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A Minimum Framework

(This editorial is based on the article 'A Minimum Framework' which appeared in ‘The Indian Express’ on 6th April, 2019. The article...

06 Apr 2019 News Editorials
Traditional New Year

The President of India has greeted the people on the eve of Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba. These festivals mark the...

06 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Habrocestum Longispinum

Recently arachnologists (those who study spiders and other arachnids) have spotted a group of spiders in Illithodu forests of Ernakulam district of...

06 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (6th April 2019)

Konyak Dance Around 4,700 Konyak Naga women, in their colourful traditional attire came together on April 5, 2019, in an attempt to set a Guinness...

06 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (5th April 2019)

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman (MBVS) Award Vice-President of India gave the ‘Presidential Award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman’ to...

05 Apr 2019 News Analysis
How Electoral Bonds Distort India’s Democracy

(This editorial is based on the article 'How Electoral Bonds Distort India’s Democracy' which was published in ‘India Matters in...

05 Apr 2019 News Editorials
Survey 2019-Ambitions Beyond Growth: UNESCAP

Recently a report, Survey 2019: Ambitions Beyond Growth was published by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific...

05 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (4th April 2019)

Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into 18 APAs in the month of March 2019, which include 3...

04 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption

(This editorial is based on the article 'Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption' which appeared in 'The Hindu' on 4th April, 2019. The article talks...

04 Apr 2019 News Editorials
Asian Development Outlook 2019- Strengthening Disaster Resilience: ADB

Asian Development Bank has published Asian Development Outlook 2019. In this, ADB has cut India’s growth forecast to 7.2% for 2019-20...

04 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts For Prelims (3rd April 2019)

Danda Nata festival It is a 21-day long seasonal folk dance festival that is celebrated in South Odisha. It is celebrated in the month of...

03 Apr 2019 News Analysis
State Of Global Air Report 2019

The State Of Global Air Report 2019, produced by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) has revealed that 1.2 million Indians died due to...

03 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Electoral Bonds

(The editorial is based on the article “Bonds of secrecy” which appeared in The Indian Express for 3rd April 2019. In this editorial...

03 Apr 2019 News Editorials
Automation and Job Market

Recently the International Labour Organization (ILO) released a report titled “Changing Business and Opportunities for Employer and Business...

03 Apr 2019 News Analysis
President's Visit to Chile

Recently, the President of India completed his visit to the Republic of Chile. India- Chile Relations Chile is India’s window to Latin...

03 Apr 2019 News Analysis
Unemployment in India

The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and also up from 5.9 percent in February 2018,...

03 Apr 2019 Paper 3
Sendai Framework Report

Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-30 It was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held from...

03 Apr 2019 Summary of Important Reports
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

DRDO works under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It is working to establish world class science and...

02 Apr 2019 National Institutions
Deaths of Taslim and Gufran

(This editorial is based on the article 'Deaths of Taslim and Gufran' which appeared in 'The Indian Express' on 2nd April, 2019. The article talks...

02 Apr 2019 News Editorials
ISRO Launches EMISAT Satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the EMISAT satellite on onboard the PSLV-C45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in...

