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Timely Review: On Start-up Tax

(This editorial is based on the article “Timely Review: On Start-up Tax” which appeared in The Hindu for 6th February 2019. In this...

06 Feb 2019 News Editorials
WHO: Guidelines on Sanitation and Health Guidelines

Introduction The Significance of Sanitation for Human Health Safe sanitation is essential for health, from preventing infection to improving and...

06 Feb 2019 Summary of Important Reports
In Depth - Fight Against Leprosy

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05 Feb 2019 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
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05 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (5th February 2019)

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05 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Land of Stupas: Sarnath

(This news analysis is based on the article “Stupa-hopping in Sarnath” by art historian Rana Safvi which appeared in The Hindu on 3rd...

05 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Wrong on the Rohingya

(This editorial is based on the article “ Wrong on the Rohingya” which appeared in The Hindu for 5th February 2019. In this editorial,...

05 Feb 2019 News Editorials
World Wetlands Day

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04 Feb 2019 News Analysis
World Cancer Day

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04 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Endosulfan in Kerala

The representatives of the victims of endosulfan poisoning in Kasaragod district of Kerala called off sit-in in front of the state Secretariat in...

04 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (4th February 2019)

Indus River Dolphin Recently the Punjab Government declared the Indus River dolphin, as the state’s aquatic animal. Indus river dolphin is...

04 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Climate Change and the Poor

(This editorial is based on the article “Climate Change and the Poor” which appeared in EPW for 2nd February 2019. In this editorial,...

04 Feb 2019 News Editorials
National Girl Child Day

04 Feb 2019 Paper 2
Interim Budget 2019: Infrastructure and Economy

Interim budget 2019 has following proposal for Economy and Infrastructure. Infrastructure Defense Sector The allocation for Defence in this...

02 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Important Facts for Prelims (2nd February 2019)

Giant cavity in Antarctic glacier NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 meters tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites...

02 Feb 2019 News Analysis
Stormy Weather Awaits India in 2019

(The editorial is based on the article “Stormy weather awaits India in 2019” which appeared in The Hindu for 31st January 2019. In this...

02 Feb 2019 News Editorials
Republic Day

01 Feb 2019 Paper 2
Republic Day

Why in News? India recently celebrated its 70th Republic Day which is celebrated every year on 26th January. The Constitution of India came into...

01 Feb 2019 Paper 2
Polar Vortex

Recently, the United States is grappling with extreme cold with temperature reaching to -30°C in cities like Chicago and Dakota. This is...

01 Feb 2019 News Analysis
NPT Must for India’s Entry into NSG : China

Recently the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) also known as P5 countries (China, France, Russia, Britain and the US) -...

