business, and a sense of security for employees</strong>. The 12 initiatives will address each of these five categories.</li>
<li>The announcement comes when the Government is already working on <strong>steps to improve liquidity</strong> in the financial markets to provide <strong>relief to the Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)</strong>, which have a high exposure to the MSME sector. After banks, NBFCs are major lenders to the MSMEs.</li>
<li>
<p>MSME entrepreneurs are facing several problems i.e. Poor infrastructure, Access to modern technology, Access to markets, Getting statutory clearances related to power, environment, labour etc.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Access to Credit</h3>
<p>1. Launch of the <strong>59 minute loan portal</strong> to enable easy access to credit for MSMEs.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The loans <strong>upto Rs. 1 crore</strong> can be granted in-principle approval through this portal, in just 59 minutes.</li>
<li>The link to this portal will be available through the GST portal.</li>
</ul>
<p>2. A <strong>2% interest subvention</strong> for all GST registered MSMEs, on fresh or incremental loans.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increase in interest rebate</strong> from 3% to 5% for exporters who receive loans in the pre-shipment and post-shipment period.</li>
</ul>
<p>3. All companies with a <strong>turnover more than Rs. 500 crore</strong>, must now <strong>compulsorily</strong> be brought on the <strong>Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Joining this portal will enable entrepreneurs to access credit from banks, based on their upcoming receivables.</li>
<li>This will resolve their problems of cash cycle.</li>
<li>Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) is the institutional mechanism for facilitating the <strong>financing of trade receivables of MSMEs from corporate and other buyers</strong>, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), through multiple financiers.&nbsp;It has been set up under the <strong>regulatory framework set up by RBI under Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Access to Markets</h3>
<p>4. Public sector companies have now been asked to <strong>compulsorily procure 25%</strong>, instead of 20% of their total purchases, from MSMEs.</p>
<p>5. Out of the 25% procurement mandated from MSMEs,<strong> 3%</strong>&nbsp;must now be reserved for<strong> women entrepreneurs.</strong></p>
<p>6. All public sector undertakings of the Union Government must now compulsorily be a part of<strong>&nbsp;Government e-Marketplace (GeM)</strong>. They should also get all their vendors registered on GeM.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Government e-Marketplace (GeM)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GeM is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by the government ministries, departments, public sector undertakings (PSU) etc.</li>
<li>It has been envisaged as <strong>National Procurement Portal</strong> of India.</li>
<li>It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology).</li>
<li>It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&amp;D), <strong>Ministry of Commerce and Industry</strong>.</li>
<li>GeM is a completely<strong> paperless, cashless</strong> and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Technology Upgradation</h3>
<p>7. 20 hubs, and 100 spokes in the form of tool rooms will be established across the country to <strong>facilitate product design.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A toolroom is a room where tools are stored or, in a factory, a space where tools are made and repaired for use throughout the rest of the factory.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ease of Doing Business</h3>
<p>8.&nbsp;<strong>Clusters of pharma MSMEs</strong> will be formed and 70% cost of establishing these clusters will be borne by the Union Government.</p>
<p>9. In order to <strong>simplify the government procedures</strong>, the return under 8 labour laws and 10 Union regulations must now be filed only once a year.</p>
<p>10. The establishments to be visited by an Inspector will be decided through a <strong>computerised random allotment.</strong></p>
<p>11. Environmental Clearance under air pollution and water pollution laws, have been <strong>merged into one</strong>. Also, the return will be accepted through self-certification.</p>
<p>12. For minor violations under the Companies Act, the entrepreneur will no longer have to approach the Courts, but can correct them through simple procedures.</p>
<h3>Importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Backbone of Indian economy</strong>: The importance of MSMEs is attributable to their calibre for (a) employment generation (b) low capital and technology requirement (c) promotion of industrial development in rural areas (d) use of traditional or inherited skill (e) use of local resources (f) mobilization of resources and exportability of products.</li>
<li><strong>Contribution to growth parameters</strong>: The sector contributes around 38% to the country&rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP), 40% to overall exports and 45% to overall manufacturing output.</li>
<li><strong>Contribution to job creation</strong>: The MSME sector generates around 100 million jobs through over 46 million units situated throughout the geographical expanse of the country. MSME sector is the second largest employment providing sector in India after agriculture.</li>
<li><strong>Diversity:</strong> The MSME sector in India is quite diverse in terms of its size, level of technology employed, range of products and services provided and target markets.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Recent Initiatives to Promote MSME Sector</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM)</strong>: It is a simple one-page registration form to promote ease of doing business for MSMEs in India.</li>
<li>A Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship <strong>(ASPIRE)</strong>: The scheme promotes innovation &amp; rural entrepreneurship through rural Livelihood Business Incubator (LBI), Technology Business Incubator (TBI) and Fund of Funds for start up creation in the agro-based industry.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme</strong>: To facilitate easy flow of credit, guarantee cover is provided for collateral free credit extended to MSMEs.</li>
<li>Prime Minister&rsquo;s Employment Generation Programme <strong>(PMEGP)</strong>: is a credit linked subsidy scheme, for setting up of new micro-enterprises and to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country.</li>
<li>Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries <strong>(SFURTI)</strong>: The scheme aims to make <strong>traditional industries</strong> more productive and competitive by organizing the traditional industries and artisans <strong>into clusters</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS)</strong> for Technology Upgradation: CLCSS aims at facilitating technology upgradation of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by providing <strong>15% capital subsidy</strong> for purchase of plant &amp; machinery.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/support-and-outreach-initiative-for-msme-sector'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (3rd November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Delhi Durbar Painting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One of the biggest and most iconic<strong> oil paintings in the collection of Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) depicting the Delhi Durbar of 1903, has been restored.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/535delhi%20durbar painting.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></strong></li>
<li>A few years ago, a termite attack had affected the painting and the conservation unit of the VMH took on the job of restoring the painting to its former glory.</li>
<li>Titled &lsquo;State Entry Into Delhi&rsquo;, the painting was<strong> commissioned by the then British government</strong>. <strong>Painted by British artist Roderick Mackenzie</strong>, the<strong> picture shows Viceroy Lord Curzon, seated on an elephant and leading the ceremonial procession of the Delhi Durbar followed by several Indian kings.</strong></li>
<li>Delhi Durbar, as the term suggests, is borrowed from Mughal vocabulary and with all its pomp and grandeur was an attempt by the British to appropriate Mughal culture.</li>
<li>The Delhi Durbar was an Indian imperial style mass assembly organized by the British in Delhi, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar,<strong> it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire.</strong></li>
<li>All three Imperial durbars celebrated coronations. The<strong> first declared Queen Victoria</strong> the Empress of India and was proclaimed with title<strong> &ldquo;<g class="gr_ gr_51 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="51" data-gr-id="51">Kaisar</g>-i-Hind&rdquo;.</strong> The <strong>second confirmed her son King Edward VII</strong> as Emperor of India and the third his son <strong>King George V</strong>.</li>
<li>However, <strong>King George V</strong> was the<strong> only monarch</strong> to attend a durbar.</li>
<li>Although Calcutta was then the capital of British India, Lord Lytton, Governor-General of India in 1877, chose <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="53" data-gr-id="53">a ground</g> just outside old Delhi for the first durbar, believing that the former capital of the Mughals would have a greater cultural significance in the minds of Indians.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s First Uterine Transplant Baby</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, doctors in Pune have successfully delivered a child to a woman who had undergone a uterine transplant.</li>
<li><strong>This is the first such birth in India and the 12th in the world.</strong></li>