02 Apr 2019 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'A Minimum Framework',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nyay-scheme-congress-minimum-income-guarantee-ubi-5661300/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'A Minimum Framework'</a> which appeared in &lsquo;The Indian Express&rsquo; on 6th April, 2019. The article talks about the Universal Basic Income and the challenges it faces in its implementation.)</p>
</div>
<p>Economists and policymakers all over the world are discussing the idea of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-universal-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universal Basic Income (UBI)</a>. Some European countries, for instance, guarantee a minimum income to their citizens. UBI is informationally the least demanding of all the policies one can think of to attack the problems of poverty, inequality and joblessness.</p>
<p>In India, the idea has gained currency as a solution to chronic poverty and government&rsquo;s failure to effectively target subsidies towards the poor. Amid persistent farm distress and weak wage growth across occupations, the idea of an income support scheme seems to be gaining ground once again.</p>
<p>While some have advocated an income support scheme for farmers, others have advocated a broader income support for all however a right framework to implement such a policy still remains to be formulated.</p>
<h3><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/universal-basic-income-ubi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is Universal Basic Income?</a></h3>
<p>A basic income is a regular, periodic cash payment delivered unconditionally to all citizens on an individual basis, without the requirement of work or willingness to work comprising, of three components: universality (all citizens included), unconditionality (no prior condition), and agency (by providing support in the form of cash transfers to respect, not dictate, recipients&rsquo; choices).</p>
<p>The concept of UBI has not been an alien concept in India, number of such schemes have been a part of welfare programs such as National Old Age Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), however all these schemes miss the feature of universality.</p>
<h3>Why UBI?</h3>
<p>Many landless labourers, agricultural workers and marginal farmers suffer from multi-dimensional poverty. Benefits of high economic growth during the last three decades have not percolated to these groups. Welfare schemes have also failed to bring them out of destitution. They have remained the poorest of Indians.</p>
<p>Contract and informal sector workers in urban areas face a similar problem. Due to rapid mechanisation of low-skill jobs in the construction and retail sectors, employment prospects for them appear increasingly dismal.</p>
<p>Income transfers have the potential of pulling families out of poverty and can improve India&rsquo;s ranking in HDI (human development index) and will bring India closer to achieving SDGs. It can also reduce growing and vast inequality in India and prevent poor people from falling into the debt trap in the event of shocks such as illness or death of an earner.</p>
<p>UBI can potentially promote social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices which have a positive psychological effect on human behaviour. It can also promote social harmony by bringing society closer to economic equality and liberating people from hand to mouth living.</p>
<h3>Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG)</h3>
<p>Recently the idea of MIG has been floated by many political parties; under this program everyone would be guaranteed a certain minimum income level.</p>
<p>Guaranteeing income mean that, for any family whose income is below the threshold decided by the government, the difference will be covered by a cash transfer from the government.</p>
<p>NYAY- Nyuntam Aay Yojana is the most ambitious of these MIG schemes. It promises annual income transfers of ₹72,000 to each of the poorest five crore families comprising approximately 25 crore individuals. If implemented, it will cost the exchequer ₹3.6 lakh crore per annum.</p>
<h3>Roadblocks in Implementation of MIGs in India</h3>
<p>Covering a large population may lead to <strong>drainage of fiscal resources which are required for capital investments in India</strong> like up gradation of Railways, Electricity, combating climate change, Renewable energy, etc. For example, giving every family of five a basic income of Rs 6,000 a month (and scaling appropriately for family size) would cost 70-80% of the current tax revenues.</p>
<p>The informational demands on the government to implement such a scheme are huge. Not only does the government have to know which households are below the threshold, it will also have to accurately find out how much below that threshold each household falls which is very tedious to ascertain given the sample size.</p>
<p>According to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, around six crore households suffer from multidimensional poverty. These include the homeless, tribal groups, the landless, families without an adult bread-earner or a pucca house. Within this group <strong>it is almost impossible to exactly identify the poorest five crore households to be covered under the NYAY</strong>.</p>
<p>One can anticipate serious levels of misreporting as most people who want to be and can be eligible for this scheme are most likely to be working in the informal sector. It is easy to see that any family that could have earned money through employment would rather withdraw from work altogether and receive the entire sum promised as a government transfer.</p>
<h3>Some Suggestions</h3>
<p>Flat transfer of a stipulated amount per month to families lying in the bottom 20 % of India&rsquo;s income distribution can effectively address the challenge posed by a simple MIG. The scheme would be informationally less demanding as the government only needs to know whether the family earns below the 20th percentile income threshold. It does not need to know how much below the threshold this family&rsquo;s income lies.</p>
<p>Any such scheme will require huge amount of capital which at present is beyond the Centre&rsquo;s fiscal capacity therefore the cost can be shared by the States, tax collection also needs to be increased to finance the scheme.</p>
<p>The scheme can also be introduced in phases, studies have shown that even a small income supplement can improve nutrient intake at high levels of impoverishment.</p>
<p>Besides, it can increase school attendance for students coming from poor households. This would mean improved health and educational outcomes, which in turn will make the working population more productive.</p>
<p>The scheme with a modest income support also allays the fear of beneficiaries opting out of the workforce.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>No income transfer scheme can be a substitute for universal basic services. The direct income support to the poor can deliver the intended benefits only if it comes as a supplement to the public services such as primary health and education. This means that direct transfers should not be at the expense of public services for primary health and education.</p>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Traditional New Year',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The President of India has greeted the people on the eve of Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These festivals mark the <strong>beginning of the traditional New Year</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gudi Padwa and Ugadi</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ugadi and Gudi Padwa are the festivals, to celebrate the New Year, in the <strong>month of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada</strong> as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar, and is celebrated by the people in the Deccan region including <strong>Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.</strong></li>
<li>The common practice in the celebrations of both the festivals is the festive food that is prepared with a mix of sweet and bitter.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gudi</strong>, which means a doll is prepared in Maharashtrian homes. A bamboo stick is adorned with green or red brocade to make the gudi. This gudi is <strong>placed prominently in the house</strong> or outside a window/ door for all to see.</li>
<li>For <strong>Ugadi, </strong>doors in homes are adorned with <strong>mango leaf decorations</strong> called <strong>toranalu or Torana</strong> in Kannada.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cheti Chand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sindhis celebrate the new year as Cheti Chand.</strong> Chaitra month is called 'Chet' in Sindhi.</li>
<li>The day <strong>commemorates the birth anniversary of Ishta Deva Uderolal, Jhulelal,</strong> the patron saint of Sindhis and is celebrated with great pompous and gaiety.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Navreh</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the lunar New Year that is <strong>celebrated in Kashmir</strong>. It is the <strong>Sanskrit word &lsquo;Nav Varsha&rsquo;</strong> from where the word<strong> &lsquo;Navreh&rsquo;</strong> has been derived.</li>
<li>It actually falls on the very <strong>first day of the Chaitra Navratras</strong>.</li>
<li>On this day, Kashmiri Pandits deliberately, first of all, look at a bowl of rice, considered as a symbol of riches and fertility. A special &lsquo;Thali&rsquo; is also prepared.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sajibu Cheiraoba</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the great ritual <strong>festival of Meiteis</strong> (an ethnic group in Manipur) which is observed on the first day of Manipur lunar month Shajibu, which falls in the month of April every year.</li>
<li>On the day of the festival, people arrange a <strong>joint family feast</strong> in which <strong>traditional</strong> <strong>cuisines</strong> are offered to <strong>local deities</strong> at the <strong>entrance gates of the houses.</strong><strong></strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chaitra Shukla Pratipada</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>first day during the waxing phase of moon in the Chaitra Month.</strong></li>
<li>It marks the beginning of the<strong> New Year of Vikram Samvat</strong> or better known as Vedic [Hindu] Calendar.</li>
<li>This Hindu new year is known by different names in India such as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Telugu.</li>
<li>The famous Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas and invaded Ujjain. He, then, called for a new era.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under his supervision, astronomers formed <strong>new calendar based on luni-solar system </strong>that is still followed in the Northern regions of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Meities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Meiteis, one of the most <strong>eminent ethnic groups of Manipur</strong> hail from the Manipur Valley and are an industrious lot.</li>
<li>They speak <strong>Tibeto-Burman language</strong> and most of the people belonging to the group, follow Hindu customs.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Habrocestum Longispinum',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently <strong>arachnologists (those who study spiders and other arachnids)</strong> have spotted a group of spiders in Illithodu forests of <strong>Ernakulam district of Kerala.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is relevant because these spiders have<strong> been spotted in India for the first time</strong> and they mostly occur in Eurasia and Africa.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Arachnids</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Arachnids include a<strong> diverse group of invertebrates: spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites</strong>, etc. There are over 100,000 species of arachnids.</li>
<li>The name Arachnida derives from the <strong>Greek ar&aacute;chnē, which means spider.</strong> The vast majority of arachnids are spiders.</li>
<li>Most arachnids are <strong>carnivorous, typically preying on insects, and terrestrial, living on land.</strong> They lack both wings and antennae.</li>
<li>Their mouthparts often have narrow openings, which restricts them to <strong>eating liquefied prey.</strong></li>
<li>They help in <strong>keeping insect populations under control.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Habrocestum Longispinum (after Latin &lsquo;longe&rsquo; meaning long and &lsquo;spinae&rsquo; for spine) belong to the genus Habrocestum that has been recorded mostly in Eurasia and Africa.</li>
<li>It can be said that the species is not only new to India, but also science.</li>
<li>The discovery lends support to the continental drift theory that suggests that the world&rsquo;s continents were one large, contiguous landmass where these creatures thrived many millions of years ago.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Continental Drift Theory</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Set forth in <strong>1912 by Alfred Wegener,</strong> a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift theory <strong>explains the present position of continents on the earth&rsquo;s surface.</strong></li>
<li>Wegner assumed existence of the earth&rsquo;s three layers- outer layers of &lsquo;Sial&rsquo;, intermediate layer of &lsquo;Sima&rsquo; and lower layer of &lsquo;Nife&rsquo;.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Sial: Silicon + Aluminium, </strong></li>
<li><strong>Sima: Silicon + Magnesium</strong></li>
<li><strong>Nife: Nickel + Iron</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Continents or the sialic masses were assumed to be floating on sima without any resistance.</li>
<li>The united continent landmass was named as <strong>Pangaea</strong> and the water body surrounding it was <strong>named Panthalassa.</strong></li>
<li>Owing to the gravitational force and tidal force of both sun and moon, the Pangaea began to drift apart in westward and equatorward directions and finally broke into<strong> Angaraland (northern part) and Gondwanaland (southern part).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Water body named Tethys Sea</strong> filled up the intervening space between the two landmasses, while drifting .</li>
<li>The jigsaw fit of the African and South American coasts, similarity in the fossils, species <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/astrobatrachus-kurichiyana-frog" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>(Astrobatrachus Kurichiyana Frog)</strong></a> and vegetation remains on South Africa, Australia, India and Africa and evidences of carboniferous glaciation of Brazil, Falkland, Peninsular India and Antarctica were arguments given in favor of the theory.</li>
<li>Although Wegener's <strong>"continental drift" theory was discarded</strong>, it did introduce the<strong> idea of moving continents to geoscience.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (6th April 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Konyak Dance<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568205088_Naga-Women-680x365.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568205088_Naga-Women-680x365.jpg" width="427" height="229" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Around <strong>4,700 Konyak Naga women</strong>, in their colourful traditional attire came together on April 5, 2019, in an <strong>attempt to set a Guinness World Record</strong> for the &ldquo;Largest Traditional Konyak Dance&rdquo;.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In their attempt, Konyak people danced to the beats of traditional instruments and sang a ceremonial song for five minutes and one second.</li>
<li>The official declaration on the record to be announced by the Guinness authorities is expected within the five days.</li>
<li><strong>Guinness World Records is a global brand,</strong> with offices in London, New York, China, Japan and UAE and with brand ambassadors on the ground around the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>programme</strong> was organised at Mon (Nagaland) <strong>during the Aoleang Monyu festival</strong> of the Konyak tribe which is celebrated every year in the first week of April<strong> to welcome the spring</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Konyak</strong> is one of the 16 <strong>Naga tribes</strong> and people of this community live mainly in the<strong> Mon district</strong> of Nagaland.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New World Bank President</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>David Malpass,</strong> a top U.S. Treasury official in Trump administration has been unanimously selected as the <strong>new President of the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> World Bank.</a></strong></li>
<li>He will be the <strong>13th President</strong> and will start his five year term from April 9, 2019.</li>
<li>He will succeed Jim Yong-kim, who stepped down on February 1, 2019. Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive officer of the bank, is acting as the interim President.</li>
<li><strong>Since the bank&rsquo;s creation, all of its Presidents have been from America.</strong></li>
<li>The World Bank <strong>President</strong> is Chair of Boards of Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA).</li>
<li>The <strong>President is also ex officio Chair of Boards of Directors</strong> of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Asteroid Ryugu</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Japan&rsquo;s space agency, JAXA</strong> has announced that its<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hayabusa-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Hayabusa 2 spacecraft</strong></a> released an explosive onto the <strong>asteroid Ryugu to make a crater on its surface</strong> and collect underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system.</li>
<li>Earlier, JAXA had announced that a group of scientists participating in the Hayabusa 2 mission had <strong>detected hydroxyl-bearing minerals on the asteroid</strong> by analyzing near-infrared spectrometer readings by the spacecraft.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This could help explain where the Earth's water came from.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Chytridiomycosis Disease</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Deadliest disease of all times till now has wiped out<strong> 90 species of frogs and toads.</strong></li>
<li>Chytridiomycosis is caused by a fungus&mdash;<strong><em>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</em></strong>&mdash;that attacks the skin of frogs, toads and other amphibians.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the creatures use their <strong>skin to breathe and regulate their bodies&rsquo; water levels,</strong> the damage caused by the disease eventually leads to <strong>heart failure and death.</strong></li>
<li>It spreads <strong>through contact and water.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The rapid global spread of the fungus is due to a <strong>lack of animal trade rules and airport surveillance</strong>, which allows wildlife to be imported without examination.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>fungus originated in Asia</strong> and gradually became pandemic in Latin America and Australia owing to trade (import and export of amphibians as pets) with Asia.</li>
<li>This can be termed as a <strong>negative externality of Globalisation on the wildlife.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, a <strong>genetic mutation of the fungus</strong> may have made it more dangerous.</li>
<li><strong>Other factors leading to amphibians decline</strong> are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Climate change,</li>
<li>Habitat destruction,</li>
<li>Draining of wetlands and</li>
<li>Changes to terrestrial ecosystems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of Amphibians:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Amphibians play a major role in <strong>maintaining aquatic environmental quality</strong>. They also feed on mosquitoes, which carry human diseases such as malaria and the Zika virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Governments and other agencies must focus on<strong> regulation</strong> and need to start taking<strong> biosecurity and the illegal wildlife trade far more seriously</strong> to prevent the spread of diseases.</li>
</ul>',
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		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (5th April 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman (MBVS) Award</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vice-President of India gave the<strong> &lsquo;Presidential Award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman&rsquo; </strong>to <strong>Dr. Gyanaditya Shakya</strong> in New Delhi.</li>
<li>Dr. Shakya <g class="gr_ gr_31 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="31" data-gr-id="31">was conferred</g> the award for his outstanding<strong> contribution in the field of Pali language</strong> and <strong>literature</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He was selected for the award by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India for his five books i.e. Bauddha Dharma Darshan Mein Brahmavihara Bhavana, Anagatavasa, Chakesadhatuvasa, Pa&ntilde;cagatidipani <g class="gr_ gr_39 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="39" data-gr-id="39">and</g> <g class="gr_ gr_36 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="36" data-gr-id="36">Gandhavasa</g>.</li>
<li>He also had been awarded <g class="gr_ gr_34 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar replaceWithoutSep" id="34" data-gr-id="34">with</g> &lsquo;Vividh (<g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="35" data-gr-id="35">Shraman</g>) Puruskar&rsquo; by the Governor and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on February 7, 2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This <strong>distinction</strong> is conferred on persons in recognition of their<strong> substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and Pali/Prakrit.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The award carries a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh.</li>
<li>It is given to the selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Order of Zayed</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UAE has conferred its <strong>highest civilian award &lsquo;the Order of Zayed&rsquo;</strong> upon the Prime Minister of India.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has been given the award as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>UAE is <strong>home to the largest number of Indian citizens outside India</strong>, and also is a co-partner in diverse pillars of cooperation including investment, energy defense, and security</li>
<li>The country<strong> accounts for 8% of India's oil imports and is the fifth largest supplier of crude oil</strong> to India. It is also a<strong> part of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/first-assembly-of-international-solar-alliance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Solar Alliance (ISA)</a></strong>, which is headquartered in Gurgaon in India.</li>
<li>India-UAE trade stood at about USD 50 billion in 2017, making <strong>India the second largest trading partner of UAE</strong>, while UAE is India's third largest trading partner (after China and the US).</li>
<li>Moreover, UAE is India's second largest export destination, accounting for over USD 30 billion for the year 2016-17.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The award, <strong>earlier, has been awarded to</strong> Russian President Vladimir Putin, former US president George W Bush, former France president Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Queen Elizabeth II from the United Kingdom and Chinese President Xi Jinping.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Counter-Cyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided that it is not necessary to activate the countercyclical capital buffer (CCCB) currently.</li>
<li>The framework on CCCB was put in place by the Reserve Bank on February 5, 2015, where it advised that the CCCB would be activated when the circumstances warranted.</li>
<li><strong>What is CCCB?</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The countercyclical capital buffer aims to ensure that banking sector capital requirements take account of the macro-financial environment in which banks operate.</li>
<li>CCCB is intended to protect the banking sector against losses.</li>
<li>CCCB is a part of Basel III norms given by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision under Bank of International Settlement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Basel III</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In December 2010, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision published Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems which presents the details of global regulatory standards on bank capital adequacy and liquidity, including a countercyclical capital buffer.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Aim of CCCB</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB) regime is two-fold:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Firstly, it requires banks to build up a buffer of capital in good times which may be used to maintain the flow of credit in difficult times.</li>
<li>Secondly, it helps to achieve the goal of restricting the banking sector from indiscriminate lending in the periods of excess credit growth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-april-2019'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'How Electoral Bonds Distort India’s Democracy',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/how-electoral-bonds-distorts-indias-democracy-49344/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'How Electoral Bonds Distort India&rsquo;s Democracy'</a> which was published in &lsquo;India Matters in ORF&rsquo; on 28th March, 2019. The article talks about growing incidence of black money and corruption in elections. It looks into the Electoral Bond Scheme and the challenges associated with it.)</p>
</div>
<p>India is the largest democracy in the world and elections and political parties are a fundamental feature of its Parliamentary democracy. Round the year functioning of the political parties involves a large expenditure which runs into hundreds of crore. Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system.</p>
<p>In order to cleanse the system of political funding in the country and to move to a cashless economy, <strong>Electoral Bonds Scheme</strong> was launched in 2017. The scheme that looked to check rampant under-the-table cash transactions has not found favour with various stakeholders of the Indian Electoral system such as Election Commission.</p>
<p>With Lok Sabha Elections round the corner, it becomes imperative to check the incidence of unabated black money that flows into the accounts of political parties.</p>
<h3>Growing Corruption in Elections</h3>
<p>Democracy is sustained by free and fair elections. Only free and fair elections to the various legislative bodies in the country can guarantee the growth of a democratic polity. It is the cherished privilege of a citizen to participate in the electoral processes however this entire exercise has been affected by the growing menace of corruption.</p>
<p>Lavish expenditure in the elections is one of the most critical problems in India&rsquo;s electoral system. <strong>According to the Report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) high cost of elections creates a high degree of compulsion for corruption in the public arena.</strong></p>
<p>The sources of some of the election funds are believed to be unaccounted criminal money in return for protection, unaccounted funds from business groups who expect a high return on this investment, kickbacks or commissions on contracts, etc.</p>
<p>The usage of black money during elections not only allows for laundering, it also has serious economic and political costs attached to it. It leads to a political support to corruption and crony capitalism.</p>
<p>It allows for criminal-political nexus as the extortionists and goons are able to buy party tickets and therefore, the law-breakers become the lawmakers in our country.</p>
<p>The use of black money for campaigning during the election season creates an unequal playing field for honest, independent candidates as they heavily fall short of the funds required for extensive campaigning and advertising.</p>
<p>Thus the Electoral compulsions for funds become the foundation of the whole super structure of corruption.</p>
<h3>Provisions Checking and Restricting Donations</h3>
<p>The rivalry between political parties in India is aggressive, and it is not a matter of shock that immoral methods are adopted by certain parties to acquire funds. In order to regulate the funding, certain provisions are present in different acts in India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Section 29C</strong> of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA) mandates it for the political parties to declare donations received by them from any person or company if such donation by the person or the company exceeds Rs.20, 000. Failing to submit the report on time disentitles the party from tax relief under the <strong>Income Tax Act, 1961</strong>.</li>
<li>As per <strong>Section 2(e) of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976,</strong> accepting a contribution from any foreign source is completely prohibited. It is punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to five years or fine or both.</li>
<li>The maximum expenditure by a political party in an election is governed by <strong>Rule 90 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Section 77 of the RPA</strong> clarifies as to what comes under the purview of &lsquo;expenditures of the party&rsquo;. The expenditures by a political party include all expenditures incurred by the candidate of such party or his authorised agent in connection with the election since the date of his nomination till the date the result is declared.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Breaking into the Electoral Bond Scheme</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-29th-october-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electoral bond</a> is a bearer instrument in the manner of a promissory note and an interest free banking instrument whereby a citizen, or a corporate body, in India is eligible to purchase through cheque or digital payments.</p>
<p>These bonds can only be bought from notified branches of the public sector bank for 10 days each in months of January, April, July and October. The electoral bonds can be purchased for specified denominations and the payee then can bestow it upon a registered political party as donation which can then be cashed in via the party's verified account within 15 days.</p>
<p>The bonds shall not carry the donor's name, although the payee will have to fulfil KYC (Know Your Customer) norms at the bank. Further, no report is required to be submitted by receiving parties in case of donations received via electoral bonds. In short, neither the donors nor the political parties are obliged to reveal the sources of donations.</p>
<p>Every party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 and has secured at least one per cent of the votes polled in the most recent Lok Sabha or State election will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India. Electoral bond transactions can be made only via this account.</p>
<h3><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-anonymous-donations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Makes Electoral Bonds Controversial?</a></h3>
<p>While Electoral Bond Scheme acts as a check against traditional under-the-table donations as it insists on cheque and digital paper trails of transactions, several key provisions of the scheme make it highly controversial.</p>
<p><strong>Anonymity:</strong> Neither the donor (who could be an individual or a corporate) nor the political party is obligated to reveal whom the donation comes from. This undercuts a fundamental constitutional principle: the freedom of political information, which is an integral element of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution.</p>
<p><strong>Transparency:</strong> It will also defeat the fundamental principle of transparency in political finance. It will conceal from public scrutiny the identity of the corporates and moneybags who contribute huge amounts to political parties, especially to the ruling parties resulting in more opacity, making it a convenient channel for black money.</p>
<p><strong>Asymmetrically Opaque:</strong> because the bonds are purchased through the SBI, the government is always in a position to know who the donor is. This asymmetry of information threatens to colour the process in favour of whichever political party is ruling at the time.</p>
<p>Provisions such as <strong>elimination of a cap of 7.5% when it comes to corporate donations, elimination of the requirement that corporations must reveal political contributions in profit and loss statements, and the elimination of the requirement that a corporation must be three years in existence</strong> undercuts the intent of the scheme and thus any troubled companies, dying companies, shell companies can donate to an unlimited amount, and do so anonymously.</p>
<p>EBS could become a convenient channel for business to <strong>round-trip their cash parked in tax havens to political parties</strong> for a favour or advantage granted in return for something.</p>
<h3>Steps Suggested</h3>
<p><strong>National Election Fund</strong> can be created by the donation given by individuals and corporations. Such a fund could be declared as the only channel through which businesses and individuals can contribute to political parties. The Election Commission can decide how the donations are shared among parties.</p>
<p>Another alternative can be the implementation of <strong>Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998)</strong> report that endorsed state funding of elections, in order to establish a fair playing field for parties with less money. However the mechanics of this process need to be carefully worked out to establish the allocation of money to national parties, State parties and independent candidates.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Successive governments have promised electoral reforms and have setup committees to look into the matter. It is imperative that the authorities enforce these reforms and cleanse our electoral process of the vicious circle of corruption and black money that threatens the very foundation of our democracy.</p>
<p>Unless drastic and radical steps are taken to cleanse public offices by the government, political parties and people at large, corruption will continue to corrode the vitals of the country.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/how-electoral-bonds-distort-india-s-democracy'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Survey 2019-Ambitions Beyond Growth: UNESCAP',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently a report, <strong>Survey 2019: Ambitions Beyond Growth</strong> was published by the <strong>United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim of the report is to find out what will it take to realize the ambitious <strong>2030 Agenda of sustainable development goals.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568203030_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568203030_image3.jpg" width="738" height="376" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report says that an additional annual investment of <strong>$1.5 trillion &mdash; equivalent to a dollar per person per day</strong> &mdash; would allow countries in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.</li>
<li>Survey finds that the <strong>funds required&nbsp;for achieving the SDGs are within reach for many countries</strong>, given their fiscal space and potential to leverage private investment.</li>
<li>The has urged the countries in the Asia Pacific to<strong> look beyond mere economic growth.</strong></li>
<li>Countries facing high and <strong>growing levels of inequality and environmental degradation will have to change course from pursuing a growth path that neglects the people</strong> and the planet.</li>
<li>The report argues that keeping the old<strong> paradigm of prioritizing GDP growth at all costs is neither feasible nor desirable.</strong></li>
<li>Instead, UNESCAP proposes an investment package, equivalent to 5% of the combined GDP of Asia-Pacific developing countries in 2018, that includes:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>$669 billion to support basic human rights and develop human capacities</strong></li>
<li><strong>$590 billion to achieve clean energy for all and live in harmony with nature</strong></li>
<li><strong>$196 billion for improved access to transport, information and communications technology (ICT), and water and sanitation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Emphasis on quality of education
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Significant savings could be achieved through a greater emphasis on education quality and outcomes.</strong></li>
<li>It cites UNESCO estimates in 2014 that globally, <strong>$129 billion was wasted annually due to the disconnect between schooling years and the acquisition of basic skills alone.</strong></li>
<li>Asia-Pacific developing countries<strong> on average could save more than 30% through efficiency gains without compromising on education performance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qDMZYh7h0rw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region.</li>
<li>It has<strong> 53 Member States and 9 Associate Members from Asia-Pacific Region including India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Established</strong>: 1947</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters</strong>: Bangkok, Thailand</li>
<li><strong>Objective</strong>: ESCAP works to overcome some of the region&rsquo;s greatest challenges by providing results-oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/survey-2019-ambitions-beyond-growth-escap'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (4th April 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Advance Pricing Agreement (APA)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Board of Direct Taxes <strong>(CBDT) entered into 18 APAs</strong> in the month of <strong>March 2019</strong>, which include 3 Bilateral APAs (BAPAs).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT in the year 2018-19 stands at 52, which includes 11 BAPAs.</li>
<li>The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now stands at 271, which inter alia include 31 BAPAs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) programme in India <strong>was launched in 2012</strong> vide the Finance Act, 2012 through the insertion of Sections 92CC and 92CD in the Income-tax Act, 1961.</li>
<li>APA is <strong>an agreement between a taxpayer and tax authority determining the transfer pricing methodology,</strong> for pricing the taxpayer&rsquo;s international transactions for future years.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Once the APA is sealed, the methodology is to be applied for a certain period of time-based on the fulfillment of certain terms and conditions.</li>