01 Feb 2019 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'Timely Review: On Start-up Tax',
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<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Timely Review: On Start-up Tax&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 6th February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll discuss the concerns related to Angel Tax.)</p>
</div>
<p>As per findings of a survey conducted by Local Circles and the Indian Private Equity &amp; Venture Capital Association (IVCA), <strong>over 73% of startups that raised capital between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore in India have received angel tax notice(s) from the Income Tax Department</strong> which created tensions in group of startups.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/746drishti_ias_AT1.png" style="float: right;" width="349" height="185" /></p>
<p>Start-ups troubled by the so-called angel tax may soon receive some concession from the government.<strong> Recently, the Centre set up a five-member working committee to look into revising the norms of the angel tax imposed on start-ups.</strong></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>The &lsquo;angel tax&rsquo;, as it is commonly called, is a tax on the excess capital raised by an unlisted company through the issue of shares over and above the fair market value of those shares</strong>. This excess capital is treated as income and taxed accordingly. This tax most commonly affects start-ups and the angel investors who back them. Angel tax was introduced in 2012, with the purpose of keeping money laundering in check. <br />Start-up owners have complained that income tax officials have asked many startups to cough up money when they try to attract capital into their entities by issuing new shares.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>For its part, the IT department fears that start-ups may be used as convenient tools to launder illegally acquired money, so a tax on investments beyond a certain threshold is necessary to deter such shady operations.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Who is Angel Investor?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>An angel investor is a wealthy individual that agrees to invest in a small startup</strong> company that has little access to capital.</li>
<li>Typically, angel investors are entrepreneurs who may also be friends or relatives of the person starting the company.</li>
<li><strong>They believe in the company&rsquo;s founders, as well as their business concept</strong>, and they loan the capital needed for the fledgling company to get off the ground, generally at more favorable loan terms than other lenders.</li>
<li><strong>Often, angel investors want their investment to remain private.</strong> In return for their support, angel investors usually receive ownership in the new company, often in the form of preferred stock.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In trying to curb money-laundering, Section 56(2)(vii)(b) of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961 gives income tax officials discretionary powers to inspect startups looking to raise investments for their growth which result into harassment of genuine startups.</strong></li>
<li>Under the Act, the IT department is free to arbitrarily decide the fair value of a company&rsquo;s share and tax start-ups if the price at which their new shares are sold to investors is higher than the fair value of these shares.</li>
<li>Angel Tax was, therefore, can be considered as problematic for a few reasons. For one, <strong>valuing startups based on their assets alone, given intangibles such as goodwill is not easy.</strong> Nor is it easy to arrive at &lsquo;fair value&rsquo; for them, based on discounted cash flows. So, startups are often valued subjectively and the valuation which seems sky-high to some may be fair to others.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/336image2.png" style="float: right;" width="410" height="233" /></li>
<li>Two, <strong>higher valuations when raising funds, are beneficial to founders as it means giving up less equity.</strong> But given the closed nature of these deals, there were concerns on whether there was creative financial planning happening.</li>
<li>While the intent of such an angel tax may be justifiable, <strong>the arbitrary nature of it means the cost of unintended consequences could be larger than the supposed benefits.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The broad-brush tax on all investments means an unnecessary cost is imposed on the wider start-up community simply because of the lack of better means at the government&rsquo;s disposal to tackle black money.</li>
<li><strong>The committee set up by the government should consider raising the threshold beyond which new investments into startups will be taxed.</strong></li>
<li>It is expected that start-ups with aggregate paid-up share capital and share premium of less than ₹25 crore, against the previous threshold of only ₹10 crore, will not be taxed while attracting new investment.</li>
<li>This would definitely make life easier to a certain extent for angel investors and startups. But it will not address the real problem with the angel tax, which has to do with the unbridled power that it vests in the hands of the income tax authorities.</li>
<li>Investors, foreign or domestic, may become wary of investing in new ideas when they are taxed while risking money on untested ventures. So the <strong>government should look to rationalize the angel tax</strong> and focus instead on building the capability to better identify and rein in illegal wealth. <strong>Otherwise, it risks killing the nascent startup ecosystem in the country.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'WHO: Guidelines on Sanitation and Health Guidelines',
			'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
			'desc' => '<h2>Introduction</h2>
<h3>The Significance of Sanitation for Human Health</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Safe sanitation is <strong>essential for health,</strong> from preventing infection to improving and maintaining mental and social well-being.</li>
<li>The lack of safe sanitation systems leads to <strong>infection and disease,</strong> including Diarrhoea, tropical diseases such as soil-transmitted helminth infections, schistosomiasis and trachoma; Vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, lymphatic filariasis and Japanese Encephalitis.</li>
<li>Unsanitary conditions have been linked with <strong>stunting,</strong> which affects almost one quarter of children under-five globally through repeated diarrhoea and environmental enteric dysfunction.</li>
<li>The lack of safe sanitation systems contribute to the emergence and spread of <strong>antimicrobial resistance</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sanitation as a Human Development Issue</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many people worldwide practice open defecation and do not have services that prevent faecal waste from contaminating the environment.</li>
<li>In many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), rural areas are underserved, while cities are struggling to cope with the scale of sanitation needs caused by rapid urbanization.</li>
<li>Sanitation system maintenance is costly worldwide.</li>
<li>Challenges caused by climate change require continued adaptation to ensure sanitation systems that safeguard public health.</li>
<li>Sanitation has gained importance on the global development agenda, starting in 2008 with the <strong>UN International Year of Sanitation,</strong> followed by <strong>the recognition of the human right to safe water and sanitation</strong> in 2010 and the call for an end to open defecation by the UN Deputy Secretary- General in 2013.</li>
<li>Safe management of sanitation, as well as treatment and reuse of wastewater, was given a central place under the <strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Human right to sanitation (UN, 2010)</strong></p>
<p>The human right to sanitation entitles everyone to sanitation services that provides privacy and ensures dignity, and that are physically accessible and affordable, safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable. Human rights principles must be applied in the context of realising all human rights, including the human right to sanitation:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Non-discrimination and equality:</strong> All people must be able to access adequate sanitation services, without discrimination, prioritizing the most vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups.</li>
<li><strong>Participation:</strong> Everyone must be able to participate in decisions relating to their access to sanitation without discrimination.</li>
<li><strong>The right to information:</strong> Information relating to access to sanitation, including planned programmes and projects must be freely available to those who will be affected, in relevant languages and through appropriate media.</li>
<li><strong>Accountability (monitoring and access to justice):</strong> States must be able to be held accountable for any failure to ensure access to sanitation, and access (and lack of access) must be monitored.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainability:</strong> Access to sanitation must be financially and physically sustainable, including in the long-term.</li>
</ol>
<p>The normative content of the human right to sanitation is defined by:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Availability:</strong> A sufficient number of sanitation facilities must be available for all individuals.</li>
<li><strong>Accessibility:</strong> Sanitation services must be accessible to everyone within, or in the immediate vicinity, of household, health and educational institution, public institutions and places and workplace. Physical security must not be threatened when accessing facilities.</li>
<li><strong>Quality:</strong> Sanitation facilities must be hygienically and technically safe to use. To ensure good hygiene, access to water for cleansing and hand washing at critical times is essential.</li>
<li><strong>Affordability:</strong> The price of sanitation and services must be affordable for all without compromising the ability to pay for other essential necessities guaranteed by human rights such as water, food, housing and health care.</li>
<li><strong>Acceptability:</strong> Services, in particular sanitation facilities, have to be culturally acceptable. This will often require gender-specific facilities, constructed to ensure privacy and dignity.</li>
</ol>
<p>All human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and no human right takes precedence over another.</p>
<p><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sanitation (UN, 2015)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation</strong> (specifically targets 6.2 and 6.3 on sanitation and water quality respectively), and <strong>Goal 3 on good health and well-being,</strong> are particularly relevant to sanitation.</li>
<li>Several other goals for which sanitation contributes or is necessary for achievement, including those on <strong>poverty</strong> (particularly 1.4 on access to basic services), <strong>nutrition, education, gender equality, economic growth, reduction in inequalities and sustainable cities</strong>.</li>
<li>The SDGs also set out the principles of implementation for States to follow, including increasing financing, strengthening capacity of health workers, introduction of risk-reduction strategies, building on international cooperation and participation of local communities.</li>
<li>Goal 1 states the need to improve the flow of information and increase monitoring capacities and disaggregation so that it is possible to identify which groups are being left behind.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Safe Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <strong>safe sanitation system</strong> is defined as a system that separates human excreta from human contact at all steps of the sanitation service chain from toilet capture and containment through emptying, transport, treatment and final disposal.</li>
<li>Safe sanitation systems must meet requirements of safe sanitation system in a manner consistent with human rights.</li>
<li>Safe sanitation systems should also address co-disposal of <strong>greywater</strong> (water generated from the household, but not from toilets), <strong>associated hygiene practices</strong> (e.g. managing anal cleansing materials) and essential <strong>services required for the functioning of technologies</strong> (e.g. flush water to move excreta through sewers).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The purpose of these guidelines is to promote safe sanitation systems and practices in order to promote health.</li>
<li>They summarize the evidence on the links between sanitation and health, provide evidence-informed recommendations, and offer guidance for encouraging international, national and local sanitation policies and actions that protect public health.</li>
<li>The guidelines also seek to articulate and support the role of health and other actors in sanitation policy to ensure that health risks are identified and managed effectively.</li>
<li>The guidelines are designed to be adapted to local contexts taking social, economic, environmental and health aspects into consideration.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Recommendations and Good Practice Actions</h2>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<p><strong>Recommendation 1: Ensure universal access and use of toilets that safely contain excreta:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This recommendation is in line with human rights principles and <strong>reinforces SDG 6 and target 6.2</strong>.</li>
<li>Access to a toilet does not mean it is used or used consistently by everyone at all times. Poorly constructed and managed facilities may lead to households reverting to open defecation</li>
<li>Toilets should be available, accessible and affordable to all, constantly, and at least separate excreta from human contact.</li>
<li>In <strong>urban areas,</strong> achieving full coverage and safe containment is important and should be addressed through city-wide planning and implementation, as interlinkages can occur through waterways, groundwater, pipes and drains.</li>
<li><strong>Shared and public toilet facilities</strong> that safely contain excreta can be promoted for households as an incremental step when individual household facilities are not feasible.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SDG 6 &ndash; Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and</strong></li>
<li><strong>Target 6.2 &ndash; By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Recommendation 2: Ensure universal access to safe systems along the entire sanitation service chain.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is need to ensure systems and services are selected to respond to the local context and that investment and system management are based on local level risk assessments.</li>
<li>Sanitation systems should address containment, emptying, conveyance, treatment and end use or disposal of excreta, to achieve safe sanitation.</li>
<li>Risk assessment should assess potential exposure and risks to all groups along the chain &ndash; users, local communities, workers and wider communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Recommendation 3: Sanitation should be addressed as part of locally delivered services and broader development programmes and policies.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation services should be included in local planning processes to avert the higher cost and complexity of retrofitting sanitation services and infrastructure where there is insufficient space and where sanitation clashes with other local services and infrastructure.</li>
<li>Sanitation interventions should be coordinated with water and other hygiene measures, as well as safe disposal of child faeces and management of domestic animals and their excreta to maximize the health benefits of sanitation.</li>
<li>While sanitation is a primary barrier, secondary barriers such as safe water, hand washing with soap, animal waste management and fly control are needed.</li>
<li>Interventions to address all above issues may be delivered together in a transformative water, sanitation and hygiene <strong>(WASH) approach</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>WASH Approach</strong></p>
<p><strong>WASH</strong> is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation and hygiene". Universal, affordable and sustainable access to WASH is a key public health issue within international development and is the focus of Sustainable Development Goal 6.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Recommendation 4: The health sector should fulfil core functions to ensure safe sanitation to protect public health</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Coordination is required to accommodate the multi-sectoral nature of sanitation and facilitate action by multiple stakeholders including overall health, education, housing, agriculture, development, public works and environment programmes.</li>
<li>Health authorities must contribute to the development of sanitation norms and standards, this includes contribution to the development (or revision) and implementation of safety standards.</li>
<li>Sanitation promotion and monitoring should be included within health services to maximize and sustain health impact.</li>
<li>Sanitation promotion is an important function that should be embedded to the extent possible in community-based, school-based and population-wide initiatives and campaigns.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Good Practice Actions</h3>
<p><strong>1. Define government-led multi-sectoral sanitation policies, planning processes and coordination.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Define sanitation as a basic service in national and sub-national plans, for which government is responsible and accountable.</li>
<li>Review and update existing policies to identify impediments to improving sanitation along the whole service chain.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Ensure health risk management is properly reflected in sanitation legislation, regulations and standards.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Review the public health effectiveness of existing national and local legislation, regulations and standards to identify and address impediments to improving sanitation.</li>
<li>Explicitly recognize sewered and non-sewered sanitation system types in relevant legislation and regulations at national, state, municipal and local levels.</li>
<li>Regulate service quality for all steps in the sanitation service chain, based on public health risk assessment and management.</li>
<li>Protect sanitation workers from occupational hazards through health and safety standards and standard operating procedures.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Sustain the engagement of the health sector in sanitation through dedicated staffing and resourcing, and through action on sanitation within health services.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Build capacity of environmental health staff to fulfil health sector functions &ndash; contribution to sanitation coordination, health in sanitation policies, health protecting norms and standards, health surveillance and response, sanitation in health programme delivery, sanitation behaviour change and sanitation in Healthcare facilities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Undertake local level health-based risk assessment to prioritize improvements and manage system performance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Define sanitation at sub-national level as a basic service for which local government is responsible and accountable.</li>
<li>Allocate sufficient financial and human resources for long-term implementation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Enable marketing of sanitation services and develop sanitation services and business models.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Establish a sustained marketing effort for safe sanitation services to eliminate open defecation and unimproved toilets.</li>
<li>Promote private sector service provision for those parts of the sanitation service chain with high customer benefit and consider public-private partnership where appropriate.</li>
<li>Acknowledge the informal sanitation service providers, recognizing that improved services will have to compete with them and that their experience is a valuable resource that should be utilized within the formal system.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Enabling Safe Sanitation Service Delivery</h2>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Safe sanitation systems require input from a range of stakeholders, but national and local government are central to their effective planning, delivery, maintenance, regulation and monitoring.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Components of an Implementation Framework</h3>
<p>The services themselves can be broadly divided into <strong>three categories,</strong> according to how they are delivered:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Customer services,</strong> such as toilet construction, hardware supplies, removal of faecal sludge or containers, and provision of public toilets. These provide direct benefits to users as well as improving public health at the community level.</li>
<li><strong>Public services,</strong> which include operation and maintenance of sewerage and drainage systems and faecal sludge treatment. These are delivered downstream of users, producing public health benefits to the community, and may not be possible or fair to finance entirely by direct user fees.</li>
<li>Public services are usually delivered by local authorities, utility companies or subcontracted to the private sector and funded through local tax revenue, cross subsidy from water supply and government subsidies.</li>
<li><strong>Infrastructure development,</strong> comprising the design and construction of sewerage, drainage, faecal sludge transfer stations and faecal sludge and wastewater treatment plants, primary water supply systems or slum upgrading.</li>
<li>Infrastructure development provides public health benefits to the community, but requires major investment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Enforcement and Compliance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Achievement of compliance with standards and regulations requires a broad approach that includes a mix of incentives, promotion and sanctions.</li>
<li>Non-coercive means, such as information dissemination, technical assistance, promotion and awards should be used in the first instance.</li>
<li>Sanitation standards need to be monitored and enforced. The capacity for inspection and prosecution needs to be assessed to determine whether it is sufficient to cope with the predicted demands.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Coordination and Roles</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is necessary to establish a multi-sectoral platform for dialogue between the main stakeholders and to develop and oversee coordinated plans of action.</li>
<li>Political leadership for the coordination and implementation of safe sanitation systems and services is also needed to assume the challenge of driving progress on sanitation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Environmental Health Authorities and Their Role in Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environmental health covers topics such as <strong>drinking-water safety, sanitation, air pollution, occupational health and chemical safety</strong>.</li>
<li>It should be seen as part of a larger spectrum of activities that includes education and sanitation promotion, with punishment of offenders as a last resort.</li>
<li>It must be feasible for people to adopt the desired behaviour so enforcement and promotion must be coordinated with services development and information campaign.</li>
<li>To enable environmental health staff to play their role fully, they should receive training to equip them to manage specialists and contractors and to advocate internally for the allocation of sufficient resources for sanitation behaviour change.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Delivering Sanitation at Local Level</h3>
<p><strong>Sanitation as a basic service</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In all environments, maximum health benefits can only be obtained from sanitation when combined with adequate water supply and good hygiene behaviours.</li>
<li>In a high density (urban) environment sanitation is closely linked to land-use patterns, housing occupancy patterns, level of water supply services, drainage and solid waste management and cannot be managed independently of them.</li>
<li>Planning and implementing sanitation must therefore be coordinated with these other basic services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation behaviour change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Active user participation is needed to achieve sanitation and good hygiene. Multiple behaviours by different stakeholders require addressing along the sanitation service chain, and may require specific strategies.</li>
<li>Behaviour change should be seen as an integral component of providing sanitation, as concentrating on infrastructure and services alone will not deliver the desired public health outcomes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Local monitoring</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They might be formal or informal community leaders, or staff from health, agriculture or other sectors which have a community presence.</li>
<li>Budgets should be programmed for the purpose, and a continuous training programme established.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Developing Sanitation Services and Business Models</h3>
<p><strong>Designing services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation services must respond to the physical, social and economic conditions prevailing in each area, and these factors should be assessed prior to embarking on sanitation improvements.</li>
<li>As cities grow, there is an increasing need for decentralized sanitation systems in urban areas, both small sewerage systems and faecal sludge transfer facilities and treatment sites.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Financing services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>People are prepared to pay for sanitation services at the toilet, containment and onsite treatment, and parts of conveyance that benefit them directly.</li>
<li>In urban areas, sanitation fees can be combined within the water tariff, especially if all sanitation services are managed by a utility.</li>
<li>They can also be included in local taxes.</li>
<li>In low-density rural areas, where the principal activity is sanitation promotion and the safe and consistent use of self-built toilets, there is little alternative to that of using government budgets for these activities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Management of Special Sanitation Risks</h3>
<p><strong>Sanitation in emergencies</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These guidelines focus on including sanitation in disaster preparedness planning as an immediate priority action.</li>
<li>To facilitate this, sanitation and hygiene materials should be purchased and pre-positioned along with other emergency supplies (such as those for shelter, nutrition and health).</li>
<li>Provision for people with disabilities, for children, and for women&rsquo;s privacy, safety and menstrual hygiene needs are critical and need careful planning during emergencies, when women and girls are especially vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation during enteric disease outbreaks and epidemics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Special attention should be paid to sanitation during disease outbreaks and epidemics of enteric diseases with a faecal-oral transmission route including cholera etc.</li>
<li>Preventive action to reduce faecal load in the environment especially in known hotspots with recurrent outbreaks, is more effective.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation in health care facilities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Heath care facilities represent a particularly high sanitation risk, due to both infectious agents and toxic chemicals.</li>
<li>Health care facility sanitation should be under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, with responsibility for its management clearly specified in the job descriptions of health care facility managers and relevant staff.</li>
<li>Recommended numbers of toilets are 1:20 for inpatients and at least two toilets for outpatient settings as per WHO 2008.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Sanitation Behaviour Change</h2>
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation programmes have historically tried to influence practices through the direct provision of hardware and with various forms of health education or health promotion.</li>
<li>People choose to use toilets and practice related hygienic behaviours for many reasons other than the desire to improve health.</li>
<li>Behaviour change is now seen as an essential component of sanitation programmes to improve the uptake of sanitation solutions, hygienic practices in households and in the institutions responsible for sanitation programming.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Depending on the Specific Situation, Desired User Behaviours Include</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Abandoning open defecation and adopting safe sanitation facilities.</li>
<li>Hand washing with soap at critical times.</li>
<li>Building and using non-emptiable pit latrines, which are covered over when full and new facilities are constructed.</li>
<li>Building and using permanent onsite facilities with access for emptying and accessibly situated for emptying equipment.</li>
<li>Ensuring the regular desludging of such facilities and the infiltration of liquid effluents to the subsoil or other safe disposal route.</li>
<li>Connecting to a sewerage system where available, and paying the service charges.</li>
<li>Safe practices in handling wastewater and faecal sludge in food production and sale.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Institutional and Government Responsibilities for Sanitation Behaviour Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation behaviour change requires financial and human resources, failure to commit sufficient resources may lead to failure to achieve sustained adoption or use of household sanitation services.</li>
<li>Health authorities should ensure that all sanitation interventions include a robust sanitation behaviour change strategy.</li>
<li>Behaviour change work should be conducted in coordination with organisations providing infrastructure and services.</li>
<li>This may involve engaging with organizations with technical and subject matter expertise, such as universities and social marketing and design agencies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sanitation Behaviours and Determinants</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To design successful activities to influence sanitation behaviours it is important to understand the range of existing sanitation behaviours and their determinants.</li>
<li>For sanitation to be effective, a variety of inter-related behaviours are important. These include the sustained use of facilities and their maintenance and upkeep, good hand hygiene and the hygienic disposal of child and infant faeces.</li>
<li>Having access to a toilet is essential for use to take place, but it does not guarantee consistent use. <strong>There are multiple reasons why existing facilities may not be used, including:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Facilities may not be adequately accessible to intended users, particularly women, older people or people with disabilities.</li>
<li>Facilities may not offer sufficient privacy to users given the intimate and often taboo nature of sanitation behaviours.</li>
<li>Facilities and the use of facilities may not provide a safe environment free from harassment, violence, or other physical and emotional forms of harm.</li>
<li>They may be broken, dirty or uncomfortable to use.</li>
<li>Individuals may prefer open defecation, particularly when sanitation options are unappealing or unhygienically maintained.</li>
<li>Facilities may not be available at the times users need them, such as when individuals are away from home (school, work place, public places) or may be locked at night.</li>
<li>Users may be concerned about the impact of long-term use on pit-filling and future maintenance, thus avoid using the facility.</li>
<li>Sharing facilities may discourage people from using facilities, even when sharing is limited to members of the same family.</li>
<li>Shared and public facilities may be located at a long distance; queues may also discourage use.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The determinants of behaviours of interest may be positive i.e. they promote the behavioural outcome or negative i.e. where they act as a barrier to the behavioural outcome.</li>
<li>Behavioural determinants are found at different levels e.g. society, community, individual, etc. and include factors which can be characterized as being related to context, technology and psychosocial experiences.</li>
<li>Individual-level determinants of behaviour include knowledge around toilet construction and use, costs and benefits, motivation and desire for sanitation, and the way in which the behaviour fits in with daily routines and habits.</li>
<li>Determinants that operate at the household level could include roles and responsibilities and the division of labour within the household.</li>
<li>Community-level determinants include societal norms of toilet use and capacity for the management and maintenance of facilities.</li>
<li>Behavioural determinants are related to the context in which behaviours occur such as climate, geography and access to materials, economic determinants availability of subsidies or the enforcement of fines and/or penalties.</li>
<li>Sanitation technologies can also determine behaviour through, for example, ease of use, location and cost.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Changing Behaviours</h3>
<p><strong>Main approaches</strong></p>
<p>Different behaviour change approaches commonly used for sanitation and hygiene behaviour change.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Information, education and communication approaches (IEC)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Messaging and awareness raising are the cornerstone of conventional information, education and communication (IEC) initiatives. IEC approaches are often used in public health behaviour change communication.</li>
<li>IEC can include mass media, group or interpersonal communication and participatory activities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Community-based approaches</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The focus of community-based approaches to sanitation is the collective mobilization of groups of people.</li>
<li>Collective processes are used to develop a shared understanding of a local problem, reach a collective agreement on actions and to create new norms around a specific behaviour.</li>
<li>These norms help to create new social pressures to comply with the promoted behaviour.</li>
<li><strong>Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)</strong> initiatives are organized around series of community-based activities, led by trained facilitators, which focus on behaviour change and aim to ignite a sense of disgust and shame in a community related to open defecation and its impact on the community&rsquo;s health and well-being.</li>
<li><strong>CLTS programmes have been implemented number of countries and have evolved in multiple ways to improve outcomes on sustained sanitation use including:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Targeting subsidies to marginalized households.</li>
<li>Tailoring initiatives to focus on the inclusion of marginalized groups and households.</li>
<li>Paying increased attention to supply-side interventions such as social and commercial-marketing based approaches discussed below, in order to stimulate progress from basic to safely managed sanitation.</li>
<li>Understanding reasons for slippage and reversion to open defecation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Approaches incorporating psychological and social theories of behaviour</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In recent years, models and frameworks drawing on psychological and social theories have been developed and applied to sanitation and hygiene promotion and behaviour change.</li>
<li>Approaches include the use of <strong>environmental "nudges"</strong> to create or sustain new default behavioural patterns and cue desired behaviour, and strategies that focus explicitly on habit formation through repetition, fostering stable environments and reducing perceived barriers to behaviour.</li>
<li>Approaches based on psychological and social theory are often associated with specific behaviour change techniques (BCTs).</li>
<li>These are the smallest building blocks of a behaviour change intervention and refer to the mechanisms through which intervention or programme activities influence behavioural determinants to result in changes in behaviour.</li>
<li>Evidence suggests that the use of multiple BCTs is more effective than interventions that utilize a single or limited number of techniques.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Stages in Behaviour Change Strategy Design</h3>
<p><strong>Documenting existing behaviour</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to design sanitation behaviour change intervention, it is necessary to collate available information on the sanitation situation and behaviours within the target population.</li>