<li>The first successful transplant was performed in Saudi Arabia in 2002 but did not result in pregnancy. The first birth after a transplant, in 2014, happened in Sweden.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Uterine Transplant</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, about<strong> 17% of all women face issues relating to infertility,</strong> and the reason is related to the uterus in 20% of such cases.</li>
<li>For women whose uterus is not healthy, or who do not have one since birth, a transplant of the uterus is the <strong>newest form of infertility treatment.</strong></li>
<li>Usually, women related to the recipient are potential donors. <strong>The donor may be either living or <g class="gr_ gr_55 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="55" data-gr-id="55">deceased,</g> and is chosen from among women up to age 60.</strong></li>
<li>The transplanted uterus is removed after the woman has gone through one or two childbirths.</li>
<li><strong>Normal reproduction is not possible</strong> with a transplanted uterus. Therefore, the egg is fertilised through in-vitro fertilisation.</li>
<li>The childbirth happens through <strong>surgical intervention.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-3rd-november-2018-'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'NASA’s Dawn Mission',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>NASA&rsquo;s Dawn spacecraft (launched in 2007) which orbited the <strong>two largest objects (Vesta and Ceres) in the asteroid belt</strong> has run out of fuel, ending a historic 11-year mission that unravelled many mysteries of our solar system.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mission managers of Dawn Mission concluded that the spacecraft finally ran out of <strong>hydrazine, the fuel that enables the spacecraft to control its pointing.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_23 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="23" data-gr-id="23">Significance</g> of the Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The astounding images and data that Dawn collected from Vesta and Ceres are critical to understanding the history and evolution of the solar system.</li>
<li>In 2011, when Dawn arrived at Vesta, <strong>the spacecraft became the first to orbit</strong> a body in the <strong>region between Mars and Jupiter</strong>.</li>
<li>In 2015, when Dawn went into orbit around Ceres, a dwarf planet that is also in the asteroid belt, the mission became the <strong>first to visit a dwarf planet</strong> and go into orbit around two destinations beyond Earth.</li>
<li>The data Dawn beamed back to Earth from <g class="gr_ gr_22 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="22" data-gr-id="22">its</g> four science experiments enabled scientists to compare two planet-like worlds that evolved very differently.</li>
<li>Among its accomplishments, Dawn <strong>showed how important location</strong> was to the way objects in the early solar system formed and evolved.</li>
<li>Dawn also reinforced the idea that <strong>dwarf planets could have hosted</strong> oceans over a significant part of their history and potentially still do.</li>
<li>Dawn&rsquo;s data sets will be deeply mined by scientists working on <strong>how planets grow and differentiate</strong>, and when and where life could have formed in our solar system.</li>
<li>Ceres and Vesta are <strong>important to the study of distant planetary systems</strong>, too, as they provide a glimpse of the conditions that may exist around young stars.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nasas-dawn-mission'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'How Not To Choose Among Allies',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;How Not To Choose Among Allies&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu on 3rd November 2018. It analyses the U.S sanctions on Iran and its effects on India.)</p>
</div>
<p>In context please refer: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Reimposes Sanctions on Iran</a></p>
<p>In May 2012, the then U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited Delhi on behalf of Western countries negotiating the J<strong>oint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA</strong> (the nuclear deal with Iran) to convince India to cut its oil imports from Iran.<strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/391941Untitled.png" width="413" height="215" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" caption="false" /></strong></p>
<p>Eventually, India agreed to cut its imports by only about 15%. But cumulative global pressure had the desired impact on Iran, where inflation had risen more than 40% and oil exports declined from 2.5 million barrels of crude each day to about 1 million.<strong> JCPOA negotiations that followed eventually led to a deal hailed by the United Nations.</strong></p>
<p>Unlike in 2012, the U.S.&rsquo;s EU allies in 2018 are working closely with its arch rivals like Russia and China, primarily with a view to supporting trade with Tehran to ensure that the Iranian regime does not walk out of the nuclear deal.</p>
<p>U.S. officials have led a series of delegations to New Delhi in the last few months with a similar mission, but with a completely new and different backdrop:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Trump administration has already walked out of the JCPOA.</li>
<li>The U.S. has no support from any other country involved in the deal, and the UN has expressed grave misgivings about the decision.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has given no evidence that Iran in any way violated the terms of the JCPOA</strong> &mdash; the International Atomic Energy Agency&rsquo;s June report concluded that Iran&rsquo;s stockpile of uranium and heavy water, as well as its implementation of additional protocols, were &ldquo;in compliance&rdquo; with the agreement.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. may succeed in squeezing Iran economically, but it is increasingly getting politically isolated.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Sanctions on Iran</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Iran</strong> <g class="gr_ gr_88 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="88" data-gr-id="88">being</g><strong> one of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">the</g><strong><g class="gr_ gr_108 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="108" data-gr-id="108">&nbsp;the world&rsquo;s</g> largest oil producers</strong>, oil export forms the major part of Iran&rsquo;s trade with the rest of the world. Sanctions targeting oil exports have a deep impact on the economy of Iran.</li>
<li><strong>US sanctions led to the crash in the value of Iranian currency Rial</strong> and that further led to a huge inflation in Iran.</li>
<li>Also, the aviation sector in Iran will be particularly hit by US sanctions. Tourism in Iran which had benefited from the nuclear deal could also be affected by renewed sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>Fundamentalist forces in Iran were against the JCPOA, the imposition of sanctions despite adhering to the deal strengthens the radical forces which are against any engagement with the western world, the US in particular.</strong></li>
<li>Political instability because of months-long protests in Iran over deteriorating economic conditions and charges of corruption and mismanagement. <strong>Protesters are now targeting the government of President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal as a way of boosting the economy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Possible Options for Iran</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Learning from previous lessons, it has already increased price discounts since May, worth around USD 10-15 million a month to large importers like China and India compared with last year.</li>
<li><strong>Iran can opt for other options such </strong>as<strong> allowing buyers to pay in kind, trade in other currencies, or extend credit - even keep the money in an escrow account in Switzerland and wait until these sanctions are over.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Iran can get its oil to a friendly port, where it could be blended with oil from elsewhere and resold.</strong></li>
<li>Iran says it will not accept major drops in its oil sales, putting pressure particularly on Europe, which was buying more than a fifth of its oil, to resist US demands.</li>
<li><strong>The European Union said it would adhere to the deal and would ensure sanctions on Iran remain lifted as long as Tehran continues to meet its commitments. Russia and China have also said they will remain in the deal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts on India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>With trade levels receding, the Iranian regime may lose interest in the Chabahar option, and focus on its main port of Bandar Abbas instead, derailing India&rsquo;s plans for regional connectivity.</strong></li>
<li>Another impact would be on India&rsquo;s investment in the Chabahar port, which would face both direct and indirect sanctions: as shippers, port suppliers and trading companies refuse to participate in the project. (It threatens India&rsquo;s $500 million investment in the port and its $2 billion plan for a railway line to circumvent Pakistan and reach Afghanistan and Central Asian trade lines.)</li>
<li>Apart from Chabahar, India&rsquo;s interest in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), which runs through Iran, which will improve connectivity with five Central Asian republics, may also get affected.</li>
<li>For India, the impact of the American sanctions plan would be manifold, regardless of the waiver as waivers are temporary.</li>