<li>The agreement helps in addressing complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.</li>
<li>T<strong>ransfer pricing is the setting of the price for goods and services sold between controlled (or related) legal entities</strong> (may be situated in different countries)within an enterprise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>An APA can be unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Unilateral APA</strong>: An APA that involves only the taxpayer and the tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located.</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral APA (BAPA)</strong>: an APA that involves the taxpayer, associated enterprise (AE) of the taxpayer in the foreign country, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located, and the foreign tax authority.</li>
<li><strong>Multilateral APA (MAPA)</strong>: an APA that involves the taxpayer, two or more AEs of the taxpayer in different foreign countries, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located, and the tax authorities of AEs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>statutory authority</strong> that functions un<strong>der the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.</strong></li>
<li>It is a <strong>part of the Department of Revenue</strong> in the Ministry of Finance.</li>
<li>It provides inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes in India and is also responsible for the administration of direct tax laws through the Income Tax Department.</li>
<li>Direct Taxes include income tax, corporation tax etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>NuGen Mobility Summit 2019</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The International Centre for Automotive Technology <strong>(ICAT) will organize a NuGen <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-mobility-summit-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mobility Summit</a>, 2019, at Manesar,</strong> NCR, <strong>from 27th to 29th November 2019.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of the Summit is to share new ideas, learnings, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, assimilation and <strong>development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future.</strong></li>
<li>It will help in building<strong> a platform for bringing together all stakeholders in the automotive industry</strong> to understand global advancements in technologies.</li>
<li>Track demonstrations, drive-touch-feel activity and lab demonstrations on upcoming vehicle technologies like connected mobility,<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> electric mobility</a>, alternate fuels, intelligent transportation system, hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen IC engine, vehicle dynamics, advanced materials and lightweight, end of life vehicles and recycling will be the uniqueness of this event.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ICAT Manesar</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS)</strong> under the Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Automotive Testing and R&amp;D Infrastructure Project <strong>(NATRIP</strong>) is the <strong>largest and most significant initiative in the automotive sector</strong> which represents a joining of hands between the Government of India, a number of State Governments and Indian Automotive Industry to create a state of the art testing, validation and R&amp;D infrastructure in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It provides services for testing, validation, design <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="58" data-gr-id="58">and</g> homologation of all categories of vehicles and has a mission to <strong>assist the automotive industry in adopting cutting edge technologies</strong> in vehicle evaluation and component development to ensure reliability, durability and compliance to the current and future regulations in new generation mobility solutions.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Coral Bleaching<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568202917_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568202917_image7.jpg" width="372" height="291" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>world&rsquo;s southernmost coral reef</strong> has been hit by bleaching highlighting that the <strong>rising sea temperatures from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/conference-of-the-parties-cop-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a> were affecting even the most isolated ecosystems.</strong></li>
<li>The corals off <strong>Lord Howe Island (600 km offshore from Sydney)</strong> were affected by elevated temperatures, despite escaping severe bleaching that damaged the <strong>Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/coral-bleaching" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental</strong></a> conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increasing baseline temperatures</strong> caused by climate change, and local factors such as elevated temperatures in the area this summer, caused the bleaching to occur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-april-2019'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article 'Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption' which appeared in 'The Hindu' on 4th April, 2019. The article talks about the importance of inter agency coordination to fight corruption.)</p>
</div>
<p>India is the 78 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries, according to the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. The corruption of public servants in India has become such a menace that something drastically new had to be tried, and appointing the Lokpal at least partially meets this crying need.</p>
<p>There is guarded optimism in a few quarters, and considerable cynicism in others, over the likely efficacy of the Lokpal. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 is complicated. But it was badly needed for enhancing the accountability of those in high places and to demonstrate to the world that India is not second to any other nation in making its public administration clean and fair.</p>
<p>Moreover the appointment of Lokpal is delayed for many years and now it has not been received with great excitement. Nevertheless, the working of the Act may be expected to be closely followed in the months to come, both by the polity and the legal fraternity, which is how it ought to be in a vibrant democracy.</p>
<h3>Actors Against Corruption</h3>
<p>There are three principal actors at the national level in the fight against corruption: the Lokpal, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).</p>
<p>Questions have been raised over the independence of the Lokpal and there is little clarity how it will work with the other agencies so that the objective of cleansing public life is achieved with reasonable satisfaction. What is worrying is how well the CVC and CBI are going to play a complementary role in upholding the objective for which the Lokpal has been appointed.</p>
<h3>Jurisdiction Issues</h3>
<p>The Lokpal has jurisdiction over Group A and B public servants. This does not deprive the CBI of its own jurisdiction over these two groups.</p>
<p>The Lokpal Act permits using the CBI for examining a complaint against a public servant for misconduct. Although the Lokpal has its own Inquiry Wing, it can nevertheless forward a complaint to the CBI for a preliminary inquiry, and thereafter for registering a regular case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. It is not clear what happens when such a complaint is already being inquired into by the CBI.</p>
<p>The government, in addition to the Lokpal, is competent to order a preliminary inquiry and permit the CBI to proceed with a regular case. The CBI can also register a case even without the government&rsquo;s nod in instances in which a public servant is caught red-handed while receiving a bribe.</p>
<p>If an individual lodges a complaint with the government and the Lokpal, then there is no clarity about the authority of Lokpal to give direction to the CBI to keep its hands off the matter and wait for the Lokpal&rsquo;s own Inquiry Wing to handle the matter.</p>
<p>It is a common practice for complainants in India to dash off their complaints to a host of agencies. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 creates a Prosecution Wing exclusively for the Lokpal. In this case there will be possibility of coordination issue between Lokpal wing and the CBI&rsquo;s Director of Prosecution.</p>
<p>There is a distinct prospect of a clash between the government (which has greater powers of superintendence over the CBI than the Lokpal) and the Lokpal over a wide spectrum of issues.</p>
<p>The Act gives the impression that superintendence over the CBI is shared by the Lokpal and the government, and neither is in exclusive command of the former.</p>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<p>Given the overlapping functions of anti-corruption agencies, recommendations given by Parliamentary Committee in 2018 hold importance. It recommended integration of Central Vigilance Commission and anti-corruption wing of the CBI to work directly under the command and control of Lokpal to deal with corruption cases.</p>
<p>The Committee is of the view that institutions of CVC and the CBI, be fully integrated with Lokpal and the institution of anti&mdash;corruption watchdog may be architecturally created vertically with the Lokpal at the apex level and CVC and CBI under its command and control.</p>
<p>The functions of Lokpal and CVC should be clearly specified and overlap between functions and powers of CVC and Lokpal be addressed. Lokpal should utilise these organisations for conduct of inquiry, investigation and prosecution.</p>
<p>There is need to review of existing rules, which reflect &ldquo;colonial mindset of doubt and mistrust&rdquo;, on declaration of assets and liabilities by government servants as they are &ldquo;at present being used more to harass government servants than as a safeguard against corruption&ldquo;.</p>
<p>There should be uniformity in provisions and use of digital surveillance software to detect any disproportionate growth in assets and liabilities of a public servant beyond his known sources of income can help the cause.</p>
<p>The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 should be modified accordingly to incorporate above mentioned provisions.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>As India has appointed its first Lokpal (Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose), initial days are going to be difficult in terms of coordination.</p>
<p>Everything will depend on how well the Lokpal and the government cooperate and concentrate on the fundamental objective of striking at corruption without getting bogged down by technicalities.</p>
<p>All these issues, however, do not reduce the utility of a highly placed ombudsman. It may finally depend upon the perception of Lokpal what his role is. He can certainly shape the future of this experiment.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/turf-issues-in-fighting-corruption'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Asian Development Outlook 2019- Strengthening Disaster Resilience: ADB',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Asian Development Bank has published <strong>Asian Development Outlook 2019.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In this, ADB has <strong>cut India&rsquo;s growth forecast to 7.2% for 2019-20</strong> because of a slower-than-expected pickup in investment demand.</li>
<li>The growth rate in <strong>Financial Year 2020-21 is likely to be 7.3%.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ADB, which had estimated 7.6% economic growth in December 2018, is the<strong> first multilateral lending agency</strong> to slash India's growth estimate.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>International Monetary Fund (IMF)</strong> and the <strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong> had earlier projected<strong> 7.5% and 7.4% growth, respectively.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Despite this, <strong>India will remain the fastest growing major economy,</strong> as China is projected to grow at 6.3% in 2019.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s strong growth is because of <strong>strong household spending</strong> and<strong> corporate fundamentals.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Strong household spending-</strong> Income support to farmers, hikes in procurement prices for food grains, and tax relief to taxpayers earning less than Rs 5 lakh, declining fuel and food prices.</li>
<li><strong>Strong corporate fundamentals-</strong> An increase in utilization of production capacity by firms, falling levels of stressed assets held by banks and easing of credit restrictions on certain banks, is expected to help investment grow at a healthy rate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Imports are expected to rise</strong> mainly due to stronger domestic demand, while a growth slowdown in India&rsquo;s key export destinations would dent export growth.</li>
<li>The <strong>current account deficit is expected to widen a bit to 2.4% of GDP</strong> in FY2019 and 2.5% of GDP in FY2020.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The deficit is expected to be<strong> financed comfortably by capital flows</strong>, given that India has emerged as an attractive destination for foreign investment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>inflation is expected to average around 4% in the first half of FY2019</strong>, and therefore the Reserve Bank would have some room for <strong>lowering policy rates further increasing credit.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Asian Development Bank (ADB)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a <strong>regional development bank</strong> established on <strong>19 December 1966.</strong></li>
<li>ADB is headquartered in <strong>Manila, Philippines.</strong> It aims to promote <strong>social and economic development in Asia.</strong></li>
<li>ADB now has <strong>67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Japan holds the largest proportion</strong> of shares in ADB<strong> followed by the USA.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The growth forecast for India has some downside risks such as <strong>moderation in global demand</strong> as financial conditions tighten, uncertainty arising out of <strong>global trade tensions,</strong> and the weak economic outlook in industrial countries.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>higher-than-expected moderation</strong> in global demand and a potential escalation of trade tensions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>On the domestic front, growth could <strong>suffer if tax revenue falls short or any disruption affects</strong> the ongoing resolution of the twin <strong>problems of the bank and corporate balance sheets.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lower-than-targeted tax revenues</strong> or a <strong>delay in strengthening bank and corporate balance sheets</strong> could also undermine economic expansion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster risk and costs are rising,</strong> and Asia is particularly vulnerable.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Suitable policy interventions are required to keep disaster losses from spiraling into the future and across the region.</li>
<li>Spending on disaster prevention continues to lag far behind disaster response as access to credit, insurance, and remittances remains sparse and uneven.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asian-development-outlook-2019-strengthening-disaster-resilience-adb'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (3rd April 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Danda Nata festival</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> 21-day long seasonal folk dance festival</strong> that is celebrated <strong>in South Odisha</strong>.</li>
<li>It is <strong>celebrated </strong>in the month of<strong> 'Chaitra'</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Danda </strong>as the name implies<strong>, is self-inflicted pain, which the danduas (people who participate in the festival)</strong> undergo to pay their obeisance to the<strong> lord Kali.</strong> It is also a form of worshipping the lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.</li>
<li>The festival features midday summer dances in the dust and that in the ponds in the evening, besides midnight walk on fire by the &lsquo;danduas&rsquo;.</li>
<li>Households and localities also invite Danduas for performance in their areas.</li>
<li>The<strong> origin of the festival</strong> is generally <strong>traced to 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> AD</strong> after the decadence of Buddhism in Orissa.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ramappa Temple<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568200025_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568200025_image1.jpg" width="372" height="209" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dedicated to Lord Shiva</strong>, it is situated in Palampet Village, around 67 km from the city of<strong> Warangal (Telangana).</strong></li>
<li>Also famous as<strong> Ramalingeshwara Temple</strong>, it was built under the supervision<strong> of Chief Commander Recherla Rudra, </strong>during the reign of <strong>Ganapati Deva from Kakatiya dynasty in 1213 century AD.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Kakatiya Dynasty was the South Indian dynasty that ruled Andhra Pradesh in India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The temple has its name after its sculptor, Ramappa.</strong></li>
<li>It falls under the protection of the Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT), that has been pushing it for the World Heritage tag since 2012.</li>
<li><strong>For the year 2019, it is the only nomination for the World Heritage Site selection process, from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNESCO's World Heritage Sites</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO</strong>) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of <strong>outstanding value to humanity.</strong></li>
<li>This is embodied in an <strong>international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>World Heritage Fund provides about US$4 million annually</strong> to support activities to preserve monuments that require international assistance.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The World Heritage Committee allocates funds according to the urgency of requests, priority being given to the most threatened sites.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>WhatsApp&rsquo;s Tipline</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, has launched a <strong>fact-checking Tipline</strong> for users in India ahead of elections in the country.</li>
<li>People in India, now can submit uncertain information or rumours they have received to the<strong> Checkpoint Tipline on WhatsApp +91-9643-000-888.</strong></li>
<li>WhatsApp is working with India-based media skilling startup PROTO for the helpline.</li>
<li>When a WhatsApp user will share a suspicious message with the tipline, PROTO&rsquo;s verification center will seek to respond and inform the user if the claim made in message shared is verified or not.</li>
<li>The center can review rumours in the form of pictures, video links or text and will c<strong>over four regional languages including Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam, other than English.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Ways and Means Advances</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the Reserve Bank of India has increased the limits for<strong> Ways and Means Advances (WMA)</strong>&nbsp;for the first half of financial year 2019-20.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>temporary loan facility</strong> provided by RBI to <strong>meet temporary mismatches</strong> in the receipts and payments of <strong>the central and state government.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>introduced on April 1, 1997.</strong>This facility can be availed by the government if it needs<strong> immediate cash from the RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The WMA is to be <strong>vacated after 90 days.</strong></li>
<li>Interest rate for WMA is charged at <strong>the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-keeps-policy-rates-unchanged" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repo rate</a>. </strong></li>
<li>The limit for WMA are<strong> mutually decided by the RBI and the Government of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the scientists at the <strong>Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology (CCMB)</strong> have come up with a way to <strong>inhibit the multiplication of bacteria even before the cell wall begins to grow.</strong></li>
<li>They have discovered a new enzyme which helps in <strong>breaking cell walls of bacteria.</strong> The finding is significant for it offers a potential for a <strong>new drug delivery route to arrest</strong> the anti-bacterial resistance through existing antibiotic drugs.</li>
<li>Regular antibiotics target the machinery that creates the bacterial cell wall &mdash; a mesh-like structure that is made up of cross-linked sugars and peptides.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, this experiment shows how to<strong> target cell-wall formation at the beginning itself,</strong> earlier than when the present set of antibiotics act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With rapid rise of antibiotic resistance, researchers across the world are <strong>exploring new ways to target bacteria</strong>. In this context, the new findings can <strong>play a crucial role in fighting the battle against antibiotic resistance.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong> Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology (CCMB)</strong> is a premier research organization which conducts<strong> high quality basic research and training</strong> in frontier areas of modern biology, and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the interdisciplinary areas of biology.</li>
<li>It was set up initially as a<strong> semi-autonomous Centre on April 1, 1977</strong> with the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory (presently, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, IICT) Hyderabad.</li>
<li><strong>During 1981-82,</strong> the CCMB was accorded the status of a full-fledged national laboratory with its own Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Council.</li>
<li>It is located in <strong>Hyderabad and operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.</strong></li>
<li>It is designated as <strong>"Center of Excellence"</strong> by the<strong> Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-3rd-april-2019'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'State Of Global Air Report 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>State Of Global Air Report 2019,</strong> produced by the <strong>Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI)</strong> has revealed that 1.2 million Indians died due to ailments triggered by air pollution in 2017.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Air pollution ranks fifth</strong> among global risk factors<strong> for mortality globally,</strong> exceeded only by behavioral and metabolic factors: poor diet, high blood pressure, tobacco exposure, and high blood sugar.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally, air pollution (PM 2.5, household and ozone emissions) is estimated to have contributed to about <strong>4.9 million deaths</strong> &mdash; 8.7% of all deaths globally and 5.9% of all life years lost to disability, <strong>in 2017</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India and China have the highest health burden</strong> from air pollution, followed by Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria.</li>
<li>In 2017, exposure to <strong>PM 2.5 pollution</strong> was found to be the<strong> third leading risk factor globally for Type 2 diabetes</strong>-related deaths and disability after high blood sugar and excessive body weight.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally, such exposure contributed to about 2.76 lakh deaths and 15.2 million life years lost to disability in 2017.</li>
<li><strong>This burden was highest in India</strong> followed by China, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Specific findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Air pollution</strong> is now the<strong> third-highest cause of death</strong> among all health risks, ranking just above smoking, in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Over 1.2 million Indians died</strong> early due to exposure to unsafe air in 2017.</li>
<li>Out of the 1.2 annual premature deaths, 673,100 deaths were due to exposure to outdoor PM2.5, and more than 481,700 deaths were due to exposure to household air pollution in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About 60% of India&rsquo;s population was exposed to household pollution in 2017</strong>. However, the report also recognises that the proportion of households cooking with solid fuels in India has dipped from 76% in 2005 to 60% (846 million) in 2017, due to a major government program of shifting households from solid fuels to liquefied petroleum gas.</li>
<li><strong>Entire Indian population</strong> lives in areas <strong>with PM2.5 concentrations above the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strategy-against-the-threat-of-influenza" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> WHO</a> Air Quality Guideline of 10 &micro;g/m3,</strong> and only about 15 % of the population lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations below the WHO&rsquo;s least-stringent target of 35 &micro;g/m3.</li>
<li>Exposure to PM2.5 pollution contributed to <strong>55,000 deaths and 2.7 million life years lost from type 2 diabetes</strong> in 2017.</li>
<li>It can be noted that <strong>India has initiated major steps</strong> to address pollution sources: the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Household LPG program,</strong> accelerated <strong>Bharat Stage VI vehicle standards</strong>, and the new <strong>National Clean Air Programme.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These and future initiatives have the potential, if fully implemented as part of a sustained commitment to air quality, to result in significant health benefits in coming years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Type 2 Diabetes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a chronic condition that affects the way one&rsquo;s body metabolizes sugar (glucose) &mdash; an important source of fuel for body.</li>
<li>With type 2 diabetes, <strong>one&rsquo;s body either resists the effects of insulin</strong> &mdash; a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into cells &mdash;<strong> or doesn't produce enough insulin</strong> to maintain normal glucose levels.</li>
<li>It causes symptoms including Increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger and Unintended weight loss etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PM 2.5</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PM 2.5 is <strong>an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres</strong>, which is around 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair.</li>
<li>It causes respiratory problems and also reduces visibility. It is an <strong>endocrine disruptor</strong> that can <strong>affect insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity,</strong> thus contributing to diabetes.</li>
<li>It can only be detected with the help of an electron microscope because of them being very small.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Health Effects Institute (HEI)&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>a nonprofit corporation chartered in 1980</strong> as an independent research organization to provide high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the health effects of air pollution.</li>
<li>It is <strong>headquartered in Boston,</strong> Massachusetts, United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-of-global-air-report-2019'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Electoral Bonds',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<p>(<em>The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Bonds of secrecy&rdquo; which appeared in The Indian Express for 3rd April 2019. In this editorial we&rsquo;ll go through the biggest criticisms of the &lsquo;electoral bonds&rsquo; system.</em>)</p>
<p>&ldquo;<em>Concealing the identity of donors in electoral bonds goes against a fundamental tenet of democracy &mdash; transparency. Any executive Act which takes away transparency is anti-democratic and against the public interest</em>.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Elections are run with money as much as anything else. This involvement of money in our elections has become a bane to our democracy. Transparency on the flow of money into our elections had always been a key issue and the &lsquo;electoral bond&rsquo; system was supposed to take care of this. Sadly, as pointed out in this editorial, this system is deeply flawed and what is worse is that it can actually make the involvement of money in our elections more opaque.</p>
<h3>The First and Biggest Problem</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/an-invitation-to-corruption" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electoral bonds</a> were conceived in 2017 and the necessary legislative changes were made in the Finance Bill of 2017.</li>
<li><strong>For example, Section 31 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924, was amended and a new Clause (3) was added to provide for electoral bonds. This amendment was pushed through as a money bill, whereas the Reserve Bank of India Act itself is not a money bill.</strong></li>
<li><strong>This contradiction remains unresolved till today. If the parent Act is not a money bill, how can an amendment to it be treated as a money bill?</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The notification issued by the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance on January 2, 2018, gives us details of these bonds. From it, one gets a clear idea of the objective of these bonds:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>To conceal the identity of the donor of political funds.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, political parties fund their election campaigns mostly through funds from corporate houses and wealthy individuals.</li>
<li><strong>No political party can meet the exorbitant expenses of an election with their membership fees.</strong> They need to depend on corporates, who are flush with money and have no hesitation in generously helping political parties, particularly the ones that are their favourites.</li>
<li><strong>Much of these funds are actually black money.</strong> Although political parties get income tax exemptions on these donations and the donors too can claim exemption under the relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act, the bulk of these donations remain unaccounted. This means that every election in India adds to the volume of black money in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electoral bonds were conceived with a view to keeping the identity of the donor secret. The bond does not carry the name of the buyer.</strong>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li><strong>The donor does have a genuine fear that if parties in the Opposition get to know how much he has contributed to the ruling party, he will be in trouble when the former comes to power. The electoral bond scheme is informed by an appreciation of such fears.</strong></li>
<li>Under the scheme, the name or other details of the buyer of the bonds will not be disclosed to any authority for any purpose whatsoever. The recipient, after receiving the bonds from the donor, will deposit it in his account. <strong>Of course, the government &mdash; and the ruling party &mdash; will know who the donor is and how much money has been given to a party.</strong></li>
<li>If there is a &ldquo;tough&rdquo; government in office, we can be sure that the parties in Opposition will get almost nothing.</li>
<li>Thus, two objectives are achieved by introducing electoral bonds.
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-roman;">
<li>One, the identity of the donor can be kept secret from the public, including other political parties.</li>
<li>Two, the ruling parties will get the lion&rsquo;s share of the donations. There is ample evidence that these two objects have been achieved.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The details of the electoral bonds were notified by the finance ministry in January 2018. Para 7(4) of this notification points out, <em>&ldquo;Confidentiality of the information furnished by the buyer shall not be disclosed to any authority for any purpose.&rdquo;</em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This notification was issued under Section 31(3) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924.</li>
<li><strong>This Section does not give any details about the electoral bonds policy. The confidentiality of the bonds and the total prohibition of disclosure of information about the donor, to any authority for any purpose, is a matter of legislative policy.</strong></li>
<li>This cannot be dealt with through a notification, which is a subordinate legislation. Subordinate legislation can only deal with the details of the implementation of the policy contained in the parent Act. It is the Act which should contain the policy, not the notification issued by the executive under the Act.</li>
<li><strong>The Supreme Court has struck down many such orders, regulations, and notifications on the ground of being ultra vires the parent Act. January 2, 2018, notification on electoral bonds is ultra vires Section 31(3) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924, and hence is illegal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Section 29C in The Representation of the People Act, 1951</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Declaration of donation received by the political parties.&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The treasurer of a political party or any other person authorized by the political party in this behalf shall, in each financial year, prepare a report in respect of the following, namely:&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from any person in that financial year;</li>
<li>The contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from companies other than Government companies in that financial year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-anonymous-donations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Way Forward: Transparency is Crucial</a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Firstly, it is not open to the executive to legislate against transparency &mdash; a fundamental aspect of public policy in a democracy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>A legislature can provide for the confidentiality of state secrets but not for protecting the confidentiality of the donors of political funding who are private individuals or private companies. No public interest will be served by that. In fact, it would only injure public interest.</strong></li>
<li>Secondly, Section 29(C) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, requires every political party to submit an annual report to the Election Commission. This report should contain the details of contributions in excess of Rs 20,000 received by the party concerned from individuals and private companies. This requirement has been done away with in the case of electoral bonds through an amendment.</li>
<li><strong>This amendment to Section 29(C) is against the public policy of transparency and is hence unconstitutional.</strong></li>
<li>The Preamble to the Right to Information Act, 2005 declares: &ldquo;<em>&hellip; Democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information which are vital to its functioning.&rdquo;</em> As such, any executive Act which takes away transparency is anti-democratic and against the public interest.</li>
<li>Keeping in view the above-mentioned shortcomings of the legislation, necessary reforms should make their way into the larger public discourse.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/electoral-bonds'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Automation and Job Market',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labour Organization (ILO)</strong></a> released a report titled<strong> &ldquo;Changing Business and Opportunities for Employer and Business Organizations"</strong> which dwells on <strong>automation and employability.</strong></p>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report lists the percentage of work activities that can be automated using current technology.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Over 40% of activities</strong> can be<strong> automated across the world.</strong></li>
<li>In the case of <strong>India, 51.8% of activities can be automated.</strong> Robotic automation is having the greatest impact, replacing<strong> low-skilled jobs and simple assembly tasks.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Automation will likely impact most jobs involving <strong>highly structured physical activity in predictable environments, such as manufacturing and retail, alongside data collection and processing.</strong></li>
<li>Automation <strong>threatens to impact women more than men.</strong> This is primarily because automation threatens sectors like retail, business processing outsourcing and textiles/clothing/footwear. where <strong>women form a major part of the workforce.</strong></li>
<li>The report suggests that 66% of Indian businesses are looking for <strong>quite a different set of skills among new recruits</strong> than they did three years ago. Even in the United States of America (61%), Brazil (70%) and Germany (65%) businesses are looking for quite different skills in new recruits</li>
<li>India has an<strong> unemployment crisis.</strong> Over and above that, India also has an<strong> employability crisis.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even when firms have jobs on offer, they are <strong>unable to find candidates with the right skills</strong> who can take on these jobs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Five global trends</strong> are shaping the way <strong>businesses across the world operate</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Technological Innovation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Automation and digitisation is transforming how and where businesses operate, their workforces and skills requirements.</li>
<li>Technological innovations have the greatest overall impact on business. Technology is facilitating access to new markets, fostering opportunities for new digital business models, accelerating the development of new products and services, enabling new ways of working (such as virtual international teams and remote working), and expanding digital networks of suppliers and business partners.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Economic Integration</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Global economic integration is increasing the harmonisation of corporate global governance, tax/regulatory and business environments. At the same time, businesses are increasingly exposed to the global economy, and political uncertainty.</li>