<li>This involves reviewing published and grey literature and consulting global and local experts.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Understanding behavioural drivers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Context specific research, which may include quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods, is useful in order to understand the behaviour within the actual population.</li>
<li>This examination may suggest specific messaging strategies or specific determinants that have the potential to leverage the most change within the population.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Creating a sanitation behaviour change intervention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Information gathered as part of the previous two steps can be collated and organized using a framework for understanding sanitation behavioural determinants.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Testing, adapting and delivering a sanitation behaviour change intervention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The focus of behavioural trials results is to inform the development and modification of a potential programme before introduction to a wider audience.</li>
<li>Regardless of the approach used, attention should be given to the frontline workers who are engaged in the direct delivery of sanitation behaviour change activities</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Monitoring and learning for success</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monitoring and oversight of sanitation behaviour change interventions should help to organize stakeholders around common objectives and provide systems for assessing progress.</li>
<li>These efforts can inform the adaptation and improvement of future strategies through systematic learning.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Excreta-Related Pathogens</h2>
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation interventions and the safe disposal of human excreta have the potential to impact on the transmission of a diverse range of microbial hazards.</li>
<li>This chapter outlines the characteristics of the four main groups of pathogenic hazards (bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths) considered within these guidelines, and examines their transmission pathways and how infection relates to poor sanitation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Bacteria</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bacteria are small (typically 0.2-2 micrometres) single celled organisms, many of which are capable of multiplication outside a host under favourable conditions.</li>
<li>Most bacteria considered here are enteric, transmitted by the faecal-oral route, and predominantly cause gastroenteritis. Some can cause severe health outcomes and may have long-term effects.</li>
<li>Bacteria may develop antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where they become resistant to the effects of antibiotics, biocides and so on.</li>
<li>While the development of AMR is a natural phenomenon, it can be accelerated by the selective pressure exerted by the use and misuse of antimicrobial agents in people and animals, and by their environmental release.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Viruses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Viruses are simple infectious agents, consisting only of genetic material (DNA or RNA) encased in a protein capsid.</li>
<li>They are the smallest (typically 20-100 nanometres) organisms considered here and they are obligate intracellular organisms (i.e. they must be within a susceptible host cell to reproduce).</li>
<li>Viruses can be excreted in very high numbers and may be transported long distances in water.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Protozoa</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parasitic protozoa are complex and relatively large (typically 3-20 micrometers) single celled organisms that cannot replicate outside a suitable host.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Helminths</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Helminths (also known as parasitic worms) include tapeworms (cestodes), flukes (trematodes) and roundworms (nematodes).</li>
<li>They are multi-cellular, complex organisms. Some helminths, referred to as soil-transmitted helminths (STH), can be transmitted by the faecal-oral route (after a period of maturation in the environment), with infection being caused by ingestion of fertile worm eggs or through skin penetration by infective larvae.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Microbial Aspects Linked to Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The role of poor sanitation and excreta in disease transmission depends on the individual pathogen. In the simplest categorization, there are three primary ways in which human excreta may increase the occurrence of human infections:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As a source of enteric pathogens in the environment.</li>
<li>By contributing to excreta dependent lifecycles.</li>
<li>By facilitating vector breeding.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Excreta as a source of enteric pathogens in the environment</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enteric pathogens colonize the intestine, multiply within infected individuals, and are subsequently excreted with faeces.</li>
<li>Every excreted infectious pathogen has the potential to cause a new infection if ingested by another person. Potential exposure pathways include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Fingers:</strong> Pathogens may be transferred to fingers through touching of faeces or faeces- contaminated surfaces or people and then, subsequently, cause infection as a result of putting fingers in the mouth or nose, or on food.</li>
<li><strong>Food:</strong> Fresh produce can become contaminated through the use of wastewater for irrigation, faecal sludge for fertilizing or the use of contaminated wash water. When consumed raw (or lightly cooked) the produce can contain infectious pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Drinking-water:</strong> Drinking-water from surface and groundwater sources can be contaminated with faecal pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Hygiene and household water:</strong> Faecally contaminated water used for washing and food preparation, while consumed in smaller quantities than drinking-water or unintentionally, can also lead to exposure to faecal pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Surface water:</strong> Playing or bathing in contaminated surface waters may lead to unintentional ingestion of water and subsequent infection. Similarly, occupational exposure (e.g. fishing, vehicle washing) can lead to ingestion of surface water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The focus and objective of a safe sanitation system is to interrupt all the exposure pathways.</li>
<li>Sanitation intervention is expected to reduce exposure to microbial hazards, but the extent of that reduction will depend on the pathogen, setting and individual.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Pathogen persistence in the environment</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Assessing the survival time of pathogens in the environment is a key component of health risk assessment.</li>
<li>Pathogens are, typically, adapted to the conditions of the human or animal gut and so persistence under unfavourable conditions is limited.</li>
<li>Nevertheless, dark and cool conditions, neutral pH and sufficient moisture may lead to prolonged survival of pathogens.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Treatment and control</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wastewater and sludge treatment processes are an essential barrier for protection of human health.</li>
<li>Some treatment processes have been shown to have a relatively minimal impact on pathogen levels in sewage (with less than 90% reduction of any of the four pathogen groups).</li>
<li>When microbial reductions are explicitly considered, they often rely on bacterial indicators with little focus on the other pathogen groups.</li>
<li>The mechanism of pathogen inactivation needs to be defined and the critical limits of those mechanisms identified for the key pathogens of interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Common Pathogen Inactivation Mechanisms Include</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Time:</strong> Natural inactivation over time is a valuable treatment mechanism incorporated into many systems. The time needed to achieve inactivation will depend on temperature and specific conditions.</li>
<li><strong>Sedimentation and partitioning to solids:</strong> Sedimentation processes are typically designed for suspended solids removal. In waste stabilisation ponds, allowing time for sedimentation can lead to removal of larger pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Solar radiation:</strong> Many pathogens, particularly viruses, are susceptible to inactivation by solar radiation. The extent of removal will be driven by water depth, clarity and exposure time.</li>
<li><strong>Thermal treatment:</strong> When storage is combined with a thermal process pathogen reduction times can be drastically reduced. To ensure reductions are achieved, it is necessary to know the temperature profile of the waste.</li>
<li><strong>Filtration:</strong> Physical filtration processes from natural wetlands to filter beds can effectively remove pathogens. Removal depends upon the filter pore size and the biological activity of the filter matrix.</li>
<li><strong>Chemical disinfection:</strong> Addition of chemical disinfectants will enhance pathogen reduction however response will be pathogen-specific and depend on the dose, water matrix and the organic content. Using lime to raise the pH is a useful strategy in emergency settings.</li>
<li><strong>Attenuation in the subsurface:</strong> Many sanitation technologies rely on pathogen attenuation in the subsurface. The fate of pathogens in the subsurface is determined by their survival in soils and retention by soil particles and is mainly determined by local climatic conditions, the nature of the soil and features.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/who-guidelines-on-sanitation-and-health-guidelines'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth - Fight Against Leprosy',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cnmq_9_crFk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Every year, India observes 30th January as Anti-Leprosy Day. Worldwide, the same day is observed on the last Sunday of January, every year. Anti-Leprosy Day aims to spread awareness about the impact of discrimination and social stigma on the efforts to stop the spread of disease. This year&rsquo;s theme for Anti-Leprosy Day is 'Ending Discrimination, Stigma, and Prejudice&rsquo;.</p>
<h3>Global Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The countries with the highest number of new Leprosy cases are India, Brazil and Indonesia followed by some of the African nations.</li>
<li>In 2017, there were 14 countries, reporting more than 1,000 new cases of Leprosy. These were Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.</li>
<li>Over 16 million leprosy patients have been treated over the past 20 years across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Stats</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to WHO, India accounts for more than half of leprosy cases, detected worldwide. In 2017, India accounted for the 60% of new cases, detected in the year (1.26 lakh cases out of 2.10 lakh cases).</li>
<li>As of March 2018, Bihar has the highest number of cases (14388 cases) followed by Uttar Pradesh (12,583), Maharashtra (9836), West Bengal (9175) and Chhattisgarh (6499).</li>
<li>In terms of prevalence, as of March 2018, the Union Territory of Dadra &amp; Nagar Haveli topped the count with its 202 cases, representing 4.85 cases per 1 lakh population.</li>
<li>Among the states, Chhattisgarh has the highest prevalence (2.25 per lakh population), followed by Odisha (1.38), Bihar (1.18) and Jharkhand (1.05).</li>
<li>As per the recent report by the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP), of the total new cases detected in India, Children accounted for about 8.7% of total Leprosy cases.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Leprosy</strong></p>
<p>Also known as Hansen&rsquo;s Disease, Leprosy is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection. It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Leprae, which is an acid-fast rod-shaped bacillus. It is a disease that leaves a terrifying image in its wake of mutilation, rejection, and exclusion from society.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Oldest Disease</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history, afflicting humanity since time immemorial.</li>
<li>A written account of Leprosy date as far back as 600 B.C.</li>
<li>It was well recognized in the oldest civilizations of China, Egypt and India thousands of years ago.</li>
<li>Genetic evidence supports the existence of Leprosy infections in hundred-thousand-year-old remains.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas of Infection:</strong> Skin, Peripheral nerves, Upper respiratory tract and Lining of the nose.</li>
<li><strong>Mode of Transmission:</strong> Mainly by breathing airborne droplets from the affected individuals. It can be contacted at any age.</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Red patches on the skin.</li>
<li>Skin Lesion</li>
<li>Numbness in arms, hands, and legs.</li>
<li>Ulcers on the soles of feet.</li>
<li>Muscle Weakness and excessive weight loss.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Long Incubation Period:</strong> It usually takes about 3-5 years for symptoms to appear after coming into contact with Leprosy causing bacteria. The long incubation period makes it difficult for doctors to determine when and where the person got infected.</li>
<li>If not treated on time, Leprosy can lead to significant disability, disfigurement, permanent nerve damage in arms and legs and even loss of sensation in the body.</li>
<li><strong>Cure:</strong> Leprosy is curable with the combination of drugs known as Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Detection of Leprosy is the biggest hurdle in eradicating Leprosy.</li>
<li>NLEP finds that factors such as lack of awareness, fear, stigma, and discrimination as the most powerful barriers in eradicating the disease.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by WHO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Free distribution of MDT to all endemic countries since 1995.</li>
<li>Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020: Aims to reinvigorate efforts to control Leprosy and avert disabilities, especially among children, still affected by the disease in endemic countries. The strategy also calls for renewed political commitment, enhanced coordination between partners, the inclusion of persons affected by Leprosy in Program Management and highlights the importance of Research, Improved Data Collection, and Analysis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2016, the draconian colonial era&rsquo;s Lepers Act was repealed.</li>
<li>In 2017, SPARSH Leprosy Awareness Campaign was launched to promote awareness and address the issues of stigma and discrimination.</li>
<li>The measures included in the campaign like contact tracing, examination, treatment, and chemoprophylaxis are expected to bring down the number of Leprosy cases.</li>
<li>The special emphasis on women, children and those with disabilities are expected to flush out more hidden cases.</li>
<li>In addition to continuing to administer MDT to patients, new preventive approaches such as Chemoprophylaxis and immunoprophylaxis are being considered to break the chain of transmission and reach zero disease status.</li>
<li>In 2019, Lok Sabha passed a bill seeking to remove Leprosy as a ground for divorce.</li>
<li>In commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October 2019, the NLEP has prepared the comprehensive plan to reduce the grade to disability to less than one case per million people by October 2019.</li>
</ul>
<p>Leprosy Patients often suffer from mental illness like depression and anxiety due to the discrimination and the stigma, that they are subjected to, by society. A new environment, in which patients will not hesitate to come forward for diagnosis and treatment at any health facility must be created ensuring no discrimination and promoting inclusion.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-fight-against-leprosy'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Kerala Sets Up Drug Price Monitor',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p><strong>Kerala</strong> has become the<strong> first State</strong> to set up a <strong>Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU)</strong> to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the<strong> Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).</strong></p>
<h3>Composition</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PMRU will be registered as a society with following composition:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Health Secretary (Chairman)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Drugs Controller (Member secretary)</strong></li>
<li>State government representative (Member)</li>
<li>Representatives of private pharmaceutical companies (Members)</li>
<li>Representative from consumer rights protection fora (Member)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The society would also have an executive committee headed by the Drugs Controller.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This comes more than five years after the <strong>National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) proposed</strong> such a system for the States and the Union Territories.</li>
<li>The suggestion to set up PMRUs was made against the backdrop of the lack of a field-level link between the NPPA and the State Drugs Controllers and State Drug Inspectors to monitor drug prices.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The PMRU will work to develop synergy between the <strong>central and state authorities.</strong></li>
<li>It will provide <strong>technical help to the State Drug Controllers</strong> and the NPPA to monitor notified prices of medicines.</li>
<li>Detect <strong>violation</strong> of the provisions of the <strong>DPCO.</strong></li>
<li>Look at <strong>price compliance.</strong></li>
<li>To collect test samples of medicines, and collect and compile market-based data of scheduled as well as non-scheduled formulations.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NPPA is an organization under <strong>Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers</strong> which was <strong>set up in 1997</strong> to revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 1995.</li>
<li>The prices are <strong>now fixed/revised</strong> under <strong>Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013.</strong></li>
<li>It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kerala-sets-up-drug-price-monitor'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (5th February 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Asian Elephant Alliance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Asian Elephant Alliance</strong> has decided to raise about 187 crore rupees to secure 96 out of the 101 elephants corridors across 12 States in India in the next 10 years.</li>
<li>Asian Elephant Alliance is a joint initiative by<strong> five non-governmental organizations(NGOs).</strong></li>
<li>Five NGOs include<strong> Elephant Family</strong>, <strong>International Fund for Animal Welfare</strong>, <strong>IUCN Netherlands</strong>, <strong>World Land Trust</strong> and <strong>Wildlife Trust of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Kisan Credit Cards</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Government of India has decided to launch a campaign aimed at financial inclusion of farmers by enhancing the coverage of<strong> Kisan Credit Cards (KCC).</strong></li>
<li>This campaign will be launched through the <strong>Financial Institutions including Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks in collaboration with the State Governments.</strong></li>
<li>At present, there are around 6.95 crores active KCCs. However, there are still a large number of farmers who do not have access to institutional credit either because they have not been issued a KCC or the KCC issued earlier have been inactive due to various reasons.</li>
<li><strong>Kisan Credit Card (KCC) was introduced in August 1998</strong> to enable farmers in having quick and<strong> timely access to affordable credit.</strong> It was <strong>launched by the NABARD</strong> and <strong>Reserve Bank of India.</strong></li>
<li>The scheme aims to reduce farmers&rsquo; dependency on informal banks for credit, which is often lucrative yet very expensive.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Black Softshell Turtle</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>black softshell turtle</strong> is being bred in the pond of <strong>Hayagriva Madhab Temple at Hajo in Guwahati, Assam.</strong></li>
<li>Locals regard the turtles in the pond as Kurma avatar of Lord Vishnu to whom the Hajo temple is dedicated.</li>
<li>India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam. Threats to turtles include hunting for meat and eggs, <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="47" data-gr-id="47">silt</g> mining, encroachment of wetlands and change in flooding pattern have had a disastrous impact on the turtle population.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>About Black Softshell Turtle( Nilssonia nigricans)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IUCN Status: <strong>Extinct in Wild</strong></li>
<li>CITES: <strong>Appendix 1</strong></li>
<li>Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA): <strong>Schedule IV</strong></li>
<li>Habitat: <strong>Bangladesh and Indian state of Assam.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>About Hayagriva Madhava temple</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Hayagriva Madhava temple is one of the important centers for <strong>Vaishnavism</strong>.</li>
<li>The temple exists on a hilly place which located at<strong> Hajo nearby Guwahati, Assam.</strong></li>
<li>It was estimated that the temple was built during the <strong>Pala period of 10th-12th century A. D.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-february-2019'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Land of Stupas: Sarnath',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This news analysis is based on the article &ldquo;Stupa-hopping in Sarnath&rdquo; by art historian Rana Safvi which appeared in The Hindu on 3<sup>rd</sup> February, 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Sarnath</strong>, Varanasi is known for two things: <strong>Buddha gave his first sermon</strong> and for the <strong>Ashoka Pillar</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In ancient times, this place was known by many names &mdash; <strong>Rishipatana</strong>, <strong>Mrigadava</strong> and <strong>Mrigadaya</strong>. The word Sarnath comes from a corruption of the name <strong>Saranganatha</strong> (lord of deer).</li>
<li>The ashes of the Buddha were buried in stupas built at locations associated with important events in the Buddha&rsquo;s life including:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lumbini</strong> (where he was born), <strong>Bodh Gaya</strong> (where he achieved Enlightenment), <strong>Deer Park at Sarnath</strong> (where he preached his first sermon sharing the Four Noble Truths (also called the dharma or the law), and <strong>Kushinagara</strong> (where he died).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The choice of these sites and others were based on both real and legendary events.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Stupas at Sarnath</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577423025_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577423025_image7.jpg" style="float: right;" width="250" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two hundred years after Buddha, the <strong>Mauryan emperor, Ashoka</strong>, fought the battle of Kalinga and, disgusted by the bloodshed, became a Buddhist.</li>
<li>Ashoka built many beautiful stupas and monasteries in Sarnath.</li>
<li><strong>Sir Alexander Cunningham (First Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India)</strong>, excavated the <strong>Dhamekh</strong>, <strong>Dharmarajika</strong>, and <strong>Chaukhandi</strong> stupas along with a monastery and temple between 1834 and 1836.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to an <strong>inscription at Chaukhandi stupa</strong>, <strong>Humayun</strong> sought<strong> refuge in Sarnath</strong> when he was escaping from the <strong>battle of Chausa</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Note</strong>: The<strong>&nbsp;battle of Chausa</strong> was fought between the <strong>Mughal emperor</strong>, <strong>Humayun</strong>, and the Afghan, <strong>Sher Shah Suri in 1539</strong> at <strong>Chausa</strong> (<strong>modern-day Bihar, India</strong>).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many excavations followed these, the most famous among them being the 1904-05 excavation by <strong>Friedrich Oscar Oertel</strong> of the Ashoka Pillar, including<strong> the Lion Capital</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Invasions and Restorations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dharmarajika stupa</strong> is the one said to have been <strong>built by Ashoka to commemorate Buddha&rsquo;s first sermon</strong>.</li>
<li>After Ashoka, the other rulers who added to Sarnath&rsquo;s glory were the <strong>Kushans</strong>, the <strong>Guptas</strong> and <strong>Harshavardhana</strong>.</li>
<li>Under the Guptas, the <strong>Dhamekh stupa</strong> (synonymous with Sarnath) was <strong>encased with stone-carved floral designs</strong>.</li>
<li>Sarnath suffered from the <strong>Huna invasions</strong>, but <strong>Harshavardhana</strong> later restored some of the earlier buildings. The Chinese pilgrim <strong>Hiuen-Tsang (602-664)</strong> left detailed accounts of the <strong>Dharmarajika stupa</strong> and <strong>Ashoka&rsquo;s lion pillar</strong>.</li>
<li>Sarnath also suffered when it was attacked by <strong>Mahmud of Ghazni</strong> in the 11th century. After that, <strong>Mahipala</strong>, <strong>the Pala king</strong>, restored the monuments.</li>
<li>The last great monument of Sarnath, a monastery named <strong>Dharmachakra Jina Vihara</strong> was built in the <strong>11th century by Kumaradevi</strong>, wife of <strong>Govindachanda</strong> of the <strong>Gahadavala dynasty</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Emblem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>state emblem of India</strong> is an adaptation from the <strong>Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka</strong>.</li>
<li>In the original, there are<strong> four lions</strong>, standing back to back, <strong>mounted on an abacus</strong> with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an <strong>elephant</strong>, a galloping <strong>horse</strong>, a <strong>bull</strong> and a <strong>lion</strong> separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.</li>
<li>Carved out of a <strong>single block of polished sandstone</strong>, <strong>the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).</strong></li>
<li>In the state emblem, <strong>adopted by the Government of India</strong> on <strong>26 January 1950</strong>, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view.</li>
<li>The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left.</li>
<li>The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.</li>
<li>The words <strong>Satyameva Jayate</strong> from <strong>Mundaka Upanishad</strong>, meaning '<strong>Truth Alone Triumphs</strong>', are inscribed below the abacus in <strong>Devanagari script</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-of-stupas-sarnath'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Wrong on the Rohingya',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo; Wrong on the Rohingya&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 5th February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll discuss the Rohingy<g class="gr_ gr_264 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="264" data-gr-id="264">a crisis</g> and India&rsquo;s stance on this issue.)</p>
</div>
<p>In January 2019, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for a report from India on the deportation of a group of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar in October 2018. <strong>India&rsquo;s repatriation (the return of someone to their own country) of the refugees contravenes international principles on refugee law as well as domestic constitutional rights where deportation of refugees is considered as legally and morally problematic.&nbsp;</strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/114drishti-ias_Rohingya.jpg" style="float: right;" width="388" height="258" /></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Described as the world&rsquo;s most persecuted people, 1.1 million <strong>Rohingya people live in Myanmar.</strong> They live predominantly in <strong>Rakhine state,</strong> where they have co-existed uneasily alongside Buddhists for decades.</li>
<li>The Rohingya are reviled by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants and they suffer from systematic discrimination. The Myanmar government treats them as stateless people, denying them citizenship. Stringent restrictions have been placed on Rohingya people&rsquo;s freedom of movement, access to medical assistance, education and other basic services.</li>
<li><strong>Violence broke out in northern Rakhine state when militants attacked government forces</strong>. In response, security forces supported by Buddhist militia launched a &ldquo;clearance operation&rdquo; that has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 300,000 to flee their homes.</li>
<li><strong>According to the Ministry of Home Affairs<g class="gr_ gr_243 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="243" data-gr-id="243">, there</g> are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas living in India.</strong> They have reportedly reached India from Bangladesh through the land route over the years.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Framework</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Refugee law is a part of international human rights law.</strong> In order to address the problem of mass inter-state influx of refugees, a Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the UN adopted the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1951.</li>
<li>This was followed by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1967. <strong>One of the most significant features of the Convention is the principle of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="87" data-gr-id="87">non-refoulement</g><strong>.</strong></li>
<li>The norm requires that &ldquo;no contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.&rdquo; This idea of prohibition of expulsion lies at the heart of refugee protection in international law.</li>
<li><strong>It is often argued that the principle does not bind India since it is a party to neither the 1951 Convention nor the Protocol.</strong> However, the prohibition of <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="90" data-gr-id="90">non-refoulement</g> of refugees constitutes a norm of customary international law, which binds even non-parties to the Convention.</li>
<li>According to the Advisory Opinion on the Extraterritorial Application of Non-Refoulement Obligations, UNHCR, 2007,<strong> the principle &ldquo;is binding on all States, including those which have not yet become the pa<g class="gr_ gr_256 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="256" data-gr-id="256">rty t</g>o the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol.&rdquo;</strong></li>
<li>Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.</li>
<li>Moreover, <strong>Article 51 of the Constitution imposes an obligation on the state to endeavor to promote international peace and security.</strong> Article 51(c) talks about the promotion of respect for international law and treaty obligations.</li>
<li>Therefore, t<strong>he Constitution conceives of incorporation of international law into the domestic realm.</strong> Thus the argument that the nation has not violated international obligations during the deportation is a mistaken one.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Domestic Responsibility</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The chapter on fundamental rights in the Constitution differentiates citizens from persons.</strong> While all rights are available to citizens, persons including foreign citizens are entitled to the right to equality and the right to life, among others.</li>
<li><strong>The Rohingya refugees, while under the jurisdiction of the national government, cannot be deprived of the right to life and personal liberty.</strong></li>
<li>In National Human Rights Commission v. State of Arunachal Pradesh (1996), the Supreme Court held: <strong>&ldquo;Our Constitution confers... rights on every human being and certain other rights on citizens.</strong></li>
<li>Every person is entitled to equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. Also, no person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. <strong>Thus the State is bound to protect the life and liberty of every human being, be he a citizen or otherwise...&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India lacks specific legislation</strong> to address the problem of refugees, in spite of their increasing inflow.</li>
<li><strong>The Foreigners Act, 1946, fails to address the peculiar problems faced by refugees as a class.</strong> It also gives unbridled power to the Central government to deport any foreign citizen.</li>
<li>Further, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2019 strikingly excludes Muslims from its purview and seeks to provide citizenship only to Hindu, Christian, Jain, Parsi, Sikh and Buddhist immigrants persecuted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, <g class="gr_ gr_227 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="227" data-gr-id="227">and</g> Afghanistan. The majority of the Rohingya are Muslims.</li>
<li>T<strong>his limitation on the basis of religion fails to stand the test of equality under Article 14 of the Constitution and offends secularism, a basic feature of the Constitution.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Indian Judiciary is independent of executive and legislature.</strong> Therefore the Supreme Court has placed human rights at the center of Indian polity and has tried to turn them into <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="107" data-gr-id="107">tool</g> of advocacy and instrument of fairness between communities as well as individuals guaranteeing them for protection through civil and criminal justice process. Above all strengthening the identity of the Indian state and society.</li>
<li>As per the devastated condition of Rohingyas, they should be provided with basic facilities of sanitation, proper drinking water, and medical facilities and gradually arrangements for their deportation should be made.</li>
<li><strong>Any host country considerably should protect them from further difficulties rather than throw them again into the same. The right of living of any individual is a priority and cannot be abridged.</strong></li>
<li><strong>India hasn&rsquo;t ratified international convention validating refugee status in the country.</strong> However, India has done the best it can in the circumstances. <strong>India recently built 250 homes for the refugees in Myanmar&rsquo;s Rakhine province for when they return.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>So far, the Indian approach towards the Rohingya crisis has been viewed as contradicting its traditional position on refugees. As the Rohingya crisis unfolds, there is still a lot that India can do to facilitate the finding of long-term solutions. These actions will be key in determining India&rsquo;s regional and global standing.</p>
<p><strong>As a rising power with global aspirations, and with a long tradition in dealing with refugees, India is duty-bound. In the end, India may be in a better position to shape regional and global discourses on emerging issues affecting global governance, including on refugees.</strong></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/wrong-on-the-rohingya'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'World Wetlands Day',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently World Wetlands Day was celebrated with a theme - '<strong>Wetlands and climate change</strong>'.</li>
<li>World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on <strong>2<sup>nd</sup> February</strong>. This day marks the date of the adoption of the <strong>Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971</strong>, in the <strong>Iranian city of Ramsar</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They include <strong>mangroves</strong>, <strong>marshes</strong>, <strong>rivers</strong>, <strong>lakes</strong>, <strong>deltas</strong>, <strong>floodplains</strong> and <strong>flooded forests</strong>, <strong>rice-fields</strong>, and even <strong>coral reefs</strong>.</li>
<li>Wetlands are vital for human survival as they are among the world&rsquo;s most productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why are wetlands important?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wetlands are the vital link between land and water.</li>