<li><strong>Most worrying for India is that all of the above outcomes will follow regardless of whether the U.S. gives India a waiver for sanctions or not.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has said that it is only issuing temporary waivers, and the waivers are strictly linked to the condition that countries receiving them keep cutting down their purchases from Iran.</strong></li>
<li>Along with the JCPOA-linked sanctions, India continues to face sanctions linked to the <strong>Countering America&rsquo;s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)</strong>, which puts more strictures on dealings with Iran, Russia and North Korea.</li>
<li>Finally, there would be an impact on India&rsquo;s regional security situation, which could see the Iranian-Arab divide deepen, Afghanistan&rsquo;s choices dwindle and an angry Iran pitched closer into the China-Russia corner.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has an extremely important and growing relationship with the US.</li>
<li>Indian officials have made a beeline for Washington to discuss the reasons why India deserves a waiver, from both Iran and CAATSA sanctions.</li>
<li><strong>The U.S. has been informed of India&rsquo;s energy requirement compulsions, and of the cut of about 35-50% in its oil purchases from Iran. On the CAATSA front, the U.S. has also been assured of a significant reduction in Indian </strong><g class="gr_ gr_120 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="120" data-gr-id="120">defence</g><strong> dependence on Russia, and that no weapons procured, like the recently purchased S-400 missile system, would be used against American interests.</strong></li>
<li>But since India also has geopolitical compulsions, and an age-old relationship with Iran as well as its Arab <g class="gr_ gr_126 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="126" data-gr-id="126">neighbours</g>, I<strong>ndia needs to maintain a fine balance between the U.S. and Iran.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/how-not-to-choose-among-allies'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Net Zero Energy Buildings',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <strong>Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)</strong> has come out with Net Zero Energy Buildings rating system in collaboration with the <strong>World Green Building Council</strong> and <strong>the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGBC also launched &lsquo;<strong>Green Building Rating System for Hill Habitats</strong>&rsquo; intended for hill cities, differentiating the sustainability needs of urban development in hills as compared to cities in the plains.</li>
<li>The theme for Green Building Congress 2018 is &lsquo;<strong>Green Built Environment for People &amp; the Planet</strong>&rsquo;.</li>
<li>IGBC plans to promote the <strong>concept of &lsquo;Net Zero&rsquo;</strong> in India. Under this initiative, the focus is <strong>reducing the annual energy consumption by 40-50%</strong>&nbsp;with respect to national baseline and cut down energy cost by about 30 per cent.</li>
<li>The rating system launched during the IGBC's 16th Green building Congress 2018 seeks to complement the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and the National Solar Mission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A net-zero energy building is one that <strong>relies on renewable sources to produce as much energy as it uses</strong>, usually as measured over the course of a year.</li>
<li>Homes and other structures that create almost as much energy as they use are sometimes called near-zero energy buildings.</li>
<li>It is also possible for a building to produce an energy surplus, sending excess back to the electrical grid.</li>
<li>Net-zero energy buildings start with<strong> energy-conscious design</strong>. Many features work without an energy source. For example:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In cold climates, south-facing buildings with large expanses of windows on that side can produce heat through passive solar gain.</li>
<li>On the cold north side of the building, smaller windows can angle to wider openings, permitting more light while limiting heat loss.</li>
<li>In warmer seasons, passive ventilation systems can pull cool air up from the lower levels and vent it through the building's highest point.</li>
<li>Rooftop systems can collect rainwater to reduce usage of treated water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Solar panels, heat recovery systems, geothermal heating and wind turbines</strong> are among the other technologies used to achieve net-zero status.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indira Paryavaran Bhavan</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indira Paryavaran Bhavan in <strong>New Delhi</strong> is <strong>India&rsquo;s first <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">net zero</g> energy building</strong> that has been constructed with the adoption of solar passive design and energy-efficient building materials.</li>
<li>It is one of the exemplary projects to be rated under Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) and has set standards that can be emulated by upcoming buildings.</li>
<li>The design allows for<strong> 75% of natural daylight to be utilised to reduce energy consumption</strong>.</li>
<li>The entire building has an <strong>access friendly design for differently-abled persons</strong>.</li>
<li>The building is fully <strong>compliant with</strong> the requirements of the <strong>Energy Conservation Building Code of India (ECBC)</strong>.</li>
<li>Total energy savings of about 40% have been achieved through the adoption of energy efficient system of air-conditioning.</li>
<li>Green materials like <strong>fly ash bricks, regional building materials, materials with high recyclable content, high reflectance terrace tiles and rock wool insulation</strong> of outer walls have been used.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Need for NZEB along with Green Building</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Due to <strong>increasing urbanisation</strong>, it becomes imperative to plan and conceive the cities as green, right from the initial stages.</li>
<li>While, various amenities like lighting, air conditioning, water heating provide comfort to building occupants, but also <strong>consume </strong><strong><g class="gr_ gr_76 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="76" data-gr-id="76">enormous</g> amount of energy and add to pollution</strong>.</li>
<li>Buildings have <strong><g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="97" data-gr-id="97">enormous</g> impact on </strong><strong><g class="gr_ gr_116 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="116" data-gr-id="116">environment</g></strong>,<strong> human health and economy</strong>. The energy used to heat and power our buildings leads to consumption of large amounts of energy, mainly from burning of fossil fuels, oil, natural gases and coal, which generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide, the most widespread greenhouse gas.</li>
<li>Further, building construction industry produces <g class="gr_ gr_81 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="81" data-gr-id="81">huge</g> amount of demolition waste and greenhouse gases (35-40%).</li>
<li><strong>Building green</strong> is about creating buildings that optimize on the <strong>use of local materials, local ecology</strong> and most importantly they are<strong> built to reduce power, water and material requirements.</strong></li>
<li>Such sustainably built green buildings are <strong>environmentally responsible</strong> and <strong>resource-efficient</strong>, right from location selection to the demolition after its life cycle ends.</li>
<li>According to TERI estimates, if all buildings in Indian urban areas were made to adopt green building concepts, India could save more than 8,400 megawatts of power, which is enough to light 550,000 homes a year.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Green Building Certifying Agencies</strong></p>
<p>There are various certifying agencies that help <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">building</g> developers to implement these principles and get <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="91" data-gr-id="91">green</g> certification. Some of them are:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>LEED-India</strong> &ndash; Leadership in Energy &amp; Environmental Design (LEED) is an <g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="93" data-gr-id="93">international</g> recognized certification system for the green buildings. The LEED-India Green Building Rating System is an international benchmark for the design, construction and operation of <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94">high performance</g> green buildings (provided by IGBC).</li>
<li><strong>IGBC Ratings</strong> &ndash; The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a division of the Confederation of Indian Industry that works closely with the government and aims at <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="79" data-gr-id="79">sustainably</g> built environment.</li>
<li><strong>BEE-ECBC</strong> &ndash; The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) was established by the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to set energy efficiency standards for design and construction of buildings.</li>
<li><strong>TERI GRIHA</strong> &ndash; The Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is a national rating system for green buildings that is adopted while designing and evaluating new buildings.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/net-zero-energy-buildings'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Section 377 Judgement',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Supreme Court (SC) recently decriminalised homosexuality by striking off parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which were held violative of Fundamental Rights of LGBTQ Community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Observations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SC made it clear that Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality before law and this applies to all classes of citizens therby restoring &lsquo;inclusiveness&rsquo; of LGBTQ Community.</li>