<li>Emerging economies, which were once mainly the suppliers of low-cost goods, unprocessed natural resources or simple services are becoming hubs for capital, innovation and talent.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demographic and Generational Shifts</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The shifting demographic dynamics and declining working-age population are expected to reshape the long-standing fundamentals of work, retirement and savings. Along with this, focus is also on how to take advantage of the youth dividend and its potential economic gains while managing pressures on labour markets and society.</li>
<li>The most significant change is the inclusion of women, who are entering employment at historic, record levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate change and sustainability</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Companies are increasingly pressured to become sustainable by considering the triple bottom line: financial sustainability, social impact and environmental impact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global shortage of skilled labour</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Shifts in knowledge, education and training often mean that the most suitably skilled employees are not found where jobs are located.</li>
<li>A lack of relevant skills for the world of work is already creating problems even at entry-level positions.</li>
<li>The majority of executives believe that matching the curriculum to the economy&rsquo;s needs and business playing an active role in shaping educational systems to boost skills would provide the skilled employees need.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Firms across all regions are feeling an impact on all aspects of their business, from the strategic and operational to the organizational level, with the fastest-growing companies reporting heightened awareness.</li>
<li>As the pace of this change accelerates, <strong>policymakers, and businesses</strong> need to innovate, adjust and become more flexible in order to drive change and<strong> remain relevant in the rapidly changing business environment.</strong></li>
<li>These improvements can only be achieved by adequately <strong>managing and investing in capable human capital</strong>, generating the <strong>skills and capacity to understand</strong> and <strong>respond to the business needs of today and the future.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/automation-and-job-market'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'President's Visit to Chile',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the President of India completed his visit to<strong> the Republic of Chile.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>India- Chile Relations</strong></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Chile is India&rsquo;s <strong>window to Latin America</strong> and to the Pacific Alliance.</li>
<li>Chile is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the Latin American region.</li>
<li>India- Chile signed the&nbsp;<strong>Preferential Trade Agreement</strong> in 2017 to enhance the trade.</li>
<li>The bilateral trade is growing and stood at <strong>US$ 2.8 billion</strong> in 2017-18.</li>
<li>India and Chile are <strong>partners</strong> in the <strong>International Solar Alliance.</strong></li>
<li>India- Chile signed three <strong>Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)</strong> in the fields of -<strong>mining, culture,</strong><strong>&nbsp;disability.</strong></li>
<li>India- Chile commemorates the <strong>70<sup>th</sup> anniversary</strong> of the Establishment of <strong>Diplomatic Relations</strong> between Chile and India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chile</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Chile is officially known as the Republic of Chile. Its capital is <strong>Santiago</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568199936_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568199936_image2.jpg" width="310" height="218" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>It is a South American country occupying a narrow strip of land between the <strong>Andes</strong> to the east and the <strong>Pacific Ocean</strong> to the west.</li>
<li>It borders<strong> Peru</strong> to the north, <strong>Bolivia</strong> to the northeast, <strong>Argentina</strong> to the east, and the <strong>Drake Passage</strong> in the south.</li>
<li>The <strong>Atacama desert</strong> is one of the driest places in the world touches Chile in its northern side and is a source of sodium nitrate fertilizer.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It owes it aridity due to a constant temperature inversion of cool north-flowing <strong>Humboldt ocean current.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Chuquicamata</strong> is the World&rsquo;s largest copper town of Chile.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/presidents-visit-to-chile'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Unemployment in India',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<p>The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and also up from 5.9 percent in February 2018, according to the latest data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).</p>
<h3>What is Unemployment?</h3>
<p>Unemployment occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the economy. The most frequent measure of unemployment is the unemployment rate, which is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of people in the labor force.</p>
<p><strong>National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)</strong> defines employment and unemployment on the following activity statuses of an individual:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Working (engaged in an economic activity) i.e. 'Employed'.</li>
<li>Seeking or available for work i.e. 'Unemployed'.</li>
<li>Neither seeking nor available for work.</li>
</ul>
<p>The first two constitutes labour force and unemployment rate is the percent of the labour force that is without work.</p>
<p>Unemployment rate = (Unemployed Workers / Total labour force) &times; 100</p>
<h3>Types of Unemployment in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Disguised Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a phenomenon wherein more people are employed than actually needed.</li>
<li>It is primarily traced in the agricultural and the unorganised sectors of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Seasonal Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an unemployment that occurs during certain seasons of the year.</li>
<li>Agricultural labourers in India rarely have work throughout the year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Structural Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a category of unemployment arising from the mismatch between the jobs available in the market and the skills of the available workers in the market.</li>
<li>Many people in India do not get job due to lack of requisite skills and due to poor education level, it becomes difficult to train them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cyclical Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is result of the business cycle, where unemployment rises during recessions and declines with economic growth.</li>
<li>Cyclical unemployment figures in India are negligible. It is a phenomenon that is mostly found in capitalist economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technological Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is loss of jobs due to changes in technology.</li>
<li>In 2016, World Bank data predicted that the proportion of jobs threatened by automation in India is 69% year-on-year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Frictional Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Frictional Unemployment also called as Search Unemployment, refers to the time lag between the jobs when an individual is searching for a new job or is switching between the jobs.</li>
<li>In other words, an employee requires time for searching a new job or shifting from the existing to a new job, this inevitable time delay causes the frictional unemployment. It is often considered as a voluntary unemployment because it is not caused due to the shortage of job, but in fact, the workers themselves quit their jobs in search of better opportunities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Employment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This means, people working informally, without proper job contracts and thus sans any legal protection. These persons are deemed &lsquo;unemployed&rsquo; since records of their work are never maintained.</li>
<li>It is one of the main types of unemployment in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Related Terms</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Unemployment trap</strong> is a situation when unemployment benefits discourage the unemployed to go to work. People find the opportunity cost of going to work too high when one can simply enjoy the benefits by doing nothing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><em>Description:</em> While the purpose of social security and welfare systems is to provide relief to the unemployed, they end up providing them with an incentive not to return to work. An unemployment trap arises when opportunity cost of going to work is higher than the income received, discouraging people from returning to work and being productive.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Harmonised unemployment rates</strong> define the unemployed as people of working age who are without work, are available for work, and have taken specific steps to find work. The uniform application of this definition results in estimates of unemployment rates that are more internationally comparable than estimates based on national definitions of unemployment.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This indicator is measured in numbers of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force and it is seasonally adjusted. The labour force is defined as the total number of unemployed people plus those in civilian employment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Measurement of Unemployment in India</h3>
<p>National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), an organization under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) measures unemployment in India on following approaches:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Usual Status Approach:</strong> This approach estimates only those persons as unemployed who had <strong>no gainful work for a major time during the 365 days</strong> preceding the date of survey.</li>
<li><strong>Weekly Status Approach:</strong> This approach records only those persons as unemployed who<strong> did not have gainful work even for an hour on any day of the week</strong> preceding the date of survey.</li>
<li><strong>Daily Status Approach:</strong> Under this approach, unemployment status of a person is measured for each day in a reference week. A person having <strong>no gainful work even for 1 hour in a day</strong> is described as unemployed for that day.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Unemployment stats</strong> (based on findings from CMIE&rsquo;s latest data):</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and up from 5.9 percent in February 2018.</li>
<li>The total number of employed persons in February 2019 is estimated at 400 million against 406 million in the year-ago period and 407.5 million employed in February 2017.</li>
<li>The labour participation rate fell from 43.2% in January 2019 to 42.7% in February 2019.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Labour Participation Rate</strong> defines that section of working population in the economy which is currently employed or seeking employment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Causes of Unemployment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Large population.</li>
<li>Low or no educational levels and vocational skills of working population.</li>
<li>Inadequate state support, legal complexities and low infrastructural, financial and market linkages to small/ cottage industries or small businesses, making such enterprises unviable with cost and compliance overruns.</li>
<li>Huge workforce associated with informal sector due to lack of required education/ skills, which is not captured in any employment data. For ex: domestic helpers, construction workers etc.</li>
<li><strong>The syllabus taught in schools and colleges, being not as per the current requirements of the industries.</strong> This is the main cause of structural unemployment.</li>
<li>Inadequate growth of infrastructure and<strong> low investments in manufacturing sector, hence restricting employment potential of secondary sector</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Low productivity in agriculture sector combined with lack of alternative opportunities for agricultural worker which makes transition from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors difficult.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Regressive social norms</strong> that deter women from taking/continuing employment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The problem of unemployment gives rise to the <strong>problem of poverty</strong>.</li>
<li>Young people after a long time of unemployment indulge in illegal and wrong activities for earning money. This also leads to <strong>increase in crime in the country</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Unemployed persons can easily be enticed by antisocial elements.</strong> This makes them lose faith in democratic values of the country.</li>
<li>It is often seen that unemployed people end up getting addicted to drugs and alcohol or attempts suicide, leading losses to the <strong>human resources of the country</strong>.</li>
<li>It also affects <strong>economy</strong> of the country as the workforce that could have been gainfully employed to generate resources actually gets dependent on the remaining working population, thus <strong>escalating socioeconomic costs</strong> for the State. For instance, 1 percent increase in unemployment reduces the GDP by 2 percent</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)</strong> was launched in 1980 to create full employment opportunities in rural areas.</li>
<li><strong>Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM):</strong> This scheme was started in 1979 with objective to help unemployed rural youth between the age of 18 and 35 years to acquire skills for self-employment. Priority was given to SC/ST Youth and Women.</li>
<li><strong>RSETI/RUDSETI:</strong> With the aim of mitigating the unemployment problem among the youth, a new initiative was tried jointly by Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Educational Trust, Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank in 1982 which was the setting up of the &ldquo;RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SELF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE&rdquo; with its acronym RUDSETI near Dharmasthala in Karnataka. Rural Self Employment Training Institutes/ RSETIs are now managed by Banks with active co-operation from the Government of India and State Government.</li>
<li>By merging the two erstwhile wage employment programme &ndash; National Rural Employment programme (NREP) and Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) the <strong>Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY)</strong> was started with effect from April, 1, 1989 on 80:20 cost sharing basis between the centre and the States.</li>
<li><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA):</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an employment scheme that was launched in 2005 to provide social security by guaranteeing a minimum of 100 days paid work per year to all the families whose adult members opt for unskilled labour-intensive work.</li>
<li>This act provides Right to Work to people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),</strong> launched in 2015 has an objective of enabling a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.</li>
<li><strong>Start Up India Scheme,</strong> launched in 2016 aims at developing an ecosystem that promotes and nurtures entrepreneurship across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Stand Up India Scheme,</strong> launched in 2016 aims to facilitate bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one women borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are number of labour intensive manufacturing sectors in India such as food processing, leather and footwear, wood manufacturers and furniture, textiles and apparel and garments. <strong>Special packages, individually designed for each industry are needed to create jobs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Public investment in sectors like health, education, police and judiciary can create many government jobs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Decentralisation of Industrial activities</strong> is necessary so that people of every region get employment.</li>
<li><strong>Development of the rural areas</strong> will help mitigate the migration of the rural people to the urban areas thus decreasing the pressure on the urban area jobs.</li>
<li>Entrepreneurs generate employments to many in a country; therefore <strong>government needs to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Concrete measures aimed at removing the social barriers for women&rsquo;s entry</strong> and their continuous participation in the job market is needed.</li>
<li>Government needs to keep a <strong>strict watch on the education system</strong> and should try to implement new ways to generate skilled labour force.</li>
<li>Effective implementation of present programs like Make in India, Skill India, Start up and Stand-Up India.</li>
<li>There is a need for <strong>National Employment Policy (NEP)</strong> that would encompass a set of multidimensional interventions covering a whole range of social and economic issues affecting many policy spheres and not just the areas of labour and employment. The policy would be a critical tool to contribute significantly to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.</li>
<li>The underlying principles for the National Employment Policy may include
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>enhancing human capital through skill development;</li>
<li>creating sufficient number of decent quality jobs for all citizens in the formal and informal sectors to absorb those who are available and willing to work;</li>
<li>strengthening social cohesion and equity in the labour market;</li>
<li>coherence and convergence in various initiatives taken by the government;</li>
<li>supporting the private sector to become the major investor in productive enterprises;</li>
<li>supporting self-employed persons by strengthening their capabilities to improve their earnings;</li>
<li>ensuring employees&rsquo; basic rights and developing an education training and skill development system aligned with the changing requirements of the labour market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/unemployment-in-india'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Sendai Framework Report',
			'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
			'desc' => '<h3>Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-30</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held from March 14 to 18, 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.</li>
<li>The present Framework applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as <strong>related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks</strong>.</li>
<li>It aims to guide the <strong>multi hazard management of disaster risk in development</strong> at all levels as well as within and across all sectors.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)</strong> 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Actions to be taken in four Priority Areas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Understanding Disaster Risk:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To promote the collection, analysis, management and use of relevant data and practical information and ensure its dissemination, taking into account the needs of different categories of users, as appropriate.</li>
<li>To systematically evaluate, record, share and publicly account for disaster losses and understand the economic, social, health, education, environmental and cultural heritage impacts.</li>
<li>To build the knowledge of government officials at all levels, civil society, communities and volunteers, as well as the private sector, through sharing experiences, lessons learned, good practices and training and education on disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li>To ensure the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge and practices, as appropriate, to complement scientific knowledge in disaster risk assessment and the development and implementation of policies.</li>
<li>To promote and enhance, through international cooperation, including technology transfer, access to and the sharing and use of non-sensitive data and information for supporting national measures for successful disaster risk communication.</li>
<li>To develop effective global and regional campaigns for promoting a culture of disaster prevention, resilience and responsible citizenship.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To carry out an assessment of the technical, financial and administrative disaster risk management capacity to deal with the identified risks at the local and national levels.</li>
<li>To encourage the establishment of necessary mechanisms and incentives to ensure high level of compliance with the existing safety-enhancing provisions of sectoral laws and regulations, including those addressing land use and urban planning, building codes, environmental and resource management and health and safety standards.</li>
<li>To establish and strengthen government coordination forums composed of relevant stakeholders at the national and local levels, such as national and local platforms for disaster risk reduction, and a designated national focal point for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015&ndash;2030.</li>
<li>To promote the development of quality standards, such as certifications and awards for disaster risk management, with the participation of the private sector, civil society, professional associations, scientific organizations and the United Nations.</li>
<li>To formulate public policies on addressing the issues of prevention or relocation of human settlements in disaster risk-prone zones.</li>
<li>To promote the strengthening of international voluntary mechanisms for monitoring and assessment of disaster risks, including relevant data and information, benefiting from the experience of the Hyogo Framework for Action Monitor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To allocate the necessary resources, including finance and logistics, as appropriate, at all levels of administration for the development and the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies, policies, plans, laws and regulations in all relevant sectors.</li>
<li>To promote mechanisms for disaster risk transfer and insurance, risk-sharing and retention and financial protection, as appropriate, for both public and private investment in order to reduce the financial impact of disasters on Governments and societies, in urban and rural areas.</li>
<li>To promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk assessment, mapping and management into rural development planning and management of, inter alia, mountains, rivers, coastal floodplain areas and all other areas prone to droughts and flooding.</li>
<li>To increase resilience of country&rsquo;s critical infrastructure.</li>
<li>To strengthen and broaden international efforts aimed at eradicating hunger and poverty through disaster risk reduction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to &ldquo;Build Back Better&rdquo; in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To establish community centres for the promotion of public awareness and the stockpiling of necessary materials to implement rescue and relief activities.</li>
<li>To train the existing workforce and voluntary workers in disaster response and strengthen technical and logistical capacities to ensure better response in emergencies.</li>
<li>To promote the cooperation of diverse institutions, multiple authorities and related stakeholders at all levels, including affected communities and business, in view of the complex and costly nature of post-disaster reconstruction, under the coordination of national authorities.</li>
<li>To develop guidance for preparedness for disaster reconstruction.</li>
<li>To establish a mechanism of case registry and a database of mortality caused by disaster in order to improve the prevention of morbidity and mortality.</li>
<li>To enhance recovery schemes to provide psychosocial support and mental health services for all people in need.</li>
<li>To enhance international mechanisms, such as the International Recovery Platform, for the sharing of experience and learning among countries and all relevant stakeholders.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected Role of Stakeholders</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women and their participation is critical</strong> for effectively managing disaster risk and designing, resourcing and implementing gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction policies, plans and programmes.</li>
<li><strong>Children and youth</strong> are agents of change and should be given the space and modalities to contribute to disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li><strong>Older persons</strong> have years of knowledge, skills and wisdom, which are invaluable assets to reduce disaster risk, and they should be included in the design of policies, plans and mechanisms, including for early warning.</li>
<li><strong>Indigenous peoples,</strong> through their experience and traditional knowledge, provide an important contribution to the development and implementation of plans and mechanisms, including for early warning.</li>
<li><strong>Academia, scientific and research entities</strong> and networks need to focus on the disaster risk factors and scenarios.</li>
<li><strong>Business, professional associations and private sector financial institutions</strong> as well as philanthropic foundations need to integrate disaster risk management into business models and practices through disaster-risk-informed investments.</li>
<li><strong>Media</strong> need to take an active and inclusive role at the local, national, regional and global levels in contributing to the raising of public awareness and understanding and disseminate accurate and non-sensitive disaster risk, hazard and disaster information, including on small-scale disasters.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected Role of International Organizations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations and other international and regional organizations, engaged in disaster risk reduction are expected to enhance the coordination of their strategies in this regard.</li>
<li>The entities of the United Nations system through the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, UN Development Assistance Frameworks and country programmes need to promote the optimum use of resources and to support developing countries, at their request, in the implementation of the present Framework.</li>
<li>The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is expected to support the implementation, follow-up and review of the present Framework.</li>
<li>International financial institutions, such as the World Bank and regional development banks are expected to consider the priorities of the present Framework for providing financial support and loans for integrated disaster risk reduction to developing countries.</li>
<li>The United Nations Global Compact, as the main United Nations initiative for engagement with the private sector and business, needs to further engage with and promote the critical importance of disaster risk reduction for sustainable development and resilience.</li>
<li>The Inter-Parliamentary Union and other relevant regional bodies and mechanisms for parliamentarians, as appropriate, to continue supporting and advocating disaster risk reduction and the strengthening of national legal frameworks.</li>
<li>The United Cities and Local Government organization and other relevant bodies of local governments to continue supporting cooperation and mutual learning among local governments for disaster risk reduction and the implementation of the present Framework.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2005-15 Stats</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Over the 10 year time frame, more than 700 thousand people lost their lives, over 1.4 million got injured and approximately 23 million got homeless as a result of disasters.</li>
<li>Overall, more than 1.5 billion people have been affected by disasters in various ways, with women, children and people in vulnerable situations disproportionately affected.</li>
<li>In addition, between 2008 and 2012, 144 million people were displaced by disasters.</li>
<li>Recurring small-scale disasters and slow-onset disasters particularly affect communities, households and small and medium-sized enterprises, constituting a high percentage of all losses.</li>
<li>All countries &ndash; especially developing countries, where the mortality and economic losses from disasters are disproportionately higher &ndash; faced increasing levels of possible hidden costs and challenges in order to meet financial and other obligations.</li>
<li><strong>Evidence indicates that exposure of persons and assets in all countries has increased faster than vulnerability has decreased,</strong> thus generating new risks and a steady rise in disaster-related losses, with a significant economic, social, health, cultural and environmental impact in the short, medium and long term, especially at the local and community levels.</li>
<li>Even ten years after the adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action, disasters continue to undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development, though the framework has provided critical guidance in efforts to reduce disaster risk and has contributed to the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is urgent to anticipate, plan for and reduce disaster risk in order to more effectively protect persons, communities and countries.</li>
<li>Enhanced work to reduce exposure and vulnerability, thus preventing the creation of new disaster risks, and accountability for disaster risk creation are needed at all levels.</li>
<li>It is necessary to continue strengthening good governance in disaster risk reduction strategies at the national, regional and global levels and improving preparedness and national coordination for disaster response, rehabilitation and reconstruction.</li>
<li>Disaster risk reduction practices need to be multi-hazard and multi sectoral, inclusive and accessible in order to be efficient and effective.</li>
<li>Developing countries need special attention and support to augment domestic resources and capabilities through bilateral and multilateral channels in order to ensure adequate, sustainable, and timely means of implementation in capacity-building i.e. financial and technical assistance in accordance with international commitments.</li>
<li>As per the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in 2012, entitled &ldquo;The future we want&rdquo;, the building of resilience to disasters needs to be addressed with a renewed sense of urgency in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and, as appropriate, to be integrated at all levels.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/521drishti_ias_Sendai%20Framework Report.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/521drishti_ias_Sendai Framework Report.jpg" width="721" height="997" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/sendai-framework-report'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)',
			'catname' => 'National Institutions',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO works under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence, Government of India.</li>
<li>It is working to establish world class science and technology base for India and provides our Defence Services decisive edge by equipping them with internationally competitive systems and solutions.</li>
<li>Dr G. Satheesh Reddy is the incumbent Chairman of DRDO.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Genesis &amp; Growth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO was established in 1958 after combining Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development &amp; Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).</li>
<li>Starting with 10 laboratories, DRDO has now grown to a network of 52 laboratories which are deeply engaged in developing defence technologies covering various disciplines, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems and agriculture.</li>
<li>Presently, the Organisation is backed by over 5000 scientists and about 25,000 other scientific, technical and supporting personnel.</li>
<li>Several major projects for the development of missiles, armaments, light combat aircrafts, radars, electronic warfare systems etc are on hand and significant achievements have already been made in several such technologies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Design, develop and lead to production state-of-the-art sensors, weapon systems, platforms and allied equipment for our Defence Services.</li>
<li>Provide technological solutions to the Services to optimise combat effectiveness and to promote well-being of the troops.</li>
<li>Develop infrastructure and committed quality manpower and build strong indigenous technology base.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGMDP was brain child of renowned scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.</li>
<li>It was intended to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology.</li>
<li>After keeping in mind the requirements of various types of missiles by the defense forces, the program recognized the need to develop five missile systems.</li>
<li>The IGMDP formally got the approval of Indian government on July 26, 1983.</li>
<li>It brought together the country&rsquo;s scientific community, academic institutions, R&amp;D laboratories, industries and the three defence services in giving shape to the strategic, indigenous missile systems.</li>
</ul>
<p>The missiles developed under IGMDP are:</p>
<ol>
<li>Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Prithvi</strong></li>
<li>Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Agni</strong></li>
<li>Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Trishul</strong></li>
<li>Medium-range surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Akash</strong></li>
<li>Third generation anti-tank missile &ndash; <strong>Nag</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The Agni, which was initially conceived as a technology demonstrator project in the form of a re-entry vehicle, was later upgraded to a ballistic missile with different ranges. Dr. Kalam played a major role in the development and operationalisation of Agni and Prithvi missiles.</p>
<p>After achieving the goal of making India self-reliant in missile technology, DRDO on January 8, 2008, formally announced successful completion of IGMDP.<br /><br /></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #9fdff5;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 1256px; height: 19px; background-color: #089dcf; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Missile System of India</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong> Missile</strong></td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>Features</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni I</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Single stage, solid fuel, Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM).</li>
<li>Using solid propulsion booster and a liquid propulsion upper stage.</li>
<li>Range of 700-800 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni II</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM).</li>
<li>Range more than 2000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni III</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two stage IRBM</li>
<li>Support a wide range of warhead configurations.</li>
<li>Strike range of more than 2,500 Km</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni IV</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two stage missile powered by solid propellant.</li>
<li>Can fire from a road mobile launcher.</li>
<li>Range is more than 3,500 km.</li>
<li>Equipped with indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni V</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Three-stage solid fueled, indigenous Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).</li>
<li>Capable of carrying 1.5 tonnes of nuclear warheads.</li>
<li>Latest and most advanced variant in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.</li>
<li>After induction in the military, India will join an exclusive club of countries like the US, Russia, China, France, and Britain which have intercontinental ballistic missile capability.</li>
<li>Canister launches missile system for operational flexibility.</li>
<li>Range is more than 5,000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Trishul</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Short-range, quick reaction, all weather surface-to-air missile designed to counter a low level attack.</li>
<li>Has necessary electronic counter-measures against all known aircraft jammers.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Akash</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Medium-range, surface-to-air missile with multi-target engagement capability.</li>
<li>Multiple warheads capable.</li>
<li>High-energy solid propellant and ram-rocket propulsion system.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Nag</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Third generation &lsquo;fire-and-forget&rsquo; anti-tank missile with a range of 4-8km.</li>
<li>Developed indigenously as an anti-armour weapon employing sensor fusion technologies for flight guidance.</li>
<li>HELINA (Helicopter Launched NAG) is the air-to-surface version of the NAG integrated into Dhruv Helicopters.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Prithvi</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First indigenously built ballistic missile under IGMDP.</li>
<li>Surface-to-surface battle field missile.</li>
<li>Demonstrates higher lethal effects and high level capability with field interchangeable warheads.</li>
<li>Range from 150 km to 300 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">BrahMos</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Supersonic cruise missile.</li>
<li>Being developed with Russia as a private joint-venture.</li>
<li>Multi-platform cruise can strike from various types of platforms.</li>
<li>Among the world fastest supersonic cruise missiles with speeds ranging between Mach 2.5 &ndash; 2.8.</li>
<li>A 'fire and forget' weapon i.e. requiring no further guidance from the control centre once the target has been assigned.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Nirbhay</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Subsonic missile, supplement to the BrahMos.</li>