<li>Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. They <strong>mitigate floods</strong>, <strong>protect coastlines</strong> and <strong>build community resilience to disasters</strong>, <strong>reduce the impacts of floods</strong>, <strong>absorb pollutants</strong> and <strong>improve water quality</strong>.</li>
<li>Wetlands are critical to human and planet life. More than one billion people depend on them for a living and 40% of the world&rsquo;s species live and breed in wetlands.</li>
<li>They are a <strong>vital source for food, raw materials, genetic resources for medicines</strong>, and hydropower.</li>
<li>They play an important role in <strong>transport, tourism and the cultural and spiritual well-being</strong> of people.</li>
<li>They provide <strong>habitat for animals and plants and many contain a wide diversity of life</strong>, supporting plants and animals that are found nowhere else.</li>
<li>Many wetlands are areas of natural beauty and many are important to Aboriginal people.</li>
<li>Wetlands also <strong>provide important benefits for</strong> <strong>industry</strong>. For example, they form nurseries for fish and other freshwater and marine life and are critical to commercial and recreational fishing industries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Threats to Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agriculture and Development</strong>: Wetlands are often underappreciated because they are viewed as being more valuable for their water and undeveloped land than the ecosystem services they provide.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They are often drained to make room for agriculture or human settlements and any wetlands nearby left untouched may lose their own water to this development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution</strong>: Wetlands act as natural water filters. However, they can only clean up the fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural runoff but not mercury from industrial sources and other types of pollution.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is growing concern about the effect of industrial pollution on drinking water supplies and the biological diversity of wetlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Change</strong> : Climate change brings a variety of alterations to patterns of water and climate.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In some places, rising sea levels are swamping shallow wetlands and drowning some species of mangrove trees. In others, droughts are destroying estuaries, floodplains and marshes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to <strong>Global Wetland Outlook</strong>, <strong>released by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands</strong>, approximately <strong>35 percent of the world&rsquo;s wetlands were lost between 1970-2015</strong> with annual rates of loss accelerating from 2000, according to the first-ever Global Wetland Outlook.</li>
<li>In some places the pace of wetlands destruction occurs at incredible speeds. For example, In the <strong>Philippines</strong>, <strong>80% of coastal wetlands have been degraded</strong>, drained or destroyed in the last 30 years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>&lsquo;Wise Use&rsquo; of Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, <strong>&lsquo;Wise use&rsquo; of wetlands</strong> is the <strong>maintenance of their ecological character</strong>, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the <strong>spirit of sustainable development</strong>. &lsquo;Wise Use&rsquo; guidelines encourage Contracting Parties to:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>adopt national wetland policies</strong> with legislations and institutional arrangements to deal with wetland;</li>
<li><strong>develop programmes of wetland inventory</strong>, monitoring, research, training, education and public awareness; and</li>
<li><strong>take actions involving the development of integrated management plans</strong> covering every aspect of the wetlands and their relationships with their catchments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ramsar Convention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the<strong> intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands</strong> and their resources.</li>
<li>The Convention was adopted in the <strong>Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971</strong> and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world&rsquo;s geographic regions, have acceded to become &ldquo;Contracting Parties&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> has <strong>26 Ramsar Sites</strong> which are the Wetlands of International importance.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422797_image48.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422797_image48.jpg" width="663" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Montreux Record</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention is a <strong>register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred</strong>, <strong>are occurring, or are likely to occur</strong> as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.</li>
<li>It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.</li>
<li>Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record : <strong>Keoladeo National Park</strong> (Rajasthan) and <strong>Loktak Lake</strong> (Manipur).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Note</strong>: <strong>Chilka lake </strong>(Odisha) was placed in the record but was later removed from it.</p>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-wetlands-day'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'World Cancer Day',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>World Cancer Day is organized by the <strong>Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)</strong> and celebrated <strong>each year on 4 February.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme for <strong>2019-2021 is "I am and I will"</strong> - all about individual stories and commitments to beat cancer.</li>
<li>The objective of World Cancer Day is aligned with <strong>Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3.4)</strong>, i.e. to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being by 2030.</li>
<li>It is observed to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.</li>
<li>The Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year through education, raising awareness and by pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cancer</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the <strong>growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries</strong> that can then invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs.</li>
<li>Other common terms used for cancer are<strong> malignant tumours and neoplasms.</strong></li>
<li>Cancer is the<strong> second leading cause of death</strong> globally and is estimated to account for 9.6 million death in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a <strong>membership organisation</strong> to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer.</li>
<li>It was <strong>founded in</strong> <strong>1933 and is based in Geneva.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Non-Communicable Diseases Burden in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to recently released data by the <strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong>, <strong>nearly 61% of deaths in India</strong> are now attributed to <strong>non-communicable diseases (NCDs).</strong></li>
<li>Cardiovascular diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke, andm hypertension) contribute to 45% of all NCD deaths, followed by chronic respiratory disease (22 %), cancer (12 %) and diabetes (3%).</li>
<li>NCDs are also a major <strong>cause and consequence of poverty.</strong></li>
<li>Although, the percentage of deaths from NCDs is still lower in India compared to many other countries across the world but the burden is <strong>rapidly increasing because of changing lifestyle and factors like pollution.</strong></li>
<li>Four risk factors responsible are<strong> tobacco, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol.</strong></li>
<li>Major metabolic risk factors are<strong> obesity, and raised blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels.</strong></li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-cancer-day'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Endosulfan in Kerala',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>The representatives of the victims of endosulfan poisoning in <strong>Kasaragod district of Kerala</strong> called off sit-in in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.</p>
<h3>What is EndoSulfan?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Endosulfan is an <strong>organochlorine insecticide</strong> which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its<strong> trade name Thiodan.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Use of Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sprayed on crops like <strong>cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc.</strong> for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environment
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Endosulfan in the environment <strong>gets accumulated in food chains</strong> leading to higher doses causing problems.</li>
<li>If Endosulfan is<strong> released to water</strong>, it is expected to absorb to the sediment and may<strong> bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Humans And Animals
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The endosulfan ingestion results in <strong>diseases ranging from physical deformities,</strong> <strong>cancer</strong>, <strong>birth disorders</strong> and<strong> damage to the brain and nervous system.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ban on Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Supreme Court in India has banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country,</strong> citing its harmful health effects in <strong>2015</strong>.</li>
<li>Endosulfan is listed under both <strong>Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent</strong>&nbsp;and the<strong> Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rotterdam convention 1998</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The&nbsp;convention aims to&nbsp;<strong>promote cooperation and responsibility</strong> sharing measures amongst different countries dealing with trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides.</li>
<li>PIC, Prior Informed Consent is the main feature of the convention and is<strong> legally binding on the party members.</strong></li>
<li>PIC facilitates information exchange about nature and trade-related information amongst the party members.</li>
<li>The Convention creates obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Stockholm convention 2001</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The convention aims to reduce the concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are chemical substances that not only remain in the atmosphere for longer periods but also possess the ability to bio-accumulate.</li>
<li>The convention listed 12 POPs as <strong>&lsquo;dirty dozen&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/endosulfan-in-kerala'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (4th February 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Indus River Dolphin</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the <strong>Punjab Government</strong> declared the Indus River dolphin, as the <strong>state&rsquo;s aquatic animal.</strong></li>
<li>Indus river dolphin is found <strong>only in the main channel of the Indus River</strong> in Pakistan and in the <strong>Beas river in India.</strong></li>
<li>Indus river dolphins also known as <strong>Bhulan</strong> are one of the <strong>only four river dolphin species</strong> and subspecies in the world that are found in freshwater. Others include the <strong>Chinese river dolphin, Ganges river dolphin and Amazon river dolphin.</strong></li>
<li>The Indus river dolphin is a <strong>marine mammal</strong> which means it&rsquo;s<strong> warm-blooded, breathes air, gives birth and produces milk to feed its young.</strong></li>
<li>It is listed endangered in the <strong>IUCN&rsquo;s Red List of Threatened Species</strong> and its International trade is prohibited by virtue of it being listed under <strong>Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).</strong></li>
<li>Indus dolphin like Ganges River dolphin is<strong> functionally blind</strong> and relies on<strong> echolocation to navigate</strong>, communicate and hunt prey in muddy river water.</li>
</ul>
<h3>NASA Discovers Dwarf Galaxy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>N<strong>ASA&rsquo;s Hubble telescope has discovered a dwarf galaxy</strong> in the neighborhood of Milky Way galaxy.</li>
<li>The dwarf galaxy is discovered only 30 million light years away within the <strong>globular cluster NGC 6752.</strong></li>
<li>The dwarf galaxy<strong>, nicknamed as Bedin 1,</strong> is a modestly sized, elongated galaxy. It measures only around 3000 light-years at its greatest extent which is a fraction of the size of the Milky Way.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Significance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>From the properties of its stars, scientists are able to infer that the galaxy is around 13 billion years old &mdash; nearly as old as the Universe itself.</li>
<li>Due to its isolation, Bedin 1 is will be helpful in<strong> understanding the early Universe.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Globular Cluster:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A Globular cluster is a large group of<strong> old stars</strong> that are closely packed in a symmetrical and somewhat spherical form.</li>
<li>Globular clusters are <strong>extremely luminous objects</strong> and may contain thousands to millions of stars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dwarf Galaxy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&nbsp;&ldquo;Dwarf galaxies&rdquo; is a general term for galaxies that are faint and <strong>small in size and have low-luminosity,</strong> lack of dust and old stellar populations.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Kerala&rsquo;s Village Millet Scheme</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kerala government has decided to expand millet village scheme to other districts in the state.</li>
<li>The Millet Village scheme was first launched in Attappady in Palakkad district of <strong>Kerala.</strong></li>
<li>Under the Millet Village scheme, the government promoted the harvest of ragi (finger millet), thina (foxtail millet), cholam (sorghum) and kuthiravaali (barnyard millet).</li>
<li>The project aimed at protecting seeds of traditional varieties of millets and ensures food security and livelihood for tribals.</li>
<li>The scheme also provides financial assistance to farmers for cultivation of millets crops.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Millets Production in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Millets are cultivated in low-fertile land, mountainous, tribal and rain-fed areas. These areas include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Advantages of Millets</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/alternative-cereals-can-save-water%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Millets also are known as &lsquo;nutri-cereals&rsquo;</strong></a> and have a high protein content, short growing season, climate change resilience and low water requirement.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/2023-is-the-international-year-of-millets-fao%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Year of Millets</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-february-2019'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Climate Change and the Poor',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Climate Change and the Poor&rdquo; which appeared in EPW for 2nd February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll see the effects of climate change on the poor all over the world.)</p>
</div>
<p>Recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/polar-vortex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polar vortex</a> and unusual weather conditions in Australia are making the world realize the effects of Climate Change.</p>
<p>A<strong>round the world, people are experiencing both the delicate and harsh effects of climate change.</strong> Gradually rising sea levels and more extreme weather events are all clear and devastating evidence of a rapidly changing climate.</p>
<p>The impacts of climate change can be seen in every country on every continent. <strong>The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts threaten food supplies, drive people from their homes, separate families and jeopardize livelihoods. And all of these effects increase the risk of conflict, hunger, and poverty.</strong></p>
<p>Visible evidence and climbing numbers demonstrate that climate change is not a distant or imaginary threat, but rather a growing and undeniable reality.</p>
<p>Climate change is an emergency that has been affecting the planet and its inhabitants, human, plant, and animal, in big and small ways. <strong>However, it has had a greater impact on the poor and developing nations due to its disproportionate influence.</strong></p>
<h3>How Poor is more vulnerable to Climate change?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations</strong> estimates that &ldquo;even a 1.5-degree increase in global temperature could push tens of millions of people into poverty.&rdquo;<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/412drishti_ias_poverty.png" style="float: right;" width="380" height="190" /></li>
<li><strong>According to the World Food Programme&rsquo;s 2018 Global Report on Food Crises</strong>, &ldquo;climate disasters triggered food crises across 23 countries, mostly in Africa, with shocks such as drought leaving more than 39 million people in need of urgent assistance.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>According to the 2018 Global Report on Internal Displacement,</strong> &ldquo;30.6 million new internal displacements associated with conflict and natural disasters were recorded in 2017 across 143 countries and territories.&rdquo;</li>
<li>The report identifies floods and storms (mainly, tropical cyclones) as the primary causes of displacement, leading to millions of displacements.</li>
<li>Climate refugees can be found all over the world, displaced by coastal flooding in Dhaka, by hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, or due to the desertification of Lake Chad in West Africa. <strong>It is estimated that the number of people seeking asylum in the European Union due to climate change would see a 28% increase by 2100.</strong></li>
<li>There is now growing pragmatic evidence on how climate change disproportionately affects the poor. With climate change, people face a shortage of water and food, resulting in increased competition to access these basic necessities.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/582drishti_ias_displacement.png" style="float: right;" width="237" height="454" /></li>
<li>This increases the chances of the intensification of existing conflicts and also creates new ones. <strong>The water crisis in Cape Town</strong> began in 2015, and the city continues to live under the threat of becoming the first major city in the world to run out of the water.</li>
<li>In the <strong>Democratic Republic of Congo</strong>, shifts in the timing and patterns of rainfall have led to lower food production and greater competition on arable land, increasing ethnic tensions, and conflicts in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p>Such conflicts and incidences affect the poor the most and further lead to an increase in poverty and displacement, pushing people into a vicious trap across the globe.</p>
<p><strong>In India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India ranks fifth globally for the losses it has experienced due to climate change.</strong></li>
<li>Around 800 million people in the country live in villages and depend on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods.</li>
<li>With at least 50% of the farmlands in the country being rain-fed, changes in the pattern of the monsoons will affect their livelihoods the most.</li>
<li><strong>Empirical evidence suggests that climate change has led to a decline in wheat yields and has lowered the productivity of workers.</strong></li>
<li>Studies reveal that small farmers are aware of the long-term changes in the weather pattern and have changed their practices to deal with the resultant socio-economic changes.</li>
<li><strong>Small farmers also lack access to credit and other means of insurance, which makes them more vulnerable to climate change.</strong> Thus, climate change will make the existing problems of poverty, malnutrition, and farmer suicides worse.</li>
</ul>
<p>Frequent floods and droughts caused by climate change lead to food shortages and a rise in food prices in many parts of India. This causes hunger and malnutrition, the effects of which are felt most strongly by the poor.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At the<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cop24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Katowice Climate Conference in 2018</strong></a>, India called out the developed nations for reneging on their promises to provide developing countries with the financial support to combat climate change.</li>
<li><strong>It is the poor and developing countries that are being affected by the effects of climate change in the worst way while having contributed next to nothing in creating the crisis of climate change.</strong></li>
<li>And, it is these very countries that are being left behind both in terms of growth and development and mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change as they try to juggle their commitments to both.</li>
<li>If steps are not taken quickly, climate change has the potential to reverse decades of growth and development globally, and particularly in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Some steps can be taken into consideration</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Installing household and community biogas units to power clean-burning methane stoves;</li>
<li>Replacing conventional wood-burning stoves with more efficient ones;</li>
<li><strong>Providing solar-powered lighting;</strong></li>
<li>Promoting scientifically and economically sound climate-smart farming techniques through the use of information technology (IT) platforms like smart-phone apps.</li>
<li><strong>Implementation of low carbon farming techniques</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The warning bells have been tolling for a while now, and the widening disparities between the developed and the developing countries, the rich and the poor, the global North and the South, are emerging clearer than ever where climate change and its effects are concerned.</strong></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-the-poor'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'National Girl Child Day',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/814drishti_ias_national_girl_child.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/814drishti_ias_national_girl_child.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper2/national-girl-child-day-mind-map-2'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Interim Budget 2019: Infrastructure and Economy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Interim budget 2019 has following proposal for Economy and Infrastructure.</p>
<h3>Infrastructure</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Defense Sector</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The allocation for Defence in this year&rsquo;s interim budget has increased <strong>to Rs. 3.18 lakh crore.</strong></li>
<li>There is a hike in defense budget considering the mega defense tenders are in the pipe as <strong>part of military modernization.</strong></li>
<li>The defense budget of India will be crossing Rs.3,00,000 crore for the first time in 2019-20.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Textile Sector</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Two major schemes implemented by the Ministry of Textiles &mdash; <strong>the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme and the Remission of State Levies</strong> &mdash; have seen lower allocation for 2019-20. Allocation for the textiles sector in the Interim Budget has been reduced by over ₹1,000 crore.</li>
<li><strong>Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme was introduced by the Government in 1999 to facilitate new and appropriate technology for making the textile industry globally competitive and to reduce the capital cost for the textile industry.</li>
<li>In 2015, the government approved "Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS)"for technology upgradation of the textiles industry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Railways</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the interim budget 2019, Railways has been allocated ₹1.5 lakh crore for the year 2019-20, This is the highest-ever allocation for the Indian Railways.</li>
<li><strong>Vande Bharat Express (Previously known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-28th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Train-18</a>)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The government has introduced Vande Bharat Express which is the first indigenously developed and manufactured semi high-speed train.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Micro Small And Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Interim budget has proposed that <strong>GST-Registered SME units will get 2% interest rebate on the incremental loan of Rs. 1 crore.</strong> MSME sector will get a major boost from this proposal.</li>
<li>The budget has also proposed extending the government eMarketplace (GeM) platform to MSME&rsquo;s to support domestic services and trade. This will benefit MSMEs that are based in rural areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Direct Taxes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Interim budget has proposed that Individual taxpayers having taxable annual income up to Rs.5 lakhs will not be required to pay any income tax.</li>
<li>The government also released data on taxpayers and tax revenue stating that the tax collections <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="79" data-gr-id="79">has</g> increased significantly from Rs 6.38 lakh crore in 2013-14 to almost Rs 12 lakh crore this year.</li>
<li>The number of returns filed has also increased from 3.79 crores to 6.85 showing 80% growth in the tax base</li>
<li><strong>Reasons for widening tax base are</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>the <strong>demonetization</strong></li>
<li>increase in the use of <strong>digital technology</strong> for information collection</li>
<li>the movement towards <strong>digital assessment</strong> and a decrease in the number of cases being picked up for scrutiny</li>
<li>and the <strong>ease of getting the refund,</strong> majorly by small and medium taxpayers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Growth and Foreign Direct Investment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Due to Goods and Services Tax (GST) and other tax reforms, there is a potential for high growth in the future. The GST reforms have resulted in an increased tax base, higher collections, and ease of trade.</li>
<li>The finance minister has said that the country is poised to become a USD 5-trillion economy in the next five years and aspires to become a USD 10-trillion economy in the next 8 years thereafter.</li>
<li>India attracted as much as $239 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during the last 5 years.</li>
<li>The GST collection has fallen short of the budget target by Rs. 1 lakh crore for 2018-19.</li>
<li>There is also a highest ever allocation of Rs 58,166 crore for North Eastern Areas, single window clearance for Indian filmmakers at par with foreigners and higher budgetary allocations for Education, Health, Infrastructure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong><g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="83" data-gr-id="83">Vision</g> of India For 2030</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>To build social as well as physical infrastructure and to provide ease of living</li>
<li>To create digital India, digitize government processes with leaders from youth</li>
<li>Making India pollution free by leading transport revolution with electric vehicles and focus on renewables</li>
<li>Expanding rural industrialization using modern digital technologies</li>
<li>Clean rivers, safe drinking water to all Indians and use of micro-irrigation</li>
<li>Besides scaling up of Sagarmala, coastline and ocean waters powering India&rsquo;s development and growth</li>
<li>Aim for India&rsquo;s space programme becoming the launch pad of satellites for the world.</li>
<li>Making India self-sufficient in food, exporting to the world to meet their food needs</li>
<li>A healthy India via Ayushman Bharat with women having equal rights and concern for their safety and empowerment</li>
<li>Transforming India into a "minimum government maximum governance" nation with proactive and responsible bureaucracy.</li>
</ol>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/interim-budget-2019-infrastructure-and-economy'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (2nd February 2019)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3><g class="gr_ gr_23 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="23" data-gr-id="23">Giant</g> cavity in Antarctic glacier</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 meters tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.</li>
<li>Cavity indicates rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change.</li>
<li>The cavity was revealed by ice-penetrating radar in NASA&rsquo;s Operation IceBridge, an airborne campaign beginning in 2010 that studies connections between the polar regions and the global climate.</li>
<li>Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for about 4% of global sea level rise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United States has suspended the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-23rd-october-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty</a> with Russia.</li>
<li>The treaty was signed in December 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.</li>
<li>It prohibited the United States and the Soviet Union from possessing, testing and deploying ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles of ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.</li>
<li>It also covered all land-based missiles, including those carrying nuclear warheads but did not cover sea-launched missiles.</li>
<li>The objective of this treaty was to end the arms race between the two superpowers US and USSR.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-2nd-february-2019'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Stormy Weather Awaits India in 2019',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Stormy weather awaits India in 2019&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 31st January 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll see fast-changing global orders and mixed challenges for India.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>As the world enters 2019, the global outlook looks gloomy</strong> on the front of changing diplomatic contours in the world. Amid these rapid changes, India prepares for the general election this year, and all signs point to 2019 being a difficult year. Whether this would directly impact the poll outcome is uncertain, but the country needs to remain alert to unexpected developments. The country already faces a difficult external and internal situation and there is also a need to show more proficiency on the diplomatic front.</p>
<p><strong>Global Disorder has become a Dominant Imperative of Unsteady Developments across the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nations are today working at cross-purposes across the globe.</li>
<li><strong>A global leadership vacuum is leading to chaos</strong> concerning rules governing the international order.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Example, <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump&rsquo;s utterances and actions are provoking strong counter-reactions,</strong> especially from China and Russia.</li>
<li>Mr. Trump has threatened to pull out of a major arms control treaty with Russia. Russia has also been talking of building stronger deterrence. <strong>Cold War 2 seems for real now.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Diplomacy On different Dimensions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Russia</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Russia is vigorously pursuing its focal point to Asia</strong> and for greater influence in Eurasia.</li>
<li>It has deepened its partnership with China, and enhanced relations with Japan and South Korea. <strong>Growing tensions in the Sea of Azov <em>(following Russia&rsquo;s seizure of Ukraine&rsquo;s ships)</em> could well lead to a major conflagration</strong> between Russia and the West.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China is consolidating its position in Asia.</strong> In addition to its strategic partnership with Russia, China has mended fences with Japan as well(<em>China-Japan relationship became better</em>).</li>
<li>Its Belt and Road Initiative has become the most potent weapon in China&rsquo;s armory, with Vietnam and Japan endorsing this concept. <strong>India finds itself increasingly isolated in Asia as a result.</strong></li>
<li>Economic portents during 2018 for most of the world proved highly daunting. The most challenging was the specter of an all-embracing U.S.-China trade war.</li>
<li>This had triggered highly unsettled conditions, and the situation was further aggravated by signs of a weakening Chinese economy.</li>
<li><strong>In 2018, China had initiated certain moves to create a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor on the lines of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>U.S</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The likelihood of the U.S. moving into a period of slower long-term growth</strong>, one that is likely to continue for a fairly long time, is aggravating this situation. India cannot hope to remain insulated from these trends.</li>
<li><strong>At the beginning of 2019, it is amply evident that politics is conflicting with business across the world.</strong> Hence, normal economic calculations are getting disrupted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pakistan</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>This year could see a further consolidation of the &lsquo;all weather friendship&rsquo; of China-Pakistan.</strong> During 2018, Pakistan facilitated China&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan (and also succeeded in co-opting Russia to be a party to talks with the Afghan Taliban). The CPEC having weathered quite a few storms in 2018, seems well set to progress this further in 2019.</li>
<li>The prospects of India-Pakistan relations improving, on the other hand, are extremely limited. Cross-border terror attacks are likely to continue, as also sponsorship of terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Where India will face even rougher weather, is in Afghanistan, where the Afghan state is perilously close to imploding. India has been kept out of talks with the Afghan Taliban by all countries concerned, including the U.S., China, and Russia, apart from Pakistan. This is making India&rsquo;s position here highly invidious.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mixed challenges for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The strengthening of the <strong>Russia-China strategic relationship</strong> and the recent warmth in China-Japan relations could impact India&rsquo;s relations with both countries.</li>
<li>Notwithstanding the warmth displayed in public by the leaders of <strong>India and Russia, and India and Japan,</strong> the character of our relations with these two countries could <strong>undergo a change.</strong></li>
<li>The outlook for India in the rest of South Asia is also mixed. India will need to work harder in 2019 to check China from weaning away its neighbors, including Nepal and Bangladesh, with offers of economic and military aid.</li>
<li><strong>The return of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister after the general elections in Bangladesh has been a welcome relief.</strong></li>
<li>India retrieved its position in the Maldives. It also succeeded in re-establishing its influence in Bhutan.</li>
<li>The more challenging internal security problems ahead will be Kashmir and the Northeast. In 2018, the situation in Kashmir sharply deteriorated, and the year witnessed some of the highest levels of violence since 1989.</li>
<li><strong>The deadlock between the Jammu and Kashmir administration and militants is unlikely to be resolved.</strong> President&rsquo;s rule has made little headway in sorting out the conflict-prone situation.</li>
<li><strong>Left extremist violence went up marginally in 2018, but the movement remained circumscribed within a core area in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jharkhand.</strong> Ideologically, the movement has remained vibrant, and in 2019, both ideological and militant aspects will need deft handling.</li>
<li>The Chinese Navy is also poised to challenge India&rsquo;s position in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li><strong>China is preparing to outflank India by seeking control of the Kyaukpyu Port on the Arakan Coast in Myanmar,</strong> and planning a canal (the Kra canal), connecting the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand.</li>
</ul>