<li>SC upheld the pre-eminence of Constitutional morality in India by observing that equality before law cannot be denied by giving precedence to public or religious morality.</li>
<li>SC noted that modern psychiatric studies and legislations recognise that gay persons and transgender do not suffer from a mental disorder and therefore cannot be penalized.</li>
<li>SC observed that homosexuality is not unique to humans, which dispels the prejudice that it is against the order of nature.</li>
<li>Supreme Court stated that the &lsquo;Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Law in Relation to Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity&rsquo; should be applied as a part of Indian law.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Yogyakarta Principles</strong> recognise freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity as part of Human Rights. They were outlined in 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia by a distinguished group of International Human Right experts.</p>
</div>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Section 377</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code 1860, a relic of British India, states that &ldquo;whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished.&rdquo;</li>
<li>This included private consensual sex between adults of same sex.</li>
<li>After the recent SC judgement, provisions of Section 377 remain applicable in cases of non-consensual carnal intercourse with adults, all acts of carnal intercourse with minors, and acts of bestiality.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues Involved</h3>
<p><strong>Fundamental Rights</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sexual orientation and its relationship to the Fundamental Rights of the individuals has been at the heart of the debate.</li>
<li>SC in its judgement specifically said that the Right to Privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lie at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 14 (Equality before Law), Article 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth), Article 21 (Protection of life and liberty) and Article 19 (Freedom of expression) of the Constitution.</li>
<li>The Supreme Court, while decriminalising consensual sex between homosexuals, observed that members of the LGBTQ community possessed the same fundamental rights as others.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Health Issues</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Criminalisation of homosexuality leads to discrimination and results in LGBTQ people getting poor or inadequate access to services within the health system.</li>
<li>It also creates barriers to both the availability and the ability to access HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.</li>
<li>Public health evidence also indicates a clear relationship of a lack of social acceptance and legal rights with substance abuse, violence, isolation, and mental illness.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Law and morality</strong></p>
<p>Those against legalising gay sex argue that it is against the moral values of the society. However, activists arguing for it say what is forbidden in religion need not be prohibited in law.</p>
<p><strong>Landmark Judgements related to issues </strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Naz Foundation vs. Govt. of NCT of Delhi (2009)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Delhi High Court struck off section 377, legalising consensual homosexual activities between adults.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suresh Kumar Koushal Case (2013)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC overturned the previous judgment by Delhi High Court (2009) that decriminalised homosexual acts and criminalised homosexuality once again.</li>
<li>SC argued that in 150 years, less than 200 persons had been prosecuted under Section 377.</li>
<li>Therefore, "plight of sexual minorities" could not be used as argument for deciding constitutionality of law.</li>
<li>Further, SC ruled that it was for the legislature to look into desirability of deleting section 377 of IPC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India (2017)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC ruled that Fundamental Right to Privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty and thus, comes under Article 21 of the Indian constitution.</li>
<li>SC declared that bodily autonomy was an integral part of the right to privacy.</li>
<li>This bodily autonomy has within its ambit sexual orientation of an individual.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Navtej Singh Johar vs. Union Of India (2018)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Decriminalised homosexuality.</li>
<li>Dismissed the position taken by SC in Suresh Kumar Koushal case (2013) that the LGBTQ community constitute a minuscule minority and so there was no need to decriminalise homosexual sex.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Decriminalising Homosexuality</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sexual minorities in India are one step closer to living with dignity.</li>
<li>LGBTQ Community will be able to come out in the open with their sexual preferences.</li>
<li>Discrimination faced by them in accessing health and their harassment by Police will cease.</li>
<li><strong>Decriminalisation has also been associated with more self-acceptance as well as psychological and emotional security among LGBTQ Community. </strong></li>
<li>This judgement will spur LGBTQ Community to demand more progressive laws like Gay marriage laws, right to form partnerships, inheritance, employment equality, protection from gender-identity-based discrimination among others.</li>
<li>The judgment has opened up grey areas, and guidelines will be needed to deal with cases where, say, a gay individual withdraws &ldquo;consent&rdquo; and lodges a complaint against the partner. <strong>India&rsquo;s laws on sexual assault do not recognise men as victims of rape. </strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Though the judgement goes a long way in removing the stigma attached with the LGTBQ community, there is need for a multi pronged approach to deal with issue of prejudice and discrimination prevalent in society against them.</li>
<li>The LGTBQ community needs an anti-discrimination law that empowers them to build productive lives and relationships irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation and place the onus to change on state and society and not the individual.</li>
<li>Government bodies, especially related to Health, and Law and Order need to be sensitised and made aware about the changed position of law to ensure that the LGBTQ community is not denied public services or harassed for their sexual orientation.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/mind-map/gs-paper2/mind-map-paper-2-section-377-judgement" 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-section-377-judgement'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Oceans Heating Faster: IPCC Study',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The ocean is warming much faster than previously thought, new research has found, suggesting that global climate goals may be even harder to reach.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The study concluded that the global oceans may be absorbing up to 60% more heat since the 1990s than older estimates had found.</li>
<li>The higher-than-expected amount of heat in the oceans means more heat is being retained within Earth&rsquo;s climate system each year, rather than escaping into space. In essence, more heat in the oceans signals that global warming is more advanced than scientists thought.</li>
<li>Previous estimates from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the oceans were taking up around 8 <g class="gr_ gr_46 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="46" data-gr-id="46">zetajoules</g> of energy each year. (1 Zetajoules= 10<sup>21</sup> Joules)<sup></sup>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new research has put this figure around 13 <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="47" data-gr-id="47">zetajoules</g>. This suggests that the Earth, as a whole, is more sensitive to climate change than previous estimates, i.e. the planet may respond more strongly to future greenhouse gas emissions than expected.</li>
<li>For a perspective, total energy consumption around the world is around half a <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="45" data-gr-id="45">zetajoule</g> annually, according to the International Energy Agency.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This may have some grave implications for global efforts to meet the climate targets outlined under the Paris Agreement under which nations are striving to keep global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius of their pre-industrial levels, or a more ambitious 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.</li>
<li>Recently, the&nbsp;<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-warming-of-1-5-c-ipcc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPCC released a report on the 1.5 C threshold</a>, concluding that meeting the target will require an &ldquo;unprecedented&rdquo; effort from world leaders and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.</li>
<li>The findings suggest if governments are to prevent temperatures from rising above 2 degree Celsius, emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas produced by human activities, must be reduced by 25 <g class="gr_ gr_48 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="48" data-gr-id="48">per cent</g> compared to what was previously estimated.</li>