<li>Capable of being launched from multiple platforms on land, sea and air.</li>
<li>A terrain hugging, stealth missile capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements.</li>
<li>Can reach up to 1,000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Sagarika</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)</li>
<li>Being integrated with India&rsquo;s nuclear powered Arihant-class submarine.</li>
<li>Range - 700 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Shaurya</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A variant of the K-15 Sagarika.</li>
<li>Submarine- nuclear-capable missile.</li>
<li>Aims to enhance India&rsquo;s second-strike capability.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Dhanush</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sea-based, short-range, liquid propellant ballistic missile.</li>
<li>Naval version of Prithvi II.</li>
<li>Maximum range 350 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Astra</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile using a solid-propellant.</li>
<li>In terms of size and weight, one of the smallest weapon developed by the DRDO.</li>
<li>Active radar seeker to find targets.</li>
<li>
<p>Electronic counter-measure capabilities.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds in the head-on mode at a range of 80 km.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Prahaar</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s latest surface-to-surface missile with a range of 150 km.</li>
<li>Primary objective is to bridge the gap between the unguided Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher and the guided Prithvi missile variants.</li>
<li>Have high maneuverability, acceleration and accuracy.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3><br />Issues with DRDO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Standing Committee on Defence during 2016-17, expressed concerns over the inadequate budgetary support for the on going projects of DRDO.</li>
<li>The committee notes that out of total defence budget, the share of DRDO was 5.79 per cent in 2011-12, which reduced to 5.34 per cent in 2013-14.</li>
<li>Government&rsquo;s lethargic revenue commitments towards DRDO have put major projects involving futuristic technology on hold.</li>
<li>The DRDO also suffers from inadequate manpower in critical areas to the lack of proper synergy with the armed forces.</li>
<li>Cost escalation and long delays have damaged the reputation of DRDO.</li>
<li>Even after 60 years of DRDO formation, India still imports a large share of its defence equipments. In the period 2013-17, India is the world&rsquo;s largest importer of defence equipment, accounting for 12% of the global total, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.</li>
<li>DRDO's list of successes is short- primarily the Agni and Prithvi missiles. Its list of failures is much longer. The Kaveri Engine is running late by 16 years and the cost has escalated by around 800 per cent.</li>
<li>DRDO is big on promise and small on delivery. There is no accountability. Nobody is taken to task for time and cost overruns.</li>
<li>In 2011, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) put a serious question mark on DRDO&rsquo;s capabilities. "The organisation, which has a history of its projects suffering endemic time and cost overruns, needs to sanction projects and decide on a probable date of completion on the basis of a conservative assessment of technology available and a realistic costing system," its report stated.</li>
<li>The CAG report also revealed that not all technologies developed by DRDO were suitable for use by the armed forces. The three services have rejected 70 per cent of the products developed at the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, in the last 15 years costing Rs 320 crore because the products did not meet their standard and requirement.</li>
<li>The technology development agency is also largely responsible for the fact highlighted by General V.K. Singh that 97 per cent of the army's air defence is obsolete.</li>
<li>DRDO is just tinkering with World War II equipment instead of working on cutting-edge technology.</li>
<li>Even if systems are acquired from abroad and DRDO is meant to service them, if it fails. This leaves critical gaps in national defence.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO should be restructured in a leaner organisation as suggested by the committee chaired by<strong> P. Rama Rao</strong> for external review of the agency in February 2007.</li>
<li>The committee also recommended for setting up a commercial arm of the organisation to make it a profitable entity, besides cutting back on delays in completing projects.</li>
<li>DRDO former chief V.K. Saraswat has called for the setting up of a Defence Technology Commission as well as a bigger role for DRDO in picking production partners for products developed by the agency.</li>
<li>DRDO should be able to select a capable partner company from the outset, from the private sector if necessary.</li>
<li>DRDO has taken some steps in the direction as it is considering long-term contracts with Indian information technology (IT) vendors such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) to build software solutions for defence projects, shifting its strategy of awarding deals to the lowest bidders on short-term projects.</li>
<li>DRDO&rsquo;s move to outsource is a right move and will open lot of opportunities benefiting the Indian companies.</li>
<li>In Its document "DRDO in 2021: HR Perspectives&rsquo;&rsquo;, DRDO has envisaged a HR policy which emphasized on free, fair, and fearless Knowledge Sharing, Open book management style and Participative Management. This is a step in right direction.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Deaths of Taslim and Gufran',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/bihar-police-custodial-deaths-sitamarhi-killings-nitish-kumar-taslim-ansari-gufran-alam-5653563/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'Deaths of Taslim and Gufran'</a> which appeared in 'The Indian Express' on 2nd April, 2019. The article talks about custodial tortures and killings and the need to bring reforms as any form of torture go against the principles of a just society.)</p>
</div>
<p>Recently two young men died in police custody in Dumra, Sitamarhi district of Bihar. Both the men were picked up in healthy state for investigation in a theft and murder case but died within less than an hour of reaching the hospital.</p>
<p>Giving the gruesome event a fake twist, the suspended police officials have not only escaped custody but till date are evading arrests. Their disappearance also highlights the disappearance of diary entries, warrants, and memos, list of pre-existing injuries, interrogation records, recoveries and CCTV footage, if any, highlighting the departmental resolve in putting the case under the carpet.</p>
<p>This is only one of such many cases signifying the gruesome abuse of power and position, warranting immediate action and policy formation to set the wheels of justice in motion.</p>
<h3>The case in point</h3>
<p>At least 90 people die in police custody every year, the largest number of them being people arrested and yet to be produced before a magistrate.</p>
<p>In 2016, government data recorded 92 deaths in police custody, of which 60 occurred before reaching the court. This makes a mockery of sections <strong>55A and 57 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which places the duties of care of the accused, and production before a magistrate within 24 hours, on the person having custody</strong>.</p>
<p>Reports by both government entities and civil society organisations over the years have proved that custodial torture is endemic in India stressing on the overwhelming abuse of both power and duty.</p>
<h3>Absence of strong legislation</h3>
<p><strong>India does not have an anti-torture legislation and are yet to criminalise custodial violence, while action against culpable officials remains illusory.</strong></p>
<p><strong>India has done little to enact a specific law against torture committed by people acting in official capacity. A weak Prevention of Torture Bill was introduced in 2010 but it lapsed with the dissolution of 15<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha in 2014. </strong></p>
<p>The Indian state either denies the existence of torture in the country or defends its resistance to enact a law by claiming there are sufficient provisions in the domestic legal framework to prohibit and penalise torture. These claims however remain superficial and without any such protections.</p>
<p>India also fails in bringing the much desired Prison Reforms and prisons continues to be affected by poor conditions, overcrowding, acute manpower shortages and minimal safety against harm in prisons. All of these problems act as constraints on the Indian resolve of ratification of the Convention against Torture.</p>
<h3>Institutional challenges</h3>
<p>The entire prison system is inherently opaque giving less room to transparency, Multiple barriers are placed in position to prison access which are not given without prior permission such as depositing &ldquo;Rs 1 lakh in the name of the superintendent of the concerned jail&rdquo; before entry; excessive scrutiny of all recorded or documented material with the possibility of deletion of objectionable portion; confiscation of equipment and material from the visitor if the jailor does not like what he sees etc.</p>
<p>Closed institutions provide ample scope of avoiding impunity which is evident in the prevalence, and widespread acceptance, of custodial torture.</p>
<p>In the absence of consistent documentation of torture-related complaints most of the cases of torture go unnoticed. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which is mandated to record all the crimes taking place in the country too does not document cases of custodial torture.</p>
<p>The use of excessive force including torture is also sometimes used to target marginalised communities and control people participating in movements or propagating ideologies which the state perceives as opposed to its stature.</p>
<p>The torture which is both physical and mental leaves all those affected in a vulnerable position as mentally ill prisoners have risen in the past 15 years. There is only one psychologist for every 23,000 prisoners. It is small wonder that the suicide rate is one and a half times higher in jails than outside &ndash; <strong>twice as many inmates die by suicide in our jails today than 15 years ago</strong>.</p>
<h3>Weak Global Image</h3>
<p>India&rsquo;s commitment to preventing and abolishing torture as well as punishing its perpetrators is perceived as extremely weak in the international forum and gives a wrong light on its desire of becoming a global power.</p>
<p>Although India has signed the United Nations Convention against Torture in 1997 its ratification still remains. While Signing only indicates the country&rsquo;s intention to meet the obligations set out in the treaty, Ratification, on the other hand, entails bringing in laws and mechanisms to fulfil the commitments.</p>
<p><strong>Due to poor prison conditions in India extradition of criminals from various countries accused of offences such as forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy and sexual abuse of children remains almost impossible. Thus enacting a law against torture would be an affirmation of India&rsquo;s commitment to its democratic ideals and values.</strong></p>
<h3>Safeguards for Prisoners</h3>
<p>Protection from torture is a fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 (Right of Life) of the Indian constitution where rights such as Right to free legal aid, Right against inhuman treatment, Right against custodial harassment, Right of prisoner to have necessities of life have been mentioned.</p>
<p>The right to a lawyer in custody is so crucial for life and liberty that it is enshrined as a fundamental right, but it remains one of the weakest links in the chain of criminal justice.</p>
<p>Section 41 of CrPC was amended in 2009 to include safeguards under 41A, 41B, 41C and 41D, so that arrests and detentions for interrogation have reasonable grounds and documented procedures, arrests are made transparent to family, friends and public, and there is protection through legal representation.</p>
<p><strong>Specifically, section 41D of CrPC provides that "When any person is arrested and interrogated by the police, he shall be entitled to meet an advocate of his choice during interrogation, though not throughout interrogation."</strong></p>
<p>This right to "meet" an advocate during interrogation ensures that the arrested person is not overpowered by the law, nor isolated in those critical hours before seeing a magistrate, or when in remand. This provision simultaneously takes care of the distinct responsibilities that the police have to obtain evidence, and the advocate in giving their counsel.</p>
<p>However, no police department in the country appears to have evolved the standard operating procedures to implement this safeguard with integrity. This means ensuring prerequisites, verification by relevant external agencies and consequences for violators of the law.</p>
<h3>Steps Suggested</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India should ratify the UN Convention Against Torture</strong> as it will mandate a systematic review of colonial rules, methods, practices and arrangements for the custody and treatment of persons subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment. It will also mean that exclusive mechanisms of redress and compensation will be set up for the victim besides institutions such as the Board of Visitors.</li>
<li>Guidelines should also be formulated on educating and training officials involved in the cases involving deprivation of liberty because torture cannot be effectively prevented till the senior police wisely anticipate the gravity of such issues and clear reorientation is devised from present practices.</li>
<li>Unrestricted and regular access to independent and qualified persons to places of detention for inspection should also be allowed.</li>
<li>Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras should be installed in police stations including in the interrogation rooms, and surprise inspections by Non-Official Visitors (NOVs) should also be made mandatory which would act as a preventive measures against custodial torture which has also been suggested by Supreme Court In its landmark judgment in the DK Basu case in 2015.</li>
<li><strong>Law Commission of India in its 273rd report recommends that those accused of committing custodial torture &ndash; be it policemen, military and paramilitary personnel &ndash; should be criminally prosecuted instead of facing mere administrative action establishing an effective deterrent.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enacting a law prohibiting torture is both a moral necessity and a pragmatic imperative; equally important is to repair our centuries-old system of prisons.</li>
<li>To ensure that prison conditions are in tune with human rights norms, there is a need to render conditions within prisons less harsh and more humane where inmates are accommodated with due regard to their basic human needs and are handled with dignity.</li>
<li>To break the silence surrounding torture and to reform India&rsquo;s criminal justice system at large, there can be no further delay in taking such legislative measures.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/deaths-of-taslim-and-gufran'
		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'ISRO Launches EMISAT Satellite',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)</a> has launched the <strong>EMISAT satellite on onboard the PSLV-C45</strong> from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)</a> was also carrying 28 international <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/isro-to-launch-state-of-the-art-satellites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nanosatellites</a> &mdash; 24 from the US, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and Switzerland.</li>
<li><strong>The flight of PSLV was also the longest mission of the PSLV, lasting around three hours.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>EMISAT Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The EMISAT satellite is aimed at <strong>electromagnetic spectrum measurement.</strong></li>
<li>It is an electronic intelligence satellite for the <strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).</strong></li>
<li><strong>About Satellite</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mass</strong>: 436 kg</li>
<li><strong>Manufacturer</strong>: ISRO</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Orbit</strong> <strong>Type</strong>: Sun-synchronous Polar orbit(SSPO)</a></li>
<li><strong>Altitude</strong>: About 753 km.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Polar Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A polar orbit travels north-south</strong> over the poles and takes approximately 90 minutes for a full revolution.</li>
<li>These orbits have an inclination near 90 degrees. This allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it.</li>
<li>An orbit is called sun-synchronous when the angle between the line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout the orbit.]</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>EMISAT is an<strong> all weather and all terrain condition satellite,</strong> which will allow it to work through clouds, rain, forest and coastal areas.</li>
<li><strong>EMISAT is an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) satellite,</strong> which means it will have a radar to measure the electromagnetic spectrum - <strong>so as to intercept and analyze radar signals, find their location, identify the hostile radars based on their radio frequency (RF) signature.</strong></li>
<li>This will be a vital tool for India when EMISAT along with the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) can effectively locate, tackle and silence enemy radars, and <strong>secure Indian airspace.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Launch</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This mission was significant as this was the<strong> first time a PSLV has placed objects in three different orbits.</strong></li>
<li>The fourth stage was restarted and stopped twice to bring PSLV to the altitude of 507 km after EMISAT launch.</li>
<li>At the fourth stage three experimental payloads were deployed:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Automatic Identification System (AIS)</strong> for Maritime satellite applications capturing messages transmitted from ships</li>
<li><strong>Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS)</strong> from AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation), India - assists amateur radio operators in tracking and monitoring position data</li>
<li><strong>Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies (ARIS)</strong> from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) - for the structural and compositional studies of the ionosphere.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This is the first time it has been envisaged to provide a microgravity environment for research organizations and academic institutes to perform experiments.</li>
</ul>',
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		'title' => 'A Minimum Framework',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nyay-scheme-congress-minimum-income-guarantee-ubi-5661300/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'A Minimum Framework'</a> which appeared in &lsquo;The Indian Express&rsquo; on 6th April, 2019. The article talks about the Universal Basic Income and the challenges it faces in its implementation.)</p>
</div>
<p>Economists and policymakers all over the world are discussing the idea of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-universal-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universal Basic Income (UBI)</a>. Some European countries, for instance, guarantee a minimum income to their citizens. UBI is informationally the least demanding of all the policies one can think of to attack the problems of poverty, inequality and joblessness.</p>
<p>In India, the idea has gained currency as a solution to chronic poverty and government&rsquo;s failure to effectively target subsidies towards the poor. Amid persistent farm distress and weak wage growth across occupations, the idea of an income support scheme seems to be gaining ground once again.</p>
<p>While some have advocated an income support scheme for farmers, others have advocated a broader income support for all however a right framework to implement such a policy still remains to be formulated.</p>
<h3><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/universal-basic-income-ubi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is Universal Basic Income?</a></h3>
<p>A basic income is a regular, periodic cash payment delivered unconditionally to all citizens on an individual basis, without the requirement of work or willingness to work comprising, of three components: universality (all citizens included), unconditionality (no prior condition), and agency (by providing support in the form of cash transfers to respect, not dictate, recipients&rsquo; choices).</p>
<p>The concept of UBI has not been an alien concept in India, number of such schemes have been a part of welfare programs such as National Old Age Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), however all these schemes miss the feature of universality.</p>
<h3>Why UBI?</h3>
<p>Many landless labourers, agricultural workers and marginal farmers suffer from multi-dimensional poverty. Benefits of high economic growth during the last three decades have not percolated to these groups. Welfare schemes have also failed to bring them out of destitution. They have remained the poorest of Indians.</p>
<p>Contract and informal sector workers in urban areas face a similar problem. Due to rapid mechanisation of low-skill jobs in the construction and retail sectors, employment prospects for them appear increasingly dismal.</p>
<p>Income transfers have the potential of pulling families out of poverty and can improve India&rsquo;s ranking in HDI (human development index) and will bring India closer to achieving SDGs. It can also reduce growing and vast inequality in India and prevent poor people from falling into the debt trap in the event of shocks such as illness or death of an earner.</p>
<p>UBI can potentially promote social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices which have a positive psychological effect on human behaviour. It can also promote social harmony by bringing society closer to economic equality and liberating people from hand to mouth living.</p>
<h3>Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG)</h3>
<p>Recently the idea of MIG has been floated by many political parties; under this program everyone would be guaranteed a certain minimum income level.</p>
<p>Guaranteeing income mean that, for any family whose income is below the threshold decided by the government, the difference will be covered by a cash transfer from the government.</p>
<p>NYAY- Nyuntam Aay Yojana is the most ambitious of these MIG schemes. It promises annual income transfers of ₹72,000 to each of the poorest five crore families comprising approximately 25 crore individuals. If implemented, it will cost the exchequer ₹3.6 lakh crore per annum.</p>
<h3>Roadblocks in Implementation of MIGs in India</h3>
<p>Covering a large population may lead to <strong>drainage of fiscal resources which are required for capital investments in India</strong> like up gradation of Railways, Electricity, combating climate change, Renewable energy, etc. For example, giving every family of five a basic income of Rs 6,000 a month (and scaling appropriately for family size) would cost 70-80% of the current tax revenues.</p>
<p>The informational demands on the government to implement such a scheme are huge. Not only does the government have to know which households are below the threshold, it will also have to accurately find out how much below that threshold each household falls which is very tedious to ascertain given the sample size.</p>
<p>According to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, around six crore households suffer from multidimensional poverty. These include the homeless, tribal groups, the landless, families without an adult bread-earner or a pucca house. Within this group <strong>it is almost impossible to exactly identify the poorest five crore households to be covered under the NYAY</strong>.</p>
<p>One can anticipate serious levels of misreporting as most people who want to be and can be eligible for this scheme are most likely to be working in the informal sector. It is easy to see that any family that could have earned money through employment would rather withdraw from work altogether and receive the entire sum promised as a government transfer.</p>
<h3>Some Suggestions</h3>
<p>Flat transfer of a stipulated amount per month to families lying in the bottom 20 % of India&rsquo;s income distribution can effectively address the challenge posed by a simple MIG. The scheme would be informationally less demanding as the government only needs to know whether the family earns below the 20th percentile income threshold. It does not need to know how much below the threshold this family&rsquo;s income lies.</p>
<p>Any such scheme will require huge amount of capital which at present is beyond the Centre&rsquo;s fiscal capacity therefore the cost can be shared by the States, tax collection also needs to be increased to finance the scheme.</p>
<p>The scheme can also be introduced in phases, studies have shown that even a small income supplement can improve nutrient intake at high levels of impoverishment.</p>
<p>Besides, it can increase school attendance for students coming from poor households. This would mean improved health and educational outcomes, which in turn will make the working population more productive.</p>
<p>The scheme with a modest income support also allays the fear of beneficiaries opting out of the workforce.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>No income transfer scheme can be a substitute for universal basic services. The direct income support to the poor can deliver the intended benefits only if it comes as a supplement to the public services such as primary health and education. This means that direct transfers should not be at the expense of public services for primary health and education.</p>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Traditional New Year',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The President of India has greeted the people on the eve of Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These festivals mark the <strong>beginning of the traditional New Year</strong> in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gudi Padwa and Ugadi</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Ugadi and Gudi Padwa are the festivals, to celebrate the New Year, in the <strong>month of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada</strong> as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar, and is celebrated by the people in the Deccan region including <strong>Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.</strong></li>
<li>The common practice in the celebrations of both the festivals is the festive food that is prepared with a mix of sweet and bitter.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gudi</strong>, which means a doll is prepared in Maharashtrian homes. A bamboo stick is adorned with green or red brocade to make the gudi. This gudi is <strong>placed prominently in the house</strong> or outside a window/ door for all to see.</li>
<li>For <strong>Ugadi, </strong>doors in homes are adorned with <strong>mango leaf decorations</strong> called <strong>toranalu or Torana</strong> in Kannada.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cheti Chand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sindhis celebrate the new year as Cheti Chand.</strong> Chaitra month is called 'Chet' in Sindhi.</li>
<li>The day <strong>commemorates the birth anniversary of Ishta Deva Uderolal, Jhulelal,</strong> the patron saint of Sindhis and is celebrated with great pompous and gaiety.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Navreh</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the lunar New Year that is <strong>celebrated in Kashmir</strong>. It is the <strong>Sanskrit word &lsquo;Nav Varsha&rsquo;</strong> from where the word<strong> &lsquo;Navreh&rsquo;</strong> has been derived.</li>
<li>It actually falls on the very <strong>first day of the Chaitra Navratras</strong>.</li>
<li>On this day, Kashmiri Pandits deliberately, first of all, look at a bowl of rice, considered as a symbol of riches and fertility. A special &lsquo;Thali&rsquo; is also prepared.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sajibu Cheiraoba</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the great ritual <strong>festival of Meiteis</strong> (an ethnic group in Manipur) which is observed on the first day of Manipur lunar month Shajibu, which falls in the month of April every year.</li>
<li>On the day of the festival, people arrange a <strong>joint family feast</strong> in which <strong>traditional</strong> <strong>cuisines</strong> are offered to <strong>local deities</strong> at the <strong>entrance gates of the houses.</strong><strong></strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chaitra Shukla Pratipada</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the <strong>first day during the waxing phase of moon in the Chaitra Month.</strong></li>
<li>It marks the beginning of the<strong> New Year of Vikram Samvat</strong> or better known as Vedic [Hindu] Calendar.</li>
<li>This Hindu new year is known by different names in India such as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Telugu.</li>
<li>The famous Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas and invaded Ujjain. He, then, called for a new era.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under his supervision, astronomers formed <strong>new calendar based on luni-solar system </strong>that is still followed in the Northern regions of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Meities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Meiteis, one of the most <strong>eminent ethnic groups of Manipur</strong> hail from the Manipur Valley and are an industrious lot.</li>
<li>They speak <strong>Tibeto-Burman language</strong> and most of the people belonging to the group, follow Hindu customs.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Habrocestum Longispinum',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently <strong>arachnologists (those who study spiders and other arachnids)</strong> have spotted a group of spiders in Illithodu forests of <strong>Ernakulam district of Kerala.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is relevant because these spiders have<strong> been spotted in India for the first time</strong> and they mostly occur in Eurasia and Africa.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Arachnids</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Arachnids include a<strong> diverse group of invertebrates: spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites</strong>, etc. There are over 100,000 species of arachnids.</li>
<li>The name Arachnida derives from the <strong>Greek ar&aacute;chnē, which means spider.</strong> The vast majority of arachnids are spiders.</li>
<li>Most arachnids are <strong>carnivorous, typically preying on insects, and terrestrial, living on land.</strong> They lack both wings and antennae.</li>
<li>Their mouthparts often have narrow openings, which restricts them to <strong>eating liquefied prey.</strong></li>
<li>They help in <strong>keeping insect populations under control.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Habrocestum Longispinum (after Latin &lsquo;longe&rsquo; meaning long and &lsquo;spinae&rsquo; for spine) belong to the genus Habrocestum that has been recorded mostly in Eurasia and Africa.</li>
<li>It can be said that the species is not only new to India, but also science.</li>
<li>The discovery lends support to the continental drift theory that suggests that the world&rsquo;s continents were one large, contiguous landmass where these creatures thrived many millions of years ago.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Continental Drift Theory</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Set forth in <strong>1912 by Alfred Wegener,</strong> a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift theory <strong>explains the present position of continents on the earth&rsquo;s surface.</strong></li>
<li>Wegner assumed existence of the earth&rsquo;s three layers- outer layers of &lsquo;Sial&rsquo;, intermediate layer of &lsquo;Sima&rsquo; and lower layer of &lsquo;Nife&rsquo;.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Sial: Silicon + Aluminium, </strong></li>
<li><strong>Sima: Silicon + Magnesium</strong></li>
<li><strong>Nife: Nickel + Iron</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Continents or the sialic masses were assumed to be floating on sima without any resistance.</li>
<li>The united continent landmass was named as <strong>Pangaea</strong> and the water body surrounding it was <strong>named Panthalassa.</strong></li>
<li>Owing to the gravitational force and tidal force of both sun and moon, the Pangaea began to drift apart in westward and equatorward directions and finally broke into<strong> Angaraland (northern part) and Gondwanaland (southern part).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Water body named Tethys Sea</strong> filled up the intervening space between the two landmasses, while drifting .</li>
<li>The jigsaw fit of the African and South American coasts, similarity in the fossils, species <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/astrobatrachus-kurichiyana-frog" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>(Astrobatrachus Kurichiyana Frog)</strong></a> and vegetation remains on South Africa, Australia, India and Africa and evidences of carboniferous glaciation of Brazil, Falkland, Peninsular India and Antarctica were arguments given in favor of the theory.</li>
<li>Although Wegener's <strong>"continental drift" theory was discarded</strong>, it did introduce the<strong> idea of moving continents to geoscience.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (6th April 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Konyak Dance<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568205088_Naga-Women-680x365.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568205088_Naga-Women-680x365.jpg" width="427" height="229" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Around <strong>4,700 Konyak Naga women</strong>, in their colourful traditional attire came together on April 5, 2019, in an <strong>attempt to set a Guinness World Record</strong> for the &ldquo;Largest Traditional Konyak Dance&rdquo;.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In their attempt, Konyak people danced to the beats of traditional instruments and sang a ceremonial song for five minutes and one second.</li>
<li>The official declaration on the record to be announced by the Guinness authorities is expected within the five days.</li>
<li><strong>Guinness World Records is a global brand,</strong> with offices in London, New York, China, Japan and UAE and with brand ambassadors on the ground around the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>programme</strong> was organised at Mon (Nagaland) <strong>during the Aoleang Monyu festival</strong> of the Konyak tribe which is celebrated every year in the first week of April<strong> to welcome the spring</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Konyak</strong> is one of the 16 <strong>Naga tribes</strong> and people of this community live mainly in the<strong> Mon district</strong> of Nagaland.</li>
</ul>
<h3>New World Bank President</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>David Malpass,</strong> a top U.S. Treasury official in Trump administration has been unanimously selected as the <strong>new President of the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> World Bank.</a></strong></li>
<li>He will be the <strong>13th President</strong> and will start his five year term from April 9, 2019.</li>
<li>He will succeed Jim Yong-kim, who stepped down on February 1, 2019. Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive officer of the bank, is acting as the interim President.</li>
<li><strong>Since the bank&rsquo;s creation, all of its Presidents have been from America.</strong></li>
<li>The World Bank <strong>President</strong> is Chair of Boards of Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA).</li>
<li>The <strong>President is also ex officio Chair of Boards of Directors</strong> of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Asteroid Ryugu</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Japan&rsquo;s space agency, JAXA</strong> has announced that its<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hayabusa-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Hayabusa 2 spacecraft</strong></a> released an explosive onto the <strong>asteroid Ryugu to make a crater on its surface</strong> and collect underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system.</li>
<li>Earlier, JAXA had announced that a group of scientists participating in the Hayabusa 2 mission had <strong>detected hydroxyl-bearing minerals on the asteroid</strong> by analyzing near-infrared spectrometer readings by the spacecraft.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This could help explain where the Earth's water came from.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Chytridiomycosis Disease</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Deadliest disease of all times till now has wiped out<strong> 90 species of frogs and toads.</strong></li>
<li>Chytridiomycosis is caused by a fungus&mdash;<strong><em>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</em></strong>&mdash;that attacks the skin of frogs, toads and other amphibians.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the creatures use their <strong>skin to breathe and regulate their bodies&rsquo; water levels,</strong> the damage caused by the disease eventually leads to <strong>heart failure and death.</strong></li>
<li>It spreads <strong>through contact and water.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The rapid global spread of the fungus is due to a <strong>lack of animal trade rules and airport surveillance</strong>, which allows wildlife to be imported without examination.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>fungus originated in Asia</strong> and gradually became pandemic in Latin America and Australia owing to trade (import and export of amphibians as pets) with Asia.</li>
<li>This can be termed as a <strong>negative externality of Globalisation on the wildlife.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, a <strong>genetic mutation of the fungus</strong> may have made it more dangerous.</li>
<li><strong>Other factors leading to amphibians decline</strong> are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Climate change,</li>
<li>Habitat destruction,</li>
<li>Draining of wetlands and</li>