<p>Considering these difficult external and internal situation, peace in 2019 may prove elusive. On the diplomatic front, India will need to be more capable. 2019 will not only be about India&rsquo;s elections &ndash; the world is changing even as we speak. India needs to step off the treadmill and on to the escalator.</p>',
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			'title' => 'Republic Day',
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		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Republic Day',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India recently celebrated its <strong>70<sup>th</sup> Republic Day</strong> which is celebrated every year on 26th January.</li>
<li>The Constitution of India came into effect on 26th January, 1950, thus making it one of the most important date in the political history of India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Term Republic</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word republic is derived from the Latin phrase- RES PUBLICA meaning &lsquo;public affair&rsquo; which is the root of the word republic.</li>
<li>Earliest form of democratic government was seen in the <strong>Roman Republic;</strong> however which cannot be equated with the modern sense of the term.</li>
<li>Plato&rsquo;s work <strong>The Republic</strong> is a pioneer work on philosophy, political theory concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man.</li>
<li>India too in a very vague sense witnessed some form of democratic rule during the post-Vedic period with several Mahajanapadas following republican form of government such as Kamboja, Kuru, and Malla etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Timeline</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The transition of India from a British colony to a sovereign, secular, and democratic nation was a historical journey.</li>
<li>It started with the conceptualisation of the dream in 1930 to its actual realization in 1950.</li>
<li>The seeds of a republican nation were sowed at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress at the midnight of 31<sup>st</sup> December 1929.</li>
<li>The session was headed by J.L. Nehru where it was decided that January 26, 1930 would be observed as the Purna Swaraj (complete Independence) Day.</li>
<li>Lahore session also paved way for the Civil Disobedience Movement in the nation.</li>
<li>After much deliberation between the Indian leaders and members of the <strong>British Cabinet Mission,</strong> Constituent Assembly was constituted which met for the first time on December 9, 1946.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cabinet Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cabinet mission came to India to discuss the transfer of power from British government to the Indian leadership.</li>
<li>The mission comprised of three cabinet ministers of English government:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sir Pethick Lawrence</li>
<li>Sir Stafford Cripps</li>
<li>Admiral Alexander</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Objectives of the mission:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Devise a machinery to draw up the constitution of Independent India.</li>
<li>Make arrangements for interim Government.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Mission&rsquo;s recommendation:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It proposed that Union of India will deal with the defense, foreign affairs and communications.</li>
<li>Recommended an undivided India and turned down the Muslim league&rsquo;s demand for a separate Pakistan.</li>
<li>It also provided for formation of the constituent assembly on democratic principle of population. It recognized Indian Right to cede from the Commonwealth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li>The Objective of the Assembly was to give India a long lasting constitution which would give institutional expression to the fundamental commitments of equality, liberty, democracy, sovereignty and a cosmopolitan identity to its citizen.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Republic Day</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it enjoyed the true spirit of Independence on January 26, 1950 when the Constitution of India finally came into force giving India its political freedom.</li>
<li>On this day India shed the last relic of colonial system and effected a new dawn by becoming a <strong>Sovereign Democratic Republic</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Sovereign, Democratic, Republic</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sovereign &ndash;</strong> The word &lsquo;sovereign&rsquo; implies that India is neither a dependency nor a dominion of any other nation, but an independent state. There is no authority above it, and it is free to conduct its own affairs.</li>
<li><strong>Democratic &ndash;</strong> is based on the doctrine of popular sovereignty, that is, possession of supreme power by the people.</li>
<li><strong>Republic &ndash;</strong> Preamble indicates that India has an elected head called the president. He is elected indirectly for a fixed period of five years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li>The day is an occasion to commemorate the values of our democracy and Republic, to reaffirm our commitment to liberty, fraternity and equality across our society and among all our citizens.</li>
<li>The day celebrates the desire of a huge nation that wanted to be governed through one single constitution giving another example of India&rsquo;s unity in diversity.</li>
<li>Few provisions of the constitution came into power before 26th January 1950, i.e. on 26th November 1949.</li>
<li>Provisions related to <strong>citizenship, elections, provisional parliament, temporary and transitional provisions,</strong> and short title contained in Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 came into force on November 26, 1949 itself.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Threats to Indian Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although India has made a place for itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it loses behind a lot in the name of growth.</li>
<li>Poverty remains the biggest challenge of present day India, majority of the people continues to live below the poverty line with huge divide between the rich and the poor.</li>
<li>Gender discrimination remains at all level with skewed female ratio, few economic opportunities, disparities in wages, violence, malnutrition etc.</li>
<li>Corruption in public life has been a major concern in India. India is ranked 78<sup>th</sup> amongst 180 nations in <strong>Corruption Perception Index (2018) released by Transparency International</strong>. It exists as both covert and overt at all three levels- political, bureaucratic and corporate sector.</li>
<li>Communalism and religious fundamentalism have acquired a very dangerous form and alarming proportion in India. It is an affront to India&rsquo;s nationalist identity and a tragic setback to its evolving secular culture.</li>
<li>Indian democracy also struggles with regionalism which is primarily an outcome of regional disparities and imbalances in development.</li>
<li>Continued feeling of inequality both among and within state creates a feeling of neglect, deprivation and discrimination.</li>
<li>Elections which serve as the most evident expression of democracy are affected by money and muscle abuse by politicians and political parties.</li>
<li>Most of the politicians have pending criminal cases against them; source of funding for elections remains questionable.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Our Republic has come a long way and we must appreciate how far successive generations have brought us. Equally, we must appreciate that our voyage is far from complete.</li>
<li>There is a need to recalibrate our yardstick of achievement and success - from quantity to quality; from a literate society to a knowledge society in order.</li>
<li>No conception of India's development can be complete without a salute to our spirit of inclusiveness.</li>
<li>India's pluralism is its greatest strength and its greatest example to the world.</li>
<li>The "Indian model" rests on a <strong>tripod of diversity, democracy and development</strong> where we cannot choose one above the other.</li>
<li>The nation needs to encompass all segments and all communities, so that the nation transforms into a family that invokes, encourages and celebrates the uniqueness and potential in each person.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/784Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/784Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.png" width="871" height="393" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Polar Vortex',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently, the<strong> United States</strong> is grappling with <strong>extreme cold with temperature</strong> reaching to -30&deg;C in cities like Chicago and Dakota.&nbsp;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is caused by a blast of<strong> Arctic air, which is a result of a &ldquo;polar vortex&rdquo; event.</strong></li>
<li>The polar vortex is a <strong>large area of low pressure</strong> and <strong>cold air</strong> surrounding both of the Earth&rsquo;s poles. It was also known as the<strong> Polar Pig.</strong></li>
<li>The term "vortex" refers to the <strong>counterclockwise flow of air</strong> that helps keep the colder air near the Poles. It<strong> always exists</strong> near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter.</li>
<li>However, many times <strong>during winter</strong> in the northern hemisphere, the <strong>polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward</strong>. This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the<strong> United States and portions of Europe and Asia.</strong></li>
<li>It is also not a feature that exists at the Earth&rsquo;s surface, rather it exists tens of <strong>thousands of feet up in the atmosphere.</strong></li>
<li>By itself, the only danger to humans is the magnitude of how cold temperatures will get when the polar vortex expands, sending Arctic air southward into areas that are not typically that cold.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422619_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422619_image1.jpg" width="611" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>How is it Linked to Global Warming</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The global temperature has risen by 0.8&deg;C since 1880.</li>
<li>The <strong>Arctic has warmed</strong> over twice the average.</li>
<li>The <strong>temperature difference</strong> between North Pole and regions like North America <strong>has reduced.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>energy generated by the jet stream</strong> travels upward and disrupts the <strong>polar vortex, causing it to split.</strong></li>
<li>One of <strong>these two "child" vortices</strong> has visited North America this week,<strong> causing the record temperatures.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p></p>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'NPT Must for India’s Entry into NSG : China',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<p>Recently the permanent members of the<strong> United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong> also known as <strong>P5 countries (China, France, Russia, Britain and the US)</strong> - have concluded their meetings to <strong>discuss issues related to nuclear disarmament</strong>, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China</strong> has said that <strong>India</strong> must sign the <strong>Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)</strong> to gain entry into <strong>Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).</strong></li>
<li>Earlier, after India applied for the NSG membership, <strong>Pakistan</strong> too applied for the same following which China, a close ally of Pakistan, called for a <strong>two-step approach</strong> which states that <strong>NSG members</strong> first need to <strong>arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states</strong> into the group and then <strong>move forward discussions of specific cases</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NSG is a <strong>group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons</strong> through the implementation of <strong>guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports</strong>.</li>
<li>The NSG was <strong>set up as a response to India&rsquo;s nuclear tests conducted in 1974</strong>.</li>
<li>The aim of the NSG is to ensure that <strong>nuclear trade for peaceful purposes</strong> does not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.</li>
<li>The grouping has <strong>48 participating governments</strong> and the European Commission acts as an Observer.</li>
<li>Since <strong>2008</strong>, India has sought membership in the NSG. The same year, the <strong>NSG granted India a "clean waiver" from its existing rules</strong>, which forbids nuclear trade with a country which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).</li>
<li>The waiver paved the way for India to engage in nuclear trade and led to the <strong>Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal</strong>. India has since signed <strong>civilian nuclear cooperation agreements</strong> with the <strong>U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia,Namibia, and South Korea</strong>.</li>
<li>The drive for India's membership got a decisive boost when U.S declared support for India joining the quartet of <strong>multilateral export control regimes</strong>.</li>
<li>U.S proposed case for a country-specific rather than a criteria-based approach rested on the argument that India's nuclear record and commitment to non-proliferation norms qualified it as a "like minded country" to join the NSG.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE</strong>: The four multilateral export control regimes are <strong>Wassenaar Arrangement</strong> (WA), <strong>Missile Technology Control Regime</strong> (MTCR), <strong>Australia Group</strong> (AG) and<strong> Nuclear Suppliers Group</strong> (NSG). India is not a member of NSG only.</p>
</div>
<h3>Impediments to India&rsquo;s NSG bid</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>NSG operates by consensus</strong> and all its current members are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.</li>
<li><strong>China</strong> has relied on an <strong>obstructionist</strong> argument claiming that a &ldquo;compulsory&rdquo; requirement for NSG membership is that they must be signatories to the NPT.</li>
<li><strong>China equates India with Pakistan</strong> &mdash; which has an established history of nuclear proliferation, further complicating the scenario.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of NSG Membership for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Membership of NSG will <strong>increase India&rsquo;s access to state-of-the-art nuclear technology</strong> from members of the Group.</li>
<li>As per India&rsquo;s commitment under the <strong>Paris climate agreement</strong>, it has to ensure that <strong>40% of its energy is sourced from renewable and clean sources by 2030</strong>. In order to achieve this target, India needs to scale up nuclear power production. This can only happen if India gains access to NSG.</li>
<li>Some nations are restricted by regional treaties (For eg., <strong>Pelindaba Treaty</strong>) to provide access to nuclear fuel and technology to India. If India joins the NSG, such restrictions are expected to be done away with.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Pelindaba Treaty (African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It establishes a <strong>Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Africa</strong>.</li>
<li>The treaty was signed in 1996 and came into effect in July 2009.</li>
<li>It aims at preventing nuclear proliferation and preventing strategic minerals of Africa from being exported freely.</li>
<li>This treaty <strong>prohibits member parties to come into bilateral agreement with countries who are non signatories of NPT</strong>.</li>
<li>In <strong>2016</strong>, Namibia criticized the Treaty of Pelindaba for <strong>disallowing Namibia to trade uranium to India</strong> because India is not a member of the NPT.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>NPT is an international treaty</strong> whose <strong>objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology</strong>, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.</li>
<li>It represents the only <strong>binding commitment</strong> in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.</li>
<li><strong>Nuclear-weapon states parties under the NPT</strong> are defined as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device before <strong>January 1, 1967</strong>.</li>
<li>India did not sign it as the<strong> treaty was discriminatory</strong>. India argued that <strong>treaties like NPT were selectively applicable to only non-nuclear powers</strong> and legitimized the monopoly of nuclear power by a few.</li>
<li>Consequently India <strong>conducted nuclear explosion test in May 1974</strong>, all along maintaining that it was <strong>committed to peaceful use of atomic energy</strong>.</li>
<li>In <strong>1998</strong>, India again<strong> conducted a nuclear explosion tests</strong>, and acquired the <strong>capacity to use nuclear energy for military purposes</strong>.</li>
<li>To alleviate the fears of a world community, <strong>India formulated a comprehensive nuclear doctrine</strong>. The major tenets of this doctrine are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Maintenance of a <strong>credible minimum nuclear deterrence</strong>.</li>
<li>Professes <strong>no first use policy</strong>.</li>
<li>Commitment to <strong>global veritable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament</strong> leading to a nuclear weapons free world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has abided by both NPT and <strong>Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)</strong> even though it is a non-signatory. This along with its commitments on nuclear non-proliferation under NSG waiver in 2008 provides India with a strong basis for membership in NSG.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>CTBT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the treaty banning all nuclear explosions - everywhere, by everyone.</li>
<li>The Treaty was negotiated at the <strong>Conference on Disarmament in Geneva</strong> and adopted by the <strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong>. It opened for signature on 24 September 1996.</li>
</ul>
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		'title' => 'Timely Review: On Start-up Tax',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Timely Review: On Start-up Tax&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 6th February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll discuss the concerns related to Angel Tax.)</p>
</div>
<p>As per findings of a survey conducted by Local Circles and the Indian Private Equity &amp; Venture Capital Association (IVCA), <strong>over 73% of startups that raised capital between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore in India have received angel tax notice(s) from the Income Tax Department</strong> which created tensions in group of startups.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/746drishti_ias_AT1.png" style="float: right;" width="349" height="185" /></p>
<p>Start-ups troubled by the so-called angel tax may soon receive some concession from the government.<strong> Recently, the Centre set up a five-member working committee to look into revising the norms of the angel tax imposed on start-ups.</strong></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>The &lsquo;angel tax&rsquo;, as it is commonly called, is a tax on the excess capital raised by an unlisted company through the issue of shares over and above the fair market value of those shares</strong>. This excess capital is treated as income and taxed accordingly. This tax most commonly affects start-ups and the angel investors who back them. Angel tax was introduced in 2012, with the purpose of keeping money laundering in check. <br />Start-up owners have complained that income tax officials have asked many startups to cough up money when they try to attract capital into their entities by issuing new shares.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>For its part, the IT department fears that start-ups may be used as convenient tools to launder illegally acquired money, so a tax on investments beyond a certain threshold is necessary to deter such shady operations.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Who is Angel Investor?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>An angel investor is a wealthy individual that agrees to invest in a small startup</strong> company that has little access to capital.</li>
<li>Typically, angel investors are entrepreneurs who may also be friends or relatives of the person starting the company.</li>
<li><strong>They believe in the company&rsquo;s founders, as well as their business concept</strong>, and they loan the capital needed for the fledgling company to get off the ground, generally at more favorable loan terms than other lenders.</li>
<li><strong>Often, angel investors want their investment to remain private.</strong> In return for their support, angel investors usually receive ownership in the new company, often in the form of preferred stock.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In trying to curb money-laundering, Section 56(2)(vii)(b) of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961 gives income tax officials discretionary powers to inspect startups looking to raise investments for their growth which result into harassment of genuine startups.</strong></li>
<li>Under the Act, the IT department is free to arbitrarily decide the fair value of a company&rsquo;s share and tax start-ups if the price at which their new shares are sold to investors is higher than the fair value of these shares.</li>
<li>Angel Tax was, therefore, can be considered as problematic for a few reasons. For one, <strong>valuing startups based on their assets alone, given intangibles such as goodwill is not easy.</strong> Nor is it easy to arrive at &lsquo;fair value&rsquo; for them, based on discounted cash flows. So, startups are often valued subjectively and the valuation which seems sky-high to some may be fair to others.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/336image2.png" style="float: right;" width="410" height="233" /></li>
<li>Two, <strong>higher valuations when raising funds, are beneficial to founders as it means giving up less equity.</strong> But given the closed nature of these deals, there were concerns on whether there was creative financial planning happening.</li>
<li>While the intent of such an angel tax may be justifiable, <strong>the arbitrary nature of it means the cost of unintended consequences could be larger than the supposed benefits.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The broad-brush tax on all investments means an unnecessary cost is imposed on the wider start-up community simply because of the lack of better means at the government&rsquo;s disposal to tackle black money.</li>
<li><strong>The committee set up by the government should consider raising the threshold beyond which new investments into startups will be taxed.</strong></li>
<li>It is expected that start-ups with aggregate paid-up share capital and share premium of less than ₹25 crore, against the previous threshold of only ₹10 crore, will not be taxed while attracting new investment.</li>
<li>This would definitely make life easier to a certain extent for angel investors and startups. But it will not address the real problem with the angel tax, which has to do with the unbridled power that it vests in the hands of the income tax authorities.</li>
<li>Investors, foreign or domestic, may become wary of investing in new ideas when they are taxed while risking money on untested ventures. So the <strong>government should look to rationalize the angel tax</strong> and focus instead on building the capability to better identify and rein in illegal wealth. <strong>Otherwise, it risks killing the nascent startup ecosystem in the country.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'WHO: Guidelines on Sanitation and Health Guidelines',
		'catname' => 'Summary of Important Reports',
		'desc' => '<h2>Introduction</h2>
<h3>The Significance of Sanitation for Human Health</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Safe sanitation is <strong>essential for health,</strong> from preventing infection to improving and maintaining mental and social well-being.</li>
<li>The lack of safe sanitation systems leads to <strong>infection and disease,</strong> including Diarrhoea, tropical diseases such as soil-transmitted helminth infections, schistosomiasis and trachoma; Vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, lymphatic filariasis and Japanese Encephalitis.</li>
<li>Unsanitary conditions have been linked with <strong>stunting,</strong> which affects almost one quarter of children under-five globally through repeated diarrhoea and environmental enteric dysfunction.</li>
<li>The lack of safe sanitation systems contribute to the emergence and spread of <strong>antimicrobial resistance</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sanitation as a Human Development Issue</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many people worldwide practice open defecation and do not have services that prevent faecal waste from contaminating the environment.</li>
<li>In many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), rural areas are underserved, while cities are struggling to cope with the scale of sanitation needs caused by rapid urbanization.</li>
<li>Sanitation system maintenance is costly worldwide.</li>
<li>Challenges caused by climate change require continued adaptation to ensure sanitation systems that safeguard public health.</li>
<li>Sanitation has gained importance on the global development agenda, starting in 2008 with the <strong>UN International Year of Sanitation,</strong> followed by <strong>the recognition of the human right to safe water and sanitation</strong> in 2010 and the call for an end to open defecation by the UN Deputy Secretary- General in 2013.</li>
<li>Safe management of sanitation, as well as treatment and reuse of wastewater, was given a central place under the <strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Human right to sanitation (UN, 2010)</strong></p>
<p>The human right to sanitation entitles everyone to sanitation services that provides privacy and ensures dignity, and that are physically accessible and affordable, safe, hygienic, secure, socially and culturally acceptable. Human rights principles must be applied in the context of realising all human rights, including the human right to sanitation:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Non-discrimination and equality:</strong> All people must be able to access adequate sanitation services, without discrimination, prioritizing the most vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups.</li>
<li><strong>Participation:</strong> Everyone must be able to participate in decisions relating to their access to sanitation without discrimination.</li>
<li><strong>The right to information:</strong> Information relating to access to sanitation, including planned programmes and projects must be freely available to those who will be affected, in relevant languages and through appropriate media.</li>
<li><strong>Accountability (monitoring and access to justice):</strong> States must be able to be held accountable for any failure to ensure access to sanitation, and access (and lack of access) must be monitored.</li>
<li><strong>Sustainability:</strong> Access to sanitation must be financially and physically sustainable, including in the long-term.</li>
</ol>
<p>The normative content of the human right to sanitation is defined by:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Availability:</strong> A sufficient number of sanitation facilities must be available for all individuals.</li>
<li><strong>Accessibility:</strong> Sanitation services must be accessible to everyone within, or in the immediate vicinity, of household, health and educational institution, public institutions and places and workplace. Physical security must not be threatened when accessing facilities.</li>
<li><strong>Quality:</strong> Sanitation facilities must be hygienically and technically safe to use. To ensure good hygiene, access to water for cleansing and hand washing at critical times is essential.</li>
<li><strong>Affordability:</strong> The price of sanitation and services must be affordable for all without compromising the ability to pay for other essential necessities guaranteed by human rights such as water, food, housing and health care.</li>
<li><strong>Acceptability:</strong> Services, in particular sanitation facilities, have to be culturally acceptable. This will often require gender-specific facilities, constructed to ensure privacy and dignity.</li>
</ol>
<p>All human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and no human right takes precedence over another.</p>
<p><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sanitation (UN, 2015)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation</strong> (specifically targets 6.2 and 6.3 on sanitation and water quality respectively), and <strong>Goal 3 on good health and well-being,</strong> are particularly relevant to sanitation.</li>
<li>Several other goals for which sanitation contributes or is necessary for achievement, including those on <strong>poverty</strong> (particularly 1.4 on access to basic services), <strong>nutrition, education, gender equality, economic growth, reduction in inequalities and sustainable cities</strong>.</li>
<li>The SDGs also set out the principles of implementation for States to follow, including increasing financing, strengthening capacity of health workers, introduction of risk-reduction strategies, building on international cooperation and participation of local communities.</li>
<li>Goal 1 states the need to improve the flow of information and increase monitoring capacities and disaggregation so that it is possible to identify which groups are being left behind.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Safe Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <strong>safe sanitation system</strong> is defined as a system that separates human excreta from human contact at all steps of the sanitation service chain from toilet capture and containment through emptying, transport, treatment and final disposal.</li>
<li>Safe sanitation systems must meet requirements of safe sanitation system in a manner consistent with human rights.</li>
<li>Safe sanitation systems should also address co-disposal of <strong>greywater</strong> (water generated from the household, but not from toilets), <strong>associated hygiene practices</strong> (e.g. managing anal cleansing materials) and essential <strong>services required for the functioning of technologies</strong> (e.g. flush water to move excreta through sewers).</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The purpose of these guidelines is to promote safe sanitation systems and practices in order to promote health.</li>
<li>They summarize the evidence on the links between sanitation and health, provide evidence-informed recommendations, and offer guidance for encouraging international, national and local sanitation policies and actions that protect public health.</li>
<li>The guidelines also seek to articulate and support the role of health and other actors in sanitation policy to ensure that health risks are identified and managed effectively.</li>
<li>The guidelines are designed to be adapted to local contexts taking social, economic, environmental and health aspects into consideration.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Recommendations and Good Practice Actions</h2>
<h3>Recommendations</h3>
<p><strong>Recommendation 1: Ensure universal access and use of toilets that safely contain excreta:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This recommendation is in line with human rights principles and <strong>reinforces SDG 6 and target 6.2</strong>.</li>
<li>Access to a toilet does not mean it is used or used consistently by everyone at all times. Poorly constructed and managed facilities may lead to households reverting to open defecation</li>
<li>Toilets should be available, accessible and affordable to all, constantly, and at least separate excreta from human contact.</li>
<li>In <strong>urban areas,</strong> achieving full coverage and safe containment is important and should be addressed through city-wide planning and implementation, as interlinkages can occur through waterways, groundwater, pipes and drains.</li>
<li><strong>Shared and public toilet facilities</strong> that safely contain excreta can be promoted for households as an incremental step when individual household facilities are not feasible.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SDG 6 &ndash; Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and</strong></li>
<li><strong>Target 6.2 &ndash; By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Recommendation 2: Ensure universal access to safe systems along the entire sanitation service chain.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is need to ensure systems and services are selected to respond to the local context and that investment and system management are based on local level risk assessments.</li>
<li>Sanitation systems should address containment, emptying, conveyance, treatment and end use or disposal of excreta, to achieve safe sanitation.</li>
<li>Risk assessment should assess potential exposure and risks to all groups along the chain &ndash; users, local communities, workers and wider communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Recommendation 3: Sanitation should be addressed as part of locally delivered services and broader development programmes and policies.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation services should be included in local planning processes to avert the higher cost and complexity of retrofitting sanitation services and infrastructure where there is insufficient space and where sanitation clashes with other local services and infrastructure.</li>
<li>Sanitation interventions should be coordinated with water and other hygiene measures, as well as safe disposal of child faeces and management of domestic animals and their excreta to maximize the health benefits of sanitation.</li>
<li>While sanitation is a primary barrier, secondary barriers such as safe water, hand washing with soap, animal waste management and fly control are needed.</li>
<li>Interventions to address all above issues may be delivered together in a transformative water, sanitation and hygiene <strong>(WASH) approach</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>WASH Approach</strong></p>
<p><strong>WASH</strong> is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation and hygiene". Universal, affordable and sustainable access to WASH is a key public health issue within international development and is the focus of Sustainable Development Goal 6.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Recommendation 4: The health sector should fulfil core functions to ensure safe sanitation to protect public health</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Coordination is required to accommodate the multi-sectoral nature of sanitation and facilitate action by multiple stakeholders including overall health, education, housing, agriculture, development, public works and environment programmes.</li>
<li>Health authorities must contribute to the development of sanitation norms and standards, this includes contribution to the development (or revision) and implementation of safety standards.</li>
<li>Sanitation promotion and monitoring should be included within health services to maximize and sustain health impact.</li>
<li>Sanitation promotion is an important function that should be embedded to the extent possible in community-based, school-based and population-wide initiatives and campaigns.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Good Practice Actions</h3>
<p><strong>1. Define government-led multi-sectoral sanitation policies, planning processes and coordination.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Define sanitation as a basic service in national and sub-national plans, for which government is responsible and accountable.</li>
<li>Review and update existing policies to identify impediments to improving sanitation along the whole service chain.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Ensure health risk management is properly reflected in sanitation legislation, regulations and standards.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Review the public health effectiveness of existing national and local legislation, regulations and standards to identify and address impediments to improving sanitation.</li>
<li>Explicitly recognize sewered and non-sewered sanitation system types in relevant legislation and regulations at national, state, municipal and local levels.</li>
<li>Regulate service quality for all steps in the sanitation service chain, based on public health risk assessment and management.</li>
<li>Protect sanitation workers from occupational hazards through health and safety standards and standard operating procedures.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. Sustain the engagement of the health sector in sanitation through dedicated staffing and resourcing, and through action on sanitation within health services.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Build capacity of environmental health staff to fulfil health sector functions &ndash; contribution to sanitation coordination, health in sanitation policies, health protecting norms and standards, health surveillance and response, sanitation in health programme delivery, sanitation behaviour change and sanitation in Healthcare facilities.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Undertake local level health-based risk assessment to prioritize improvements and manage system performance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Define sanitation at sub-national level as a basic service for which local government is responsible and accountable.</li>