<li>The new study isn&rsquo;t actually the first to suggest that the IPCC&rsquo;s previous estimates may be too low. In the past few years, other research has also suggested that the oceans may be warming faster&mdash;although the exact rate varies from study to study.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Methodology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Scientists normally measure ocean temperatures using thermometers, but stitching together a global temperature record requires thermometers around the globe.</li>
<li>But before 2007 or so, ocean floats were much more sparse, and scientists also widely relied on measurements taken by passing ships. That made it a little difficult to estimate ocean changes throughout the <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="56" data-gr-id="56">world,</g> because these data tended to be concentrated mainly in major shipping routes.</li>
<li>An international consortium, in 2007 began a program, known as<strong> Argo,</strong> creating an international network of ocean-temperature and salt content measuring instruments.</li>
<li>Because of the issues with collecting direct ocean data in past decades, the new research attempted to solve the problem without using direct ocean measurements at all. Instead, it relied on measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dating back to 1991.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess energy trapped within the world&rsquo;s atmosphere.</li>
<li>There&rsquo;s a strong relationship between ocean heat and the amount of dissolved gas from the atmosphere that oceans can hold. As the ocean warms, its ability to take in oxygen and carbon dioxide decreases and more of those gases remain in the atmosphere.</li>
<li>
<p>By observing changes in atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide levels&mdash;controlling for other factors, like human emissions of greenhouse gases&mdash;the scientists were able to estimate how the ocean&rsquo;s heat content had changed over the last few decades.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, since this is a novel approach, it is unclear if it will hold up to further scrutiny. Also, this methodology works best over long periods of time but does not detail what happens year to year.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/oceans-heating-faster-ipcc-study'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'China Lifts Ban on Trade of Tiger Bones and Rhino Horns',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>China has lifted a 25-year old ban on the scientific and <strong>medical use of tiger bones and rhinoceros horn</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to conservationists, this lifting of <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="68" data-gr-id="68">ban</g> would have devastating consequences globally for the endangered species.</li>
<li>Tiger bone and rhino horns are used in <strong>Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)</strong> and are used to treat insomnia and gout.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tiger parts were removed from the official TCM pharmacopoeia, a list regulated by China&rsquo;s health <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="80" data-gr-id="80">ministry,</g> when the country first banned the trade of tiger parts in 1993.</li>
<li>In 2010, the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, an international non-profit established in Beijing, urged its members to stop using tiger parts or parts from other endangered wildlife.</li>
<li>China, under<strong> President Xi Jinping, has sought to portray itself as more environment-friendly</strong>, passing stricter protections over wildlife and natural resources.</li>
<li><strong>In 2016, China banned the sale of ivory</strong> which was believed to be a cure for everything from cancer to sore throats in order to reduce poaching of elephants.</li>
<li>However, the more <strong>stringent regulations have come into conflict with Chinese medicine diplomacy</strong>, an effort to use TCM to expand the <strong>country&rsquo;s soft power</strong> globally.</li>
<li>Further, <strong>higher living standards have increased Chinese demand for animal parts</strong>, valued for their supposed life-extending powers. A recent fervour for <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="67" data-gr-id="67">ejiao</g>, a &ldquo;blood-enriching&rdquo; gelatin made from animal hides, has spurred scrutiny over donkeys, mainly from Africa, slaughtered annually to meet Chinese demand.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India's Concern</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorities and wildlife conservationists in Assam are concerned</strong> about the detrimental effect on the <strong>state&rsquo;s one-horned </strong>rhino after China has lifted a 25-year-old ban on use and trade of rhino horn and tiger bone- products.</li>
<li>According to the latest count,<strong> Kaziranga National Park in Assam</strong> has 2,413 one-horned rhinos and in 2018, five rhinos fell to poachers. <strong>Rhino horns poached from here will turn up in China&rsquo;s markets as &lsquo;legal&rsquo; products</strong>. This is an indirect way to open up markets for poached products.</li>
<li>This might give a boost to rhino poachers and traffickers of horns, who might attempt a spurt in their activities with the hope of laundering the products as legally acceptable in China.</li>
<li>Multiple <g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="87" data-gr-id="87">researches</g> and study papers have established that<strong> rhino horns poached from Assam land up in China through Myanmar</strong>. A report by the <strong>International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)</strong> in 2017 noted that <strong>Myanmar&rsquo;s Shan state was a notorious backdoor wildlife trafficking hub</strong> through which rhino horns are taken to China.</li>
<li>The<strong> World Wildlife Fund (WWF)</strong>, a leading NGO in wildlife conservation and endangered species, <strong>has urged China to maintain the ban</strong>, adding that the trade will have devastating consequences globally.</li>
<li>The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) clearly states that tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts and derivatives.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WWF is an <strong>international non-governmental organization</strong> founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.</li>
<li>Its Headquarters is in <strong>Gland, Switzerland</strong>.</li>
<li>Its mission is to stop the degradation of the planet&rsquo;s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.</li>
<li>The <strong>Living Planet Report</strong> published every two years by WWF is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CITES is an <strong>international agreement between governments</strong>.</li>
<li>It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of <strong>IUCN</strong> (The World Conservation Union).</li>
<li>Its aim is to ensure that <strong>international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival</strong>.</li>
<li>Although CITES is <strong>legally binding</strong> on the Parties but it <strong>does not take the place of national laws</strong>. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.</li>
<li>The species covered by CITES are listed in <strong>three Appendices</strong>, according to the degree of protection they need.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction</strong>. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction</strong>, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.</li>
<li><strong>Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one country</strong>, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.</li>
<li>A specimen of a CITES-listed species may be imported into or exported (or re-exported) from a State party to the Convention only if the appropriate document has been obtained and presented for clearance at the port of entry or exit.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/china-lifts-ban-on-trade-of-tiger-bones-and-rhino-horns'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (2nd November 2018)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Dharma Guardian- 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Dharma Guardian 2018 is the<strong> joint military</strong> exercise between <strong>India and Japan.</strong></li>
<li>It involves the Indian Army and Japan Ground Self Defence Force at Counter Insurgency Warfare School, Vairengte, Mizoram, India.</li>
<li>It will be a 14-day long exercise, with emphasis on increasing interoperability between forces from both countries.</li>
<li>Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.</li>
<li>Exercise 'DHARMA GUARDIAN-2018' is another step in deepening strategic ties including closer defense cooperation between the two countries.</li>
<li><strong>JIMEX and MALABAR</strong> are the <strong>Naval exercises</strong> conducted by Indian and Japanese Navy.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Veer Surendra Sai</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union Cabinet has approved <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="57" data-gr-id="57">renaming</g> of Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as &ldquo;Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Veer Surendra Sai was a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha. He played a significant role in the first Indian struggle for freedom of 1857.</li>
<li>Surendra Sai began protesting the British at age 18 in 1827, moved operations to the hilly tracts of Western Orissa in 1857 and continued until he surrendered in 1862.</li>
<li>Though the great revolt of 1857 was suppressed elsewhere in India in 1858, it continued till 1862 in the district of Sambalpur in Orissa, largely due to efforts of Veer Surendra Sai.</li>