<li>Changes to terrestrial ecosystems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Importance of Amphibians:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Amphibians play a major role in <strong>maintaining aquatic environmental quality</strong>. They also feed on mosquitoes, which carry human diseases such as malaria and the Zika virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Governments and other agencies must focus on<strong> regulation</strong> and need to start taking<strong> biosecurity and the illegal wildlife trade far more seriously</strong> to prevent the spread of diseases.</li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (5th April 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman (MBVS) Award</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Vice-President of India gave the<strong> &lsquo;Presidential Award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman&rsquo; </strong>to <strong>Dr. Gyanaditya Shakya</strong> in New Delhi.</li>
<li>Dr. Shakya <g class="gr_ gr_31 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="31" data-gr-id="31">was conferred</g> the award for his outstanding<strong> contribution in the field of Pali language</strong> and <strong>literature</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He was selected for the award by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India for his five books i.e. Bauddha Dharma Darshan Mein Brahmavihara Bhavana, Anagatavasa, Chakesadhatuvasa, Pa&ntilde;cagatidipani <g class="gr_ gr_39 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="39" data-gr-id="39">and</g> <g class="gr_ gr_36 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="36" data-gr-id="36">Gandhavasa</g>.</li>
<li>He also had been awarded <g class="gr_ gr_34 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar replaceWithoutSep" id="34" data-gr-id="34">with</g> &lsquo;Vividh (<g class="gr_ gr_35 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="35" data-gr-id="35">Shraman</g>) Puruskar&rsquo; by the Governor and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on February 7, 2018.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This <strong>distinction</strong> is conferred on persons in recognition of their<strong> substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and Pali/Prakrit.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The award carries a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh.</li>
<li>It is given to the selected young scholars in the age group of 30 to 45 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Order of Zayed</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>UAE has conferred its <strong>highest civilian award &lsquo;the Order of Zayed&rsquo;</strong> upon the Prime Minister of India.</li>
<li>The Prime Minister has been given the award as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>UAE is <strong>home to the largest number of Indian citizens outside India</strong>, and also is a co-partner in diverse pillars of cooperation including investment, energy defense, and security</li>
<li>The country<strong> accounts for 8% of India's oil imports and is the fifth largest supplier of crude oil</strong> to India. It is also a<strong> part of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/first-assembly-of-international-solar-alliance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Solar Alliance (ISA)</a></strong>, which is headquartered in Gurgaon in India.</li>
<li>India-UAE trade stood at about USD 50 billion in 2017, making <strong>India the second largest trading partner of UAE</strong>, while UAE is India's third largest trading partner (after China and the US).</li>
<li>Moreover, UAE is India's second largest export destination, accounting for over USD 30 billion for the year 2016-17.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The award, <strong>earlier, has been awarded to</strong> Russian President Vladimir Putin, former US president George W Bush, former France president Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Queen Elizabeth II from the United Kingdom and Chinese President Xi Jinping.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Counter-Cyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided that it is not necessary to activate the countercyclical capital buffer (CCCB) currently.</li>
<li>The framework on CCCB was put in place by the Reserve Bank on February 5, 2015, where it advised that the CCCB would be activated when the circumstances warranted.</li>
<li><strong>What is CCCB?</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The countercyclical capital buffer aims to ensure that banking sector capital requirements take account of the macro-financial environment in which banks operate.</li>
<li>CCCB is intended to protect the banking sector against losses.</li>
<li>CCCB is a part of Basel III norms given by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision under Bank of International Settlement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Basel III</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In December 2010, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision published Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems which presents the details of global regulatory standards on bank capital adequacy and liquidity, including a countercyclical capital buffer.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Aim of CCCB</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB) regime is two-fold:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Firstly, it requires banks to build up a buffer of capital in good times which may be used to maintain the flow of credit in difficult times.</li>
<li>Secondly, it helps to achieve the goal of restricting the banking sector from indiscriminate lending in the periods of excess credit growth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-april-2019'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'How Electoral Bonds Distort India’s Democracy',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/how-electoral-bonds-distorts-indias-democracy-49344/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'How Electoral Bonds Distort India&rsquo;s Democracy'</a> which was published in &lsquo;India Matters in ORF&rsquo; on 28th March, 2019. The article talks about growing incidence of black money and corruption in elections. It looks into the Electoral Bond Scheme and the challenges associated with it.)</p>
</div>
<p>India is the largest democracy in the world and elections and political parties are a fundamental feature of its Parliamentary democracy. Round the year functioning of the political parties involves a large expenditure which runs into hundreds of crore. Yet there has not been a transparent funding mechanism of the political system.</p>
<p>In order to cleanse the system of political funding in the country and to move to a cashless economy, <strong>Electoral Bonds Scheme</strong> was launched in 2017. The scheme that looked to check rampant under-the-table cash transactions has not found favour with various stakeholders of the Indian Electoral system such as Election Commission.</p>
<p>With Lok Sabha Elections round the corner, it becomes imperative to check the incidence of unabated black money that flows into the accounts of political parties.</p>
<h3>Growing Corruption in Elections</h3>
<p>Democracy is sustained by free and fair elections. Only free and fair elections to the various legislative bodies in the country can guarantee the growth of a democratic polity. It is the cherished privilege of a citizen to participate in the electoral processes however this entire exercise has been affected by the growing menace of corruption.</p>
<p>Lavish expenditure in the elections is one of the most critical problems in India&rsquo;s electoral system. <strong>According to the Report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) high cost of elections creates a high degree of compulsion for corruption in the public arena.</strong></p>
<p>The sources of some of the election funds are believed to be unaccounted criminal money in return for protection, unaccounted funds from business groups who expect a high return on this investment, kickbacks or commissions on contracts, etc.</p>
<p>The usage of black money during elections not only allows for laundering, it also has serious economic and political costs attached to it. It leads to a political support to corruption and crony capitalism.</p>
<p>It allows for criminal-political nexus as the extortionists and goons are able to buy party tickets and therefore, the law-breakers become the lawmakers in our country.</p>
<p>The use of black money for campaigning during the election season creates an unequal playing field for honest, independent candidates as they heavily fall short of the funds required for extensive campaigning and advertising.</p>
<p>Thus the Electoral compulsions for funds become the foundation of the whole super structure of corruption.</p>
<h3>Provisions Checking and Restricting Donations</h3>
<p>The rivalry between political parties in India is aggressive, and it is not a matter of shock that immoral methods are adopted by certain parties to acquire funds. In order to regulate the funding, certain provisions are present in different acts in India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Section 29C</strong> of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA) mandates it for the political parties to declare donations received by them from any person or company if such donation by the person or the company exceeds Rs.20, 000. Failing to submit the report on time disentitles the party from tax relief under the <strong>Income Tax Act, 1961</strong>.</li>
<li>As per <strong>Section 2(e) of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976,</strong> accepting a contribution from any foreign source is completely prohibited. It is punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to five years or fine or both.</li>
<li>The maximum expenditure by a political party in an election is governed by <strong>Rule 90 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Section 77 of the RPA</strong> clarifies as to what comes under the purview of &lsquo;expenditures of the party&rsquo;. The expenditures by a political party include all expenditures incurred by the candidate of such party or his authorised agent in connection with the election since the date of his nomination till the date the result is declared.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Breaking into the Electoral Bond Scheme</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-29th-october-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electoral bond</a> is a bearer instrument in the manner of a promissory note and an interest free banking instrument whereby a citizen, or a corporate body, in India is eligible to purchase through cheque or digital payments.</p>
<p>These bonds can only be bought from notified branches of the public sector bank for 10 days each in months of January, April, July and October. The electoral bonds can be purchased for specified denominations and the payee then can bestow it upon a registered political party as donation which can then be cashed in via the party's verified account within 15 days.</p>
<p>The bonds shall not carry the donor's name, although the payee will have to fulfil KYC (Know Your Customer) norms at the bank. Further, no report is required to be submitted by receiving parties in case of donations received via electoral bonds. In short, neither the donors nor the political parties are obliged to reveal the sources of donations.</p>
<p>Every party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 and has secured at least one per cent of the votes polled in the most recent Lok Sabha or State election will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India. Electoral bond transactions can be made only via this account.</p>
<h3><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-anonymous-donations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Makes Electoral Bonds Controversial?</a></h3>
<p>While Electoral Bond Scheme acts as a check against traditional under-the-table donations as it insists on cheque and digital paper trails of transactions, several key provisions of the scheme make it highly controversial.</p>
<p><strong>Anonymity:</strong> Neither the donor (who could be an individual or a corporate) nor the political party is obligated to reveal whom the donation comes from. This undercuts a fundamental constitutional principle: the freedom of political information, which is an integral element of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution.</p>
<p><strong>Transparency:</strong> It will also defeat the fundamental principle of transparency in political finance. It will conceal from public scrutiny the identity of the corporates and moneybags who contribute huge amounts to political parties, especially to the ruling parties resulting in more opacity, making it a convenient channel for black money.</p>
<p><strong>Asymmetrically Opaque:</strong> because the bonds are purchased through the SBI, the government is always in a position to know who the donor is. This asymmetry of information threatens to colour the process in favour of whichever political party is ruling at the time.</p>
<p>Provisions such as <strong>elimination of a cap of 7.5% when it comes to corporate donations, elimination of the requirement that corporations must reveal political contributions in profit and loss statements, and the elimination of the requirement that a corporation must be three years in existence</strong> undercuts the intent of the scheme and thus any troubled companies, dying companies, shell companies can donate to an unlimited amount, and do so anonymously.</p>
<p>EBS could become a convenient channel for business to <strong>round-trip their cash parked in tax havens to political parties</strong> for a favour or advantage granted in return for something.</p>
<h3>Steps Suggested</h3>
<p><strong>National Election Fund</strong> can be created by the donation given by individuals and corporations. Such a fund could be declared as the only channel through which businesses and individuals can contribute to political parties. The Election Commission can decide how the donations are shared among parties.</p>
<p>Another alternative can be the implementation of <strong>Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998)</strong> report that endorsed state funding of elections, in order to establish a fair playing field for parties with less money. However the mechanics of this process need to be carefully worked out to establish the allocation of money to national parties, State parties and independent candidates.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Successive governments have promised electoral reforms and have setup committees to look into the matter. It is imperative that the authorities enforce these reforms and cleanse our electoral process of the vicious circle of corruption and black money that threatens the very foundation of our democracy.</p>
<p>Unless drastic and radical steps are taken to cleanse public offices by the government, political parties and people at large, corruption will continue to corrode the vitals of the country.</p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/how-electoral-bonds-distort-india-s-democracy'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Survey 2019-Ambitions Beyond Growth: UNESCAP',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently a report, <strong>Survey 2019: Ambitions Beyond Growth</strong> was published by the <strong>United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The aim of the report is to find out what will it take to realize the ambitious <strong>2030 Agenda of sustainable development goals.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568203030_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568203030_image3.jpg" width="738" height="376" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report says that an additional annual investment of <strong>$1.5 trillion &mdash; equivalent to a dollar per person per day</strong> &mdash; would allow countries in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.</li>
<li>Survey finds that the <strong>funds required&nbsp;for achieving the SDGs are within reach for many countries</strong>, given their fiscal space and potential to leverage private investment.</li>
<li>The has urged the countries in the Asia Pacific to<strong> look beyond mere economic growth.</strong></li>
<li>Countries facing high and <strong>growing levels of inequality and environmental degradation will have to change course from pursuing a growth path that neglects the people</strong> and the planet.</li>
<li>The report argues that keeping the old<strong> paradigm of prioritizing GDP growth at all costs is neither feasible nor desirable.</strong></li>
<li>Instead, UNESCAP proposes an investment package, equivalent to 5% of the combined GDP of Asia-Pacific developing countries in 2018, that includes:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>$669 billion to support basic human rights and develop human capacities</strong></li>
<li><strong>$590 billion to achieve clean energy for all and live in harmony with nature</strong></li>
<li><strong>$196 billion for improved access to transport, information and communications technology (ICT), and water and sanitation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Emphasis on quality of education
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Significant savings could be achieved through a greater emphasis on education quality and outcomes.</strong></li>
<li>It cites UNESCO estimates in 2014 that globally, <strong>$129 billion was wasted annually due to the disconnect between schooling years and the acquisition of basic skills alone.</strong></li>
<li>Asia-Pacific developing countries<strong> on average could save more than 30% through efficiency gains without compromising on education performance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qDMZYh7h0rw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region.</li>
<li>It has<strong> 53 Member States and 9 Associate Members from Asia-Pacific Region including India.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Established</strong>: 1947</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters</strong>: Bangkok, Thailand</li>
<li><strong>Objective</strong>: ESCAP works to overcome some of the region&rsquo;s greatest challenges by providing results-oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/survey-2019-ambitions-beyond-growth-escap'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (4th April 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Advance Pricing Agreement (APA)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Board of Direct Taxes <strong>(CBDT) entered into 18 APAs</strong> in the month of <strong>March 2019</strong>, which include 3 Bilateral APAs (BAPAs).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT in the year 2018-19 stands at 52, which includes 11 BAPAs.</li>
<li>The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now stands at 271, which inter alia include 31 BAPAs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) programme in India <strong>was launched in 2012</strong> vide the Finance Act, 2012 through the insertion of Sections 92CC and 92CD in the Income-tax Act, 1961.</li>
<li>APA is <strong>an agreement between a taxpayer and tax authority determining the transfer pricing methodology,</strong> for pricing the taxpayer&rsquo;s international transactions for future years.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Once the APA is sealed, the methodology is to be applied for a certain period of time-based on the fulfillment of certain terms and conditions.</li>
<li>The agreement helps in addressing complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.</li>
<li>T<strong>ransfer pricing is the setting of the price for goods and services sold between controlled (or related) legal entities</strong> (may be situated in different countries)within an enterprise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>An APA can be unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Unilateral APA</strong>: An APA that involves only the taxpayer and the tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located.</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral APA (BAPA)</strong>: an APA that involves the taxpayer, associated enterprise (AE) of the taxpayer in the foreign country, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located, and the foreign tax authority.</li>
<li><strong>Multilateral APA (MAPA)</strong>: an APA that involves the taxpayer, two or more AEs of the taxpayer in different foreign countries, tax authority of the country where the taxpayer is located, and the tax authorities of AEs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>statutory authority</strong> that functions un<strong>der the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.</strong></li>
<li>It is a <strong>part of the Department of Revenue</strong> in the Ministry of Finance.</li>
<li>It provides inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes in India and is also responsible for the administration of direct tax laws through the Income Tax Department.</li>
<li>Direct Taxes include income tax, corporation tax etc.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>NuGen Mobility Summit 2019</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The International Centre for Automotive Technology <strong>(ICAT) will organize a NuGen <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-mobility-summit-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mobility Summit</a>, 2019, at Manesar,</strong> NCR, <strong>from 27th to 29th November 2019.</strong></li>
<li>The objective of the Summit is to share new ideas, learnings, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, assimilation and <strong>development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future.</strong></li>
<li>It will help in building<strong> a platform for bringing together all stakeholders in the automotive industry</strong> to understand global advancements in technologies.</li>
<li>Track demonstrations, drive-touch-feel activity and lab demonstrations on upcoming vehicle technologies like connected mobility,<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> electric mobility</a>, alternate fuels, intelligent transportation system, hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen IC engine, vehicle dynamics, advanced materials and lightweight, end of life vehicles and recycling will be the uniqueness of this event.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>ICAT Manesar</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS)</strong> under the Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>National Automotive Testing and R&amp;D Infrastructure Project <strong>(NATRIP</strong>) is the <strong>largest and most significant initiative in the automotive sector</strong> which represents a joining of hands between the Government of India, a number of State Governments and Indian Automotive Industry to create a state of the art testing, validation and R&amp;D infrastructure in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It provides services for testing, validation, design <g class="gr_ gr_58 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="58" data-gr-id="58">and</g> homologation of all categories of vehicles and has a mission to <strong>assist the automotive industry in adopting cutting edge technologies</strong> in vehicle evaluation and component development to ensure reliability, durability and compliance to the current and future regulations in new generation mobility solutions.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Coral Bleaching<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568202917_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568202917_image7.jpg" width="372" height="291" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>world&rsquo;s southernmost coral reef</strong> has been hit by bleaching highlighting that the <strong>rising sea temperatures from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/conference-of-the-parties-cop-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a> were affecting even the most isolated ecosystems.</strong></li>
<li>The corals off <strong>Lord Howe Island (600 km offshore from Sydney)</strong> were affected by elevated temperatures, despite escaping severe bleaching that damaged the <strong>Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/coral-bleaching" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental</strong></a> conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increasing baseline temperatures</strong> caused by climate change, and local factors such as elevated temperatures in the area this summer, caused the bleaching to occur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-april-2019'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article 'Turf Issues in Fighting Corruption' which appeared in 'The Hindu' on 4th April, 2019. The article talks about the importance of inter agency coordination to fight corruption.)</p>
</div>
<p>India is the 78 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries, according to the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. The corruption of public servants in India has become such a menace that something drastically new had to be tried, and appointing the Lokpal at least partially meets this crying need.</p>
<p>There is guarded optimism in a few quarters, and considerable cynicism in others, over the likely efficacy of the Lokpal. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 is complicated. But it was badly needed for enhancing the accountability of those in high places and to demonstrate to the world that India is not second to any other nation in making its public administration clean and fair.</p>
<p>Moreover the appointment of Lokpal is delayed for many years and now it has not been received with great excitement. Nevertheless, the working of the Act may be expected to be closely followed in the months to come, both by the polity and the legal fraternity, which is how it ought to be in a vibrant democracy.</p>
<h3>Actors Against Corruption</h3>
<p>There are three principal actors at the national level in the fight against corruption: the Lokpal, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).</p>
<p>Questions have been raised over the independence of the Lokpal and there is little clarity how it will work with the other agencies so that the objective of cleansing public life is achieved with reasonable satisfaction. What is worrying is how well the CVC and CBI are going to play a complementary role in upholding the objective for which the Lokpal has been appointed.</p>
<h3>Jurisdiction Issues</h3>
<p>The Lokpal has jurisdiction over Group A and B public servants. This does not deprive the CBI of its own jurisdiction over these two groups.</p>
<p>The Lokpal Act permits using the CBI for examining a complaint against a public servant for misconduct. Although the Lokpal has its own Inquiry Wing, it can nevertheless forward a complaint to the CBI for a preliminary inquiry, and thereafter for registering a regular case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. It is not clear what happens when such a complaint is already being inquired into by the CBI.</p>
<p>The government, in addition to the Lokpal, is competent to order a preliminary inquiry and permit the CBI to proceed with a regular case. The CBI can also register a case even without the government&rsquo;s nod in instances in which a public servant is caught red-handed while receiving a bribe.</p>
<p>If an individual lodges a complaint with the government and the Lokpal, then there is no clarity about the authority of Lokpal to give direction to the CBI to keep its hands off the matter and wait for the Lokpal&rsquo;s own Inquiry Wing to handle the matter.</p>
<p>It is a common practice for complainants in India to dash off their complaints to a host of agencies. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 creates a Prosecution Wing exclusively for the Lokpal. In this case there will be possibility of coordination issue between Lokpal wing and the CBI&rsquo;s Director of Prosecution.</p>
<p>There is a distinct prospect of a clash between the government (which has greater powers of superintendence over the CBI than the Lokpal) and the Lokpal over a wide spectrum of issues.</p>
<p>The Act gives the impression that superintendence over the CBI is shared by the Lokpal and the government, and neither is in exclusive command of the former.</p>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<p>Given the overlapping functions of anti-corruption agencies, recommendations given by Parliamentary Committee in 2018 hold importance. It recommended integration of Central Vigilance Commission and anti-corruption wing of the CBI to work directly under the command and control of Lokpal to deal with corruption cases.</p>
<p>The Committee is of the view that institutions of CVC and the CBI, be fully integrated with Lokpal and the institution of anti&mdash;corruption watchdog may be architecturally created vertically with the Lokpal at the apex level and CVC and CBI under its command and control.</p>
<p>The functions of Lokpal and CVC should be clearly specified and overlap between functions and powers of CVC and Lokpal be addressed. Lokpal should utilise these organisations for conduct of inquiry, investigation and prosecution.</p>
<p>There is need to review of existing rules, which reflect &ldquo;colonial mindset of doubt and mistrust&rdquo;, on declaration of assets and liabilities by government servants as they are &ldquo;at present being used more to harass government servants than as a safeguard against corruption&ldquo;.</p>
<p>There should be uniformity in provisions and use of digital surveillance software to detect any disproportionate growth in assets and liabilities of a public servant beyond his known sources of income can help the cause.</p>
<p>The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 should be modified accordingly to incorporate above mentioned provisions.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>As India has appointed its first Lokpal (Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose), initial days are going to be difficult in terms of coordination.</p>
<p>Everything will depend on how well the Lokpal and the government cooperate and concentrate on the fundamental objective of striking at corruption without getting bogged down by technicalities.</p>
<p>All these issues, however, do not reduce the utility of a highly placed ombudsman. It may finally depend upon the perception of Lokpal what his role is. He can certainly shape the future of this experiment.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/turf-issues-in-fighting-corruption'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Asian Development Outlook 2019- Strengthening Disaster Resilience: ADB',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Asian Development Bank has published <strong>Asian Development Outlook 2019.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In this, ADB has <strong>cut India&rsquo;s growth forecast to 7.2% for 2019-20</strong> because of a slower-than-expected pickup in investment demand.</li>
<li>The growth rate in <strong>Financial Year 2020-21 is likely to be 7.3%.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ADB, which had estimated 7.6% economic growth in December 2018, is the<strong> first multilateral lending agency</strong> to slash India's growth estimate.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>International Monetary Fund (IMF)</strong> and the <strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong> had earlier projected<strong> 7.5% and 7.4% growth, respectively.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Despite this, <strong>India will remain the fastest growing major economy,</strong> as China is projected to grow at 6.3% in 2019.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s strong growth is because of <strong>strong household spending</strong> and<strong> corporate fundamentals.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Strong household spending-</strong> Income support to farmers, hikes in procurement prices for food grains, and tax relief to taxpayers earning less than Rs 5 lakh, declining fuel and food prices.</li>
<li><strong>Strong corporate fundamentals-</strong> An increase in utilization of production capacity by firms, falling levels of stressed assets held by banks and easing of credit restrictions on certain banks, is expected to help investment grow at a healthy rate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Imports are expected to rise</strong> mainly due to stronger domestic demand, while a growth slowdown in India&rsquo;s key export destinations would dent export growth.</li>
<li>The <strong>current account deficit is expected to widen a bit to 2.4% of GDP</strong> in FY2019 and 2.5% of GDP in FY2020.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The deficit is expected to be<strong> financed comfortably by capital flows</strong>, given that India has emerged as an attractive destination for foreign investment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>inflation is expected to average around 4% in the first half of FY2019</strong>, and therefore the Reserve Bank would have some room for <strong>lowering policy rates further increasing credit.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Asian Development Bank (ADB)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a <strong>regional development bank</strong> established on <strong>19 December 1966.</strong></li>
<li>ADB is headquartered in <strong>Manila, Philippines.</strong> It aims to promote <strong>social and economic development in Asia.</strong></li>
<li>ADB now has <strong>67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Japan holds the largest proportion</strong> of shares in ADB<strong> followed by the USA.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The growth forecast for India has some downside risks such as <strong>moderation in global demand</strong> as financial conditions tighten, uncertainty arising out of <strong>global trade tensions,</strong> and the weak economic outlook in industrial countries.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>higher-than-expected moderation</strong> in global demand and a potential escalation of trade tensions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>On the domestic front, growth could <strong>suffer if tax revenue falls short or any disruption affects</strong> the ongoing resolution of the twin <strong>problems of the bank and corporate balance sheets.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lower-than-targeted tax revenues</strong> or a <strong>delay in strengthening bank and corporate balance sheets</strong> could also undermine economic expansion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster risk and costs are rising,</strong> and Asia is particularly vulnerable.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Suitable policy interventions are required to keep disaster losses from spiraling into the future and across the region.</li>
<li>Spending on disaster prevention continues to lag far behind disaster response as access to credit, insurance, and remittances remains sparse and uneven.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asian-development-outlook-2019-strengthening-disaster-resilience-adb'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts For Prelims (3rd April 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Danda Nata festival</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> 21-day long seasonal folk dance festival</strong> that is celebrated <strong>in South Odisha</strong>.</li>
<li>It is <strong>celebrated </strong>in the month of<strong> 'Chaitra'</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Danda </strong>as the name implies<strong>, is self-inflicted pain, which the danduas (people who participate in the festival)</strong> undergo to pay their obeisance to the<strong> lord Kali.</strong> It is also a form of worshipping the lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.</li>
<li>The festival features midday summer dances in the dust and that in the ponds in the evening, besides midnight walk on fire by the &lsquo;danduas&rsquo;.</li>
<li>Households and localities also invite Danduas for performance in their areas.</li>
<li>The<strong> origin of the festival</strong> is generally <strong>traced to 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> AD</strong> after the decadence of Buddhism in Orissa.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ramappa Temple<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568200025_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568200025_image1.jpg" width="372" height="209" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dedicated to Lord Shiva</strong>, it is situated in Palampet Village, around 67 km from the city of<strong> Warangal (Telangana).</strong></li>
<li>Also famous as<strong> Ramalingeshwara Temple</strong>, it was built under the supervision<strong> of Chief Commander Recherla Rudra, </strong>during the reign of <strong>Ganapati Deva from Kakatiya dynasty in 1213 century AD.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Kakatiya Dynasty was the South Indian dynasty that ruled Andhra Pradesh in India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The temple has its name after its sculptor, Ramappa.</strong></li>
<li>It falls under the protection of the Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT), that has been pushing it for the World Heritage tag since 2012.</li>
<li><strong>For the year 2019, it is the only nomination for the World Heritage Site selection process, from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNESCO's World Heritage Sites</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO</strong>) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of <strong>outstanding value to humanity.</strong></li>
<li>This is embodied in an <strong>international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>World Heritage Fund provides about US$4 million annually</strong> to support activities to preserve monuments that require international assistance.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The World Heritage Committee allocates funds according to the urgency of requests, priority being given to the most threatened sites.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>WhatsApp&rsquo;s Tipline</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, has launched a <strong>fact-checking Tipline</strong> for users in India ahead of elections in the country.</li>
<li>People in India, now can submit uncertain information or rumours they have received to the<strong> Checkpoint Tipline on WhatsApp +91-9643-000-888.</strong></li>
<li>WhatsApp is working with India-based media skilling startup PROTO for the helpline.</li>
<li>When a WhatsApp user will share a suspicious message with the tipline, PROTO&rsquo;s verification center will seek to respond and inform the user if the claim made in message shared is verified or not.</li>
<li>The center can review rumours in the form of pictures, video links or text and will c<strong>over four regional languages including Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam, other than English.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Ways and Means Advances</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the Reserve Bank of India has increased the limits for<strong> Ways and Means Advances (WMA)</strong>&nbsp;for the first half of financial year 2019-20.</li>
<li>It is a <strong>temporary loan facility</strong> provided by RBI to <strong>meet temporary mismatches</strong> in the receipts and payments of <strong>the central and state government.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>introduced on April 1, 1997.</strong>This facility can be availed by the government if it needs<strong> immediate cash from the RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The WMA is to be <strong>vacated after 90 days.</strong></li>