<li>Allocate sufficient financial and human resources for long-term implementation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Enable marketing of sanitation services and develop sanitation services and business models.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Establish a sustained marketing effort for safe sanitation services to eliminate open defecation and unimproved toilets.</li>
<li>Promote private sector service provision for those parts of the sanitation service chain with high customer benefit and consider public-private partnership where appropriate.</li>
<li>Acknowledge the informal sanitation service providers, recognizing that improved services will have to compete with them and that their experience is a valuable resource that should be utilized within the formal system.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Enabling Safe Sanitation Service Delivery</h2>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Safe sanitation systems require input from a range of stakeholders, but national and local government are central to their effective planning, delivery, maintenance, regulation and monitoring.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Components of an Implementation Framework</h3>
<p>The services themselves can be broadly divided into <strong>three categories,</strong> according to how they are delivered:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Customer services,</strong> such as toilet construction, hardware supplies, removal of faecal sludge or containers, and provision of public toilets. These provide direct benefits to users as well as improving public health at the community level.</li>
<li><strong>Public services,</strong> which include operation and maintenance of sewerage and drainage systems and faecal sludge treatment. These are delivered downstream of users, producing public health benefits to the community, and may not be possible or fair to finance entirely by direct user fees.</li>
<li>Public services are usually delivered by local authorities, utility companies or subcontracted to the private sector and funded through local tax revenue, cross subsidy from water supply and government subsidies.</li>
<li><strong>Infrastructure development,</strong> comprising the design and construction of sewerage, drainage, faecal sludge transfer stations and faecal sludge and wastewater treatment plants, primary water supply systems or slum upgrading.</li>
<li>Infrastructure development provides public health benefits to the community, but requires major investment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Enforcement and Compliance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Achievement of compliance with standards and regulations requires a broad approach that includes a mix of incentives, promotion and sanctions.</li>
<li>Non-coercive means, such as information dissemination, technical assistance, promotion and awards should be used in the first instance.</li>
<li>Sanitation standards need to be monitored and enforced. The capacity for inspection and prosecution needs to be assessed to determine whether it is sufficient to cope with the predicted demands.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Coordination and Roles</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is necessary to establish a multi-sectoral platform for dialogue between the main stakeholders and to develop and oversee coordinated plans of action.</li>
<li>Political leadership for the coordination and implementation of safe sanitation systems and services is also needed to assume the challenge of driving progress on sanitation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Environmental Health Authorities and Their Role in Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environmental health covers topics such as <strong>drinking-water safety, sanitation, air pollution, occupational health and chemical safety</strong>.</li>
<li>It should be seen as part of a larger spectrum of activities that includes education and sanitation promotion, with punishment of offenders as a last resort.</li>
<li>It must be feasible for people to adopt the desired behaviour so enforcement and promotion must be coordinated with services development and information campaign.</li>
<li>To enable environmental health staff to play their role fully, they should receive training to equip them to manage specialists and contractors and to advocate internally for the allocation of sufficient resources for sanitation behaviour change.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Delivering Sanitation at Local Level</h3>
<p><strong>Sanitation as a basic service</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In all environments, maximum health benefits can only be obtained from sanitation when combined with adequate water supply and good hygiene behaviours.</li>
<li>In a high density (urban) environment sanitation is closely linked to land-use patterns, housing occupancy patterns, level of water supply services, drainage and solid waste management and cannot be managed independently of them.</li>
<li>Planning and implementing sanitation must therefore be coordinated with these other basic services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation behaviour change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Active user participation is needed to achieve sanitation and good hygiene. Multiple behaviours by different stakeholders require addressing along the sanitation service chain, and may require specific strategies.</li>
<li>Behaviour change should be seen as an integral component of providing sanitation, as concentrating on infrastructure and services alone will not deliver the desired public health outcomes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Local monitoring</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They might be formal or informal community leaders, or staff from health, agriculture or other sectors which have a community presence.</li>
<li>Budgets should be programmed for the purpose, and a continuous training programme established.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Developing Sanitation Services and Business Models</h3>
<p><strong>Designing services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation services must respond to the physical, social and economic conditions prevailing in each area, and these factors should be assessed prior to embarking on sanitation improvements.</li>
<li>As cities grow, there is an increasing need for decentralized sanitation systems in urban areas, both small sewerage systems and faecal sludge transfer facilities and treatment sites.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Financing services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>People are prepared to pay for sanitation services at the toilet, containment and onsite treatment, and parts of conveyance that benefit them directly.</li>
<li>In urban areas, sanitation fees can be combined within the water tariff, especially if all sanitation services are managed by a utility.</li>
<li>They can also be included in local taxes.</li>
<li>In low-density rural areas, where the principal activity is sanitation promotion and the safe and consistent use of self-built toilets, there is little alternative to that of using government budgets for these activities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Management of Special Sanitation Risks</h3>
<p><strong>Sanitation in emergencies</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These guidelines focus on including sanitation in disaster preparedness planning as an immediate priority action.</li>
<li>To facilitate this, sanitation and hygiene materials should be purchased and pre-positioned along with other emergency supplies (such as those for shelter, nutrition and health).</li>
<li>Provision for people with disabilities, for children, and for women&rsquo;s privacy, safety and menstrual hygiene needs are critical and need careful planning during emergencies, when women and girls are especially vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation during enteric disease outbreaks and epidemics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Special attention should be paid to sanitation during disease outbreaks and epidemics of enteric diseases with a faecal-oral transmission route including cholera etc.</li>
<li>Preventive action to reduce faecal load in the environment especially in known hotspots with recurrent outbreaks, is more effective.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sanitation in health care facilities</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Heath care facilities represent a particularly high sanitation risk, due to both infectious agents and toxic chemicals.</li>
<li>Health care facility sanitation should be under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, with responsibility for its management clearly specified in the job descriptions of health care facility managers and relevant staff.</li>
<li>Recommended numbers of toilets are 1:20 for inpatients and at least two toilets for outpatient settings as per WHO 2008.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Sanitation Behaviour Change</h2>
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation programmes have historically tried to influence practices through the direct provision of hardware and with various forms of health education or health promotion.</li>
<li>People choose to use toilets and practice related hygienic behaviours for many reasons other than the desire to improve health.</li>
<li>Behaviour change is now seen as an essential component of sanitation programmes to improve the uptake of sanitation solutions, hygienic practices in households and in the institutions responsible for sanitation programming.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Depending on the Specific Situation, Desired User Behaviours Include</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Abandoning open defecation and adopting safe sanitation facilities.</li>
<li>Hand washing with soap at critical times.</li>
<li>Building and using non-emptiable pit latrines, which are covered over when full and new facilities are constructed.</li>
<li>Building and using permanent onsite facilities with access for emptying and accessibly situated for emptying equipment.</li>
<li>Ensuring the regular desludging of such facilities and the infiltration of liquid effluents to the subsoil or other safe disposal route.</li>
<li>Connecting to a sewerage system where available, and paying the service charges.</li>
<li>Safe practices in handling wastewater and faecal sludge in food production and sale.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Institutional and Government Responsibilities for Sanitation Behaviour Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation behaviour change requires financial and human resources, failure to commit sufficient resources may lead to failure to achieve sustained adoption or use of household sanitation services.</li>
<li>Health authorities should ensure that all sanitation interventions include a robust sanitation behaviour change strategy.</li>
<li>Behaviour change work should be conducted in coordination with organisations providing infrastructure and services.</li>
<li>This may involve engaging with organizations with technical and subject matter expertise, such as universities and social marketing and design agencies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Sanitation Behaviours and Determinants</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To design successful activities to influence sanitation behaviours it is important to understand the range of existing sanitation behaviours and their determinants.</li>
<li>For sanitation to be effective, a variety of inter-related behaviours are important. These include the sustained use of facilities and their maintenance and upkeep, good hand hygiene and the hygienic disposal of child and infant faeces.</li>
<li>Having access to a toilet is essential for use to take place, but it does not guarantee consistent use. <strong>There are multiple reasons why existing facilities may not be used, including:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Facilities may not be adequately accessible to intended users, particularly women, older people or people with disabilities.</li>
<li>Facilities may not offer sufficient privacy to users given the intimate and often taboo nature of sanitation behaviours.</li>
<li>Facilities and the use of facilities may not provide a safe environment free from harassment, violence, or other physical and emotional forms of harm.</li>
<li>They may be broken, dirty or uncomfortable to use.</li>
<li>Individuals may prefer open defecation, particularly when sanitation options are unappealing or unhygienically maintained.</li>
<li>Facilities may not be available at the times users need them, such as when individuals are away from home (school, work place, public places) or may be locked at night.</li>
<li>Users may be concerned about the impact of long-term use on pit-filling and future maintenance, thus avoid using the facility.</li>
<li>Sharing facilities may discourage people from using facilities, even when sharing is limited to members of the same family.</li>
<li>Shared and public facilities may be located at a long distance; queues may also discourage use.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The determinants of behaviours of interest may be positive i.e. they promote the behavioural outcome or negative i.e. where they act as a barrier to the behavioural outcome.</li>
<li>Behavioural determinants are found at different levels e.g. society, community, individual, etc. and include factors which can be characterized as being related to context, technology and psychosocial experiences.</li>
<li>Individual-level determinants of behaviour include knowledge around toilet construction and use, costs and benefits, motivation and desire for sanitation, and the way in which the behaviour fits in with daily routines and habits.</li>
<li>Determinants that operate at the household level could include roles and responsibilities and the division of labour within the household.</li>
<li>Community-level determinants include societal norms of toilet use and capacity for the management and maintenance of facilities.</li>
<li>Behavioural determinants are related to the context in which behaviours occur such as climate, geography and access to materials, economic determinants availability of subsidies or the enforcement of fines and/or penalties.</li>
<li>Sanitation technologies can also determine behaviour through, for example, ease of use, location and cost.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Changing Behaviours</h3>
<p><strong>Main approaches</strong></p>
<p>Different behaviour change approaches commonly used for sanitation and hygiene behaviour change.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Information, education and communication approaches (IEC)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Messaging and awareness raising are the cornerstone of conventional information, education and communication (IEC) initiatives. IEC approaches are often used in public health behaviour change communication.</li>
<li>IEC can include mass media, group or interpersonal communication and participatory activities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Community-based approaches</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The focus of community-based approaches to sanitation is the collective mobilization of groups of people.</li>
<li>Collective processes are used to develop a shared understanding of a local problem, reach a collective agreement on actions and to create new norms around a specific behaviour.</li>
<li>These norms help to create new social pressures to comply with the promoted behaviour.</li>
<li><strong>Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)</strong> initiatives are organized around series of community-based activities, led by trained facilitators, which focus on behaviour change and aim to ignite a sense of disgust and shame in a community related to open defecation and its impact on the community&rsquo;s health and well-being.</li>
<li><strong>CLTS programmes have been implemented number of countries and have evolved in multiple ways to improve outcomes on sustained sanitation use including:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Targeting subsidies to marginalized households.</li>
<li>Tailoring initiatives to focus on the inclusion of marginalized groups and households.</li>
<li>Paying increased attention to supply-side interventions such as social and commercial-marketing based approaches discussed below, in order to stimulate progress from basic to safely managed sanitation.</li>
<li>Understanding reasons for slippage and reversion to open defecation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Approaches incorporating psychological and social theories of behaviour</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In recent years, models and frameworks drawing on psychological and social theories have been developed and applied to sanitation and hygiene promotion and behaviour change.</li>
<li>Approaches include the use of <strong>environmental "nudges"</strong> to create or sustain new default behavioural patterns and cue desired behaviour, and strategies that focus explicitly on habit formation through repetition, fostering stable environments and reducing perceived barriers to behaviour.</li>
<li>Approaches based on psychological and social theory are often associated with specific behaviour change techniques (BCTs).</li>
<li>These are the smallest building blocks of a behaviour change intervention and refer to the mechanisms through which intervention or programme activities influence behavioural determinants to result in changes in behaviour.</li>
<li>Evidence suggests that the use of multiple BCTs is more effective than interventions that utilize a single or limited number of techniques.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Stages in Behaviour Change Strategy Design</h3>
<p><strong>Documenting existing behaviour</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to design sanitation behaviour change intervention, it is necessary to collate available information on the sanitation situation and behaviours within the target population.</li>
<li>This involves reviewing published and grey literature and consulting global and local experts.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Understanding behavioural drivers</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Context specific research, which may include quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods, is useful in order to understand the behaviour within the actual population.</li>
<li>This examination may suggest specific messaging strategies or specific determinants that have the potential to leverage the most change within the population.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Creating a sanitation behaviour change intervention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Information gathered as part of the previous two steps can be collated and organized using a framework for understanding sanitation behavioural determinants.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Testing, adapting and delivering a sanitation behaviour change intervention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The focus of behavioural trials results is to inform the development and modification of a potential programme before introduction to a wider audience.</li>
<li>Regardless of the approach used, attention should be given to the frontline workers who are engaged in the direct delivery of sanitation behaviour change activities</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Monitoring and learning for success</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monitoring and oversight of sanitation behaviour change interventions should help to organize stakeholders around common objectives and provide systems for assessing progress.</li>
<li>These efforts can inform the adaptation and improvement of future strategies through systematic learning.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Excreta-Related Pathogens</h2>
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sanitation interventions and the safe disposal of human excreta have the potential to impact on the transmission of a diverse range of microbial hazards.</li>
<li>This chapter outlines the characteristics of the four main groups of pathogenic hazards (bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths) considered within these guidelines, and examines their transmission pathways and how infection relates to poor sanitation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Bacteria</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bacteria are small (typically 0.2-2 micrometres) single celled organisms, many of which are capable of multiplication outside a host under favourable conditions.</li>
<li>Most bacteria considered here are enteric, transmitted by the faecal-oral route, and predominantly cause gastroenteritis. Some can cause severe health outcomes and may have long-term effects.</li>
<li>Bacteria may develop antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where they become resistant to the effects of antibiotics, biocides and so on.</li>
<li>While the development of AMR is a natural phenomenon, it can be accelerated by the selective pressure exerted by the use and misuse of antimicrobial agents in people and animals, and by their environmental release.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Viruses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Viruses are simple infectious agents, consisting only of genetic material (DNA or RNA) encased in a protein capsid.</li>
<li>They are the smallest (typically 20-100 nanometres) organisms considered here and they are obligate intracellular organisms (i.e. they must be within a susceptible host cell to reproduce).</li>
<li>Viruses can be excreted in very high numbers and may be transported long distances in water.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Protozoa</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parasitic protozoa are complex and relatively large (typically 3-20 micrometers) single celled organisms that cannot replicate outside a suitable host.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Helminths</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Helminths (also known as parasitic worms) include tapeworms (cestodes), flukes (trematodes) and roundworms (nematodes).</li>
<li>They are multi-cellular, complex organisms. Some helminths, referred to as soil-transmitted helminths (STH), can be transmitted by the faecal-oral route (after a period of maturation in the environment), with infection being caused by ingestion of fertile worm eggs or through skin penetration by infective larvae.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Microbial Aspects Linked to Sanitation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The role of poor sanitation and excreta in disease transmission depends on the individual pathogen. In the simplest categorization, there are three primary ways in which human excreta may increase the occurrence of human infections:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As a source of enteric pathogens in the environment.</li>
<li>By contributing to excreta dependent lifecycles.</li>
<li>By facilitating vector breeding.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Excreta as a source of enteric pathogens in the environment</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Enteric pathogens colonize the intestine, multiply within infected individuals, and are subsequently excreted with faeces.</li>
<li>Every excreted infectious pathogen has the potential to cause a new infection if ingested by another person. Potential exposure pathways include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Fingers:</strong> Pathogens may be transferred to fingers through touching of faeces or faeces- contaminated surfaces or people and then, subsequently, cause infection as a result of putting fingers in the mouth or nose, or on food.</li>
<li><strong>Food:</strong> Fresh produce can become contaminated through the use of wastewater for irrigation, faecal sludge for fertilizing or the use of contaminated wash water. When consumed raw (or lightly cooked) the produce can contain infectious pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Drinking-water:</strong> Drinking-water from surface and groundwater sources can be contaminated with faecal pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Hygiene and household water:</strong> Faecally contaminated water used for washing and food preparation, while consumed in smaller quantities than drinking-water or unintentionally, can also lead to exposure to faecal pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Surface water:</strong> Playing or bathing in contaminated surface waters may lead to unintentional ingestion of water and subsequent infection. Similarly, occupational exposure (e.g. fishing, vehicle washing) can lead to ingestion of surface water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The focus and objective of a safe sanitation system is to interrupt all the exposure pathways.</li>
<li>Sanitation intervention is expected to reduce exposure to microbial hazards, but the extent of that reduction will depend on the pathogen, setting and individual.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Pathogen persistence in the environment</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Assessing the survival time of pathogens in the environment is a key component of health risk assessment.</li>
<li>Pathogens are, typically, adapted to the conditions of the human or animal gut and so persistence under unfavourable conditions is limited.</li>
<li>Nevertheless, dark and cool conditions, neutral pH and sufficient moisture may lead to prolonged survival of pathogens.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Treatment and control</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wastewater and sludge treatment processes are an essential barrier for protection of human health.</li>
<li>Some treatment processes have been shown to have a relatively minimal impact on pathogen levels in sewage (with less than 90% reduction of any of the four pathogen groups).</li>
<li>When microbial reductions are explicitly considered, they often rely on bacterial indicators with little focus on the other pathogen groups.</li>
<li>The mechanism of pathogen inactivation needs to be defined and the critical limits of those mechanisms identified for the key pathogens of interest.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Common Pathogen Inactivation Mechanisms Include</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Time:</strong> Natural inactivation over time is a valuable treatment mechanism incorporated into many systems. The time needed to achieve inactivation will depend on temperature and specific conditions.</li>
<li><strong>Sedimentation and partitioning to solids:</strong> Sedimentation processes are typically designed for suspended solids removal. In waste stabilisation ponds, allowing time for sedimentation can lead to removal of larger pathogens.</li>
<li><strong>Solar radiation:</strong> Many pathogens, particularly viruses, are susceptible to inactivation by solar radiation. The extent of removal will be driven by water depth, clarity and exposure time.</li>
<li><strong>Thermal treatment:</strong> When storage is combined with a thermal process pathogen reduction times can be drastically reduced. To ensure reductions are achieved, it is necessary to know the temperature profile of the waste.</li>
<li><strong>Filtration:</strong> Physical filtration processes from natural wetlands to filter beds can effectively remove pathogens. Removal depends upon the filter pore size and the biological activity of the filter matrix.</li>
<li><strong>Chemical disinfection:</strong> Addition of chemical disinfectants will enhance pathogen reduction however response will be pathogen-specific and depend on the dose, water matrix and the organic content. Using lime to raise the pH is a useful strategy in emergency settings.</li>
<li><strong>Attenuation in the subsurface:</strong> Many sanitation technologies rely on pathogen attenuation in the subsurface. The fate of pathogens in the subsurface is determined by their survival in soils and retention by soil particles and is mainly determined by local climatic conditions, the nature of the soil and features.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/summary-of-important-reports/who-guidelines-on-sanitation-and-health-guidelines'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth - Fight Against Leprosy',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cnmq_9_crFk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Every year, India observes 30th January as Anti-Leprosy Day. Worldwide, the same day is observed on the last Sunday of January, every year. Anti-Leprosy Day aims to spread awareness about the impact of discrimination and social stigma on the efforts to stop the spread of disease. This year&rsquo;s theme for Anti-Leprosy Day is 'Ending Discrimination, Stigma, and Prejudice&rsquo;.</p>
<h3>Global Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The countries with the highest number of new Leprosy cases are India, Brazil and Indonesia followed by some of the African nations.</li>
<li>In 2017, there were 14 countries, reporting more than 1,000 new cases of Leprosy. These were Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.</li>
<li>Over 16 million leprosy patients have been treated over the past 20 years across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Stats</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to WHO, India accounts for more than half of leprosy cases, detected worldwide. In 2017, India accounted for the 60% of new cases, detected in the year (1.26 lakh cases out of 2.10 lakh cases).</li>
<li>As of March 2018, Bihar has the highest number of cases (14388 cases) followed by Uttar Pradesh (12,583), Maharashtra (9836), West Bengal (9175) and Chhattisgarh (6499).</li>
<li>In terms of prevalence, as of March 2018, the Union Territory of Dadra &amp; Nagar Haveli topped the count with its 202 cases, representing 4.85 cases per 1 lakh population.</li>
<li>Among the states, Chhattisgarh has the highest prevalence (2.25 per lakh population), followed by Odisha (1.38), Bihar (1.18) and Jharkhand (1.05).</li>
<li>As per the recent report by the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP), of the total new cases detected in India, Children accounted for about 8.7% of total Leprosy cases.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Leprosy</strong></p>
<p>Also known as Hansen&rsquo;s Disease, Leprosy is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection. It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Leprae, which is an acid-fast rod-shaped bacillus. It is a disease that leaves a terrifying image in its wake of mutilation, rejection, and exclusion from society.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Oldest Disease</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history, afflicting humanity since time immemorial.</li>
<li>A written account of Leprosy date as far back as 600 B.C.</li>
<li>It was well recognized in the oldest civilizations of China, Egypt and India thousands of years ago.</li>
<li>Genetic evidence supports the existence of Leprosy infections in hundred-thousand-year-old remains.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Areas of Infection:</strong> Skin, Peripheral nerves, Upper respiratory tract and Lining of the nose.</li>
<li><strong>Mode of Transmission:</strong> Mainly by breathing airborne droplets from the affected individuals. It can be contacted at any age.</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Red patches on the skin.</li>
<li>Skin Lesion</li>
<li>Numbness in arms, hands, and legs.</li>
<li>Ulcers on the soles of feet.</li>
<li>Muscle Weakness and excessive weight loss.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Long Incubation Period:</strong> It usually takes about 3-5 years for symptoms to appear after coming into contact with Leprosy causing bacteria. The long incubation period makes it difficult for doctors to determine when and where the person got infected.</li>
<li>If not treated on time, Leprosy can lead to significant disability, disfigurement, permanent nerve damage in arms and legs and even loss of sensation in the body.</li>
<li><strong>Cure:</strong> Leprosy is curable with the combination of drugs known as Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Detection of Leprosy is the biggest hurdle in eradicating Leprosy.</li>
<li>NLEP finds that factors such as lack of awareness, fear, stigma, and discrimination as the most powerful barriers in eradicating the disease.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by WHO</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Free distribution of MDT to all endemic countries since 1995.</li>
<li>Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020: Aims to reinvigorate efforts to control Leprosy and avert disabilities, especially among children, still affected by the disease in endemic countries. The strategy also calls for renewed political commitment, enhanced coordination between partners, the inclusion of persons affected by Leprosy in Program Management and highlights the importance of Research, Improved Data Collection, and Analysis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps Taken by India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2016, the draconian colonial era&rsquo;s Lepers Act was repealed.</li>
<li>In 2017, SPARSH Leprosy Awareness Campaign was launched to promote awareness and address the issues of stigma and discrimination.</li>
<li>The measures included in the campaign like contact tracing, examination, treatment, and chemoprophylaxis are expected to bring down the number of Leprosy cases.</li>
<li>The special emphasis on women, children and those with disabilities are expected to flush out more hidden cases.</li>
<li>In addition to continuing to administer MDT to patients, new preventive approaches such as Chemoprophylaxis and immunoprophylaxis are being considered to break the chain of transmission and reach zero disease status.</li>
<li>In 2019, Lok Sabha passed a bill seeking to remove Leprosy as a ground for divorce.</li>
<li>In commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October 2019, the NLEP has prepared the comprehensive plan to reduce the grade to disability to less than one case per million people by October 2019.</li>
</ul>
<p>Leprosy Patients often suffer from mental illness like depression and anxiety due to the discrimination and the stigma, that they are subjected to, by society. A new environment, in which patients will not hesitate to come forward for diagnosis and treatment at any health facility must be created ensuring no discrimination and promoting inclusion.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-fight-against-leprosy'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Kerala Sets Up Drug Price Monitor',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p><strong>Kerala</strong> has become the<strong> first State</strong> to set up a <strong>Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU)</strong> to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the<strong> Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).</strong></p>
<h3>Composition</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PMRU will be registered as a society with following composition:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>State Health Secretary (Chairman)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Drugs Controller (Member secretary)</strong></li>
<li>State government representative (Member)</li>
<li>Representatives of private pharmaceutical companies (Members)</li>
<li>Representative from consumer rights protection fora (Member)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The society would also have an executive committee headed by the Drugs Controller.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This comes more than five years after the <strong>National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) proposed</strong> such a system for the States and the Union Territories.</li>
<li>The suggestion to set up PMRUs was made against the backdrop of the lack of a field-level link between the NPPA and the State Drugs Controllers and State Drug Inspectors to monitor drug prices.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The PMRU will work to develop synergy between the <strong>central and state authorities.</strong></li>
<li>It will provide <strong>technical help to the State Drug Controllers</strong> and the NPPA to monitor notified prices of medicines.</li>
<li>Detect <strong>violation</strong> of the provisions of the <strong>DPCO.</strong></li>
<li>Look at <strong>price compliance.</strong></li>
<li>To collect test samples of medicines, and collect and compile market-based data of scheduled as well as non-scheduled formulations.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NPPA is an organization under <strong>Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers</strong> which was <strong>set up in 1997</strong> to revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 1995.</li>
<li>The prices are <strong>now fixed/revised</strong> under <strong>Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013.</strong></li>
<li>It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kerala-sets-up-drug-price-monitor'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (5th February 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Asian Elephant Alliance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Asian Elephant Alliance</strong> has decided to raise about 187 crore rupees to secure 96 out of the 101 elephants corridors across 12 States in India in the next 10 years.</li>