<li>In 2005, Government of India decided to put a statue of Veer Surendra Sai at the premises of Parliament of India to <g class="gr_ gr_53 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="53" data-gr-id="53">honour</g> him.</li>
</ul>
<h3>LMDC and BASIC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is hosting two key meetings in New Delhi with a group of countries called the LMDC (Like Minded Developing Countries-India, China, Venezuela, Iran, etc.) and BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China), ahead of December climate talks in Katowice, Poland.</li>
<li>BASIC is a group of four large newly industrialized countries &ndash; Brazil, South Africa, India <g class="gr_ gr_59 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="59" data-gr-id="59">and</g> China. It was formed in 2009.</li>
<li>The Conference of Parties (COP), a league of at least 190 countries signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), meets annually to discuss ways to address issues related to climate change.</li>
<li>The <strong>Katowice talks</strong> will be 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or <strong>COP24.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Ease of Moving Index, 2018</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways <g class="gr_ gr_54 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="54" data-gr-id="54">has</g> released India&rsquo;s first Ease of Mobility Index 2018.</li>
<li>The report has been prepared by Ola Mobility Institute - Ola&rsquo;s research and social innovation arm.</li>
<li>As part of report findings, Kolkata ranks the highest in terms of affordability of public transportation with 80% of commuters finding Kolkata&rsquo;s public transport reasonable and affordable.</li>
<li>Chennai emerged as the city with the most sustainable mobility practices amongst other metros in the country.</li>
<li>The Index offers a source of information to aid transit agencies and urban planners to make informed decisions and align solutions with the preference of commuters.</li>
<li>The report further seeks to offer a comprehensive action plan for cities to further strengthen their public transportation systems and improve the overall state of mobility.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-2nd-november-2018'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Failing Its Purpose',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Failing Its Purpose&rdquo; which appeared in The Indian Express on 30 October 2018. It analyses the enactment of RTE Act.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>The role of education in facilitating social and economic progress or development is irreplaceable.</strong> Education helps improve functional and analytical abilities and opens up opportunities for individuals and groups. Education is not a mere tool to enhance efficiency, but an effective mechanism to augur democratic participation in social life.</p>
<p><strong>Education is a dynamic and powerful force in social and economic empowerment but its effectiveness depends on its spread, utilization, and social circumstances.</strong> In this direction, one exemplary effort that came into effect is the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 (RTE).</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Provisions of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 (RTE)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every child in the age group of 6-14 has the right to free and compulsory education in a neighborhood school, till the completion of elementary education.</li>
<li>The act prohibits donation, capitation fee, screening test/interview of child or parents, physical punishment or mental harassment, private tuition by teachers, and running schools without recognition.</li>
<li>Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act mandates unaided and non-minority schools to keep aside 25% seats for underprivileged children of society through a random selection process. The government will fund the education of these children. No seats in this quota can be left vacant.</li>
<li>All private schools will have to apply for recognition, failing which they will be penalized as per the laid down norms.</li>
<li>No child can be held back, expelled and required to pass the board examination till the completion of elementary education. [This is now set to change through The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017]</li>
<li>The amendment Bill which has been passed only by Lok Sabha till <g class="gr_ gr_141 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="141" data-gr-id="141">now,</g> amends this provision to state that a regular examination will be held in class 5 and class 8 at the end of every academic year. If a child fails the exam, he will be given additional <g class="gr_ gr_142 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="142" data-gr-id="142">instruction,</g> and will have to take a re-examination. If he fails in the re-examination, the relevant central or state government may decide to allow schools to detain the child.</li>
<li>The Act lays down the norms and standards of Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school working days, teacher working hours.</li>
<li>The Act prohibits the deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to <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">local</g> authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.</li>
<li>There is provision for the establishment of commissions to supervise the implementation of the act.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of RTE Act:</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a &lsquo;neighbourhood school&rsquo; means that distance can no longer be a barrier to education.</li>
<li>It aims to provide free and compulsory education which means that it is now the obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. The act also makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age-appropriate class.</li>
<li>It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authorities, and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments. Hence, makes the government responsible for delivering proper service.</li>
<li>It prohibits physical punishment and mental harassment of students and aims at providing <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">student-friendly</g> environment in schools.</li>
<li>It aims for the development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the child&rsquo;s knowledge, potentiality and talent, and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centred learning.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Has the purpose been served after the enactment of RTE Act?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Community surveys revealed that the level of awareness about RTE is quite poor. Many people don't yet know about this constitutional provision which guarantees children their right to education.</li>
<li>The focus of the RTE Act is primarily on &ldquo;inputs&rdquo; (like infrastructure) rather than &ldquo;outcomes&rdquo;. Still, classrooms in most schools lack basic infrastructure, and two or more classes are conducted in the same room at the same time.</li>
<li>The study reveals that 62.50% of students still feel discrimination on the basis of gender, caste, and religion (behavior of teachers is governed by these categories). There is no provision in this Act to address this social problem which widens the gap among students of various sections of society.</li>
<li>Available evidence shows that enactment of RTE hardly led to any improvement in the delivery of quality education. Learning <g class="gr_ gr_117 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="117" data-gr-id="117">outcomes,</g> declined during the years that followed the legislation.</li>
<li>The manner in which reimbursement is to be provided by the government to private schools has created a number of confusions and led to corruption.</li>
<li>The norms and standards prescribed in the schedule for a school are far removed from ground reality. One of the clauses of <g class="gr_ gr_118 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="118" data-gr-id="118">RTE</g> Act penalizes private unrecognized schools, although they provide similar or better, teaching services compared to government <g class="gr_ gr_119 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="119" data-gr-id="119">schools,</g> while spending a much smaller amount.</li>
<li>The act allows only children between the ages 6-14 to get the privileges. It leaves out younger kids (0-6) and an older one (14-18) despite the fact that India has signed the U.N. Charter which states clearly that free education should be made compulsory to all children up to the age of 18 years.</li>
<li>Enrollment ratio of girls is still low and the ratio of dropouts are more. Therefore counseling of parents and community leaders are critical to <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="110" data-gr-id="110">retain</g> girls in schools, a fact that is not covered in the Act.</li>
<li>The Act also has no provisions to take education to children with special needs. Moreover, Minority Religious Schools have not been brought under the RTE as well.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Effective implementation of existing provisions of the RTE Act is required and engagement of civil society should be improved to make it more effective.</li>
<li>It is also necessary to establish a modality through which the RTE Act is protected and a system needs to be evolved to deal with gaps in implementation.</li>
<li>States should ensure all sanctioned posts of teachers lying vacant are filled up immediately to achieve targets.</li>
<li>The minimum pupil-teacher ratio should be maintained in each school as per the provisions. This will only be possible by recruiting more qualified and trained teachers.</li>