<li>Interest rate for WMA is charged at <strong>the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-keeps-policy-rates-unchanged" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repo rate</a>. </strong></li>
<li>The limit for WMA are<strong> mutually decided by the RBI and the Government of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the scientists at the <strong>Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology (CCMB)</strong> have come up with a way to <strong>inhibit the multiplication of bacteria even before the cell wall begins to grow.</strong></li>
<li>They have discovered a new enzyme which helps in <strong>breaking cell walls of bacteria.</strong> The finding is significant for it offers a potential for a <strong>new drug delivery route to arrest</strong> the anti-bacterial resistance through existing antibiotic drugs.</li>
<li>Regular antibiotics target the machinery that creates the bacterial cell wall &mdash; a mesh-like structure that is made up of cross-linked sugars and peptides.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, this experiment shows how to<strong> target cell-wall formation at the beginning itself,</strong> earlier than when the present set of antibiotics act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>With rapid rise of antibiotic resistance, researchers across the world are <strong>exploring new ways to target bacteria</strong>. In this context, the new findings can <strong>play a crucial role in fighting the battle against antibiotic resistance.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong> Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology (CCMB)</strong> is a premier research organization which conducts<strong> high quality basic research and training</strong> in frontier areas of modern biology, and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the interdisciplinary areas of biology.</li>
<li>It was set up initially as a<strong> semi-autonomous Centre on April 1, 1977</strong> with the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory (presently, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, IICT) Hyderabad.</li>
<li><strong>During 1981-82,</strong> the CCMB was accorded the status of a full-fledged national laboratory with its own Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Council.</li>
<li>It is located in <strong>Hyderabad and operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.</strong></li>
<li>It is designated as <strong>"Center of Excellence"</strong> by the<strong> Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-3rd-april-2019'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'State Of Global Air Report 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>State Of Global Air Report 2019,</strong> produced by the <strong>Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI)</strong> has revealed that 1.2 million Indians died due to ailments triggered by air pollution in 2017.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Air pollution ranks fifth</strong> among global risk factors<strong> for mortality globally,</strong> exceeded only by behavioral and metabolic factors: poor diet, high blood pressure, tobacco exposure, and high blood sugar.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally, air pollution (PM 2.5, household and ozone emissions) is estimated to have contributed to about <strong>4.9 million deaths</strong> &mdash; 8.7% of all deaths globally and 5.9% of all life years lost to disability, <strong>in 2017</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India and China have the highest health burden</strong> from air pollution, followed by Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria.</li>
<li>In 2017, exposure to <strong>PM 2.5 pollution</strong> was found to be the<strong> third leading risk factor globally for Type 2 diabetes</strong>-related deaths and disability after high blood sugar and excessive body weight.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally, such exposure contributed to about 2.76 lakh deaths and 15.2 million life years lost to disability in 2017.</li>
<li><strong>This burden was highest in India</strong> followed by China, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India-Specific findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Air pollution</strong> is now the<strong> third-highest cause of death</strong> among all health risks, ranking just above smoking, in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Over 1.2 million Indians died</strong> early due to exposure to unsafe air in 2017.</li>
<li>Out of the 1.2 annual premature deaths, 673,100 deaths were due to exposure to outdoor PM2.5, and more than 481,700 deaths were due to exposure to household air pollution in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About 60% of India&rsquo;s population was exposed to household pollution in 2017</strong>. However, the report also recognises that the proportion of households cooking with solid fuels in India has dipped from 76% in 2005 to 60% (846 million) in 2017, due to a major government program of shifting households from solid fuels to liquefied petroleum gas.</li>
<li><strong>Entire Indian population</strong> lives in areas <strong>with PM2.5 concentrations above the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strategy-against-the-threat-of-influenza" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> WHO</a> Air Quality Guideline of 10 &micro;g/m3,</strong> and only about 15 % of the population lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations below the WHO&rsquo;s least-stringent target of 35 &micro;g/m3.</li>
<li>Exposure to PM2.5 pollution contributed to <strong>55,000 deaths and 2.7 million life years lost from type 2 diabetes</strong> in 2017.</li>
<li>It can be noted that <strong>India has initiated major steps</strong> to address pollution sources: the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Household LPG program,</strong> accelerated <strong>Bharat Stage VI vehicle standards</strong>, and the new <strong>National Clean Air Programme.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These and future initiatives have the potential, if fully implemented as part of a sustained commitment to air quality, to result in significant health benefits in coming years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Type 2 Diabetes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a chronic condition that affects the way one&rsquo;s body metabolizes sugar (glucose) &mdash; an important source of fuel for body.</li>
<li>With type 2 diabetes, <strong>one&rsquo;s body either resists the effects of insulin</strong> &mdash; a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into cells &mdash;<strong> or doesn't produce enough insulin</strong> to maintain normal glucose levels.</li>
<li>It causes symptoms including Increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger and Unintended weight loss etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PM 2.5</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PM 2.5 is <strong>an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres</strong>, which is around 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair.</li>
<li>It causes respiratory problems and also reduces visibility. It is an <strong>endocrine disruptor</strong> that can <strong>affect insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity,</strong> thus contributing to diabetes.</li>
<li>It can only be detected with the help of an electron microscope because of them being very small.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Health Effects Institute (HEI)&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>a nonprofit corporation chartered in 1980</strong> as an independent research organization to provide high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the health effects of air pollution.</li>
<li>It is <strong>headquartered in Boston,</strong> Massachusetts, United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-of-global-air-report-2019'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Electoral Bonds',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<p>(<em>The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Bonds of secrecy&rdquo; which appeared in The Indian Express for 3rd April 2019. In this editorial we&rsquo;ll go through the biggest criticisms of the &lsquo;electoral bonds&rsquo; system.</em>)</p>
<p>&ldquo;<em>Concealing the identity of donors in electoral bonds goes against a fundamental tenet of democracy &mdash; transparency. Any executive Act which takes away transparency is anti-democratic and against the public interest</em>.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Elections are run with money as much as anything else. This involvement of money in our elections has become a bane to our democracy. Transparency on the flow of money into our elections had always been a key issue and the &lsquo;electoral bond&rsquo; system was supposed to take care of this. Sadly, as pointed out in this editorial, this system is deeply flawed and what is worse is that it can actually make the involvement of money in our elections more opaque.</p>
<h3>The First and Biggest Problem</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/an-invitation-to-corruption" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electoral bonds</a> were conceived in 2017 and the necessary legislative changes were made in the Finance Bill of 2017.</li>
<li><strong>For example, Section 31 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924, was amended and a new Clause (3) was added to provide for electoral bonds. This amendment was pushed through as a money bill, whereas the Reserve Bank of India Act itself is not a money bill.</strong></li>
<li><strong>This contradiction remains unresolved till today. If the parent Act is not a money bill, how can an amendment to it be treated as a money bill?</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The notification issued by the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance on January 2, 2018, gives us details of these bonds. From it, one gets a clear idea of the objective of these bonds:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>To conceal the identity of the donor of political funds.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, political parties fund their election campaigns mostly through funds from corporate houses and wealthy individuals.</li>
<li><strong>No political party can meet the exorbitant expenses of an election with their membership fees.</strong> They need to depend on corporates, who are flush with money and have no hesitation in generously helping political parties, particularly the ones that are their favourites.</li>
<li><strong>Much of these funds are actually black money.</strong> Although political parties get income tax exemptions on these donations and the donors too can claim exemption under the relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act, the bulk of these donations remain unaccounted. This means that every election in India adds to the volume of black money in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electoral bonds were conceived with a view to keeping the identity of the donor secret. The bond does not carry the name of the buyer.</strong>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li><strong>The donor does have a genuine fear that if parties in the Opposition get to know how much he has contributed to the ruling party, he will be in trouble when the former comes to power. The electoral bond scheme is informed by an appreciation of such fears.</strong></li>
<li>Under the scheme, the name or other details of the buyer of the bonds will not be disclosed to any authority for any purpose whatsoever. The recipient, after receiving the bonds from the donor, will deposit it in his account. <strong>Of course, the government &mdash; and the ruling party &mdash; will know who the donor is and how much money has been given to a party.</strong></li>
<li>If there is a &ldquo;tough&rdquo; government in office, we can be sure that the parties in Opposition will get almost nothing.</li>
<li>Thus, two objectives are achieved by introducing electoral bonds.
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-roman;">
<li>One, the identity of the donor can be kept secret from the public, including other political parties.</li>
<li>Two, the ruling parties will get the lion&rsquo;s share of the donations. There is ample evidence that these two objects have been achieved.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The details of the electoral bonds were notified by the finance ministry in January 2018. Para 7(4) of this notification points out, <em>&ldquo;Confidentiality of the information furnished by the buyer shall not be disclosed to any authority for any purpose.&rdquo;</em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This notification was issued under Section 31(3) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924.</li>
<li><strong>This Section does not give any details about the electoral bonds policy. The confidentiality of the bonds and the total prohibition of disclosure of information about the donor, to any authority for any purpose, is a matter of legislative policy.</strong></li>
<li>This cannot be dealt with through a notification, which is a subordinate legislation. Subordinate legislation can only deal with the details of the implementation of the policy contained in the parent Act. It is the Act which should contain the policy, not the notification issued by the executive under the Act.</li>
<li><strong>The Supreme Court has struck down many such orders, regulations, and notifications on the ground of being ultra vires the parent Act. January 2, 2018, notification on electoral bonds is ultra vires Section 31(3) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1924, and hence is illegal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Section 29C in The Representation of the People Act, 1951</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Declaration of donation received by the political parties.&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The treasurer of a political party or any other person authorized by the political party in this behalf shall, in each financial year, prepare a report in respect of the following, namely:&mdash;
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from any person in that financial year;</li>
<li>The contribution in excess of twenty thousand rupees received by such political party from companies other than Government companies in that financial year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-regulating-anonymous-donations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Way Forward: Transparency is Crucial</a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Firstly, it is not open to the executive to legislate against transparency &mdash; a fundamental aspect of public policy in a democracy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>A legislature can provide for the confidentiality of state secrets but not for protecting the confidentiality of the donors of political funding who are private individuals or private companies. No public interest will be served by that. In fact, it would only injure public interest.</strong></li>
<li>Secondly, Section 29(C) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, requires every political party to submit an annual report to the Election Commission. This report should contain the details of contributions in excess of Rs 20,000 received by the party concerned from individuals and private companies. This requirement has been done away with in the case of electoral bonds through an amendment.</li>
<li><strong>This amendment to Section 29(C) is against the public policy of transparency and is hence unconstitutional.</strong></li>
<li>The Preamble to the Right to Information Act, 2005 declares: &ldquo;<em>&hellip; Democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information which are vital to its functioning.&rdquo;</em> As such, any executive Act which takes away transparency is anti-democratic and against the public interest.</li>
<li>Keeping in view the above-mentioned shortcomings of the legislation, necessary reforms should make their way into the larger public discourse.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/electoral-bonds'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Automation and Job Market',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/100th-anniversary-of-ilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labour Organization (ILO)</strong></a> released a report titled<strong> &ldquo;Changing Business and Opportunities for Employer and Business Organizations"</strong> which dwells on <strong>automation and employability.</strong></p>
<h3>Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report lists the percentage of work activities that can be automated using current technology.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Over 40% of activities</strong> can be<strong> automated across the world.</strong></li>
<li>In the case of <strong>India, 51.8% of activities can be automated.</strong> Robotic automation is having the greatest impact, replacing<strong> low-skilled jobs and simple assembly tasks.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Automation will likely impact most jobs involving <strong>highly structured physical activity in predictable environments, such as manufacturing and retail, alongside data collection and processing.</strong></li>
<li>Automation <strong>threatens to impact women more than men.</strong> This is primarily because automation threatens sectors like retail, business processing outsourcing and textiles/clothing/footwear. where <strong>women form a major part of the workforce.</strong></li>
<li>The report suggests that 66% of Indian businesses are looking for <strong>quite a different set of skills among new recruits</strong> than they did three years ago. Even in the United States of America (61%), Brazil (70%) and Germany (65%) businesses are looking for quite different skills in new recruits</li>
<li>India has an<strong> unemployment crisis.</strong> Over and above that, India also has an<strong> employability crisis.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even when firms have jobs on offer, they are <strong>unable to find candidates with the right skills</strong> who can take on these jobs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Five global trends</strong> are shaping the way <strong>businesses across the world operate</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Technological Innovation</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Automation and digitisation is transforming how and where businesses operate, their workforces and skills requirements.</li>
<li>Technological innovations have the greatest overall impact on business. Technology is facilitating access to new markets, fostering opportunities for new digital business models, accelerating the development of new products and services, enabling new ways of working (such as virtual international teams and remote working), and expanding digital networks of suppliers and business partners.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Economic Integration</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Global economic integration is increasing the harmonisation of corporate global governance, tax/regulatory and business environments. At the same time, businesses are increasingly exposed to the global economy, and political uncertainty.</li>
<li>Emerging economies, which were once mainly the suppliers of low-cost goods, unprocessed natural resources or simple services are becoming hubs for capital, innovation and talent.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Demographic and Generational Shifts</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The shifting demographic dynamics and declining working-age population are expected to reshape the long-standing fundamentals of work, retirement and savings. Along with this, focus is also on how to take advantage of the youth dividend and its potential economic gains while managing pressures on labour markets and society.</li>
<li>The most significant change is the inclusion of women, who are entering employment at historic, record levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate change and sustainability</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Companies are increasingly pressured to become sustainable by considering the triple bottom line: financial sustainability, social impact and environmental impact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global shortage of skilled labour</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Shifts in knowledge, education and training often mean that the most suitably skilled employees are not found where jobs are located.</li>
<li>A lack of relevant skills for the world of work is already creating problems even at entry-level positions.</li>
<li>The majority of executives believe that matching the curriculum to the economy&rsquo;s needs and business playing an active role in shaping educational systems to boost skills would provide the skilled employees need.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Firms across all regions are feeling an impact on all aspects of their business, from the strategic and operational to the organizational level, with the fastest-growing companies reporting heightened awareness.</li>
<li>As the pace of this change accelerates, <strong>policymakers, and businesses</strong> need to innovate, adjust and become more flexible in order to drive change and<strong> remain relevant in the rapidly changing business environment.</strong></li>
<li>These improvements can only be achieved by adequately <strong>managing and investing in capable human capital</strong>, generating the <strong>skills and capacity to understand</strong> and <strong>respond to the business needs of today and the future.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/automation-and-job-market'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'President's Visit to Chile',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the President of India completed his visit to<strong> the Republic of Chile.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>India- Chile Relations</strong></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Chile is India&rsquo;s <strong>window to Latin America</strong> and to the Pacific Alliance.</li>
<li>Chile is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the Latin American region.</li>
<li>India- Chile signed the&nbsp;<strong>Preferential Trade Agreement</strong> in 2017 to enhance the trade.</li>
<li>The bilateral trade is growing and stood at <strong>US$ 2.8 billion</strong> in 2017-18.</li>
<li>India and Chile are <strong>partners</strong> in the <strong>International Solar Alliance.</strong></li>
<li>India- Chile signed three <strong>Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)</strong> in the fields of -<strong>mining, culture,</strong><strong>&nbsp;disability.</strong></li>
<li>India- Chile commemorates the <strong>70<sup>th</sup> anniversary</strong> of the Establishment of <strong>Diplomatic Relations</strong> between Chile and India.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Chile</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Chile is officially known as the Republic of Chile. Its capital is <strong>Santiago</strong>.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568199936_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1568199936_image2.jpg" width="310" height="218" style="float: right;" caption="false" /></a></li>
<li>It is a South American country occupying a narrow strip of land between the <strong>Andes</strong> to the east and the <strong>Pacific Ocean</strong> to the west.</li>
<li>It borders<strong> Peru</strong> to the north, <strong>Bolivia</strong> to the northeast, <strong>Argentina</strong> to the east, and the <strong>Drake Passage</strong> in the south.</li>
<li>The <strong>Atacama desert</strong> is one of the driest places in the world touches Chile in its northern side and is a source of sodium nitrate fertilizer.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It owes it aridity due to a constant temperature inversion of cool north-flowing <strong>Humboldt ocean current.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Chuquicamata</strong> is the World&rsquo;s largest copper town of Chile.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/presidents-visit-to-chile'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Unemployment in India',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<p>The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and also up from 5.9 percent in February 2018, according to the latest data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).</p>
<h3>What is Unemployment?</h3>
<p>Unemployment occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the economy. The most frequent measure of unemployment is the unemployment rate, which is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of people in the labor force.</p>
<p><strong>National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)</strong> defines employment and unemployment on the following activity statuses of an individual:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Working (engaged in an economic activity) i.e. 'Employed'.</li>
<li>Seeking or available for work i.e. 'Unemployed'.</li>
<li>Neither seeking nor available for work.</li>
</ul>
<p>The first two constitutes labour force and unemployment rate is the percent of the labour force that is without work.</p>
<p>Unemployment rate = (Unemployed Workers / Total labour force) &times; 100</p>
<h3>Types of Unemployment in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Disguised Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a phenomenon wherein more people are employed than actually needed.</li>
<li>It is primarily traced in the agricultural and the unorganised sectors of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Seasonal Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an unemployment that occurs during certain seasons of the year.</li>
<li>Agricultural labourers in India rarely have work throughout the year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Structural Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a category of unemployment arising from the mismatch between the jobs available in the market and the skills of the available workers in the market.</li>
<li>Many people in India do not get job due to lack of requisite skills and due to poor education level, it becomes difficult to train them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cyclical Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is result of the business cycle, where unemployment rises during recessions and declines with economic growth.</li>
<li>Cyclical unemployment figures in India are negligible. It is a phenomenon that is mostly found in capitalist economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Technological Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is loss of jobs due to changes in technology.</li>
<li>In 2016, World Bank data predicted that the proportion of jobs threatened by automation in India is 69% year-on-year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Frictional Unemployment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Frictional Unemployment also called as Search Unemployment, refers to the time lag between the jobs when an individual is searching for a new job or is switching between the jobs.</li>
<li>In other words, an employee requires time for searching a new job or shifting from the existing to a new job, this inevitable time delay causes the frictional unemployment. It is often considered as a voluntary unemployment because it is not caused due to the shortage of job, but in fact, the workers themselves quit their jobs in search of better opportunities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vulnerable Employment:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This means, people working informally, without proper job contracts and thus sans any legal protection. These persons are deemed &lsquo;unemployed&rsquo; since records of their work are never maintained.</li>
<li>It is one of the main types of unemployment in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Related Terms</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Unemployment trap</strong> is a situation when unemployment benefits discourage the unemployed to go to work. People find the opportunity cost of going to work too high when one can simply enjoy the benefits by doing nothing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><em>Description:</em> While the purpose of social security and welfare systems is to provide relief to the unemployed, they end up providing them with an incentive not to return to work. An unemployment trap arises when opportunity cost of going to work is higher than the income received, discouraging people from returning to work and being productive.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Harmonised unemployment rates</strong> define the unemployed as people of working age who are without work, are available for work, and have taken specific steps to find work. The uniform application of this definition results in estimates of unemployment rates that are more internationally comparable than estimates based on national definitions of unemployment.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This indicator is measured in numbers of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force and it is seasonally adjusted. The labour force is defined as the total number of unemployed people plus those in civilian employment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Measurement of Unemployment in India</h3>
<p>National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), an organization under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) measures unemployment in India on following approaches:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Usual Status Approach:</strong> This approach estimates only those persons as unemployed who had <strong>no gainful work for a major time during the 365 days</strong> preceding the date of survey.</li>
<li><strong>Weekly Status Approach:</strong> This approach records only those persons as unemployed who<strong> did not have gainful work even for an hour on any day of the week</strong> preceding the date of survey.</li>
<li><strong>Daily Status Approach:</strong> Under this approach, unemployment status of a person is measured for each day in a reference week. A person having <strong>no gainful work even for 1 hour in a day</strong> is described as unemployed for that day.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Unemployment stats</strong> (based on findings from CMIE&rsquo;s latest data):</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and up from 5.9 percent in February 2018.</li>
<li>The total number of employed persons in February 2019 is estimated at 400 million against 406 million in the year-ago period and 407.5 million employed in February 2017.</li>
<li>The labour participation rate fell from 43.2% in January 2019 to 42.7% in February 2019.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Labour Participation Rate</strong> defines that section of working population in the economy which is currently employed or seeking employment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Causes of Unemployment</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Large population.</li>
<li>Low or no educational levels and vocational skills of working population.</li>
<li>Inadequate state support, legal complexities and low infrastructural, financial and market linkages to small/ cottage industries or small businesses, making such enterprises unviable with cost and compliance overruns.</li>
<li>Huge workforce associated with informal sector due to lack of required education/ skills, which is not captured in any employment data. For ex: domestic helpers, construction workers etc.</li>
<li><strong>The syllabus taught in schools and colleges, being not as per the current requirements of the industries.</strong> This is the main cause of structural unemployment.</li>
<li>Inadequate growth of infrastructure and<strong> low investments in manufacturing sector, hence restricting employment potential of secondary sector</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Low productivity in agriculture sector combined with lack of alternative opportunities for agricultural worker which makes transition from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors difficult.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Regressive social norms</strong> that deter women from taking/continuing employment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The problem of unemployment gives rise to the <strong>problem of poverty</strong>.</li>
<li>Young people after a long time of unemployment indulge in illegal and wrong activities for earning money. This also leads to <strong>increase in crime in the country</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Unemployed persons can easily be enticed by antisocial elements.</strong> This makes them lose faith in democratic values of the country.</li>
<li>It is often seen that unemployed people end up getting addicted to drugs and alcohol or attempts suicide, leading losses to the <strong>human resources of the country</strong>.</li>
<li>It also affects <strong>economy</strong> of the country as the workforce that could have been gainfully employed to generate resources actually gets dependent on the remaining working population, thus <strong>escalating socioeconomic costs</strong> for the State. For instance, 1 percent increase in unemployment reduces the GDP by 2 percent</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by Government</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)</strong> was launched in 1980 to create full employment opportunities in rural areas.</li>
<li><strong>Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM):</strong> This scheme was started in 1979 with objective to help unemployed rural youth between the age of 18 and 35 years to acquire skills for self-employment. Priority was given to SC/ST Youth and Women.</li>
<li><strong>RSETI/RUDSETI:</strong> With the aim of mitigating the unemployment problem among the youth, a new initiative was tried jointly by Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Educational Trust, Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank in 1982 which was the setting up of the &ldquo;RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SELF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE&rdquo; with its acronym RUDSETI near Dharmasthala in Karnataka. Rural Self Employment Training Institutes/ RSETIs are now managed by Banks with active co-operation from the Government of India and State Government.</li>
<li>By merging the two erstwhile wage employment programme &ndash; National Rural Employment programme (NREP) and Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) the <strong>Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY)</strong> was started with effect from April, 1, 1989 on 80:20 cost sharing basis between the centre and the States.</li>
<li><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA):</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an employment scheme that was launched in 2005 to provide social security by guaranteeing a minimum of 100 days paid work per year to all the families whose adult members opt for unskilled labour-intensive work.</li>
<li>This act provides Right to Work to people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),</strong> launched in 2015 has an objective of enabling a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.</li>
<li><strong>Start Up India Scheme,</strong> launched in 2016 aims at developing an ecosystem that promotes and nurtures entrepreneurship across the country.</li>
<li><strong>Stand Up India Scheme,</strong> launched in 2016 aims to facilitate bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one women borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are number of labour intensive manufacturing sectors in India such as food processing, leather and footwear, wood manufacturers and furniture, textiles and apparel and garments. <strong>Special packages, individually designed for each industry are needed to create jobs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Public investment in sectors like health, education, police and judiciary can create many government jobs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Decentralisation of Industrial activities</strong> is necessary so that people of every region get employment.</li>
<li><strong>Development of the rural areas</strong> will help mitigate the migration of the rural people to the urban areas thus decreasing the pressure on the urban area jobs.</li>
<li>Entrepreneurs generate employments to many in a country; therefore <strong>government needs to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Concrete measures aimed at removing the social barriers for women&rsquo;s entry</strong> and their continuous participation in the job market is needed.</li>
<li>Government needs to keep a <strong>strict watch on the education system</strong> and should try to implement new ways to generate skilled labour force.</li>
<li>Effective implementation of present programs like Make in India, Skill India, Start up and Stand-Up India.</li>
<li>There is a need for <strong>National Employment Policy (NEP)</strong> that would encompass a set of multidimensional interventions covering a whole range of social and economic issues affecting many policy spheres and not just the areas of labour and employment. The policy would be a critical tool to contribute significantly to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.</li>
<li>The underlying principles for the National Employment Policy may include
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>enhancing human capital through skill development;</li>
<li>creating sufficient number of decent quality jobs for all citizens in the formal and informal sectors to absorb those who are available and willing to work;</li>
<li>strengthening social cohesion and equity in the labour market;</li>
<li>coherence and convergence in various initiatives taken by the government;</li>
<li>supporting the private sector to become the major investor in productive enterprises;</li>
<li>supporting self-employed persons by strengthening their capabilities to improve their earnings;</li>
<li>ensuring employees&rsquo; basic rights and developing an education training and skill development system aligned with the changing requirements of the labour market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/unemployment-in-india'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Sendai Framework Report',
		'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
		'desc' => '<h3>Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-30</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held from March 14 to 18, 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.</li>
<li>The present Framework applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as <strong>related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks</strong>.</li>
<li>It aims to guide the <strong>multi hazard management of disaster risk in development</strong> at all levels as well as within and across all sectors.</li>