<li>Asian Elephant Alliance is a joint initiative by<strong> five non-governmental organizations(NGOs).</strong></li>
<li>Five NGOs include<strong> Elephant Family</strong>, <strong>International Fund for Animal Welfare</strong>, <strong>IUCN Netherlands</strong>, <strong>World Land Trust</strong> and <strong>Wildlife Trust of India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Kisan Credit Cards</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Government of India has decided to launch a campaign aimed at financial inclusion of farmers by enhancing the coverage of<strong> Kisan Credit Cards (KCC).</strong></li>
<li>This campaign will be launched through the <strong>Financial Institutions including Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks in collaboration with the State Governments.</strong></li>
<li>At present, there are around 6.95 crores active KCCs. However, there are still a large number of farmers who do not have access to institutional credit either because they have not been issued a KCC or the KCC issued earlier have been inactive due to various reasons.</li>
<li><strong>Kisan Credit Card (KCC) was introduced in August 1998</strong> to enable farmers in having quick and<strong> timely access to affordable credit.</strong> It was <strong>launched by the NABARD</strong> and <strong>Reserve Bank of India.</strong></li>
<li>The scheme aims to reduce farmers&rsquo; dependency on informal banks for credit, which is often lucrative yet very expensive.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Black Softshell Turtle</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>black softshell turtle</strong> is being bred in the pond of <strong>Hayagriva Madhab Temple at Hajo in Guwahati, Assam.</strong></li>
<li>Locals regard the turtles in the pond as Kurma avatar of Lord Vishnu to whom the Hajo temple is dedicated.</li>
<li>India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam. Threats to turtles include hunting for meat and eggs, <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="47" data-gr-id="47">silt</g> mining, encroachment of wetlands and change in flooding pattern have had a disastrous impact on the turtle population.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>About Black Softshell Turtle( Nilssonia nigricans)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IUCN Status: <strong>Extinct in Wild</strong></li>
<li>CITES: <strong>Appendix 1</strong></li>
<li>Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA): <strong>Schedule IV</strong></li>
<li>Habitat: <strong>Bangladesh and Indian state of Assam.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>About Hayagriva Madhava temple</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Hayagriva Madhava temple is one of the important centers for <strong>Vaishnavism</strong>.</li>
<li>The temple exists on a hilly place which located at<strong> Hajo nearby Guwahati, Assam.</strong></li>
<li>It was estimated that the temple was built during the <strong>Pala period of 10th-12th century A. D.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-5th-february-2019'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Land of Stupas: Sarnath',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This news analysis is based on the article &ldquo;Stupa-hopping in Sarnath&rdquo; by art historian Rana Safvi which appeared in The Hindu on 3<sup>rd</sup> February, 2019.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Sarnath</strong>, Varanasi is known for two things: <strong>Buddha gave his first sermon</strong> and for the <strong>Ashoka Pillar</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In ancient times, this place was known by many names &mdash; <strong>Rishipatana</strong>, <strong>Mrigadava</strong> and <strong>Mrigadaya</strong>. The word Sarnath comes from a corruption of the name <strong>Saranganatha</strong> (lord of deer).</li>
<li>The ashes of the Buddha were buried in stupas built at locations associated with important events in the Buddha&rsquo;s life including:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Lumbini</strong> (where he was born), <strong>Bodh Gaya</strong> (where he achieved Enlightenment), <strong>Deer Park at Sarnath</strong> (where he preached his first sermon sharing the Four Noble Truths (also called the dharma or the law), and <strong>Kushinagara</strong> (where he died).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The choice of these sites and others were based on both real and legendary events.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Stupas at Sarnath</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577423025_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577423025_image7.jpg" style="float: right;" width="250" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Two hundred years after Buddha, the <strong>Mauryan emperor, Ashoka</strong>, fought the battle of Kalinga and, disgusted by the bloodshed, became a Buddhist.</li>
<li>Ashoka built many beautiful stupas and monasteries in Sarnath.</li>
<li><strong>Sir Alexander Cunningham (First Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India)</strong>, excavated the <strong>Dhamekh</strong>, <strong>Dharmarajika</strong>, and <strong>Chaukhandi</strong> stupas along with a monastery and temple between 1834 and 1836.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to an <strong>inscription at Chaukhandi stupa</strong>, <strong>Humayun</strong> sought<strong> refuge in Sarnath</strong> when he was escaping from the <strong>battle of Chausa</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Note</strong>: The<strong>&nbsp;battle of Chausa</strong> was fought between the <strong>Mughal emperor</strong>, <strong>Humayun</strong>, and the Afghan, <strong>Sher Shah Suri in 1539</strong> at <strong>Chausa</strong> (<strong>modern-day Bihar, India</strong>).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many excavations followed these, the most famous among them being the 1904-05 excavation by <strong>Friedrich Oscar Oertel</strong> of the Ashoka Pillar, including<strong> the Lion Capital</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Invasions and Restorations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Dharmarajika stupa</strong> is the one said to have been <strong>built by Ashoka to commemorate Buddha&rsquo;s first sermon</strong>.</li>
<li>After Ashoka, the other rulers who added to Sarnath&rsquo;s glory were the <strong>Kushans</strong>, the <strong>Guptas</strong> and <strong>Harshavardhana</strong>.</li>
<li>Under the Guptas, the <strong>Dhamekh stupa</strong> (synonymous with Sarnath) was <strong>encased with stone-carved floral designs</strong>.</li>
<li>Sarnath suffered from the <strong>Huna invasions</strong>, but <strong>Harshavardhana</strong> later restored some of the earlier buildings. The Chinese pilgrim <strong>Hiuen-Tsang (602-664)</strong> left detailed accounts of the <strong>Dharmarajika stupa</strong> and <strong>Ashoka&rsquo;s lion pillar</strong>.</li>
<li>Sarnath also suffered when it was attacked by <strong>Mahmud of Ghazni</strong> in the 11th century. After that, <strong>Mahipala</strong>, <strong>the Pala king</strong>, restored the monuments.</li>
<li>The last great monument of Sarnath, a monastery named <strong>Dharmachakra Jina Vihara</strong> was built in the <strong>11th century by Kumaradevi</strong>, wife of <strong>Govindachanda</strong> of the <strong>Gahadavala dynasty</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>State Emblem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>state emblem of India</strong> is an adaptation from the <strong>Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka</strong>.</li>
<li>In the original, there are<strong> four lions</strong>, standing back to back, <strong>mounted on an abacus</strong> with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an <strong>elephant</strong>, a galloping <strong>horse</strong>, a <strong>bull</strong> and a <strong>lion</strong> separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.</li>
<li>Carved out of a <strong>single block of polished sandstone</strong>, <strong>the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).</strong></li>
<li>In the state emblem, <strong>adopted by the Government of India</strong> on <strong>26 January 1950</strong>, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view.</li>
<li>The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left.</li>
<li>The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.</li>
<li>The words <strong>Satyameva Jayate</strong> from <strong>Mundaka Upanishad</strong>, meaning '<strong>Truth Alone Triumphs</strong>', are inscribed below the abacus in <strong>Devanagari script</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-of-stupas-sarnath'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Wrong on the Rohingya',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo; Wrong on the Rohingya&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 5th February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll discuss the Rohingy<g class="gr_ gr_264 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="264" data-gr-id="264">a crisis</g> and India&rsquo;s stance on this issue.)</p>
</div>
<p>In January 2019, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for a report from India on the deportation of a group of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar in October 2018. <strong>India&rsquo;s repatriation (the return of someone to their own country) of the refugees contravenes international principles on refugee law as well as domestic constitutional rights where deportation of refugees is considered as legally and morally problematic.&nbsp;</strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/114drishti-ias_Rohingya.jpg" style="float: right;" width="388" height="258" /></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Described as the world&rsquo;s most persecuted people, 1.1 million <strong>Rohingya people live in Myanmar.</strong> They live predominantly in <strong>Rakhine state,</strong> where they have co-existed uneasily alongside Buddhists for decades.</li>
<li>The Rohingya are reviled by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants and they suffer from systematic discrimination. The Myanmar government treats them as stateless people, denying them citizenship. Stringent restrictions have been placed on Rohingya people&rsquo;s freedom of movement, access to medical assistance, education and other basic services.</li>
<li><strong>Violence broke out in northern Rakhine state when militants attacked government forces</strong>. In response, security forces supported by Buddhist militia launched a &ldquo;clearance operation&rdquo; that has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 300,000 to flee their homes.</li>
<li><strong>According to the Ministry of Home Affairs<g class="gr_ gr_243 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="243" data-gr-id="243">, there</g> are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas living in India.</strong> They have reportedly reached India from Bangladesh through the land route over the years.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Framework</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Refugee law is a part of international human rights law.</strong> In order to address the problem of mass inter-state influx of refugees, a Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the UN adopted the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1951.</li>
<li>This was followed by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1967. <strong>One of the most significant features of the Convention is the principle of </strong><g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="87" data-gr-id="87">non-refoulement</g><strong>.</strong></li>
<li>The norm requires that &ldquo;no contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.&rdquo; This idea of prohibition of expulsion lies at the heart of refugee protection in international law.</li>
<li><strong>It is often argued that the principle does not bind India since it is a party to neither the 1951 Convention nor the Protocol.</strong> However, the prohibition of <g class="gr_ gr_90 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="90" data-gr-id="90">non-refoulement</g> of refugees constitutes a norm of customary international law, which binds even non-parties to the Convention.</li>
<li>According to the Advisory Opinion on the Extraterritorial Application of Non-Refoulement Obligations, UNHCR, 2007,<strong> the principle &ldquo;is binding on all States, including those which have not yet become the pa<g class="gr_ gr_256 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="256" data-gr-id="256">rty t</g>o the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol.&rdquo;</strong></li>
<li>Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.</li>
<li>Moreover, <strong>Article 51 of the Constitution imposes an obligation on the state to endeavor to promote international peace and security.</strong> Article 51(c) talks about the promotion of respect for international law and treaty obligations.</li>
<li>Therefore, t<strong>he Constitution conceives of incorporation of international law into the domestic realm.</strong> Thus the argument that the nation has not violated international obligations during the deportation is a mistaken one.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Domestic Responsibility</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The chapter on fundamental rights in the Constitution differentiates citizens from persons.</strong> While all rights are available to citizens, persons including foreign citizens are entitled to the right to equality and the right to life, among others.</li>
<li><strong>The Rohingya refugees, while under the jurisdiction of the national government, cannot be deprived of the right to life and personal liberty.</strong></li>
<li>In National Human Rights Commission v. State of Arunachal Pradesh (1996), the Supreme Court held: <strong>&ldquo;Our Constitution confers... rights on every human being and certain other rights on citizens.</strong></li>
<li>Every person is entitled to equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. Also, no person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. <strong>Thus the State is bound to protect the life and liberty of every human being, be he a citizen or otherwise...&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stance</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India lacks specific legislation</strong> to address the problem of refugees, in spite of their increasing inflow.</li>
<li><strong>The Foreigners Act, 1946, fails to address the peculiar problems faced by refugees as a class.</strong> It also gives unbridled power to the Central government to deport any foreign citizen.</li>
<li>Further, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2019 strikingly excludes Muslims from its purview and seeks to provide citizenship only to Hindu, Christian, Jain, Parsi, Sikh and Buddhist immigrants persecuted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, <g class="gr_ gr_227 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="227" data-gr-id="227">and</g> Afghanistan. The majority of the Rohingya are Muslims.</li>
<li>T<strong>his limitation on the basis of religion fails to stand the test of equality under Article 14 of the Constitution and offends secularism, a basic feature of the Constitution.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Indian Judiciary is independent of executive and legislature.</strong> Therefore the Supreme Court has placed human rights at the center of Indian polity and has tried to turn them into <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="107" data-gr-id="107">tool</g> of advocacy and instrument of fairness between communities as well as individuals guaranteeing them for protection through civil and criminal justice process. Above all strengthening the identity of the Indian state and society.</li>
<li>As per the devastated condition of Rohingyas, they should be provided with basic facilities of sanitation, proper drinking water, and medical facilities and gradually arrangements for their deportation should be made.</li>
<li><strong>Any host country considerably should protect them from further difficulties rather than throw them again into the same. The right of living of any individual is a priority and cannot be abridged.</strong></li>
<li><strong>India hasn&rsquo;t ratified international convention validating refugee status in the country.</strong> However, India has done the best it can in the circumstances. <strong>India recently built 250 homes for the refugees in Myanmar&rsquo;s Rakhine province for when they return.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>So far, the Indian approach towards the Rohingya crisis has been viewed as contradicting its traditional position on refugees. As the Rohingya crisis unfolds, there is still a lot that India can do to facilitate the finding of long-term solutions. These actions will be key in determining India&rsquo;s regional and global standing.</p>
<p><strong>As a rising power with global aspirations, and with a long tradition in dealing with refugees, India is duty-bound. In the end, India may be in a better position to shape regional and global discourses on emerging issues affecting global governance, including on refugees.</strong></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/wrong-on-the-rohingya'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'World Wetlands Day',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently World Wetlands Day was celebrated with a theme - '<strong>Wetlands and climate change</strong>'.</li>
<li>World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on <strong>2<sup>nd</sup> February</strong>. This day marks the date of the adoption of the <strong>Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971</strong>, in the <strong>Iranian city of Ramsar</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They include <strong>mangroves</strong>, <strong>marshes</strong>, <strong>rivers</strong>, <strong>lakes</strong>, <strong>deltas</strong>, <strong>floodplains</strong> and <strong>flooded forests</strong>, <strong>rice-fields</strong>, and even <strong>coral reefs</strong>.</li>
<li>Wetlands are vital for human survival as they are among the world&rsquo;s most productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why are wetlands important?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wetlands are the vital link between land and water.</li>
<li>Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. They <strong>mitigate floods</strong>, <strong>protect coastlines</strong> and <strong>build community resilience to disasters</strong>, <strong>reduce the impacts of floods</strong>, <strong>absorb pollutants</strong> and <strong>improve water quality</strong>.</li>
<li>Wetlands are critical to human and planet life. More than one billion people depend on them for a living and 40% of the world&rsquo;s species live and breed in wetlands.</li>
<li>They are a <strong>vital source for food, raw materials, genetic resources for medicines</strong>, and hydropower.</li>
<li>They play an important role in <strong>transport, tourism and the cultural and spiritual well-being</strong> of people.</li>
<li>They provide <strong>habitat for animals and plants and many contain a wide diversity of life</strong>, supporting plants and animals that are found nowhere else.</li>
<li>Many wetlands are areas of natural beauty and many are important to Aboriginal people.</li>
<li>Wetlands also <strong>provide important benefits for</strong> <strong>industry</strong>. For example, they form nurseries for fish and other freshwater and marine life and are critical to commercial and recreational fishing industries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Threats to Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agriculture and Development</strong>: Wetlands are often underappreciated because they are viewed as being more valuable for their water and undeveloped land than the ecosystem services they provide.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They are often drained to make room for agriculture or human settlements and any wetlands nearby left untouched may lose their own water to this development.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pollution</strong>: Wetlands act as natural water filters. However, they can only clean up the fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural runoff but not mercury from industrial sources and other types of pollution.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is growing concern about the effect of industrial pollution on drinking water supplies and the biological diversity of wetlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Change</strong> : Climate change brings a variety of alterations to patterns of water and climate.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In some places, rising sea levels are swamping shallow wetlands and drowning some species of mangrove trees. In others, droughts are destroying estuaries, floodplains and marshes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to <strong>Global Wetland Outlook</strong>, <strong>released by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands</strong>, approximately <strong>35 percent of the world&rsquo;s wetlands were lost between 1970-2015</strong> with annual rates of loss accelerating from 2000, according to the first-ever Global Wetland Outlook.</li>
<li>In some places the pace of wetlands destruction occurs at incredible speeds. For example, In the <strong>Philippines</strong>, <strong>80% of coastal wetlands have been degraded</strong>, drained or destroyed in the last 30 years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>&lsquo;Wise Use&rsquo; of Wetlands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, <strong>&lsquo;Wise use&rsquo; of wetlands</strong> is the <strong>maintenance of their ecological character</strong>, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the <strong>spirit of sustainable development</strong>. &lsquo;Wise Use&rsquo; guidelines encourage Contracting Parties to:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>adopt national wetland policies</strong> with legislations and institutional arrangements to deal with wetland;</li>
<li><strong>develop programmes of wetland inventory</strong>, monitoring, research, training, education and public awareness; and</li>
<li><strong>take actions involving the development of integrated management plans</strong> covering every aspect of the wetlands and their relationships with their catchments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ramsar Convention</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the<strong> intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands</strong> and their resources.</li>
<li>The Convention was adopted in the <strong>Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971</strong> and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world&rsquo;s geographic regions, have acceded to become &ldquo;Contracting Parties&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> has <strong>26 Ramsar Sites</strong> which are the Wetlands of International importance.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422797_image48.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422797_image48.jpg" width="663" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Montreux Record</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Montreux Record under the Ramsar Convention is a <strong>register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred</strong>, <strong>are occurring, or are likely to occur</strong> as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.</li>
<li>It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.</li>
<li>Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record : <strong>Keoladeo National Park</strong> (Rajasthan) and <strong>Loktak Lake</strong> (Manipur).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Note</strong>: <strong>Chilka lake </strong>(Odisha) was placed in the record but was later removed from it.</p>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-wetlands-day'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'World Cancer Day',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>World Cancer Day is organized by the <strong>Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)</strong> and celebrated <strong>each year on 4 February.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The theme for <strong>2019-2021 is "I am and I will"</strong> - all about individual stories and commitments to beat cancer.</li>
<li>The objective of World Cancer Day is aligned with <strong>Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3.4)</strong>, i.e. to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being by 2030.</li>
<li>It is observed to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.</li>
<li>The Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year through education, raising awareness and by pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cancer</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the <strong>growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries</strong> that can then invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs.</li>
<li>Other common terms used for cancer are<strong> malignant tumours and neoplasms.</strong></li>
<li>Cancer is the<strong> second leading cause of death</strong> globally and is estimated to account for 9.6 million death in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a <strong>membership organisation</strong> to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer.</li>
<li>It was <strong>founded in</strong> <strong>1933 and is based in Geneva.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Non-Communicable Diseases Burden in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to recently released data by the <strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong>, <strong>nearly 61% of deaths in India</strong> are now attributed to <strong>non-communicable diseases (NCDs).</strong></li>
<li>Cardiovascular diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke, andm hypertension) contribute to 45% of all NCD deaths, followed by chronic respiratory disease (22 %), cancer (12 %) and diabetes (3%).</li>
<li>NCDs are also a major <strong>cause and consequence of poverty.</strong></li>
<li>Although, the percentage of deaths from NCDs is still lower in India compared to many other countries across the world but the burden is <strong>rapidly increasing because of changing lifestyle and factors like pollution.</strong></li>
<li>Four risk factors responsible are<strong> tobacco, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol.</strong></li>
<li>Major metabolic risk factors are<strong> obesity, and raised blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels.</strong></li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-cancer-day'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Endosulfan in Kerala',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>The representatives of the victims of endosulfan poisoning in <strong>Kasaragod district of Kerala</strong> called off sit-in in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.</p>
<h3>What is EndoSulfan?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Endosulfan is an <strong>organochlorine insecticide</strong> which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its<strong> trade name Thiodan.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Use of Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sprayed on crops like <strong>cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc.</strong> for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Environment
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Endosulfan in the environment <strong>gets accumulated in food chains</strong> leading to higher doses causing problems.</li>
<li>If Endosulfan is<strong> released to water</strong>, it is expected to absorb to the sediment and may<strong> bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Humans And Animals
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The endosulfan ingestion results in <strong>diseases ranging from physical deformities,</strong> <strong>cancer</strong>, <strong>birth disorders</strong> and<strong> damage to the brain and nervous system.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ban on Endosulfan</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Supreme Court in India has banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country,</strong> citing its harmful health effects in <strong>2015</strong>.</li>
<li>Endosulfan is listed under both <strong>Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent</strong>&nbsp;and the<strong> Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Rotterdam convention 1998</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The&nbsp;convention aims to&nbsp;<strong>promote cooperation and responsibility</strong> sharing measures amongst different countries dealing with trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides.</li>
<li>PIC, Prior Informed Consent is the main feature of the convention and is<strong> legally binding on the party members.</strong></li>
<li>PIC facilitates information exchange about nature and trade-related information amongst the party members.</li>
<li>The Convention creates obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Stockholm convention 2001</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The convention aims to reduce the concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are chemical substances that not only remain in the atmosphere for longer periods but also possess the ability to bio-accumulate.</li>
<li>The convention listed 12 POPs as <strong>&lsquo;dirty dozen&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/endosulfan-in-kerala'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (4th February 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Indus River Dolphin</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently the <strong>Punjab Government</strong> declared the Indus River dolphin, as the <strong>state&rsquo;s aquatic animal.</strong></li>
<li>Indus river dolphin is found <strong>only in the main channel of the Indus River</strong> in Pakistan and in the <strong>Beas river in India.</strong></li>
<li>Indus river dolphins also known as <strong>Bhulan</strong> are one of the <strong>only four river dolphin species</strong> and subspecies in the world that are found in freshwater. Others include the <strong>Chinese river dolphin, Ganges river dolphin and Amazon river dolphin.</strong></li>
<li>The Indus river dolphin is a <strong>marine mammal</strong> which means it&rsquo;s<strong> warm-blooded, breathes air, gives birth and produces milk to feed its young.</strong></li>
<li>It is listed endangered in the <strong>IUCN&rsquo;s Red List of Threatened Species</strong> and its International trade is prohibited by virtue of it being listed under <strong>Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).</strong></li>
<li>Indus dolphin like Ganges River dolphin is<strong> functionally blind</strong> and relies on<strong> echolocation to navigate</strong>, communicate and hunt prey in muddy river water.</li>
</ul>
<h3>NASA Discovers Dwarf Galaxy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>N<strong>ASA&rsquo;s Hubble telescope has discovered a dwarf galaxy</strong> in the neighborhood of Milky Way galaxy.</li>
<li>The dwarf galaxy is discovered only 30 million light years away within the <strong>globular cluster NGC 6752.</strong></li>
<li>The dwarf galaxy<strong>, nicknamed as Bedin 1,</strong> is a modestly sized, elongated galaxy. It measures only around 3000 light-years at its greatest extent which is a fraction of the size of the Milky Way.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Significance</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>From the properties of its stars, scientists are able to infer that the galaxy is around 13 billion years old &mdash; nearly as old as the Universe itself.</li>
<li>Due to its isolation, Bedin 1 is will be helpful in<strong> understanding the early Universe.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Globular Cluster:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A Globular cluster is a large group of<strong> old stars</strong> that are closely packed in a symmetrical and somewhat spherical form.</li>
<li>Globular clusters are <strong>extremely luminous objects</strong> and may contain thousands to millions of stars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dwarf Galaxy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&nbsp;&ldquo;Dwarf galaxies&rdquo; is a general term for galaxies that are faint and <strong>small in size and have low-luminosity,</strong> lack of dust and old stellar populations.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Kerala&rsquo;s Village Millet Scheme</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kerala government has decided to expand millet village scheme to other districts in the state.</li>
<li>The Millet Village scheme was first launched in Attappady in Palakkad district of <strong>Kerala.</strong></li>
<li>Under the Millet Village scheme, the government promoted the harvest of ragi (finger millet), thina (foxtail millet), cholam (sorghum) and kuthiravaali (barnyard millet).</li>
<li>The project aimed at protecting seeds of traditional varieties of millets and ensures food security and livelihood for tribals.</li>
<li>The scheme also provides financial assistance to farmers for cultivation of millets crops.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Millets Production in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Millets are cultivated in low-fertile land, mountainous, tribal and rain-fed areas. These areas include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Advantages of Millets</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/alternative-cereals-can-save-water%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Millets also are known as &lsquo;nutri-cereals&rsquo;</strong></a> and have a high protein content, short growing season, climate change resilience and low water requirement.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/2023-is-the-international-year-of-millets-fao%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Year of Millets</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-4th-february-2019'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Climate Change and the Poor',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(This editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Climate Change and the Poor&rdquo; which appeared in EPW for 2nd February 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll see the effects of climate change on the poor all over the world.)</p>
</div>
<p>Recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/polar-vortex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polar vortex</a> and unusual weather conditions in Australia are making the world realize the effects of Climate Change.</p>
<p>A<strong>round the world, people are experiencing both the delicate and harsh effects of climate change.</strong> Gradually rising sea levels and more extreme weather events are all clear and devastating evidence of a rapidly changing climate.</p>
<p>The impacts of climate change can be seen in every country on every continent. <strong>The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts threaten food supplies, drive people from their homes, separate families and jeopardize livelihoods. And all of these effects increase the risk of conflict, hunger, and poverty.</strong></p>
<p>Visible evidence and climbing numbers demonstrate that climate change is not a distant or imaginary threat, but rather a growing and undeniable reality.</p>
<p>Climate change is an emergency that has been affecting the planet and its inhabitants, human, plant, and animal, in big and small ways. <strong>However, it has had a greater impact on the poor and developing nations due to its disproportionate influence.</strong></p>
<h3>How Poor is more vulnerable to Climate change?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations</strong> estimates that &ldquo;even a 1.5-degree increase in global temperature could push tens of millions of people into poverty.&rdquo;<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/412drishti_ias_poverty.png" style="float: right;" width="380" height="190" /></li>
<li><strong>According to the World Food Programme&rsquo;s 2018 Global Report on Food Crises</strong>, &ldquo;climate disasters triggered food crises across 23 countries, mostly in Africa, with shocks such as drought leaving more than 39 million people in need of urgent assistance.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>According to the 2018 Global Report on Internal Displacement,</strong> &ldquo;30.6 million new internal displacements associated with conflict and natural disasters were recorded in 2017 across 143 countries and territories.&rdquo;</li>
<li>The report identifies floods and storms (mainly, tropical cyclones) as the primary causes of displacement, leading to millions of displacements.</li>
<li>Climate refugees can be found all over the world, displaced by coastal flooding in Dhaka, by hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, or due to the desertification of Lake Chad in West Africa. <strong>It is estimated that the number of people seeking asylum in the European Union due to climate change would see a 28% increase by 2100.</strong></li>
<li>There is now growing pragmatic evidence on how climate change disproportionately affects the poor. With climate change, people face a shortage of water and food, resulting in increased competition to access these basic necessities.<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/582drishti_ias_displacement.png" style="float: right;" width="237" height="454" /></li>