<li>Every untrained teacher within the system must be trained as per the National Council of Teacher Education recommendations; no untrained teacher should be recruited. Teacher education must be revamped to provide orientation on various aspects of RTE.</li>
<li>Support should be provided for local-level teachers and activists in school education to create a joint cadre of people committed to the principles of equitable, quality, free and compulsory education.</li>
<li>More percent of GDP must be allotted to education. Enough funds should be allocated to develop infrastructural facilities in schools.</li>
<li>The government should protect all school spaces from being privatized, including through public-private partnerships.</li>
<li>Though the RTE Act has a provision for including overage children in its ambit, in reality, this is not happening; hence proper groundwork needs to be initiated with the help of civil society to meet targets.</li>
<li>The RTE Act must be extended to include early childhood care and education.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/469image1.jpg" width="584" height="436" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /><span style="font-size: 12px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Data on learning outcomes under the RTE as documented in The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014. <br /></span></em><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">(Graphic: KPMG&rsquo;s 2017 Report &ldquo;Assessing the RTE Act&rdquo;)</span></em></span></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/failing-its-purpose'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Section 377 Judgement',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/133Section%20377 Judgement.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/133Section 377 Judgement.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-section-377-judgement'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Payment Firms Begins Process of Data Localisation',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Global card payment companies like Visa and MasterCard have started to comply with the Reserve Bank of India&rsquo;s (RBI) norms on data localization.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>RBI gave October 15 as the deadline for global financial technology</strong> companies to comply with its data localization norms in India and to store transaction data of Indian customers within India.</li>
<li>In a circular in April 2018 RBI said that all system providers shall ensure that the entire data relating to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India.</li>
<li>This covered not only card payment services by Visa and MasterCard but also of companies such as Paytm, WhatsApp and Google which offer electronic or digital payment services.</li>
<li>This data includes the full end-to-end transaction details/ information collected/carried/processed as part of the message/payment instruction.</li>
<li><strong>RBI&rsquo;s directives were followed by the draft data protection law recommended by the Srikrishna committee.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Data Localisation?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data localization is the <strong>practice of storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of the country</strong> where the data is generated. As of now, most of these data are stored, in a cloud, outside India.</li>
<li>Localization mandates that companies collecting critical data about consumers must store and process them within the borders of the country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Data Localisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The main intent behind data localization is to<strong> protect the personal and financial information of the country&rsquo;s citizens and residents</strong> from foreign surveillance like social media giant Facebook sharing user data with Cambridge Analytica, which is alleged to have influenced voting outcomes.</li>
<li>It gives<strong> local governments and regulators the jurisdiction to call for the data when required.</strong> This aspect has gained importance after a spate of lynchings across States which was linked to WhatsApp rumor.</li>
<li>RBI has said that unfettered access to data stored by system providers and third-party vendors in the payments ecosystem will ensure better monitoring.</li>
<li><strong>Data localization is essential to national security.</strong> Where data is not localized, the agencies need to rely on mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) to obtain access, delaying investigations.</li>
<li>On-shoring global data could also create domestic jobs and skills in data storage and analytics too.</li>
<li>Global service providers like Facebook and Google collect all sorts of data about its consumers. It is necessary to have greater accountability from these firms about the end-use of the data.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s one billion-strong consumer market prove to be a stronger bargaining chip when it comes to pushing for data localization.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues with respect to Data Localisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Maintaining multiple local data centers may lead to <strong>significant investments in infrastructure and higher costs for global companies.</strong></li>
<li>One of the argument is that localization will help in enhancing data security. But, by storing data at multiple locations, service providers enhance their data security in case of a breach at one location.</li>
<li>
<p>The impact of data localization on the<strong> economy and on data-driven innovation will be highly negative.</strong> European Centre for International Political Economy - ECIPE 2014 Study has estimated GDP loss of 0.8%, reduced growth by 20%, decrease in FDI by 1.9%. World GDP grew by 10.1% on account of trade of $7.8 trillion &ndash; out of which data flows account for $2.8 trillion (Mckinsey Study 2016) and India&rsquo;s share is a mere $175 billion.</p>
</li>
<li>Clouds and large service providers implement risk-based security programs that track the latest threats and vulnerabilities, with the latest technology tools, and highly skilled manpower. <strong>Small organizations can not invest that much for security, while the risks are similar.</strong> The norms should not discourage that since India as the global hub of IT/BPM industry is home to such data processing.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data localization may not entirely avoid Facebook-Cambridge Analytica-like episodes but it can ensure that domestic law enforcement can respond more effectively to such issues.</li>
<li>It is said that data localization will help avoid the vulnerabilities of relying on the fiber optic cable network. The Cyber Security Report 2017 released by Telstra reported that businesses in India were most at risk to cybersecurity attacks. Thus, a mandatory border control provision may not be the solution to avoiding security breach incidents. Instead, using superior encryption and adoption of robust security measures will help to prevent the security breach.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>The <strong>Justice Srikrishna Committee Report</strong> and the <strong>Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018</strong> (Data Protection Bill) has proposed:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>all personal data to which the law applies must have at least one serving copy stored in India</li>
<li>personal data critical to national interest must be stored and processed only in India</li>
<li>the Centre will have the power to exempt transfers on the basis of strategic or practical considerations.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/payment-firms-begins-process-of-data-localisation'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Building Resilient Cities',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Every year, <strong>World Cities Day is observed on 31st October</strong>. The concept was first brought about by the<strong> United Nations</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the UN, the day is expected to:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>promote the international community&rsquo;s interest in global urbanisation,</li>
<li>push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanisation, and</li>
<li>contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The theme for World Cities Day 2018 was '<strong>Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities</strong>' because cities need support to become resilient and develop their capacity to absorb the impact of hazards, protect and preserve human life and limit damage to and destruction of public and private assets while continuing to provide infrastructure and services after a crisis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why the world needs to focus on resilience</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>About 1.4 million people move to cities around the world every week and nearly <strong>55% of the world&rsquo;s population now lives in urban areas</strong>. Such <strong>rapid urbanisation</strong> can strain local capacities, contributing to increased risk from natural and <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="45" data-gr-id="45">human made</g> disasters.</li>
<li>As <strong>more people are concentrated in cities</strong>, dependent on local services and networks, the risks from natural and <g class="gr_ gr_44 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="44" data-gr-id="44">human made</g> disasters grow.</li>
<li>The <strong>poor and vulnerable, living in substandard, hazardous places</strong> are most at risk with around 1 billion people living in slums.</li>
<li>People exposed to natural hazards in poorest nations are more than seven times likely to die than those in the richest.</li>