<li>It is the <strong>successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)</strong> 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Actions to be taken in four Priority Areas</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Understanding Disaster Risk:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To promote the collection, analysis, management and use of relevant data and practical information and ensure its dissemination, taking into account the needs of different categories of users, as appropriate.</li>
<li>To systematically evaluate, record, share and publicly account for disaster losses and understand the economic, social, health, education, environmental and cultural heritage impacts.</li>
<li>To build the knowledge of government officials at all levels, civil society, communities and volunteers, as well as the private sector, through sharing experiences, lessons learned, good practices and training and education on disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li>To ensure the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge and practices, as appropriate, to complement scientific knowledge in disaster risk assessment and the development and implementation of policies.</li>
<li>To promote and enhance, through international cooperation, including technology transfer, access to and the sharing and use of non-sensitive data and information for supporting national measures for successful disaster risk communication.</li>
<li>To develop effective global and regional campaigns for promoting a culture of disaster prevention, resilience and responsible citizenship.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To carry out an assessment of the technical, financial and administrative disaster risk management capacity to deal with the identified risks at the local and national levels.</li>
<li>To encourage the establishment of necessary mechanisms and incentives to ensure high level of compliance with the existing safety-enhancing provisions of sectoral laws and regulations, including those addressing land use and urban planning, building codes, environmental and resource management and health and safety standards.</li>
<li>To establish and strengthen government coordination forums composed of relevant stakeholders at the national and local levels, such as national and local platforms for disaster risk reduction, and a designated national focal point for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015&ndash;2030.</li>
<li>To promote the development of quality standards, such as certifications and awards for disaster risk management, with the participation of the private sector, civil society, professional associations, scientific organizations and the United Nations.</li>
<li>To formulate public policies on addressing the issues of prevention or relocation of human settlements in disaster risk-prone zones.</li>
<li>To promote the strengthening of international voluntary mechanisms for monitoring and assessment of disaster risks, including relevant data and information, benefiting from the experience of the Hyogo Framework for Action Monitor.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To allocate the necessary resources, including finance and logistics, as appropriate, at all levels of administration for the development and the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies, policies, plans, laws and regulations in all relevant sectors.</li>
<li>To promote mechanisms for disaster risk transfer and insurance, risk-sharing and retention and financial protection, as appropriate, for both public and private investment in order to reduce the financial impact of disasters on Governments and societies, in urban and rural areas.</li>
<li>To promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk assessment, mapping and management into rural development planning and management of, inter alia, mountains, rivers, coastal floodplain areas and all other areas prone to droughts and flooding.</li>
<li>To increase resilience of country&rsquo;s critical infrastructure.</li>
<li>To strengthen and broaden international efforts aimed at eradicating hunger and poverty through disaster risk reduction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to &ldquo;Build Back Better&rdquo; in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To establish community centres for the promotion of public awareness and the stockpiling of necessary materials to implement rescue and relief activities.</li>
<li>To train the existing workforce and voluntary workers in disaster response and strengthen technical and logistical capacities to ensure better response in emergencies.</li>
<li>To promote the cooperation of diverse institutions, multiple authorities and related stakeholders at all levels, including affected communities and business, in view of the complex and costly nature of post-disaster reconstruction, under the coordination of national authorities.</li>
<li>To develop guidance for preparedness for disaster reconstruction.</li>
<li>To establish a mechanism of case registry and a database of mortality caused by disaster in order to improve the prevention of morbidity and mortality.</li>
<li>To enhance recovery schemes to provide psychosocial support and mental health services for all people in need.</li>
<li>To enhance international mechanisms, such as the International Recovery Platform, for the sharing of experience and learning among countries and all relevant stakeholders.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected Role of Stakeholders</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women and their participation is critical</strong> for effectively managing disaster risk and designing, resourcing and implementing gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction policies, plans and programmes.</li>
<li><strong>Children and youth</strong> are agents of change and should be given the space and modalities to contribute to disaster risk reduction.</li>
<li><strong>Older persons</strong> have years of knowledge, skills and wisdom, which are invaluable assets to reduce disaster risk, and they should be included in the design of policies, plans and mechanisms, including for early warning.</li>
<li><strong>Indigenous peoples,</strong> through their experience and traditional knowledge, provide an important contribution to the development and implementation of plans and mechanisms, including for early warning.</li>
<li><strong>Academia, scientific and research entities</strong> and networks need to focus on the disaster risk factors and scenarios.</li>
<li><strong>Business, professional associations and private sector financial institutions</strong> as well as philanthropic foundations need to integrate disaster risk management into business models and practices through disaster-risk-informed investments.</li>
<li><strong>Media</strong> need to take an active and inclusive role at the local, national, regional and global levels in contributing to the raising of public awareness and understanding and disseminate accurate and non-sensitive disaster risk, hazard and disaster information, including on small-scale disasters.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected Role of International Organizations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations and other international and regional organizations, engaged in disaster risk reduction are expected to enhance the coordination of their strategies in this regard.</li>
<li>The entities of the United Nations system through the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, UN Development Assistance Frameworks and country programmes need to promote the optimum use of resources and to support developing countries, at their request, in the implementation of the present Framework.</li>
<li>The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is expected to support the implementation, follow-up and review of the present Framework.</li>
<li>International financial institutions, such as the World Bank and regional development banks are expected to consider the priorities of the present Framework for providing financial support and loans for integrated disaster risk reduction to developing countries.</li>
<li>The United Nations Global Compact, as the main United Nations initiative for engagement with the private sector and business, needs to further engage with and promote the critical importance of disaster risk reduction for sustainable development and resilience.</li>
<li>The Inter-Parliamentary Union and other relevant regional bodies and mechanisms for parliamentarians, as appropriate, to continue supporting and advocating disaster risk reduction and the strengthening of national legal frameworks.</li>
<li>The United Cities and Local Government organization and other relevant bodies of local governments to continue supporting cooperation and mutual learning among local governments for disaster risk reduction and the implementation of the present Framework.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2005-15 Stats</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Over the 10 year time frame, more than 700 thousand people lost their lives, over 1.4 million got injured and approximately 23 million got homeless as a result of disasters.</li>
<li>Overall, more than 1.5 billion people have been affected by disasters in various ways, with women, children and people in vulnerable situations disproportionately affected.</li>
<li>In addition, between 2008 and 2012, 144 million people were displaced by disasters.</li>
<li>Recurring small-scale disasters and slow-onset disasters particularly affect communities, households and small and medium-sized enterprises, constituting a high percentage of all losses.</li>
<li>All countries &ndash; especially developing countries, where the mortality and economic losses from disasters are disproportionately higher &ndash; faced increasing levels of possible hidden costs and challenges in order to meet financial and other obligations.</li>
<li><strong>Evidence indicates that exposure of persons and assets in all countries has increased faster than vulnerability has decreased,</strong> thus generating new risks and a steady rise in disaster-related losses, with a significant economic, social, health, cultural and environmental impact in the short, medium and long term, especially at the local and community levels.</li>
<li>Even ten years after the adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action, disasters continue to undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development, though the framework has provided critical guidance in efforts to reduce disaster risk and has contributed to the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is urgent to anticipate, plan for and reduce disaster risk in order to more effectively protect persons, communities and countries.</li>
<li>Enhanced work to reduce exposure and vulnerability, thus preventing the creation of new disaster risks, and accountability for disaster risk creation are needed at all levels.</li>
<li>It is necessary to continue strengthening good governance in disaster risk reduction strategies at the national, regional and global levels and improving preparedness and national coordination for disaster response, rehabilitation and reconstruction.</li>
<li>Disaster risk reduction practices need to be multi-hazard and multi sectoral, inclusive and accessible in order to be efficient and effective.</li>
<li>Developing countries need special attention and support to augment domestic resources and capabilities through bilateral and multilateral channels in order to ensure adequate, sustainable, and timely means of implementation in capacity-building i.e. financial and technical assistance in accordance with international commitments.</li>
<li>As per the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in 2012, entitled &ldquo;The future we want&rdquo;, the building of resilience to disasters needs to be addressed with a renewed sense of urgency in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and, as appropriate, to be integrated at all levels.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/521drishti_ias_Sendai%20Framework Report.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/521drishti_ias_Sendai Framework Report.jpg" width="721" height="997" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/sendai-framework-report'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)',
		'catname' => 'National Institutions',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO works under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence, Government of India.</li>
<li>It is working to establish world class science and technology base for India and provides our Defence Services decisive edge by equipping them with internationally competitive systems and solutions.</li>
<li>Dr G. Satheesh Reddy is the incumbent Chairman of DRDO.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Genesis &amp; Growth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO was established in 1958 after combining Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development &amp; Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO).</li>
<li>Starting with 10 laboratories, DRDO has now grown to a network of 52 laboratories which are deeply engaged in developing defence technologies covering various disciplines, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems and agriculture.</li>
<li>Presently, the Organisation is backed by over 5000 scientists and about 25,000 other scientific, technical and supporting personnel.</li>
<li>Several major projects for the development of missiles, armaments, light combat aircrafts, radars, electronic warfare systems etc are on hand and significant achievements have already been made in several such technologies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mission</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Design, develop and lead to production state-of-the-art sensors, weapon systems, platforms and allied equipment for our Defence Services.</li>
<li>Provide technological solutions to the Services to optimise combat effectiveness and to promote well-being of the troops.</li>
<li>Develop infrastructure and committed quality manpower and build strong indigenous technology base.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGMDP was brain child of renowned scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.</li>
<li>It was intended to attain self-sufficiency in the field of missile technology.</li>
<li>After keeping in mind the requirements of various types of missiles by the defense forces, the program recognized the need to develop five missile systems.</li>
<li>The IGMDP formally got the approval of Indian government on July 26, 1983.</li>
<li>It brought together the country&rsquo;s scientific community, academic institutions, R&amp;D laboratories, industries and the three defence services in giving shape to the strategic, indigenous missile systems.</li>
</ul>
<p>The missiles developed under IGMDP are:</p>
<ol>
<li>Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Prithvi</strong></li>
<li>Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Agni</strong></li>
<li>Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Trishul</strong></li>
<li>Medium-range surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Akash</strong></li>
<li>Third generation anti-tank missile &ndash; <strong>Nag</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The Agni, which was initially conceived as a technology demonstrator project in the form of a re-entry vehicle, was later upgraded to a ballistic missile with different ranges. Dr. Kalam played a major role in the development and operationalisation of Agni and Prithvi missiles.</p>
<p>After achieving the goal of making India self-reliant in missile technology, DRDO on January 8, 2008, formally announced successful completion of IGMDP.<br /><br /></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #9fdff5;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 1256px; height: 19px; background-color: #089dcf; text-align: center;" colspan="2"><span style="color: #ffffff;"><strong>Missile System of India</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong> Missile</strong></td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>Features</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni I</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Single stage, solid fuel, Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM).</li>
<li>Using solid propulsion booster and a liquid propulsion upper stage.</li>
<li>Range of 700-800 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni II</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM).</li>
<li>Range more than 2000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni III</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two stage IRBM</li>
<li>Support a wide range of warhead configurations.</li>
<li>Strike range of more than 2,500 Km</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni IV</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two stage missile powered by solid propellant.</li>
<li>Can fire from a road mobile launcher.</li>
<li>Range is more than 3,500 km.</li>
<li>Equipped with indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Agni V</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Three-stage solid fueled, indigenous Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).</li>
<li>Capable of carrying 1.5 tonnes of nuclear warheads.</li>
<li>Latest and most advanced variant in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.</li>
<li>After induction in the military, India will join an exclusive club of countries like the US, Russia, China, France, and Britain which have intercontinental ballistic missile capability.</li>
<li>Canister launches missile system for operational flexibility.</li>
<li>Range is more than 5,000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Trishul</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Short-range, quick reaction, all weather surface-to-air missile designed to counter a low level attack.</li>
<li>Has necessary electronic counter-measures against all known aircraft jammers.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Akash</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Medium-range, surface-to-air missile with multi-target engagement capability.</li>
<li>Multiple warheads capable.</li>
<li>High-energy solid propellant and ram-rocket propulsion system.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Nag</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Third generation &lsquo;fire-and-forget&rsquo; anti-tank missile with a range of 4-8km.</li>
<li>Developed indigenously as an anti-armour weapon employing sensor fusion technologies for flight guidance.</li>
<li>HELINA (Helicopter Launched NAG) is the air-to-surface version of the NAG integrated into Dhruv Helicopters.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Prithvi</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>First indigenously built ballistic missile under IGMDP.</li>
<li>Surface-to-surface battle field missile.</li>
<li>Demonstrates higher lethal effects and high level capability with field interchangeable warheads.</li>
<li>Range from 150 km to 300 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">BrahMos</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Supersonic cruise missile.</li>
<li>Being developed with Russia as a private joint-venture.</li>
<li>Multi-platform cruise can strike from various types of platforms.</li>
<li>Among the world fastest supersonic cruise missiles with speeds ranging between Mach 2.5 &ndash; 2.8.</li>
<li>A 'fire and forget' weapon i.e. requiring no further guidance from the control centre once the target has been assigned.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Nirbhay</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Subsonic missile, supplement to the BrahMos.</li>
<li>Capable of being launched from multiple platforms on land, sea and air.</li>
<li>A terrain hugging, stealth missile capable of delivering 24 different types of warheads depending on mission requirements.</li>
<li>Can reach up to 1,000 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Sagarika</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)</li>
<li>Being integrated with India&rsquo;s nuclear powered Arihant-class submarine.</li>
<li>Range - 700 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Shaurya</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A variant of the K-15 Sagarika.</li>
<li>Submarine- nuclear-capable missile.</li>
<li>Aims to enhance India&rsquo;s second-strike capability.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Dhanush</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sea-based, short-range, liquid propellant ballistic missile.</li>
<li>Naval version of Prithvi II.</li>
<li>Maximum range 350 km.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Astra</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile using a solid-propellant.</li>
<li>In terms of size and weight, one of the smallest weapon developed by the DRDO.</li>
<li>Active radar seeker to find targets.</li>
<li>
<p>Electronic counter-measure capabilities.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds in the head-on mode at a range of 80 km.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19px;">
<td style="width: 110px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">Prahaar</td>
<td style="width: 1146px; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s latest surface-to-surface missile with a range of 150 km.</li>
<li>Primary objective is to bridge the gap between the unguided Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher and the guided Prithvi missile variants.</li>
<li>Have high maneuverability, acceleration and accuracy.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3><br />Issues with DRDO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Standing Committee on Defence during 2016-17, expressed concerns over the inadequate budgetary support for the on going projects of DRDO.</li>
<li>The committee notes that out of total defence budget, the share of DRDO was 5.79 per cent in 2011-12, which reduced to 5.34 per cent in 2013-14.</li>
<li>Government&rsquo;s lethargic revenue commitments towards DRDO have put major projects involving futuristic technology on hold.</li>
<li>The DRDO also suffers from inadequate manpower in critical areas to the lack of proper synergy with the armed forces.</li>
<li>Cost escalation and long delays have damaged the reputation of DRDO.</li>
<li>Even after 60 years of DRDO formation, India still imports a large share of its defence equipments. In the period 2013-17, India is the world&rsquo;s largest importer of defence equipment, accounting for 12% of the global total, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.</li>
<li>DRDO's list of successes is short- primarily the Agni and Prithvi missiles. Its list of failures is much longer. The Kaveri Engine is running late by 16 years and the cost has escalated by around 800 per cent.</li>
<li>DRDO is big on promise and small on delivery. There is no accountability. Nobody is taken to task for time and cost overruns.</li>
<li>In 2011, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) put a serious question mark on DRDO&rsquo;s capabilities. "The organisation, which has a history of its projects suffering endemic time and cost overruns, needs to sanction projects and decide on a probable date of completion on the basis of a conservative assessment of technology available and a realistic costing system," its report stated.</li>
<li>The CAG report also revealed that not all technologies developed by DRDO were suitable for use by the armed forces. The three services have rejected 70 per cent of the products developed at the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, in the last 15 years costing Rs 320 crore because the products did not meet their standard and requirement.</li>
<li>The technology development agency is also largely responsible for the fact highlighted by General V.K. Singh that 97 per cent of the army's air defence is obsolete.</li>
<li>DRDO is just tinkering with World War II equipment instead of working on cutting-edge technology.</li>
<li>Even if systems are acquired from abroad and DRDO is meant to service them, if it fails. This leaves critical gaps in national defence.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DRDO should be restructured in a leaner organisation as suggested by the committee chaired by<strong> P. Rama Rao</strong> for external review of the agency in February 2007.</li>
<li>The committee also recommended for setting up a commercial arm of the organisation to make it a profitable entity, besides cutting back on delays in completing projects.</li>
<li>DRDO former chief V.K. Saraswat has called for the setting up of a Defence Technology Commission as well as a bigger role for DRDO in picking production partners for products developed by the agency.</li>
<li>DRDO should be able to select a capable partner company from the outset, from the private sector if necessary.</li>
<li>DRDO has taken some steps in the direction as it is considering long-term contracts with Indian information technology (IT) vendors such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) to build software solutions for defence projects, shifting its strategy of awarding deals to the lowest bidders on short-term projects.</li>
<li>DRDO&rsquo;s move to outsource is a right move and will open lot of opportunities benefiting the Indian companies.</li>
<li>In Its document "DRDO in 2021: HR Perspectives&rsquo;&rsquo;, DRDO has envisaged a HR policy which emphasized on free, fair, and fearless Knowledge Sharing, Open book management style and Participative Management. This is a step in right direction.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Deaths of Taslim and Gufran',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/bihar-police-custodial-deaths-sitamarhi-killings-nitish-kumar-taslim-ansari-gufran-alam-5653563/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'Deaths of Taslim and Gufran'</a> which appeared in 'The Indian Express' on 2nd April, 2019. The article talks about custodial tortures and killings and the need to bring reforms as any form of torture go against the principles of a just society.)</p>
</div>
<p>Recently two young men died in police custody in Dumra, Sitamarhi district of Bihar. Both the men were picked up in healthy state for investigation in a theft and murder case but died within less than an hour of reaching the hospital.</p>
<p>Giving the gruesome event a fake twist, the suspended police officials have not only escaped custody but till date are evading arrests. Their disappearance also highlights the disappearance of diary entries, warrants, and memos, list of pre-existing injuries, interrogation records, recoveries and CCTV footage, if any, highlighting the departmental resolve in putting the case under the carpet.</p>
<p>This is only one of such many cases signifying the gruesome abuse of power and position, warranting immediate action and policy formation to set the wheels of justice in motion.</p>
<h3>The case in point</h3>
<p>At least 90 people die in police custody every year, the largest number of them being people arrested and yet to be produced before a magistrate.</p>
<p>In 2016, government data recorded 92 deaths in police custody, of which 60 occurred before reaching the court. This makes a mockery of sections <strong>55A and 57 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which places the duties of care of the accused, and production before a magistrate within 24 hours, on the person having custody</strong>.</p>
<p>Reports by both government entities and civil society organisations over the years have proved that custodial torture is endemic in India stressing on the overwhelming abuse of both power and duty.</p>
<h3>Absence of strong legislation</h3>
<p><strong>India does not have an anti-torture legislation and are yet to criminalise custodial violence, while action against culpable officials remains illusory.</strong></p>
<p><strong>India has done little to enact a specific law against torture committed by people acting in official capacity. A weak Prevention of Torture Bill was introduced in 2010 but it lapsed with the dissolution of 15<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha in 2014. </strong></p>
<p>The Indian state either denies the existence of torture in the country or defends its resistance to enact a law by claiming there are sufficient provisions in the domestic legal framework to prohibit and penalise torture. These claims however remain superficial and without any such protections.</p>
<p>India also fails in bringing the much desired Prison Reforms and prisons continues to be affected by poor conditions, overcrowding, acute manpower shortages and minimal safety against harm in prisons. All of these problems act as constraints on the Indian resolve of ratification of the Convention against Torture.</p>
<h3>Institutional challenges</h3>
<p>The entire prison system is inherently opaque giving less room to transparency, Multiple barriers are placed in position to prison access which are not given without prior permission such as depositing &ldquo;Rs 1 lakh in the name of the superintendent of the concerned jail&rdquo; before entry; excessive scrutiny of all recorded or documented material with the possibility of deletion of objectionable portion; confiscation of equipment and material from the visitor if the jailor does not like what he sees etc.</p>
<p>Closed institutions provide ample scope of avoiding impunity which is evident in the prevalence, and widespread acceptance, of custodial torture.</p>
<p>In the absence of consistent documentation of torture-related complaints most of the cases of torture go unnoticed. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which is mandated to record all the crimes taking place in the country too does not document cases of custodial torture.</p>
<p>The use of excessive force including torture is also sometimes used to target marginalised communities and control people participating in movements or propagating ideologies which the state perceives as opposed to its stature.</p>
<p>The torture which is both physical and mental leaves all those affected in a vulnerable position as mentally ill prisoners have risen in the past 15 years. There is only one psychologist for every 23,000 prisoners. It is small wonder that the suicide rate is one and a half times higher in jails than outside &ndash; <strong>twice as many inmates die by suicide in our jails today than 15 years ago</strong>.</p>
<h3>Weak Global Image</h3>
<p>India&rsquo;s commitment to preventing and abolishing torture as well as punishing its perpetrators is perceived as extremely weak in the international forum and gives a wrong light on its desire of becoming a global power.</p>
<p>Although India has signed the United Nations Convention against Torture in 1997 its ratification still remains. While Signing only indicates the country&rsquo;s intention to meet the obligations set out in the treaty, Ratification, on the other hand, entails bringing in laws and mechanisms to fulfil the commitments.</p>
<p><strong>Due to poor prison conditions in India extradition of criminals from various countries accused of offences such as forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy and sexual abuse of children remains almost impossible. Thus enacting a law against torture would be an affirmation of India&rsquo;s commitment to its democratic ideals and values.</strong></p>
<h3>Safeguards for Prisoners</h3>
<p>Protection from torture is a fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 (Right of Life) of the Indian constitution where rights such as Right to free legal aid, Right against inhuman treatment, Right against custodial harassment, Right of prisoner to have necessities of life have been mentioned.</p>
<p>The right to a lawyer in custody is so crucial for life and liberty that it is enshrined as a fundamental right, but it remains one of the weakest links in the chain of criminal justice.</p>
<p>Section 41 of CrPC was amended in 2009 to include safeguards under 41A, 41B, 41C and 41D, so that arrests and detentions for interrogation have reasonable grounds and documented procedures, arrests are made transparent to family, friends and public, and there is protection through legal representation.</p>
<p><strong>Specifically, section 41D of CrPC provides that "When any person is arrested and interrogated by the police, he shall be entitled to meet an advocate of his choice during interrogation, though not throughout interrogation."</strong></p>
<p>This right to "meet" an advocate during interrogation ensures that the arrested person is not overpowered by the law, nor isolated in those critical hours before seeing a magistrate, or when in remand. This provision simultaneously takes care of the distinct responsibilities that the police have to obtain evidence, and the advocate in giving their counsel.</p>
<p>However, no police department in the country appears to have evolved the standard operating procedures to implement this safeguard with integrity. This means ensuring prerequisites, verification by relevant external agencies and consequences for violators of the law.</p>
<h3>Steps Suggested</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India should ratify the UN Convention Against Torture</strong> as it will mandate a systematic review of colonial rules, methods, practices and arrangements for the custody and treatment of persons subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment. It will also mean that exclusive mechanisms of redress and compensation will be set up for the victim besides institutions such as the Board of Visitors.</li>
<li>Guidelines should also be formulated on educating and training officials involved in the cases involving deprivation of liberty because torture cannot be effectively prevented till the senior police wisely anticipate the gravity of such issues and clear reorientation is devised from present practices.</li>
<li>Unrestricted and regular access to independent and qualified persons to places of detention for inspection should also be allowed.</li>
<li>Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras should be installed in police stations including in the interrogation rooms, and surprise inspections by Non-Official Visitors (NOVs) should also be made mandatory which would act as a preventive measures against custodial torture which has also been suggested by Supreme Court In its landmark judgment in the DK Basu case in 2015.</li>
<li><strong>Law Commission of India in its 273rd report recommends that those accused of committing custodial torture &ndash; be it policemen, military and paramilitary personnel &ndash; should be criminally prosecuted instead of facing mere administrative action establishing an effective deterrent.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enacting a law prohibiting torture is both a moral necessity and a pragmatic imperative; equally important is to repair our centuries-old system of prisons.</li>
<li>To ensure that prison conditions are in tune with human rights norms, there is a need to render conditions within prisons less harsh and more humane where inmates are accommodated with due regard to their basic human needs and are handled with dignity.</li>
<li>To break the silence surrounding torture and to reform India&rsquo;s criminal justice system at large, there can be no further delay in taking such legislative measures.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/deaths-of-taslim-and-gufran'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'ISRO Launches EMISAT Satellite',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/indian-space-research-organisation-isro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)</a> has launched the <strong>EMISAT satellite on onboard the PSLV-C45</strong> from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)</a> was also carrying 28 international <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/isro-to-launch-state-of-the-art-satellites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nanosatellites</a> &mdash; 24 from the US, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and Switzerland.</li>
<li><strong>The flight of PSLV was also the longest mission of the PSLV, lasting around three hours.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>EMISAT Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The EMISAT satellite is aimed at <strong>electromagnetic spectrum measurement.</strong></li>
<li>It is an electronic intelligence satellite for the <strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).</strong></li>
<li><strong>About Satellite</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mass</strong>: 436 kg</li>
<li><strong>Manufacturer</strong>: ISRO</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gsat-29-satellite-launched-1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Orbit</strong> <strong>Type</strong>: Sun-synchronous Polar orbit(SSPO)</a></li>
<li><strong>Altitude</strong>: About 753 km.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Polar Orbit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A polar orbit travels north-south</strong> over the poles and takes approximately 90 minutes for a full revolution.</li>
<li>These orbits have an inclination near 90 degrees. This allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it.</li>
<li>An orbit is called sun-synchronous when the angle between the line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout the orbit.]</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Purpose of Satellite</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>EMISAT is an<strong> all weather and all terrain condition satellite,</strong> which will allow it to work through clouds, rain, forest and coastal areas.</li>
<li><strong>EMISAT is an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) satellite,</strong> which means it will have a radar to measure the electromagnetic spectrum - <strong>so as to intercept and analyze radar signals, find their location, identify the hostile radars based on their radio frequency (RF) signature.</strong></li>
<li>This will be a vital tool for India when EMISAT along with the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) can effectively locate, tackle and silence enemy radars, and <strong>secure Indian airspace.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of Launch</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This mission was significant as this was the<strong> first time a PSLV has placed objects in three different orbits.</strong></li>
<li>The fourth stage was restarted and stopped twice to bring PSLV to the altitude of 507 km after EMISAT launch.</li>
<li>At the fourth stage three experimental payloads were deployed:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Automatic Identification System (AIS)</strong> for Maritime satellite applications capturing messages transmitted from ships</li>
<li><strong>Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS)</strong> from AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation), India - assists amateur radio operators in tracking and monitoring position data</li>
<li><strong>Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies (ARIS)</strong> from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) - for the structural and compositional studies of the ionosphere.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This is the first time it has been envisaged to provide a microgravity environment for research organizations and academic institutes to perform experiments.</li>
</ul>',
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include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Search/index.ctp, line 85
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
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