<li>This increases the chances of the intensification of existing conflicts and also creates new ones. <strong>The water crisis in Cape Town</strong> began in 2015, and the city continues to live under the threat of becoming the first major city in the world to run out of the water.</li>
<li>In the <strong>Democratic Republic of Congo</strong>, shifts in the timing and patterns of rainfall have led to lower food production and greater competition on arable land, increasing ethnic tensions, and conflicts in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p>Such conflicts and incidences affect the poor the most and further lead to an increase in poverty and displacement, pushing people into a vicious trap across the globe.</p>
<p><strong>In India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India ranks fifth globally for the losses it has experienced due to climate change.</strong></li>
<li>Around 800 million people in the country live in villages and depend on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods.</li>
<li>With at least 50% of the farmlands in the country being rain-fed, changes in the pattern of the monsoons will affect their livelihoods the most.</li>
<li><strong>Empirical evidence suggests that climate change has led to a decline in wheat yields and has lowered the productivity of workers.</strong></li>
<li>Studies reveal that small farmers are aware of the long-term changes in the weather pattern and have changed their practices to deal with the resultant socio-economic changes.</li>
<li><strong>Small farmers also lack access to credit and other means of insurance, which makes them more vulnerable to climate change.</strong> Thus, climate change will make the existing problems of poverty, malnutrition, and farmer suicides worse.</li>
</ul>
<p>Frequent floods and droughts caused by climate change lead to food shortages and a rise in food prices in many parts of India. This causes hunger and malnutrition, the effects of which are felt most strongly by the poor.</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At the<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cop24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Katowice Climate Conference in 2018</strong></a>, India called out the developed nations for reneging on their promises to provide developing countries with the financial support to combat climate change.</li>
<li><strong>It is the poor and developing countries that are being affected by the effects of climate change in the worst way while having contributed next to nothing in creating the crisis of climate change.</strong></li>
<li>And, it is these very countries that are being left behind both in terms of growth and development and mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change as they try to juggle their commitments to both.</li>
<li>If steps are not taken quickly, climate change has the potential to reverse decades of growth and development globally, and particularly in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Some steps can be taken into consideration</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Installing household and community biogas units to power clean-burning methane stoves;</li>
<li>Replacing conventional wood-burning stoves with more efficient ones;</li>
<li><strong>Providing solar-powered lighting;</strong></li>
<li>Promoting scientifically and economically sound climate-smart farming techniques through the use of information technology (IT) platforms like smart-phone apps.</li>
<li><strong>Implementation of low carbon farming techniques</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The warning bells have been tolling for a while now, and the widening disparities between the developed and the developing countries, the rich and the poor, the global North and the South, are emerging clearer than ever where climate change and its effects are concerned.</strong></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-the-poor'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'National Girl Child Day',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/814drishti_ias_national_girl_child.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/814drishti_ias_national_girl_child.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper2/national-girl-child-day-mind-map-2'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Interim Budget 2019: Infrastructure and Economy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Interim budget 2019 has following proposal for Economy and Infrastructure.</p>
<h3>Infrastructure</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Defense Sector</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The allocation for Defence in this year&rsquo;s interim budget has increased <strong>to Rs. 3.18 lakh crore.</strong></li>
<li>There is a hike in defense budget considering the mega defense tenders are in the pipe as <strong>part of military modernization.</strong></li>
<li>The defense budget of India will be crossing Rs.3,00,000 crore for the first time in 2019-20.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Textile Sector</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Two major schemes implemented by the Ministry of Textiles &mdash; <strong>the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme and the Remission of State Levies</strong> &mdash; have seen lower allocation for 2019-20. Allocation for the textiles sector in the Interim Budget has been reduced by over ₹1,000 crore.</li>
<li><strong>Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme was introduced by the Government in 1999 to facilitate new and appropriate technology for making the textile industry globally competitive and to reduce the capital cost for the textile industry.</li>
<li>In 2015, the government approved "Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS)"for technology upgradation of the textiles industry.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Railways</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the interim budget 2019, Railways has been allocated ₹1.5 lakh crore for the year 2019-20, This is the highest-ever allocation for the Indian Railways.</li>
<li><strong>Vande Bharat Express (Previously known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-28th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Train-18</a>)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The government has introduced Vande Bharat Express which is the first indigenously developed and manufactured semi high-speed train.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Micro Small And Medium Enterprises (MSME)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Interim budget has proposed that <strong>GST-Registered SME units will get 2% interest rebate on the incremental loan of Rs. 1 crore.</strong> MSME sector will get a major boost from this proposal.</li>
<li>The budget has also proposed extending the government eMarketplace (GeM) platform to MSME&rsquo;s to support domestic services and trade. This will benefit MSMEs that are based in rural areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Economy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Direct Taxes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Interim budget has proposed that Individual taxpayers having taxable annual income up to Rs.5 lakhs will not be required to pay any income tax.</li>
<li>The government also released data on taxpayers and tax revenue stating that the tax collections <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="79" data-gr-id="79">has</g> increased significantly from Rs 6.38 lakh crore in 2013-14 to almost Rs 12 lakh crore this year.</li>
<li>The number of returns filed has also increased from 3.79 crores to 6.85 showing 80% growth in the tax base</li>
<li><strong>Reasons for widening tax base are</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>the <strong>demonetization</strong></li>
<li>increase in the use of <strong>digital technology</strong> for information collection</li>
<li>the movement towards <strong>digital assessment</strong> and a decrease in the number of cases being picked up for scrutiny</li>
<li>and the <strong>ease of getting the refund,</strong> majorly by small and medium taxpayers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Growth and Foreign Direct Investment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Due to Goods and Services Tax (GST) and other tax reforms, there is a potential for high growth in the future. The GST reforms have resulted in an increased tax base, higher collections, and ease of trade.</li>
<li>The finance minister has said that the country is poised to become a USD 5-trillion economy in the next five years and aspires to become a USD 10-trillion economy in the next 8 years thereafter.</li>
<li>India attracted as much as $239 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during the last 5 years.</li>
<li>The GST collection has fallen short of the budget target by Rs. 1 lakh crore for 2018-19.</li>
<li>There is also a highest ever allocation of Rs 58,166 crore for North Eastern Areas, single window clearance for Indian filmmakers at par with foreigners and higher budgetary allocations for Education, Health, Infrastructure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong><g class="gr_ gr_83 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="83" data-gr-id="83">Vision</g> of India For 2030</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>To build social as well as physical infrastructure and to provide ease of living</li>
<li>To create digital India, digitize government processes with leaders from youth</li>
<li>Making India pollution free by leading transport revolution with electric vehicles and focus on renewables</li>
<li>Expanding rural industrialization using modern digital technologies</li>
<li>Clean rivers, safe drinking water to all Indians and use of micro-irrigation</li>
<li>Besides scaling up of Sagarmala, coastline and ocean waters powering India&rsquo;s development and growth</li>
<li>Aim for India&rsquo;s space programme becoming the launch pad of satellites for the world.</li>
<li>Making India self-sufficient in food, exporting to the world to meet their food needs</li>
<li>A healthy India via Ayushman Bharat with women having equal rights and concern for their safety and empowerment</li>
<li>Transforming India into a "minimum government maximum governance" nation with proactive and responsible bureaucracy.</li>
</ol>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/interim-budget-2019-infrastructure-and-economy'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Important Facts for Prelims (2nd February 2019)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3><g class="gr_ gr_23 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="23" data-gr-id="23">Giant</g> cavity in Antarctic glacier</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 meters tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.</li>
<li>Cavity indicates rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change.</li>
<li>The cavity was revealed by ice-penetrating radar in NASA&rsquo;s Operation IceBridge, an airborne campaign beginning in 2010 that studies connections between the polar regions and the global climate.</li>
<li>Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for about 4% of global sea level rise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United States has suspended the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-23rd-october-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty</a> with Russia.</li>
<li>The treaty was signed in December 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.</li>
<li>It prohibited the United States and the Soviet Union from possessing, testing and deploying ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles of ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.</li>
<li>It also covered all land-based missiles, including those carrying nuclear warheads but did not cover sea-launched missiles.</li>
<li>The objective of this treaty was to end the arms race between the two superpowers US and USSR.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-2nd-february-2019'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Stormy Weather Awaits India in 2019',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Stormy weather awaits India in 2019&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 31st January 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll see fast-changing global orders and mixed challenges for India.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>As the world enters 2019, the global outlook looks gloomy</strong> on the front of changing diplomatic contours in the world. Amid these rapid changes, India prepares for the general election this year, and all signs point to 2019 being a difficult year. Whether this would directly impact the poll outcome is uncertain, but the country needs to remain alert to unexpected developments. The country already faces a difficult external and internal situation and there is also a need to show more proficiency on the diplomatic front.</p>
<p><strong>Global Disorder has become a Dominant Imperative of Unsteady Developments across the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nations are today working at cross-purposes across the globe.</li>
<li><strong>A global leadership vacuum is leading to chaos</strong> concerning rules governing the international order.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Example, <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump&rsquo;s utterances and actions are provoking strong counter-reactions,</strong> especially from China and Russia.</li>
<li>Mr. Trump has threatened to pull out of a major arms control treaty with Russia. Russia has also been talking of building stronger deterrence. <strong>Cold War 2 seems for real now.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Diplomacy On different Dimensions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Russia</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Russia is vigorously pursuing its focal point to Asia</strong> and for greater influence in Eurasia.</li>
<li>It has deepened its partnership with China, and enhanced relations with Japan and South Korea. <strong>Growing tensions in the Sea of Azov <em>(following Russia&rsquo;s seizure of Ukraine&rsquo;s ships)</em> could well lead to a major conflagration</strong> between Russia and the West.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China is consolidating its position in Asia.</strong> In addition to its strategic partnership with Russia, China has mended fences with Japan as well(<em>China-Japan relationship became better</em>).</li>
<li>Its Belt and Road Initiative has become the most potent weapon in China&rsquo;s armory, with Vietnam and Japan endorsing this concept. <strong>India finds itself increasingly isolated in Asia as a result.</strong></li>
<li>Economic portents during 2018 for most of the world proved highly daunting. The most challenging was the specter of an all-embracing U.S.-China trade war.</li>
<li>This had triggered highly unsettled conditions, and the situation was further aggravated by signs of a weakening Chinese economy.</li>
<li><strong>In 2018, China had initiated certain moves to create a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor on the lines of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>U.S</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The likelihood of the U.S. moving into a period of slower long-term growth</strong>, one that is likely to continue for a fairly long time, is aggravating this situation. India cannot hope to remain insulated from these trends.</li>
<li><strong>At the beginning of 2019, it is amply evident that politics is conflicting with business across the world.</strong> Hence, normal economic calculations are getting disrupted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pakistan</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>This year could see a further consolidation of the &lsquo;all weather friendship&rsquo; of China-Pakistan.</strong> During 2018, Pakistan facilitated China&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan (and also succeeded in co-opting Russia to be a party to talks with the Afghan Taliban). The CPEC having weathered quite a few storms in 2018, seems well set to progress this further in 2019.</li>
<li>The prospects of India-Pakistan relations improving, on the other hand, are extremely limited. Cross-border terror attacks are likely to continue, as also sponsorship of terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Where India will face even rougher weather, is in Afghanistan, where the Afghan state is perilously close to imploding. India has been kept out of talks with the Afghan Taliban by all countries concerned, including the U.S., China, and Russia, apart from Pakistan. This is making India&rsquo;s position here highly invidious.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mixed challenges for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The strengthening of the <strong>Russia-China strategic relationship</strong> and the recent warmth in China-Japan relations could impact India&rsquo;s relations with both countries.</li>
<li>Notwithstanding the warmth displayed in public by the leaders of <strong>India and Russia, and India and Japan,</strong> the character of our relations with these two countries could <strong>undergo a change.</strong></li>
<li>The outlook for India in the rest of South Asia is also mixed. India will need to work harder in 2019 to check China from weaning away its neighbors, including Nepal and Bangladesh, with offers of economic and military aid.</li>
<li><strong>The return of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister after the general elections in Bangladesh has been a welcome relief.</strong></li>
<li>India retrieved its position in the Maldives. It also succeeded in re-establishing its influence in Bhutan.</li>
<li>The more challenging internal security problems ahead will be Kashmir and the Northeast. In 2018, the situation in Kashmir sharply deteriorated, and the year witnessed some of the highest levels of violence since 1989.</li>
<li><strong>The deadlock between the Jammu and Kashmir administration and militants is unlikely to be resolved.</strong> President&rsquo;s rule has made little headway in sorting out the conflict-prone situation.</li>
<li><strong>Left extremist violence went up marginally in 2018, but the movement remained circumscribed within a core area in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jharkhand.</strong> Ideologically, the movement has remained vibrant, and in 2019, both ideological and militant aspects will need deft handling.</li>
<li>The Chinese Navy is also poised to challenge India&rsquo;s position in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li><strong>China is preparing to outflank India by seeking control of the Kyaukpyu Port on the Arakan Coast in Myanmar,</strong> and planning a canal (the Kra canal), connecting the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand.</li>
</ul>
<p>Considering these difficult external and internal situation, peace in 2019 may prove elusive. On the diplomatic front, India will need to be more capable. 2019 will not only be about India&rsquo;s elections &ndash; the world is changing even as we speak. India needs to step off the treadmill and on to the escalator.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/stormy-weather-awaits-india-in-2019'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Republic Day',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/870Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/870Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/mind-map/gs-paper2/republic-day-mindmap2'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Republic Day',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India recently celebrated its <strong>70<sup>th</sup> Republic Day</strong> which is celebrated every year on 26th January.</li>
<li>The Constitution of India came into effect on 26th January, 1950, thus making it one of the most important date in the political history of India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Term Republic</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word republic is derived from the Latin phrase- RES PUBLICA meaning &lsquo;public affair&rsquo; which is the root of the word republic.</li>
<li>Earliest form of democratic government was seen in the <strong>Roman Republic;</strong> however which cannot be equated with the modern sense of the term.</li>
<li>Plato&rsquo;s work <strong>The Republic</strong> is a pioneer work on philosophy, political theory concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man.</li>
<li>India too in a very vague sense witnessed some form of democratic rule during the post-Vedic period with several Mahajanapadas following republican form of government such as Kamboja, Kuru, and Malla etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Timeline</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The transition of India from a British colony to a sovereign, secular, and democratic nation was a historical journey.</li>
<li>It started with the conceptualisation of the dream in 1930 to its actual realization in 1950.</li>
<li>The seeds of a republican nation were sowed at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress at the midnight of 31<sup>st</sup> December 1929.</li>
<li>The session was headed by J.L. Nehru where it was decided that January 26, 1930 would be observed as the Purna Swaraj (complete Independence) Day.</li>
<li>Lahore session also paved way for the Civil Disobedience Movement in the nation.</li>
<li>After much deliberation between the Indian leaders and members of the <strong>British Cabinet Mission,</strong> Constituent Assembly was constituted which met for the first time on December 9, 1946.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Cabinet Mission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Cabinet mission came to India to discuss the transfer of power from British government to the Indian leadership.</li>
<li>The mission comprised of three cabinet ministers of English government:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sir Pethick Lawrence</li>
<li>Sir Stafford Cripps</li>
<li>Admiral Alexander</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Objectives of the mission:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Devise a machinery to draw up the constitution of Independent India.</li>
<li>Make arrangements for interim Government.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Mission&rsquo;s recommendation:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It proposed that Union of India will deal with the defense, foreign affairs and communications.</li>
<li>Recommended an undivided India and turned down the Muslim league&rsquo;s demand for a separate Pakistan.</li>
<li>It also provided for formation of the constituent assembly on democratic principle of population. It recognized Indian Right to cede from the Commonwealth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li>The Objective of the Assembly was to give India a long lasting constitution which would give institutional expression to the fundamental commitments of equality, liberty, democracy, sovereignty and a cosmopolitan identity to its citizen.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Republic Day</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it enjoyed the true spirit of Independence on January 26, 1950 when the Constitution of India finally came into force giving India its political freedom.</li>
<li>On this day India shed the last relic of colonial system and effected a new dawn by becoming a <strong>Sovereign Democratic Republic</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Sovereign, Democratic, Republic</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sovereign &ndash;</strong> The word &lsquo;sovereign&rsquo; implies that India is neither a dependency nor a dominion of any other nation, but an independent state. There is no authority above it, and it is free to conduct its own affairs.</li>
<li><strong>Democratic &ndash;</strong> is based on the doctrine of popular sovereignty, that is, possession of supreme power by the people.</li>
<li><strong>Republic &ndash;</strong> Preamble indicates that India has an elected head called the president. He is elected indirectly for a fixed period of five years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
<li>The day is an occasion to commemorate the values of our democracy and Republic, to reaffirm our commitment to liberty, fraternity and equality across our society and among all our citizens.</li>
<li>The day celebrates the desire of a huge nation that wanted to be governed through one single constitution giving another example of India&rsquo;s unity in diversity.</li>
<li>Few provisions of the constitution came into power before 26th January 1950, i.e. on 26th November 1949.</li>
<li>Provisions related to <strong>citizenship, elections, provisional parliament, temporary and transitional provisions,</strong> and short title contained in Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 came into force on November 26, 1949 itself.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Threats to Indian Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Although India has made a place for itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it loses behind a lot in the name of growth.</li>
<li>Poverty remains the biggest challenge of present day India, majority of the people continues to live below the poverty line with huge divide between the rich and the poor.</li>
<li>Gender discrimination remains at all level with skewed female ratio, few economic opportunities, disparities in wages, violence, malnutrition etc.</li>
<li>Corruption in public life has been a major concern in India. India is ranked 78<sup>th</sup> amongst 180 nations in <strong>Corruption Perception Index (2018) released by Transparency International</strong>. It exists as both covert and overt at all three levels- political, bureaucratic and corporate sector.</li>
<li>Communalism and religious fundamentalism have acquired a very dangerous form and alarming proportion in India. It is an affront to India&rsquo;s nationalist identity and a tragic setback to its evolving secular culture.</li>
<li>Indian democracy also struggles with regionalism which is primarily an outcome of regional disparities and imbalances in development.</li>
<li>Continued feeling of inequality both among and within state creates a feeling of neglect, deprivation and discrimination.</li>
<li>Elections which serve as the most evident expression of democracy are affected by money and muscle abuse by politicians and political parties.</li>
<li>Most of the politicians have pending criminal cases against them; source of funding for elections remains questionable.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Our Republic has come a long way and we must appreciate how far successive generations have brought us. Equally, we must appreciate that our voyage is far from complete.</li>
<li>There is a need to recalibrate our yardstick of achievement and success - from quantity to quality; from a literate society to a knowledge society in order.</li>
<li>No conception of India's development can be complete without a salute to our spirit of inclusiveness.</li>
<li>India's pluralism is its greatest strength and its greatest example to the world.</li>
<li>The "Indian model" rests on a <strong>tripod of diversity, democracy and development</strong> where we cannot choose one above the other.</li>
<li>The nation needs to encompass all segments and all communities, so that the nation transforms into a family that invokes, encourages and celebrates the uniqueness and potential in each person.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/784Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/784Drishti_ias_Republic_Day.png" width="871" height="393" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/republic-day'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Polar Vortex',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently, the<strong> United States</strong> is grappling with <strong>extreme cold with temperature</strong> reaching to -30&deg;C in cities like Chicago and Dakota.&nbsp;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This is caused by a blast of<strong> Arctic air, which is a result of a &ldquo;polar vortex&rdquo; event.</strong></li>
<li>The polar vortex is a <strong>large area of low pressure</strong> and <strong>cold air</strong> surrounding both of the Earth&rsquo;s poles. It was also known as the<strong> Polar Pig.</strong></li>
<li>The term "vortex" refers to the <strong>counterclockwise flow of air</strong> that helps keep the colder air near the Poles. It<strong> always exists</strong> near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter.</li>
<li>However, many times <strong>during winter</strong> in the northern hemisphere, the <strong>polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward</strong>. This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the<strong> United States and portions of Europe and Asia.</strong></li>
<li>It is also not a feature that exists at the Earth&rsquo;s surface, rather it exists tens of <strong>thousands of feet up in the atmosphere.</strong></li>
<li>By itself, the only danger to humans is the magnitude of how cold temperatures will get when the polar vortex expands, sending Arctic air southward into areas that are not typically that cold.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422619_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1577422619_image1.jpg" width="611" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a></p>
<h3>How is it Linked to Global Warming</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The global temperature has risen by 0.8&deg;C since 1880.</li>
<li>The <strong>Arctic has warmed</strong> over twice the average.</li>
<li>The <strong>temperature difference</strong> between North Pole and regions like North America <strong>has reduced.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>energy generated by the jet stream</strong> travels upward and disrupts the <strong>polar vortex, causing it to split.</strong></li>
<li>One of <strong>these two "child" vortices</strong> has visited North America this week,<strong> causing the record temperatures.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p></p>',
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	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'NPT Must for India’s Entry into NSG : China',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<p>Recently the permanent members of the<strong> United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong> also known as <strong>P5 countries (China, France, Russia, Britain and the US)</strong> - have concluded their meetings to <strong>discuss issues related to nuclear disarmament</strong>, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>China</strong> has said that <strong>India</strong> must sign the <strong>Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)</strong> to gain entry into <strong>Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).</strong></li>
<li>Earlier, after India applied for the NSG membership, <strong>Pakistan</strong> too applied for the same following which China, a close ally of Pakistan, called for a <strong>two-step approach</strong> which states that <strong>NSG members</strong> first need to <strong>arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states</strong> into the group and then <strong>move forward discussions of specific cases</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NSG is a <strong>group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons</strong> through the implementation of <strong>guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports</strong>.</li>
<li>The NSG was <strong>set up as a response to India&rsquo;s nuclear tests conducted in 1974</strong>.</li>
<li>The aim of the NSG is to ensure that <strong>nuclear trade for peaceful purposes</strong> does not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.</li>
<li>The grouping has <strong>48 participating governments</strong> and the European Commission acts as an Observer.</li>
<li>Since <strong>2008</strong>, India has sought membership in the NSG. The same year, the <strong>NSG granted India a "clean waiver" from its existing rules</strong>, which forbids nuclear trade with a country which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).</li>
<li>The waiver paved the way for India to engage in nuclear trade and led to the <strong>Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal</strong>. India has since signed <strong>civilian nuclear cooperation agreements</strong> with the <strong>U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia,Namibia, and South Korea</strong>.</li>
<li>The drive for India's membership got a decisive boost when U.S declared support for India joining the quartet of <strong>multilateral export control regimes</strong>.</li>
<li>U.S proposed case for a country-specific rather than a criteria-based approach rested on the argument that India's nuclear record and commitment to non-proliferation norms qualified it as a "like minded country" to join the NSG.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE</strong>: The four multilateral export control regimes are <strong>Wassenaar Arrangement</strong> (WA), <strong>Missile Technology Control Regime</strong> (MTCR), <strong>Australia Group</strong> (AG) and<strong> Nuclear Suppliers Group</strong> (NSG). India is not a member of NSG only.</p>
</div>
<h3>Impediments to India&rsquo;s NSG bid</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>NSG operates by consensus</strong> and all its current members are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.</li>
<li><strong>China</strong> has relied on an <strong>obstructionist</strong> argument claiming that a &ldquo;compulsory&rdquo; requirement for NSG membership is that they must be signatories to the NPT.</li>
<li><strong>China equates India with Pakistan</strong> &mdash; which has an established history of nuclear proliferation, further complicating the scenario.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of NSG Membership for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Membership of NSG will <strong>increase India&rsquo;s access to state-of-the-art nuclear technology</strong> from members of the Group.</li>
<li>As per India&rsquo;s commitment under the <strong>Paris climate agreement</strong>, it has to ensure that <strong>40% of its energy is sourced from renewable and clean sources by 2030</strong>. In order to achieve this target, India needs to scale up nuclear power production. This can only happen if India gains access to NSG.</li>
<li>Some nations are restricted by regional treaties (For eg., <strong>Pelindaba Treaty</strong>) to provide access to nuclear fuel and technology to India. If India joins the NSG, such restrictions are expected to be done away with.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Pelindaba Treaty (African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It establishes a <strong>Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Africa</strong>.</li>
<li>The treaty was signed in 1996 and came into effect in July 2009.</li>
<li>It aims at preventing nuclear proliferation and preventing strategic minerals of Africa from being exported freely.</li>
<li>This treaty <strong>prohibits member parties to come into bilateral agreement with countries who are non signatories of NPT</strong>.</li>
<li>In <strong>2016</strong>, Namibia criticized the Treaty of Pelindaba for <strong>disallowing Namibia to trade uranium to India</strong> because India is not a member of the NPT.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>NPT is an international treaty</strong> whose <strong>objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology</strong>, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.</li>
<li>It represents the only <strong>binding commitment</strong> in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.</li>
<li><strong>Nuclear-weapon states parties under the NPT</strong> are defined as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device before <strong>January 1, 1967</strong>.</li>
<li>India did not sign it as the<strong> treaty was discriminatory</strong>. India argued that <strong>treaties like NPT were selectively applicable to only non-nuclear powers</strong> and legitimized the monopoly of nuclear power by a few.</li>
<li>Consequently India <strong>conducted nuclear explosion test in May 1974</strong>, all along maintaining that it was <strong>committed to peaceful use of atomic energy</strong>.</li>
<li>In <strong>1998</strong>, India again<strong> conducted a nuclear explosion tests</strong>, and acquired the <strong>capacity to use nuclear energy for military purposes</strong>.</li>
<li>To alleviate the fears of a world community, <strong>India formulated a comprehensive nuclear doctrine</strong>. The major tenets of this doctrine are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Maintenance of a <strong>credible minimum nuclear deterrence</strong>.</li>
<li>Professes <strong>no first use policy</strong>.</li>
<li>Commitment to <strong>global veritable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament</strong> leading to a nuclear weapons free world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has abided by both NPT and <strong>Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)</strong> even though it is a non-signatory. This along with its commitments on nuclear non-proliferation under NSG waiver in 2008 provides India with a strong basis for membership in NSG.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>CTBT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the treaty banning all nuclear explosions - everywhere, by everyone.</li>
<li>The Treaty was negotiated at the <strong>Conference on Disarmament in Geneva</strong> and adopted by the <strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong>. It opened for signature on 24 September 1996.</li>
</ul>
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