<li>Challenges to resilience can also be economic, cultural, civic and social and develop over time such as economic downturns or crises, high unemployment, lack of inclusion, social cohesion or discrimination, disease outbreaks and terrorism.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to build resilience</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cities can protect against economic shocks by <strong>diversifying their economy, creating opportunities for business and employment</strong>, and engaging the private sector.</li>
<li>They can build <strong>socially cohesive societies becoming democratic, sustainable and inclusive</strong> by ensuring residents from all backgrounds take part in decision making.</li>
<li>To build<strong> climate and environment resilience</strong>, authorities need to plan cities properly to minimize the overall effect on the environment as well as ensuring resilience through <strong>strengthened infrastructure, good planning and public education</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Responses to disasters in urban areas</strong> can promote <strong>greater resilience to future crises</strong> and support long-term development goals.</li>
<li>The need for resilient cities is recognised in the <strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong>, <strong>the Paris Agreement for Climate Change</strong>, <strong>the Sendai Framework</strong> and in the <strong>New Urban Agenda (Habitat-III)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>UN-Habitat</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UN-Habitat</strong> is the <strong>United Nations programme</strong> working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.</li>
<li>The first international UN conference to fully recognize the challenge of urbanization was held in 1976 in <strong>Vancouver, Canada (Habitat I)</strong></li>
<li>In 1996, the United Nations held a second conference &ndash; <strong>Habitat II in Istanbul, Turkey</strong> to assess two decades of progress since Habitat I in Vancouver and to set fresh goals for the new millennium.</li>
<li>In 2016, at the <strong>UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development ( Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador</strong>, New Urban Agenda was signed. This is an action-oriented document which sets <strong>global standards of achieving SDG11</strong>, rethinking the way cities are built and managed.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/building-resilient-cities'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>India improved its ranking by 23 places to secure 77<sup>th</sup> rank in World Bank&rsquo;s latest 'Ease of Doing Business' report, 2019.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>New Zealand topped the list of 190 countries in ease of doing business, followed by Singapore, Denmark, and Hong Kong.</li>
<li>The report also recognises India and&nbsp;Djibouti as the only economies to be top 10 improvers in this year&rsquo;s assessment, for the second successive time. Moreover, India is the only large country this year to have achieved such a significant shift.</li>
<li>India has improved its rank in 6 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to Frontier score) on 7 out of the 10 indicators.</li>
<li>The most dramatic improvements have been registered in the indicators related to <strong>'Construction Permits'</strong> and '<strong>Trading across Borders'</strong>. In grant of construction permits, India's rank improved from 181 in 2017 to 52 in 2018, an improvement of 129 ranks in a single year. In 'Trading across Borders', India's rank improved by 66 positions moving from 146 in 2017 to 80 in 2018.</li>
<li>In 2018 report, India had leapfrogged by 30 places to move into the top 100 rankings among 190 countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Initiatives for Improvement in Doing Business</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Starting a Business</strong>: India made starting a business easier by fully integrating multiple application forms into a general incorporation form. India also replaced the value added tax with the GST (Goods and Services Tax) for which the registration process is faster. At the same time, Mumbai abolished the practice of site inspections for registering companies under the Shops and Establishments Act.</li>
<li><strong>Dealing with Construction Permits</strong>: India streamlined the process of obtaining a building permit and made it faster and less expensive to obtain a construction permit. It also improved building quality control by introducing decennial liability and insurance.</li>
<li><strong>Getting Electricity</strong>: The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission reduced charges for low voltage connections. Getting electricity was also made easier in Delhi through a reduction in the time for the utility to carry out the external connection works.</li>
<li><strong>Getting Credit</strong>: India strengthened access to credit by amending its insolvency law. Secured creditors are now given absolute priority over other claims within insolvency proceedings.</li>
<li><strong>Paying Taxes</strong>: India made paying taxes easier by replacing many indirect taxes with a single indirect tax, the GST, for the entire country. India also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the corporate income tax rate and the employees&rsquo; provident funds scheme rate paid by the employer.</li>
<li><strong>Trading across Borders</strong>: India reduced the time and cost to export and import through various initiatives, including the implementation of electronic sealing of containers, the upgrading of port infrastructure and allowing electronic submission of supporting documents with digital signatures.</li>
<li>Separately, the government had also announced implementation of&nbsp;<strong>eBiz portal</strong> which will offer <strong>Government-to- business (G2B)</strong> services for investors and business activities, through a single window to cut time and cost and improve business environment.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The <strong>establishment of debt recovery tribunals</strong> in India "reduced non-performing loans by 28 percent and lowered interest rates on larger loans, suggesting that faster processing of debt recovery cases cut the cost of credit.</li>
<li>Under its<strong> National Trade Facilitation Action Plan 2017-2020,</strong> India implemented several initiatives that improved the efficiency of cross-border trade, reducing border and documentary compliance time for both exports and imports.</li>
<li>Investor facilitation cell created under the <strong>Invest India agency.</strong></li>
<li>Government of India has also started to rank its 36 states and Union Territories "to further promote Ease of Doing Business" in the country which is promoting Competitive Federalism.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ease of Doing Business Report</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report was introduced in <strong>2003</strong>&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide an assessment of objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on <strong>ten parameters</strong> affecting a business through its life cycle.</li>
<li>
<p>The 10 parameters are- starting a business, construction permits, getting electricity, getting credit, paying taxes, trade across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.</p>
</li>
<li>It ranks countries on the basis of <strong>Distance to Frontier (DTF)</strong>, a score that shows the <strong>gap of an economy</strong> to the <strong>global best practice.</strong>&nbsp; For example, a score of 75 means an economy was 25 percentage points away from the frontier constructed from the best performances across all economies and across time.</li>
<li>This year, India&rsquo;s DTF score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 in the previous year (2018).</li>
<li>Other reports published by World Bank:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>World Development Report</li>
<li>Global Economic Prospects Report</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-banks-human-capital-index-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Capital Index</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is facing challenges primarily in two criteria: enforcing contracts and registering property because of the complexities involved.</li>
<li>Although, the Central Government has amended the Commercial Courts, Commercial Divisions and Commercial Appellate Divisions Act, 2015, to allow district court-level commercial courts. Similarly, the state governments of Delhi and Maharashtra have invested heavily in digitizing land records and building online solutions for registration and mutation.</li>
<li>But these efforts are merely the first steps in the right direction as the time taken to complete these formalities underlies primarily why we continue to lag on these indicators.</li>
<li>Lack of transparency, accountability, clearances complexity, and lack of clarity in policy direction&ndash; leading to lack of investment pose the biggest challenges in doing business in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India's rapid growth will offer opportunities for both local and global business and will also create jobs which are the need of the hour due to the rising demographic dividend.</li>
<li>Better rank in ease of doing business and greater awareness about opportunities in Indian business sector would attract foreign investors to invest in India and will also bring advanced technologies to the country.</li>
<li>If India aims to reach a higher rank in the index then there is lot of work which needs to be done.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s jump in ease of doing business rankings will hopefully be a spur for further reforms, which, if successful, will lead both to a better business environment and greater prosperity for all.</li>
</ul>',
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